Please advise on new build (Core 2 Duo/P965)

[Casey]

I'm putting together a new system, only the third I've done.

Most of the time this PC will be used for the 'net, MS Office,
and other pretty undemanding tasks. It's still got to be
powerful enough to smoothly play an occasional FPS, edit home
videos, and work as a PVR with MCE.

I'm hoping that all the components will play together nicely,
burdened with neither weak links nor gross overkills. I don't
plan to overclock.

* Intel P965 Express ATX Motherboard w/ LAN & Firewire
(BOXDP965LTCK) $109.99
* Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz $218.50
* A-Data 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit (1.8V)
$207.99
* Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA
3.0Gb/s $74.99*2
* Powercolor X1950 Pro Extreme 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
(VIVO) $199.99
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic $72.99
* AOpen Voice/Fax/Modem (FM56PX) $16.99
* Samsung DVD Burner (SH-S182D) $29.99
* NEC 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive $6.25
* Masscool 80mm Fan (FD08025S1M4) $1.99*2
* MS Media Center Edition 2005 SP2b w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista
$109.99
* Microsoft Media Center Remote (A9O-00007) $38.99
* Antec LifeStyle Sonata II Mid-Tower Case w/ 450w SmartPower
PS $59.99
* Acer 19" 2ms (GTG) DVI LCD (AL1916Fbd) $209.99

Total = $1435.61 (including rebates but not shipping)

I'll be using my old speakers, keyboard, and mouse. Just about
everything else will probably be bought at NewEgg. I'm aware
that I won't be saving much over a system I could configure at
Dell or elsewhere. I get a lot of satisfaction, however, from
using a rig I've built myself.

I've tried to do my homework in selecting these components.
Finding compatible RAM at a decent price was probably the
biggest hurdle.

You never know if you've got everything quite right, though -
particularly when it's just you trying to check your own
mistakes.

Am I missing any problems/conflicts?

Have I forgotten anything?

 

[Dave]

I'm putting together a new system, only the third I've done.

Most of the time this PC will be used for the 'net, MS Office,
and other pretty undemanding tasks. It's still got to be
powerful enough to smoothly play an occasional FPS, edit home
videos, and work as a PVR with MCE.

I'm hoping that all the components will play together nicely,
burdened with neither weak links nor gross overkills. I don't
plan to overclock.

* Intel P965 Express ATX Motherboard w/ LAN & Firewire
(BOXDP965LTCK) $109.99
* Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz $218.50
* A-Data 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit (1.8V)
$207.99
* Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA
3.0Gb/s $74.99*2
* Powercolor X1950 Pro Extreme 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
(VIVO) $199.99
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic $72.99
* AOpen Voice/Fax/Modem (FM56PX) $16.99
* Samsung DVD Burner (SH-S182D) $29.99
* NEC 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive $6.25
* Masscool 80mm Fan (FD08025S1M4) $1.99*2
* MS Media Center Edition 2005 SP2b w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista
$109.99
* Microsoft Media Center Remote (A9O-00007) $38.99
* Antec LifeStyle Sonata II Mid-Tower Case w/ 450w SmartPower
PS $59.99
* Acer 19" 2ms (GTG) DVI LCD (AL1916Fbd) $209.99

Total = $1435.61 (including rebates but not shipping)

I'll be using my old speakers, keyboard, and mouse. Just about
everything else will probably be bought at NewEgg. I'm aware
that I won't be saving much over a system I could configure at
Dell or elsewhere. I get a lot of satisfaction, however, from
using a rig I've built myself.

I've tried to do my homework in selecting these components.
Finding compatible RAM at a decent price was probably the
biggest hurdle.

You never know if you've got everything quite right, though -
particularly when it's just you trying to check your own
mistakes.

Am I missing any problems/conflicts?

Have I forgotten anything?

Mainboard and processor look great.

Change Ram to OCZ or Kingston or just about anything but A-Data. Don't
worry if your RAM is not on a compatibility list. Usually, this just means
that the RAM hasn't been tested with that mainboard. If you get OCZ or
Kingston brand in particular, you should have no problem.

I'd probably trade one of those 2 hard drives for a 10K RPM drive of smaller
size (to run windows, all office stuff and games on), but that's your call.
It would increase performance at the cost of a little storage space, and the
total cost would work out about the same.

Your video card is overkill, yet reasonably priced. So I'd probably keep
that.

Everything else looks good except the power supply. As you're building
dual-core with a high-end graphics card, 450W included with a case (even a
halfway decent brand) is NOT going to cut it. Try minimum 550W, recommended
600W or higher, and go with Seasonic or Fortron or Enermax. -Dave

 

[Casey]

Mainboard and processor look great.

Many thanks for your response: it was as helpful as it was
prompt. I can hardly say the same for this reply - it's taken
all afternoon to puzzle out replacement components in line
with your excellent comments.

Change Ram to OCZ or Kingston or just about anything but
A-Data. Don't worry if your RAM is not on a compatibility
list. Usually, this just means that the RAM hasn't been
tested with that mainboard. If you get OCZ or Kingston
brand in particular, you should have no problem.

I would have preferred brands such as you mention, but hearing
how "picky" the 965 chipset was with memory, I thought I'd
better stick with the "QVL".

Googling around, I see that AnandTech...
www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2797&p=19
had success overclocking a variety of 533 & 667 ddr2 to 800.
Still, I'd hate to be all set to put this box together and,
with the luck of the draw, be stuck with an utterly essential
component that won't work. Then, by the time I'd returned the
stuff and gotten more, I'd be out a week's wait, shipping
three ways, and probably a re-stocking fee. I'd sure like to
save a buck, but I'm just not sure that this is the place to
do it.

Sticking with NewEgg 2*1g RAM that meets the specs, the
choices are amazingly limited. There's the A-Data, already
mentioned, plus
* Mushkin (#996529) $279.99
or
* Kingston ValueRAM (#KVR800D2N5K2/2G) $323.99
The latter was always my first choice, given its price to
quality ratio. While I'm still confident of the quality, it's
sure hard to see $323.99 as much of a bargain.

I wonder if there's any downside to going, as originally
planned, with the 2 gigs of A-Data (at $207.99) and letting
MemTest check it out. As I understand it, if these things
survive a burn-in, they're usually good for the long haul. Or
am I wrong?

Or maybe it would be better to just go with one gig of either
Mushkin or Kingston for now and wait for prices to drop.

I'd probably trade one of those 2 hard drives for a 10K RPM
drive of smaller size (to run windows, all office stuff and
games on), but that's your call. It would increase
performance at the cost of a little storage space, and the
total cost would work out about the same.

Among the available options, the
* Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150
(WD740ADFD) $139.99
seems a good choice.

Everything else looks good except the power supply. As
you're building dual-core with a high-end graphics card,
450W included with a case (even a halfway decent brand) is
NOT going to cut it. Try minimum 550W, recommended 600W or
higher, and go with Seasonic or Fortron or Enermax.

I'm particularly grateful for this critique. Even if 450w was
enough (which it obviously wasn't) with a more careful read of
user's comments at the Egg, lots of folks had this Antec PS
either dead on arrival or shortly thereafter. Since I'd used
this brand before and was completely happy, I really didn't
look into this issue at all - BIG mistake.

All things considered, combining
* Chenming mid-tower (501AWBU-F-0) $49.99
* Fortron 600w PS (FSP600-80GLC 600W) $114.99
looks reliable and about as economical as it gets.

My first two builds went together smooth as silk. I expect
this third to be the same, thanks to Dave generously taking
the time and trouble to help with his expert advice.

 

[Mike T.]

I would have preferred brands such as you mention, but hearing
how "picky" the 965 chipset was with memory, I thought I'd
better stick with the "QVL".

Googling around, I see that AnandTech...
www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2797&p=19
had success overclocking a variety of 533 & 667 ddr2 to 800.
Still, I'd hate to be all set to put this box together and,
with the luck of the draw, be stuck with an utterly essential
component that won't work. Then, by the time I'd returned the
stuff and gotten more, I'd be out a week's wait, shipping
three ways, and probably a re-stocking fee. I'd sure like to
save a buck, but I'm just not sure that this is the place to
do it.

Sticking with NewEgg 2*1g RAM that meets the specs, the
choices are amazingly limited. There's the A-Data, already
mentioned, plus
* Mushkin (#996529) $279.99
or
* Kingston ValueRAM (#KVR800D2N5K2/2G) $323.99
The latter was always my first choice, given its price to
quality ratio. While I'm still confident of the quality, it's
sure hard to see $323.99 as much of a bargain.

I wonder if there's any downside to going, as originally
planned, with the 2 gigs of A-Data (at $207.99) and letting
MemTest check it out. As I understand it, if these things
survive a burn-in, they're usually good for the long haul. Or
am I wrong?

Actually, after reviewing some anandtech comments, I'd say take a chance on
2 Gigs of the A-Data. The price is good enough that it's worth a shot. And
anandtech seems to like this brand. I do respect their opinion.

Among the available options, the
* Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150
(WD740ADFD) $139.99
seems a good choice.

Not bad at all. Be aware that Serial ATA300 is the current standard. The
drive you chose should work fine, though, as all hard drives are still
trying to catch up to their interface potential. (ATA150 won't slow it down
at all)

I'm particularly grateful for this critique. Even if 450w was
enough (which it obviously wasn't) with a more careful read of
user's comments at the Egg, lots of folks had this Antec PS
either dead on arrival or shortly thereafter. Since I'd used
this brand before and was completely happy, I really didn't
look into this issue at all - BIG mistake.

All things considered, combining
* Chenming mid-tower (501AWBU-F-0) $49.99
* Fortron 600w PS (FSP600-80GLC 600W) $114.99
looks reliable and about as economical as it gets.

That case should work fine.

Normally, I'd say that power supply would be a good choice. Unfortunately,
that one is missing a connector that your motherboard requires, namely a
four-pin (2X2) P4 processor power cable. One of the following would be a
better choice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151027
(This is the best one I could find at newegg that is a perfect fit for your
build, according to the listed specifications, EXTREMELY high quality, and
yet still reasonably priced. This one specifically states in the specs.
that it has the right connector: 1X12VP4, and it also shows the 4-pin CPU
connector in the pictures, although it's hard to see.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103437
(from the pictures, this one appears to have both 8-pin and 4-pin processor
power connectors, so it should work)

If it was my build (with your listed components), I'd go with the Seasonic
SS-550HT. As it is 88% efficient (WOW!), that puppy is going to perform
about as well as a typical ~750W supply. And you simply can't buy better
quality at any price. The more you build, the more you tend to favor really
high quality power supplies. Every component in a PC is dependent on
reliable, STABLE voltages. If you build a house, you don't want the
foundation to be wet sand. -Dave

 

[brkonja1]

Casey je napisao/la:

I'm putting together a new system, only the third I've done.

Most of the time this PC will be used for the 'net, MS Office,
and other pretty undemanding tasks. It's still got to be
powerful enough to smoothly play an occasional FPS, edit home
videos, and work as a PVR with MCE.

I'm hoping that all the components will play together nicely,
burdened with neither weak links nor gross overkills. I don't
plan to overclock.

* Intel P965 Express ATX Motherboard w/ LAN & Firewire
(BOXDP965LTCK) $109.99
* Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz $218.50
* A-Data 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit (1.8V)
$207.99

Buy Kingstone RAM or OCZ.

* Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA
3.0Gb/s $74.99*2

Take Seagate 320GB 7200.10

* Powercolor X1950 Pro Extreme 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
(VIVO) $199.99

If you want, take nVidia 7600GT, it gives good ratio price:quality

* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic $72.99
* AOpen Voice/Fax/Modem (FM56PX) $16.99
* Samsung DVD Burner (SH-S182D) $29.99
* NEC 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive $6.25
* Masscool 80mm Fan (FD08025S1M4) $1.99*2
* MS Media Center Edition 2005 SP2b w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista
$109.99
* Microsoft Media Center Remote (A9O-00007) $38.99
* Antec LifeStyle Sonata II Mid-Tower Case w/ 450w SmartPower
PS $59.99

Take bigger case and better Power Suply

 

[Carlos]

(e-mail address removed) wrote in

Casey je napisao/la:

Buy Kingstone RAM or OCZ.

Take Seagate 320GB 7200.10

If you want, take nVidia 7600GT, it gives good ratio
price:quality

Take bigger case and better Power Suply

Thanks for the response. I've spent the last few days
researching alternatives to these "weak links" I'd originally
selected. Please see my response to Dave for specifics.

 

[Casey]

Actually, after reviewing some anandtech comments, I'd say
take a chance on 2 Gigs of the A-Data. The price is good
enough that it's worth a shot. And anandtech seems to like
this brand. I do respect their opinion.

Just as you suggest, I think I'll give the A-Data a go and
hope for the best.

That case should work fine.

Normally, I'd say that power supply would be a good choice.
Unfortunately, that one is missing a connector that your
motherboard requires, namely a four-pin (2X2) P4 processor
power cable.

I took particular care to make sure the new PS had the proper
connections for the Intel P965 Express, and yet STILL got it
wrong. It had the 24pin (actually 20+4) main power connecter,
but I still can't find on NewEgg's page any mention of a 12V
4Pin (P4) connector. I had to go to the Intel user manual to
find it, "12 V processor core voltage connector (2 x 2 pin)"
and there it is, positioned just behind the parallel port.

My last build used this connection and, luckily I guess, it
was available with the PS I was using. I wouldn't have been so
lucky here. I'm surprised that NewEgg didn't mention an
essential connection. Oh well.

As for power supplies that WOULD work, I didn't consider
either the
* Enermax EG651P-VE FM(24P) 550W $109.99
or the
* SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT 550W $129.99
since both seemed only minimally adequate at 550W. The hidden
(to me, at least) bonus feature of the SeaSonic...

As it is 88% efficient (WOW!), that puppy is going
to perform about as well as a typical ~750W supply.

clinches it as clearly the better of the two, and well worth
the small extra cost.

That seems to about do it. I'm hoping to get this system
assembed within the next few weeks. When I do, I'll post a
message
!ATTN: Dave (Core 2 Duo/P965) Build Update
to let you know how it all worked out.

Thanks, once again, for your help - even troubling to search
NewEgg for just the right PS for this build. To respond at all
was kind enough, but you've gone way above and beyond.

 

[Mike T.]

I took particular care to make sure the new PS had the proper
connections for the Intel P965 Express, and yet STILL got it
wrong. It had the 24pin (actually 20+4) main power connecter,
but I still can't find on NewEgg's page any mention of a 12V
4Pin (P4) connector. I had to go to the Intel user manual to
find it, "12 V processor core voltage connector (2 x 2 pin)"
and there it is, positioned just behind the parallel port.

My last build used this connection and, luckily I guess, it
was available with the PS I was using. I wouldn't have been so
lucky here. I'm surprised that NewEgg didn't mention an
essential connection. Oh well.

As for power supplies that WOULD work, I didn't consider
either the
* Enermax EG651P-VE FM(24P) 550W $109.99
or the
* SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT 550W $129.99
since both seemed only minimally adequate at 550W. The hidden
(to me, at least) bonus feature of the SeaSonic...
clinches it as clearly the better of the two, and well worth
the small extra cost.

That seems to about do it. I'm hoping to get this system
assembed within the next few weeks. When I do, I'll post a
message
!ATTN: Dave (Core 2 Duo/P965) Build Update
to let you know how it all worked out.

Thanks, once again, for your help - even troubling to search
NewEgg for just the right PS for this build. To respond at all
was kind enough, but you've gone way above and beyond.

Yeah, power supplies are rated by total watts peak, but you need to pay more
attention to amps available on individual rails and overall efficiency.
With the RIGHT power supply, you can sometimes get by with purchasing a
lower (wattage) class unit. You should have no problem at all with a
Seasonic SS550HT.

Don't know how experienced you are at building, but I'd suggest you mount
the power supply in the case, and then all the drives in the case, and then
the mainboard. (and then cpu, cpu HSF, ram, video card, etc.). THEN you
can start hooking up about a bazillion cables. Some people like to put
the mainboard in first (more room to work, I guess), but I'm always afraid
I'll drop something heavy and hard on a relatively delicate mainboard. That
would not be good, obviously. I can understand the room to work argument,
but the way I see it, how often do you need to mount a mainboard? I think
it's better not to be messing around with heavy components in the case after
the mainboard is mounted.

Things to triple-check before you try to power it up for the first time:
1) CPU FAN!!! Make sure that heatsink is mounted correctly, and that the
CPU fan is plugged into the CORRECT header on the mainboard. Do not fry
that nice new processor. (!)
2) Power connections to mainboard. I think you've got two of them on that
board. But review the mainboard manual to make sure you don't miss one.
3) (easy to overlook) Most video cards need their own power connection
from the power supply now. Give your video card the power it needs.
4) If your power supply has a input voltage selector, make sure that's set
right.

Those are the main things to check before powering up for the first time.
If anything else is wrong, the system will likely "tell" you so.

Please do post when you get the system built. I think it's gonna kick
utt. -Dave

 

[Gert Elstermann]

Casey schrieb:
....

I would have preferred brands such as you mention, but hearing
how "picky" the 965 chipset was with memory, I thought I'd
better stick with the "QVL".

....

If it's the chipset which is picky then you might also wish to consult
the chipset manufacturer's website, www.intel.com, where I found a
table of validated DDR2 800 DIMMs,

<http://www.intel.com/technology/memory/ddr/valid/ddr2_800_dram_results.htm>


<http://www.intel.com/technology/memory/ddr/valid/DDR2_800_DRAM_web_posting_results_ww43_06.pdf>

I would have a look at the Samsung 1 GB modules.


Roy

 

[Casey]

Subject: Re: Please advise on new build (Core 2 Duo/P965)
From: Gert Elstermann <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt

Casey schrieb:
...
...

If it's the chipset which is picky then you might also wish
to consult the chipset manufacturer's website,
www.intel.com, where I found a table of validated DDR2 800
DIMMs,

<http://www.intel.com/technology/memory/ddr/valid/ddr2_800_d
ram_results.htm>

<http://www.intel.com/technology/memory/ddr/valid/DDR2_800_D
RAM_web_posting_results_ww43_06.pdf>

I would have a look at the Samsung 1 GB modules.

Many thanks for the suggestion.

Unfortunately, this is the "QVL" mentioned earlier, and is one
of the first places I checked.

A search for the Samsung 1GB modules listed (K4T51083QC-ZCE7,
K4T51083QC-ZCE7, M378T2953CZ3-CE7, K4T51083QC-ZCE7) turns up
exactly nothing at PriceWatch. So if you know where any of
these are available, I'd be grateful for a link.

The Kingston (KVR800D2N5/1G) is somewhat of an exception. It's
available - and at NewEgg too. The trouble is that it's quite
pricey, although less so than just a week ago, it's now
"only" $155.99 per MB.

Even the A-Data that I was all set upon turned up sour.
Finding that some had experienced problems with this kit
(#ADQVE1A16K), I contacted the manufacturer and asked if their
product would work with the 965 chipset in general and the
Intel DP965LT mobo in particular. Their response,
unfortunately was, "they do not work properly".

Back to the drawing board.

The problem is that the Intel board manages to be finicky
about its RAM yet slender on BIOS options to tweak settings
(ie, voltage can be increased from 1.8 to 1.9v).

On the other hand, the popular and highly regarded Asus P5B-E
(w/ LAN & Firewire) offers far more overclocking options.
Hence, reading user's comments, a wide variety of RAM works at
stock settings; and even if it doesn't can be made to do so
with small voltage / timing adjustments (something that
AnandTech learned as well).

Okay, so the Asus board, for only $40 more, seems the obvious
choice. But there's a potential problem.

The double sized PCIe16 video card, used with whichever board
will ultimately be selected, covers its adjacent slot (I sure
wish they'd have left a gap there). With the Asus, this is a
standard PCI slot, reducing the useable number from three to
two. With the Intel, it's PCIe, less widely used (at least so
far) leaving the useable standard PCI slots at three. Since
two are already occupied (soundcard & modem), that leaves me a
little uncomfortable with the Asus, although at this point, I
don't know to what use I'd put a third slot.

To further complicate matters, all this obsessing over RAM may
be moot. On AnandTech's "Official Intel DP965LT Thread"
someone remarked that "The FSB runs at 266MHz * 4 while DDR2-
533 ram runs at 266Mhz*2, ie, DDR2-533 is a 1:1 timing match
with current core2duo boards. Anything faster than 533
shouldn't matter that much then, unless you are overclocking
your frontside bus."

I sure wish I had the expertise to properly evaluate this
claim. It certainly makes you wonder. People are often caught
up in "faster, stronger, better" long after it's ceased to
matter - simply competing for bragging rights alone.

Some stats as to just what difference there is between 533 &
800 ddr2 (all else held equal) with real world applications
would certainly be helpful. I've done some searching, but so
far haven't turned up anything very illuminating. Seeing that
AnandTech focuses on the 800 to the exclusion of all else,
makes me a little dubious about the triviality of the
differences.

Anyway, one option is to go with the Intel board, some modest
533 or 667 RAM, and forget about overclocking.

An alternative is to go with the overclockable Asus plus some
of the better DDR2, and almost certainly tweak it to 800
(loosing $40 and a PCI slot in the process). The option of
overclocking the processor would somewhat future proof this
rig, too. People are often able to increase the speed from
2.13GHz to 3.0GHz (give or take). That's nice to know.

Worries over eventual obsolescence aside, the system's
immediate functionality hangs on just how much the faster DDR2
800 RAM actually matters with real world apps when paired with
the stock FSB speed.

 

[Gert Elstermann]

Many thanks for the suggestion.

Unfortunately, this is the "QVL" mentioned earlier, and is one
of the first places I checked.

A search for the Samsung 1GB modules listed (K4T51083QC-ZCE7,
K4T51083QC-ZCE7, M378T2953CZ3-CE7, K4T51083QC-ZCE7) turns up
exactly nothing at PriceWatch. So if you know where any of
these are available, I'd be grateful for a link.

Unfortunately I have no link...

What about Crucial (Micron)? They provide very good quality with a
lifetime warranty at a fair price and advise you on their website,
offering even "The Crucial System Scanner
Find out what is already installed in your computer with our
Crucial System Scanner. You will also get recommended compatible
upgrades that are guaranteed to work in your computer!"
<http://www.crucial.com/>

Roy

 

[casey]

What about Crucial (Micron)? They provide very good quality
with a lifetime warranty at a fair price and advise you on
their website, offering even "The Crucial System Scanner
Find out what is already installed in your computer with
our Crucial System Scanner. You will also get recommended
compatible upgrades that are guaranteed to work in your
computer!" <http://www.crucial.com/>

Roy

Thanks for the help.

Crucial (Micron) is, of course, one of the most highly regarded
makers of memory in the industry. Just as you say, their
"Crucial System Scanner" and "Crucial Memory Advisor Tool" are
both very helpful in determining which of their products best
suits your needs.

Since this is a prospective build rather than an upgrade to an
existing one, I used the Advisor rather than the Scanner.
Following the three simple steps for Intel's DP965LT board
yielded these results:

Good: 2* 1GB DDR2 PC2-6400 (CT12864AA80E) $182.99US each or
$365.98US

Better: 2GB kit (1GBx2) DDR2 PC2-5300 (BL2KIT12864AL663)
$314.99US

Best: 4GB kit (2GBx2) DDR2 PC2-5300 (CT2KIT25664AA667)
$1044.99US

It's interesting to note that "Better" and "Best" feature only
PC2-5300 RAM while "Good" features PC2-6400, although not in a
matched pair. This leaves me wondering, again, about the real
value of the faster RAM.

While it's certainly true that Crucial has memory that will work
(at a premium price), I still lack a solid foundation to decide
just how important the faster costlier RAM is when paired with
the stock FSB speed.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the time lately to search out and
study the matter, so I'd sure be grateful for any links that
would help settle the matter.

 

[Baked]

Everything else looks good except the power supply. As you're building
dual-core with a high-end graphics card, 450W included with a case (even a
halfway decent brand) is NOT going to cut it. Try minimum 550W, recommended
600W or higher, and go with Seasonic or Fortron or Enermax. -Dave

Yes, and also there have been a flood of issues with the 450w
SmartPower power supplies recently. Not sure how Antec screwed that up
but just reading the customer reviews at Newegg pretty much sums it
up.

 

[VanShania]

I think I agree with the last poster. Sonata II power supplies seem quirky
at best. Get a Thermaltake Armor Jr and stick an Enermax power supply in it.
I use an Antec 550 watt with no problems but I just returned a 450 watt
Antec as it failed more than a week after install

--
Love and Teach, Not Yell and Beat
Stop Violence and Child Abuse.
No such thing as Bad Kids. Only Bad Parents.
The most horrible feeling in the world is knowing that No One is There to
Protect You.

A64 3500+, Gigabyte GA-K8NSC-939,AIW 9800 Pro 128mb
MSI 550 Pro, X-Fi, Pioneer 110D, 111D
Antec 550 watt,Thermaltake Lanfire,2 Gb OCZ Platinum 2-3-2-5
2XSATA 320gb Raid Edition, PATA 120Gb
XP MCE2005, 19in Viewsonic,BenchMark 2001 SE- 19074
Games I'm Playing- Falcon 4, winSPWW2, winSPMBT, Call of Duty War Chest