PC build virgin wants your opinions on first build spec (2K budget)…

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Hi there.

My current PC needs upgrading so a few months ago I decided I would build myself a new one. In that time I’ve reading all over the web, but mostly on here as +95% of the parts will be ordered from OC. I’ve finally come up with the following spec and I’d be eternally grateful for any comments you guys have.

My budget is £2,000. I will use the PC for a range of things including games, editing audio/video/photos, watching movies and surfing. As I’ve never built a PC before I haven’t done any overclocking but I dare say within a few months I’ll give it a go (but nothing “too close to the edge”). I’d like the PC to be capable of being future-proof with minor upgrades for the next 5 years and I don’t mind spending a bit extra to achieve this. Importantly, it should be a very quiet/silent rig which looks good too. If any suggestions for the missing parts take this slightly over budget then so be it.


CPU
CP-128-IN Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail (CP-128-IN) £204.99

CPU COOLER
HS-003-SY Scythe Ninja Plus Heatpipe CPU Cooler (Socket 478, 754, 939, 940, LGA755) (HS-003-SY) £31.95

COMPOUND
AC-000-AC Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g) (AC-000-AC) £5.50

MOBO
MB-062-GI Gigabyte GA_965P_DS4 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-062-GI) £104.95

RAM
MY-058-GL GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) (MY-058-GL) £124.95

GRAPHICS CARD
To be honest I’m especially open to suggestions about alternatives to this card. I doubt I will ever be interested in Crossfire as my interest in games will not be a big as to call me a “hardcore gamer”.
GX-047-CO Connect3D ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (3056) (GX-047-CO) £169.95

GRAPHICS CARD COOLER
Not sure what to do here … will a Zalman VF 900-CU be good enough to keep the above card cool and quiet. If suggesting an alternative card please suggest an alternative cooler if needed.

SOUND CARD
SC-034-CL Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music - Retail (SC-034-CL) £63.95

SPEAKERS
SP-021-LG Logitech Z-5500 THX® Certified 5.1 505 Watts Speakers - Retail (SP-021-LG) £176.95

POWER SUPPLY
CA-002-SS Seasonic S12 600W Silent ATX2.0 Power Supply (CA-002-SS) £83.95

HDD’s
2 x HD-083-SE Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 400GB ST3400620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-083-SE) @ £107.95ea = £215.90

MONITOR
MO-009-NE NEC MultiSync® LCD20WGX2 20.1" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver (MO-009-NE) £314.99

KEYBOARD
Maybe I’ll get silver depending on the case.
KB-000-EN Enermax Aurora Brushed Aluminium Keyboard - Black (KB-000-EN) £49.95

CASE
OK, I’m really struggling here. It will need to hold the above 2 HDD’s + 2 IDE drives which I already have. Although I’m not always struck on the looks I’m prepared to accept the wealth of experienced opinion on here and go with Lian-li. But I’m not sure which … Yewen if you’re reading this would appreciate your views. Eagerly awaiting the full review on s80 too ;)

CASE FANS
Was going to go with Sharkoon Silent Eagles as I read a good review in Custom PC magazine. Sadly I can’t get these from OC though. :(

OPTICAL DRIVES
I already have some good ones which I can reuse.

Subtotal £1,547.98
VAT £270.90
Total £1,818.88



So please feel free to give any advice you can whether it be that I’ve missed something out (I already have the OS), a better spec suggestion or compatibility issues.

Cheers!
 
Tetras said:
Buy the HIS version of the X1900 XT and then you won't need an additional cooler or have to worry about the warranty :)

HIS ATI Radeon X1900 XT ICEQ 3 SILENT Heatpipe 512MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-053-HT) Total £229.12

^--- replaces original spec'd card + cooler. Thanks mate ;)
 
Thanks for the comments so far guys. Defo like HIS and the fact that I won't have to prat around with the card is a bonus (I knackered my current ATi card putting a zalman on it) :mad: but then again, if I hadn't done that I wouldn't have had the motivation to build myself a new rig!

I'm quite interested in silence so I'm prepared to buy/fit 3rd party case fans. Would really like to get the Ambers ... but they did not fair too well in the Custom PC review which was quite a good test imo. What about Dustproofs? What sizes would I need for say a Lian-Li s80 or V1100+? Would 2 x 92mm's work?

And thanks for the confidence, it seems all this reading has paid off :)
 
Just got back from a BBQ and just checked up on latest posts. Having had a drink or three probably best that I don't make any snap decisions but I can say:

- love the look of the P180, price is fine, but recall seeing reviews on the net leading me to believe that this might be a bit difficult for a first time builder like me to get to grips with

- eclipse ... also like the look but I am leaning more towards cases with a door - they seem to be neater imo ... but I know this case is great from the mere amount of people suggesting it 'round the net.

- going to stay away from water cooling for the time being ... as xirokx hints ... this would push it a bit on my first build.

Going to canvass some views in the case forum as I think this is the only area of uncertainty now. Will give this all a sanity check tomorrow (as xirokx hints I may be blowing my dosh here ... but I still think I may plump for the spec as outlined).

Prolly will go with dustproofs or ambers ... will decide when not feeling so drunk ... lol

Cool that you guys are so willing to help n00bs like me. Going to order tomorrow so hope you're all around next weekend when i'm trying to build this beast ;)
 
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