New Budget Gaming Rig

[zerox202]

Just ordered components for my first build.

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

MOTHERBOARD
ASUS P5Q LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131295

GPU
SAPPHIRE 100242L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747

PSU
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7200 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052

RAM
CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194

HARD DRIVE
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148136

DVD BURNER
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

VGA COOLER
ARCTIC COOLING ACCELS1 Rev 2 VGA Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186016

CPU COOLER
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

---------------------------------------------EXTRAS----------------------------------------------
Arctic Silver ACN-60ML (2-PC-SET) Thermal material Remover & Surface Purifier - OEM

ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

HIPER HFF-1N12N 120mm Transparent Case Fan - Retail

HIPER HFF-1N08N 80mm Transparent Case Fan - Retail

XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket - Retail


I'm planning on overclocking both the CPU and GPU; perhaps RAM in the future.
I have a copy of VISTA and XP: What would you guys suggest on installing? Also, where do I need to place all the little heatsinks for the GPU when I replace it with the after market cooler?

Thanks-

 

[infinitywraith]

Very nice, the processor is the only low point. Get a higher end core2duo.

 

[WR2]

The little heatsinks are RAMsinks and go on the video card RAM chips: AC Accelero S1 Rev.2 review

Give the Vista a whirl - I don't think you'll regret it at all.

Good choices! A bit heavy on the PSU for a 1 HD 4850 build (but about right if you ever upgrade to a HD 4870X2 video card).

Be sure to let us know how the build goes.

 

[Maziar]

Looks very nice,also the CPU is good too(Even at stock speeds)but if he wants he can OC it.

 

[zerox202]

@infinitywraith
Yeah, I wish I could've gotten a better CPU like a E8400 or Q6600; but I had to stay under $1,000. With the new lineup from Intel on the way, I plan on OCing this one to about 3.1~3.6Ghz and wait till the newer ones drop price.

@WR2
Allright, I guess I'll give Vista a try. Last time I installed it (when it first came out), it was horrible. But I guess it's been improved over the years.
I orginally decided to go for 750W PSU just to future proof myself, but it was out of stock and I couldn't wait lol. I'm just hoping future CPU and GPU wouldn't be power hogs.

@Maziar
YUP!

Thank you all! I'll post how it goes after I get the parts- maybe this weekend or next week if they arrive late.

 

[jamesl]

the e7200 is fine, there is absolutely no need to spend more to get an 8400

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

I think the 8400 is a good bang/buck cpu. Either that or the Q6600. I like WD drives better, but I'm guessing your preference is Seagate so I won't say anything about that. I love the case and cooler you've chosen, as well as the GPU, but I'd go with one of the LG drives with Lightscribe that are only a few bucks more.

 

[WR2]

Plenty of tips out there on how to "tweak" Vista to get it to behave better.
Like turning off those User Account Controls (UAC)
http://mostlysavingmoney.com/top-10-windows-vista-speed-tweaks/
http://www.howtogeek.com/tag/windows-vista/

 

[zerox202]

UPS' estimated arrival is 21~22. I guess this is what I get for only paying $40 on shipping.

Hope to upload some pictures as well, I'm so excited

 

[zerox202]

Recieved the case today, and it seems like a quality product. The case came with 3 120mm fans, rated at 1200RPM and 21dB. The numbers seem decent, so I plan to keep them. One question I have is that they have 3pin connectors, connected to what seems like a 4pin adapter. At the end of it, there is a 4pin input and 4pin output. Does this mean I can attach more than one fan to a single 4pin connector (molex? peripheral?) from the PSU? If so, how many?

 

[Proximon]

Not sure how many fans you can connect to one 4-pin A few I guess.

The board will have at least two chassis fan connectors on it. My P5Q-E has 3-4 fan connections.

 

[zerox202]

I was reading ASUS mobo manual online, and found out that it comes with bunch of utilities. Should I use any of the provided utilities for OC/Temperature Monitoring? (AI SUITE for OC, PC PROBE II for Temperature, etc.)

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

Here's a $1K build I made, a lot of these are the same as yours but I have an X48 mobo. http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8291612 It's $1K after rebates. The keyboard is only there because the first time the bios won't detect USB keyboards. You need PS2

 

[zerox202]

Looks very nice. My grand total(shipping+tax+etc.) for the build was $1030 and $940 after rebate. That build you made seems very nice with some great upgrades.

The only reason I didn't spend too much on the MB was due to the nearing arrival of the Nahalem processors. I tried to cut the cost on the current "old" LGA775 MB models and save up for the future upgrade. You might wanna consider this before you choose to settle on a fairly expensive mobo; or if you have already considered this and chose to settle on that MB for all the fancy stuff it has-- AWESOME.

 

[Maziar]

I was reading ASUS mobo manual online, and found out that it comes with bunch of utilities. Should I use any of the provided utilities for OC/Temperature Monitoring? (AI SUITE for OC, PC PROBE II for Temperature, etc.)

Dont use AISUITE for OC,OC with BIOS,its alot better and has more options.
Well AISUITE shows CPU and Sytem temps with CPU and RAM voltages,CPU usage,CPU Frequency and........
But ASUS PCPROBE II Shows more options.

 

[zerox202]

So for OC: BIOS - Done deal.
And for temp: PC PROBE II or Speedfan? Which is more reliable?

 

[Maziar]

SpeedFan shows more temps than PCPROBE II such as HDD temp and all of the CPU cores temps.

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

Taking Nehalem into consideration is a toughie. Nehalem will have good support for DDR3, but the DDR3 mobos are generally more expensive, so if you want to have carry over DDR3 memory, it'll cost you probably more than the mobo. I just figured I'd be able to add another 4850 sooner than I'd be able to buy a new processor and mobo. Also, when I eventually buy an X58 mobo, I'll probably opt for a DDR3 capable one, so I'll need more memory. This build will last plenty of time, maybe even until they make price cuts on Nehalem, or the next series of Nehalem processors come out.

 

[zerox202]

Well, I'm not gonna buy DDR3 right now- and I would have to buy a new MB to use the Nehalem. So I figured if I had to buy a new MB, why pay too much on a MB soon to be outdated. But I guess you're gonna keep it for awhile- then the extra $ on MB should be great!

Are you planning on going CrossFire?

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

Yeah eventually, and I see what you mean. It really depends on how soon you're gonna upgrade.

 

[Maziar]

I never recommend waiting,because if u want to wait u cant every buy a new thing.That rig is solid and will serve u well

 

[WR2]

The keyboard is only there because the first time the bios won't detect USB keyboards. You need PS2

Actually most modern motherboards have BIOS that will detect and use USB keyboards without a problem.
I think you're talking about the BIOS option of USB Keyboard Support (Default: Disabled) which actually is meant to allow USB keyboard to be used in MS-DOS. See page 43 of the GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 manual.

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

That's exactly what I meant.

 

[zerox202]

SWEET, my new rig is up and running
Took me some time putting it together and stuff, and I still haven't put on the VGA cooler. I'm gonna install all the drivers/softwares stuff and see how the components work. After that, I'll change the VGA cooler and do some overclocking. Currently my CPU temp is at 38 range, which seems a bit too high. Maybe reapplying TIM will help.

 

[WR2]

Then your advice was exactly wrong. You do not need a PS2 keyboard.

Having the USB Controllers and Legacy USB storage detect enabled by default is what lets the motherboard recognize USB keyboard, mouse, USB hard drives and USB flash drives all before any OS is loaded. My 965P-DS3 with USB keyboard and mouse have no trouble in the Gigabyte BIOS with USB keyboard/mouse support disabled.

Microsoft Knowledgebase; Platform Compatibility for USB Boot Devices
If anyone is unlucky enough to have a USB keyboard or mouse that the motherboard has trouble recognizing a reboot will often fix the issue.
And if that doesnt work a USB Female to PS2 Male adapter for the USB keyboard should get the job done(I picked one up for $0.89 at a local computer swap meet five or six years ago).