First time builder with questions. :)

Hey all,

I'm putting together my first rig without help and I could use some input. It will primarily be a gaming system, but I'm currently earning my degree in software design and I need a system that can handle VMWare as well as some of the more demanding software out there.

I have a number of questions that I hope you all can help me with. I'll post the primary software and prospective hardware and hopefully your answers can catch any issues before I dump a ton of cash on a rig that won't fit the bill.

XCLIO A380BK Fully Black SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103010
GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-UD3LR LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128371
Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115131
ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118046
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146740
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
BFG Tech BFGE98512GTGE GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143186
Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio 70SB104000000 7.1 Channels PCI Express
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102017
LG W2253TQ-PF Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 50000:1 w/ Smart Package
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005124

Windows 7 Pro 64bit
VMWare
- WinXP Pro 32bit
- SLES 9 (required OS for school)
Microsoft tools like Visiual Studio and Visio 07
All other software will be games

I know for about the same amount I could go i7, but my brother in law has convinced my wife that it's a waste so I have to stick with this.

QUESTIONS:
1. Will the ZALMAN fit into this case?
2. What type of thermal compound should I use? I've heard the silver can be touchy.
3. Is there anything else I will need that I might have forgotten? I have a newer DVD burner that I'll pull from my old tower.
4. Does anyone have links to some good installation guides? Preferably guides for Intel boards that have decent pictures or videos.
5. Does anyone have suggestions for better gear for the same price? I'm already over what I planned to spend so if I have to pay more I'll run myself broke. lol

I think that's all the questions I had for now. Thanks in advance!

Cheers!

Stash

 

1. Yes it looks like it would fit however I Use Noctua cpu cooler, I love it's performance and quietness.

2. I Use Noctua NT-H1 Paste very happy with it. I herd AS5 is really good tho I haven't used it.

3. Doesn't look like it to me

4. Google is your friend. YouTube maybe. When you get the stuff the manual should tell you basic instructions on how to install the cpu etc.

5. You may want to look around some more. Maybe look for some combo deals to get max value for your money.

My suggestions for parts that aren't much more for this rig Q9550 CPU and a Corsair 850 Watt PSU.

You may want to consider getting a better video card if you are going to play alot of games.

 

I agree, and the single slot cooling style leaves alot to be desired.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143149
BFG Tech GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB

seems to be slightly overclocked and has a double slot cooling fan on it. it's still a 9800 but it's slightly better than the one you have posted. but if you really want more bang, you should get something higher up the food chain.

 

Well, the i7 would push up your cost by at least $250 as i7 boards are triple channel DDR3 so 6 GBs would be the norm. Anyways, you mentioned VMWare and XP, you do you know that W7 Pro includes the bits for VPC and XP SP3 free for the download? There's also free VMWare products just incase you didn't know. Apologies if you're already aware this as you're obviously not a n00b.

 

Seconding the Noctua recommendation. A friend of mine has one of their coolers and claims it is a very quiet fan. And unless his installation of Sandra is lying, it keeps his CPU cooler than my water-cooling keeps my CPU! :eek

I'm am actually considering switching.

 

Good call on that card guys! The extra core clock and cooling slot is definately worth the extra $30.

Well, I am a bit of a noob considering I haven't put a case together since 2002, and even then I had a friend do most of it. :-o I'm pretty amazed I've pushed this 1.8ghz 512 DDR as long as I have. :-D Are you saying that Win 7 Pro is compatible with x86 software if I download a patch, meaning that I wouldn't have to run a 32 bit OS through dual boot or virtual machine applications? I haven't researched W7 much because I just got the software through MSDNAA (yay free!) and the dinosaur I'm using can't handle it. If that is the case then I'll just dual boot Linux to save RAM for my Windows stuff!

I'm assuming the type of cooling fan you're talking about is this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608003&cm_re=Noctua-_-35-608-003-_-Product

I like the extra rpms, but I'm a little concerned about keeping the thing clean. It looks like it would hold a lot of dirt. Anyone had experience with this?

And thanks to all for hasty replies!

 

Yes Windows 7 64bit is compatible with most 32bit software.

I've had it for a while. Any heat-sink will collect dust over time. My temps with my Q6600 idle right now are

CPU: 19c
Core 0 32 C
Core 1 32 C
Core 2 25 C
Core 3 34 C

 

Here's the MS page for VPC and XPM RC, which I assume will go RTM on Oct. 22nd. or thereabouts. No on needing a dual-boot and yes on running a VM for XP, just like I can access Ubuntu X64 running in VMWare on my W7 X64, it's almost seamless. I haven't run XPM yet as I just installed W7 RTM a couple of weeks ago and I'll have to see if VPC can run alongside VMWare or some other config.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'saving RAM'. Sorry.

Someone else like Halo would most likely know the whole deal here, I hope he comes in here.

 

In fact if you're still not sure after going through my above link, start a new thread in software, call it 'Windows 7, VPC and XPM'. That'll get Halo's attention for sure.:-D