Building a computer? Need advice/suggestions? Come here!

[InnerGoat]

Drop that PSU and get something from Corsair or Seasonic


Also that board only accepts two dimms, get 2x2GB sticks.

[ultama121]

FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU--

Didn't notice that. *sigh*

*goes to fix that*

E: Alright how's this sound? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820161182 (x2)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151092

Do I have to raise the power?

[Warsaw]

I think you should go AMD instead of Intel unless you can bump up to an i7. LGA 775 is at the end of its life and LGA 1156 is an evolutionary dead end. AM3 would be a wiser investment and you can maintain that level of computing power without sacrificing more money. Hell, you might either A.) save or B.) be able to get a better CPU. Actually, scratch that. I KNOW you can get a better CPU for $145. Though, it'd be wise to spend another $15 and go with this anyways.

[InnerGoat]

...

Do I have to raise the power?

That rig will run fine on a high quality 380 watt psu so both of those will do just fine.

[ultama121]

Thanks Warsaw and Goat.

Alright I've done some changes. What about now?

Newegg.com - XCLIO Godspeed One Advanced Fully Black Finish 0.5 mm SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR A785G3 AM3 AMD 785G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - POWERCOLOR AX5770 512MD5-H Radeon HD 5770 512MB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Writer - CD / DVD Burners
Newegg.com - SeaSonic SS-550HT 80plus 550W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
Newegg.com - Crucial 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT25664BA1339 - Desktop Memory (x2)

[ultama121]

.................
Newegg.com - Crucial 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT25664BA1339 - Desktop Memory (x2)

.

[bleach]

Hi, I need a lot of help and I'm going to ask a few questions regarding my new computer and I'm going to post the specifications as a reference (Sorry for the long post by the way):

Antec 300 Mid-Tower Case
Intel Core i5 750 2.66 GHz @ 2.66 GHz
Asus P7P55D Pro Socket 1156
OCZ Platinum 4 GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 PC3-10666 (CL 7-7-7-20)
Western Digital Caviar Green 750 GB 32 MB Cache SATA 3 HD
Gearhead Triple Format 24x DVD+/-R SATA Internal Drive (Model 24XDVDINT)
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 600W PSU
ATI Radeon X300 128 MB DDR
Airlink 101 AWLH4130 PCI bus Wireless Network Adapter
Samsung SyncMaster 2494SW 24" Monitor (1920 x 1080 Native Resolution; 60 Hz Refresh)
Windows Vista Ultimate Service Pack 2 x64 (came from a clean install from Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 x86)

There is one quirk regarding the video card (besides the fact that it is old): I'm not sure if it is ATI Radeon X300, ATI Radeon X300 SE or some other variant of the ATI X300 GPU.

I have a few questions:

1) I need help finding 64-bit drivers for my wireless network adapter. First of all, it should be functioning because there is a LED light that blinks indicating that it is working and also it worked in Windows XP Professional x86. Second, I tried the driver alone and the driver and the utility together from the manufacturer's website but those didn't work. Then, I resorted to Google and several custom drivers and other utilities/suggestions, but it resulted in failure. So now I look to this forum for advice and help. (By the way, you may be wondering how I am posting, but I do have an old computer that is running on XP Home x86 (with the same model wireless network adapter) and an 8 GB flash drive for transferring downloaded drivers, utilities, programs, etc.)

2) The video card has issues with its drivers too. When I used Windows XP Professional x86, there were no drivers or utilities as my dad's old Catalyst CD didn't work and neither did the legacy drivers on ATI's site work for some reason and so the screen resolution was at most 1280 x 1024 rather than my native monitor resolution, which is 1920 x 1080. After I upgraded by clean install to Windows Vista Ultimate x64, I found out that the legacy driver worked and Windows recognized it so the resolution is back to 1920 x 1080. However, the video card (I believe) crashes when I: [1] Go into Catalyst Control Center and choose something like 3D, or Video, [2] Attempt to play the games that come with Vista (i.e. Minesweeper), or [3] Open Windows Media Player to full screen and I get a blue screen after that. It seems my hypothesis is that any video intensive programs is just bad in plain terms for a weird reason and yet in my dad's computer several years ago, I was able to play Halo PC. Does anyone have any ideas or solutions?

3) If your solution to the video card is an upgrade, I am actually waiting for a more complete selection of DX11 supporting graphics cards to select from. As you know, there is a lot of fervor and rumors over Nvidia's GF100 GPU and the series and also ATI's Evergreen series is a very large hit as they seemingly completed their series with the heavily "binned" HD5830 GPU. Now, judging from my computer components, what is the vicinity of graphics cards I should think about with regards to my power supply and power requirements? (If it is possible, can you list the video cards that are at the limit of power requirements pertaining to my system and that are currently out right now which I can run in my system? (please give 1 answer from Nvidia and ATI, disregarding my preference for DX11 as I can research the power requirements and since I only want a rough estimate, or you can give a numerical figure...) Is there any hope for getting an Nvidia GTX 470 or the model immediately below it (when it launches)? [I admit I tend to favor Nvidia over ATI.]

4) Fourth, should I look my new system's future (I am going to stick with it for another 3.5 years) starting with something like the Asus U3S6? Can I consider future sound cards? Other expansion cards, hard drives, a Blu-Ray drive?

5) Lastly (for now), any suggestions if I were to change my wireless network adapter, what should I get? I'm looking for great support, reputation, happy customers/reviews, awesome drivers, overall high performance at a reasonable price (preferably $15-$50 at the super most) and also whichever is better (USB adapter vs. PCI adapter)? Right now I have a wireless network setup in my really cramped room and the router that Verizon service installed when we got FiOs is in my dad's office downstairs.

Thanks for looking at the problems I'm having with my new computer and for taking your time...

Sincerely,
Bleach

[Abdurahman]

I would recommend a slightly better motherboard for that cpu. One with two pci express slots would be good. how about this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157176

or this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130250

closest to your budget.

If you can spend a bit more, get this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130249

[Warsaw]

I agree with Abdurahman in his assessment. It adds upgrade potential later without forcing the user to spend an arm and a leg for a new motherboard AND a new graphics card. Also, USB3.0 is nice. So is SATA 3.0.

The rest of the setup is pretty solid. Though though for RAM, you want some of this janks. It's paired, it's around the same price point, it has the same speed, it has better latency, and it has heat spreaders. Also, G.SKILL RAM is awesome. I use it.

Fake E: I also recommend a Western Digital hard drive over Seagate. I swear by that brand, for it is awesome.

[Rook]

Christ ultama make it into a newegg wishlist so it'll auto update when you change stuff as well as be easier to look at.