re: Do motherboards have sound cards inbuilt?

Suem these days SCSI is more aptly connected to SATA(II).
That 15000, and 1000 hard-drive are too slow.
You can buy a 250 Gb SATA @ 72000rpm....for less $90.00.(I just bought a second one, for my computer......to put Linux Ubuntu on......and, to 'tinker with'.)

"need host bus adapter and scsi cable." you say.....well, any computer-store will have both 'in stock'. Not all that expensisve to buy, either.
Sounds like your motherboard does not these 'built-in'.....which means that you will have to set up the RAID configuration, first.
With a Floppy, containing the RAID 'drivers'.
If your Motherboard is capable of doing it, you might get away with not using the Floppy, to install those RAID drivers....just use the Motherboard's Install CD....to configure that RAID 'set-up'.
Using the 'On-board Sound' is a practical idea, too, Sue.
Just 'enable' it...through the BIOS, and switch your Speaker Plug to the 'on-board' version.Then, RUN your motherboard's CD, to install the Sound-drivers. (The OS may actually 'activate' your Sound, anyway.....with generic drivers. Double-check, via Control Panel, anyway. If AUDIO is not 'greyed-out', it is working.)

One less 'add-in card' you have to install.
Especially if your computer is in a tiny room, no need to bust your ear-drums...with excessive Sound. Or disturb your neighbours.

As for the Power Supply, what is the 'rating' of the motherboard?

It should cover the 'usage' of everything that is connected...within the computer.
CD/DVD ROM(s)
Graphics-card
RAM
Hard-drive(s)
Motherboard
USB
Keyboard/Mouse
Work with List in mind, you should not go too wrong.

re: Do motherboards have sound cards inbuilt?

To Superdude,
I actually did work at Stokes Hill Power Station, and if you have a closer inspection of the fine print and power rating of your mates True Power Antec you will find it will be either of the Dual or Triple(if its the Trio version) 12Vlt Rail variety.
As for the HD`s you mentioned can be either 7500>10,000rpm, and yes you could RAID them if you want.
And a little secret, have a look at the back of your 750Gb Samsung and you might find a minature jumper in place which limits its transfer speed to 1.5Gb/s,lol.
Frank N Stien :)

re: Do motherboards have sound cards inbuilt?

come on frank--500watts--dual rails--do you work for a power company--and a nice side step paul.
sata2 with 10,000rpm--lol yeah what for--is sue a gaming freak counting milli seconds---it's a wonder you didnt say raid as well---sue you asked a question with not enough info--the most important is what are you going to use the computer for--multi tasking --gaming--office--video conversions or just internet.
my friend runs heaps of hdd's and dvd's and a top line video card he uses a 400watt true power supply--antec i think it is---550 watts if you are running 2 video cards--for a hdd just use a sata2--look for one with 32megs cache--they are the newest.
case cooling--if you have a new intel quad core they run very cool--another friend has a q6600 at start up the cpu fan on the standard intel hsf dosnt even turn on as the heat is not enough to start the fan up--it runs at room temp and the new 45nm cpu's yorkfields are even cooler again--i think the standard intel hsf uses a copper core with aluminium fins--and dose a good job if you are not overclocking.
the most important thing is the motherboard of course and cpu
if you should pick an amd cpu they run hotter and a case fan or 2 might be needed--also a psu with a 120mm fan under it helps heaps cooling the whole system--also a video card that exits the hot air outside the case is a good move--if you are going to use a video card--maybe onboard video might be enough for you --depends on your use for your computer.
i'm into gaming and multi tasking--i just bought a q9300 cpu and matched it to a gigabyte p35-ds3p--ver2.1 motherbord--which is crossfire--takes 2 ati cards or 1 nvidia.
i got a 8800gts and patriot ddr2 ram--the board will overclock 1066mhz to 1200mhz--also the mo/bo has hd sound onboard--and cooling pipes which will help keep the mo/bo cooler.
it still comes back to what you need--my upgrade will be complete when my hsf fan turns up from hong kong--the total for my upgrade was $930--i forgot the full atx case as well and a 750gig samsung sata2 hdd.
i think for a good allrounder the yorkfields are the way to go as they multi task and play games and the newest games do use the extra cores like bioshock--so a bit future prof.

re: Do motherboards have sound cards inbuilt?

I'll let you answer them Paul, maybe then I can work out the questions
:-)

(Frank seems to have done a better job than me. -PZ)

re: Do motherboards have sound cards inbuilt?

Most Mobo`s today have quite a decent onboard sound chip from 5.1 to 7.1 channels ie(AC97)SD and HD and others.
As for SCSI, if you can i would go for a S-ATAII which i believe is capable of data transfer at up to 3Gb/s and use a 10,000 RPM S-ATAII DRIVE providing the MOBO supports S-ATAII.(Dont forget it still wont reach that transfer speed as it is just a maximum figure) and it also depends on the onboard CHIPSET.
For decent case ventilation i would be looking for at least a front bottom mounted 120mm intake fan and a rear mid mounted 120mm exhaust fan mounted inline behind the CPU to transfer the heated case air temp efficiently. 120mm fans can transfer air at a higher CFM (cubic feet per minute) at a lower RPM which also means less noise than 80mm fans as they have to spin faster for the same CFM transfer. Also make sure you bundle all your cabling nicely out of the way of all fans so the air transfer isnt impeded across your MOBO/CPU and other HARDWARE that is installed. If you have provisions for a side mounted fresh air intake adjustable stack tube directly over your CPU/FAN/HS it can help in directing fresh air directly to your CPU FAN but make sure it has a fine mess filter so you dont have to clean the fan and heatsink that often. These filters are available from JAYCAR and come in all sizes for comps.
For the PSU, well`that depends on a lot of factors such as the power requirements for your MOBO/CPU/GRAPHICS CARD/HD`s/DVD BURNERS/CASE FANS that you are running but bottom line i would at least look for something rated at 500Watt and above with dual 12Vlt rails.If you run top of the line PCI-E GRAPHICS CARDS and heaps of DRIVES i would look for even a higher rated PSU and make sure that they are of a reputable name.
I hope this helps you out a little SUE and happy computer building.
Frank N Stien :)