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I want to build a new system

C

Codyz28

Member
I have never built a pc before, and am very worried about buying the parts and doing this. I already have a brand new case my good friend sent me, so I feel kinda obligated to build one now. This rig will be for gaming, multitasking, and all around web use. Here are the components I have chosen:


CASE

ASUS "P4C800-E DELUXE" i875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU -RETAIL $175.00

2 Maxtor 80GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive's, MODEL 6Y080M0, OEM Drive Only , $151.00 for the two hard drives.

Intel Pentium 4/ 3.0E GHz 800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - Retail $219.00

ATI RADEON 9800 PRO Video Card, 256MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -RETAIL $275.00

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0350" -RETAIL $88.49

Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack SP1a - OEM $141.00

Antec 430W Power Supply, Model "TRUE430" -RETAIL $72.00

2 sticks of Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 8T - OEM $174.00

Lite-On Black 8X DVD+/-RW Drive, Model SOHW-812S, OEM $72.00

******OR this cd rom instead of dvd********

NEC 52X CD-ROM Drive, Model CD-3002A/MXL, OEM

NEC 8X Black DVD+RW/-RW Drive, Model ND-2500A, OEM Bulk $68.99

Total $1398.47



All these parts are from new egg. Would they be compatable with my case? Like I mentioned above, I never built one before, and know next to nothing about this. Also, I have no workspace that has a tiled floor, its all carpeted. I heard not to build a pc on a carpeted floor, so does this matter? I also heard for games, a 52 x cd rom is faster than a dvd rom. Is this true? One last question, is OEM as good as retail, and whats the diference? Many thanx in advance!!!!
 
YOGA-FLAME!

Intel P4 3.0C - $218

Asus P4P800-E Deluxe - $113

Hitachi 160GB SATA - $96

Corsair Value Select 1024MB PC3200 CAS2.5 - $168

Samsung 16X/52X DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive - $43.99

NEC 8X DVD +/- RW - $68.99

PNY GeForce 6800GT 256MB - $339.67

Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS PCI - $88.49

Antec SLK-2650 BQE w/ PSU - $79

Arctic Silver Ceramique - $3.99

SATA Cable - $1.99

IDE Round Cable - $2.30

TOTAL: $1223.42

EDIT: BTW, dump that case your friend gave you. It's garbage; they have them on sale under the PowMax name at my local Fry's and it's flimsy. The power supply in it is garbage too.

You can build your PC anywhere you want, but make sure you get rid of any static build-up on your body before touching the components. An easy way to do so would be touching a grounded metal object, like a metal pipe. Avoid wearing socks; that will prevent static build-up. You can buy a PC anti-static kit too, but I've never had to in my decade or so of building.

The drives I've listed above are probably the best in their category.

OEM products sometimes come with less warranty than retail products. This is usually important for components like hard drives and CPUs, but usually not important for most other components.

Precott processors suck too. They run hotter, and offer no performance benefit. Stick with Northwood. That means getting P4 "C" processors, not "E".

EDIT: The 6800GT will kick the 9800PRO's a$$.
 
Hmm didnt see your info about the case till now. Will keep that in mind. Thanx. Any more suggestion from anyone would be helpful =)
 
K, changed the config to a P4.

Remember, a good power supply is very important.
 
Looks like a nice system you've got there. Don't be afraid about building your first PC; there are lots of helpful folks here who are happy to walk you through it.
 
Are the cases without a see through window supposed to be better and more quiet?

My biggest fear in this is installing the motherboard and adding that arctic stuff to it. For some reason, just worries me lol.
 
Originally posted by: Codyz28
Are the cases without a see through window supposed to be better and more quiet?
Click to expand...

They have a "cool" factor, but they are not built better, nor are they quieter. But remember, if you build one with a window, you'll have to spend a lot of extra time making the insides look tidy (routing wires, dusting, etc.) You'll probably want to buy some kind of lighting too, so it lights up at night.
 
I didnt even know about the Northwood or Prescott issue. Thanks again, will change that to P4" C" then.

Is the asus p4p800 board you mentioned also better than the p4c800? And are either compatable with this processor? I have so many questions here.
 
The P4P Deluxe is a much better value than the P4C. Both are compatible, but the former has all the features you'll need for a much better price.
 
Another question here. Would the Intel Pentium 4/ 3.0C GHz 800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache be better than the 512 MB Cache?
 
Originally posted by: Codyz28
Another question here. Would the Intel Pentium 4/ 3.0C GHz 800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache be better than the 512 MB Cache?
Click to expand...

The p4 3.0 with 1mb L2 cache would be a prescott processor and that you want to stay away from. get the p4 3.0c with 512kb l2 cache, it performs better in a lot of benchmarks despite its smaller cache. prescott processors have a longer instruction set making it slower in many tests than a northwood.
 
Cool, I will go with what you said then. Now on the hard drives. Is it more dificult to install 2 hard drives with Raid 0 config. then it is to install just one? I have heard the WD Raptors and Seagates are good, but are they really worth the extra $$$?



Cody
 
I would rather have faster seek times then RAID'ed drives. But are they worth the cash? I would prefur just two regular 7200 8mb drives myself. I would also get a eVGA or BFG GT as well. Since they do have seem to have a better chance of a 6800Ultra over clock . In addition, the A64 on a lot of users benchmarks from here has shown it the better game peformer as well.
 
If this is a gaming rig, why are you going Intel ? The AMD Athlon64 is about the same price and faster on gaming !
 
I fully concur with Jpeyton, he has built you a better system for less. Skip the Raid 0, it will do nothing for your games. Raptors aren?t worth it for games either.
 
listen to them about a good power supply, even if you usethat case its probly wooth getting a quality one. i don't mean to scare you, but i got a generic cheapo power supply with my case and it died after 3 months, and i wasn't even using near the 420 watts it said it had.
 
Why dual SATA? just get single SATA. Raid is not an advantage.

Why not AMD and a Abit NF7-S? The AMD Athlon Mobile XP 2200-2600 processors will all overclock to approximately 2400Mhz, some even higher. These speed are well above the intel processor you have listed. total cost of the Abit and the AMD processor would be <= your Asus motherboard.

If you continue to do Intel, then Enermax is a better high end PSU instead of the Antec. Do the Antec if you do AMD.

The Abit NF7-s already has awesome onboard audio. no Audigy needed unless you are doing DAT recording or something.

The NEC DVD Writer is a great writer. so is the Liteon. Don't need both though.

The GRahpics card is a bit high priced. shop around I believe you can find them cheaper. Heck you can almost buy a Nvidia 6800 (nu) for the same price and get even better performance. Or save a hundred or so and get a 128 MB Radeon 9800 Pro and still be fine to this time next year.

Ultimately I think you can get this system down to below $1k without much effort and still have a system that will do all you listed here.
 
Thanks for the info all. Now you people got me thinking about getting the 64, and im even more confused lol.😕

I kind of like most the things jpeyton put together, since it was more to what I originaly wanted, but I am open to more sugestions, and am considering what everyone mentions. I dont know much about what boards are compatable with all the diferent components. Like I mentioned, this will be my first one im building, and would like to get a case that will be easy to work with, and also top quality.

About the 64, would it be as good as the p4 3.0 or better for multitasking and running tons of programs at same time as well as gaming? All I really want to have is something powerful enough to play NWN and most of these games that are out. Heh, anything will beat my HP with a 4 mb ATI RageII that I have now 😱

I have searched the web for a lower priced ATI and cant really find one cheaper. I have found this one at new egg for $211. Maybe I will settle for the 128 mb card then. If it is compatable?

SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -RETAIL
 
On the OEM samsung drive and nec do they have the cables and software to go with them to hook them up, or would I have to buy them seperate?
 
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