Building a Core 2 Duo for ~900

[Deo36]

Hi everyone. I haven't built a computer in over 3 years and have not followed the current technologies at all. It was suggested to me to go for a Intel Core 2 Duo Conroe CPU and a mid-range video card to use until the new DirectX version cards are available.

I have no plans of overclocking anything, I have no experience with it and everytime I try to learn about it I just get guides on what to do, but not why to do it. I'm afraid of destroying something if I just follow the steps since they may not pertain to certain hardware. Here is what I am looking at purchasing, I already have a case.


Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3160811AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

XFX PVT73GUGD3 Geforce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

ENERMAX Liberty ELT400AWT ATX12V 400W Power Supply - Retail

ECS NFORCE 570 SLIT-A (V5.1) Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Unbuffered System Memory Model TWIN2X2048-5400c4 - Retail


I have a few questions.

1: Is the 400W power supply sufficient?

2: I have no plans of using the SLI feature on the mobo, however this mobo is generally about 50$ cheaper than other boards that have been suggested to me, however I don't understand why those boards may or may not be better, aside from overclocking performance.

3: Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the help.

 

[shadowduck]

1) Get at least a 500W PSU.

2) ECS is $50 cheaper because like most ECS products, its horrible. Avoid.

 

[Deo36]

Okay, I switched the board out to this:

GIGABYTE GA-945P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 945P ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

and looked into other psu's as well. Then I notixed something else. This Gigabyte board supports DDR 667 PC2 5400 however the RAM I selected is DDR 675 PC2 5400. Are these still compatible or no?

 

[Robovski]

While 400W would work (the 7600GT doesn't need much power) 500W is recommended.

The Gigabyte mobo should work fine. I think the RAM would be compatable - but I'm certain someone else will know more.

 

[WR2]

The Corsair XMS (PC2 5400) will work fine.
You could also look at Patriot Extreme 2GB DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) as a good alternative.

The GIGABYTE 945P-S3 looks like a pretty good choice. Gigabyte SE 965/945 review
Light over clocking is easy - this board has an "auto tweak" option and you can get higher overclocks easily using the BIOS options. http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-341-5.htm

Would you be looking at a mid-range DX10 card? Then a decent 400-450W PSU should be fine. If you're thinking about a high-end DX10 card 500W would be a good choice.

 

[Deo36]

Thanks for the links and more replies guys.

When the DX10 cards come out I'll give it time to settle and then look for mid-high end bang for the buck card again. I don't delve into the cutting edge games much at all, but my current system is on it's last legs for games like FEAR, WoW and others.

 

[gtr]

The ENERMAX Liberty ELT400AWT has +12V1 20A and +12V2 20A. The 7900Gt requires like 18A and 20A should be enought for your setup with the 7600.

I don't even look at the 400W or 500W anymore. Some manufactures lie about their watts and number don't add up so I just look at the Amp on the 12V and +3.3V and +5V.

 

[Mondoman]

Since you're trying to save money, here's a good-quality power supply that costs less (but doesn't have modular cables):
http://www.us.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17076&vpn=ATX-400-PN-B&manufacture=Fortron%20Source
and here's an excellent-quality one w/modular and a bit more power: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817812002