Help me build my new computer!

June 22, 2009 5:55 AM

I've finally decided to take the plunge and build my own system. I wanted to share my prospective system with MeFi before I pull the trigger in case I missed something or there are potential "gotcha's". I also have some remaining questions on this rig....

So, as a computer programmer, I always felt embarrassed that I never built my own rig. Now that I finally have enough cash to earn my street cred, I've decided to go ahead and do it.

THE SPECS:

Processor: Intel Core2Duo E8500 3.16 Ghz
Motherboard: Asus P5Q-E LGA 775
Memory: GSkill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066
Graphics Card: 2 Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512 MB
Case: Antec 900
Hard Drive: 2 Seagate Barricuda 7200 RPM 1.5 TB Drives
Power Supply: Corsair 750W
CD-Rom: Samsung DVD-Burner

MY GOALS:

I want to use this as a new "base station" of sorts. This system will be used for a lot of programming, a lot of photo editing, web design, and moderate gaming.

To define "moderate" gaming, I don't anticipate going beyond CounterStrike: Source or TF2. I also play a lot of RTS's. I'm not looking to play the next Crysis (though I think this system could handle it fine). I already have an XBox and a PS3, so I do the majority of my gaming there.

I also want to eventually have a 3 monitor setup- this is why I'm getting the 2 graphics cards. I don't anticipate SLR'ing them. I know they're not the latest and greatest cards, but I don't think they're too shabby, and they'll be okay for my needs.

I'm going to dual boot Windows on 1 drive, Linux on the other. I don't have a tight budget for this, so if there are certain areas where I could get a lot more "bang for my buck" or even certain areas where I could cut back, that info would be appreciated as well.

MY REMAINING QUESTIONS:

1) Are all these components okay? am I missing something?
2) DDR2 vs. DDR3 - Not worth it right now, given the cost to benefit ratio, correct?
3) My Power Supply - is 750 W okay? Is it too much? Is it too little? I had no idea how to estimate this or how to account for the two graphics cards.
4) Everything should fit, right?
5) Do I need additional things like thermal paste and extra fans? I have no intention of overclocking. I don't care too much about noise levels, etc.

Let me know if additional info is needed. I'm sourcing everything from NewEgg. Thanks so much for your help.

posted by unexpected to computers & internet (18 comments total)

For a programming box, I would go for two big beautiful screens over everything else, any day.
posted by devnull at 6:05 AM on June 22

yea devnull, I love my 2 screens, which is why I want to add a 3rd. I'm going to put 3 24" monitors. It's the biggest I can go without going dual-dvi and requiring 3 graphics cards. It's going to be totally overkill and totally awesome!
posted by unexpected at 6:15 AM on June 22

Throw in an Intel solid state drive to boot off of. That will massively increase your performance. They're expensive though but you definitely want an Intel. You can check out some Performance charts here there is a huge diffrence between different types of SSDs.

Also, assuming you're going to run a 64 bit version of windows, I would go with more RAM too.

A slower quad core might be better then a fast dual core, but that's just what I prefer. It depends on what software you're going to be running, but if you're writing your own software you can make it more concurrent to get the most out of it.

Power supply should be fine.
posted by delmoi at 6:21 AM on June 22

Do I need additional things like thermal paste and extra fans? I have no intention of overclocking. I don't care too much about noise levels, etc.

If you're getting a retail-boxed processor, it should come with a heatsink/fan that will be fine if you're not planning to push your system. The thermal paste will be pre-applied. If you're getting OEM, you'll have to order the heatsink/fan and thermal paste separately.
posted by owtytrof at 6:25 AM on June 22 [1 favorite]

1. Looks like quality brands
2. For your needs, this is correct.
3. Yep, but make sure it's 80 Plus certified (saves energy). You could probably go as low as 500-600W, but you wouldn't save much money.
4. Yep, looks like that's a full size tower. Make sure to read the case manual so you take advantage of any slide-out trays or removable panels. Even without those perks, though, it'll be nice and roomy.
5. Usually the thermal paste comes with the processor fan. You haven't listed one and cases are unlikely to include that. So add a socket 775-compatible processor fan to your list (a $30-$50 fan would be comparable to the rest of your hardware). The "screwpost" variety of chip fan attachment is really annoying, so see if you can find one with a back plate. Looks like your case comes with all the case fans you'll need.

You have a spare CD/DVD drive lying around I hope? Comfortable screwdriver? Needlenose pliers? Band-Aids? A magnifier might come in handy for seeing all the little front panel ports like the power button and such. Good lighting?
posted by cowbellemoo at 6:25 AM on June 22

One lesson hard-learned: the motherboard will need to be fastened to a metal plate that then goes in the box; watch you do with correctly, using the right parts to prevent a catastrophic short. The instructions in the box can be really bad so check online if you have any questions.
posted by acro at 6:36 AM on June 22

I just checked the processor I was looking at buying (link here). It's retail, so I think I'm okay on the thermal paste/fan.

I decided to just go with one cd/dvd drive/burner. I just tend to burn music CDs for my car- I can't remember the last time I needed two.

I've gone back and forth on the quad core vs dual core debate. Most of my programming will be webapp/ Web 2.0 type stuff, so i didn't see a real advantage there...I'll still mull this over though. It's just so expensive if you go intel.

On the SSD: It's better if the SSD is the boot drive, correct? One of my friends was adamant that the SSD works better as the data drive- I was just dumbfounded b/c I've always heard and read that it works better as the boot drive.

Good check on the tools! I have all the screwdrivers and the Torq wrenches, but I need to get some needle nose pliers!
posted by unexpected at 6:42 AM on June 22

also, on the SSD's- all the intel drives are 2.5"- how does that work with the 3.5" form factor of a desktop? Is there another case I have to get to make the 2.5" a 3.5" or does it just sort of sit in the case?
posted by unexpected at 6:50 AM on June 22

Except for the case and the extra graphic card, your rig is identical to the one I built (motherboard and all), and it's kick ass.

This is the case I bought instead. You say you're not to interested in noise, but you might reconsider that with the power supply.

It's not quite when it's on and, with two graphic cards, it'll be on lots.

If this is your first build (mine was), I highly recommend a used copy of Building the Perfect PC. I just built a second and third box and that book was invaluable. I wouldn't have realized all of the potential pitfalls without the help of a good build book. This one's dated, so maybe someone inline can recommend a more recent one?
posted by foooooogasm at 7:03 AM on June 22

all the intel drives are 2.5"- how does that work with the 3.5" form factor of a desktop?

You can get a thing to convert a drive bay, or if your case is shaped right, you can put it in the spot where the floppy drive would go. Since it doesn't have any moving parts, I just rubber-banded mine in place.
posted by 0xFCAF at 8:10 AM on June 22

Power Supply Calculator:
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
posted by glenno86 at 8:29 AM on June 22

I built my first machine with the help of "Building the Perfect PC" so I agree with foooooogasm. Unfortunately, information gets dated fast. I found "Upgrading and Repairing PCs Build a PC with Scott Mueller" very good and up to date. These days, for opinions on components you can check out the customer comments on New Egg. I also find the forums at www.extremetech.com to be very good. That is probably the best place to get feedback about your proposed components. Issues like DDR2 vs. DDR3 are covered there. I think your biggest problem might be troubleshooting if you have problems and my impression is that a a lot of newbies seem to have "no boot" problems. That is where the books/DVDs and forums can help.
Good luck.
posted by PickeringPete at 10:39 AM on June 22

It's retail, so I think I'm okay on the thermal paste/fan

well, if you want noise control, you should look at a Zalman CPU fan or suchlike.

I also backed out my graphics card to an ATI 3870 with a passive cooler and my main machine is damn-near silent now.

Just another optimization axis you might want to consider . . .

If this box is overkill for your professional needs, I'd consider checking yourself on the SLI &c.
posted by @troy at 10:47 AM on June 22

I would go ahead and get 8GB of ram. DDR2 ram is super cheap these days...
Note that you need a 64 bit OS to address 8GB of ram.

I would get a quad core processor. Software is only going to get more parallel as time goes on. The Q9550 or Q9650 are good choices. The Q9559 is only about $40 more than the E8500. Though the Q9559's clock speed is about 10% lower you probably wont notice a difference.
posted by gregr at 11:02 AM on June 22

I also want to eventually have a 3 monitor setup- this is why I'm getting the 2 graphics cards. I don't anticipate SLR'ing them. I know they're not the latest and greatest cards, but I don't think they're too shabby, and they'll be okay for my needs.

just a quick note on the video cards: 2 9800GTX make no sense if you don't want to bridge them (not that it would make any more sense, SLI is useless, but that's another topic).

You can combine the 9800GTX with some really cheap, passively cooled low-end card for $20 (maybe even get one for $23 that also has HDMI output if you want to connect a receiver or TV later, it will save you 1 additional cable for audio). Use the 2nd one to connect a 3rd screen, if you are going to run Vista just make sure they are both nVidia or both ATI cards as Vista can't handle 2 different graphic drivers running at the same time (Windows 7 is supposed to be ok with it, I couldn't test it yet though). nVidia setup also works perfectly on Linux, I'm running an 8800GT with a 8400GS here.

Will save you money, space and noise.
posted by starzero at 12:37 PM on June 22

I don't see a UPS on your list. Do yourself a huge favor and budget an extra $200 and buy an APC. It may save your bacon.
Also I wouldn't mess around with dual-boot any longer since virtualization is so nice and free. Just install your favorite linux and virtualize the windows.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 5:23 PM on June 22

Just adding to Starzero's comments - a single 9800GTX card will eat TF2 and CS:S for lunch without any troubles at all, they're both quite old games and not very demanding technically. Stick with the one.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:25 PM on June 22

Asus motherboards are the way to go. My observation from buying an Asus P5K-V in Sept 2007 is that the manual appears to have been translated from the original Sanskrit by a committee of Finno-Ugric supremacists, then assembled by Beavis and Butthead on the day they discovered glue. Read the manual thoroughly. Finish weeping, then read it thoroughly again. There are a lot of steps that appear to be horribly complicated at first, but are not as bad as they first appear. It took me most of an afternoon to assemble my first rig, and 45 minutes to assemble my second.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 11:09 AM on July 22