NewYinzer's New Computer

[NewYinzer]

This summer, NewYinzer building a computer. I have come up with a series of specs for it and I wanted to run it by you all for compatibility. I'm trying to build a computer for general usage, but with a better video card since I like to play some more powerful video games and run Windows Aero. I know that you all can help, since I know you are all h4XX0rm4573rs. So, without further ado, here are the specs:

Optical Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106055
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115002
OS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16832116213
HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148136
Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130071
Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131142
Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133154
Power Supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153028
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034


I still need a quality monitor to work with Windows Vista, one between $100 and $200. I also think an integrated TV Tuner might also be a good feature. If you have any questions or advice for me, post them here. Since this is the first time I'm building a computer, please post any specific construction concerns as well.

[C-Chan]

Um,... ano..... anything wrong with good ol' Windows XP.....?  ^____^;

A good cheap monitor with TV Tuner would've been the Samsung 150MP....

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SyncMaster-1501MP-panel-display/dp/B0000BZOCW/ref=sr_1_35/002-3304425-4791223?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1182828171&sr=1-35
(might be slightly different)

Only because the price was good AND it had PIP functionality when I first bought mine.  Unfortunately, the screen size is likely not your thing, not if you intend for this to be a gaming machine.

[Xeon]

Um,... ano..... anything wrong with good ol' Windows XP.....? ^____^;

Because you can show vista off to your friends  and tell them how classy you are :3. well probably its because of directX10.

I agree with almost all your specs (and also a little jealous :3), however it seems youre power supply only has 1 four pin (what if in the future you decide to dual 8800GTS nee? ^_^), and since your running vista *and it seems like your cpu is 64-bit capable so y not reconsider using 64-bit vista?* i see :3, well you can just dual-boot XP if you have any problems *or just want to play some old game* and why not try a HD capable monitor ^_^ just the 12 inch one would still be more than youre asking price though XD*although its a little bit on the money side :3*. and mayb you should also buy some fans, we dont want all that to end up in smokes neee? :3.

EDIT:scratch the power supply part i forgot its dangerous connecting 2 3d cards to 1 power supply

[C-Chan]

Because you can show vista off to your friends and tell them how classy you are :3. well probably its because of directX10.

Naaaaah,... NewYinzer's too deep and politically-inclined to choose Vista on looks alone, so surely it must've been that Directx 10.0. ^^;
If you ask my opinion, though -- and it doesn't really matter cause it is his money after all -- games look fine to me on Directx 9.0c.  Forcing you to buy a new OS for 10 strikes me as carrot dangling and arm-twisting.  -v-

Instead of a monitor, I was thinking,... why not an LCD Projector?  Imagine playing your favorite FPS on a 200 inch screen?  ^__^

And do those commerical-grade CPU liquid cooling chambers work, or are they just gimmicks?

[Silentbob]

That's a nice setup.  However, keep in mind that Intel is introducing a set of new Core 2 Duo chips July 22nd.  You may want to check prices then, you'll be able to pick up a 3 GHz E6850 chip for probably less money than what the E6700 is now. (i.e less than $300)  Or a E6750 which apparently will cost less than $200 and still be a tad faster.    

Not sure about the PSU, I've had mixed experiences with Thermaltakes. My first one died after 5 months and took my motherboard with it.  My second lasted longer, but became unstable and made my computer crash every few hours.  I don't think they were able to sustain a high load as I added stuff to the computer as time went by.  But since that was a while ago, I can't speak for their newer models.   I chose a 620W Corsair for my new rig, but that's a PSU that costs about 3 times more.   It can drive a quad-core CPU with 8800GTXs in SLI though. Right now however, I'm only running off an E6600 and an 8800GTS, but I plan to add more stuff later. It's also modular, so you only add the cables you need.  There's also a 520W version which is good.  But as mentioned, they're more expensive, not sure how much cash you'd want to put into your rig.  

Well golly, that was a long rant.  I haven't got anything else to say, rest of the stuff looks dandy.  :p

[C-Chan]

FYI, for the uninitiated (myself included... ^^'), "PSU" stands for "Power Supply Unit".  AmigaBob is SO cool, He speaketh only in Acronyms.  ^.^

Added after 4 minutes:

More importantly, NewYinzer-san, have you practiced putting together such components before?  Certainly in your place, I would practice setting up a motherboard, inserting RAM chips (properly), connecting USB/firewire/CF/misc devices, altering jumper settings, performing any kind of partitioning, etc, on expendable hardware before handling multi-hundred dollar equipment.  

Then again, you may have already done this ad nauseum and can probably even juggle 3 hard drives with one arm, so in that case forgetaboutit....  -.-

[NewYinzer]

To answer a few questions:
- I plan on keeping just the one video card, considering that it will probably be powerful enough for the future and I don't want to overextend my already small bank of knowledge trying to configure SLI for two cards
- Considering that I want to get a little more experience with setting up a computer first, I'm probably going to wait for the new Core 2's first
- Frankly, I do need more experience with setting up these components first, so I'll probably use my old 98SE computer as a testbed by disassembling it, reassembling it, and installing Linux
- I have no plans to add stuff to it beyond the original specs, so I think that the Thermaltake will be just fine
- I have no plans to alter the specs any further, except for adding a new fan for the CPU. I talked to some people, and they said that the original fan for the Core 2 is hard to install, so I'll probably go with a Zalman

Does anyone else have comments or suggestions?

[Silentbob]

I'm currently running on the Intel stock cooler, and installing it wasn't hard.  I just put it in place, pushed the four fastening pins down and now it sits well.  Just remember that it's best to push the fastening pins down in a diagonal fashion as there's a bigger chance it will become skewed and not sit well if you do it differently.  Other than that, no big precautions really.

Anyways, my idle temp is around 33C right now, and about 45-46C under normal use like gaming.  But it is a bit noisier than the more expensive 3rd party coolers.  I'm looking into replacing it with something more overclock friendly, as I'd like to experiment a bit with that.  

I'm sure the power supply is fine too, I guess I'm just wary as I wasn't so lucky with my specimens.

Building a computer is not really a big deal, there aren't a lot of things you can do wrong.  Once you've got an overview of the parts you're putting together, it won't take long.   The manual will tell you which cables go where and so on.  Once you've booted up, the BIOS pretty much configures harddrives and optical drives for you.  The long haul is installing the OS and all the applications, that's what I dread everytime I put together a rig, lol. :p

[Bella]

I have to admire you for building your own computer ;010 As someone who's not quite computer-hardware knowledgeable enough, and a big fan of laptops I'd never dream to do that heehee. The biggest adventure I ever  had with hardware was when my dad and I popped open our compaq to clean it/replace the CDR drive (SO much empty space  O__o in there)
It may take longer, but it'll probably be a fun experience. Plus you won't have to deal with any crapware!

Um,... ano..... anything wrong with good ol' Windows XP.....? ^____^;

I second that but if you need Vista for the graphics/programs you need Vista.

Because you can show vista off to your friends and tell them how classy you are :3. well probably its because of directX10.

Naaaaah,... NewYinzer's too deep and politically-inclined to choose Vista on looks alone, so surely it must've been that Directx 10.0. ^^;

If we were going by looks/impressing people alone, I'd say a Linux distro running Beryl

[C-Chan]

Building a computer is not really a big deal, there aren't a lot of things you can do wrong. Once you've got an overview of the parts you're putting together, it won't take long. The manual will tell you which cables go where and so on. Once you've booted up, the BIOS pretty much configures harddrives and optical drives for you. The long haul is installing the OS and all the applications, that's what I dread everytime I put together a rig, lol.

*cough cough*

On the one hand, breaking your OS is nowhere near as disheartening as breaking your somewhat-expensive-at-the-time RAM chip.  [Don't ask, and I'll gladly not tell.  ^.^;]

On the other hand, the word of the Great AmigaBob is LAW, and ALL must obey the Miggy Master!  ^0^

*bows before AmigaBob*

Forgive my impertinence!  ;^0^;

NewYinzer, I order you to do as AmigaBob says!  ^v^
And don't forget, it's good luck to rub your feet on the carpet while touching your motherboard with your bare hands.  Fufufu.... ^______________^

I have to admire you for building your own computer As someone who's not quite computer-hardware knowledgeable enough, and a big fan of laptops I'd never dream to do that heehee. The biggest adventure I ever had with hardware was when my dad and I popped open our compaq to clean it/replace the CDR drive (SO much empty space O__o in there)
It may take longer, but it'll probably be a fun experience. Plus you won't have to deal with any crapware!

Oh, you'll be popping open computers more often now that you've caught,... The "Bug".  ^___^

In 2 years I foresee you as an expert Hacker (in the computer guru sense, not the criminal one), and a very fashionable one at that.  ^___^

If we were going by looks/impressing people alone, I'd say a Linux distro running Beryl

See what I mean?  ^v^

*bear,... er,... pig hugs Bella*

[Xeon]

DirectX10.0 will change the graphics world forever, optimizing even old 3d cards into gaming machines=at least thats what my bro tells me *he believes graphics are what makes a game good >_>*

Well sooner or later, most of us will be forced to buy vista just because of directX10.0a, since microsoft said later new generation games would require it.

And my brother is also buying a monitor but a HDCP one costing about RM543  
and in USD143,03 ~_^, he claiming the graphics will be just like looking out the window ~_~.

Edit:oh yes i should have posted the monitor my bros going to buy
http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/17lcd?c=my&cs=mybsd1&l=en&s=bsd
its the one on the right

[NewYinzer]

Oh, you'll be popping open computers more often now that you've caught,... The "Bug". ^___^

Oh, I've already started! I ripped open my 98SE computer tonight, took it apart, put it back together, and it works. Very soon I will install Xubuntu...

And don't forget, it's good luck to rub your feet on the carpet while touching your motherboard with your bare hands. Fufufu.... ^______________^

Don't worry! According to a very reliable source, in order to construct a computer properly, I will have to take off all my clothes. Okay, maybe I read a little too much Megatokyo...

[Bella]

In 2 years I foresee you as an expert Hacker (in the computer guru sense, not the criminal one), and a very fashionable one at that. ^___^

Bwah!
Like the time my friend tried to teach me to hack a password....my own computer's password XD He wanted to mess around with some startup setting (apparently that's how he got around some password setting on a school machine )

Luckily, my dad, the computer's rightful owner/funder was standing over shoulder

Don't worry! According to a very reliable source, in order to construct a computer properly, I will have to take off all my clothes. Okay, maybe I read a little too much Megatokyo...

Ummmm...wouldn't a grounding bracelet work just as well...XD

I shouldn't be one to pry into people's personal lives, though, lol.

[C-Chan]

Don't worry! According to a very reliable source, in order to construct a computer properly, I will have to take off all my clothes. Okay, maybe I read a little too much Megatokyo...

Haha!  I had nearly forgotten that.  ^__^
If memory serves, even Lain from 'Serial Experiments Lain' had a similar trick to working in a static free environment.  Too bad she didn't have much to show.  -v-;

Bwah!
Like the time my friend tried to teach me to hack a password....my own computer's password XD He wanted to mess around with some startup setting (apparently that's how he got around some password setting on a school machine )

Luckily, my dad, the computer's rightful owner/funder was standing over shoulder  

Right, there are half-a-dozen things that can help with that process.  It's amazing the things I learned from my old hacker friend (hacker as in almost-criminal hacker, not in terms of "programming guru"... ^^;)

No but seriously, the more you learn, the more courageous you feel about trying new things (it's hard to be afraid of updating a BIOS if you know how to fix it, or at least rip the entire motherboard off and replace it with a new one with the ease of inserting bread in a toaster).  ^___^

In your case, you just have to find "mobile" ways to train yourself in the ways of advanced computing.  ^__^
That being said, it's a good thing you discovered LiveCDs now as you can always take them with you on your camera expedition. -.-

[Dr. Mario]

;001 Oh, NewYinzer... You should want to look at liquid cooling, it would help.. If you don't want to, it's fine with me. Although, I would go for Peltier set-up, but no, my AMD Athlon 64's heatslug's too large for that... (I would still go for Antec Nine Hundred case, though.) I'm still looking for a stupid peltier that's 2" wide, but still, they are expensive. The Thermaltake heatsink I bought, still sucks (my baby's [Athlon 64] is still screaming at 100°F so I'm still desperately looking for those sh*t to cool it down...)

;001 Good luck on building a computer..
;062 Not killer robot, err...