[simplicity02]

Hello I am new to this forum but hopefully I will be able to get some help (judging by the great answers I have seen here so far I am sure somebody can help). Basically I have the list of parts which I am planning on buying but unfortunatley I am not to well versed on the compatibility of some of the items I chose so I was hoping someone would be able to tell me if there would be any issues with what I picked before I order. Also I am not sure if I am missing a part needed to make the computer run from my knowledge I have all the main parts down but if I am missing one I would be very grateful if someone were to let me know. Lastly which store would I buy the ram device for I have looked on multiple sites but they dont have RAM as an option for purchase. Any help is GREATLY appreciated and I thank whomever can provide me with any in advance. Feel free to reccomend other parts for the computer that you feel would be better as well as I have not built a computer in awhile.:8}

Computer Case: CoolerMaster CM690 ATX Mid-Tower Case

Power supply: Ultra X3 ULT40064 1000-Watt Power Supply

Motherboard: XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor 2.40GHz OEM

Hard Drive: Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 1000GB Hard Drive ($329.99)

CD/DVD Rom Drive: AOpen COM5232PA DVD-ROM Combo Drive

Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Fatality Platinum

Ethernet Card- D-Link - DFE-550FX - 100BASE-FX SC Optical Fiber Fast Ethernet Card

Monitor: Samsung 226BW 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor

Keyboard: Microsoft Reclusa Gaming Keyboard

Mouse: Logitech LX7 Cordless Optical Mouse

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Pro Edition OEM Version & Service Pack 2

[smax013]

Is there some reason why you want/need a fiber optic NIC card rather than use the built-in Gigabit ethernet ports on the motherboard?

As to the memory, you might want to go the motherboard manufacturer's website to see if they list compatible memory or give specific specifications for the memory.

As to places to buy, if you are in the US, then I would look to NewEgg. This includes purchasing the memory, once you figure out what you want. You can also look to a place that specializes in memory like Crucial.com.

[mphenterprises]

Hi Simplicity and welcome to PCWorld. :-)




Smax has you off to a great start. According to this site, your motherboard supports DDR II SDRAM PC4300/5300/6400 (up to 8GBs). Your motherboard also supports Dual Channel which is commonplace with modern motherboards. Your motherboard also has four (4) memory DIMMs so your memory can grow as your needs grow.

Keeping in line with what you have so far, I would recommend two (2) 1GB memory chips for a total of 2GBs. This will be a good starting point for you if and when you decide to bump up to Vista. If you do decide to get Vista at some point, I would advise either getting another 1GB memory chip to increase your total to 3GBs or take out the two 1GB memory chips and put in two (2) 2GB memory chips for a total of 4GBs.

Here is a link for all available memory chips that will work well with your motherboard.

[TechyGuy]

Well, we need to know what kind of video card you want to put in this thing. I personally reccommend an EVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB KO edition, or if you have the money, then two of them in SLI(though they're around $275 - $340 a pop, depending on manufacturer and if it is overclocked). A single 8800GT still does wonders on games(e.g. it outperforms the 8800GTX in most cases; for about $250 less).
Now, like smax013 mentioned, you'll have to check with XFX for RAM compatability, thouhg most RAM should work.
I will say that the Core 2 Quads do NOT dissapoint(I'm using a Q6700), especially on games, et cetera. Something else to consider: Do you really need a THOUSAND GB HDD to store your data? Hitachi does make the best TB drives, though. I just think that a TB(Terabyte) might be a bit much. Perhaps two 500GB HDDs in RAID-0 for speed increases?
All of your slected peripherals seem fine, and the Samsung 22" is an AWESOME monitor(I use one). Coolermaster is pon of the best in the market when it comes to computer chassises, and if you can afford it, I reccomend a CoolerMaster Cosmos chassis.

[simplicity02]

First off thank you so much for your extremley quick and helpful answers I truly appreciate the help :8}. I have decided after looking at the things you guys suggested to go with

RAM: OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

Video Card: EVGA 512-P3-N801-A1 GeForce 8800GT

As for the fiber optic ethernet card I have to admit I am not very educated in the area of ethernet connections so I was not sure if I needed to buy an ethernet card or not (as the last time I built a computer dial up was the standard heh) so I simply went with a card that was highly rated on that one. Do I need an ethernet card or does the motherboard I chose support that. I also have one last question as I found out where I live might go wireless so my question is what do I need to install to make my desktop capable of being in a wireless network (another thing not around when I last built a computer). Once again I truly have to thank you for your help so far you are all great!

[smax013]

simplicity02 said:

First off thank you so much for your extremley quick and helpful answers I truly appreciate the help :8}. I have decided after looking at the things you guys suggested to go with

RAM: OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory


Video Card: EVGA 512-P3-N801-A1 GeForce 8800GT


As for the fiber optic ethernet card I have to admit I am not very educated in the area of ethernet connections so I was not sure if I needed to buy an ethernet card or not (as the last time I built a computer dial up was the standard heh) so I simply went with a card that was highly rated on that one. Do I need an ethernet card or does the motherboard I chose support that. I also have one last question as I found out where I live might go wireless so my question is what do I need to install to make my desktop capable of being in a wireless network (another thing not around when I last built a computer). Once again I truly have to thank you for your help so far you are all great!

You should not need a seperate network card...the motherboard you cited comes with two Gigabit ethernet ports if I recall correctly. I don't believe the network card would work for you anyway as I believe it uses fiber connections not typical ethernet connections.



As to wireless, it will depend on what you mean. If you mean that your local city/area is setting up a free wireless (or paid for wireless) network, then all you would need is a typical WiFi card that you install in a PCI slot. If you wanted to use that computer wirelessly with a wired connection, then in addition to the WiFi PCI card you would need to get a broadband router with WiFi to hook up to your wired broadband connection. You might want to get a router anyways even if you just use the wired connection...a router can act as a firewall for you computer AND allow you to hook more than one computer to your connection. If you don't get a router, then make sure you install some decent software firewall on the computer.

[simplicity02]

Cool thank you so much for your continued help smax I am truly grateful. Thank you all again for answering my questions I definatley will be reccomending this place if anyone ever needs help with stuff.

[mphenterprises]

With Pleasure. :-)

If you need anything else, please post. There are several people within this forum that will attempt to answer any question you have.