BleepingComputer.com: Building my first computer, need a bit of help.

Ok, I decided to build a PC myself when a friend told me I could save a lot by building instead of buying. So I decided to build one for the first time. Here's what I got so far.. My budget is around $1000 - $1500. Preferrably around $1200.

Video Card:

EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Processor:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

MoBo:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM:

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Hard Drive:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Monitor:

Hanns·G Hi-221DPB Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 Built in Speakers

Cooling:

ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

DVD Burner:

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner

Keyboard:

Logitech 967738-0403 Black 104 Normal Keys USB Standard Deluxe 250 Keyboard - OEM

Case:

NZXT Guardian 921 CS-NT-GD921-B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Power Supply:

SILVERSTONE SST-ST60F 600W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

TOTAL: $1050
___________________________________________________________________________

I'm open to any suggestions on any parts.

Thanks in advance for any help!

This post has been edited by Distant: 12 December 2008 - 04:56 PM

Welcome to bleepingcomputer!

First off, definitely go with the Intel processor over the AMD. It is much better.

Some good brands for motherboards are Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI. There are others like Biostar, but those three companies I mentioned are currently the best (in my opinion, and I know others believe so too). Just look for a good motherboard that includes all the feature's you'll want.

If you see a good deal on the newer gtx 260 graphics card with 216 core's, those are better than what you listed, but of course, cost more.

Either one of those sets of ram should be fine. They have basically the same specifications, and you will not notice the difference between them. Make sure the motherboard you select supports DDR2 800mhz ram though.

If you don't plan on overclocking then the zalman fan is unnecessary, unless of course you really want your processor to be cool.

For a power supply, I would get something around 500Watts (of course you can always get one with more, or slightly less). Don't go cheap on it either. Here are some that I quickly found on Newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817182030 . http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817153052 . Of course there are many other's, but those are a few good choices.

If you need more help please feel free to ask us!

Okay, well I found a MoBo that I like.

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

My question with that one being, will all of the parts fit on it, and is it a good one?

I also found a few cases, and if you could give some input on that, I would appreciate it. I've heard that the 260 GTX is a LARGE graphics card, so I'm having my doubts about choosing the right case.

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
My major concern with this one is that all of the parts won't fit inside. I'm not sure if it will or not.

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

NZXT Guardian 921 CS-NT-GD921-B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Again, my main concern with this one is that it's not big enough. It sure looks nice though. This one is the main one I'm considering.

Thanks a bunch for the help!

This post has been edited by Distant: 11 December 2008 - 10:00 PM

The case is nice. I have a Full Tower case and I have TONS of room. But I think you will be okay with your Mid Tower case. It's nice to have the room for anytime you wish to expand. But the tower you want to buy is a very nice and slick looking one. Similar to mine.

What are you going to use this computer for?

Gaming or surfing the internet. I'm not going to be using it for work.

I'm probably not going to expand much, but I'm really hoping that the Mid-Tower will hold everything inside of it with the parts I have now.

This post has been edited by Distant: 11 December 2008 - 10:01 PM

MMMMMmmmm... Gaming or surfing the net are very distant in comparable. If you are going to game, make sure you get a good Video card. If only for surfing the net, and msn, facebook, etc, you don't need to spend that much.

I think your case will be fine. Did you purchase your parts already?

Oh, sorry about that. I meant gaming and surfing the net, not or.

Nope, didn't purchase the parts yet. I'm going to purchase them in a few days or so.

You look like you have done well picking your parts. Nice work for your first time.

As for the OS, its up too you. I go with XP still. With Windows 7 due out in the next little bit, what's the point in even using vista!

Remember to take your time and be careful when building. Don't force anything in that isnt going in. You will run into some problems GUARANTEED! Make sure you connect everything to the Mobo. And last but not least when building for the first time, Have FUN! It's a nice reward when you build your first pc and it boots up!

Mr-Bee19, on Dec 11 2008, 10:26 PM, said:

Thanks a bunch to you and everyone else that helped!

I'll post if I have any more questions on anything.

Thanks again!

As for the OS, you're going to need a 64-bit operating system to use 4GB or more of RAM. Skip XP 64, it sucks, go for Vista 64-bit. Most mid-tower ATX cases will not hold a GTX 260, typically the hard drive cage extends too far. You will need a full-tower case to hold the 11 inch long card.

That DVD burner, is not a DVD burner, it is a combo drive.

Try: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16827151171

The only reason I buy Lite-On burners is if I need to do quality scans on media. Unlike their CD burners, I have never been impressed with Lite-On DVD burners. Just an opinion.

Overall, one of the better "build" posts.

EDIT: Consider this hard drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822136319

This post has been edited by dpunisher: 12 December 2008 - 05:18 AM

Alright, I purchased everything I need except the OS. Reason being, I'm not sure what to get.

- EVGA GeForce GTX 260 SSC Edition
- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
- OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2x2GB DDR2
- Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 250 GB 3.0 Gb/s HDD
- SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner
- GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 ATX Intel MoBo
- ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler (Got some Arctic Silver 5 as well)
- NZXT Guardian 921 CS-NT-GD921-B ATX Mid-Tower Case (Got this instead of a full one, I saw a review that said someone fit a 9800 GTX inside which is approx. the same size as 260 SSC)

Also got a monitor, ethernet cable, anti-static wristband, keyboard.

I have a question though.. Should I go for Windows Vista x64 System Builders to take advantage of DX10, install a spare version of XP and then upgrade to Vista x64, or something else? I don't really trust the DX10 for XP from Alky Project, so I don't think I can *just* use the spare of Windows XP.

Also, I heard that while the full version of Vista includes x32 and x64, System Builders includes EITHER x32 or x64. Is this going to affect me in any way?

If you want to use 4GB of RAM in its entirety you must use a 64-bit OS. In 64-bit land, get Vista it is so much better than XP 64. This is because WOW64 and compatibility in Vista is much more refined than in XP. You cannot upgrade to Vista 64-bit from any version of XP or Vista 32-bit since it is a platform change. If you get the OEM version, you must select either 64-bit or 32-bit, all online retailers will tell you which one you're getting. Don't bother with the full retail-boxed edition of Vista, it's just a waste of money with OEM editions available. Go with Vista 64-bit, given the speed of your PC, it can certainly handle it. Besides, it will be a hassle to wipe the PC clean and do a clean install of it later if you choose XP or Vista 32-bit.

This post has been edited by DJBPace07: 14 December 2008 - 04:44 PM

Ok, thank you very much for your reply.

I'm going for Vista x64 for System Builders (The OEM thing).

This post has been edited by Distant: 14 December 2008 - 04:49 PM