New System

[PauL]

Well my friend is wanting to get a new computer and he is thinking about getting a Dell and I really think that dells are overpriced. So I came up with this system and I wanted to know if it is better than buying a dell (Not sure what type of dell but I think he was planning on getting a XPS). He already has everything else like monitor, keyboard, ect.

Motherboard: ASUS P5LD2 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 945P ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail

RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS1GBKIT667D2 - Retail

Video Card:
XFX PV-T71G-UDF7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

PSU: Thermaltake TR2 W0070 ATX 430W Power Supply - Retail I know its cheap but I have the same power supply and it is working great with my system.

Grand Total: $786.95

Comments/Suggestions would be great. Thanks

[simon275]

System is solid I can't falt it go for it. Just make sure the CPU has a decent heatsink and the case has good cooling.

[PauL]

Does a heatsink not come with the CPU? What would you recommend a good heatsink for about $25.00?

[MitaPi]

A retail CPU should come with a heatsink I believe. With a conroe you wont need much, they run super cool. But just in case... lets see... conroe is a LGA775 or otherwise known as socket T, so you will have to get a heatsink that is compatible with that for a Socket T or more commonly known as LGA775. Hmmm, for 25 bucks? I would say go to newegg.com. I would go with this right here...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835200012

or for a little bit more, I would highly recommend this one...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835186134

Or for an even better one for twice the price....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118003

Oh and what are you using to put all this stuff in? If you dont have anything for it yet... I think this lil number right here is pretty cool... has some potential.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811128018

Also what about optical drives? Does he already have those?

[public_eyesore]

I was looking at that case, but I dont like the fact that it doesnt have 120mm fans, and the insides looked kinda cheap

[MitaPi]

Okay, well I was thinking the same thing.. untill I realized that I can drill extra holes for a 120mm. duh? :D For the price I cant say it looks cheap, but I wont say it looks awesome either. At least its steel, I have some sort of fascination with steel. None of that plastic or alluminum stuff for me thank you. :p

This is a pretty good 80mm fan too for the price and dba...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835129046

Sure with a 120mm you can get the same thing but at 70+ CFM, but with a drill you can fix that if you want. Using a drill to drill some extra holes is a bit like changing a light bulb if you ask me lol.

EDIT:
Also it looks like if you know how to improvise you can put in a bunch of silent fans into the side of the case.

Also also, I just noticed how bad those handels look up top. Maybe they are not all like that? But in any case, I would just replace them.