Ordering computer to build off newegg... open box a problem? last minute questions

[Josh Burgess]

Okay, I'm ordering all the parts for my new recording PC off newegg and I have a couple questions for anybody who can help.


1. The motherboard is the Intel DP35DPM. I can get it for a little over a $100 or for about $50 with open box. Should I stick with the open box to save money or would I be better off just getting the retail version to make sure I get everything I need? This will be the first pc I've fully put together, so I don't really want to be missing parts.... Also, I think this motherboard comes with two texas instruments firewire ports, but I'm having trouble confirming it... is that true?

2. I can't decide between the seagate 320gb hard drives (2 of them) or the seagate 500gb hard drives (2 of them). It only costs $40 more to get two 500gb drives... but I've read the bigger drives get pretty hot and such, so I'm thinking they might not be as fast and might be a little less reliable... so, should I just not bother and get the 320gb drives or go ahead and get more space for an extra 40 bucks?

Here's the specs:
Case: Antec Sonata III w/500W PSU
CPU: Core 2 Quad Q6600
CPU Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
RAM: Corsair XMS2 4GB(2x2GB) PC6400
System HDD: Seagate 320GB/16MB/7200RPM-SATA 3GB
Project HDD: Seagate 320GB/16MB/7200RPM-SATA 3GB
ODD: LITE-ON DVD/RW - 20x8x8x - Lightscribe Technology
VGA: Gigabyte GeForce 8600GT PCI-E 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI / HDTV
Motherboard: Intel DP35DPM
OS: Windows XP Home 32

Help me out if you can. Thanks...

 

[AdamWathan]

32 bit Windows XP can't use more than 3gb of RAM from what I understand... You'd have to be running running XP 64 or Vista to see more than 3gb.

 

[Josh Burgess]

32 bit Windows XP can't use more than 3gb of RAM from what I understand... You'd have to be running running XP 64 or Vista to see more than 3gb.

yeah, I know.... it's actually supposed to be somewhere between 3gb and 3.5gb. I'm okay with that though. Just want it running as smoothly as possible.

any advice on the open box motherboard? and do you know about those firewire ports?

 

[Unavailable]

It's 4GB including the memory on your video card. Therefore, if you have a 256MB video card (like you are getting), the maximum supported memory is 3.75GB. I'd get Vista, but it's objective. However, don't get XP 64 if you change your mind. The support for it is horrible.

Save the money on the motherboard. Newegg wouldn't sell it if it wasn't in good, working order.

I wouldn't worry about the larger HDDs, but I've never heard anything about overheating because of larger disk space.

Edit: According to this site the two firewire ports are TI chipsets.

http://www.wootcomputers.com/daw/daw_core2.html

 

[DevilJaw]

for mobos, i wouldnt go open box, everything else yeah i would.

the hdds either choice is good. the ram is fine too, its cheap and good quality get as much as you want.

but the only issue i see is your powersupply, antec has been dodgey lately with the last few model lines, i never get a case with a powersupply its always almost crap, with antec its better somewhat.

the most important part is the powersupply, getting a solid high quality one is the most important thing, i would get a cheaper case that you like and spend the rest on a good psu, with your budget i would suggest any of the corsair models, whatever suits your budget.
also i would double check on the built in TI chipset, check your hardware and see if there are any issues with it, i got a mobo with what was a good TI chipset, but turned didnt like my interface, so i had to get a rather expensive PCIe firewire card that fixed the issue(same chipset, different revision) so research the TI chipset and what hardware you will be connecting, just because its a TI chipset doesnt mean you wont have issues.