Please check if this system will work

[timiny_cricket]

Hi. Although I've done a lot of research into this, I'm new to building computers, and any advice on whether these parts should work well together would be greatly appreciated. I'm mostly unsure about the motherboard and if everything can plug into it.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz
Asus P5Q Pro
Corsair 4GB 6400 C5DHX (2x2GB)
Asus EN9800GT Ultimate --or-- Asus EN9800GTX+
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB (or something similar)
Antec Twelve Hundred case
Viewsonic 19" VA926 DVI --or-- Samsung 19" 943B

I'll be running XP.

What kind of power supply would be recommended for this system?

I haven't decided yet on the keyboard or optical drives, but I don't suppose those things would really have any compatibility issues, right?

I'm unsure about how computers are put together because I've never done it before, and I have a few questions.
- Do the fans that come with the case all plug into the motherboard?
- If so, where can I find information on how many fans a motherboard can support? (Because the Antec case comes with 7 fans + 1 optional, which seems like quite a lot, and I'm not sure if the motherboard will support that many)
- The Asus 9800GTX+ has a 2 x 6 pin power connector, as opposed to a single 6 pin connector for the 9800GT. Does that mean a single 9800GTX+ takes up two SLI slots?
- I intend to play games with this system; is this motherboard a good choice with that in mind?

Thanks in advance.

[Mr. Gruntsworthy]

Just a few quick answers here:

>> Yes, all the parts are compatible.

>> I'd go with a 750W PSU, from a solid brand, preferrably something like a PC Power Silencer.

>> The fans connect to standard 4-pin power connectors from your PSU (like what would power your DVD drive). What I did in my antec 900 is make a 'fan train' with all my fans hooked up in succession from a single power connector. All the fans have a little black switch near them that manually controls their speed (low, medium, fast).

>> Yes, the motherboard is a good choice; the P5Q chipset-boards seem to be nice and solid, and in high reccommendation these days.

Seriously though, if you've got some extra $$ lying around, you should get yourself a copy of Vista, even if it's only Home Basic 32 bit. There's nothing wrong with XP, but Vista has been growing on me ever since I threw together my new rig a week ago.

[timiny_cricket]

Thanks for the help Mr Gruntsworthy. It's good that everything is compatible, all my research seems to have paid off.

The reason why I've decided to go with XP is kinda complicated. I initially wanted to go Vista x64, but I can't run ProTools LE on that, and I think I'd rather play games on a 32 bit XP rather than a 32 bit Vista due to the higher RAM requirements for Vista. I probably could get away with Vista, but I really have no problems with XP.

Is 750W totally necessary? I've found a nice looking PSU manufactured by Corsair called the HX-620, it seems reliable, and my local store has it at a reasonable price. Would I be able to get away with 620W on this system or do you really think I should go with 750W? Another issue: if 620W was enough for this system, but I added a HDD later for example, would I need more watts? Maybe a better question is: how do you work out how many watts a system needs?

Thanks again for the help, I'm starting to understand how the fans connect now.

[MpG]

While it won't hurt anything, 750W is overkill for that system. That 620HX is a solid unit, and won't have any trouble powering things. Even a couple extra HDD's or fans won't be an issue for it.

Antec's tri-cool fans don't actually run off the motherboard, they use a four-pin molex connector from your PSU. So no worries there, and as just stated above, they can be daisy-chained quite easily, since the plugs are double-ended.

That Asus 9800GTX+, if the pictures are any indication, will need two expansion slots because of its cooler. However only one PCI-E slot on your motherboard is needed. You'll loose access to the expansion slot below it, but nothing actually plugs in there. The extra power plug that the card needs is because the cards draws a little more power than the 9800GT.

[Mr. Gruntsworthy]

that reminds me about the GX2. A GX2 is essentially two GPU's on one card, so it's going to require enough juice to power the both of em. Essentially, it's 'SLI on a card.' It only needs one PCI-E slot though. It just means that the cooling mechanism will be big enough to take up the next slot as well.

about the PSU... i guess there are bits of my brain that need fine-tuning in these matters.

[misterlarry]

The only thing that I would suggest Tim is that you put a little more money into it and get yourself a 22" monitor. You'll be glad that you did. There are some excellent deals on them right now with Canadian vendors. Please remember to put together a build log and btw, welcome to HWC!

[timiny_cricket]

Ok, I think I'll go with the 620HX. Would the PSU come with leads that allow for daisy-chaining or do they have to be purchased separately?

That Asus 9800GTX+, if the pictures are any indication, will need two expansion slots because of its cooler. However only one PCI-E slot on your motherboard is needed. You'll loose access to the expansion slot below it, but nothing actually plugs in there. The extra power plug that the card needs is because the cards draws a little more power than the 9800GT.

Hmm, I don't think I fully understand the PCI business with the video card. So you're saying that it only takes one PCI-E slot, but it takes another regular PCI slot, which doesn't really matter because the audio and network is built in to the mobo and I have no need for another PCI card? And this would not prevent one from being able to have multiple 9800GTX+'s in SLI?

that reminds me about the GX2. A GX2 is essentially two GPU's on one card, so it's going to require enough juice to power the both of em. Essentially, it's 'SLI on a card.' It only needs one PCI-E slot though. It just means that the cooling mechanism will be big enough to take up the next slot as well.

Ah ok. I think I'll start off with either the 9800GT or 9800GTX+ because I'm not even sure if I will link them in SLI yet. It's just a possibility.

[timiny_cricket]

The only thing that I would suggest Tim is that you put a little more money into it and get yourself a 22" monitor.

I decided to go with a 19" one because we have a 19" on another computer and I think it's fine. :P

welcome to HWC!

Thanks

[misterd]

You won't be linking any cards in SLI on that P5Q motherboard, it's a Crossfire P45 board so you can use 2 AMD/ATI cards linked or 1 Nvidia card by itself. (not counting it as an unlinked PPU) That Corsair power supply will do the trick for the parts listed.

[chrisk]

I have the 620HX and it is excellent and good enough for your build. Take a look at my sig to see what my 620HX handles with no problems whatsoever. I have the Antec 900 with that power supply and you can join them together in a 'daisy chain' manner no problem. Don't worry about powering the fans with your setup.

To second what misterd said, that motherboard does not support 2 nvidia cards. You need an SLI motherboard right now to power 2 nvidia cards. The Intel 'multi video card' setups are Crossfire, which is ATI technology. Your board uses an Intel chipset, which means ATI Crossfire is the only option. However, your one nVidia card will work just fine.