Building an AMD PC..verify

[topazgirl]

Hi, I am building my first pc, a gaming pc. I would like some advice on the how the following system would meet my needs/wants.

1. I am building an AMD gaming PC
2. I do video capturing and share them with an online forum and sharing appl.
3. I would like to watch TV on my PC
4. I do burn and listen to music on my PC.
5. I am interested in overclocking, 2 SATA hd and RAID.
6. I?m keeping my existing CRT monitor and mouse.
7. I would like 2 optical devices: CD writer/DVD Rom Combo and DVD writer.
8. I want a floppy drive
9. Something that is very adequate yet I can still be happy with the system 3 to 5 years away.


My Hardware Budget: $1900

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811144014

Floppy Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16821103116

Internal HD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148065

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131530

TV Tuner/Capture: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16815116602

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130256

Sound Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16829118109

Speakers: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16836138106

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817104934

Keyboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16823109125

Add-on cards: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16815104202

http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16816102044

DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827131357

CD Burner/DVD-Rom: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106992
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103562

Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145596


The configured PC above would be $1827.

Thanks, Topaz

 

[theMan]

well, if you need firewire (do you?), that motherboard doesnt have it. i suggest an epox 9npa+ ultra. otherwise, its good.

 

[topazgirl]

Originally posted by: theman
well, if you need firewire (do you?), that motherboard doesnt have it. i suggest an epox 9npa+ ultra. otherwise, its good.

Thanks, did not not notice that on the Asus mobo.

What's the difference in quality between the following:

How about this EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra

ABIT AN8 Socket 939

 

[slpaulson]

Both of those motherboards are fine quality wise.

Between those two I'd get the epox, just because it would probably be quieter. I own an AN8-Ultra, which is fanless, and I like it. If you're going to be doing editing and watching tv on your pc, noise might be something to consider.

 

[imported_Bleh]

A nicer case would be better. Maybe something aluminum for a few bucks more, and it would keep the computer a few degrees cooler.

 

[razor2025]

hmm... there's a good bit of improvements that can be done to the list.

TV Tuner - Consider getting a ATI Theater 550 chipset. Those are sub-$100, and are quite good tuners. No need to pay Happuage premium.
Case - It looks like 3x 80mm fan (in-side-exhaust). Cases are personal taste, but if you want overclocking without alot of noise, consider getting case with 120mm fans instead.
CPU - If you want to OC and dual core. Get this:
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=120339
Make sure to get a XP120 or XP90 cooler for it.
HDD - If you want to RAID (although I don't see the point with the usage you're describing), you SHOULD get a drive made for RAID. That Seagate wasn't designed for it. Get something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144424
I'm sure that model comes in smaller size
Sound Card - Umm.. if you Game, you can't escape Creative's grasp. That card would be fine if you're just using it to listen to music and TV, but if you game, Audigy is the only solution (damn you Creative for killing Aureal).
Add-On Card- I'm not sure why you would need USB2 card. Most motherboards gives you 4 at the minimum. My Epox gives me like... 6-8, and I only use 2. You can easily expand USB connection with hubs. Save your precious PCI slots, as most motherboard these days only give you 2-3 PCI slots to make room for (still useless) PCI-E 1x slots.

As far as keeping happy for 3-5 years. Make sure you read up alot on the Software & Apps threads for maintenance. Nothing slows down PC faster than spy(ad)ware and viruses. Also, you'll probably want to upgrade your video card in 1-1.5 years if you demand high quality graphics from games down the road.