building new computer, need help

[X_40's_X]

some might remember me from when i built my very first computer with the help from all you guys on here in like '04 or '05.. im still using the same computer too haha

but yea its starting to go finally soo i want to build another computer thats no more then around $500 - $590.. i figure it shouldnt be a problem if i used the case that im using now for my new computer, right? and im gonna use my old Windows XP Home Edition disc for the OS even though its old.

so heres the parts i picked out on newegg.. im not 100 percent sure that these parts will all be compatible with each other but im pretty confident :P.. oh and im not sure if i should give the links to the parts or just the names..

(1) Motherboard - ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

(2) Video Card - EVGA 01G-P3-1372-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP

(3) Processor - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

(4) Power Supply - OCZ ZS Series 750W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

(5) Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

total is $532.95.. if the parts i chose werent a good fit, ill take your input on completely different parts! .. just one more thing im worried about is the heat.. if it would be necessary or not for more fans and what not in my system, thanks!

[gman863]

A few thoughts...

* Go for a top-end Corsair PSU instead of the OCZ. It may be a few bucks more; however it'll last a lot longer:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

* If your current board is an mATX, be sure your current case is large enough to hold an ATX board.

Good luck on the new build. Hope this helps.

[X_40's_X]

the name "gman" seems filmiliar haha.. but what does OCZ mean? and actually thats the PSU i picked out before i seen the deal on the other PSU that only lasted until today because i seen that it had the top 3 most reviews.. ive been looking for the case i bought on newegg or tigerdirect and i cant find it.. i guess they dont sell them anymore but i know it was a Raidmax case because i still have the 380W PSU that came with it.. im almost positive its a mid-tower case and not full-tower.. pretty sure its ATX haha

[Digerati]

To ensure your CPU and RAM are compatible ensure they are listed on the motherboard's QVLs (qualified vendors lists). You MUST buy a CPU listed but there are too many RAM makers and models for ASUS to test them all, so you must buy RAM with the same specs. Your motherboard's QVLs are shown here.

and im gonna use my old Windows XP Home Edition disc for the OS even though its old.

That is a mistake for one, maybe two, probably four reasons.

1. XP was designed over 10 years ago to support DOS era hardware and software from 10 years before that. It was designed with security as an afterthought. Windows 7 was designed to support today's hardware and software with security first and foremost. Security alone is reason enough to use a modern OS.

2. More and more current hardware products do not have XP driver support.

3. You are getting 2 x 4Gb of RAM. It is most likely your XP license is for 32-bit XP and thus will not support 8Gb of RAM.

4. It is most likely your license for XP is an OEM license. OEM licenses are tied to the "original equipment" and cannot legally be transfered to new (or upgraded) computers. If your XP disk says OEM, Academic, Upgrade or "For distribution only with a new PC", you cannot legally use it on this new computer

[augiedoggie]

Well, I wouldn't go for a 'top-end' gold PSU but I would go for bronze as a reasonable compromise with the Corsair and a 750W is not needed unless you're going to put in another GTX460. Do get the TX series and stay away from the builder series.

I would agree with Digerati on getting a current Windows 7 64-bit copy. XP was good after SP2 but the support will end in 2014 I believe. Don't worry, W7 is easy to learn and use. The basics are still there.

[X_40's_X]

alright cool but dang yeah my windows xp disc does say "for distribution only with a new PC".. that means i would have to spend another $100+ for windows 7 64bit and i dont really have the money for that :S.. i mean the games i mainly play are MW3 and CS: Source soo maybe i could down grade on the parts? i thought i had this figured out for the most part but i guess not!

[TheRealGEEK]

Personally I really like the system you put together, but I did improve upon your original system with a 6770, Mushkin Silverline, a MSI mobo (I have had better luck with MSI than I have had with ASUS), Antec 300, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM, OCZ 600w ModXtreme pro (I have the 500w in one of my other builds and it if fantastic), and just a overall better quality build. This build is a little over budget at $607.93, but it is a better value in my opinion. Comment about your suggestions.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103808
Mobo: MSI 880GMA-E35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130613
Case: Antec Three Hundred
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042
Graphics Card: MSI R6770-MD1GD5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127599
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820226095
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Tpk=ocz%20600w
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986

[Digerati]

that means i would have to spend another $100+ for windows 7 64bit and i dont really have the money for that :S.. i mean the games i mainly play are MW3 and CS: Source soo maybe i could down grade on the parts?

If the money is not in the budget now, then (1) wait until you can build up the budget or (2) get one of the many "free" and capable Linux alternatives. My advice is to wait until your budget allows you to get the machine you want. Otherwise, you will be stuck for the next several years, kicking yourself for not waiting. And also you will likely be spending more on upgrades to put you where you wanted to be in the first place.

That said, I don't see a hard drive or a DVD player in your list. If planning on using an existing PATA hard drive, note it likely will become a bottle neck. Current SATA drives with big buffers are much faster. You need a DVD to install Windows 7.

If you really like that motherboard, that's fine. It's a good board, but note it has integrated graphics. If you want a machine now, I recommend you skip the graphics card. That will save you $150 that you can use towards Windows 7 64-bit. You can always add a card later. Then you can use what's left over for a hard drive.

Or, wait 2 or 3 months until the budget lets you buy what you really want later. And note the hard drive industry should be fully recovered from all the flooding issues by then too, so their prices should drop back down.

[X_40's_X]

im not sure if i can wait or not yeah i have a SATA hard drive that i was just going to use and my old cd drive.. wasnt aware you needed a dvd player to install windows 7, AH.

therealGEEK thats a wonderful price for all of them parts, but could i just not get the case and have the total be $547? couldnt i just use the same case that im using right now? im almost positive its a ATV mid-tower case because it has 7 expansion slots in the back just like my case and the dimensons are almost the same, 18.30" x 8.10" x 18.00".. my case is 18.00" x 8.00" x 16.00".. mine just doesnt have as many bay drives in the case i believe.. theres 2 things im not sure about.. thats my hard drive and cd drive.. i only have an 80GB Western Digital (WD800JD-00JRC0) SATA hard drive and an older 60GB IDE hard drive thats not in my computer right now.. Digerati said i need a DVD player to install Windows 7 and im not sure if thats what i have? i have a Sony DVD RW DW-Q28A.. thanks for all the help guys!

[Digerati]

wasnt aware you needed a dvd player to install windows 7

Yeah, it is too big to fit on a CD.

i have a Sony DVD RW DW-Q28A

Yeah! DVD. RW means Read (play) and Write (burn or copy to). So you are good to go there. But understand this is an IDE (PATA) drive too and your motherboard only has one IDE connection. This means your motherboard only supports 2 IDE drives (2 per cable). So with that 60Gb IDE and this Sony DVD, that's it for IDE devices without going with Mickey Mouse adapters.

So that means you will only have a total of 140Gb of disk space split across two drives. That's enough for Windows, Office, your essential security programs and other utilities but if you are planing on using this drive to store tunes, a bunch of photos, videos and other large files, you may be running out of space soon. I personally think you should be looking at a bigger SATA drive (500Gb or better) to ensure you have enough space to last for the next 5 years or so.

While swapping out drives and moving operating systems and all your programs can be done, it's a headache - much easier to buy what you need now

Since you want this machine now, I again recommend holding off on the fancy graphics card. You need to build a good platform first, and a decent size drive is part of that.

[augiedoggie]

i only have an 80GB Western Digital (WD800JD-00JRC0) SATA hard drive and an older 60GB IDE hard drive thats not in my computer right now

I always had trouble mixing SATA @ PATA drives, my machines never wanted to boot from the SATA no matter what I did in BIOS. Maybe it's different now. Do get a 500GB and forget the 60.

[Digerati]

Maybe it's different now

It is - at least with modern motherboards. Since IDE is phasing out, SATA support takes top billing.

[X_40's_X]

well its nice to know i dont need to buy a new DVD drive.. im fine with only 2 IDE slots on the motherboard because i dont think i will be even using the 60GB IDE hard drive.. i have 40GB left on this hard drive and im definitely content with all my photos, music and everything.. but i figure once i get all the parts and it built, im going to sell the computer im using now for 100 - $200 so i can upgrade to a bigger hard drive.. havent built a new computer in like 5 years since i was in computer repair class so do most CD/DVD drives run with SATA cables and not IDE now?.. okay, well the total for all the parts comes out to $547.94.. minus the case, HDD, and DVD drive since it doesnt seem like a problem to use my old ones, i just need like 2 more fans in my case since 1 died.. well i mean would that be a legit system if i bought it? plus it has mail in rebates on some parts soo it would drop in price to around $522.

[Digerati]

im fine with only 2 IDE slots on the motherboard

No you only have one slot on the motherboard. But each slot takes a cable that supports two EIDE drives.

so do most CD/DVD drives run with SATA cables and not IDE now?..

Yes but both kinds are still available so you need to be careful when ordering.

would that be a legit system if i bought it?

Not if you are running an illegal copy of Windows!

[X_40's_X]

i was gonna buy the Windows 7 OS that TheRealGEEK suggested.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986 .. and all the parts he listed except the case because i think my old one should be fine and it all comes to a total of $549.95.. do you see any problems with the selection of parts? looks all good to me except im weird about the motherboard on how it says "Micro ATX AMD Motherboard"? i dont know haha

[Digerati]

Micro ATX just means is it smaller in length and therefore has fewer PCI expansion slots. But the point is, it is still an ATX motherboard, which means it will fit in any ATX case and work with any ATX power supply.

[X_40's_X]

ohhh, good good.. well what do you think? with the list of parts TheRealGEEK posted, do you think everything should work fine?

ive been on newegg for like an hour looking through different parts and decided to make another system.. could you tell me if these parts would be compatible, and/or if this setup would magically be better?

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103808
Motherboard: ASUS M4A87TD/USB3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131651
Graphics Card: EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130625
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231314
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341017
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986

and course using my old case and HDD, thanks!!

oh and btw all of those parts were $593.94.. with the 3 mail-in-rebates.. it comes out to $543.94

[Digerati]

Assuming you verified the RAM and CPU from this boards QVLs, you should be good to go.

[X_40's_X]

i did, but im not trusting myself 100 percent haha.. could anyone esle check out the parts? thanks

[Digerati]

ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 QVLs

Well, it took a bit of crosschecking but your CPU comes packaged in two different model numbers as seen here, boxed with an OEM fan for retail purchases (PIB - processor in box), and Open tray - typically sold in bulk to big PC makers. Your PIB model number is HDZ955FBGMBOX while the CPU alone is HDZ955FBK4DGM and the later is listed on the QVL for that motherboard. So the CPU should work.

That RAM is not listed on the QVL but similar RAM is.