Help with a new comp build

[Lasthitlarry]

Wow, big spender.

Now whenever I first built a computer, I screwed up my processor and had to replace. I have obviously built many computers beyond that and know what I am doing now.

I would highly recommend fully researching how to build computers(its not hard), just to be sure. Also if you have any old computers to mess with, do so. It's a lot better to mess with a 100 dollar POS for the first time, then a 1900 gaming rig.

That's a lot of money, for me at least.

When you build for the first time, go slow. Triple check all the wires, and keep your dang static off the parts.

If this is not your first time, then you already know all this.

If I were to build a system today, here is what it would be:

Case
Power Supply
Motherboard
Processor
Video Card
RAM
Hard Drive
DVD Burner

and then of course, keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitor of your choice.

I could have splurged more on the motherboard, but besides that I made sure to pick a 1MB cache processor, a mid level video card, and a decent size SATA2 hard drive.

Roughly 1000 bucks, and should last 2 - 3 years (depending how much performance you "need").

BTW - I am still running on an AMD 2500+, ATI 9600XT, 2x512Ram and my only complaints are my old case and power supply. The next thing I am going to buy is a better case and power supply, and then a few months later, a 939 mobo and processor, gig stick of RAM, and a DVD burner(I still don't have one).

--Sorry for hijacking, feel free to judge the above build.

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

lol its fine i like to see what parts people select since i'm a total newb at this. im in college and i managed to get a decent income stream and my parents r going to loan me the cash i'm going topay it off. if it wasnt for the xbox360 coming out i'd buy this w/o asking my parents.

 

[Lasthitlarry]

I think the general sentiment, at least around my friends, is screw the xbox 360 and the PS3, for now. You get a great deal because of the awesome parts in these machines, but most of the good games won't come till much later(especially the ps3, considering it's complex architecture), because game designers have expressed concern about how hard it is to program games for these systems.
By then the prices will have lowered(however slightly) and there might even be more feature selections(like the current xbox w or w/o hard drive and wireless choices).

Though I can tell you might be a person who gets things when they come out and don't really worry about money, so no matter what I say, you will get the xbox 360

I, on the other hand, have my money invested for my future house, have a great job, and my parents actually owe me money.

I also know that at least one of my friends will buy an xbox 360, so I will have no problem going over and playing on it.

Good luck on your build!

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

1. SLI is a worthless retarded waste of money. Get the EPoX 9nPA+ Ultra if you want to save a bit of money and still want to overclock quite a bit, the MSI Neo4 Platinum if you want some pretty high overclocks (though not quite as high as with the EPoX, but has a lot more awesome features including RAID 5 support. or the DFI Lanparty Ultra-D for really high overclocks.
2. Sound card - $115 is still quite a bit of money to be paying for an outdated Audigy 2. X-Fi is probably the way to go. I would go with the X-Fi. Or you could wait and find a good deal on the Audigy 2 ZS for about ~$50 or so.
3. For that price, I wouldn't recommend dual +12V rails. You'll be a lot more flexible with a single +12V. Go with this: Enermax Whisper II 460W PSU +12V 33A. It's pretty cheap, made by Enermax, and very powerful too.
4. Definitely go with 2x1GB of value RAM. Running 4 sticks of RAM will force you to use a 2T command rate, which will hinder performance. Premium ram doesn't give you much of a performance increase, so your money will be much better spent somewhere else.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

That build looks interesting. It will certainly serve you quite well.

At this point, you should be asking yourself how to cut costs. One of the first things you could do is skip SLI. It's absolutely useless unless you get two graphics cards, and you are not. The EPoX 9nPA+ Ultra is relatively cheap ($108), reliable, and perhaps the best overclocker on the market.

Another cost-cutter would be getting an FPS (AKA Fortron Source) rather than an Enermax. Frankly, a generic PSU will do you just fine, but if you feel like you need something name-brand, FPS will give you the best bang for your buck. Something like this is only $37 shipped, and it's very powerful.

The other thing I'd nix is that OCZ memory. 2-2-2-5 timings are great, but not worth the premium. This Corsair ValueSelect kit is only $81, less than half of what you'd pay for the OCZ.

These changes save you $206, all told. So what do you do with this freed budget money? Well, here are some suggestions...

Creative SoundBlasters are ridiculously overpriced. If you want to spend $100+ on a sound card, go with a quality manufacturer like M-Audio (Echo is great, too, but more oriented for musicians). For the same $35 less than that silly XTremeMusic you had mentioned, you can get this M-Audio card ($95 shipped).

Also, have you considered RAID 0 and two hard disks? It's a bit more expensive, but if you make a couple changes you could work it into your budget without sacrificing performance.

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

dont worry i'm still saving money lol but i use the current income for entertainment and whatnot the only doubts i have about the 360 is that the disk reader doesnt support hd-dvd or blueray since there is no clear winner yet. when one does win its most likely going to be the format games will be produced on so i'm not sure what i'd have to do. surely not to buy a newer 360...but its M$ so you never know...>.<

anyways i was looking at ram (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227210) OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Platinum System Memory
how is it? it looks good to me but once again i dont know much.

How many watts am i looking for? also about the SLI i was thinking that later down the road when the 7800gtx starts to get outdated i'd get another one to up the power. i'll look into the links you mentioned right after south park lol. and again thanks for all the suggestions.

Edit: actually i found that this ram is better <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820227210">
Update OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Platinum System Memory Model OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K</a> am i right?

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: Dannyboyayyo
How many watts am i looking for?

Watts don't really matter. For some reason I can't quite pin down, it has become the defining statistic of PSUs. A better way to guage a PSU's power is to look at the +12v rail, which is responsible for powering your CPU + GPU. The Enermax unit you picked out has dual rails, one 18A and the other 15A. The $37 FPS unit also has dual rails, one 18A and the other 16A. So, even though it has a lower wattage, it's actually a slightly more powerful PSU.

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

o so its about the rails what would be a good amount? how is this one

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

You don't need to spend $113 on a PSU. Dual rails aren't a good thing. You'd be much better off with that 33A single +12V rail Enermax Whisper II listed above.

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

now i'm trying to figure out what case i should get >.<
Xion i'll get a different psu - $64

Gladiator also a dif psu - $80

Aspire X-plorer- $55 w/rebate $45

Aspire X-Cruise - $65

Basically i want a good looking case thats easy to things in and good fans but something that doesnt cost too much since i'm going to have to get a different PSU. (would the FSP power SLI?)

 

[Lasthitlarry]

With RAM, you don't need the flashy stuff unless you are overclocking.

Since I didn't think you would be overclocking, i suggested the GEIL Value RAM.

Another good company to look at is Kingston, I read somewhere that they test every single memory stick they make several times.

With PSUs, you will want something like Xclio or Antec(same parts), FSP(great efficiency-power saving), Enermax, or even Thermaltake.

I don't suggest SLI, the performance is like a 3% increase but with a double cost for 2 video cards.

All in all, what you have is good, and towards the enthusiast end, but some stuff should be looked at further. You don't want to spend 2 thousand on a machine that will be worth a thousand in a year.

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

i've looked at the prices for the RAM but its not that much than the 2gb(2x1) sticks so i think i'm going to stick with that ram. Are there any clues on how much the 512mb 7800gtx is going to cost? Is it worth paying $100+ for a case w/o a psu? also thats the thing with technology in a year everything starts to cost 1/2 times as less than the previous year so i'm not going to worry about that. i just want to keep it below $2,000 >.>

 

[Skyhanger]

Things you can recycle/keep: (Thus you don't want to skimp on...)
Case
PSU
Display
Keyboard/Mouse
DVD Burner
Floppy (will be obsolete w/ Windows Vista)
Hard Drives

Things you want to upgrade periodically:
CPU
Mobo
RAM
GPU

For your hard drive you can consider a SATA3.0Gb/s w/ NCQ. It's pretty much the best class of hard drives out there and isn't that much more expensive than it's IDE counterpart (no more than 20% more at most).
RAM is something you can save on. AMD setups have the memory controller built into the CPU itself instead of on the Mobo, so more expensive ram actually don't get you more performance since the system is already pretty efficient. Get expensive RAM only if you want to overclock. If so, shoot for ram rated at higher frequencies over ram rated at lower latentcies... (aka DDR500 ram instead of 2-2-2-5 timing ram) You can also use a frequency divider if you OC with value ram.
Mobo... nice, but the SLI is not really needed
You can also try picking out quieter components for a goal too...

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

i think i'll overclock once i learn more about it. so far i've been busy reading about parts and looking at computer building guides. after i finalize the system and build it i'll look into overclocking. i'm going to get the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16822144701 since its SATA and its not that much more $. now i'm just mainly trying to find a goodlooking case. >.< so many choices lol.

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

sry to bring up the XG dragon case again but i've read a few reviews and user opinions and they said that the PSU is very reliable and whatnot. should i take that risk?

 

[i1o0i]

Originally posted by: Dannyboyayyo
sry to bring up the XG dragon case again but i've read a few reviews and user opinions and they said that the PSU is very reliable and whatnot. should i take that risk?

I never own a xclio case/power supply so I would recommend I never had xclio case/power supply so I would recommend

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

seems that the link isnt linked to anything lol. and another question(yay) what sound card is better the Xfi
or Audigy2

 

[ribbon13]

he fscked up the link tags. He was suggestion an Antec 450w

find a case you like WITHOUT a psu if you want some flashy case that looks like someone took all the carebears and put them in a small safe with a case and soime dynamite.

as for SLI psu, I highly reccomend the Seasonic S12-600. It kicks ass. Review 1 Review 2 Review 3. Note that a few nay-sayers will comment on obsolete information about compatibility with DFI boards (which was DFI's fault for not meeting spec not Seasonics). This is no longer relevant with RevA2 S12s.

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: Dannyboyayyo
seems that the link isnt linked to anything lol. and another question(yay) what sound card is better the Xfi
or Audigy2

X-fi has more MIPS.

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

ok time to show my revamped system >.>

Mobo= http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131540 - $163
PSU=http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817151025 - $159
CPU=http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103562 - $322
RAM=http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820227210 - $252
HD=http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144701 - $252.55
SoundCard=http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16829102188 - $117.50
Total= $1,136

now i'm just deciding on a Case and waiting to see how much the 7800 512gtx is going to cost. For the case i'm prolly going with the TsunamiTsunami

What do you guys think so far?

 

[Lasthitlarry]

That is the most expensive power supply I have ever seen. You won't need more than 350-450W unless you are overclocking. I would go with what people suggested up top, either an Antec, Thermaltake, Seasonic, or Fortron. Those are quality names. I suggested an Xclio earlier, because I read that they get their parts from the same place Antec does to manufacture PSUs.

BTW, never base decisions on newegg reviews, most of those are fake. Some things coincide tho, you will see a good mobo with 200 5 star reviews, for example, but ask on a forum before buying anything, generally.

I am guessing you are getting 2 250GB Hard drives? If you are going to spend that much money I would get a raptor, and what you have listed above. The raptor will boot your most common applications, including Windows and games, a whole lot faster, while the other hard drive will have plenty of space for storing games, music, movies, whatever you want.

Also, do you already have monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers? We could probably offer some good advice on those as well.

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

umm lets c i decided not to get a sound card since the Mobo comes with good sound quality. i think i'll just get one HD but i was thinking about doing that raptor thing. i'll c how much the system will come out in total. would it be really bad if i decide to use a case PSU and if anything change the PSU later on? i have a monitor,mouse,keyboard, and speakers so i wont need advice on those things.....yet. thanks again.

 

[Lasthitlarry]

I would NOT suggest you get a case with a power supply, that is the quickest step to frying one or more of your components. Buying a built in PSU is like playing russian roulette with 4 bullets in the pistol: they can last long, but most are known to last up to a month, and then it will overload, overheat, and it usually fries motherboards and/or hard drives, even whole systems. Of course this is all chance, but if you buy seperate, you play russian roullete with a 300 round machine gun, with only a 2 to 3 rounds.

Find a decent case(spend at least 50 bucks), and find a good power supply (brand name with 350-500W).

Most enthusiasts are going with the raptors nowadays, but you will not want more than 1 or 2, imho. They run faster (10000 rpm as opposed to 7200 rpm), they will overheat faster, so design your pc accordingly.

As far as cases go, I prefer 120mm fans, as they are known to do better than 2 80mm fans(sometimes).

 

[Dannyboyayyo]

o i wanted to ask if the mobo sound and a souncard sound will be alot different?

 

[Grimbones]

Well i haven't heard a soundblaster, but i did get onboard sound to hook up to my fairly nice computer speakers, and the sounds pretty impressive. I don't think you need an incredibly pimped out soundcard, but that's just me. Though i have had some problems with th onboard soundcard, just because the software is crap.

I'm not really sure, there are certainly much cheaper soundcards running around as well that will work fine, unless you're working with like 8 speakers, which i doubt you are.

I have a raptor drive and they are pretty nice, and quick, just try not to transport your case too much and be CAREFUL with them, they are pretty sensitive from what i've found, and before you know it your computer will be freezing and dying and such things.

Honestly though, make sure you know HOW to build a computer properly before you do it, my dad and i fryed a CPU because we didn't take our time in the first place. So make sure to study!

Also on a side note, the more colorful flashing lights in your case and knobs and ******, the more annoying it will be to set up.

Check this site out. they have a computer building guide somewhere on their website, but i just can't find it atm, and i have to be in class 5 mins ago. Peace, and good luck!