Building First Computer

[spaceghost21]

I've been reading a lot on Anandtech and think I'm finally ready to build my first computer. To avoid any nasty surprises I thought I should check with you guys to make sure all these parts will "play nice together" before I lay down my money. Thanks in advance for any advice or help!

Case & Power Supply: $62.50

Antec Solution Series Quiet Black Mid Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "SLK2650-BQE" -RETAIL

Motherboard: $103

MSI nForce3 250 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Athlon 64 Socket 754 CPU, Model "K8N Neo Platinum" (MS-7030) -RETAIL

CPU: $150

AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - Retail (skt 754)

RAM: $133

1GB (2X512) Kingmax 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM

Video Card: $177

POWERCOLOR ATI RADEON 9800 Video Card, 256MB DDR, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "R98E-PD3" -RETAIL

Sound Card: $25

HAINTECH 7.1 Channel PCI Sound Card, Model "AV-710" -RETAIL

Primary HDD: $56.91

Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD800BB, OEM Drive only

Secondary HDD: N/A

60GB Western Digital HDD I already own.

DVD/CD Burner: $66

Lite-On 16X DVD Dual Drive, Model SOHW-1633S Black, Retail

DVD/CD Drive: N/A

16X DVD Drive I already own.

Monitor: $114.00

PHILIPS 107E66 17" CRT MONITOR - RETAI

Speakers: $53

Logitech X-530 5.1 Black Speaker System -RETAIL

Total: $940.

I'll be using an old keyboard and mouse so I didn't include that.

The two things I have yet to decide on are the video card and the OS. I plan on setting up a home network with 3 computers, should I go Windows XP Pro or Home? I'll be using it as a secondary rig for gaming, so I'd like it to be able to run the latest games at good frame rates with low-mid high range detail settings.

Any advice is a big help for a first time builder, value/performance is important to me. If you need any further information I'll be back tommorow night.

Thanks!

 

[icejunkie]

I think this has been stated many other places, try getting a 6600GT instead of the 9800... should only be a few bucks more soon..

 

[JBDan]

Originally posted by: icejunkie
I think this has been stated many other places, try getting a 6600GT instead of the 9800... should only be a few bucks more soon..

I agree go 6600gt

 

[ts3433]

Get a hard drive with an 8MB buffer; yours is just 2MB.

Don't get a 256 MB 9800 vanilla--get a 128 MB 9800 Pro if you absolutely cannot get a 6600 GT (or 6800 vanilla if there are some good deals still out there).

You can also save a little money with this motherboard, and you could probably drop the sound card for at least a little while (it won't help those speakers as much as it will higher-end stuff).

 

[mechBgon]

If you could scoot up slightly in the case department, I'd pick a SLK3700AMB for the 120mm rear cooling fan and the fan-coolable 5-drive hard-disk rack. If you want to see one torn to pieces, check the bottom link in my signature below. There's a few photos of it with black drives so you can see how it looks visually.

Also, besides getting an 8MB buffer, it might be smart to get something other than Western Digital, since WD's drives still frequently use ball-bearing motors. Some run quietly, some develop a zzzzzing! noise as time goes by. Why risk it when you could get a Hitachi or Seagate with fluid bearings

Also notice that the Radeon "9800 Pro" for $177 uses the cut-rate 128-bit memory bus, not the full 256-bit bus. Another reason to move up.

Nice job on your post with the links & descriptions

 

[bay]

would recommend the DFI Lanparty for a great nf3 754 solution, about 100 bucks and features up the wazoo!
also you can get a gig of pc3200 for cheaper...musking/corsair for about 140ish
I'm a freaking huge fan of my 9800pro but the 6600gt is great too.

 

[mauiblue]

I would go with a larger monitor if your finances would allow you - 19 in. and above. CRTs are not as pricey as LCD but definitely go bigger. Also, go with a larger capacity hard drive. Prices are good nowadays per GB so shop around. You would be surprised how fast drives fill up with the digitals you could compile.

I like my 9800 Pro 256/256. I don't see them around anymore, though. I flashed it to a 9800 XT and now it is rocking. Doom 3 and Far Cry is simply amazing at the higher resolutions and frame rates are pretty respectable.

Have fun building and gaming!

 

[uOpt]

Well, you say this is your gaming computer. In that case you need a better video card. You are spending almost $1000, and the video card is the most important component for gaming.

I think a vanilla GeForce 6800 is probably the best match if you can get one for $250-270. But if the computer is purely for gaming you would get better performance out of most games by getting a 6800GT and cut back other items.

 

[Gamingphreek]

First of all go 939 as it is pretty much the same price and you get a deent speed jump as well as some future proofness.

Secondly i agree with everyone else when they say go 6600GT. It will be much better than the 9800Pro in the long run as SLI will lengthen its life.

Just get an Audigy 2 soundcard. You probably wont be pleased with your current one.

As for HDD i would reccommend Seagate over WD as they have a better warranty and they also use fluid bearings. Only the Raptors use fluid bearings for WD hence all there drives are quite noisy.

-Kevin

 

[spaceghost21]

Thanks for all the help! I decided to go with this MSI nVIDIA GeForce 6600GT Video Card, 128MB GDDR3, 128-Bit, DVI/VIVO, AGP 8X, Model. Based on Gamingphreek's recommendation I looked at some socket 939 parts, they seemed to be about the same price. I'll do some reading before I make my decison but any comments you have would be much appreciated. The thing about socket 939 that tempts me the most is PCI-Express and nForce 4.

Thanks again!

Edit: Oh, and I almost forgot: I replaced the WD HDD with this SeaGate
Seagate 80 GB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA II with NCQ Hard Drive, Model ST380817AS, OEM

 

[mplutodh1]

Like Mech suggested, get the 3700 case, I have the one you orignally posted and thought I had ordered the 3700, they look too much alike! didnt catch it till it arrived FedEx. The HD mounts on the 3700 are better, allow for better cooling, more drives also.

 

[NightCrawler]

My picks:

1. $72 = http://www.newegg.com/app/view...=11-129-122&DEPA=0

2. $135 = http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=13-131-510&depa=1

3. $155 = Athlon 64 {Socket 939} 90nm 3000+ retail

4. $100 = 7200 RPM 250 gigs 8 meg cache

5. $64 = Nec 3500a 16x dual layer DVD burner


Maybe a newest NV4 board like this: http://www.newegg.com/app/view...=13-152-049&depa=0

You need a pci express video card though.

 

[spaceghost21]

Thanks again. Here's my final setup, I'm ordering tonight . I decided to go with socket 939 and nForce 4.

Case: $56

ANTEC Solution Series Super Mid Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "SLK3700AMB" - Retail

Motherboard: $120

ANTEC Solution Series Super Mid Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "SLK3700AMB" - Retail

Processor: $165

HAINTECH NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU, Model "VNF4/Ultra" -RETAIL

RAM: $133

Kingmax 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM


Video Card: $186

IGABYTE nVIDIA GeForce 6600GT Video Card, 128MB GDDR3, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, PCI-Express, Model "GV-NX66T128D" -RETAIL

Sound Card: -

I decided to go with the onboard sound for now. What I read about said it would be enough.

HDD: $89.50

eagate 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model ST3120026A, OEM

Monitor: $114

PHILIPS 107E66 17" CRT MONITOR - RETAIL

Speakers: $53

Logitech X-530 5.1 Black Speaker System -RETAIL

Grand Total: $981.50

I think I'll order the parts tonight so if you have any comments post them here. Also, I decided to with Windows XP Pro w/ SP2 but I'm unsure where to purchase it. I've seen it much cheaper at some sites than others. Thanks again.

 

[Rike]

Originally posted by: spaceghost21


HAINTECH NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU, Model "VNF4/Ultra" -RETAIL

I think I'll order the parts tonight so if you have any comments post them here. Also, I decided to with Windows XP Pro w/ SP2 but I'm unsure where to purchase it. I've seen it much cheaper at some sites than others. Thanks again.

The Chaintech should be a good card for you, but you might want to read the Retail Geforce 6600GT Exploration before you settle on a brand. Anandtech had a few issues with the Chaintech heatsink and some corresponding performance problems. You can probably avoid similar issue if you read up. Enjoy!:beer: