Another: Help me build a Rig

[Mr Financial]

I've been visiting Anandtech for 5 years or so, and finally decided to register.

I'd like some advice on building a PC. It seems like there's so many options out there.

I'd like to be able to use this as mostly a Digital Audio Recording PC, but still be able to game with the latest games for a year or two.

I already have a Western Digital 200GB Internal Hard Drive.

I also already have the Dell 2005FPW Monitor.

The only thing I have to include is an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI Card which is $99.00. So I guess that means I only have $651 left to spend.

I don't want a flashy case either.

 

[krcat1]

Hello.

The first thing is consider a 3200+ Venice.

The second, you don't want a flashy case, but do you need a quiet case?
What type of recording are you doing?

 

[Mr Financial]

Hmm, I'd say I need a moderately quiet case. The bulk of my music will come from the PC iself between software samplers and Virtual Instruments. I have Native Instruments Battery 2, FM7, Vokator, etc. etc. I'm not so much worried about the speed of processors, especially with the AMD's out now. My 1.8 MHZ P4 stood up quite well with all of my virtual instruments. I'd just like to build a bit of a gaming rig too.

 

[Azndude51]

Here's what I would suggest, of course you don't have to buy from Newegg if you can get it cheaper somewhere else:

Antec SLK3700AMB with 350watt PSU Case: $85

Chaintech nforce4 Ultra Mobo: $90

AMD64 3000+ Venice Core Socket 939 90nm: $157

Pretty much any 6600GT which will be around $170, I think

NEC ND-3520A DVD Burner: $50

Seagate 160GB HD Sata: $95

Total: $647 with shipping, not including your sound card.

 

[Azndude51]

Originally posted by: Azndude51
Here's what I would suggest, of course you don't have to buy from Newegg if you can get it cheaper somewhere else:

Antec SLK3700AMB with 350watt PSU Case: $85

Chaintech nforce4 Ultra Mobo: $90

AMD64 3000+ Venice Core Socket 939 90nm: $157

Pretty much any 6600GT which will be around $170, I think

NEC ND-3520A DVD Burner: $50

Seagate 160GB HD Sata: $95

Total: $647 with shipping, not including your sound card.

EDIT: Thought those prices aren't exact, I got pretty damned close to $650 by just picking parts without thinking too much about prices first.

REAL EDIT: woops, meant to edit that onto the previous post, sorry.

 

[Tostada]

You gotta watch out for that secure link button. It screws up your posts.

Anyway, what made you decide to go with that card? What advantage does it have over the other cheaper M-Audio cards at NewEgg? I really like the breakout connectors on the Delta 410. The only advantage I can find is the Audiophile is 100.4 dB A/D SNR and the Delta 410 is 99.6 dB.

What I'd be looking at in that price range is:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice OEM $149 (newegg)
heatsink: Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu $30.99 (ZipZoomFly)
mainboard: EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra $118 (ChiefValue)
video: GigaByte GeForce 6600 128MB $113.99 (ZipZoomFly)
RAM: Corsair 2 x 512MB DDR400 $79 (ChiefValue)
CD: Pioneer DVR-109 black DVD-R $58.99 (newegg)
sound: M-Audio Audiophile 2496 $103.99 (newegg)
case: Antec Sonata $96.59 (ChiefValue)

That's $750.55 delivered.


You can save $7 by getting the NEC burner (it does 4X DVD+R DL instead of 6X and can't do DVD-R DL).

You can get the retail CPU for another $5 if you want the sticker.

You can save some money on the motherboard. I wouldn't get an ECS or Foxconn board, but Biostar makes good cheap boards (and EPoX makes some fairly cheap ones). You can get a good NF4 non-ultra for around $90 if you don't care about firewire. If you're not going to overclock and don't need firewire, I'd get this:

mainboard: Biostar NF4ST-A9 (NF4) $87.5 (newegg)

I think that GF6600 is the best passive card you're going to get. The whole setup would be nearly silent. You might end up taking the fan controller off of your Zalman and putting it on your northbridge fan if that's too loud. You'll be able to change your fan settings in the BIOS, and with Cool & Quiet enabled everything should be silent.

Also, that Zalman fan might be a bit much, and if you're not concerned about keeping everything silent (and if you're not going to overclock), you might as well get the regular Retail CPU and use the stock fan.

And if you're not terribly concerned about it being silent, this is a very good case for $32 less:

case: Antec SLK1650B black $63 (ChiefValue)

 

[oconnection]

No no there all wrong!

My system owns theres!

intel Pentium III 1000 Coppermine 133MHz FSB >> $85.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819114137

PC CHIPS M701G V1.1 Socket 370 SIS 635 >> $42.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813185056

Linkworld 617-C.88-P4 Grey/Beige Metal ATX Mini >> $30.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811164011

SAPPHIRE MOBILITY 8MB Rage Mobility 8MB SDRAM AGP 1X/2X Video Card >> $15.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102178

ASCENT AC5000T 80mm Ball Cooling Fan >> $5.49
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835182006

pqi 128MB 168-Pin SDRAM Unbuffered PC 133 System Memory >> $15.15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141204
======================
Total: $193.63 !!

See how much I rule! You could almost get 4 whole systems for $750. See how much I own!

 

[Zebo]

Hard drive you have it.
Monitor you have it.

Memory Crucail 8T 2 x 512MB - $88
http://www.newegg.com/OldVersion/app/Vi...Desc.asp?description=20-146-541&depa=0

sound: M-Audio Audiophile 2496 $103.99 (newegg)

Pre-Tested and Setup AMD Athlon 64/FX (939) Combo
Mobo MSI K8N NEO4-F Audio/GB-
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 512K 90nm Rev. E (ADA
Heatsink Fan: None REQUIRED -
Far Cry Promotion: 270846 - FREE Full DVD Version of Far Cry -
Napster Promotion: 270136 - FREE Napster Music Download for 4 Months
Half Life 2 Promotion: 27F854 - FREE Half Life 2 Full Version Coupon with
: $243.00 @ monarch free ship


Connect 3D ATI Radeon X800XL Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI, PCI-Express $270 free ship
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=190527

Antec Solution Series Black ATX Mid Tower Case, Model "SLK3000-B" $50
http://www.newegg.com/OldVersion/app/Vi...Desc.asp?description=11-129-152&depa=0

=754.99 and will blow doors of middle range stuff recommend above.

+ Free good games, memory that will OC well. will work 100% of time.. from best manufacture in the world

 

[Tostada]

Zebo:

You left off the $16 shipping on the case.

You left off the $8 shipping on that memory.

You also seem to have picked a case that doesn't come with a power supply.

You also didn't include any kind of optical drive.

By the time you fix that all you've blown the budget by over $100, all so you can get a $270 video card and a silly bundle with free games for a guy who's not a hardcore gamer.

You're ignoring what he said he wanted the system for to begin with.

 

[Chosonman]

AMD 64 3000 S754 2.0GHz
Chaintech K8T800 Socket 754 (includes HS/FAN)
Combo Price: $159 (portatech.com)

$80 - Corsair VS RAM 1GB PC3200 (zipzoomfly.com)
$170 - GeForce 6600GT AGP (zipzoomfly.com) or $290 6800GT
$8 - Samsung 160GB 7200rpm EIDE HDD. 8MB Cache ULTRA ATA133 (ChiefValue.com)
$50 - NEC ND-3520A DVD-writer (zipzoomfly.com)
$83 - Cooler Master Centurion 5, black, window, 350W PSU (chiefvalue.com)

Standard System Shipped: $617
- $75 no HD = $542 Shipped
$632 w/ 6800GT no HD
- $50 no DVD-RW/6800GT = $582 Shipped
Add $103 for Sound = $685


http://www.pricewatch.com/

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: oconnection
No no there all wrong!

My system owns theres!

intel Pentium III 1000 Coppermine 133MHz FSB >> $85.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819114137

PC CHIPS M701G V1.1 Socket 370 SIS 635 >> $42.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813185056

Linkworld 617-C.88-P4 Grey/Beige Metal ATX Mini >> $30.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811164011

SAPPHIRE MOBILITY 8MB Rage Mobility 8MB SDRAM AGP 1X/2X Video Card >> $15.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102178

ASCENT AC5000T 80mm Ball Cooling Fan >> $5.49
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835182006

pqi 128MB 168-Pin SDRAM Unbuffered PC 133 System Memory >> $15.15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141204
======================
Total: $193.63 !!

See how much I rule! You could almost get 4 whole systems for $750. See how much I own!

$193.63?

Shipping is another $32.29, so it's actually $225.92, and you don't have a CD-ROM.

I know you're just being funny, but you could make something better for less:

CPU: AMD Duron 1.6 GHz OEM $37.99 (ChiefValue)
heatsink: Masscool 5C12B3 (S370/A) $9.99 (ChiefValue)
mainboard: ASRock K7S41GX $39.99 (ChiefValue)
RAM: Transcend 1 x 256MB DDR400 $19 (ChiefValue)
CD: Sony CRX320E black combo $33.95 (ChiefValue)
case: Foxconn 3GTW-02 black mATX $50 (ChiefValue)

$190.92 delivered

 

[Tostada]

Chosonman:

You have to be joking to suggest buying a hard drive from that Yahoo! store (which says they will take 3-5 days before they even ship).

You need to take a look at resellerratings.com before you tell people to buy from places like portatech.com and bestbargainpc.com.

 

[Chosonman]

Originally posted by: Tostada
Chosonman:

You have to be joking to suggest buying a hard drive from that Yahoo! store (which says they will take 3-5 days before they even ship).

You need to take a look at resellerratings.com before you tell people to buy from places like portatech.com and bestbargainpc.com.

I've ordered from portatech they're actually pretty good. I've never ordered from bestbargainpc.. I'm skeptical of them too, but the price is good.

Also, I've ordered 3 times from Portatech and they're pretty good. Their rating on pricewatch.com is very high. I noticed they did suck several years back but if you look at their most recent ratings they've gotten better.

Personally I don't like bestbargainpc from their website, but their price is good so you can make your own call on that one.

*edit* ok so I made the correction, I change the HD to chiefvalue.com samsung 160GB HD for $82, I stand by what I said about portatech however.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: Chosonman
Also, I've ordered 3 times from Portatech and they're pretty good. Their rating on pricewatch.com is very high. I noticed they did suck several years back but if you look at their most recent ratings they've gotten better.

They still have several pages of complaints from the past 12 months, which is pretty scary for a small place. There are comments from a month ago that are just as bad as comments from two years ago. Their BBB membership was revoked. Also check out the reviews on SMK Superstore, because it's the same place. Several people report horrible service, lying about things being in stock, blatantly substituting worse parts, shipping CPUs and RAM via USPS in plain envelopes, and selling obviously used CPUs as new. There are actually multiple comments from different sources reporting them modifying Athlon XPs by gouging the bridges then remarking them and selling them as faster CPUs.

There has to be about 30 comments on these guys sending DOA CPUs via standard mail in cheap little envelopes, and most of those comments are very recent. There are also multiple comments of them taking beat-up used CPUs and placing a "warranty void if removed" sticker directly on top of it.

I mean, there are a ridiculous number of comments on these guys sending damaged CPUs.

And apparently these are all the same place:

PC Boost, LLC
30052 Aventura Suite A
Rancho Santa Margari, CA 92688
(949) 635-1842
pcboost.com

Advanced P C Boost
30052 Aventura Suite A
Rancho Santa Margari, CA 92688
(949) 635-1842
pcboost.com

All-Star/SMK Internet Components
30052 Aventura Suite A
Rancho Santa Margari, CA 92688
(949) 635-1842
pcboost.com

Allstarcomponets.com
30052 Aventura Suite A
Rancho Santa Margari, CA 92688
(949) 635-1842
pcboost.com

APCB
30052 Aventura Suite A
Rancho Santa Margari, CA 92688
(949) 635-1842
pcboost.com

PC Boost, LLC
P.O. Box 80811
Rancho Santa Margari, CA 92688
(949) 635-1842
pcboost.com

Portatech Memory
30052 Aventura Suite A
Rancho Santa Margari, CA 92688
(949) 635-1842
pcboost.com

1st Choice Memory
30052 Aventura, Suite A
Rancho Santa Margari, CA 92688
(949) 635-1841
1stchoicememory.com

First Choice Memory
P.O. Box 80894
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92688
(949) 635-1844
1stchoicememory.com

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Tostada
Zebo:

You left off the $16 shipping on the case.

You left off the $8 shipping on that memory.

You also seem to have picked a case that doesn't come with a power supply.

You also didn't include any kind of optical drive.

By the time you fix that all you've blown the budget by over $100, all so you can get a $270 video card and a silly bundle with free games for a guy who's not a hardcore gamer.

You're ignoring what he said he wanted the system for to begin with.

I read the post, not sure about the rest of you.
He said he wants to play games for 2 years... he won't on the recs y'all provided.

Fine add a different case with PSU can be done under $50, don't have to have antec you know.

 

[shoRunner]

it all depends on the resolution he wants to play those games at. if he wants to play them maxed out then more than likely no card currently would work...but on moderate settings the 6600gt or x800xl will both work, though the x800xl will work better (which is why it cost more). i'm still getting along just fine with my 9700pro on all the latest games.

 

[Mr Financial]

Thanks Everyone! Well here's what I went with. I completely blew my budget!

1 Antec Solution SLK3000-B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129152 $50.00
1 ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131530 $125.00
1 Rosewill Radeon X800XL 256MB GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814164041 $269.99
1 ENERMAX Whisper II EG465P-VE FMA(24) ATX12V 460W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817103464 $76.00
1 AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103535 $202.99
4 Kingston ValueRAM 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model KVR400X64C3A/512 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820141424 $158.20
1 Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822135106 $56.00
1 NEC ND-3520A Black IDE DVD Burner - OEM
Item #: N82E16827152035 $49.99
1 M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail $99.00


$1,079.17

I got caught up in upgrading everything. heh

Tostada: I went with the M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 PCI Interface Sound Card becuase it was so highly recommended by www.tweakheadz.com forums. I had the Motu 828 MKII and wanted something somewhat close to that quality.

Does anyone have advice on a stable/good Wireless PCI Card. I haven't had to buy one for 3-4 years now. Linksys G?

 

[Zebo]

Thats a nice system... one point you could save some $ by getting the case tostada recommends because it comes with PSU..and dump the enermax.. I'd get crucial ram too for 100% working ...but it cost more.

 

[DanDaMan315]

Originally posted by: Azndude51
Antec SLK3700AMB with 350watt PSU Case: $85
q]

Spending this much on a PSU with a budget this tight seems ridiculous to me. I'd pick up a Sonata and just use the PSU that comes with that baby.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: Mr Financial
Thanks Everyone! Well here's what I went with. I completely blew my budget!

1 ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131530 $125.00
4 Kingston ValueRAM 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model KVR400X64C3A/512 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820141424 $158.20

I don't know about that specific combination, but it's generally a bad idea to use all 4 slots. You will be forced to 2T command rate (not a huge deal, but slows things down), and you may be forced down to DDR333 (more boards don't want to run 4 double-sided sticks above DDR333, and almost all memory is double-sided). If you're not overclocking it might not really matter, but your system is also more stable running two sticks.

That said, I find it very hard to believe you actually need 2GB, but if you're going to get 2GB you'd be better off with two 1GB sticks.

Someone else would probably be more helpful with that specific board or at least have some experience running an NF4 chipset on a 939 CPU with 4 sticks.

 

[shoRunner]

yeah on a $750 budget, 2gb of RAM is dumb...especially when your not photo editting.