My First Self Build, What do you guys think of this setup?

techguy

Hi,

I'm planning on building a decent machine that will see me well into the next 5 years. My overall budget is about €1150,I wouldn't wanto to be exceeding €1000 on whats below because it excludes some other stuff i'll be getting(keyboards,mice,etc..)

I will be using the computer for Programming and Web Design in the next few years.

These are the main components to get me off the ground.. I will be adding a v.good graphics card (512[+]) soon after the build.

Here we go:

Antec Sonata III Miditower €133
Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 €72
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0GHz €249
A-DATA DDR2 PC6400 4096MB CL5 Kit w/two matched DDR2 800 2048MB CL5 €103
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM €95
NEC DVD±RW burner AD-7191S €34
Asus 22" Wide VW222S €265
Total = €951

My Concerns/Questions about the above rig are:

I have no regard for how the case will look so If someone can recommend a cheaper alternative it would be great.

Will the Motherboard take everything I have mentioned plus a 512MB(+) GFX Card and possibly a TV Tuner and another similar Hard Drive.Will the network card do me on this aswell?

Will the PSU that comes with the case power it all? I've read a review of the case so i'm sure they'll all fit.

The Monitor: Is this a half decent one what are ASUS like? I need a 22" because of the programming/web design aspect.

Is there anything I should know/left out that will be needed like fans and all that??

Thanks in advance for reading everyone..

TerrorFirmer

You've chosen an Atx case but a m-Atx motherboard, it will still work but limiting the scope you have for adding additional cards.

You've also chosen a silver optical drive for a black case.

If you're tight on budget you don't need that fast a processor. Another option is to get a quad core for the same price, ideal for a frequent multi tasker.

You will only see 3.25gb of that ram unless you use a 64-bit OS, speaking of which, don't forget you will need an operating system.

Power supply should be fine, is good quality.

techguy

Hey HavoK,

What about this Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P31-S3L (Comparison)
It seems to have a few more expansion slots,ports etc while still having the fast 1333Mhz FSB. It doesn't say anything about onboard Video Display Though. I'm assumming it will have some sort out output to get me throught the first month or so before I get a GPU Card.

I've spotted that optical drive in black.

I've had a quick scout around google there and it seems 62Bit won't be my friend at all!. 3.25GB Will be loads for me at the moment I can always upgrade to 64Bit when it comes more compatible/I see a need for it.

For OS's I am going to take vista home prem. and Ubuntu 7.10.

And regarding the CPU. I think I will benefit more from a faster Dual-Core than a slower Quad-Core..

Have you any thaughts on the Monitor?

Thanks for the advice..

TerrorFirmer

No it doesn't have any onboard video, it's a harder feature to find on full size boards, m-Atx boards are mostly used in slimline cases, htpc's, budget builds etc where a separate video card is not really necessary to the machines intended uses. That said a m-Atx board might be fine for you, I used to have a m-Atx motherboard in my old gaming machine, no problems as long as you don't plan on using a lot of pci cards. Note that if you're using a decent graphics card with that mobo, you'll probably block the first pci slot from being used due to the size of the cooler, realistically leaving you with a single pci slot. So if you want to add a tv tuner, that leaves you with no space for a dedicated sound card if the onboard isn't sufficient for you, etc, you get what I mean.

You can get relatively good single slot cooler cards, but most new cards have fairly large heatsinks and fans.

Monitor, looks OK to me from a tech perspective, but I've never used Asus monitors before so I couldn't give any thoughts.

techguy

Ok, now I understand..

When would you need an upgraded sound card..for most games or just a few?

I think i'll be able to sacrifice a TV Tuner card..
Is the internal NIC on these up to everydays tasks yea?

TerrorFirmer

You don't need a dedicated sound card for anything. It's a matter of personal preference, many people are perfectly happy with onboard, others wouldn't dream of using it for even the most basic of tasks. Onboard sound has come a long way though, and you'd be hard pressed to find modern onboard sound of poor quality, even if it doesn't stack up to a dedicated sound card. I used a dedicated sound card but I did use onboard for several months and had zero issues, be it quality, software or compatibility.

techguy

Then I seem to be sorted, I again have the possibility of being able to get a tuber card and good graphics..:)

Thanks for all your help..

DirkVoodoo

The HD3850 is a single slot solution, if you still want an mATX.