Planned new PC

[cricketsi]

So, after much research and mind changing, my current proposed new PC looks as follows:

Gigagbyte GA-965P-DS3P
Intel Core2Duo E6600
OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-6400C4 Dual Channel Platinum Revision 2 XTC Series DDR2 RAM
EVGA 8800GTS SuperClocked 320MB
Seagate Barracude 700.10 500GB 16MB Cache 7200rpm
Antec TruePower Trio 550W
Akasa Zen Black Midi Tower

Have a PCI Wi-Fi card to insert and already have an LG 16x Dual Layer DVD RW/RAM. Worth upgrading?

Not sure about cooling, open to advice...

Also, not sure about the motherboard, which I would get from misco.co.uk due to ordering through dad's business - which revision they're selling, and how much it would matter, link: Computer Parts, PC Components, Desktop Computers, Laptops, Notebooks - Misco.co.uk I sent an enquiry to clarify this.


Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Hitman]

Those parts look like a combination of our mainstream and enthusiast recommended parts list. Is that a popular case in the UK? When I looked it up, all the websites that carry it were in the UK. I wouldn't worry about upgrading the optical drive if it is still working. As far as cooling are you thinking about Air or Water cooling?

[cricketsi]

Air cooling. I'm not intending on Overclocking, at least not anytime soon, figure water cooling's not a necessary expenditure for me. Ideally want to find a good compromise between cooling ability, price and noise (the quieter it is, the less likely my girlfriend is to complain about me leaving it on overnight!).

Not sure on the popularity of the case, but I read a few good reviews, especially for the price at around £30.

[Hitman]

I would suggest one of these two CPU coolers. Keep in mind with the GeminII you will have to buy your own fans at an additional cost.
Thermaltake CL-P0401 110mm Full-Range Fan Ultra Silent CPU Cooler 6 Dedicated Heat Pipes

COOLER MASTER GeminII RR-CCH-ANU2-GP CPU+ Board Cooler
With 2 of these ARCTIC COOLING Arctic Fan 12 (AF12) 120mm Case Fan

[cricketsi]

I have been looking at the GeminII, given its positive review here. However, I'm slightly hesitant as to whether it will fit in my case, and also whether I truly need such a beast with all its weight if not overclocking?

Whilst on the cooling front, the review here of the eVGA 8800GTS mentioned it does get quite hot, and given that replacing the stock cooling would not invalidate the warranty I was wondering if that would be worthwhile, and with what?

Edit: Also, while not computer illiterate, this is my first build from scratch, so I would appreciate anybody pointing out any glaring errors I may have made, or if not, give a thumbs up to my combination of components.

[onebxr]

The arctic cooling 64 pro is a good choice, also the thermaltake blue orb is a good choice. I am running both of my machines with these and they cool about the same.
-1
BlueOrb FX P/N:CL-P0333
Arctic Cooling=
The arctic 7 pro will fit your cpu chipset and it is a pretty close match to the 64 pro.

[gvblake22]

I see no problems with your build, it looks like it will be a good one!

I second onebxr's suggestion on the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU heatsink/fan. It's a great performer for a reasonable price. But after looking on that website you want to shop from, it doesn't look like they have any decent LGA775 coolers, so I would see if you can shop elsewhere for the processor heatsink/fan.

And it's not really worth while upgrading your optical drive as there is really nothing better than what you have already (unless you have a PATA drive and wanted a SATA drive instead).

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by cricketsi

[Do] I truly need such a beast with all its weight if not overclocking?

Whilst on the cooling front, the review here of the eVGA 8800GTS mentioned it does get quite hot, and given that replacing the stock cooling would not invalidate the warranty I was wondering if that would be worthwhile, and with what?

The stock heatsink/fan that comes with Intel's retail processor works fine, and since overclocking isn't a factor (we'll see if we can change that down the line), I wouldn't recommend picking up a third-party solution until you deem it necessary. Same thing with the 8800GTS.

If you do end up swapping the CPU heatsink, I would look at the Thermaltake V1, Zalman CNPS9700, or the Thermaltake MaxOrb. The Freezer 7 Pro is a low noise cooler that performs well, but it doesn't match the cooling prowess of the others listed, each of which can also be set to low noise levels. Depending on your time frame, we'll be posting a review of both the V1 and MaxOrb very soon.

[cricketsi]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

I see no problems with your build, it looks like it will be a good one!

I second onebxr's suggestion on the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU heatsink/fan. It's a great performer for a reasonable price. But after looking on that website you want to shop from, it doesn't look like they have any decent LGA775 coolers, so I would see if you can shop elsewhere for the processor heatsink/fan.

And it's not really worth while upgrading your optical drive as there is really nothing better than what you have already (unless you have a PATA drive and wanted a SATA drive instead).

I'm not buying everything through misco, they are quite limited, just those bits I can, so hopefully my dad will absorb as much of the cost as possible!

I think I may be inclined to take One4yu2c's advice and stick with the stock to see how things go at first, and take it from there. I daresay I may consider a foray into the world of overclocking somewhere down the line!

Thanks for all the input, hopefully won't need to make too many posts in the help forums next week!

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by cricketsi

I'm not buying everything through misco, they are quite limited, just those bits I can, so hopefully my dad will absorb as much of the cost as possible!

For those of you that never leave the U.S. Misco is owned by TigerDirect.