First attempt at building from scratch.

[Toryn]

Hey everyone, long time lurker

Anyway this is my first attempt at building my own computer and I wanted to get your advise on the parts, heres what I've looked at and thought ooo;

Mobo - Gigabyte GA P35 DS3R
Graphics Card - ATI Radeon 1950 Pro
CPU - Intel Core Duo E6600
RAM - 2GB OcUK
HDD - 250GB Seagate 7200
Case - Antec 900
PSU - Corsair HX 520W

Buying it all from overclockers.co.uk with a budget of £600. Any feedback would be great, even if its "you have no idea how to pick parts", which would be totally understandable.

Trying to build it as a solid gaming machine that will last me sometime with as few upgrades as possible (preferably through the start of Uni )

*edit* changed the mobo and PSU to those suggested
*edit 2* changed the CPU.

 

[NosBoost300]

everything looks good to go to me ... you could probably go for a lesser psu though.. unless you think you'll be needing it later on in the future for an upgrade

 

[Merkwürdigeliebe]

Good build, seems just a tad expensive though, considering that the conversion rate to British Pounds is 2.117 pounds to 1 canadian dollar. I spent $592 on the rig in my sig, that's about $550 US, and it included tax and shipping.

are computer parts just expensive in the UK?

 

[b1gapl]

are computer parts just expensive in the UK?

UK is generally more expensive, when it comes to computer parts.

 

[Andyf]

I'd be a little worried getting OcUK own brand hardware. I have no idea how it would perform, but to me it just itches with 'wooo.. don't go there'. I thoroughly advise spending the extra tenner on this

Definitely worth the extra tenner.

As for the PSU, the HX520 should be more than sufficient. That'll save you a few quid

Any particular reason that you are going for the P35C-DS3R? you could just go with the non 'C' version (full scale DDR3 is still a while a way)

 

[Toryn]

Definantly true.

So would that rig be ok at running the newer games (maybe not at full, but well) and could I move the PSU down to a 520W and still have room for future upgrades? That would let me get a G5 mouse with the lot too

*edit* heh answered for me, thanks andy. The reason I had the P35C is because I have no idea what the "C" is and it was cheaper.
Also I got the OcUK brand because I know its going to be that price when I get around to buying it (don't get paid till the end of the month) but if theres an offer on a better one closer to that time I would definantly switch.

 

[veedubfreak]

Hmm the C is cheaper? If i recall the C model has both ddr2 and ddr3 slots, which would lead me to think it should be more expensive, but who knows these days.

 

[Andyf]

As veedubfreak says, the 'C' model supports both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, DDR2 being the current standard. I would just ignore the presence of DDR3 completely, as it will be a long while before its affordable.

That being the major difference between the MoBos, I am not sure how they perform comparatively, but:
1)I have heard people say there are problems with boards that support both
2)People have often recommended the non 'C' model, so presumably its not as simple as a 'something for nothing' scenario

sorry I can't be more help there.

As for the OcUK brand, well its hard to say. The manufacturer seems to have a huge impact upon the overclockability of the memory (correct me if I'm wrong on this, anyone), but there are other reasons:
1) Untried: most people here can vouch for major brands like Crucial
2) Unsupported: both officially (through OcUK, seeing as its a shop, I doubt they have much time for homebrand product support), and unofficially: no one here can help you with any specifics, as no one has used the brand
3)cost! you get what you pay for! (it is a value brand after all.
4)unreviewed: just about any piece of hardware from any major brand will have comparison review on the internet.
5)compatability: every MoBo comes with a list of supported brands. Now while iit won't be on the list, It might work, but you don't know for sure! And even if it does, the fact that it's not supported means no one has to help you if things don't work!

check this thread out. Different component, but you can see the kind of difficulties I mean.

So certainly if you plan to overclock (you should!) I wouldn't expect much from the OcUK stuff.

That said, good reviews and all, and I don't want to put you off, these are just my opinions. Sorry if this post is so negative!

Oh as for PSU for the future, unless you are planning on running 2xGeforce 8800GTX in SLI (which you can't do on that motherboard anyway), it should be more than enough. It would prolly be enough to do that too.

 

[Toryn]

Heh awesome, that means I can get a better mouse too ^^

No worries about negative posts, all feedbacks good feedback (even if its bad, whee oxymoron).

Also the "C" model was £4 cheaper but if theres a chance of things going dodgy I think I might be able to managed the extra £4 .

Hmm, if the PSU could probably do the GTX thingy as well, could I go to a 420W and still be fine? (also, how do you work that sorta thing out, so I can stop asking repetative questions )

Oh and thanks for all your help so far.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

If the parts listed in your first post is what you want, it does look ok and it will work just super duper dandy. It's a good starter build, but I always aim a little high for the CPU. But that's just me. Again, it's a good budget build.