Building my first computer, need some opinions...

[Tsylord]

Hello everyone this is my first post. I am planning on building my first computer, soon. I have almost everything planned out and I need some people to review it make suggestions and check compatibility a before I hit the big purchase button. I have reviewed everything but myself being a noob don't trust myself.

I will be using my computer for gaming :clap:but it will also be used for internet browsing and the occasional schoolwork. My price range is just over $2000 CND. I'm currently in Ontario and plan on purchasing my items from NCIX.com. I prefer nVidia but I can sway if there are solid facts. I will probably do some overclocking at a later date. Also I can't afford to buy two video cards at the current date but plan on getting another one someday. The parts I've selected are listed below.

Video Card - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]EVGA E-GEFORCE GTX 280 Superclocked[/FONT]
CPU - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550[/FONT]
Case - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Antec Twelve Hundred[/FONT]
RAM - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]OCZ Platinum OCZ3P16004GK 4GB DDR3[/FONT]
Disk Drive - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]LG GH22NS30 Black DVD+RW[/FONT]
Motherboard - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]EVGA Nforce 790I Ultra[/FONT]
Hard Drive - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Western Digital Caviar 750GB[/FONT]
CPU Cooler - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Scythe Katana 2 CPU Cooler Heatpipe[/FONT]
Thermal Grease - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Arctic Silver 5 HIGH-DENSITY Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound[/FONT]
Power Supply - [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Corsair HX1000W CMPSU-1000HX 1000W [/FONT]

Anyway, please check it over for me and see if I'm forgeting anything. Also I know theres no sound card, I don't have the money for speakers right now. I plan to build it next weekend so please respond quickly as I would like to place my order tonight (Sunday).

 

[sswilson]

Looks like a pretty solid build. I'm not a fan of Nvidia chipset boards but not much you can do if you're looking to go SLI sometime in the future.

Cases are a very personal choice, but have you had a look at the current coolermaster offerings? The Haf 932 NCIX.com - Buy Cooler Master Haf 932 Full Tower Black EATX Case 6X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT No PSU USB eSATA 1394 Audio - RC-932-KKN1 In Canada. is in the same price range as the Antec 1200 and appears to offer pretty good water cooling options if you decide to go that route in the future.

Also as a personal preference I'd suggest MX2 over AS5, but again that's mostly personal preference rather than any real difference in performance.

Good luck with your build and be sure to give us all a look at the final product.

 

[miggs78]

^^ Very right. 790i chipset boards are almost no match for the current Intel chipsets. If you really want to spend that much on a board, get a good X48 board instead. Gigabyte/DFI whichever you choose, both have very good X48 boards. If you decide to go with the X48 boards, then RAM: NCIX.com - Buy Mushkin Ascent PC2-8500 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit - 996619 In Canada.

Case: +1 for CM HAF 932, very nicely designed case.

CPU cooler: OCZ Vendetta 2 no doubt, just get the Thermalright bolt thru kit[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Other than that.. your list is pretty good..


[/FONT]

 

[Tsylord]

Whats the bolt through kit for?

 

[random_2]

Can't help but agree with these folks miggs. If I was in the process of doing up a build list....lol...which most of us are always doing in the back of our minds at least... it would definitely include an x48 chipset board. I think there are far fewer issues with the Intel chipsets and why not go with ATI, they work great and are very affordable....Nvidia has been sticking it too us far to long for their mid to high end products. And only since ATI has dropped the latest bomb with the 4800 series, has Nvidia come to their senses. Lets show them some love:bleh:
No....I don't hate Nvidia. I happen to have both maufacturers in my systems. Just cannot stand it when companies take such advantage of enthusiasts.
Anyhow, good luck with the build no matter which way ya go!

Randy

 

[Squeetard]

the vendetta uses the same plastic push pins as the stock intel cooler. The bolt through kit holds much better.

 

[Tsylord]

I configured a ATI build with almost the same parts and it was $200 more, so I'll be sticking with Nvidia

 

[Mr. Gruntsworthy]

the vendetta uses the same plastic push pins as the stock intel cooler. The bolt through kit holds much better.

i haven't had a problem with the push pins... my stock HSF (with stock thermal paste) keeps my E4600 at 37-39C idle, and maxes out at 50C max load.

Then again, it's all down to preference i suppose

 

[miggs78]

Its not a problem installing it, reason we suggest it is to have the heatsink secure. Such a tower style of heatsink isn't very secure and safe with just push pins, hence that bolt thru kit is a recommendation.

Random_2 did you mean to say "Can't help but miggs, but I have to agree with these folks " or Can't help but to agree with miggs ..

 

[enaberif]

i haven't had a problem with the push pins... my stock HSF (with stock thermal paste) keeps my E4600 at 37-39C idle, and maxes out at 50C max load.

Then again, it's all down to preference i suppose

Its not that the stock pins aren't good but with the weight of the cooler what can happen is sag. With it mounted horizontally the top half could be pulled a bit away from the cpu not allowing proper contact; this goes for ANY cooler mounted like this.

This is where the bolt through kit helps as this will allow proper contact due to a proper mount for these coolers.