First time poster, first time builder, first timer all around!

[ihone]

Hello guys and gals. Been trolling long enough, so I thought I'd finally post up a big Texas Hello!! and finally ask the question - can someone please guide me? I'm building my very first computer, and it's kickin my tail. Pci this, AGP that, 2x , 32bit, 256M onboard blahblahblah...... it's making me kinda crazy my wife says.

Here's the purpose of this 'rig'. It's for home use (surfing, pics, music), some photoshop (I didn't like CS2 much so I stuck with PS7 <it does what I need>), and some online gameplay (Final Fantasy XI and WoW...silly wife got me hooked on this stuff).

Here's the conunderum(sp?) I'm finding myself in. I only (I stress that loosely, as I'll probably have to go over a bit) have about 650'ish to spend on this...all together. I've read alot of your builds, and have used alot of you guys/gals advice on parts selection. So, without further adou...my 'grocery' list:

MOBO/CPU package (Eaglebit.com) - ASRock ALiveNF6G-DVI Socket AM2 nVidia GeForce 6100 4x SATA2 RAID MATX Motherboard with AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 5600+ (2.8GHz) CPU Retail - $231.00USD

Memory - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $109.99USD ($30 M.I.R ... yeah...right)

Video Card - SAPPHIRE 100208L Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail - $109.00USD

and after that.....I'm stuck. PSU, Case, Cooling options....it's endless it seems.

Can someone help me finish this thing up, in a way that I can hopefully have it built soon? I'm in Houston, and we have Microcenter down here. I've been told mixed stories about it, but am willing to shell out the coin if they have what I need in the line of periphs.

Thanks in advance ya'll. You have guided me this far....please use your wisdom on my crap-trap and lemme know what I'm doing wrong...if anything.

Justin

 

[Solariscs]

Hey there justin, Welcome . It can be a little hard with all the hardware options. I would get a little better motherboard if I was you. If you want something cheap, try:

Cooler Master Centurion 5
Antec NeoHE 430
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ (2.8GHz)
ECS AMD690GM-M2 (V1.0A)
STT DDR2-800 2GB (2x1GB)
Seagate ST3250410AS 250GB
LG Electronics GSA-H62NK 18X SATA Super Multi DVD+/-RW
MSI nVidia GeForce 8600GT 256MB Silent

Price: ~$640

The 8600GT out performs the 2600GT in almost all applications

If you have any questions at all, msg me.

AIM/Yahoo Maximus9102
Email: SolarisMax@solariscs.com

 

[ihone]

Thx for the quick response Solarisc.

I'm looking for what just about every average joe that wants to try his hand at building a monster wants - to spend the least amount and have the best for his hard earned cash. Plus, with a multitude of things coming out in the near future - I'm positive that I'll be upgrading sooner or later.

As for now - is that the least expensive you'd go? 650'ish and I still need other periphs (kbd,mouse,mon). I'm willing to use just about anything that has a decent rep. As long as this built computer doesn't lag out when running through a town, or when I create a project in PS that's 2500X1870 Res *an unusual res, but we use it all the time where I work*. If you think this build wouldn't stumble at this -

I'll start ordering parts tomorrow based on your suggestions.

Also, one question - was I on a good track, with a good start, atleast?

heh!

Justin

 

[fferree]

First, I would shop for the motherboard and decide based on what you want. Motherboard manuals are available to download on line. I would base my selection of parts based on the motherboard requirements which are listed in the manual. You will have fewer problems doing it that way.

 

[ihone]

Thx for the advice fferree. My question now would be - what MOBO would fit my needs/application/wants?

Gaming-
Photoshop 7-
surfing-
normal apps everyone uses from day to day

I just don't want to buy something and then figure out that it's not going to work, because of 1 key piece I forgot to get, or 1 detail that I overlooked because I didn't fully understand the concept to reality deal.

Thanks again for your reply.

Justin

 

[ihone]

Well, to end this saga - It's done! I'm on it as I type right now!

Here's what I ended up going with:

AMD 64x2 6000+ (was only 20 bucks more than the 5800+ here in Houston)
Gigabyte GA-M61p-S3 MOBO
Super Talent 2Gig Ram kit
Antec Nine-Hundred Case
Thermaltake 500W PSU
Video Card - none as of now - using onboard and it's doing fine with the games I'm playing, Photoshop, and whatnot. (I'll get that x1950 pro in a few weeks though)

Thanks for all you guys/gals help. It's been a real relief to actually say - Hey, I built that thing!

ciao'
Justin

 

[ihone]

Question for ya'll. I've been watching this thing pretty closely, and have a few questions:

I DL'd cpu-z, and have it in my toolbar. the Cool n Quiet function wasn't working, because it would always be pinned (3Ghz) all the time, any time. I went to my Control panel in xp, set it to Max Battery (so it'd kick in) and it did so. After reboot, my machine instantly goes back to performance on demand, which for some reason makes it zing straight to 3Ghz. Why?

Next, I've also watched the core temps pretty closely, to see if anything needs adjustment. My normal idle state temp is 33*C and full on load ranges from 45-48*C. Is this normal? I'm using that AMD heatsink that came with the 6000+ proc, and it seems to be doing its job. I (under direct orders from a buddy) took all that goop off of the heatsink fan's underbelly, which goes against the proc directly. cleaned it off, cleaned it again, then applied AS5. Thin....suuuuuper thin layer, then put it together and clamp/locked it down. I can watch the temps go from full tilt (45-48C) to anywhere from 32-35C within a matter of seconds upon me resetting that Max Battery function in Windows. Is this saying that the combo I have is working properly, in order to quickly cool that puppy down?

Sorry for the n00b questions, but I don't wanna fry my newest pride and joy. Please lemme know if the above things are normal.

Justin