Building a new computer - FINALLY DONE!

[Hermes¡¢]

Alright, well I have had this same old BestBuy bought HP Pavilion 760c for 5 years or so now. It is a P4 1.9 Ghz, 768 MB Ram, 64 MB GPU. Alright, it's crappy.

Anyways, I have been saving up and I decided I wanted to build my own rig. I can't, however, spend to much as I still have to save up for university. I am from Canada, B.C. and am ordering from NCIX. I just want to thank Hardware Canucks for having such a nice price check script on the site. You seriously saved me a lot of money and am glad I found this site before I ordered.

Too the point: This is my future computer. I am hoping you guys can check out what I have chosen, recommend if I should replace, add, or remove anything, and hopefully answer my questions at the end of the post. Thanks.

** ALL THE PRICES YOU SEE BELOW ARE PRICES I GOT FROM THE PRICE CHECK SCRIPT ON HARDWARE CANUCKS, NOT THE REAL PRICES FROM NCIX!

----

Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Direct Touch 3 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S754 S939 S940 W 120MM PWM Fan -$34.10

Xigmatek ACK-I7751 Crossbow Mounting Kit for 3 Piece Heat Pipe for HDT-S963 HDT-S1283 RS-S1283 - $9.72

Samsung SH-S223Q/BEBN Black DVD+RW 22X8X16 DVD-RW 22X6X16 DL16X/12X Lightscribe DVD Writer SATA OEM - $28.99

Samsung SyncMaster 2253BW 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor Black 1680X1050 8000:1 DVI VGA - $199.00

Razer DeathAdder Gaming Mouse 5 Button 1800DPI Infrared Optical USB - $57.50

Steelpad Qck Mini Mouse Pad 9.8X8.2IN - $9.72

Creative Fatality Gaming Headset 8FT Noise Canceling Microphone W/ Volume Control - $41.00

Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio - $109.00

Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtremegamer Sound Card - $91.51

Western Digital Velociraptor WD1500HLFS 150GB SATA 10000RPM 5.5MS 16MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM - $209.00

Mushkin XP PC2-8000 Redline 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit - $77.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box - $217.99

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610W EPS12V ATX V2.2 24PIN SLI Ready Active PFC 80MM Fan Power Supply - $84.51

HIS Radeon HD 4850 ICEQ4 Turbox 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card - $261.93

ASUS P5Q Pro ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 2PCI-E16 CrossFire 3PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN eSATA Motherboard - $154.23

PC Assembly and Testing (PRE-CONFIG OS If Purchased) - $50.00

TOTAL: $1,636.19

--

Alright, here are my question:

1. Do you guys think it is a good idea to get the (PC Assembly and Testing (PRE-CONFIG OS If Purchased) - $50.00). My dad knows how to build the computer no problem, but the only reason I chose this option is because NCIX provides 1 year warranty. Incase something goes wrong in the first year, they can help me. What are your opinions? Would you chose it? Why and why not?
2. I ordered the Antec 900 case, this case comes with 3 Tri Cool fans and one big 200m fan on top (correct me if I am wrong). The case also comes with an area on the side where you can add a 120mm fan. Is it reccomended I buy a 120mm fan to add this this part of the case for more cooling? I am trying to minimize my spending, but if it is a good invesment, I do not mind doing it.
3. Do you guys reccomend I add, replace, or remove anything I have chosen?

Hope you guys can help,
Thanks.

[cadaveca]

It's very easy to build a pc, and the first is always the most difficult(worrying if ya got it all right, plugged everything in...)

But I charge $65 for build/OS install, so I say take the deal, and the warranty!

[Hermes¡¢]

Originally Posted by cadaveca

It's very easy to build a pc, and the first is always the most difficult(worrying if ya got it all right, plugged everything in...)

But I charge $65 for build/OS install, so I say take the deal, and the warranty!

Well it is not the fact that it is difficult, I can build the computer. I am only doing it for the warranty and I am wondering if it is worth it.

[Evylldemon]

Very nice looking build. I always recommend the do it yourself approach but you'll likely get the best results from having them do it. Putting a computer together is actually pretty easy if you follow the manuals.

I could never justify spending $100 on a sound card but if your an audiophile it may be worth it. I personally can rarely tell the difference between onboard sound and a high-end card.

Good luck with it!

[cadaveca]

See the red logo at the top of the thread, next to the ad?

[Hermes¡¢]

Originally Posted by Evylldemon

Very nice looking build. I always recommend the do it yourself approach but you'll likely get the best results from having them do it. Putting a computer together is actually pretty easy if you follow the manuals.

I could never justify spending $100 on a sound card but if your an audiophile it may be worth it. I personally can rarely tell the difference between onboard sound and a high-end card.

Good luck with it!

Once again I know how to build a computer, I am only doing it for the 1 year warranty. Do you think that the 1 year warranty is worth it?

Also, the only reason I chose this expensive of a sound card is because I have never heard anything above regular onboard sound. Also, I heard it was worth to get something with X-Fi.

[misterlarry]

First of all, welcome to HWC! The only thing that I would change if it was my build is drop the sound card for now and invest more in the video card (4870). You can always add a sound card at a later date if you decide you really want it (there are some threads here that suggest that there are better ones for a lot less).

I don't know if you plan on overclocking, if you do, check to see what the build warranty will cover. I tend to think that you will find it more rewarding to build it yourself and rely on manufacturer's warranties for your components. In the end, it really depends on what exactly the build warranty will cover. If it is only labor and trouble shooting, then I would doubt that it is worth it. There's a lot of troubleshooting knowledge right here at ol' HWC.

[angy]

HIS Radeon HD 4850 ICEQ4 Turbox 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card - $261.93

this is me personally but i'd buy a used 4870 for that price locally they are always being sold for maybe even cheaper.

HIS Radeon HD 4850 ICEQ4 Turbo 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card - DirectCanada

Bfg Geforce Gtx 260 Oc 590MHZ 896MB 1.998GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I Hdcp Hdtv Out Video Card - DirectCanada

[JD]

Not really worth buying the TurboX unless you can't slide up a slider in ATI's CCC Overdrive and would rather pay somebody to do that for you...

I got the Turbo and it clocks right up to 700/1200 just fine. Happens to be the maximum defined by the BIOS so I cannot go any higher without modifying the BIOS, which I have, though I haven't found the absolute maximum just yet.

[Chilly]

Mostly everything in your list is good, I'd switch out the P5Q-Pro for a P5Q-E as the -E is on sale atm on NCIX for only 5 $ more than the Pro, also I would drop the sound card and up the video card to a 4870 1GB OR a 260 GTX. If you don't mind going used, nakano2k1 is selling 2 4850's fpr $300 shipped is selling 2 4850's for $300 shipped which is a GREAT deal, 2 of those in crossfire will give you close to 4870x2 performance. Not only that and you'd get to play around with some crossfire fun!