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Building new gaming rig...Comments wanted

I

Ike0069

Diamond Member
Plan to purchase everything tonight. Let me know if you think I need to change anything. I'm not 100% on the case, but I really like the look of it.

Case
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum /AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 512K 90nm (939) combo from Monarch
Western Digital 200 GB 2000JB SE 8MB Cache 7200 RPM
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200
Enermax PS (This is $130 @ newegg)
eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT Video Card
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker w/Subwoofer
Logitech MX510 Performance Optical Mouse

Case II I need a cover over the drive area (I have a beige dvd rom that I want to use as a second drive). Also I ca get this from Monarch in a barebones package. I'm getting the MB/CPU/PS from them already. No neon in this one, but does have a digital temp. display which I want. Anyone have expierence with Enermax cases.
 
the case looks kinda gaudy but that's just me. reminds me of a late 70s or early 80s punk band for some reason. put on a fishnet shirt, grow a mohawk and take a pic of you & that case, that would be so sweet. so you're just going to yank out the sh!t 450w psu that comes with it? there must be a more economical option.

edit: btw if they removed the "x-blade" logo, it would suddenly become 50% more attractive.
 
I would suggest getting a s939 3200+. It's 2 ghz stock and I have it overclocked to 2.6ghz.

Also, maybe consider the Antec Sonata case and the 380W psu it comes with. I may be mistaken, but I believe I've read of instances where people have used said PSU with that high end video card and a 3200+ with no problems.
 
I thought about the Sonata, but I just don't feel comfortable with that PS. It would likely be fine, but if I OC, I think that could be the limiting factor.

AS for the 3200, it is ~$40 more, so that is why I was thinkng 3000. Since I will be getting the S939, I can upgrade to 4000 or higher later. I don't know, maybe that's not the best way.
Anyone know how high the 3000 can OC to?
 
Originally posted by: meltdown75
the case looks kinda gaudy but that's just me. reminds me of a late 70s or early 80s punk band for some reason. put on a fishnet shirt, grow a mohawk and take a pic of you & that case, that would be so sweet. so you're just going to yank out the sh!t 450w psu that comes with it? there must be a more economical option.

edit: btw if they removed the "x-blade" logo, it would suddenly become 50% more attractive.
Click to expand...



agreed, and you don't really need a case with a psu if you plan on buying that enermax one... maybe you should check out that hot deal on the superlanboy

lanboy @ compusa
 
If it's the 90nm 3000+, it'll overclock well.

The 380-watt power supply in the Sonata will be enough to power that system. I'd definitely go with the Sonata, SLK3700BQE, Cooler Master Centurion/Praetorian, or a Tsunami before I went with that case.
 
1) Just to let you know the socket 939 AMD 3000 Winchester is only 1.8 GHz compaired to a Socket 754 AMD 64 Newcastle which is 2.0 GHz.

2) I would get 2 120 Gig or 160 Gig HD instead of 1 200 Gig. (it's good to have as back up in case one goes bad.)

3) I know this may be personal taste but I really hate the look of the XBlade Look at Cooler Master Cases. They're very nice and classy.

4) The Logitech MX duo for sale for $54.00 at CompUSA might be a great deal for your Mouse and Keyboard.


 
Originally posted by: Edward Lee
1) Just to let you know the socket 939 AMD 3000 Winchester is only 1.8 GHz compaired to a Socket 754 AMD 64 Newcastle which is 2.0 GHz.

2) I would get 2 120 Gig or 160 Gig HD instead of 1 200 Gig. (it's good to have as back up in case one goes bad.)

3) I know this may be personal taste but I really hate the look of the XBlade Look at Cooler Master Cases. They're very nice and classy.

4) The Logitech MX duo for sale for $54.00 at CompUSA might be a great deal for your Mouse and Keyboard.
Click to expand...

1) I do realize that, but I'm getting the 90nm cpu and I plan to OC to make up the difference and more
2) That's a really good idea, I will look at that.
3) The hardest time I've had is deciding on a case. I've changed my mind many times, and it loks like I'm going to again.
4) I really want a corded mouse/keyboard for gaming purposes. I know the lag is very minimal, but I'd rather just take it outof the equation completely.

Also, I really don't like the LAnboy case. Just doesn't appeal to me.
 
That Enermax looks much better. I haven't heard much about Enermax cases, but what I've heard has been good.
 
420+ wat psu, since your ocing and are geting a 6800GT,get some better mem that since that memory most likly wont even get you past 220 fsb.

I reccomend Gskill TCCD if you want to go all the way.
PQI and Patriot also started making some of their pc 3200 with the TCCD chips which can go 250 fsb +

everything else looks fine.
 
I'd go with whatever case you like. Everyone has their own tastes. I don't think one should go with a case someone else likes. Suggestions are fine but I would make the final decision for myself because your the one whoes gonna be staring at it. I am getting this one XASER III LanFire I also like the ThermalTake Tsunami. If I was buying new I would have got the ThermalTake Tsunami. But I got the XASER III LanFire with 420watt TT for $75 shipped used.

Of course I think Thermaltake make some of the best looking cases. Most ppl like plain looking cases, nothing wrong with it just different tastes.
 
The lanboy case deal is awesome, but I just don't like it personaly. Also, I need a black case.

Anyways, now I'm thinking of just getting the Antec Sonata with the true380W. I kind of need to trim my budget slightly, and I can always get a bigger PS later for OC'ing. Now, will the 380W be enought for what I have listed at stock speeds?
 
Looks decent so far. Some other thoughts would be:

Go for Crucial Ballistix RAM -- OCs like a champ, and you can get it for about $230 from ChiefValue, or ~$245 from Newegg.

The Cooler Master Praetorian (Silver or Black) is a great choice (I'd consider a Vantex Nexus fan controller if you're worried about sound), or you could go with an Antec P160, which has a few nice bonuses like stealthed drives and a really dank light blue glow at the bottom. I'd suggest a case with 120mm fans if you're looking for good, quiet cooling.

That Enermax PSU that you listed up at the top of the thread is an excellent choice. A potentially more aesthetically-pleasing Antec NeoPower 480W or the OCZ PowerStream 470W or 520W are great alternatives because of their ICM (Integrated Cable Management) Systems, but if you have no window, then it's pretty much a moot point unless you're anal about wires interfering with airflow; they are also slightly less economical than the Enermax.

Make sure you've got a quality heatsink as well. OC'ing will be tough without some Arctic Silver 5 ($10), and a nice Zalman CPU fan/heatsink, or Thermalright XP-90/120 with a Panaflo CPU Fan (<--- will be LOUD -- get a Zalman Fanmate 2 to control this fan). Also, if you are a LAN-goer, watch out for extremely heavy heatsinks (i.e. Zalman's CNPS7700B-Cu/CNPS7000B-Cu line, or Thermalright's XP-90/120 <--- they call it light 'n' easy, but it's hardly light). You may have to trade off the superior cooling power of all copper heatsinks for the lightweight AlCu options that at least Zalman offers: I know I had to. Keep in mind that there are few worse sounds that a computer can make when you plop it down in your car or when it's being toted into the LAN than the *THUNK, CRASH* that accompanies an overweight heatsink/fan falling off its retention bracket and breaking God-knows-what in your expensive computer.

Good Luck.
 
You won't need a higher-power PSU than the one that comes with the Sonata unless you like playing with peltiers or you want to go SLI. Assuming the 380W PSU can deliver what it claims to, which isn't all that much of an assumption with a good PSU like the TruePower, you've got PLENTY of headroom. A high-end A64 system like yours should draw something like 200-220W from the PSU stock.
 
Thanks Bolt. The computer will never leave its resting place next to my desk. Other than the case, the RAM is my biggest problem. Buy everything high end now and over clock is what I would like to do. Unfortunately, that is out of my price range. If I go with the cheap RAM, I will likely just have to live with it when/if I decide to OC. If I buy the more expensive RAM now, I have to cut somewhere else. What to do????
This is why I'm thinking of the Sonata. I can save about $80 or more by getting this over my other choice. This would allow me to go up to the 3200 and a 10X multiplier. Thouhgts on this?
 
Originally posted by: svi
You won't need a higher-power PSU than the one that comes with the Sonata unless you like playing with peltiers or you want to go SLI. Assuming the 380W PSU can deliver what it claims to, which isn't all that much of an assumption with a good PSU like the TruePower, you've got PLENTY of headroom. A high-end A64 system like yours should draw something like 200-220W from the PSU stock.
Click to expand...

Even with a 6800 GT, I should be fine?
 
Right, even with a 6800GT. If you just had a GF4MX or something similarly wimpy and efficient, I'd expect system power consumption to be more like 130-150W under heavy load.

You might be wondering why so many people run 480W PSUs and whatnot if these systems don't draw that much power. There are several reasons, but the one that sounds the least insulting is that many people don't know how much power their system will eat and figure that they're better safe than sorry.
 
380 watts is fine. I run a 6800 GT with an Athlon 64 system using (essentially) the same power supply that comes in the Sonata.
 
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