Verifying component compatibility for new budget PC

[Mescalito]

Hey All, I am looking to verify component compatibility before I purchase a new machine. Would like to make sure I don't run into any surprises if at all possible
Any comments/concerns/advice are appreciated!

Thank you!!


Approximate Purchase Date: 3/15/11

Budget Range: 900-1,000 After rebate

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Media, Gaming, Application development

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Speaker

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences:

Here are the components I am looking at purchasing:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400S Sandy Bridge 2.5GHz (3.3GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 65W Quad- Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52400S

MOBO: ASUS P8H67 LX LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s Intel Motherboard
*** This is the only item not found on Newegg, I didn't like Newegg's (extremely limited)selection of 1155 MOBOs. Specs can be found here: http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=Qx3PdnZI9Pq9BcIU
Priced at $155.00

RAM: Kingston HyperX 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K3/6GX

HSF: CORSAIR CAFA70 120mm Dual-Fan CPU Cooler
*** I have no intention of OC anything, would I be safe with stock fan, or does it behoove me to get something a little more substantial?***

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
*** I have a 1TB WD Caviar Black Storage Drive I would be running too***

PSU: Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

GPU: HIS H577FK1GD Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
*** One issue I am not sure of is the fact that the GPU is PCIe 2.1, where the MOBO only has 2.0 slots. Some other threads on these forums indicated that this shouldn't be a problem, as long as the BIOS is updated to recognize it. Since the MOBO is brand new model to support 1155 architecture, I am inclined to say that this would be the case, but would like to have that verified before purchasing anything***

DVD: SAMSUNG Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive Model SH-B123L LightScribe Support - OEM

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Media Reader: Rosewill RCR-AK-IM5002 USB2.0 75 in 1 internal Card Reader w/ 3 ports USB2.0 Hub / eSATA port / Extra silver face plate / SATA Power

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
*** Do I need this?***


Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1440x900, but will be upgraded in the future

Additional Comments: Will be used with Win 7 HP

 

[clarkjd]

If you are definitely NOT going to overclock, Then the stock HSF should be ample cooling, especially in a 900 case. given the above, you would not need the AS5 thermal compound.

EDIT: ust noticed that you have a triple channel memory kit. Sandy Bridge only supports dual channel at this point, so an 8GB kit (2X4GB) is the recommended choice.

 

[banthracis]

It's not newegg's lack of selection, it's simply SB mobo's were recalled and aren't officially back yet.

Swap HD to a spinpoint F3 1tb, much cheaper and similar performance.

RAm to dual kit as mentioned. G SKill is usually a good choice. Look for DDR3 1333 cas 7 if you don't plan on OCing.

No need for thermal compound.

GPU won't be an issue, but if for gaming at 1080p(which is what I assume you'll upgrade to), not a very good choice. I'd go with a 6850 at least. Also, if any of the software you use is GPU accelerated and utilizes CUDA, then you're better off with Nvidia.

Better PSU and cheaper AR.
xfx 650 $65 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207002&cm_re=xfx_650-_-17-207-002-_-Product

 

[Mescalito]

Great, thanks guys.

Lost the HSF and Thermal compound, put money into RAM upgrade

Updated RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

That particular PSU is reduced by $50 right now and combo-ed with the antec 900 that I want, so it ends up being cheaper after everything.

Also, are there any opinions as to how worth while the 2400S is compared to the 2400? Lower wattage (65W vs 95W), but at the cost of reduced processing power (2.5GHz boosted to 3.3GHz vs 3.1GHz boosted to 3.4GHz). Would like the help keeping the wattage down, but not if it going to gimp my machine...

Thanks again. This is my first build. I'm super stoked about it

 

[batuchka]

Since peeps been waiting this long for the top end i suggest for healthier/fatter budgets to
1. Await Z68 chipsets, Zambezi AM3+ on platform front
2. Await HD 6990/GTX 590 on the GPU front
3. Await the Sandforce SATA 6GB/s SSDs to hit retailers

 

[Mescalito]

Z68 is a little outta my budget range, but thanks.

Any opinions on i5 2400 vs 2400S?

 

[banthracis]

Basically, S stands for slow in terms of intel cpu's. So no, just go with normal i5-2400.