Planning to build computer [help]

[Dystopia]

Well, I've finally decided that its time for a change from this shit computer, and I need some help.

So, I don't wanna spend a lot of money on a pre-built computer, so ive decided to build my own. I've been doing some browsing at tiger direct, and ive picked the parts id like to have in my computer, I just need to make sure if everything's compatible (never done this before), no loop holes, and see if its worth it..


here's what im planning to buy, (or I think i should buy)


okay, one thing. im not sure if the case is compatible with everything in the cart, this is the link to the case
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... =TC3J-2341

two, the motherboard says it supports two devices, I know the DVD writer is one, but is there any others there?

here are the links and the prices of everything, for more information on each thing

Tower case & Power Supply (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... =TC3J-2341
$119.99

Motherboard (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... =E145-2034
$284.99

Hard Drive (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... SD-500AAKS
$79.99

Memory (x1~2)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... =O261-8038
$64.99

CPU (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... -DUO-Q6600
$199.99

GFX Card (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... =E145-8832
$139.99

DVD WRITER (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... No=3569869
$29.99

Case Fan (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... No=1089088
$18.99

CPU cooler (x1~2)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... No=2844209
$42.99



...so anything wrong, anything I should change?

[Skatman]

looks good

[cuchulainn]

Generally looks decent.

TBH though, quad core is complete overkill and the technology on it is a bit old. Try to find a 45 nm architechure one instead of 65 nm.

The GFX card is the same one I got for my new comp, great choice there.

Check out http://www.newegg.com for prices too, I found they often had the same parts cheaper than tigerdirect.

[BlackFox898]

Check out http://www.newegg.com for prices too, I found they often had the same parts cheaper than tigerdirect.

I don't think that you can get newegg here in Canada so tigerdirect is all we got.See if you change the .ca at the end of the url too .com the price drops a lot cause in Canada we pay more

[phulshof]

Seems fine to me, though I'm putting some question marks with a case + 800W power supply for that price. The reviews on the website appear good though, so perhaps it'll work out. What OS do you play to run with this, because I wonder how much of that 4 GB RAM you will actually be able to use. I also notice you didn't include an OS in your order...

[BlackFox898]

a computer like that i'd dual boot. Vista and XP, Vista for dx10 games and XP for everything else.

[cuchulainn]

a computer like that i'd dual boot. Vista and XP, Vista for dx10 games and XP for everything else.

From what I've seen on the internet, it looks like some kid programmer has engineered dx10 to be able to work with XP, but not too sure.

Also, I'm 99% sure you can get Newegg in Canada. A friend on WoW helped me out a lot with building my system and he, along with another guy who builds comps and recommended Newegg, are candadian.

[Sharp324]

a computer like that i'd dual boot. Vista and XP, Vista for dx10 games and XP for everything else.

From what I've seen on the internet, it looks like some kid programmer has engineered dx10 to be able to work with XP, but not too sure.

Also, I'm 99% sure you can get Newegg in Canada. A friend on WoW helped me out a lot with building my system and he, along with another guy who builds comps and recommended Newegg, are candadian.

If they do its a new thing, been using them for 4 years and far as i know they never have shipped, just the 48 states.

[BlackFox898]

Does Newegg.com ship internationally?

Newegg.com does not currently ship internationally; we only deliver to locations within the United States and to Puerto Rico.

what about this quote taken directly from there website, unless you have a newegg canada site?

EDIT: source - http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/FAQDetail.aspx?Module=4

[cuchulainn]

Seems fine to me, though I'm putting some question marks with a case + 800W power supply for that price. The reviews on the website appear good though, so perhaps it'll work out. What OS do you play to run with this, because I wonder how much of that 4 GB RAM you will actually be able to use. I also notice you didn't include an OS in your order...

XP Professional will recognize up to 4 GB of RAM so that shouldn't be an issue.

also /wave pinnokio

[Sharp324]

Seems fine to me, though I'm putting some question marks with a case + 800W power supply for that price. The reviews on the website appear good though, so perhaps it'll work out. What OS do you play to run with this, because I wonder how much of that 4 GB RAM you will actually be able to use. I also notice you didn't include an OS in your order...

XP Professional will recognize up to 4 GB of RAM so that shouldn't be an issue.

also /wave pinnokio

Well really its anywhere between 3 and 3.7 gigs. You can get it to recognize 4 but, you have to tweak it and its not really stable

[BlackFox898]

Seems fine to me, though I'm putting some question marks with a case + 800W power supply for that price. The reviews on the website appear good though, so perhaps it'll work out. What OS do you play to run with this, because I wonder how much of that 4 GB RAM you will actually be able to use. I also notice you didn't include an OS in your order...

XP Professional will recognize up to 4 GB of RAM so that shouldn't be an issue.

also /wave pinnokio

you sure? my friend just tried to do that but it only allowed him 3.2gb and he would have to switch up too 64bit edition for the other .8 to work. i think you right though it should still work, i think my friend did something else wrong.

[Innovacious]

Seems fine to me, though I'm putting some question marks with a case + 800W power supply for that price. The reviews on the website appear good though, so perhaps it'll work out. What OS do you play to run with this, because I wonder how much of that 4 GB RAM you will actually be able to use. I also notice you didn't include an OS in your order...

XP Professional will recognize up to 4 GB of RAM so that shouldn't be an issue.

also /wave pinnokio

Some of that 4GB is usually resereved for other devices. Such as a graphics card's memory. You would usually get 3 to 3.5GB on a 32 bit machine if you installed 4gb.

[maxietheboss]

i'd say get an e8200 dual core and a ati radeon hd4850 + a p45 motherboard, better performance for the bucks

[Grandpa]

The 8mb L2 cache on your CPU is sweet.
Lol, you planning on overclocking?

Only question I'd have would be if you are certain that your CPU cooling fan will fit.
Hard to know without putting your fingers on the parts and slapping it together, right?
I'm a big fan of Antec cases and use them exclusively, so although I can't say for certain, it looks like it should fit.
I've never used your supplier either but maybe check their return / exchange policy. Ask them specifically, "This is my first time, what if the parts don't fit? Can I return or exchange if I've never powered them up?"

[Dystopia]

I've done some modifications on the parts im getting in the end I have two machines

Tower case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... %2bTempest
$109.99

Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139001
Corsair HX 520W (excellent PSU)


Motherboard (x1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -EP35-DS3R
$119.99

Hard Drive (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... SD-500AAKS
$79.99

Memory (x1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145184
$86.50

CPU (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... -DUO-Q6600
$199.99

GFX Card (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... CatId=3670
$243.99

DVD WRITER (x1)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... No=3569869
$29.99

CPU cooler (x1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... %2bextreme
$59.99

Thermal Conductivity Paste
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... &CatId=503
$6.99

Some peeps over at afterdawn helped me out a lot on the choices I had.

Another person suggested something completely different

Taking into reason some of your choices dytopia I have compiled a complete machine on newegg.com let me know what you think.

For the motherboard and videocard I went with eVGA for both. The reason being that there products are of exceptionally high quality and both the motherboard and videocard are covered by a full lifetime warranty if you register the products with eVGA. And considering you want are going to do some heavy gaming the fact that this board supports SLI is a plus and this motherboard is reckoned to be one of the best mobo's for overclocking! And the videocard is brand spanking new and hands down the fastest product on the market. The motherboard is $260 and the videocard is $540.
eVGA 780i SLI mobo (2 time winner of neweggs customer choice award)
eVGA GTX 280 videocard

At first I was going to go with one of the new intel quad-core cpu's (teh Q9300 2.5Ghz @ $250)but I opted to go with a higher clocked dual core as you net more performance now and don't rely on the ability to overclock the quad core for higher speeds. So for $190 your getting a easy overclockable Intel E8400 thats already @ 3.0Ghz.
CPU Specs

PC Power and Cooling is easily the best PSU company. For $160 your getting a 750 watt PSU capable of driving four graphics cards and still has a 80 percent efficiency rating. It is a very capable PSU and I have had a similar model for 6 years and have had zero problems. If your not sure about this company reputation/quality quality consider in one of the leading PC magazines(Maximum PC)they annualy build a "Dream Machine" and the PSU company of choice for all there top end equipment? PC Power and Cooling.
PSU Specs.

For memory I went with Corsair. The sticks linked to below are DDR2 800 speed, $75, and are on the eVGA certified memory list for this motherboard.
Memory Specs.

For the case I opted for a Antec Nine Hundred @ $119. It is a very capable case and one of if not the best case for use with air-cooled systems.
Case Specs.

For the rest I spec'ed out a 500 GB SeaGate SATA harddrive for $80 w/ a 5 year warranty, two LG IDE DVD Burners for $24 each;went with 2 because it is a really handy to have 2 drives, and a $6 tube of Artic Silver 5 thermal paste.

This PC is compromised of the latest and greatest parts on the market, and includes everything you need to get started for $1,477.91 and thats before any mail in rebates. In a earlier post you asked about the IDE ports on a motherboard, there is one IDE port on this board which supports up to two devices, which would be the dual dvd burners. IDE harddrives are old and pretty much defunct, SATA is the new connection for harddrives. It is MUCH fast and prices for SATA harddrives are no different then IDE drives, if anything there cheaper. This board has 6 SATA ports, so you could connect up to 6 HD's.

I didn't include the Thermalright 120-Extreme heatsink because I couldn't find it but expect to spend another $50-70 for it.

The people there are real nice

[Grandpa]

I've done some modifications on the parts im getting in the end I have two machines

For the case I opted for a Antec Nine Hundred @ $119. It is a very capable case and one of if not the best case for use with air-cooled systems.
Case Specs.

I think the Antec 900 currently has a $40 mail in rebate at NewEgg.

[Genuie]

Your choice looks good to me, but I would overclock at least to reach peak performance. It's up to you though. Oh BTW, I would buy at least 3 gigs of ram if you're going to get vista.

[Sharp324]

I congratulate you on your PSU choice. So many newish builders i see skimp on that. Those Corsair PSUs are absolutely excellent

[PuppetOfGaea]

I'm using the Antec Nine Hundred, and although the innards are a bit odd, it is still my favorite case of all time. The only downside to it is trying to use liquid cooling. But with all the fans, it's really not needed.

[phulshof]

also /wave pinnokio

Good to see you still stop by here cuchulainn. I'm still holding down the fort while the rest of DirtyDeeds is playing WoW. Legit all the way, and going strong. Now where's that 9D SUN harp my karma owes me?

[Vandango]

Quad Core Sucks! And i mean it.
The L1 Cache on the q6600 is shit (36k x4 ofc). the bus speed is shit (1800).

The Cache is very important Processor speeds arent becomming much of a proplem these days. Intels are known for very crappy L1 Caches But extremely good L2 Ones. L1 Cahce is the first cache it goes though so it must be good.


if you aiming for games i STRONGLY RECCOMEND YOU To go for an AMD

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143263

This is what im getting for my new PC

its an AMD Phenom 9850 Black Edition
Now the specs matches to your 6600 but on the specs it dosent list it has a 512k and a bus speed of 3600!!!!

(Specs from PC World)
Physical + Memory Specifications
Number of Processor Cores 4
L1 Cache Size 512 kB
L3 Cache Size 2 MB
Processor Socket AMD Socket AM2+
Included Fan Type ATX
L2 Cache Size 2 MB

[Sharp324]

Quad Core Sucks! And i mean it.
The L1 Cache on the q6600 is shit (36k x4 ofc). the bus speed is shit (1800).

The Cache is very important Processor speeds arent becomming much of a proplem these days. Intels are known for very crappy L1 Caches But extremely good L2 Ones. L1 Cahce is the first cache it goes though so it must be good.


if you aiming for games i STRONGLY RECCOMEND YOU To go for an AMD

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143263

This is what im getting for my new PC

its an AMD Phenom 9850 Black Edition
Now the specs matches to your 6600 but on the specs it dosent list it has a 512k and a bus speed of 3600!!!!

(Specs from PC World)
Physical + Memory Specifications
Number of Processor Cores 4
L1 Cache Size 512 kB
L3 Cache Size 2 MB
Processor Socket AMD Socket AM2+
Included Fan Type ATX
L2 Cache Size 2 MB

Overclocking the CPU speeds doesnt help much, look at the E8400, you can overclock the shit out of it stock. But the FSB gives you a boost, its all about FSB and L2 cache now.

[Grandpa]

Apples and Oranges, friends. Apples and Oranges.

AMD processors will not benefit as much from larger L2 Cache as Intel does. Not all cache schemes are the same. Intel microarchitecture for memory cache uses what is called the "Inclusive Principle".

The reason caches are split into different levels (L1, L2 & L3) is because the larger your cache is, the longer it takes to fetch data. Therefore, it ends up being that having one smaller but very low latency cache combined with a larger and somewhat higher latency (but still significantly quicker than main memory) cache provides the best balance of performance. L3 cache is used for newer quads and I've no experience with them but I'll go out on a limb and say that I'm pretty sure they use extensions of the same principles.

Intel processor gain more from larger L2 cache because they use the 'inclusive principle' where anything found in L1 will also be stored in L2. I'm not trying to say one is better than another - there are lots of people on the net doing that already and endless debates regarding what the "best" is, just saying that it isn't as simple as, "L1 is first so it has to be 'good'.

Kindly note that it's been years since I was a Systems Analyst so if I made any major mistakes in relaying this information your corrections are welcomed. The OP is asking general questions about designing his first computer and to me, he's doing a GREAT job. Not only a couple very decent computers but also reasonable costs. Frankly, I'm impressed.

[Remuss]

Double up on the graphics card.

Myself I went with two 8800 GT's and never regretted it so far.

[Inuyasha584]

what about 9 series gfx cards

[Dystopia]

Okay, im not gonna lie here.

I don't know what the hell you guys are talking about, never done this before.I know barley anything about computer parts and hardware. But, im planning to get this built by 2009. I need the time to get the money, know the parts, practice on my computer etc.

[phulshof]

Okay, im not gonna lie here.

I don't know what the hell you guys are talking about, never done this before.I know barley anything about computer parts and hardware. But, im planning to get this built by 2009. I need the time to get the money, know the parts, practice on my computer etc.

Hmm, then I hope you pay the extra money to let THEM put it together, before you ruin everything with ESD or impatience.

[Dystopia]

Okay, im not gonna lie here.

I don't know what the hell you guys are talking about, never done this before.I know barley anything about computer parts and hardware. But, im planning to get this built by 2009. I need the time to get the money, know the parts, practice on my computer etc.

Hmm, then I hope you pay the extra money to let THEM put it together, before you ruin everything with ESD or impatience.

I won't, I mean everyone starts somewhere.

[the.unseen.]

If you live in Canada, don't buy it from TigerDirect. Buy it from http://www.ncix.com/ or http://www.canadacomputers.com/