First Ever Build..

[dynamoboy]

So I've decided to build my first ever computer!

I don't have much knowledge on this tbh.. Infact the last time I assembled a PC was during a-level IT couple years ago.

Anyways, how does this proposed system sit with you all? Please recommend any changes, bearing in mind a strict <&#163;600 budget.

MSI P35 NEO2-FR, iP35, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 1066/667/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX &#163;66.96

500w Seasonic S12II-500 PSU, 12Cm fan, active PFC RoHS +80&#37; &#163;52.75

320 GB Western Digital WD3201ABYS Caviar RE2, SATA II, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ &#163;53.57

HP 1070i 20x DVD&#177;R, 8x DVD&#177;DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, x12 DVD-RAM SATA Lightscribe Black oem + Nero &#163;18.79

120mm Zalman ZM-F3 Case fan &#163;4.57

CoolerMaster Centurion 5 Silver Case Black Body (Silver Trimmings) w/o PSU &#163;33.48

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Kentsfield Core, Socket 775, 2.40 GHz 1066MHz 8MB Cache, OEM &#163;148.51

2GB (2x1GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2 DHX, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5 &#163;36.00

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro - P4 up to 4.4GHz - S775 Dual/Quad Core Ready &#163;14.68

512MB MSI 8800GT OC, PCI-E 2.0, Mem 1900MHz GDDR3, GPU 660MHz, Streams 112, 2x DL DVI-I &#163;146.08


TOTAL: &#163;587.72

I don't do much gaming and mostly use my comp. for multimedia related stuff and general browsing/messing around, however, I don't want to limit my machine and would like to be able to play Crysis, should the desire suddenly arrive.

[Webby]

Okay on the whole looks all right I would make a few alterations due to personal preference more than anything and quiet after that

Motherboard:Abit IP-35 Dark Raider - personal preference, good customer support.
Case & PSU: Antec Sonata III, Sonata Designer or Sonata Plus 550 - all good cases with decent PSUs I would probably go for the Plus 550 as it has a modular PSU, but it is the most expensive, either of the other two would be a cheaper option than what you have suggested already.
Hard Drive: 320MB WD AAKS - quiet as a quiet things quiet bits (and cheaper to boot )
DVD: Samsung SH-S203 - Really quiet can't fault it
Memory: 2GB Corsair XMS2 800Mhz CAS 4-4-4-12 - better timings, cheaper and the DHX can have clearance problems in some cases or with some coolers.
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mine - A bit more money but a lot quieter and better cooling especially on a Quad.

Right thats my suggestions take as many or as few as you like/can afford I would go with all of the ones which cost less though

If you go with the Sonata III you will need an additional 120mm fan still if you go for either of the other 2 then they have 2x 92mm fan bays and I would suggests Antec Ambers or Sharkoon Golf Ball/Silent Eagle as reasonable good airflow low noise options.

[dynamoboy]

Cheers Webby, I'll see if any of those suggestions reduce the price.

[Webby]

The CPU, memory, hard drive, DVD and motherboard are on Scan today only savings are quite good

Oh and get another 4 posts and you will get free postage from Scan as well!

Looked through the rest of Scan today only and the Coolermaster case is there and also the Corsair HX520W modular PSU if you like the coolermaster case better then I would swap the seasonic PSU for the corsair one as its modular and only &#163;3 more (you are saving that on the case anyway!)

[dynamoboy]

I found the cae on the deals 4 today, but couldn't find the other components - could u link them?

[dynamoboy]

Okay I found most of those items -

With regards to the MoBo - I think I'd prefer to MSI NEO2-FR.. Plus its cheaper and seems to overclock just as well.

Oh and get another 4 posts and you will get free postage from Scan as well!

Seriously? That's a sweet deal man! That knocks of &#163;11 from the total. Not bad at all!!! Scan seems better value than Aria!

EDIT AGAIN: One thing I couldn't find was the Scythe S775 CPU cooler..

[Webby]

Cant link them as the links to the product pages shows the normal price... you have to click to buy the item on the today only page to get the discounts.

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK - Here is the link to Scan Today only.

Just keep scrolling until you find the items in the right sections.

Your basket should look like this when your ready to check out, assuming you go for the Coolermaster case.



Total Cost Including Delivery (once you have 25 posts and register for free delivery) is &#163;566.81 inc VAT

Last 3 items are not on offer so thats the Scythe cooler, 8800GT and fan.

Oh and the Abit board is cheaper on offer than the MSI board not sure what you were looking at...

[dynamoboy]

Ha, you're a gentleman! thanks a lot dude, i must not have been looking hard enough!

[Max Tractor]

So I've decided to build my first ever computer!

I don't have much knowledge on this tbh.. Infact the last time I assembled a PC was during a-level IT couple years ago.

Anyways, how does this proposed system sit with you all? Please recommend any changes, bearing in mind a strict <&#163;600 budget.




I don't do much gaming and mostly use my comp. for multimedia related stuff and general browsing/messing around, however, I don't want to limit my machine and would like to be able to play Crysis, should the desire suddenly arrive.

All in all looks alright, the corsair 520 is a good shout, I would opt for some form of lite-on, LiteON DH-20A1S-18C very good reader, I would rec the msi, great board, &#163;63 today only, and a 500gb drive, try the wd aaks

[Webby]

Not a problem you just need 1 more post now! Here is the link to the page telling you how to get free delivery

HEXUS.community discussion forums - Announcements in Forum : SCAN.care@HEXUS

Enjoy

Oh you may have to wait for the Scan servers to update before it registers you for the free delivery (think this happens at midnight) after you have associated your Hexus and Scan accounts, but the Today only offers last until Monday morning so thats not going to be an issue.

[dynamoboy]

One more thing - I've heard nothing but race reviews about he arc. cool. pro 7 cooler, so I;m wondering if it's really neccessary to go with the Scythe, as I remind you, I won;t be overclocking OR really over using te CPU...

[staffsMike]

One more thing - I've heard nothing but race reviews about he arc. cool. pro 7 cooler, so I;m wondering if it's really neccessary to go with the Scythe, as I remind you, I won;t be overclocking OR really over using te CPU...

depends on the noise requirements.

Freezer is quite noisey compared to something like the scythe ninja.

I have both and find the freezer quite annoying so I use the ninja regardless of overclocking. It also gives you the option of running passive especially if you dont want to overclock.

[PsychoChimp]

I'm gonna agree with Mike on this one.

I've got the Freezer and it's pretty loud, I keep mine quiet using SpeedFan.

I'd go for the Scythe if you can. Plus it'll give you better options for OC'ing if you change your mind in the future, especially as it's so easy to get the quad to 3.0+

Chimp

[dynamoboy]

Ok, Scythe Ninja it is!

What about that Zlaman fan? I picked it based on previous awareness of Zalman, being a good brand.. is it a good fan?

And side note: SpeedFan is an application right? Can it control temp. of case fans and cpu coolers???

[this_is_gav]

Freezer in a new build at work. It's nice that the speed can be BIOS controlled with ease (I normally just leave a CPU fan at constant), and I have to say I was even more impressed with the performance on a Q6600 than I'd heard. It's audible, but not certainly not intrusive in a P182. Depends on just how quiet you want things.

If the PC is for media work primarily I'd go for an ATI card every single time. The HD3870 is a perfect match for those needs. The 8800GT is a slightly better all-out gamers choice (or for Linux use).

[PsychoChimp]

The best/quietest 120mm fans seem to be the Sharkoon "Golf-Ball" fans, the Scythe S-FLex and the Xigmatek's seem to be popular around here.
I'm sure the Zalman would be fine though. Might want a second opinion on that though.

Yeah, Speedfan is an application which let's you control your fans (both case and cpu) which are plugged into the motherboard and is compatible with a lot of the recent boards.

Chimp