Building a new rig

[imported_SoulCatcher]

Hello all, I am building my first highend rig, and have some options to choose, I will list my chosen components, along with possible alternates I am considering, and I would appreciate any feedback you have to offer.


Case: Antec P160 (already purchased)

PSU: Ultra X-Connect 500W (already Purchased)

Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe

Cpu: Athalon 64 4000+ or Athalon Athalon 64 FX-55 (is the fx-55 worth the extra money?) Or possibly even an FX-53 which is very close in price to the 4000+

Video Card: Nvidia 6800GT (wanted asus as the manufacturer, but apparantly they dont make one yet. Any reccomendations on a good manufacturer?) Will most likely go dual cards either now, or down the road.

Ram: I am at a quandry here, both as to brand, and speed. Considering Kingston Hyper X, Crucial Balistix, and Mushkin... Any help and advise here would be greatly appreciated, I have also read that the fx series chips might require a regestered ram, wheres a 4000+ would work with un reg.. Trying to pick memory, has left me befuddled.

HD: 2 WD Raptor 74GB drives in a raid 0 for system drive, with either a Seagate 400 GB Sata, or 2 WD 250 GB Sata Drives for storage.

Sound: Creative Labs Audigy ZS

Optical Drives: A pair of Dwd-rw drives, not sure on make/model yet, I know I could just put in a 16x dvd rom, but for 50 bucks more it seems I may as well have 2 burners.

Speakers: Unsure

Monitor: 21"-25" CRT Unsure of make/model yet.

So theres what I have so far, any help you can offer would be great. The ram has so far been my biggest issue, I am unsure what speed to buy, if I actually need regestered with an FX processor, and what brand is most reliable, as well as offering future overclocking potential.

Right now I do not plan to overclock anything, but I would like the option to be there, if I find the system does not perform fast enough 6 months down the road.

Thanks for any assistance offered.

 

[amol]

wow, what a budget! :shocked:

first things first . . .

WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!

now . . . its spelled "athlon"

i would go with a 4000+ . . . not that much different from an fx-53 . . . you can always OC it

for the video card, you could go with a BFG 6800GT . . . they are about $470 each

RAM : only the fx-51 socket 940 needs registered ram . . . socket 939 fx-53/55 and 4000+ go with unbuffered . . . i would say maybe PC-4000 OC RAM (that is if you choose to OC)

HDD: this is where a lot of people make mistakes when first building a high end computer . . . you DONT need RAID0 . . . the performance increases are MINIMAL, at best . . . it would be best to get just one . . . if you want two, run them independently

OPT: I would go with an NEC ND-3520A . . . that has gotten a lot of rave reviews from this forum (i ordered one from newegg for $67 after tax and shipping to CA . . . waiting for it)

speakers: maybe logitech z-5500s or Klipsch Promedia ultra 5.1

monitor : sorry, i'm not a CRT-er, wouldn't know much about that

just my $0.02

 

[Insomniak]

Case: Antec P160 (already purchased)

PSU: Ultra X-Connect 500W (already Purchased)

Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe

Cpu: I would go with an Athlon 64 3500+ on the Winchester core. Once you get above that level, price stops remotely scaling with performance. You're paying a ton of extra cash just to be the biggest boy on the block. Winchesters are also excellent overclockers...this thing could OC to 3800+ speeds probably. Remember, though, that there is no guarantee with overclocking.

If you've got your heart set though, I say the FX-55. Its extra cache will make a difference. Bear in mind that these processors will NOT be as good for overclocking. They're already pushing their limits.

Video Card: Nvidia 6800GT - excellent choice, but be aware that PCI-Express 6800GTs are carrying a premium price today as well, due to their low availability. Good manufacturers include Leadtek, BFG, and eVGA.

Ram: As long as you go with a good manufacturer, the differences between brands are minimal. Good manufacturers are: OCZ, Mushkin, Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, Geil. I'd get whatever I coould find the best deal on.

HD: 2 WD Raptor 74GB drives in a raid 0 for system drive, with either a Seagate 400 GB Sata, or 2 WD 250 GB Sata Drives for storage. This will work fine, but does seem like big waste of money. Raptors aren't THAT much faster than regular drives, and RAID 0 gives almost zero performance boost.

Sound: Creative Labs Audigy ZS - good to go.

Optical Drives: A pair of Dwd-rw drives, not sure on make/model yet, I know I could just put in a 16x dvd rom, but for 50 bucks more it seems I may as well have 2 burners.

Speakers: Unsure

Monitor: 21"-25" CRT Unsure of make/model yet.

 

[Chosonman]

Originally posted by: Insomniak
Case: Antec P160 (already purchased)

PSU: Ultra X-Connect 500W (already Purchased)

Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe

Cpu: I would go with an Athlon 64 3500+ on the Winchester core. Once you get above that level, price stops remotely scaling with performance. You're paying a ton of extra cash just to be the biggest boy on the block. Winchesters are also excellent overclockers...this thing could OC to 3800+ speeds probably. Remember, though, that there is no guarantee with overclocking.

If you've got your heart set though, I say the FX-55. Its extra cache will make a difference. Bear in mind that these processors will NOT be as good for overclocking. They're already pushing their limits.

Video Card: Nvidia 6800GT - excellent choice, but be aware that PCI-Express 6800GTs are carrying a premium price today as well, due to their low availability. Good manufacturers include Leadtek, BFG, and eVGA.

Ram: As long as you go with a good manufacturer, the differences between brands are minimal. Good manufacturers are: OCZ, Mushkin, Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, Geil. I'd get whatever I coould find the best deal on.

HD: 2 WD Raptor 74GB drives in a raid 0 for system drive, with either a Seagate 400 GB Sata, or 2 WD 250 GB Sata Drives for storage. This will work fine, but does seem like big waste of money. Raptors aren't THAT much faster than regular drives, and RAID 0 gives almost zero performance boost.

Sound: Creative Labs Audigy ZS - good to go.

Optical Drives: A pair of Dwd-rw drives, not sure on make/model yet, I know I could just put in a 16x dvd rom, but for 50 bucks more it seems I may as well have 2 burners.

Speakers: Unsure

Monitor: 21"-25" CRT Unsure of make/model yet.

The first intelligent post you've made Insomniak. Bravo :thumbsup:

 

[amol]

Originally posted by: Chosonman
The first intelligent post you've made Insomniak . . .

. . . said the guy who has been a member of the forum for a whole FIVE DAYS:roll:

 

[Insomniak]

Originally posted by: Amol

Originally posted by: Chosonman
The first intelligent post you've made Insomniak . . .

. . . said the guy who has been a member of the forum for a whole FIVE DAYS:roll:

He's a troll, just ignore him.

 

[Insomniak]

Originally posted by: Chosonman

The first intelligent post you've made Insomniak. Bravo :thumbsup:

I would've said the same to you, but you failed to contribute anything.

 

[blackinches]

the 6800gt pci-e cards have really been going down in price. blackinches saw in the hot deals section for evga 6800gt for 410 at monarchcomputer.com. that's a pretty darn good deal if you ask blackinches.

if you don't plan on overclocking corsair value ram will be just fine for your uses, and can be had for around 140. if you're set on a crt monitor go with the nec/mitsubishi monitors good stuff. or if you want a nice lcd anandtech has just done a review of the 19in dell lcd panel, which uses a samsung 193p so you know it's nice. go with the nec nd 3520 for the optical drive. and for the secondary hd the seagate 7200.8 400gb seem pretty nice, but they havne't really been reviewed to blackinches' knowledge, but you really can't go wrong with a 5 year warranty.

 

[ts3433]

Originally posted by: Chosonman
The first intelligent post you've made Insomniak. Bravo :thumbsup:

Methinks you won't be here much longer if you keep this up.


Anyway, OP:

I'd go with the 3500+ Winchester, as stated above. Value RAM is fine to overclock one of these (see Zebo's memory thread in the CPU/OC forum), so just get some quality stuff from Corsair/Crucial/Mushkin. 2x512MB should run you $140.

What's your total budget for both the sound card and speakers?

Check out NEC Diamondtrons for the screen.

NEC 3520As are recommended a lot these days for DVD burners.

As for the video: I think it's a good initial choice since you plan on a 21" monitor, and depending on when you plan to go dual and how much more performance you need it might be a good option. Otherwise, though, maybe your money would be better spent on a lesser card or motherboard (instead getting an NF4 Ultra--single-PCIe x16--board like the MSI Neo4) for now, and then you could upgrade to next-gen parts later.

Your HD setup is good, though one Raptor's probably fine if you still want to fork over the cash for that.

 

[imported_SoulCatcher]

Thanks for the opinions guys, keep em coming.

I have denied myself any guilty little pleasurs for about 4 years now, so total budget for the machine is about 5K

Speakers I could probably spend up to 500$ on, but they would have to be worth it. Sound card 200-300$

I have always been of the school, that if you buy the best, you wont be disapointed. I know it doesnt hold as true in high end consumer electronics, but I am willing to pay slight premiums, to avoid being dissapointed,

 

[Chosonman]

Originally posted by: Insomniak

Originally posted by: Chosonman

The first intelligent post you've made Insomniak. Bravo :thumbsup:

I would've said the same to you, but you failed to contribute anything.

Hey I was being sincere and trying to be nice.
Be that way.... :|

 

[ts3433]

Five thousand....

I don't know how others feel on this, but I think it would be wiser for you to build this rig a notch or three below the best (with regard to all the nuts and bolts of the computer; go ahead and get high-end speakers like Klipsch and a 22-inch CRT) and save your money for upgrades later. Your dollar will likely go farther, you'll notice no performance detriment in the short term (especially since anything will be a big improvement coming from your 4-year-old box), and you won't have to cope with the fact that you lose tons of money buying top-end parts. The depreciation is probably worse and more rapid than a new domestic car (not that I know anything about cars at 14).

 

[Chosonman]

I can think of a lot things to be doing with $5000.00 not related to building a computer....
Personally I would build a really nice one for $1500.00 and then spend the rest on hookers...

Just kidding about the hookers. But, Seriously you could be doing a lot more with your money unless you're ugly rich. In that case just ignore me.


P.S.If you happen to be Bill Gates I have a great idea for a business I would like you to consider investing in... (it invovles Alaskan King crabs.. mmmm...)

 

[amol]

Originally posted by: SoulCatcher
Thanks for the opinions guys, keep em coming.

I have denied myself any guilty little pleasurs for about 4 years now, so total budget for the machine is about 5K

Speakers I could probably spend up to 500$ on, but they would have to be worth it. Sound card 200-300$

I have always been of the school, that if you buy the best, you wont be disapointed. I know it doesnt hold as true in high end consumer electronics, but I am willing to pay slight premiums, to avoid being dissapointed,

WOW!!!!

Audigy FOUR!!!

Klipsch PROMEDIAS!!

my budget is only $2000, including monitor (pretty much EVERYTHING except mouse and keyboard)

 

[imported_SoulCatcher]

Originally posted by: Amol


RAM : only the fx-51 socket 940 needs registered ram . . . socket 939 fx-53/55 and 4000+ go with unbuffered . . . i would say maybe PC-4000 OC RAM (that is if you choose to OC)

HDD: this is where a lot of people make mistakes when first building a high end computer . . . you DONT need RAID0 . . . the performance increases are MINIMAL, at best . . . it would be best to get just one . . . if you want two, run them independently

monitor : sorry, i'm not a CRT-er, wouldn't know much about that

just my $0.02

Ok on the ram is more speed allways going to be better? For instance the mobo specs list ddr 400 as the top ram (pc3200) Will I still be able to see a benifit by using say pc4000 or pc4300?

Can anyone direct me to a good explanitory article about ram? I'm reading things about timing of 2-2-2-2 and t1 or t2 and not really understanding what they are saying. I like to study issues, and try to make an informed decision, so any informative articles would be greatly appreciated.

On the HDD: I have read from a couple of sources that going with 2 10K rpm drives in a raid 0 results in anywhere from a 10% to 40% performance increase, I am also seeing that alot of the botique vendors are using a setup like that. So what exactly do you mean by MINIMAL performance increase? I understand that raid 0 offers no data loss protection, to be honest im not really worried about that, this machine will be almost strictly for gaming, although I am considering adding a tv card and using it for freevo.

As far as an LCD goes, every single one I have tested personally, or read about still has a response time of 16ms or greater, and shows smearing and bluring with a fast game, is there an lcd out there that is GOOD for gaming, not just acceptable?

Thanks again for the insights guys, I want to be as informed as possible before I lay down my cash. Oh, I may have not made myself clear, I didnt say my current box is 4 years old, just that I havent splurged on myself for 4 years. My current box is acceptable, with an athlon xp 2100+ and 768 mb of ram, (none of which cost me a cent, nice upgrading friends passed along old parts lol ) but I am looking for a big performance boost.

 

[ts3433]

This tells you that "fast RAM" makes no difference on the A64

This will tell you more technical stuff about RAM

 

[Relaxin]

I would say that if you've got that much cash then splurge for a good backup device/drive and a UPS. Splurging for a HD for backup images will be a LOT faster than a tape but the HD may fail and then you're screwed.

I'm using Symantec/PowerQuest Drive Image 7 for a few small drive backups of my primary drive as I go through the process of clean installing/tweaking WinXP. A full drive backup with max compression on 3.5 gigs takes about 12 mins to complete (between a SCSI drive and a slower ATA drive) and compressed down to 1.3 gigs. If something goes horribly wrong then I run the restore and it takes less than 8 mins to restore the primary drive.

With almost 150GB of storage space the backup will take a while longer, but then again I'd hate to lose that much data to a flaky RAID-0 setup.

(edit: i mean flaky in a general sense, not as it pertains to your particular specs.)