Building my first PC...

[Tachion]

I have been lurking around these fourms for a while now, but have never posted them... anyway, I am going to be building a computer very soon and was just wondering what all the gurus here at Anandtech though of it. Keep in mind, this will probably have to last me 4 or more years.

ASUS Motherboard for Intel Pentium 4 / Celeron Processors, 800Mhz FSB Model# P4P800 DELUXE Retail - $144.99

Intel Pentium 4 / 3.0CGHz 512k socket 478 Hyper Threading Technology 800 MHz FSB - RETAIL - $418

KINGSTON HyperX Series 184-pin 512MB DDR434 (PC3500) DDR RAM modules, Model# KHX3500/512 (2 of these) - $244

Lian-Li PC-75 USB, 15-Bay, Aluminum ATX FULL tower case. SILVER with Transparent side cover - $218

Lite On 52x24x52 Black CDRW Model LTR-52246 OEM - $45.00

Samsung 16X DVD Drive (BLACK) MODEL SD - $42

SAMSUNG 1.44MB BLACK FLOPPY DRIVE Model# SFD321B/LBL - OEM, DRIVE ONLY - $7.50

Seagate 120GB 7200rpm SERIAL ATA Hard Drive Barracuda 7200.7 ST3120026AS - OEM (2 of these) - $290

HITACHI CML174SXWB 17" Black LCD MONITOR - RETAIL - $459

Antec 430W Power Supply TRUE430 - $82.99

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum Ex (Model SB0280P) - RETAIL - $225

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified 3 piece Personal Audio System - $170

ATI OEM SAPPHIRE RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB DVI/TV 8X AGP RETAIL (No clue why this says OEM... descrip says it comes in retail box) - $529

Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1 - OEM Full Version - $143

Hewlett-Packard Office Jet All-in-One, Model V40XI (C8417A) - Retail
- $139

Logitech Cordless MX Duo - RETAIL - $91

GWC Technology UH-634 External 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub with AC Adapter - Retail - $24.99

Thermaltake All COPPER Heatspreader / Heatsink for DDR and SD RAM, WHOLE COPPER CONSTRUCTION HIGH CONDUCTIVTY THERMAL PAD SPRING CLIP FOR EASY INSTALLATION. (Two of these) - $23.98

ROUND, 10-Inch, Floppy drive cable. Booted, 2-Connector. ( CLEAR ). Specially shielded with Copper Aluminum Mesh. Please see the image. - $4.99

Ultra ATA-133 IDE 18" 3H Round Cable Transparent Silver RTLFor IDE Hard Drives, CD ROM, DVD ROM or CDRW (Two of these) - $14.98

Thermaltake (RED), Voice Controlled, Cold Cathode Fluorescence Lamp (CCFL). Excellent and super bright with Sound-Activation/Voice controlled & normal type adjustment. Retail. - $15.99

Thermaltake (BLUE), Voice Controlled, Cold Cathode Fluorescence Lamp (CCFL). Excellent and super bright with Sound-Activation/Voice controlled & normal type adjustment. Retail - $15.99

DigitalDoc5, gauge the temperature, monitor voltage, and control the fans of up to eight different system devices - $40.99

Belkin F8E070 55-Piece ToolKit - RETAIL - $48.00

Shipping - 62.72

Total - $3379.11

If anything is missing, please tell me and if you can recommend any substitutes, feel free to let me know.

Thanks

 

[wetcat007]

Might want to go for a 4.1 or 5.1 speaker setup. Other than that, my god that is a dream first system, you'll enjoy it to the max i hope . If your spending that much look into a LCD Projector as a second display, they're really fun to have.

Good luck with your new system!

-Mark

 

[Tachion]

Oh, and one more thing.

I am a bit wary of buying OEM parts... is there any reason for me to worry about buying OEM?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: Tachion
Oh, and one more thing.

I am a bit wary of buying OEM parts... is there any reason for me to worry about buying OEM?

Nah, OEM is fine if your not interested in the warranty or whatever comes bundled with the retail. I'd personally go with a P4 2.6 or 2.8, that 3.0 has a huge price premium in comparison the performance advantage. But at looking at the rest of the list, I guess you can afford it. I'd also recommend a 5.1 speaker setup since you seem to be going all out with everything else.

 

[Corporate Thug]

kick @ss system, i agree with the post above: go 2.6 or 2.8. also, you should be able to get a klipsche 4.1 system for the price you listed. the audigy 2 platinum is overkill IMO

 

[Tachion]

Well, the thing is that I really won't have the room to spare for a 4.1 or 5.1 setup, although I would love to have it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

KINGSTON HyperX Series 184-pin 512MB DDR434 (PC3500) DDR RAM modules, Model# KHX3500/512 (2 of these) - $244
ATI OEM SAPPHIRE RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB DVI/TV 8X AGP RETAIL (No clue why this says OEM... descrip says it comes in retail box) - $529

If you can set aside the $200 you'll save by dropping down to PC3200 and the 128 MB ATI, you can use it to buy a new graphics card in 1-2 years.

Unless you're overclocking the PC3500 doesn't help, and the extra 128 MB of RAM on the ATI only helps slightly at 1600x1200 with AA on.
(a) that's higher than the LCD can display
(b) this card won't run future games at 1600x1200 with AA fast enough to be playable, so the slight bump at that resolution is worthless.

If this isn't your money (graduation present?) it's still worth saving your parents the $200.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

KINGSTON HyperX Series 184-pin 512MB DDR434 (PC3500) DDR RAM modules, Model# KHX3500/512 (2 of these) - $244
ATI OEM SAPPHIRE RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB DVI/TV 8X AGP RETAIL (No clue why this says OEM... descrip says it comes in retail box) - $529

If you can set aside the $200 you'll save by dropping down to PC3200 and the 128 MB ATI, you can use it to buy a new graphics card in 1-2 years.

Unless you're overclocking the PC3500 doesn't help, and the extra 128 MB of RAM on the ATI only helps slightly at 1600x1200 with AA on.
(a) that's higher than the LCD can display
(b) this card won't run future games at 1600x1200 with AA fast enough to be playable, so the slight bump at that resolution is worthless.

If this isn't your money (graduation present?) it's still worth saving your parents the $200.

I agree, I missed the tag on that 9800, wow.

 

[screw3d]

IMHO it's not very cost effective to spend everything on the top end. It's better to get one notch below the absolute top range which would be wayyy cheaper!

That said, some of the stuff u would wanna splurge on would be - casing, psu, monitor and speakers coz u won't be upgrading them for a lonnnng time! But looking at the stuff you're gonna get, looks like you don't have much of a $$$ problem do u?

 

[loafbred]

Looking ahead four years is hard to do with computer stuff. I prefer to go with something very good (not absolute cutting edge) for the near term (say one to two years for most builders, but 6-12 months for myself) and save the difference for upgrades as needed. Buying the absolute best makes sense for hobbyists and buyers of pre-builts who have the disposable cash, but for those who want to build their own while looking to the future, I think it's best to go with "very good".

My own needs are probably a lot different from yours, so it's difficult for me to form a helpful opinion regarding the value of some of the things you've chosen.

The HDD's will probably be a good investment for the long term (though you could get one now, and another later).

The loaded retail package for the Audigy2 would be of no use to me, though I would like to have the bare card.

In any case, I think the 3.0 GHz is overkill for the cpu, simply because it's too expensive for what it has to offer over a 2.4-2.8. If you're not planning to crank up the fsb speed, get memory which is guaranteed to run the lowest latencies at the intended fsb.

That video card would be very nice, but don't expect it to be more than ho-hum in two years. That's one item where I definitely recommend that you plan on frequent upgrades. I would get a 9500 Pro (or something better for less than $300) now, then wait until you feel the need for something better. The best video cards just don't remain "the best" for very long, and "very good" is appreciably cheaper, while having nearly the same life. Again, my only argument has to do with your expectations for the long term, and is not with your wisdom in spending 5-600 dollars for a really nice video card. I've bought the best a couple of times, and I enjoyed them. I didn't, however, expect them to last four years. Now, I buy 150 to 200 dollar cards and replace often.

 

[wetcat007]

Well I guess if you should spend that much has to do with how much money ya got, if that's nothin for ya, go ahead and spend it.