Building a New Rig - Suggestions?

yosuke188

Platinum Member
Apr 19, 2005
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So I'm giving away my computer and getting a new one. I have a 300GB Seagate hard drive with Windows installed, and peripherals, but everything else I need to build from scratch. Budget is about $1000, I could squeeze a little more in if necessary. I'm not considering OCing because this is my first build and do not feel that comfortable. Maybe in the future, but not now. I'm not a heavy gamer, but I would like to be able to play most games on my 19in. LCD screen. So here is the proposed rig:


CPU - X2 3800.

Motherboard - EDIT: Now I'm leaning toward EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra. Any other suggestions?

RAM -G.Skill 2GB or Patriot 2GB?

Video Card - X850XT seems like a real nice deal

PSU - Fortron 500W.

Case - Antec P180

NEC DVD Burner.

I hope I'm not missing anything, and thanks for the feedback :)
 

yosuke188

Platinum Member
Apr 19, 2005
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How does the 6800GS compare to X850XT? Also, InlineFour, the video card you linked to is AGP, and the mobo is PCI-Express.
 

InlineFour

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Nov 1, 2005
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i will have to disagree with fx about the extra $50 for noise reduction. the antec p180 is a great case, don't get me wrong, but both cases weren't really designed to be "quiet". the p180 maybe have extra dampening material but not worth the extra $50 imo. your computer will be loud no matter what case you buy because of fast spinning cpu, chipset, and video card fans. with that said, the extra money saved going with the cooler master centurion will let you buy aftermarket coolers/fans (zalman, thermalright, etc), which are much quieter than your stock components. however, if you like the look of the p180 more, then by all means, go for that case.
 

imported_fx

Senior member
Feb 4, 2006
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6800GS [490MHz/1100MHz and 12 pixel pipelines]
X850XT [520MHz/1080MHz and 16 pixel pipelines]

I think you could unlock pipeline on 6800gs from 12 to 16
 

yosuke188

Platinum Member
Apr 19, 2005
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I'm definitely considering better heatsink and maybe one for my video card whatever it is going to be. I still need a lot of help on the motherboard
 

imported_fx

Senior member
Feb 4, 2006
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What's wrong with Asrock motherboard I recommend? Why I recommend it? Because it has future CPU Port to upgrade from socket 939 to socket AM2 which you dont have to buy another motherboard for AM2 in the future. :D
 

InlineFour

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Nov 1, 2005
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Originally posted by: fx
What's wrong with Asrock motherboard I recommend? Why I recommend it? Because it has future CPU Port to upgrade from socket 939 to socket AM2 which you dont have to buy another motherboard for AM2 in the future. :D

while that is true, i'd rather recomend a trusted NF4 chipset, and asrock motherboards tend to be more of a low-budget brand. asus boards are arguably one of the most stable brands you can find.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
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Sorry, didn't check the link, just read the $200 part. Btw, I think the X850 is faster than the 6800.
 

imported_rod

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Apr 13, 2005
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If you want silence, an ASUS A8N-SLI Premium will be quieter than the ABIT K8N Ultra, since the ASUS uses passive cooling (i.e. no fan).

If you want a good CPU heatsink, consider the Zalman CNPS9500, or the Thermalright XP-90.

RoD
 

yosuke188

Platinum Member
Apr 19, 2005
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I don't see the need to buy a SLI mobo when I know I'm not going to be using SLI. Any better option?

I'll check back in the morning.
 

RallyMaster

Diamond Member
Dec 28, 2004
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if you go KN8 Ultra, buy a passive sink or an extremely quiet one (such as Cooler Master Blue Ice 2). that NB fan is a disaster (loud and mine started dying within 3 weeks).

go with the Cooler Master Centurion, I say. the included 120 mm intake will be very quiet.
 

alimoalem

Diamond Member
Sep 22, 2005
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cpu: 3800x2 is a great choice
mobo: epox 9npa+ ultra (i think that's the name of the 9npa+ board that's around $105). the ASRock board is good too. nothing wrong with ULi
ram: the g.skill ram you linked is great, especially for the price
psu: the fortron 450w is fine. you're making a decent gaming rig, not one with SLI 7800GTX's
gpu: the x850xt is much better than the 6800gs if i recall correctly. it tries to compete with the 7800gt. it's really not as good but it's closer to the 7800gt than it is to the 6800gs.
case: it's really your preference
optical: you're right, nothing wrong with the NEC burner

this comes to around $900 (with the antec p180 price included), leaving you a good $100 for aftermarket cooling...good choices u made
 

yosuke188

Platinum Member
Apr 19, 2005
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Originally posted by: alimoalem
cpu: 3800x2 is a great choice
mobo: epox 9npa+ ultra (i think that's the name of the 9npa+ board that's around $105). the ASRock board is good too. nothing wrong with ULi
ram: the g.skill ram you linked is great, especially for the price
psu: the fortron 450w is fine. you're making a decent gaming rig, not one with SLI 7800GTX's
gpu: the x850xt is much better than the 6800gs if i recall correctly. it tries to compete with the 7800gt. it's really not as good but it's closer to the 7800gt than it is to the 6800gs.
case: it's really your preference
optical: you're right, nothing wrong with the NEC burner

this comes to around $900 (with the antec p180 price included), leaving you a good $100 for aftermarket cooling...good choices u made

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll stick with the 500W because they don't offer a 450W with sleeved wires. I'll go with the x850xt. I'm still undecided about the mobo. I'm leaning toward the EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra.
 

Bobthelost

Diamond Member
Dec 1, 2005
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Originally posted by: yosuke188
Originally posted by: alimoalem
cpu: 3800x2 is a great choice
mobo: epox 9npa+ ultra (i think that's the name of the 9npa+ board that's around $105). the ASRock board is good too. nothing wrong with ULi
ram: the g.skill ram you linked is great, especially for the price
psu: the fortron 450w is fine. you're making a decent gaming rig, not one with SLI 7800GTX's
gpu: the x850xt is much better than the 6800gs if i recall correctly. it tries to compete with the 7800gt. it's really not as good but it's closer to the 7800gt than it is to the 6800gs.
case: it's really your preference
optical: you're right, nothing wrong with the NEC burner

this comes to around $900 (with the antec p180 price included), leaving you a good $100 for aftermarket cooling...good choices u made

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll stick with the 500W because they don't offer a 450W with sleeved wires. I'll go with the x850xt. I'm still undecided about the mobo. I'm leaning toward the EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra.

Good board, good sugestions from alimoalem.

You would get much better gaming performance from a single core and a faster graphics card. Then again with a 3800X2 you're sorted for years and you can always upgrade the graphics card later so it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.
 

Bobthelost

Diamond Member
Dec 1, 2005
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Well considering it's low latency RAM that's the same price as budget stuff with the rebate yes.

Otherwise no, paying $200 for it is a waste of $50.