Finishing Touches, Tips, Advice, Help, etc. to my Build.

• Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
• GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P Rev 2.0 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Ultra Durable 2, Ultra Cooling Intel Motherboard - Retail
• EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
• CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply - Retail
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
• Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA804 - Retail
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
  
• Creative Fatal1ty White & Black USB Slim Gaming Keyboard - Retail
• SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" 2 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
• SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
• Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail

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All compatible? Anything else I need (fans or heatsinks maybe)? Anything I should swap out for a better deal/quality- bigger power supply?)? I won't buy a TV Tuner or Sound Card until later. The screen sounds really big, but it should be alright (it supports HD eh?). I'm going to need to move a desk up here instead of just putting the screen on the carpet I guess :P, even if it's best fit for me (I play games Chinese sty/e with laptop). My IceMat Siberia HP and Copperhead should go well. Gonna have to figure out how to build this! Lastly, I'm missing an OS. People have recommended sticking with XP, though I don't want to if Vista will be fixed with updates soon. The prices on both Vista and XP range so much, it's hard to tell what I need either way. Also - anything coming out soon to make all this a bad deal ($2k)? A big price drop in all of these and quad cores all-around as standard would make me flip! Estimated time this will last? With upgrades? Without?

Adios and TY,

g0lden

EDIT!:: Seems I can debate on and on about OS with people. Really up to me between XP and Vista. But I'm still not sure about my monitor. First off, I went to compusa and saw the exact monitor and it didn't impress me at all. Secondly, I hear they ship different manufactured ones, ranging from C to S, some being better than others. That's just dumb/cheap. I think I want a 19" LCD anyway. Best one for gaming. Best quality. Best everything. I listed some from my list of gaming peripherals, but I don't really kno...please recommend...which is the best!?

The Nine Hundred has a side fan mount, but the fan isn't included. You might want to pick up another 120mm fan (lights optional) for that. Also, there is an internal mount for a 120mm fan, behind the middle drive bay. It's not included either. If you install one there, it draws extra air across the hard drive and blows it at the RAM, northbridge and video card. It might come in handy. ;) Over all, I think you have a well thought out design. If your build goes well, it should be one screamin' rig.8)

BTW, don't forget the good thermal paste...

Edit - The PSU shouldn't be a problem, unless you plan to add a lot more drives, expansion cards and RAM. If you were to say max out all of your slots and ports, you might want more wattage. Say, 750Watts, or more.

So should I forget the Tuniq and just get two 120mm fans? Or both? And I might plan on getting all that extra stuff (more RAM and cards and things) later, but not now, so I should be good with that power supply. Also, what's thermal paste, lol? Is that to mount fans or a joke? Yeah, I'm just full of questions, sorry.
g0ldenboy

"Anything else I need (fans or heatsinks maybe)?"

The Tuniq Tower is a heatsink...and yes keep it.

This is good thermal paste

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

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Do not do this

Here is a build guide it will explain everything

http://www.corsair.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=12472

[QUOTE="g0ldenboy"]So should I forget the Tuniq and just get two 120mm fans? Or both? And I might plan on getting all that extra stuff (more RAM and cards and things) later, but not now, so I should be good with that power supply. Also, what's thermal paste, lol? Is that to mount fans or a joke? Yeah, I'm just full of questions, sorry.
musclesforcier

"Anything else I need (fans or heatsinks maybe)?"

The Tuniq Tower is a heatsink...and yes keep it.

This is good thermal paste

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

So all I should add is one 120mm fan (being as the tuniq comes with one) and that thermal paste? Or 2 fans one tuniq? If so, is there room? So I should get the Home premium vista you recommended and after a while it will be updated and bug free?

So should I forget the Tuniq and just get two 120mm fans? Or both? Or a fan controller too? And I might plan on getting all that extra stuff (more RAM and cards and things) later, but not now, so I should be good with that power supply. Also, what's thermal paste, lol? Is that to mount fans or a joke? Yeah, I'm just full of questions, sorry.
g0ldenboy

What Musclesforcier said. Keep the Tuniq tower...or get a Zalman 9700...or something comparable...to cool your processor. The extra case fans cool everything else as well. More air flow is better, though louder. Thermal paste should be applied to the metal surface on top of the CPU (the silver side with the writing on it), and the heatsink, where it mates to the CPU. A small drop should be applied to both. The drop of paste should be a little smaller than a Tic Tac. Some people say it's fine to just apply the drop of paste and smush it down with the heat sink. Don't do that. It's just like buttering bread. Spread the paste with a tool of some kind. A match book cover, credit card, razor blade, or anything with a straight edge. If you use a metal tool, take care not to scratch the surfaces. The paste should cover the mating surfaces evenly and very thinly. About the thickness of a sheet of printer paper will do it. :)

[QUOTE="musclesforcier"]

[QUOTE="g0ldenboy"]So should I forget the Tuniq and just get two 120mm fans? Or both? And I might plan on getting all that extra stuff (more RAM and cards and things) later, but not now, so I should be good with that power supply. Also, what's thermal paste, lol? Is that to mount fans or a joke? Yeah, I'm just full of questions, sorry.
g0ldenboy

"Anything else I need (fans or heatsinks maybe)?"

The Tuniq Tower is a heatsink...and yes keep it.

This is good thermal paste

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

So all I should add is one 120mm fan (being as the tuniq comes with one) and that thermal paste? Or 2 fans one tuniq? If so, is there room? So I should get the Home premium vista you recommended and after a while it will be updated and bug free?

Two 120mm fans. One for the side, one for the drive bay. The Tuniq tower has it's own fan, but it's dedicated to the CPU only.

Edit - There's no telling when a service pack for Vista will be released. Remember, Microsoft initially said "Longhorn" was slated for release in 2004...then 2005...then finally, "Vista" began to ship in December of 2006...and it was crap. Schedules and promises are not big Microsoft strong points.

Alright, I pretty much have the whole system down for $2,027.45. I added two 120 fans and a zalman fan controller. Now I just need to figure out what OS I want, which seems complicated. 32 bit vs 64 vs vista vs xp vs sp1 vs sp2. AGH! And all the "this runs this faster but it only supports 2GB of RAM and this supports 4GB RAM but this only supports 2 processors and not the quad. BLAH. and OEM vs retail. I need helpz! g0ldenboy

Everybody has their opinions about OSes these days. Ultimately, its up to you. Also, when you get xp, you get SP2, lol.

Personally, I'm an XP guy until vista sp1 comes out AND it is shown to actually help with the performance/compatibility problems of vista.

Many people say that vista has been trouble free, but many others say that there have been problems. Search these forums for ridiculously long threads debating the topic, no one can give you a definate answer. It is pretty well accepted that performance in vista is not as good as with XP (although visual quality is marginally better in games that support it...aka world in conflict right now).

[QUOTE="g0ldenboy"]Alright, I pretty much have the whole system down for $2,027.45. I added two 120 fans and a zalman fan controller. Now I just need to figure out what OS I want, which seems complicated. 32 bit vs 64 vs vista vs xp vs sp1 vs sp2. AGH! And all the "this runs this faster but it only supports 2GB of RAM and this supports 4GB RAM but this only supports 2 processors and not the quad. BLAH. and OEM vs retail. I need helpz! shanelevy

Everybody has their opinions about OSes these days. Ultimately, its up to you. Also, when you get xp, you get SP2, lol.

Personally, I'm an XP guy until vista sp1 comes out AND it is shown to actually help with the performance/compatibility problems of vista.

Many people say that vista has been trouble free, but many others say that there have been problems. Search these forums for ridiculously long threads debating the topic, no one can give you a definate answer. It is pretty well accepted that performance in vista is not as good as with XP (although visual quality is marginally better in games that support it...aka world in conflict right now).

Strictly with my debate betwen XP and Vista, this is how it goes. First off, I have a CD of some version of XP in my closet. I'm pretty sure it's kind of old, though I have no idea how the effects of updates would work on it. I'm also pretty sure it can be installed on more than one computer, though I'm not sure and might want to try it out on a computer first. In the end though, I doubt I'd risk a brand new computer with an OS from a dusty CD. I'm willing to buy. XP is said to have better performance and is pretty much bug free (I'm using it on this laptop an it's fine). Vista on the other hand is said to be the future. I'll have to get it sometime, so why not get it now? It will update itself and become bug free in due course, even if it's a little buggy now. But I really don't know the details. Some people have said the XP won't even recognize all my specs. It's really hard to tell!

[QUOTE="shanelevy"]

[QUOTE="g0ldenboy"]Alright, I pretty much have the whole system down for $2,027.45. I added two 120 fans and a zalman fan controller. Now I just need to figure out what OS I want, which seems complicated. 32 bit vs 64 vs vista vs xp vs sp1 vs sp2. AGH! And all the "this runs this faster but it only supports 2GB of RAM and this supports 4GB RAM but this only supports 2 processors and not the quad. BLAH. and OEM vs retail. I need helpz! g0ldenboy

Everybody has their opinions about OSes these days. Ultimately, its up to you. Also, when you get xp, you get SP2, lol.

Personally, I'm an XP guy until vista sp1 comes out AND it is shown to actually help with the performance/compatibility problems of vista.

Many people say that vista has been trouble free, but many others say that there have been problems. Search these forums for ridiculously long threads debating the topic, no one can give you a definate answer. It is pretty well accepted that performance in vista is not as good as with XP (although visual quality is marginally better in games that support it...aka world in conflict right now).

Strictly with my debate betwen XP and Vista, this is how it goes. First off, I have a CD of some version of XP in my closet. I'm pretty sure it's kind of old, though I have no idea how the effects of updates would work on it. I'm also pretty sure it can be installed on more than one computer, though I'm not sure and might want to try it out on a computer first. In the end though, I doubt I'd risk a brand new computer with an OS from a dusty CD. I'm willing to buy. XP is said to have better performance and is pretty much bug free (I'm using it on this laptop an it's fine). Vista on the other hand is said to be the future. I'll have to get it sometime, so why not get it now? It will update itself and become bug free in due course, even if it's a little buggy now. But I really don't know the details. Some people have said the XP won't even recognize all my specs. It's really hard to tell!

There is one problem with this line of thinking. XP is better performing than Vista, but it is not bug free. It was released six years ago and there are still holes in it. If anyone doesn't believe me, then ask yourself why Microsoft continues to provide patches and security updates to XP license holders. I acknowledge the fact that two service packs and countless patches/updates later, XP is a better OS than it was when it was first released...but trouble free? No. So now we have another new, much more complex, operating system written by Microsoft...and every Vista fanboy assumes all the kinks will be worked out, in some yet to be developed magic service pack, that may, or may not be released in the near future. I ask you, is this rational? Or, is it more likely that Microsoft will continue to produce mediocre repairs, as they have throughout there existence? And, while we all sit and wait for the cybermancers of Microslush to complete this monumental task, our rigs grow older. Even if Vista is somehow, miraculously repaired in half the time it took them to prop up XP, current rigs will be nearly three years old. How well does a three year old gaming rig perform? How many viable years does a three year old rig of any kind have left? I'll leave you with this thought. How do you want to experience the next three years of gaming? With an OS that is already functioning halfway normally...while your rigs are fresh...or with one that plods along suffering random software conflicts and driver issues, as you watch the best years of your gaming system slip away... :roll:

And that Vista Home Premium 32 bit OEM will run everything smoothly and utilize everthing I have well instead of running things slower? Because I honestly don't want to run things slower because Vista looks a little better. It's the other things I want to look good. g0ldenboy

Vista will run things a LITTLE bit slower. 10 fps at the most in some games. But Vista also takes advantage of true dx10, which WiC and Crysis should prove to be satifying for going vista. So besides the OS looking good...your dx10 games will look a bit better. Vista will definantly utilize all of your hardware expecially that 8800gtx.

Its all up to you.
-XP = a little faster / no dx10/ less buggy /more capatible
-Vista = a little slower / dx10 benefits/ some capatibility issues (i honestly dont hear many anymore...besides sound cards..which isnt as bad as before)/
I normally say the move to vista is either now or later...and since your building new...thats the best time to make the switch.

So should I forget the Tuniq and just get two 120mm fans? Or both? Or a fan controller too? And I might plan on getting all that extra stuff (more RAM and cards and things) later, but not now, so I should be good with that power supply. Also, what's thermal paste, lol? Is that to mount fans or a joke? Yeah, I'm just full of questions, sorry.
g0ldenboy

Personally, I say skip the aftermarket fans. Start with the stock fan and upgrade as necessary when you start overclocking (unless you're buying an OEM CPU, which you're not). Save a few bucks and try the stock fan first, it may surprise you.

Otherwise, your build is similar to my own, and I video blogged the entire process. You can go here and click the "Newbie PC Builder" link in the menu. I hope it's helpful!

Good luck!

Boz

Rexus NMB-MAT (Panaflo) 120mm Case Fan - Retail x2
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM OR
Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM

Also might need better mousepad, different keyboard (g15 over fatality?), a soundcard, a desk to put this all on, and more of that grease stuff. Not sure what kinds of compounds I need...time to plug in the credit card.

More important than peak wattage in a PSU is the max combined amperage on the +12v rail if you're going to add another video card. I believe the 8800GTX in SLI need a combined 32 amps, or 12-18 amps per card. LOL more than enough power to kill a grown man.

On the OS, I vote for Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit.