KillaB All American 1652 Posts user info edit post |
I'm starting the planning phases of building a new PC. Looking at the:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
for the processor. Also considering the Radeon 4870 for the video card. What motherboard/chipset should I be looking to pair with this? As far as brands go, I'm usually an Abit, Asus, MSI kind of guy, but did try out a ChainTech board on my last PC build (years ago) and haven't been too disappointed.
Also, what's a really solid, very "basic" style-wise, case? I'm not looking to break the bank on cases, and I could care less if it has a window, etc. Most of the sites I frequent (TomsHardware, Anandtech, etc) typically recommend a "fancier" styled case, which isn't really what I'm looking for.
Thanks for any recommendations you can throw out there.
[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 10:13 AM. Reason : brands] 7/11/2008 10:12:46 AM |
quagmire02 All American 44225 Posts user info edit post |
i hate mid-tower cases...i'm big into microATX cases these days (though go with something quality to keep it cool) 7/11/2008 10:18:27 AM |
neodata686 All American 11577 Posts user info edit post |
Don't get the Q6600 for 209$. It's 65nm and only 2.4ghz. You can get the new Q9300 (2.5ghz) for 269$. It's worth it for the 45nm upgrade. Have you considered the 4850? It's cheap and you can get a second one later for great scaling.
^i have a full tower because i hate having things not fit. For a HTPC a microatx is great.
[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 10:19 AM. Reason : .] 7/11/2008 10:18:27 AM |
KillaB All American 1652 Posts user info edit post |
Great recommendation on the smaller 45nm process. I've been out of touch on this stuff for a while, so while I know more or less what's out there, I don't know where it is in it's life cycle and what not. So I'll definitely look into the one you recommend.
Motherboard recommendations to go with that? Anything to avoid? 7/11/2008 10:22:31 AM |
stepmaniadud All American 1056 Posts user info edit post |
a P45 board, don't really know if you want a x38 board over this or not, haven't been keeping up with it, but this does support crossfire for future upgrades. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131297
edit: and 16-phase power is a plus for stability (and overclockability if you're into that)
[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 10:48 AM. Reason : .] 7/11/2008 10:46:43 AM |
KillaB All American 1652 Posts user info edit post |
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8002571
That's my basic thoughts on a new system. Anything look out of whack there? Is the power supply large enough? Memory OK? Etc?
Thanks! 7/11/2008 11:25:39 AM |
quagmire02 All American 44225 Posts user info edit post |
other than the fact that it's showing up as 7 of each item for a total of $8k?
you can get the 4850 a lot cheaper, and g.skill is overrated...definitely not worth the price IMO
[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 11:28 AM. Reason : .] 7/11/2008 11:27:40 AM |
stepmaniadud All American 1056 Posts user info edit post |
looks nice to me, you might as well get a sata DVD drive instead of an IDE while you're at it http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151154
And do you really want a drive that huge/expensive (especially on possible failure)? You can get a 640GB drive for alot cheaper price/GB ratio I believe, and this drive will perform much better than that one, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but everything else looks good. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 7/11/2008 11:30:57 AM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
^this is all good advice
i'd look at the corsair dominators for $99 AR from ZZF, a little more reputable brand and these sticks are rock solid, although g.skill are good too. http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008006 7/11/2008 11:40:22 AM |
neodata686 All American 11577 Posts user info edit post |
get a velociraptor!! 7/11/2008 11:50:39 AM |
chargercrazy All American 2695 Posts user info edit post |
I just ordered this case for my build. I guess it all depends on what you want in a case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152 7/11/2008 11:57:07 AM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
My favorite cases: Antec P180B Black Antec P182 Gun Metal Antec Mini P180 Black Antec Solo
My favorite HTPC cases: Antec Veris Fusion Black Antec NSK-2480
[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 12:52 PM. Reason : i own 3 of the 6] 7/11/2008 12:50:20 PM |
KillaB All American 1652 Posts user info edit post |
Thanks guys, I changed it around based on a few recommendations here. Definitely going with the SATA DVD drive and the 640GB hard drive instead. Definitely better value there. I like the Case/Power Supply combo that I picked out, I just want to make sure 500W is enough to support what I have.
Going to go with the memory from ZZF as well. All together, it should run me around $1100 or so with shipping and what not. Seems like good value to me.
Thanks for the help! 7/11/2008 1:32:34 PM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
yea, 500W @ 80% efficiency will be fine
i'm guessing it will run near 250-300W idle, and about 350W with 100% load and this is very conservative.
[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 3:21 PM. Reason : .] 7/11/2008 3:16:05 PM |
KillaB All American 1652 Posts user info edit post |
Thanks man... all ordered up. Can't wait for middle of next week to get here now. 7/11/2008 3:41:53 PM |
sleepyhead All American 820 Posts user info edit post |
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?threadid=868108
Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower for $80 on Monday
also http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16811129021
Antec Nine Hundred for $80 after rebate
[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 10:36 PM. Reason : ] 7/11/2008 10:34:33 PM |
stepmaniadud All American 1056 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "get a velociraptor!!" |
haha, for that much money, I'd definitely be more interested in the new OCZ Core SSD series that's about to launch.7/11/2008 10:37:52 PM |
quagmire02 All American 44225 Posts user info edit post |
^^ thanks for the heads-up on the microATX case...i think i'm going to pick it up 7/12/2008 6:31:46 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
How important do you thin it is to get an aftermarket fan for the CPU. Is it better to get one after the fact.
Any recommendations on one for a Q9450 if it is important.
[Edited on July 13, 2008 at 11:43 AM. Reason : ] 7/13/2008 11:42:19 AM |
quagmire02 All American 44225 Posts user info edit post |
if you're not overclocking, the retail intel hs/fans are just fine...in fact, if you've got a nice case with good circulation (which you should have, anyway), stock intel hs/fans do decently with modest overclocking (let me emphasize MODEST) 7/13/2008 1:50:02 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
Ok thanks for the advice. I don't see myself overclock anytime soon. 7/13/2008 2:40:01 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
The Hard drive I bought has a place to put a jumper on it, but do I need it with a Sata drive? 7/13/2008 5:08:26 PM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
no you don't need it.
and typically no jumper = cable select, so you should be fine. 7/13/2008 5:49:09 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
Alright two more experienced questions for you:
My case comes with two options for mounting the hard drives. One with bands around and the other the standard screw.
I was wondering if the band system is really that much more advantageous than the screw system? Also are there any cons to me. I don't see how it be that sturdy for a HDD to run. Have you installed anything with this and system, did you like it?
--------------------------------------------------------- Secondly the plate that comes on the back of my case doesn't match up with the ports that come on the motherboard. They gave me a plate to put on, but it doesn't look like the Antec one pops off or screws off and the instructions say nothing about it.
[Edited on July 13, 2008 at 6:28 PM. Reason : ] 7/13/2008 6:20:32 PM |
neodata686 All American 11577 Posts user info edit post |
^the plate should pop off on the antec case. They assume you'll be using the one that comes with the mobo. Just hit it a couple times, it should pop right out. In regard to the HDD mounting just try the screwless one and see if there's a rattling sound. It just depends on what is easiest for you. 7/13/2008 6:40:52 PM |
quagmire02 All American 44225 Posts user info edit post |
^^ the bands system is kind of cool in theory, but i don't like it because it doesn't work very well for when you want to move your computer...if you bought an antec case, it should have come with the silicone bushings that you can put between the drive and the mounting hardware, and that's what i use (not that i've ever noticed any noise from any of my hard drives, but meh)
i don't remember what my case looked like when i got it (and i'm too lazy to turn it around to check), but either the plate will push out or, if it's part of the case itself, it'll twist out (you'll see it connected by tabs on each side...if you twist the plate, it'll break the tabs and the metal plate will come out)
[Edited on July 13, 2008 at 6:43 PM. Reason : arrows] 7/13/2008 6:43:01 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
So do you hear hard drive noise? I don't really know if I wanna trust those bands either. 7/13/2008 6:47:00 PM |
quagmire02 All American 44225 Posts user info edit post |
i have a sonata case, so i can't speak for any of the other ones, but i don't hear anything from either my seagate or maxtor drives...that said, i don't hear anything from my drives in my ultra microfly case, either, so hard drive noise has never been an issue i've concerned myself with
most of your noise will come from the fans and optical drive
[Edited on July 13, 2008 at 6:49 PM. Reason : .] 7/13/2008 6:48:58 PM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
^^the bands can wear out over time too, even with screws you won't hear your hard drives over all the other fans in your case 7/13/2008 11:30:11 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
k, got the plate out.
I'll install the hard drive.
I just find it weird that bands are a form of holding a drive. so weird. 7/13/2008 11:38:16 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
Two more question...
The processor didnt come with thermal paste, I'm gonna assume I still need that?
----------------------- The audio connectors on the case have wires inside that do not match. One is HDA and the other is AC'97. According to the mother board I have the same receivers, but looking at their Pin assignment diagrams, they are quite different. Do they make adapters for these. 7/14/2008 2:31:53 PM |
quagmire02 All American 44225 Posts user info edit post |
the processor never comes with paste - the compound is usually on the bottom of the heatsink...if you bought retail, then it's there
just use the AC'97 7/14/2008 2:41:58 PM |
neodata686 All American 11577 Posts user info edit post |
just don't use toothpaste. It only works for a few hours. 7/14/2008 2:50:53 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
Ok last question then I've got everything figured out.
to get my motherboard to fit over the correct screws, I have to apply some pressure to the I/O panel I installed (it had a pad on it), is that ok?
-------------------------------------------- Also do you guys do ram/cpu then put mobo in
or mobo in then ram/cpu
[Edited on July 14, 2008 at 3:47 PM. Reason : ] 7/14/2008 3:45:18 PM |
simonn best gottfriend 28968 Posts user info edit post |
mobo in first. 7/14/2008 3:51:20 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
that's what I thought, I'm more worried that I have apply pressure to the I/O panel to get the screws to line up, is that normal? 7/14/2008 3:52:34 PM |
quagmire02 All American 44225 Posts user info edit post |
yepper 7/14/2008 4:09:54 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
alright sweet, just wasn't sure 7/14/2008 4:14:32 PM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
a lot of those metal pieces can be bent back or popped off too so it fits in with less pressure as well 7/14/2008 4:39:56 PM |
joe17669 All American 22728 Posts user info edit post |
Here's a generic question from me regarding the addition of a new hard drive.
A friend built for me a new computer, Core 2 Duo, all the RAM and that good stuff. He also bought me two 300GB SATA Seagate drives and put them in the Raid configuration so that the data is shared between two drives, giving me a giant drive of 600GB.
I have it partitioned so that 100GB is on the C drive for the OS, and the remaining is for data, etc. In the event that one of the two drives die I don't want to be without my data, so I was going to get a third HDD and put it in. Because I have the two HDDs running in a parallel Raid configuration, how will the computer behave when a third SATA drive is put in it? I don't want the third drive to be part of the Raid drive, but rather as a standalone one.
I'm rambling because I don't really know if what I'm asking makes sense Thank you. 7/14/2008 5:07:41 PM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
as long as you don't manually put it in the RAID array it will act independently.
just plug it into a SATA port and your fine. 7/14/2008 5:17:48 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
My video card won't fit into my motherboard.
Are there compatibility issues or am I just doing something wrong. This is the last step till I get the computer put all together:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015C9VP2 7/14/2008 5:56:31 PM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
it should go in your blue or black slot
make sure the tab is unlocked
[Edited on July 14, 2008 at 6:03 PM. Reason : .] 7/14/2008 6:01:28 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
very nice, that's what I thought. How do I unlock it though. The manual says nothing about it. 7/14/2008 6:09:54 PM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
OIC, it's just a blue tab you lift up on, insert the card, then it should just lock itself
http://www.matbe.com/images/biblio/divers/000000069970.jpg
[Edited on July 14, 2008 at 6:18 PM. Reason : .] 7/14/2008 6:17:09 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
ok sweet, thanks so much. I have a feelin' that still might not be the answer, but I'll let you know if it works. 7/14/2008 6:18:56 PM |
Prospero All American 11662 Posts user info edit post |
well i can't forsee ANY possible reason it wouldn't fit. 7/14/2008 6:21:41 PM |
sleepyhead All American 820 Posts user info edit post |
what if it's facing the wrong way
good luck jrb...i built my first pc a few weeks ago and i had a lot of the questions you do. i remember searching frantically and cursing intel because i couldn't find the thermal paste! 7/14/2008 8:47:22 PM |
Jrb599 All American 8846 Posts user info edit post |
The thermal paste was already installed on my heatsink. I'm on my computer! It's freakin' sweet.
The only thing is I'd like to get something to monitor heat temperatures and also something to get a reading on my hardware to make sure it's all installed correctly 7/14/2008 9:55:10 PM |
ScHpEnXeL Suspended 32613 Posts user info edit post |
it already does that..
[Edited on July 14, 2008 at 9:56 PM. Reason : monitor temps that is]
[Edited on July 14, 2008 at 9:56 PM. Reason : and generally cuts off if it's too hot so you're good ] 7/14/2008 9:56:15 PM |