Finally have the money!

[Soujiroh]

I'm tight on a budget of about $1000. The main use of this computer is for college : videogames, surfing, office programs, movies, etc. After reading around, I finally chose out some parts and am in the process of finalizing it. Before I do that, I need some of the anandtech veterans opinions on the parts that I'm about to order. I also plan to overclock in the future, but will not do it right off the bat because after all, I'm still new to OCing.

I am a newby at this because my brother usually buys the parts for me and puts it together. I'm a first time builder seeking help. My rig should be linked below.....

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wis...0&WishListTitle=Budget+College+Comp%2E


What I still need are as follow and I'm still debating about what to get:

Video Card: (Games I play are: CS:Source, HL2, Doom3, BF2, Guild Wars, etc.)
6600gt or 6800 or x800xl $150-250

LCD Monitor or CRT Monitor
17-19 inch (missed out on that nice dell 19 in. deal yesterday) $150-250

PSU: 24 pin psu
This one I am clueless on because I'm not sure how much power I am going to need?

Adding up what I have on my wishlist, video card, monitor, and psu, it adds up to $1000+and - depending on what I get before shipping and handling.

Also forgot to add that I'm hoping this computer lasts me 3-4 years max. I may be upgrading along the way whenever I have spare change.

All opinions are welcome! Thanks!

 

[Jawo]

FYI....the link brings up a screen saying nothing on my wish list.

I would use Anandtech's RTPC to figure out the prices of parts once you determine what you want to buy. Also check out the Hot deals forum for deals. New Egg is NOT the cheapest on everything, would shop around a little check out Zip Zoom Fly, Cheif Value, and Buy.com before buying from New Egg.

 

[AndrewZorn]

because the wishlists are based on cookies
i have never got NE wishlist sharing to work ever

 

[KoolDrew]

Just post the components you picked along with prices instead of linking to your wishlist.

 

[mwmorph]

X800xl is a lot faster than any of those choices.

CRt is better fro gaming since a little while from now, your pc may struggle to play games at the native lcd resolution of 12x10. With a crt, you can choose a resolution without degrading image quality like on a lcd.

 

[AndrewZorn]

and crt is cheaper and looks better.

and its weight provides you with strength training so you dont have to buy weights

 

[Soujiroh]

Sorry about the broken link that is only specific for my cookies. Here's the list:


ASPIRE x-sonic ATXA4KW-BK/350 Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX 350W power supply for AMD/Intel Power Supply - Retail ATXA4KW-BK/350
$56.00 (Cheapest aluminumn case they had that was black and had a side-panel window)

EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$107.50

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3000BPBOX - Retail
$146.00

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail
$81.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST3200822AS 200GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
110.50

NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A - OEM
$41.99

Don't forget that this computer will be in a college dorm. Less room is better but I can make an exception if I find a really good deal on a CRT.

 

[mwmorph]

forget epox. get asus or msi.

seagates 7200.8 are better. have NCQ.

the aspire power supply is crappy. wouldnt trust it. there a cheap xclio 450w somewhere on newegg or something.

 

[Hacp]

OP check my PM. Very cheap deals if you look around.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
forget epox.

:thumbsdown:


"The Epox 9NPA+ Ultra is the fastest board in the roundup at stock speeds. It was also the highest overclocker at stock speeds, and the second highest overclocker when the bus was overclocked. The Epox is an incredible value whether you are looking for a board that will run fast with stability at stock speeds or a board that will satisfy almost any Athlon 64 enthusiast. The range of overclocking options and the overclocked performance are among the best that we have seen, falling short only in the memory voltage area, which tops out at 3.1V. The feature set is more or less average for Ultra boards, but the overall performance is clearly standout. Based on the standout performance and solid overclocking that we achieved with the Athlon 64, we are pleased to award the AnandTech Gold Editors Choice to the Epox 9NPA+ Ultra motherboard."

~~Anandtech.com

 

[Hacp]

Lol you like using that quote alot don't you.

 

[Pabster]

Doesn't look too bad. EPoX makes awesome boards, I'd stick with it (so long as it fits your budget). ASUS is top of the line but way, way overpriced -- and if you won't be doing any heavy-duty overclocking you are throwing $100 or so out the window...

On the CRT debate ... I'd definitely grab yourself an LCD. CRTs are so...yesteryear. Seriously, CRTs suck the big one. Some here will argue that gaming still sucks on LCDs, but I disagree. The newer models have much faster refresh rates, extreme resolutions, and they look gorgeous. They also use half the energy and don't require a back brace to move around your dorm room.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: Hacp
Lol you like using that quote alot don't you.

ill keep using it as long as people keep saying not to get that board. what else should i do?

 

[Pabster]

Not sure why EPoX has gotten a (semi) bad rap lately. They've always made awesome OC'ers boards at a fair price ... unlike a few other manufacturers.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Pabster
Doesn't look too bad. EPoX makes awesome boards, I'd stick with it (so long as it fits your budget). ASUS is top of the line but way, way overpriced -- and if you won't be doing any heavy-duty overclocking you are throwing $100 or so out the window...

On the CRT debate ... I'd definitely grab yourself an LCD. CRTs are so...yesteryear. Seriously, CRTs suck the big one. Some here will argue that gaming still sucks on LCDs, but I disagree. The newer models have much faster refresh rates, extreme resolutions, and they look gorgeous. They also use half the energy and don't require a back brace to move around your dorm room.

Well lcds have a fixed number of pixels so if your video card cant run a game satisfactorly(FEAR dosent even run fine at 10x7, pure speed settings on a X800xl) at 12x10, you're SOL. since if you run at 10x7, every 3rd pixel in the lcd will have to try to compensate thus making the image look worse than it should at a lower resolution. AA dosent fix this problem either. CRTs are constantly variable. It can decide how many pixels it want to output so at any resolution except native for lcds, crts will look MUCh better.

 

[Soujiroh]

After reading everyones comments and also reading the pm's i got, i decided to change some things to make it the best bang for the buck. The limited budget i have makes things difficult to assemble a GREAT computer, but here goes:

Motherboard:

EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$107.50
vs
MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$86.00

AMD athlon 64 3000+ at ewiz for $120 shipped

Thermaltake VENUS 12 80mm Ball Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail $32.99
and
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM $7.99

Video Card is still debatable. If you were me and you were on a tight budget, which card would you go with and why?
6600gt or 6800 or x800 or x800xl? (Which brand should I go with)

Any recommendations on 24 pin PSU? Best bang for the buck is what i'm trying to find. Someone recommended the xclio 450w $52.50 on newegg. Suggestions?

For case, ram, dvd drive, and hdd, i will be keeping the same stuff listed above.

If I go MSI route, I can save a few bucks here and there for other things. (Save about $40-50, which is a good amount of change that I can use to invest in other components)

I'm not planning to overclock the system too much. OC the cpu to about 2.4Ghz or so and may also try to OC the video card depending on which card I go with?


What are your opinions on my revivsions to the components?


Forgot to mention one thing, I prefer the least amount of noise as possible from any of these components because I prefer a quiet computer.

 

[pibb]

If space is a big concern you might wanna consider grabbing a TV Tuner card with a remote to eliminate the need for a TV..

 

[Muscles]

Epox sucks in my experience since it's been the only mb manufacturer that's given me problems recently. There are a lot of nforce 4 boards out there including the MSI one you can use and be happy with. Why spend $100+ on that Epox when you're on a strict budget Since you'll be saving that extra cash buy a 6800GT for the vid card.

 

[Soujiroh]

True, I may just go with the MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$86.00 and save myself some cash.

One question about nforce 4 ultra boards. Why are they superior to their counterpart, the nforce 4? All i see in the specs listed in the ultra boards are some extra stuff that i know i won't be using. Is it worth the extra money?

Lastly, will my computer be loud based on the components that I'm getting? I prefer quietness if possible.

 

[w00t]

Originally posted by: nick1985

Originally posted by: mwmorph
forget epox.

:thumbsdown:


"The Epox 9NPA+ Ultra is the fastest board in the roundup at stock speeds. It was also the highest overclocker at stock speeds, and the second highest overclocker when the bus was overclocked. The Epox is an incredible value whether you are looking for a board that will run fast with stability at stock speeds or a board that will satisfy almost any Athlon 64 enthusiast. The range of overclocking options and the overclocked performance are among the best that we have seen, falling short only in the memory voltage area, which tops out at 3.1V. The feature set is more or less average for Ultra boards, but the overall performance is clearly standout. Based on the standout performance and solid overclocking that we achieved with the Athlon 64, we are pleased to award the AnandTech Gold Editors Choice to the Epox 9NPA+ Ultra motherboard."

~~Anandtech.com