New pc specs...Comments?

[Gulp]

Looking at building a new box...5-17 FPS is getting frustrating :^).    I build PCs at work, but they are all circa 1998 because  we service a semi-obsolete machine that needs them.  I have a narrow level of knowledge because they are all the same and it's mostly just screwing them together and loading OS & software.

Here's what I'm looking at for a new gaming (AH only), email, word, surfing, light photo stuff pc:

Motherboard: ASUS P5L-MX
PS: Nspire 600W
CPU: Intel Conroe E6400 2.13
Mem: 2 gig Corsair
Optical Drive: LG cdrw/dvd
Hard Drive: Samsung 160G
Video Card: ASUS EN7900GS
Fan: ? big
Case: ?
OS: Win XP Pro

Any comments appreciated.  Any of this stuff a bad choice for AH or do you see any compatability issues?

Thanks!

[Masherbrum]

Looks good to me.

[Roscoroo]

that mainboard has onboard graphics

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=194&model=1320&modelmenu=1

you would be better off with a board without that .

[OOZ662]

Rosco, wouldn't disabling the chip in the BIOS setup get rid of any of the ill effects that chip has?

[Roscoroo]

its a get buy ...kinda thing ...shure it will work and you can add the pci e card to it and disable the onboard .

but down falls are its a Small mb and has onboard video so you having to get around that  extra stuff /circuits ect all the time .

kinda like adding 200 lbs of lead to your car and expecting better mileage or faster excelleration ..

[38ruk]

Originally posted by Roscoroo
its a get buy ...kinda thing ...shure it will work and you can add the pci e card to it and disable the onboard .

but down falls are its a Small mb and has onboard video so you having to get around that  extra stuff /circuits ect all the time .

kinda like adding 200 lbs of lead to your car and expecting better mileage or faster excelleration ..

Agreed, if your not going to use it , dont get it . It might even have a hard wired IRQ that you wont recover after disabiling it.

[OOZ662]

For the average "slap it together and call it good" guy, that really doesn't make a difference. I ran across a guy on here a while ago that wouldn't get it through his head that IRQs still exist. I can't imagine being worried about money spend on that chip, as it's general somewhere around $.10 to manufacture one at most. I guess the circuitry could get in the way...but wouldn't that be in the range of hardly measurable?

[Gulp]

Thanks for the input.  Any suggestions on a main board that would be simpler and still work well with the rest of the specs?  I just picked that one because I'm use to ASUS and it was the cheapest one with the right socket and slots in my vendors selections.

[Sting138]

Everything looks good to me except I would use the X-Connect PSU instead of Nspire just because Ive had excellent results with them not to mention they look awesome, are super easy to install and everything is modular.

I would also go with water cooling... say maybe a thermaltake big water setup and for a case a thermaltake, lian li, or anything that suits your fancy. They have some great deals on cases at  xoxide.com

As far as boards are concerned I would try an Abit, I've also been using them for as long as I can remember and have only gotten one board that had anything go bad. Great boards, great overclocking ability, great features!

[OOZ662]

All of that fancy stuff Sing is talking about are pretty much for overclocking. If you want to put together a PC and just use it, don't worry about most of that stuff.

[Sting138]

Originally posted by OOZ662
All of that fancy stuff Sing is talking about are pretty much for overclocking. If you want to put together a PC and just use it, don't worry about most of that stuff.

Part of the fun of having a custom built rig is tweaking and tuning to see what you can get out of it.

BTW  what does the modular psu have to do with overclocking? The water cooling is also a plus in that  its more efficient than a standard copper and aluminum or copper fan based cpu cooler resulting in better stability under load and not just under "Overclocked" conditions.


The following was taken from the specs page of the Asus P5L-MX stats on Newegg.com

The ASUS P5L-MX is a great Micro ATX board for an Intel 945G-based mid-range rig. Compatibility with the Dual Core 1066 MHz FSB processors means you're ready for whatever comes next! Its Dual channel DDR2 667 memory architecture and 4 GB (Max cap.) provide livelier responses from the system. Should, just possibly, your system hangup to a problem with the overclocking, the ASUS C.P.R. overclocking protection tool lets you amend system settings from the BIOS and eliminates the need for manual clearance of CMOS data.

The CrashFree BIOS 2 feature includes a simplified BIOS auto-recovery function in a support CD, so you can reboot the system without a bootable disk. Additionally, EZ Flash lets you update BIOS before entering the OS also without a boot disk. The On-board ADI AD1986A high-definition audio CODEC delivers crystal clear 6-channel sound, while the on-board Gb LAN PCIe chipset eliminates the need for an external LAN card.

The on-board PCI-E X16 graphic card slot, lets boost your system performance by adding a PCI-E graphic card to your system. Three expansion slots (1 x PCI-E X1 + 2 x PCI) and five ATA connectors (4 x SATA + 1 x PATA) mean you have enough connectors and slots for all your cards and drives. This is a solid board with enough power and capacity for a good build, ready to play with!



I didnt recommend the Asus board because the last 2 I have used to build a system have been nothing but trouble.
It doesnt hurt to have the capability to overclock. Better to have the performance capability and not need it than to NOT HAVE IT and need it!

just my 2 cents!
 

[OOZ662]

I haven't bothered overclocking mine yet, even though it only runs at about 25 degrees C. The modular PSU wasn't what I was talking about. Water cooling can be a pain to the average user. I'd love it, though. I just haven't found a "kit" for my setup and don't want to piece one together. Socket 478's seem to have been phased out of everything like that by now.

[Roscoroo]

ive never had a dead Asus board yet ... even my 10 yr old Sp97 (486/k-6) asus board is still running . (ive used close to 50 asus mb's in builds so far and rebuilt  a pile of older slot A's /socket A's that i give away to the needy )

They are alot more trouble free and easier to setup then the extreame boards built for overclocking ... I've known alot of guys that have sent there abit's /gigabits back in on a rma ...(not shure if they were bad or ocer/builder error )

A P5 series asus board would be fine. I'd just not go with the onboard video for a Gamer .... its fine for a general use pc, but the games these days can generate alot of heat and are more reliant on a Good Video card,  solid power supply .

I cant really recommend a spacific board for a duo pent because I'm still using AMD's...

For water cooling Fry's has the best prices on the Thermaltake kits.
(OOZ needs a job )

[Sting138]

Gotta love Fry's. I got an open box thermaltake big water kit for $49.00 a couple weeks back and it is awesome! Gotta be one of the best things I've ever added to my system.

Both of the Asus A8N boards I ordered recently had issues, both rma'd to Asus directly and replaced. Finally got Newegg to give a credit and purchased an Abit. Been running strong since!

[Skuzzy]

You do not need to water cool a Core Duo CPU to overclock it.  They overclock really well on a decent air cooler.  If you are into that sort of thing.

The ASUS P5B is a decent motherboard, when paired with a good sound card.