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

[JoshuaLogan]

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...

[HackedByChinese!]

Open Box from Newegg means that you'll just be getting the bare motherboard, which in your case is probably not a good thing. I would buy the full sealed retail box.

 

I don't think that there will be an appreciable difference in heat and noise between the 300 and 500GB drives, so I would go with the 500s, given the choice, as more space is rarely a bad thing. From personal experience, though, Seagate drives aren't the quietest out there, so if noise is a concern, you might want to look into other brands.

 

The rest of the build looks good.