Avoiding frying Core2 Duo?

[brett]

I'll be putting the following Core2 Duo system together and would like
advice on how to avoid frying the cpu or anything else. I've read
about people installing their PSU and it being set to the wrong voltage
then end up frying their Core2 Duo. I'd like to know what I should look
at for to avoid these costly mistakes.

** COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh
bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
** (2) Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording
Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
** (2) (4GB total) OCZ S.O.E 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667
(PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2SOE6672GK - Retail

** Intel BOXDG965SSCK Socket T (LGA 775) Intel G965 Express Micro ATX
Intel Motherboard - Retail
** Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model
BX80557E6600 - Retail
** Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording
Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
** PNY VCG7300LXPB GeForce 7300LE 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Low
Profile Video Card - Retail
** CDROM
** Wireless NIC

One more thing, 450w should be enough for this right?

Thanks,
Brett

 

[RussellS]

I'll be putting the following Core2 Duo system together and would like
advice on how to avoid frying the cpu or anything else. I've read
about people installing their PSU and it being set to the wrong voltage
then end up frying their Core2 Duo. I'd like to know what I should look
at for to avoid these costly mistakes.

** COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh
bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
** (2) Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording
Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
** (2) (4GB total) OCZ S.O.E 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667
(PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2SOE6672GK - Retail

** Intel BOXDG965SSCK Socket T (LGA 775) Intel G965 Express Micro ATX
Intel Motherboard - Retail
** Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model
BX80557E6600 - Retail
** Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording
Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
** PNY VCG7300LXPB GeForce 7300LE 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Low
Profile Video Card - Retail
** CDROM
** Wireless NIC

One more thing, 450w should be enough for this right?

Thanks,
Brett

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
450 WATTS should be fine if it's a reputable PSU manufacturer. Don't go
with a cheapo generic when it comes to a power supply. If you haven't
already purchased all of the listed components, that 7300 LE graphics card
is a waste of money if you already are getting a MOBO with onboard Intel GMA
X3000 graphics, as the onboard chip works great with Vista Aero and is
DirectX 10.0-ready. The only reason to get a graphics card with that board
is if you're more a gamer/enthusiast, and that 7300 LE is very entry-level,
defeating the purpose of a graphics card upgrade for that board. Get at
least a 7600 GT or higher if you want a separate card.

As far as "frying" the CPU with the wrong PSU voltage, don't worry about it.
If the PSU you buy isn't auto-switching (automatically detects 115/230 volt
input from your power line) just double-check that the switch on the back of
the power supply is set to 115 if you're in North America, or 230 if you're
elsewhere that has a different electricity factor. The PSU should
automatically be set correctly if bought within the country you're in.

Good luck
-Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

 

[brett]

450 WATTS should be fine if it's a reputable PSU manufacturer. Don't go

with a cheapo generic when it comes to a power supply. If you haven't
already purchased all of the listed components, that 7300 LE graphics card
is a waste of money if you already are getting a MOBO with onboard Intel GMA
X3000 graphics, as the onboard chip works great with Vista Aero and is
DirectX 10.0-ready. The only reason to get a graphics card with that board
is if you're more a gamer/enthusiast, and that 7300 LE is very entry-level,
defeating the purpose of a graphics card upgrade for that board. Get at
least a 7600 GT or higher if you want a separate card.

Thanks Russell. I forget to post the PSU I'm planning to get:
COOLER MASTER Real Power RS-450-ACLX ATX12V 450W Power Supply - Retail
$59.99

It had 45 reviews on newegg.com with 84% 5/5 and averaged 5 stars
overall. Same brand as the case as well.

Thanks about the onboard video. I couldn't find out how much memory
the onboard Intel GMA X3000 had. Do you know? I believe you can do
about anything you want (non gaming) in Vista or anything else with
128MB.

Thanks,
Brett

 

[brett]

Thanks about the onboard video. I couldn't find out how much memory

the onboard Intel GMA X3000 had. Do you know? I believe you can do
about anything you want (non gaming) in Vista or anything else with
128MB.

Oh, I think it uses system RAM but how well does that work? The system
RAM will be fast.

Brett

 

[RussellS]

Oh, I think it uses system RAM but how well does that work? The system
RAM will be fast.

Brett

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, it'll reserve a portion of your system RAM to use as graphics memory,
256 by default, I believe, but that can be changed in your motherboard's
BIOS to 128 or up to 512. I'd say set it at 256MB and have a total of at
LEAST 1GB system memory; 2GB is the sweet spot in 32-bit Vista for great
performance.

-Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

 

[RussellS]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, it'll reserve a portion of your system RAM to use as graphics
memory, 256 by default, I believe, but that can be changed in your
motherboard's BIOS to 128 or up to 512. I'd say set it at 256MB and have
a total of at LEAST 1GB system memory; 2GB is the sweet spot in 32-bit
Vista for great performance.

-Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, I just recalled that you were getting 4GB memory, in which case your
system should rock, and you could even up the graphics memory reserve to
512MB if you think it will be of use to you and still have 3.5GB for system
memory.

-Russell

 

[brett]

Oh, I just recalled that you were getting 4GB memory, in which case your

system should rock, and you could even up the graphics memory reserve to
512MB if you think it will be of use to you and still have 3.5GB for system
memory.

Can't wait to try it. BTW, thanks for saving me 62 bucks on the
graphics card!

Brett

 

[brett]

If at some point I want to free up system RAM and dedicate video
processing and memory to a video card, what do you suggest (non
gaming)?

Thanks,
Brett

 

[RussellS]

If at some point I want to free up system RAM and dedicate video
processing and memory to a video card, what do you suggest (non
gaming)?

Thanks,
Brett

------------------------------------------------------------
There are just soooo many card choices these days. Adrian's Rojakpot
(TechARP) has a frequently updated detailed GPU comparison chart at his
site:
http://www.rojakpot.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88&pgno=0
that will provide you with more side-by-side comparisons of current cards
than just about anywhere else. If you're not a gamer and not in a hurry to
get a separate card, wait until more DirectX 10.0 cards come on the market,
then look at how the prices of current cards may drop. ATI (now AMD) and
NVIDIA, the two major GPU chip manufacturers, both have their loyal fans.
If your case will have adequate airflow, look into getting a fanless version
of a mid-range ($150-$250) card with a good warranty/RMA policy from the
card manufacturer, and get 256MB or more of graphics memory on the card.

-Russell
http://tastycomputers.com