First time builder attempts a gaming rig.

[Parker]

Originally Posted by garetjax

That's odd. I don't find the four 74GB Raptors I own to be loud. They are actually quieter than the 500GB HDD that I have for my digital music and movies...

Hmmm, well my dads got two raptors in his build, a 147GB and 74GB and they are constantly making noise.
But it depends.
I still would recommend a bigger drive though. Not in disagreement with you garet, but because more space is well..... more space!

[JazzyJake]

I would actually like to oppose the mentioning of building a water-cooled rig for your first.
While water cooling is incredible, the first time you get that new PCB smell all over your hands you don't need to worry about all those extra tubes and bumping one, watching liquid spray all over your $500 video card.

Stick with stock cooling, and upgrade as you overclock and see fit. It gives you more and more practice, making you a better overall techie
-JM.02

[Parker]

Yea, listen to Jake. Good advice.

I was kinda being sarcastic when I mentioned watercooling, but it is so awesome to watercool compy's....

But yes, stock cooling first, then upgrade. Unless of course you really do feel ready to take the plunge! (pun intended )

[GrandSnafu]

Not sure I'm comfortable with water cooling yet. I'll stick with learning how to properly air cool first. Baby steps!

I'm new to overclocking too, Though i would like to be able to do a little, but its not my main priority to start. Getting a decent stock rig up and running is my first concern. OC can come later.

[GrandSnafu]

As far as the mother board goes, its the most intimidating piece of hardware for me to choose. As my name implies I am occasionally prone to messing things up, and the motherboard seems like the most likely candidate for said SNAFU to occur. I'm looking for a good and hopefully, idiot proof board.

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail

Seemed like a good one to go with. The Maximus does look nice though.

[Capper]

Originally Posted by GrandSnafu

I didn't mean to offend. Like I said, I am new to building and came here for advice and to learn.

I had considered waiting on the 9800 series cards to come out, and still might do so. Thanks for your suggestions, I'll make some modifications to my prospective build, and repost later.

Oh you didn't offend....wasn't you at all....it was me accidentally linking a 1GB kit of memory.

As to DDR2 vs DDR3, I've been a big supporter of grabbing 2GB kits of DDR2 at a discount.....but that for you guys with most of the hardware already in place......considering the budget, and aim.....building a board looking forward is a better option than grabbing something inexpensive right now.....and at DDR3-1600, these kits are finally hitting their stride.....and at less than $255....they are affordable as well.

I just don't want to see you get pigeon holed with a DDR2 board, and 9-12 months later wanting to upgrade, but having to replace a board as well as the memory, as opposed to just adding another 2GB of DDR3 memory for 4GB total.

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by GrandSnafu

I'm looking for a good and hopefully, idiot proof board.

You can't do much better for an idiot proof board than getting an Asus model that sports Q-Connectors. Of course, Asus' customer and RMA service leave a lot to be desired...

Originally Posted by Capper

As to DDR2 vs DDR3, I've been a big supporter of grabbing 32GB kits of DDR2 at a discount.

That must be one helluva discount! =P

[Capper]

don't make me kill you Dave....i'm typing on a messed up keyboard at the moment.

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by Capper

don't make me kill you Dave....i'm typing on a messed up keyboard at the moment.

Quit hitting your keyboard when you get pissed playing CoD4, and maybe your keyboard will function better!

[Parker]

Originally Posted by garetjax

Quit hitting your keyboard when you get pissed playing CoD4, and maybe your keyboard will function better!

This is an intelligent statement!