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Twsmit

Senior member
Nov 30, 2003
925
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What I am truely stuck on are the asthetics. Any info or first hand accounts, advice... would be appriciated. This will be for a gaming machine. I do plan on Overclocking, the CPU and memory, I hope to take a 2ghz A64 to ~2.5ghz or maybe higher. 10x250 sounds like a nice sweet spot :D . As for what I currently have, I am upgrading from a Inspiron 8600 laptop, and I have become accustomed to a widescreen LCD. That is why I cant decide on the monitor. Currently I play my FPS games windowed so that I can good FPS and keep a 4:3 resolution. (but i sorta like the idea of a widescreen)

As for the PSU, I really have no idea what is good, but I primarily care about performance and asthetics. A black PSU is what I think I will need. Since this will be an all black computer. I hear the ANntec Neo power is good, but "overrated" and I also hear the removable connectors are a tight fit in the Lian-Li case. As for the case its self, I am not married to it, but I do like the idea of it being unique and reversed. Right now im stuck on getting a window or no window....

The budget is to come around $2500 but i would prefer less. I want this to be a solid computer that I can do some overclocking and alot of gaming, but its not a "dream machine" I dont want an FX55 or SLI etc...

This is what I think I will get for the inside:

CPU: A64 3200+ Venice (when released)
Mobo: DFI "LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D"
RAM: OCZ PC4000 VX
HDD: Seagate 7200.8 250GB
DVD/RW: Lite-On 16X DVD Dual Drive, Model SOHW-1673S Black
FDD: Already Have
Soundcard: Audigy2 or Onboard
Speakers: Already Have

Now for what I am not sure on.....

Video: 6800GT, X800XL or wait for a next generation card????
Case: Lian-Li Black "PC-V1000B"?
PSU: Antec 480 watt Neopower?
Monitor:
DELL - UltraSharp 2005FPW 20.1-inch Wide Aspect ?
DELL - UltraSharp 2001FP 20.1-inch Flat Panel ?
NEC/Mitsubishi MultiSync Black LCD1770NX-BK 17" TFT ?

Ps i plan to order this around June 1st, so I have over a month to make up my mind... but Id like to get a head start.
 
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Twsmit

Senior member
Nov 30, 2003
925
0
76
I have $2500 but i really dont want to spend it all. More like $2000 budget. Also again, I dont need a super rig, no need to spend $150 more for less than a 10% FPS increase.


EDIT: Let me clarify. I dont see the need to spend over $400 on a video card. i just dont see the value in getting the "obsolute best" especially if its a part like a video card that will get replaced in a year or 2 anyways. Id rather spend the cash on a $200 case that will last 5 years or a good monitor or speakers.
 
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mage333

Member
Apr 10, 2005
35
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I'm using a borrowed Antec Neopower 480 right now, and yes it is definitely overrated. A quick search on Tom's Hardware, and you'll see that it only pulls 10.something Amps per 12V rail not the 15?18? advertised. I have 6 hard drives and 4 fans, and my gut feeling was that I didn't like the sound of my drives spinning up. However they do spin down great, about 2.5 seconds after powering off, very solid and reliable. Also I think the modular cables are less neat since I have so many add-ins, but that's all been said before and the trade-off is it looks great and is quiet as a rock. With your setup as listed there, the NeoPower will work super, but won't leave much headroom for additions 5 years down the line.

If I may make a suggestion, try the Fortron/Sparkle BlueStorm 500 (model number AX500-A) eWiz.com for $73. Some people rate it at 460W, some people rate it at 500W. I think it's amperage puts it in the 460 range, but FSP has a reputation of underrating their products so maybe it really can play with the big boys. I haven't tried it though so this is all hearsay. It's a nice blue color, and has a quiet 120mm fan just like the Antec. It doesn't have the modular cables, but it's quite a bit cheaper. There's other uglier, or quieter, or more powerful psu's at that price range too. ]H[ard forums psu section has a nice list.
 
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Twsmit

Senior member
Nov 30, 2003
925
0
76
I may go with the 600watt. For $127 on ewiz its the same price ballpark as the NeoPower. Thanks for the advice, that PSU looks killer.

So here is what I think I have decided so far....

CPU: A64 3200+ Venice (when released)
Mobo: DFI "LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D"
RAM: OCZ PC4000 VX
HDD: Seagate 7200.8 250GB
DVD/RW: Lite-On 16X DVD Dual Drive, Model SOHW-1673S Black
FDD: Already Have
Soundcard: Onboard (until I get good speakers)
Speakers: Already Have
Case: Lian-Li Black "PC-V1000B"
PSU: Seasonic S12 600W (possibly the 500watt if i can find it alot cheaper)

Now for what I am not sure on.....

Video: 6800GT, X800XL or wait for a next generation card????
Monitor:
DELL - UltraSharp 2005FPW 20.1-inch Wide Aspect ?
DELL - UltraSharp 2001FP 20.1-inch Flat Panel ?
NEC/Mitsubishi MultiSync Black LCD1770NX-BK 17" TFT ?
NEC/Mitsubishi 19" LCD 16ms... ?


For the monitor I am stuck because I want to get something that will last a long time, but I am afraid it just wont be good for gaming. As for video card I think I will get the X800XL if next generation are not out in a month or two. Hell i might even get a cheap placeholder card like a X300 or X600 and wait until august or september for next generation cards. What i really hope for are some revies by next month, so I can see if its worth buying a $300 or $400 card that is sure to be eclipsed by next gen by the end of the year.
 
Woofmeister

Woofmeister

Golden Member
Jul 18, 2004
1,385
1
76
That is an absolutely awesome price on the Seagate S112-600! New Egg is charging $160.00! The shipping cost for eWiz is kind of high, but you still come out way ahead. Can anybody vouch for eWiz? I've never heard of them.
 
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wisdomtooth

Golden Member
Dec 21, 2004
1,155
0
0
Yep, it's the same thing. Great PSU.

A week ago EWiz had the S12-500 on sale for $90. There was a buying frenzy and it was out of stock within a day.
 
Woofmeister

Woofmeister

Golden Member
Jul 18, 2004
1,385
1
76
Originally posted by: piotrgurin
Do you guys think this is the same S12 430 that was reviewed on SPCR?
The manufacture # is different, no other sites have the same # 430HB-F3SLR

Do you think this, http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=PS-S12-430
is the same as,
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-151-023&depa=0
?????????????????????????????????
-Pete
Click to expand...



The model number corresponds with the PSU reviewed by SPCR and the picture looks right. Newegg doesn't show the manufacturer's number so there's no way to tell. Seasonic's own site doesn't give you the manufacturer's number either.

The price is low but not ridiculously low--use a credit card with good buyer protection and cross your fingers.
 
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mwmorph

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2004
8,877
1
81
warning, ditch the vx, and get some g.skill cas 2 1 gig(512x2) for 98.99 form newegg.
maybe 1 performance upgrade if you have vx for twice the price.

video card, get 6800gt if you can find it for almost the same price as the x800xl. it ocs a lot higher(the x800xl tend to be lame for ocing) and asupport dx9c and sm3.0, which although not needed, is always nice.
 
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piotrgurin

Senior member
Apr 4, 2005
343
0
0
The title of the product on ewiz also says, Seasonic S12 430W ATX Power Supply For P4 Or Xeon.

I'm guessing its just a typo and that it works for A64 also. What do you think?
 
biostud

biostud

Lifer
Feb 27, 2003
19,951
7,049
136
Originally posted by: piotrgurin
The title of the product on ewiz also says, Seasonic S12 430W ATX Power Supply For P4 Or Xeon.

I'm guessing its just a typo and that it works for A64 also. What do you think?
Click to expand...

Actually it should say ATX compliant PSU instead to cover all. :)
 
Woofmeister

Woofmeister

Golden Member
Jul 18, 2004
1,385
1
76
Originally posted by: piotrgurin
The title of the product on ewiz also says, Seasonic S12 430W ATX Power Supply For P4 Or Xeon.

I'm guessing its just a typo and that it works for A64 also. What do you think?
Click to expand...



From Seasonic's Website:
The S12 supports the latest P4 Prescott and Athlon 64/64 FX processors, as well as PCI Express and Serial ATA.
Click to expand...

I just purchased the S12-600 and a Vantec case fan from ewiz five minutes ago. I'll let you know if I have any problems.
 
D

Diasper

Senior member
Mar 7, 2005
709
0
0
Ways to save money with a negligble effect on performance

- buy cheaper value RAM that you run at relatively tight timings at DDR400.
- save money on the PSU - you don't need 600W or even 500W to run that - look into a lower Wattage but better quality PSU - Fortron/Sparkle, Enermax Noisetaker, OCZ or Tagan all provide good ones. Anything around 420-500 no doubt will still be overkill. 500W+ will just be wasting electricity and burning pointless energy.
- Grab the ATI X800 XL - 6800GT performance for less-typically you see a higher minimum fps which is far more important than average or indeed max fps.. I'd recommend the HIS as it includes rear exhaust and overclocking utility - so unlike another card when you add a Artic Cooling and overclock you won't void your warranty
- Case - focus on having good cooling - the Antec's with 120mm fans provide great cooling and value eg 3700BQE, Sonata, P160 or 3000B (what i'd get if I was buying for myself). Also worth a look maybe is the Thermaltake Tsunami Case.

As for the monitor I've heard really excellent things about the Hyundai L90D.


Any money you save, buy a present for someone or give some to charity.

 
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