First computer build

Case:

Antec P182

Mobo:

DFI LP DK X48-T2RSB PLUS LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813136054

GPU:

EVGA Geforce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

PSU:

Antec 650Watt

CPU:

Intel Q9550 2.83 Ghz core2quad core LGA 775

RAM:

G.Skill 2X2GB [4gb] DDR2 1066

HDD (BOOT):

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

HDD (storage:

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

CD/DVD drive:

pioneer 20x dvd+-r burner


is this a decent build? i just want to know if the powersupply is sufficient enough for the vid card if the gpu would fit in the antec case.

thank you!

Decent depends on what you are going to do with that PC and your budget. Let's see what we have here.

Case: It's alright, but many reviewers complain about the excessive use of plastic with the case, which makes it feel cheap. The NZXT Zero Black/Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case would be a better case. It's cheaper, made of lightweight aluminum, and is a full ATX case which will provide more room and have better temperature control.

Motherboard: I haven't heard much of DFI. Very good motherboard companies are eVGA, XFX, Asus, and ASRock. The EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI FTW ATX Intel Motherboard would be a good choice since it is less expensive and will allow you to use SLI, if you so choose.

GPU: Good choice.

CPU: Another good choice. I do suggest an aftermarket cooler if you plan to overclock or simply want a cooler case. The XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler or the Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 would both make good choices for aftermarket heatsinks.

PSU: I've had an Antec PSU and it broke after less than a year. I usually go for Corsair, Silverstone, OCZ, or PC Power PSU's. That wattage should be enough for a single card, if you want to SLI, I suggest a better PSU such as a 750W or higher. Good units include the CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W, PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W, and SILVERSTONE ST75F 750W.

RAM: G.Skill has good RAM. The motherboard can handle up to 8GB of RAM so you can get more if you wanted. Also, you will need a 64-bit OS to take advantage of 4GB or more of RAM.

HDD: Western Digital and Seagate make excellent drives.

Optical drives: A simple drive is needed.

Excellent thank you for the reply. I didn't post it but I was going to get the thermaltake blue orb and attach it on.

And I'm not really a fan of that case you showed me could you show me something that is sort of like that? But along the lines of the antec 900 series.

Question about the evga motherboard. I was just basically going with the ratings and price on newegg. Is evga the one that has problems with the bios update?

Also, what is a simple drive isn't the pioneer a simple drive?

Thanks again for the awesome reply.

would this be alright? i'm a fan of plain cases.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811146051

I personally recomend Gigabyte or ASUS boards, but that looks like a decent build. :D

A simple drive is just that...a simple drive that can read and/or write discs. You don't need one with LightScribe or Blu-Ray, thus it is a simple drive. I do suggest getting one that is SATA though. As for the motherboard, you shouldn't be updating the BIOS if everything is working normally, which it usually is. I chose the EVGA 750i board because the Asus 750i board uses slower RAM. Asus' 780i board does use the faster RAM, but I cannot justify spending more than $200 on a motherboard. There are some good boards for AMD CPU's if you're willing to change CPU's. Below is a suggested CPU and motherboard combination for AMD, it's also a bit less expensive than the Intel/EVGA combination.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz - A good quad core chip that is Black Edition. Black Edition means the multiplier is unlocked making it much easier to overclock, which it does very well. This is AMD's flagship CPU that is meant to compete with Intel's Core 2 chips, but at a lower cost to consumers.
Motherboard: ASRock K10N780SLIX3-WiFi AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 780a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - This uses a more advanced chipset (780a) than the EVGA board and allows for three-way SLI if you so choose. It will also allow you to install AM3 processors, AMD's newest type of processor that just hit the market, if you choose to upgrade later on.

Some people prefer flashier cases, personally a little style is fine but LED's and windows on the case can be a bit much. Below are some alternate case choices.

COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - I like this case, if I was in the market for one, I would probably get it. It's elegant, large, quiet and easy to work in.
COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 Evolution RC-830-KKN3-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - A black case with just a little bit of syling to make it look better than just a box. It has a large side fan to keep things cool, but be gentle with the motherboard tray as it can warp.
GIGABYTE GZ-FA2CA-AJB Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - This case is also plain, but has a side vent for cooling.
COOLER MASTER ATCS 840 RC-840-SSN1-GP Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Another plain case, only silver instead of black.

Edited by DJBPace07, 05 April 2009 - 10:13 PM.

Your build sounds pretty good to me!

DFI [Diamond Flower International] is a old motherboard manufacturer .

Unless their reputation has changed they make a excellent motherboard.

I had a couple of DFI's over the years & they were rock solid .

Boy, it looks like you are not playing around when it comes to a motherboard. That beast is $199.99. I see capable speed in that beast, but I also see you having to do an 850 Watt Power or better.

PSU: I've had an Antec PSU and it broke after less than a year. I usually go for Corsair, Silverstone, OCZ, or PC Power PSU's. That wattage should be enough for a single card, if you want to SLI, I suggest a better PSU such as a 750W or higher. Good units include the CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W, PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W, and SILVERSTONE ST75F 750W.

Good point DJB, but I think 850W would be safer due to the speed of the MoBo.
My reason for this is the following comment on that product page:

Cons: Did not seem to be very stable with overclocking. Would not wake from S3 sleep.

That user probably could not overclock due to power loss, or not enough power, which means this board is the beast. Just remember the favorite phrase "the board is the limit."

I don't think you will screw the pooch, or in other terms, drop the ball. It is a good beast. Make sure you take care of the beast, so it continually runs like one.

Like DJB said, 64 Bit OS's give you that advantage in 4 GB or more of RAM. I have a beastly non-gaming PC, and it works at top speed in Vista.

Make sure you check for Windows updates if you operate in Windows Vista. You want the updates that "Improve the 'speed and reliability' of Windows Vista" -- they are one of my secrets.

Get (or make sure) these updates as well (Vista):
Graphics Virtual Address potential problems
Reliability
Hardware safe
Performance
x64 Reliability

Those updates should be downloaded automatically from Microsoft from within Windows Update. There are less expensive motherboards and CPU's available, as I pointed out in my previous post (post #6). If you're wanting an even more powerful PSU, the CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W, SILVERSTONE ST85F 850W, and OCZ GameXStream OCZ850GXSSLI are some great choices.

That was why I said "Get (or make sure) these updates as well (Vista):"

on the same note, its kind of pricy but has lots of features and SLI, you got this board for intel that would do amazing (just a suggestion, I saw it while on newegg the other day) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128343 and if you choose to switch for AMD, this is a board ive been eyeballing myself but probably wont be able to buy hehe but its cheaper then intel and still a very good board http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128387

Neither of those boards will do SLI, they do Crossfire. Both are fine boards, but there doesn't seem to be a number of reviews for them. But then again, all reviews should be taken with a grain of salt.

all reviews should be taken with a grain of salt.

Good point! I agree.

Boards are made by design and specification-dependency. Whenever you have a board that seems uncomfortable, it is because the board is specified for larger parts, more fans, and less portability. Asus may design their boards to be performance dependent, meaning that they want air flow all the way through the system so the system does not overheat. Intel, on the other hand, may want it all to be compacted together but have stronger fans. See the difference? To render the obvious point: "it is all about the board" -- I disagree, I am more on the side of WHAT WORKS!

The second one the patriot listed is okay.

I tend to ignore newegg reviews like "Cons: Did not seem to be very stable with overclocking. " .

Notice the reviewer didn't mention what CPU he was trying to OC or how far he tried to push it.

I wouldn't expect a C2D 2.4GHz to be stable at 5GHz.

Also keep in mind many reviews are given by people that expect components to do things they weren't designed to or have features not listed .

Reviews can, if there are a number of them, give a general consensus about a product. So a review with a dozen people reviewing a product might not give as accurate a picture as one with, say, 50 or more.