thinking of first build-going conroe

[darkop16]

I have decided to build my first computer, and i want to go conroe.

All i need right now is mobo, cpu, psu, graphics card, ram, and new OS.

Here is a list of parts that i have picked out. I am trying to stay at a budget around $1100

mobo:
GIGABYTE GA-965G-DS3 Socket T (LGA 775)
$149.99

cpu:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe
$227.00

psu:
OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI
$129.99

graphics card:
XFX PV-T71G-UDF7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB
$269.99

ram:
Patriot eXtreme Performance 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
$153.99

OS:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM
$139.99

I was wondering if i upgrade my mobo or switch to a different HD, will i be able to reinstall this OS or is it a one time deal and can only work with the hardware it was installed with?

total: $1048.95 (and with shipping it is hitting $1100)

I know the psu is probably overdoing it but i plan to later upgrade the mobo(when the nforce 5 series comes out and drop some in price) and get another 7900gt or upgrade to dx10...so the psu needs to be able to handle the future upgrades. If the psu i picked out won't be able to handle the above mentioned upgrades please suggest one that seems like it will. And i have a cm stacker T01, and was wondering if the ocz psu will fit in it?

I hope i got everything. I will be using a seagate 400gb ata/100 and will upgrade to sata 3gb/s raid setup later when i save up enough money, in case you are wondering about the HD.

Also i am concerned about some frequent power failures we have had in my area (too many ppl with their ac cranked too high ) and i don't want to get a brand new system only to have it shocked repeatly. So i am looking for a good UPS that can support a system like the one above. This is not included in the budget i stated earlier.

here is one i was looking at:
OPTI-UPS Enhanced Series ES1000C 1000VA 700W 8 Outlets UPS

Thanks guys for any suggestions you may have,
darkop

 

[MrZucchiniHead]

i would go for a 7600GT and 2gb of G.SKILL or OCZ ram, preferably DDR2 800. and you can save some money and go with the E6300 if your going to overclock, people are hitting over 3.0ghz with them easy.

 

[Blind_Arrow]

this CPU you mentioned is not Conroe, must be some idiot sitting at data input centre at EGG typing in a E6400 as conroe.

Conroe core starts from E6600, as they come with 4MB (2 X 2) L2 Cache, whilse models below that E6400, E6300 comes with 2MB (1 X 1) L2 Cache and are called Allendale Core.

better buy 2 X 512MB rams as you'll get Dual Channel advantage, and if you are planning to overclock in future, better Buy Asus, they tend to make better motherboards on Intel Chipsets.

 

[Traxtitan]

XFX Geforce 7900GS Extreme Edition.

Pick that one up for the following reasons. You will see no performance deferences in gaming. I have tested both, and benchmarks show little difference. With your system, the frames will stay high and visual quality between the two will be the same. When DX10 is released, you will probably want to purchase a new card, this way, you can get the same performance, and save cash.

 

[darkop16]

I was originally thinking about the e6300, a 7600gt, and 2 gb ddr2 800, but i figured i could sacrifice 1 gb of ram for a e6400 and 7900gt. And i would buy the other 1gb dimm when i got the money.

I figured that would be the best paln b/c i would get a better gpu and cpu, and i would eventually get the 2gb ddr2 800.

I can deal with 1 gb of ram for a couple of months, but i am a little worried about how effective xp pro will run on 1gb for the time being.

But for the sake of knowing, which gskill or ocz models do you suggest?

Yeah i know about the allendale cores but they still seem to do fine in benchmarks.

The 7900gs looks good, i just wanted to upgrade from the 12 pipeline, until dx10 comes out.

Ill look around new egg again and see if i can't fit a e6600, 7900gs, 2 gb into the budget.

 

[darkop16]

ok here is a revised list to your suggestions:

mobo: ASUS P5B Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$144.99

GPU: eVGA 256-P2-N620-AR Geforce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
$197.99

psu: same (look at first post)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
$329.00

memory: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
$249.99

OS: same (look at first post)

total: $1181.95

I can deal with the new total, but i wanted to use the extra money to find a decent UPS. Any more suggestions are welcomed.

thanks,
darkop

 

[MrZucchiniHead]

you could still go for the 7600GT if you want to get something like the G80 or the R600 later this year/next year. the R600 has something like 96pipes.

but you could still get what you have and be able to have enough when the R600 rolls around.

 

[darkop16]

i probably wouldn't be able to upgrade the gpu (or get another 7900gs but dx10 would already be out so what would be the point) until around next summer or maybe even until around this time (late summer).

so i might as well get a 7900gs (im still saving $70 from the 7900gt... thanks Traxtitan for the advice) and hope it last me for a while....and it is only about $50 more, so i think i better get a slightly bettter gpu incase i can't upgrade for a while.

At Traxtitan: I admit i didn't know what you were talking about when you said the extreme edition, but i found it later and with a $20 mail-in-rebate it is the same price as the evga:


XFX PVT71PUDE3 Geforce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 XT Edition Video Card - Retail

Im still thinking about a UPS if anyone has a suggestion for a reliable UPS?

Thanks for teh suggestions and help'
darkop

 

[lancec2c30]

okay once you buy xp you can use it as many times as you want on that system. and If you buy another system you can install it on that one as well. But I think you have to uninstall it off the original system not sure.

 

[Syrillian]

You asked,

"I was wondering if i upgrade my mobo or switch to a different HD, will i be able to reinstall this OS or is it a one time deal and can only work with the hardware it was installed with?"

I have switched out Mobo/CPU on one occasion, and the HDD on another occasion (2 different rigs). MS gave me a new key both times. You will have to spend about 15-30 minutes on the phone. MS has been relativley good to me, though the language barrier (accent) can be a trial - but that is neither here nor there.