building a computer.

[Grake]

Case

CPU Cooler

DVD-Writer

Hard drive

Motherboard

CPU

Video card

Memory

+ some other stuff that don't matter much. I'd like it to be under 900 with tax so around $800. This is just above 800 which is fine.

I wouldn't say this is a gaming pc or anything of that sort, but w/e gets me the best for 800$ is great! Anything I need to replace or any ideas would be great

Thank you.

[Zxian]

I'd make a couple of changes:

First off - you probably don't need a quad-core. You'll save some money and probably gain some performance by moving to the E8400 over the Q6600.

Secondly - stay away from the vanilla and Pro variants of the P5Q series. Spend the money you've saved on the CPU to get the P5Q-E. The layout is better, they use higher quality components, and the problems associated with them are far less.

The 9800GT isn't really worth the money. It's the exact same card as the 8800GT, but has support for Tri-SLI setups (complete waste of money IMO). That's the only reason why they can still sell the card for over $100. I'd look at spending the money towards an ATI 3650 or if you want the added power 3850. If you're just looking for a basic card that will handle some 3D apps, then look at the ATI 4670 or 4650 (if you can find it). Both have very low power draw (means easier cooling) and give decent performance for their price.

I personally like Western Digital drives over Seagates, mostly for one reason - noise. Seagate drives are loud, have very irritating seek noises, and aren't much more reliable than other brands. Sure the 5 year warranty is nice, but would you really cry that much if the drive dies in 4 years? By that time much larger and faster drives will be available for very little money (comparatively).

The Freezer 7 Pro is an alright cooler, but there are better ones out there. Thermalright HR-01+ comes to mind, or the Noctua NH-U12P. They're a little more pricey, but well worth the money.

Also - you never picked a power supply. On the short list are the Corsair VX450, Enermax Pro82+ 425W, and Enermax Modu82+ 425W. Yes, 425W will be plenty for the hardware mentioned above. The only thing you'd want to make sure of is that the EPS12V cable can reach the plug on the motherboard (the CM690 has the PSU mounted at the bottom of the case).

[Grake]

Thank you very much for your input. I unfortunately chose not to build it because of all the "troubleshooting" I would have to deal with after I give it to my friend lol. So went with name brand already built ones.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I know what to look for in the future so it wasn't a waste

[Zxian]

For future reference, there isn't much troubleshooting that you need to do on a newly built computer. Install the hardware, then OS, then drivers. I usually run a combined stress test on the hardware overnight to make sure that everything is running happily. A combination of ATITool's artifact scanner and Prime95 does well enough in most situations. An overnight run (8-12 hours) will often pick up on any hardware errors (which is grounds for RMA).