What changes would you make - gaming build

[b3mor]

Hey,

I am buying the components for my first computer that will be used for gaming.

I already have:

Case (CM Stacker 831)
Windows 7 Retail

I need everything else. There is no strict budget but ideally all in less than £800, so I have about £700 left to spend after buying the case and OS. This is what I have come up with so far:

Corsair 750W HX
Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE
Crucial 4GB Ballistix 1333MHz 7-7-7-24
Asus HD 5770 1GB
WD 500GB AAKS
LG GH22NS50 DVD-RW DL
Edimax USB Adapter
LG M227WD 22" HDTV/Monitor
Logitech RX1000 Mouse
Logitech Internet 350 PS/2 Keyboard


A few questions:

Does it matter whether I get a USB or PS/2 keyboard?

Does anyone know whether the Edimax USB adapter will work without issue with a Netgear router?

Would I notice much difference getting a Athlon II X2 250 or Athlon II X3 245 instead of the Phenom II?

Am I going to need any additiional cables?

With these HDTV/Monitor hybrids, do you still need an aerial socket to pick up freeview channels or is everything required built in?

I think the PSU is overkill but hopefully it will last for a long time!

I intend to use the OEM cooler for now.

Many thanks!

 

[b3mor]

Anyone?

 

[DireEmblem]

Does it matter whether I get a USB or PS/2 keyboard?

Nope, although i think ps/2 is going out the window(old tech)

With these HDTV/Monitor hybrids, do you still need an aerial socket to pick up freeview channels or is everything required built in?

With the dybred hdtv/monitors, you would still have to plug it into a digital aerial. Imo just get a monitor, and a tv card. That way your pc can record stuff for you.

I think the PSU is overkill but hopefully it will last for a long time!

Agree, i would possibly go with a cheaper/lower watt psu, as they are most efficient in their 70-80% range, and i dont think that rig would even need that.

How about the below spec + some PCI tv card?

OcUK Value 416V 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Silver £149.99


AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail + Colin McRae Dirt 2 Full Game £125.98


OcUK ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £117.99


Geil Ultra Series 4GB (2x2GB) PC3-17000 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (GU34GB2133C9DC) - OEM £72.99


Asus M4A785TD-M Evo AMD 785G (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard £67.99


OCZ StealthXStream 500w Silent Power Supply £49.99


Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AADS) £37.98


Sony Optiarc AD-5240S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99


Logitech RX1000 Optical Laser Mouse (931710-0600) £10.98


Logitech Deluxe Keyboard (Black) - OEM (967738-0120) £6.99

Hope i've not missed anything, but comes to £658.88 delivered.

 

[TheTard]

that seems ok to me =]

 

[b3mor]

Thanks for the comments.

I decided to stick with my original plan, with just a couple of minor alterations; I wanted to stick with the HDTV/Monitor for the options it gives me.

It all arrived today yay , so, what with this being my first build, I have some questions:

1). I've read about setting up the basics (just the PSU, MB, CPU and RAM) outside the case first just to check everthing works. As the Asus motherboard has onboard graphics, should I do the first switch on with or without the graphics card fitted? Does it make a difference? If I did it without the graphics card fitted, would the computer then detect when I do add it, and, will I then need to disable the onboard in the BIOS?

2). I remember reading about how to short a couple of pins on the motherboard to make the computer start, how do you find which pins they are and is it best to use a pen tip or something?

3). I am sure this is a very foolish question, but as there is no OS, do you just turn it off by turning off the power? I assume this won't damage anything?

4). I intend to use the stock heatsink for now, however, I forgot to order some compound, will I need some?



Thanks for your help!

 

[Brummies]

1) when i made my first build I fitted the graphics card then booted up, comp detected it and all was fine

2) sorry, have no clue lol

3) no, you won't damage your PC it just wont load the OS

4) no its usually on the cooler itself if your using stock.

hope that helps...

 

[b3mor]

Thanks for your help, I took your advice and the computer works! This is me

I haven't got Windows on there yet, that is next!

How on earth do some people keep their cases so tidy?! Mine looks like a mess of spaghetti at the moment, I don't think my case is best for tidy cables.

The other question, is how do you fit the I/O shield properly???

I tried to fit the motherboard with the shield in place but it wouldn't fit, so I took it out. It doesn't look like it will ever fit.

In this picture:

http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2009/08/asus-m4a785td-v-evo-review/box2.jpg

The DVI slot (which you can just see, it's in the middle at the bottom) has three prongs that stick down, where are these meant to go as they just block the DVI port when you try to fit the motherboard. You can see some more of these prongs on the USB/Network slots at the top of the slots to the right of the DVI/VGA.

At the moment I'll either be doing without the I/O shield or cutting off these stupid prongs!

BTW, the BIOS reported CPU temperature as 39C, the stock cooler is rubbish, think I need an aftermarket one, would this be best:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-035-AR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

I thought the Phenom II X2 550 BE would have a better cooler than the all aluminium one that ships with Athlon II X2 processors, but apparently not!