1st attempt at E6700 build, comments welcome :)

[RhythmMgmnt]

Hey all,

So IÂ’ve been lurking, reading, reading, and reading many reviews, buying guides, and posts about my new C2D system that I want. HereÂ’s what I came up with, IÂ’m looking for an overall opinion and especially if all this stuff is compatible.

Stuff I already ordered:
Keyboard
Logitech G15 - $72.71
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.a...35140&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=15890

Monitor
ViewSonic VX922 19" LCD Monitor - $259.95
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=232500&prodlist=pricegrabber

PSU
OCZ OCZ700GXSSLI GamerXStream 700W Power Supply - $137.98
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2235424&CatId=0
---Bought early b/c it had a rebate

Stuff I plan on buying in next few days:

MOBO: ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=247085&prodlist=pricegrabber

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80861

Graphics: EVGA GeForce 7900 GTX / 512MB GDDR3 / SLI / PCI Express / Dual DVI / HDTV / Video Card
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1945389&CatId=1826

Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590

Thermal paste: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100007

DVD Burner: NEC Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner – OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058

DVD Reader: SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1615/B2s – OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101131

Floppy: SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model MPF920 Black – OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821103116

Main HD: Western Digital Raptor WD360ADFD 36.7GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive – OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136054

Data HD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD2000JS 200GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144416

Case: Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan Side Panel - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133021

Heatsink: Tuniq T-120 CPU Cooler
http://www.xoxide.com/tuniq-t-120-hsf.html

OS: XP Pro SP2

Some questions/concerns:
--Can/should I buy a smaller case to save a few bucks?
--THe one I chose the right kind of Artic 5? There are a few on newegg.
--Do I need chipset heatsinks? Heard this mobo runs hot..
--What kind of heatsink to use for CPU?
--MOBO onboard sound any good? How does it compare to X-Fi?
--I heard you can only use a product key once from OEM version of XPPro, is this true (as opposed to retail you could re-use in case you reformat)?
--Need to RAID the drives? Any extra physical components need to be bought/installed? The only thing I really plan to do with second drive is house mp3s, and will only be writing to it rarely.
--Do I need ANYTHING else (cables, screws, etc) or can I just open up all the boxes and piece it together?

Any advice/comments is more than welcomed as this is my first attempt at a build and IÂ’m really looking forward to it!

Thanks!
Dan

 

[b1gapl]

Stick with the case it's nice and big to house all those components. Yes you did choose the right thermal compound, there are a few I think because theres different sizes of the product. Chipset heatsinks...you can get them if you want, since the mobo is said to run hot, maybe you should get them. Onboard sound is fine but X-Fi is better. Yes you can use OEM only once. Retail is unlimited. You don't need to RAID drives but it's usually recommended. If you want to get two identical hard drives, like two of those WD Raptors. Overall that is a very nice computer system you got there.

 

[Ridlyn]

Get 2 120mm fans for the tower 120. Looks real nice.

 

[Ridlyn]

Get the e6700 from www.buy.com Its $130 cheaper.


EDIT:I cant get the link to work.


http://www.buy.com/retail/searchres...=comp&qu=Core+2+Duo&loc=101&qxt=comp&dclksa=1

 

[RhythmMgmnt]

b1gapl,

Thanks, maybe I will get retail then because I like to reformat a few times/year. I prolly will keep my HD setup and not RAID b/c I need that larger data drive but want the small performance drive.

Ridlyn,
Thanks for the heads up. That is an older link when ZZF had the best price (it was more just to show the e6700 - as if it hasn't got enough hype already ). Yeah, buy.com has the best price right now but no availability. Newegg is like 30$ more and is in stock last I checked.

How much do a few 120mm fans cost? How to set them up?

RM

 

[b1gapl]

120mm fans are very cheap. To set them up just connect them to the 4-pin molexs from the PSU, and mount them to the case. But the case you have has plenty of fans already.

 

[RhythmMgmnt]

b1gapl,

Thanks, I will probably get 2 as they are pretty cheap anyway. I want this system to last a while.

RM

 

[psp_crazy1]

dam all you rich peoplE!!!!!!
nice build, that fan is HUGE :O

 

[RhythmMgmnt]

Well I won't be rich after I spend all my money.

How can I control the fans?

RM

 

[b1gapl]

A fan controller for the drive bays, theres lots of them.