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[Zzoram]

Okay you gaf techheads I've got a special and very specific request - I want a new pc in the coming months and about all I'll likely take from my current one is the hard drive (as a slave) and the video card (I"ll upgrade it later on). What I want is something that can run cool AND quiet.

Right now my 2005 built pentium 4 , even when nicely cleaned has immense troubles idling at anything colder then 20 degrees C above room temperature. This is annoying as basically once it gets warmer then 25 C outside I can't do much because playing a game tends to push the heat up a further 15 to 20 degrees, meaning that even in wintertime with an 18 degree room the pc will sit at 60 while gaming , in the summer though at 25 degree heat it closes games because it's rocketed past the heatzone warning of I think 65.

Basically I want a computer that can still play all the newest games but idle at say 35-40 degrees in 30 degree heat and not go hotter then 60 at any time ever. It can't be that hard can it ?

That's not hard at all with a Core 2 Duo. My E8400 idles at ~40C and loads at ~58C in a room that's 25C. I'm using the stock cooler and an Antec 900 case with all fans set on low. It's the video card that'll be hotter.

You'll probably want an HD4850, but the initial batch runs really hot because the fan is only going at 10% speed and there's a glitch preventing it from going faster. It's still stable and super quiet, but 80C at load definitely makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Supposedly upping it to 65% lowers the load temp to like 55C while staying pretty quiet. I'm sure in a few weeks that the fan glitch will be fixed. The HD4850 can be had for under $200 and is faster than an 8800GT.

 

[gray_fox224]

Building the mid-range system went well, but we had to deal with a boot issue.

The problem we had with booting only occurred when we first configured the system; we could not boot to the OS because the PC would shut down in pre-boot. This also prevented us from installing Vista, and occurred when idling in the BIOS or running testing applications such as KillDisk..

Are boot-up issues always likely when building a PC?

 

[Aurora]

Does anyone know of a great online store, like Newegg, that ships internationally?

Cause HW prices here are insanely high...

Thanks

Seconded.

I really want to upgrade my PC but prices in the UK are astronomical.

 

[bee]

Seconded.

I really want to upgrade my PC but prices in the UK are astronomical.

no they're not, how much you got to spend?

 

[Chiggs]

Not yet they aren't. ~3GHz dual cores will not bottle neck even 3 graphics cards.

A Q6600 is perfectly fine for gaming, and since he wanted to do some video editing, I suggested that processor.

 

[Aurora]

no they're not, how much you got to spend?

Around the £400 price range. Do you know any good online UK retailers?

 

[bee]

Around the £400 price range. Do you know any good online UK retailers?

http://www.ebuyer.com/
http://www.scan.co.uk/
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

you can build a real nice pc for £400 these days

 

[brain_stew]

Seconded.

I really want to upgrade my PC but prices in the UK are astronomical.

This is utterly false. With GPUs for instance we pay EXACTLY the same as the US + VAT, which is just about as cheap as you could ever expect, especially since the dollar is worthless. £110 for a 4850 is anything but astronomical.

 

[brain_stew]

Seconded.

I really want to upgrade my PC but prices in the UK are astronomical.

This is utterly false. With GPUs for instance we pay EXACTLY the same as the US + VAT, which is just about as cheap as you could ever expect, especially since the dollar is worthless. £110 for a 4850 is anything but astronomical.

I built an excellent rig just last month for ~ £350 and it maxes out everything bar Crysis, though even that plays fine at high settings.

 

[gray_fox224]

Sorry, but I have a noob question here.

With the g-force video cards, which is considered the current generation video card, the 8800 or the 9800?

 

[Rimshot]

Sweden's prices on these things are astronomical if any. Anways, what would the Swedes here at gaf recommend for setup with a budget limit at 9000kr? (1500 dollars)

Haven't really kept myself updates on hardware these last 2 years.

 

[AZ Greg]

Quick question guys.

I ended up buying the PC I mentioned earlier in this thread and it has been fantastic for gaming. However, I have read that there is a noticeable difference in quality going from the integrated sound to a dedicated sound card. I've also heard it could increase performance in games, is that true? Whether or not the second point is true or not is irrelevant. If buying a dedicated sound card would mean a noticeable improvement in sound quality with regards to music and videos then I'm down to get one. My current audio is Realtek integrated 7.1 channel audio. Basically I'm hoping to spend $100 or less for something that will give me noticeable improvements in sound quality. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Chris Remo]

Quick question guys.

I ended up buying the PC I mentioned earlier in this thread and it has been fantastic for gaming. However, I have read that there is a noticeable difference in quality going from the integrated sound to a dedicated sound card. I've also heard it could increase performance in games, is that true? Whether or not the second point is true or not is irrelevant. If buying a dedicated sound card would mean a noticeable improvement in sound quality with regards to music and videos then I'm down to get one. My current audio is Realtek integrated 7.1 channel audio. Basically I'm hoping to spend $100 or less for something that will give me noticeable improvements in sound quality. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Your CPU handles integrated sound, so a dedicated sound card will increase overall performance, since your CPU is less burdened, and will also increase sound quality overall, because a sound card is expressly engineered for that purpose - I don't imagine though that you'd be seeing huge framerate gains or anything like that, since sound isn't as intensive a processing task as certain other gaming tasks. Sound cards are cheap though, you might as well.

 

[bee]

Sorry, but I have a noob question here.

With the g-force video cards, which is considered the current generation video card, the 8800 or the 9800?

gtx 260/280 is the current gen, you should however buy an ati 4850 or 4870 or if your determined to go nvidia stick with a 9800gtx after the incoming price drop

Quick question guys.

I ended up buying the PC I mentioned earlier in this thread and it has been fantastic for gaming. However, I have read that there is a noticeable difference in quality going from the integrated sound to a dedicated sound card. I've also heard it could increase performance in games, is that true? Whether or not the second point is true or not is irrelevant. If buying a dedicated sound card would mean a noticeable improvement in sound quality with regards to music and videos then I'm down to get one. My current audio is Realtek integrated 7.1 channel audio. Basically I'm hoping to spend $100 or less for something that will give me noticeable improvements in sound quality. Any suggestions? Thanks!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006 if you cant tell the difference in sound quality your clinically deaf

 

[aznpxdd]

Soundcards do improve sound quality, but also make sure you have some real speakers first before buying one (aka: none PC speakers - logitech, creative, etc.).

 

[gray_fox224]

gtx 260/280 is the current gen, you should however buy an ati 4850 or 4870 or if your determined to go nvidia stick with a 9800gtx after the incoming price drop



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006 if you cant tell the difference in sound quality your clinically deaf

Thanks for the info

 

[Althane]

Not a PC, but instead an external hard drive.

I've been tired of my boot camp sector screwing up every couple of months, and losing all my... perfectly legally acquired games. (no, really, they are. Just I have a tendency to lose disks at home, so... >_>;

I'm looking for a, say, 100 to 200 to 500 GB external hard drive in the $100 - $200 dollar range. MOSTLY I'm looking for a good, semi-rugged one, as I probably don't especially need more than 150 GB at any one point in time. I'm hard pressed to use up half of that on my mac at any one time. Mostly, it's a place to store things, keep things for backup, and so on so forth.

Any suggestions?

 

[Chiggs]

Well, I picked up a GTX 260 at Best Buy today. It was ridiculously over-priced, but I had a gift card and reward zone coupons, so the final price was around $270.00; and since 4870's are non-existent (and apparently suffering from some QC problems), I stuck with old green eyes.

Performance on this card is amazing so far...and that's coming from a superclocked 8800GT.

 

[AZ Greg]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006 if you cant tell the difference in sound quality your clinically deaf

Thanks!

Another quick question. My computer has:

PCI: 2 Slots
PCIe x1: 1 Slot
PCIe x16 (Graphics): 1 Slot

The PCIe x16 slot is in use by my 8800GT. Will that sound card work with the PCIe x1 slot? And if not are there any good sound cards that will work with the normal PCI slots? Thanks again!

 

[Zzoram]

Well, I picked up a GTX 260 at Best Buy today. It was ridiculously over-priced, but I had a gift card and reward zone coupons, so the final price was around $270.00; and since 4870's are non-existent (and apparently suffering from some QC problems), I stuck with old green eyes.

Performance on this card is amazing so far...and that's coming from a superclocked 8800GT.

I considered a GTX260, but I'm definitely holding out for an Asus HD4870 with an aftermarket cooler. I don't need it right now, so I can wait 1-2 months. My X800XT is running fine for Titan Quest (the itch returned after Diablo III announcement). The HD4870 is $100 cheaper and performs about the same (except Crysis where nVidia cards still have an advantage, probably due to their close development relationship), plus the Asus one has a cooler sticker I really like

 

[My Arms Your Hearse]

Well, I've been out of the PC gaming for a few years (outside of some MMOs), which is unlike me as I used to be a primarily PC gamer. Threw this together:

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135156

OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

GPU: HD 4870(x2, not sure yet) ... WHENEVER I CAN FIND ONE IN STOCK

MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128336

This should let me play most anything and be painless for upgrading in the future. Though really it's a bit of a waste since if WAR is any good I'll be playing that 99% of the time.

 

[Zzoram]

Well, I've been out of the PC gaming for a few years (outside of some MMOs), which is unlike me as I used to be a primarily PC gamer. Threw this together:

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135156

OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

GPU: HD 4870(x2, not sure yet) ... WHENEVER I CAN FIND ONE IN STOCK

MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128336

This should let me play most anything and be painless for upgrading in the future. Though really it's a bit of a waste since if WAR is any good I'll be playing that 99% of the time.

I'm sure you'll want to play Fallout 3 on PC ($10 cheaper than console and better graphics and interface), as well as Starcraft II and Diablo III when they eventually come out. I also recommend The Witcher: Enhanced Edition coming out September, since it redoes the voice acting , improves performance and loading, and fixes bugs and adds new NPC models to the original game, and is basically a re-issue. Original customers get a free patch to upgrade to this version.

 

[SRG01]

Quick question guys.

I ended up buying the PC I mentioned earlier in this thread and it has been fantastic for gaming. However, I have read that there is a noticeable difference in quality going from the integrated sound to a dedicated sound card. I've also heard it could increase performance in games, is that true? Whether or not the second point is true or not is irrelevant. If buying a dedicated sound card would mean a noticeable improvement in sound quality with regards to music and videos then I'm down to get one. My current audio is Realtek integrated 7.1 channel audio. Basically I'm hoping to spend $100 or less for something that will give me noticeable improvements in sound quality. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Sound processing is trivial compared to the other tasks that the CPU does. In short, don't expect any great performance increases.

 

[arne]

I'm building a gaming PC, so instead of starting a new thread to nitpick my build, I thought I'd just lay all the info out here and let the PC Defense Force critique my components.

keep in mind:
- I will be doing no/minimum OCing
- for gaming and doing HD video editing.

components
- 9800GTX (already own, so I'm building around this)
- Antec Nine Hundred case
- ocz gamestream 700W power supply
- 2x2GB (4gb) g.skill ddr2/800 ram
- evga 680i mobo
- E8400
- arctic cooling freezer 7 92mm cpu cooler
- 4x500GB WD caviar (RAIDing this 1+0, overkill?)
- LG GGW-H20L blu-ray burner (+dvd-rom, etc.)


a) what do i need to change?
b) what am i missing?

 

[Proelite]

Well, I've been out of the PC gaming for a few years (outside of some MMOs), which is unlike me as I used to be a primarily PC gamer. Threw this together:

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135156

OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

GPU: HD 4870(x2, not sure yet) ... WHENEVER I CAN FIND ONE IN STOCK

MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128336

This should let me play most anything and be painless for upgrading in the future. Though really it's a bit of a waste since if WAR is any good I'll be playing that 99% of the time.

Your mother is DDr2 1200 compatible, does that means all slower DDR2 rams are compatible? Btw, why such a huge tower? The LianLi A05 mid tower is only 15" high.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112129

 

[Vorador]

I've just ordered the parts to build my new rig, my actual one's motherboard is failing since a while ago and it's about time to upgrade.

1º Processor: Intel Q9450
2º Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6
3º Memory: 4 Gb of DDR2 1066
4º Graphics card: 8800GTS 640 Mb recovered from my old rig, it's still good for now.
5º Power Supply: ToughPower 750W
6º Hard Disks: 1 WD VelociRaptor 300 Gb and 1 Hitachi 750 Gb.
7º Case: Thermaltake Kandalf with Liquid Cooling System integrated.

I will keep a 320 Gb Maxtor hard disk from my old system, and the two optics drives.

 

[brain_stew]

Your mother is DDr2 1200 compatible, does that means all slower DDR2 rams are compatible? Btw, why such a huge tower? The LianLi A05 mid tower is only 15" high.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112129

Yes, any speed DDR2 memory should run just fine. In all honesty I wouldn't spend much, if any premium on, memory faster than 800mhz unless you're planning a very aggressive (read 4ghz+) overclock. Most decent 800mhz memory will clock to 900mhz+ anyway. The extra speed is simply not needed.

 

[TxdoHawk]

So, I'm sick of cheap disposable $20 cases. Can anyone point me to a good source of reviews for mid to high-end cases, or at least suggestions on what to look at? I'm looking for something that will fit an ATX mobo and last for at least a few builds. Nothing with 50 billion LEDs unless they can be turned off. $200 budget limit (negotiable). As long as it fits those parameters, anything else is fair game.

 

[Zzoram]

Your mother is DDr2 1200 compatible, does that means all slower DDR2 rams are compatible? Btw, why such a huge tower? The LianLi A05 mid tower is only 15" high.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112129

The Antec 900 is the best case for air cooling on the market. It comes stock with a 20cm fan (HUGE! and extremely rare) and 3x 12cm fans, as well as 2 slots for extra 12cm fans. The entire front and part of one side of the case is a metal mesh allowing airflow, at the cost of getting dusty if uncleaned. Most enthusiast cases come with like 2x 12cm fans, without room for much more. The problem is, the high airflow results in a lot of dust, so you have to clean your room/the area of dust every few days to prevent it from gunking up your beauty.

 

[Zzoram]

So, I'm sick of cheap disposable $20 cases. Can anyone point me to a good source of reviews for mid to high-end cases, or at least suggestions on what to look at? I'm looking for something that will fit an ATX mobo and last for at least a few builds. Nothing with 50 billion LEDs unless they can be turned off. $200 budget limit (negotiable). As long as it fits those parameters, anything else is fair game.

Any Antec case is usually of high quality. The Antec 900, P182, and Sonata III are popular enthusiast choices. The Antec 900 is the best for airflow and air cooling, but needs regular dusting. It has 3 fans with dim blue LEDs and one bigger fan without it. It's really not annoying. The Sonata III is the quietest case, at the expense of not being as great at cooling, and the P182 is the nicest looking with a very clean design. The P182 is also very quiet.

 

[bee]

So, I'm sick of cheap disposable $20 cases. Can anyone point me to a good source of reviews for mid to high-end cases, or at least suggestions on what to look at? I'm looking for something that will fit an ATX mobo and last for at least a few builds. Nothing with 50 billion LEDs unless they can be turned off. $200 budget limit (negotiable). As long as it fits those parameters, anything else is fair game.

if you want high end you want either lian-li or silverstone imo, personally i will only ever buy these two makes of case from now on as the difference in build quality and design of these two over the rest is huge

i also would never go back to a midi tower, i grew so tired of messing about in cramped spaces in the damned things i'd never get anything other than a full tower with a removeable tray now

of course quality doesn't come cheap especially full towers but both brands make reasonably cheap midi tower cases, maybe have a look at this, not too sure on mid towers though

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112163

i can personally vouch for this next one as being superb, but yeah like i say they aint cheap

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112145

 

[Spiderjericho]

Soundcards do improve sound quality, but also make sure you have some real speakers first before buying one (aka: none PC speakers - logitech, creative, etc.).

Would you consider Klipsch Speakers "Real"?

 

[gray_fox224]

Which NVIDIA video card would be good if I was going to use HDMI on a 720P LCD?

 

[zoku88]

Which NVIDIA video card would be good if I was going to use HDMI on a 720P LCD?

Any reason it has to be an NV card?

If it does, I would just say 8800GT since it's cheap and 720p isn't really that much.

 

[VaLiancY]

Quick question, I'm getting 4GBs of RAM. 32-bit or 64-bit Vista? This computer will be for mainly gaming, some Photoshop and possibly 3D modeling like Blender.

 

[gray_fox224]

Any reason it has to be an NV card?

If it does, I would just say 8800GT since it's cheap and 720p isn't really that much.

With the 8800GT, would I use a DVI to HDMI adaptor?


Damn, I want one with a HDMI out...

How about this 9800?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

Quick question, I'm getting 4GBs of RAM. 32-bit or 64-bit Vista? This computer will be for mainly gaming, some Photoshop and possibly 3D modeling like Blender.

Most gamers I see go with the 64 bit.

 

[Bananimus]

if you want high end you want either lian-li or silverstone imo, personally i will only ever buy these two makes of case from now on as the difference in build quality and design of these two over the rest is huge

i also would never go back to a midi tower, i grew so tired of messing about in cramped spaces in the damned things i'd never get anything other than a full tower with a removeable tray now

of course quality doesn't come cheap especially full towers but both brands make reasonably cheap midi tower cases, maybe have a look at this, not too sure on mid towers though

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112163

i can personally vouch for this next one as being superb, but yeah like i say they aint cheap

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112145

I'm not a fan of the first one, but the second one is indeed very nice.

You're also correct about Silverstone. I've had experience with one of their cases (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163091) and it was amazing.

Unfortunately, I can't justify $200+ on a case, so I usually go with Antec. For the price (usually $70 to $150), the quality is quite good. I have a P180 which is nice, but a bit difficult to build with (and heavy). I also picked up their Three Hundred ($70) recently as a sort of project case. It's fairly bare bones, but well constructed (and no annoying bits).

 

[MeowMeow]

1.When are we going to break that 3 Ghz barrier? When are the new CPUs gonna come out which will be 4,5, 6, or even 7 Ghz?

2. So far we have Quad Cores, When will we have 5 cores, or 6 cores? Is the Cell CPU of PS3 way more advanced then the Quad Cores?

3. NVIDIA and ATI have released new graphic cards for desktops, how about laptops?

Thanks to whoever can answer my questions.

 

[ElfoMan]

What do you guys think? I'll be ordering in a week or two, I hope...

Mobo: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
Videocard: ASUS EAH4850/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850

RAM: OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
PSU: Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) 750GB

HSF: Xigmatek HDT-S1283
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower

Edit:
Thank you, I replaced the HSF. This is my first time building so I don't know much about what a PSU should have. I'll keep reading and posting before I order.

 

[aznpxdd]

What do you guys think? I'll be ordering in a week or two, I hope...

Mobo: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
Videocard: ASUS EAH4850/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850

RAM: OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
PSU: Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) 750GB

Cooling: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower

Mhmm...that PSU actually looks pretty weak from the specs, only 14A and 15A on the +12v line?!

I'd also recommend a better HSF if you plan to overclock your Q6600. A very popular choice right now is the Xigmatek HDT-S1283

 

[Ravenn17]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005096
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001271
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009094

All look great. What would GAF choose?

 

[aznpxdd]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005096
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001271
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009094

All look great. What would GAF choose?

You should check what panel the LG uses, the 2 22"'s are TN for sure.

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Hmm well everything is working perfect with my 1st custom pc. The only bit of concern for me are the temps of my CPU (E8400 Wolfdale).

HWMonitor reports idle temps around 47c and load temps around 57c. Comparing my system to others, that seems really hot for a e8400 w/ a AC Freezer 7 Pro HS and Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound.

Is it just the compound taking a while to sink in? Have had the system for a few days and it seems temps have not dropped at all. I was hoping for something around 35c-idle, 45-50c load.

Does it sound like I messed up the HS/Thermal installation? Should I open up the system and reapply the goop and HS?

 

[Cheeto]

I'm building a gaming PC, so instead of starting a new thread to nitpick my build, I thought I'd just lay all the info out here and let the PC Defense Force critique my components.

keep in mind:
- I will be doing no/minimum OCing
- for gaming and doing HD video editing.

components
- 9800GTX (already own, so I'm building around this)
- Antec Nine Hundred case
- ocz gamestream 700W power supply
- 2x2GB (4gb) g.skill ddr2/800 ram
- evga 680i mobo
- E8400
- arctic cooling freezer 7 92mm cpu cooler
- 4x500GB WD caviar (RAIDing this 1+0, overkill?)
- LG GGW-H20L blu-ray burner (+dvd-rom, etc.)


a) what do i need to change?
b) what am i missing?

That's a pretty solid build. If you change anything...

- Since you aren't OCing, you can save money on the motherboard unless there is a specific feature you want from the other:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142

- Raid 1+0 may be overkill for a personal PC, but it's really up to you. It is complex, but there are definite benefits. Raid 5 is another alternative, it'll give you redundancy and increased performance while being easy to set up, but will only provide single point of failure tolerance whereas your Raid 1+0 will protect you from double failures in some cases.

- You will benefit from a quad core processor for HD Video editing, depending on the rollout of the new trend of GPU computing. It will cost you however.

 

[Cheeto]

Edit:
Thank you, I replaced the HSF. This is my first time building so I don't know much about what a PSU should have. I'll keep reading and posting before I order.

Thermaltake PSUs are mostly shit. I'd stay away.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182032
That supply has better 12v Amp readings, which is pretty important in today's PCs with today's video cards.

 

[Apharmd Battler]

So if building a new PC, where the best bang for bucks in terms of parts and prices? NewEgg?

 

[SRG01]

Hmm well everything is working perfect with my 1st custom pc. The only bit of concern for me are the temps of my CPU (E8400 Wolfdale).

HWMonitor reports idle temps around 47c and load temps around 57c. Comparing my system to others, that seems really hot for a e8400 w/ a AC Freezer 7 Pro HS and Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound.

Is it just the compound taking a while to sink in? Have had the system for a few days and it seems temps have not dropped at all. I was hoping for something around 35c-idle, 45-50c load.

Does it sound like I messed up the HS/Thermal installation? Should I open up the system and reapply the goop and HS?

Dude, my P4 2.53 GHz on stock cooling runs cooler than that (35-37C idle and 50-56C load). Did you apply too much thermal paste?

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Dude, my P4 2.53 GHz on stock cooling runs cooler than that (35-37C idle and 50-56C load). Did you apply too much thermal paste?

Not sure. Read somewhere to apply 2 rice-sized grains and to then spread in a circular motion.

So let's say I did apply too much TP, what can I do to remove it and try again?

 

[Cheeto]

Not sure. Read somewhere to apply 2 rice-sized grains and to then spread in a circular motion.

So let's say I did apply too much TP, what can I do to remove it and try again?

I usually apply the amount and just let the pressure of applying the heatsink do the spreading. My Core2 idles at ~27C.

 

[bee]

Hmm well everything is working perfect with my 1st custom pc. The only bit of concern for me are the temps of my CPU (E8400 Wolfdale).

HWMonitor reports idle temps around 47c and load temps around 57c. Comparing my system to others, that seems really hot for a e8400 w/ a AC Freezer 7 Pro HS and Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound.

Is it just the compound taking a while to sink in? Have had the system for a few days and it seems temps have not dropped at all. I was hoping for something around 35c-idle, 45-50c load.

Does it sound like I messed up the HS/Thermal installation? Should I open up the system and reapply the goop and HS?

its hotter than normal for sure but nothing to worry about, mines been idling at 40c for 2 years now with a 50% overclock, 9 times out of 10 it isn't temps that kill cpu's its the extra voltage being pumped through them

if you do wanna get the temps down you can try reseating the heatsink and reapplying the paste as has already been mentioned, both methods for the paste work fine either a thin layer all over or a blob in the middle

or you could try just going into bios and changing the fan speed control method, take the side off your case and check how fast its actually spinning. if set at auto the fan on those freezer 7's can often just stop and only start to really spin when temps rise, try setting fan speed control to pwm or disabled for full speed but they are noisy like that