Need Advice Picking Parts for New Comp
I've built computers before but have lately been quite busy and haven't kept as up to date with hardware as I should have so I am asking for some advice on picking out parts for a computer I'm building for my Dad. This would not be a gaming PC and I would not be overclocking it. So expensive video cards, cooling systems, and low latency RAM aren't really as appropriate. What I need to build is a computer with plenty of hard drive space and RAM as well as a sturdy dual core processor that will power through statistical calculations and multitasking. This computer would be running statistical packages such as R and SAS which do processor intensive calculations.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6420
Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R
Memory: G.SKILL 2GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Video Card:
EVGA 7600 GT
Case: Cooler Master Centurion. I own a similar Coolermaster Centurion and am very pleased with it.
Power Supply: FSP Group (Fortron Source) Blue Storm II 500 ATX. I'm not so sure about this choice. I'd be open to suggestions.
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint 500 Gb.
Optical Drive:
I really have no idea, maybe someone could help me out here. I want something that can read and write both CDs and DVDs. Speed is not really that important (although faster is always better) but it needs to be reliable. Here's a list of DVD burners on newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010100005%201036506653&page=2&bop=And&Order=RATING
Monitor: Acer 22" LCD Widescreen
Floppy Drive:
Samsung Floppy Drive. For backwards compatibility.
Speakers:
Logitech X-230 32 watt 2.1 Speakers. I have these speakers and I like them but I'm open to recommendations.
Network Card and Sound Card:
Should I bother? Sound quality isn't a big deal but if I could get a bit faster internet with a network card it could be worth it. I have broadband if that makes a difference.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6420
Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R
Memory: G.SKILL 2GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Video Card:
EVGA 7600 GT
Case: Cooler Master Centurion. I own a similar Coolermaster Centurion and am very pleased with it.
Power Supply: FSP Group (Fortron Source) Blue Storm II 500 ATX. I'm not so sure about this choice. I'd be open to suggestions.
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint 500 Gb.
Optical Drive:
I really have no idea, maybe someone could help me out here. I want something that can read and write both CDs and DVDs. Speed is not really that important (although faster is always better) but it needs to be reliable. Here's a list of DVD burners on newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010100005%201036506653&page=2&bop=And&Order=RATING
Monitor: Acer 22" LCD Widescreen
Floppy Drive:
Samsung Floppy Drive. For backwards compatibility.
Speakers:
Logitech X-230 32 watt 2.1 Speakers. I have these speakers and I like them but I'm open to recommendations.
Network Card and Sound Card:
Should I bother? Sound quality isn't a big deal but if I could get a bit faster internet with a network card it could be worth it. I have broadband if that makes a difference.
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Comments
But it's up to you and what floats your boat.
Just keep it in what you can afford UNLESS you
want to make a monster
Your selected video card is an excellent bang for the buck. There may be better for the money, but none come to mind.
Will you be using the stock Intel heatsink that's bundled with the CPU? It will work just fine for you, unless you become an overclocking fool like me.
Optical drive. Stick with a major brand. Over the years, I've had problems with every generic/off-brand optical drive I've owned. Good brands include Sony, Lite-On, Samsung, Philips, and Memorex. Others as well.
I'd like to recommend that as long as you are purchasing new parts, consider purchasing a spare hard drive and an external enclosure for it. Then you will have a backup for your important files.
What operating system will you use?
The memory you linked to has been deactivated by Newegg and no longer available, evidently. If you haven't already ordered it then you will need to choose different ram.
The Samsung hard drive is a good deal but Newegg is also selling the 500 Gig Seagate sata drive here for $99.99 using promo code EMC703FSEAG. $10 cheaper and a 5 year versus 3 year warantee wins every time in my book.
It's not worth buying an ethernet card in my opinion; onboard should do just fine. If you are an audio snob then a separate sound card might be a good investment, but that can always be added later if money is tight.
You say the Centurion has an outdated fan configuration? How so? I've always thought the cooling was quite good. I like them because they are cheap, they look nice, and as you said they are easy to work with. If you've got any tips on modifying the case, send them my way. Also, if you know of any other cases that I should check consider, link me.
Yea I'll be using the stock heatsink for the processor. My current computer (built in November of 2005) was for overclocking, I got a AMD 64 3000+ with a huge Zalman copper heatsink, artic silver 5 for applying the heatsink, and really low latency Patriot memory. Now I use Ubuntu Linux which becomes unstable with overclocking. I'm also into programming now and overclocking is a possible issue when compiling. It just takes a slight miscalculation caused by a slightly unstable overclocked processor to ruin a whole compile. So really, I didn't need to spend all that money on overclocking. I can overclock the video card (6600 GT) but anything else messes up on Linux.
About the operating system, as said above I use Ubuntu Linux but I have Windows XP installed as well (dual boot setup). My Dad looks to do the same thing I think.
Oops, that link to the memory was wrong. Here's the right link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098. How do I use that promo code? Will it give me an option to enter it on checkout or something?
Yeah, when you get to the checkout page there is a box to enter the promo code in and it will then figure the discount. And it does work as I ordered that hard drive with the promo code Thursday evening and it came up at $99.99 on the invoice. I should be getting it sometimes early next week. I just couldn't pass the deal up.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6420
Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R
Memory: G.SKILL 2GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Video Card:
EVGA 7600 GT
Case: Cooler Master Centurion.
Power Supply: FSP Group (Fortron Source) Blue Storm II 500 ATX.
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 500 Gb. Looks like with the promo code I could get it for $100. It's still showing up as $110+ in the shopping cart but I'll check the invoice before I order.
Optical Drive:
Lite-on Black DVD Burner
Monitor: Acer 22" LCD Widescreen
Floppy Drive:
Sony Floppy Drive. The samsung floppy disk when out of stock.
Speakers:
Logitech X-230 32 watt 2.1 Speakers.
Mouse and Keybpard
Logitech Mouse and Keyboard
Any other suggestions? Particularly on the motherboard?
//EDIT: And your other parts are spot-on as well.
Yes, I modified my Centurion by installing a 120mm intake fan in the 5" internal drive bay cage. I also installed a large window in the side cover.
I think I will be content to remove the fan grids with a dremel tool which should give a bit more air flow.