First PC Build with new and old parts

This is a long first post so if you want just skim the parts or the questions i have at the bottom. Thanks ^-^

Ok well for the last two weeks ive been researching building my own PC using a few parts from my current PC and new parts including a Case, CPU, Motherboard, RAM, Heatsink, Hard Drive and a few miscellaneous parts (Anit-Static Wrist Strap, Thermal Compound, 6 to 8 pin Power Adapter). The things i have are the PSU, Graphics Card, old Hard Drive, DVD Burner, OS (Win7) and all the peripherals. All of the old things will be upgraded over time and im reusing them to save money for the initial build. Im just looking for opinions on this build and if there is anything that i should change, replace, or add-on. Thank You for your Opinions and Help ^-^

Everything has very good reviews and the only reason i would change a part is if its outdated or there is something better for equal or lesser price. I am on a budget that isnt exact but where i stand its $492 including shipping. The only thing im not going to order from newegg is the new hard drive since I would rather not trust the shipping and just go to the best buy half a mile away.

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811119137

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128444

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103808

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820231277

Heatsink: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835186134

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835100007

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Western+Digita...p;skuId=7821985

Also to add this computer will be for daily tasks as a family computer at as a medium gaming rig like Starcraft 2 and Civ 5.
A few Questions I have are VV

Will Caviar Blue be fast enough for a hard drive (OS will be installed on this drive)? I like the Idea of Caviar Black but i dont need that much storage i mean as a whole family we put on 100GB in 5 years. I just dont see the point of getting a 1TB, plus if the time ever came i could allows just add another drive. Im just worried with all the components im getting a Caviar Blue could keep the computer from running at its best.

Well im getting a Black Edition 955 so i might as well overclock it a little. Any idea what a reasonable speed to OC the 3.2 Ghz CPU too would be?

Thanks Everyone! I tried another Computer forum last week but this one seems to be a nicer community thats more willing to help.

Welcome to the forums!!!!

That looks like a solid build and everything should work together nicely. I do have a few things you should consider before buying. You didn't list the current parts you will be keeping, but if those work together already, there is no point in changing them unless you choose to upgrade your graphics card or other parts fail.

1. That is a good motherboard from a respected company. That model uses the AMD 8 series chipset, specifically, the 880G. The 880G means that is has an on-board graphics card. If you already have a graphics card better than the low-end Radeon 4250, and you really should for games, then this is a feature you can live without and get a different motherboard, such as the ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 which has most of the features of the Gigabyte you chose, just at a lower price.

2. I usually don't overclock, but I have seen people get the Phenom II X4 955 and 965 (They're identical with different prices and clocks) up to 3.8 GHz. and 4 GHz. depending on cooling.

3. That heatsink somes with thermal paste already pre-applied, the Arctic Silver is unnecessary. I have an older version of that same CPU cooler for an AMD rig I built for my parents a few years back, it's pretty good.

4. DDR3-1333 is considered standard for most AMD motherboards with faster RAM designed for overclockers. You may have to tweak your BIOS settings to get the motherboard to operate at those higher DDR3-1600 speeds. You can get single sticks of DDR3-1333 RAM, such as the G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333. These single 4GB stick RAM kits are handy if you think you might want to maximize the amount of RAM you install. The difference, in terms of performance, between DDR3-1600 and 1333, is very minor.

5. That hard drive should be just fine. There are Western Digital Caviar Black drives that have 500GB if you're really worried. Besides, hard drives had to be shipped to the retail stores so they have been shaken quite well already and they're designed for it.

6. Finally, ensure that the copy of Windows you have isn't OEM/System Builder, that is, unless it is uninstalled. The license for that version of Windows allows it to only be installed on a single computer and it cannot be moved to a new one. There is technically nothing preventing you from doing this, however. Also, make sure it is 64-bit Windows if you want to use 4GB or more of RAM.

Thank you for the great reply and welcoming me to the forums. ^-^

As for the current parts they will all be swapped out in time since i will be getting a new graphics card which means i will be getting a new PSU and i plan on getting a dvd burner that will match the case better since this one is silver and the case will be black. If your interested in the parts i have currently two i got from best buy to keep this current PC running are the PSU and graphics card since the onboard went and the crappy 300w couldn't support discrete graphics. They where basically just to keep the current PC afloat (5 year old emachine) to save money at the time from buying a new PC.

Current PSU: Dynex™ - 400-Watt ATX
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dynex%26%23153...p;skuId=8311052

PSU in Future: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817139005

Current Graphics Card: BFG - NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS 512MB DDR2
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/BFG+-+NVIDIA+G...p;skuId=8990407

Graphics Card in Future: i dont know they confuse me lol i would do lots of asking around when the time comes. Probably something that i can use Crossfire on in the future. Other than that like i said they confuse me.


1.) The reason i went with that board is because i like the idea of having a second bios if i screw something up on my first build and it was 4 dollars more then the 870 gigabyte. I like the idea of having a back up for graphics also encase the current card goes. Also the 880 Gigabyte does have IDE so i can use my old hard drive with years of data on it (that was a big selling point). So i think i will stick with it so thanks for the idea.

2.) Im not sure if i will overclock it just an option really. I just like technology and i think it would be a fun thing to do. Just worried about messing stuff up lol which is again why i like the dual BIOS.

3.) Thank you for saving me 10 dollars ^-^

4.) This one has me the most stumped because i don't know that i will upgrade it to 16GB over the years. I kinda dont see myself doing that with this rig. Maybe someone can give us another opinion. I really only see myself getting a total of 8GB at a later date since a lot of people say 4GB are enough for RAM for similar rigs.

5.) Thank you Im glad to know it will work. Personally I just like the idea if of going to the store to get that since if it doesn't work out of the box i can always drive the 1 minute back to the store and grab another. I will most likely go with that drive then.

6.) I actually have a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate retail that i can use from a friend. I'm not sure that i need Ultimate though im sure Home Premium is plenty. I think i can install any version with it, not sure though.

Thanks Again for welcoming me and that amazing post. This is truly a great Community from what i can tell.

Great PSU choice there. I use and highly recommend Corsair power supplies.

Extra thermal compound is always nice to have around if you ever need to re-apply it. AS isn't the only option though. There are cheaper and non-conductive (in case you get it on any circuits) alternatives. I got some Arctic Cooling MX-2 myself. 3.5g will last you a long time unless you do a lot of installations.

Take a look at the Antec 300 case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811129042

It is one of the easiest cases to work inside, has plenty of cooling options and is solidly constructed with rolled edges and everything. I got it for a second rig (my Linux rig in my signature) because it was cheap in price but I actually like it better than the Antec 900 I've had for a few years.

Edited by JonM33, 06 August 2010 - 12:36 PM.

Thanks for the option on the case ^-^ i appreciate it.

This looks like it will be a great PC. That Windows 7 copy, your friend is giving it to you and wiping it from their system? It is still bound by the "Can only be installed on one machine at a time" restriction. This isn't an issue if it came from a volume license deal. Ultimate is a total waste of money, unless you use the high-end enterprise feature. The product key is tied to your Windows version (OEM, retail) and SKU (Home Premium, etc.) If you have a key for Ultimate, you're stuck with it. Not that it is a bad version, it's just horribly overpowered for the normal home user. The Gigabyte motherboard should do just fine, though, I have never had a reason to get on-board graphics since I'm a gamer and have old cards laying around. For reference, the flagship top-of-the-line chipset AMD uses is the 890FX, which has no on-board graphics, but has all the other enthusiast features. One such motherboard is the ASRock 890FX DELUXE3 AM3 AMD 890FX. You should only consider that board if you are a hardcore gamer.

Thanks for the info but im not sure on the OS as of right now since he hasnt given it to me yet, but he does have a bunch of computers so im not to worried about it. Also that Motherboard is probably to much for me in price and specs lol. Though its good to know that the one i plan on getting is pretty current though which is what i was going for with this build. I wanted to get a PC that is up to date in parts and has great performance which took a while to narrow down but i think i have picked something i will be very pleased with. Thank You for your help!

Anything else i should take a look at or consider before ordering? Which i probably wont be doing for a couple weeks yet anyways.