Dr. Random

I was told here to come for a check on whether or not it's compatible. I'm fairly new and this is the first build I've made, so here goes:

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - ORDERED
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - ORDERED
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - ORDERED
ENCORE ENLWI-N IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI 2.3 Wireless Adapter Up to 300Mbps Data Rates 64/128-bits WEP Encryption WPA, WPA2 WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK - ORDERED
EVGA 512-P3-N973-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - ORDERED
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005 SP2B for System Builders

I've marked what's been ordered as what's been ordered. My main concern is compatibility. Would everything work or not? Again, I'm new to this.

aaronmonto

Yes, it's all compatible, although I'd personally go with a faster hard drive (WD Black, SG 7200.12, or Samsung F/F1) and video card (much improved GTS 250) for a couple bucks more ($15 max)... but no biggie.

The big issue here is Windows XP Media Center Edition... that operating system is flawed in so many ways, and within months, so much unregulated gunk gets jammed into every corner you'll be lucky to be running at half the speed as when you started, and it has several hardware incompatibilities as well (GMA 950 being one of them). I'd strongly recommend straying away from XP MCE even if you want a media center PC.

Other minor improvements you could make are in RAM and CPU choice. The RAM's timings are pretty loose (I'd recommend 4-4-4-12; makes a huge difference in number crunching, and you've got a number crunching king right there), and the E8400 has been the same price of $165 or so for almost a year now, whereas the Q9550, with twice the cache and almost twice the awesomeness, has gone from $500 to $320 to $230... Go with that and you won't regret it; it's practically the best priceerformance ratio on the market today, whereas the E8400 is the worst excluding Extreme Edition CPU's.

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fonzye

you will need a faster hdd.....in rest it's all ok to me....

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Dr. Random

Thanks for the recommendation on the processor and the ram, but I can't do much about the hard drive as it's already shipped.

... What operating system would you recommend? Vista is out of the question as I've had a awful experience with it so far.

Deano12345

What about the Windows 7 RC...you can download it from Microsoft for free and use it until June next year (I think)

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scottath

I will also say go for the latest W7 edition you can find (i'm installing 7229 as i type this(

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Dr. Random

I sort of want something to fall back on.

I'm looking for any version of XP. So... what version should I get?

Additionally, will this ram be better than what I'm already picked?

scottath

The video card is DX 1- = so you want to run either W7 or vista to get the most from that card.

Get W7 - it is great - i have used it since the first "min" pre beta release (6801) as my main os - and i havent had any isses with it

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Dr. Random

I'm still rather picky on it and would still prefer XP, though thank you for your recommendation on windows seven. I'll consider it.

But still, would that ram work, and what version of xp should I get?

Deano12345

Ram is fine..but you will need a 64 Bit version of XP to access all of it

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