New builder needs some pointers

Hi there, I am very new to building PC's but very keen to start. I'm trying to build a PC that will last me for as long as possible, ie has huge room for upgrading. My plan was to buy the best bare bones I could afford and buy relatively cheap interchangeable parts and gradually build it up over time.

Here is the project so far:

- Intel Core i7 920 D0 2.66GHz Socket 1366 8MB Cache
- ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution MB
- Corsair 650W TX Series PSU
- Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200rpm SATA 3Gb/s 32MB Cache
- XFX GeForce 8800GTX 768Mb
- Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 (1600MHz) Tri-Channel
- Samsung 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter
- Case fans:
1x 120mm Stock (Front Intake)
1x 80mm Stock (Side Intake)


Components left to acquire/to do list:
- SAS Drive (No rush to aquire)
- Cooling for CPU? (Stock at moment)
- Cooling for RAM?
- Case Fans:
2x 80mm (Rear Exhaust)???


Any advice or criticism on any aspect would be very gratefully appreciated.

Can anyone advise on cooling please? I do plan on OCing but not straight away.

BTW I managed to get the Gcard relatively cheap, that would be one of the first upgrades I was thinking about. (hehe, thinking about upgrades before I have even setup the system).

to OCForums!
Yea, the vid card is pretty dated and not exceptionally powerful as today's standards go, but will likely get you by until you can upgrade. What resolution monitor are you running?

CPU air cooling is dominated by the Thermalright Ultra Extreme (TRUE), Prolimatech Megahalems. Other major contenders include Noctura, Xigmatek, Coolermaster Hiper 212.

What case do you have, and are you looking for a different case? 80mm fans are slowly becoming extinct as case fans, due to low overal cfm and high noise levels. Something with all fans at least 120mm is by far more efficient and provides lower levels of noise pollution.

Im an old schooler, i did all my Ocing in the P3-P4 days so as far as parts i will let somone else comment there.
*Altho i recognize that GPU so yea im sure it will do the job for now you can always put in a new GPU its just a PCI-X slot right*

As far as the Ocing and cooling goes tho:
Ram, you don't need to cool ram other then good case airflow.
Mofets, may want some OCZ copper ramsinks and some artic silver adheasive for mofets.
CPU Thermalright is where its at, i seccond that motion.
Case Cooling, if your current case doesnt have 120mm fans then get a new case.
Again as Chevro1et said 80mm are junk, they are smaller faster spinning fans.
The larger the fan the bigger the blades therfor the slower it has to move in order to push the same amount of air.

...O and you didnt mention PSU when you grab a good Antec case they come with very solid and well cooled PSU's.

OK, changed the case to a Coolermaster HAF 922. This seems much better than the cheap option I went for before. Though now I need to purchase a side 200mm fan and a 140mm bottom fan.

I am also thinking of buying the "Prolimatech Megahalems Performance CPU Cooler". Seems to be the best in price to performance ratio. It will however require a 120mm fan (suggest fan speed 800~1200rpm).

Anyone have any thoughts on these items or the setup?
Any ideas as to which make of fans are regarded as the best?
Do I have to stick to the guide lined 1200rpm on the heat sink or can I push for more rpm?

Looks good, but as mentioned before, video card is outdated. Depends what you play, but it should hold up to most games.

Video card will be fine and holds up well in high res games.

What case are you looking at getting (or have already)?
80 mm fans are not considered adequate for case cooling as the have to be very loud to provide adequate ventilation.

Best bet would be a case with dual rear 120 mm exhaust a front panel 120 or two and at least a single 120 in the side panel (2 would be nice)

Buggedout said:

OK, changed the case to a Coolermaster HAF 922. This seems much better than the cheap option I went for before. Though now I need to purchase a side 200mm fan and a 140mm bottom fan.

Click to expand...

Cooling System of HAF922
120mm Fans 1 x 120mm rear fan
200mm Fans 1 x 200mm Red LED front fan
1 x 200mm top fan
Side Air duct No

The side panel seems to be an open mesh, giving fresh air to the inner side case. I would suggest not buying any fans for the case right off the bat, as it comes with stock coolmaster fans. Give the case a chance and let it show you what it can do, if you are unsatisfied then go back and replace the stock fans. Im sure there is enuff airflow threw that case to keep you happy for a while.

Buggedout said:

I am also thinking of buying the "Prolimatech Megahalems Performance CPU Cooler". Seems to be the best in price to performance ratio. It will however require a 120mm fan (suggest fan speed 800~1200rpm).
Do I have to stick to the guide lined 1200rpm on the heat sink or can I push for more rpm?

Click to expand...

Ah yes always good to buy a top quality fan for your HSF, you can go above the 1200rpm. Do a little research in the cooling section and find a good 120mm with a good CFM/DBA ratio.

Buggedout said:

Anyone have any thoughts on these items or the setup?
Any ideas as to which make of fans are regarded as the best?

Click to expand...

Best, is what best works for you. If your putting you PC in a sound proof room then i would recomend one type of fan, yet if you sleep in the same room as your pc i would recomend somthing differnt. It all depends on how much noise you can handle, and how far you want to push your PC.