Less then $1600 Gaming/College PC

[Stokes]

Mouse: Logitech MX518 - $41.99
Case: Antec P160 - $97.08
Motherboard: DFI Lanparty Ultra-D nF4 - $135.99
Heatsink: Thermalright XP-120 $43.00
Case and Heatsink Fans: Mad Dog Yate Loons 120mm - $30.00
PSU: Seasonsic S12-430W - $84.95
RAM: G.SKILL 1GB (2 x 512MB) - $98.99
LCD: Hyundai L90D+ / 19-Inch - $349.99
CPU: Althon 64 3200+ Venice Core $199.99
DVD-RW: NEC ND-3520A -$49.99
Video: ATI X800XL from Connect3D - $249.99
VGA Cooler: Artic Cooler Silencer 5 Rev 2 - $31.99
HDD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series SP1213C 120GB - $85.00

Estimated Shipping: $50 (Some items have zero shipping charge)

Estimated Total: $1,548.95

The prices have been found through various retailers through sources as Froogle and deals seen here. The idea of this computer will be to remain quiet while keeping the temperatures lower for my gaming. I'm not a hardcore gamer but I play quite a bit. I figure I can overclock the Venice core extremely well, although I have no experience with that, and the RAM was noted as a good one to overclock as well. The motherboard is highly talked about from people who have them and people who haven't seem to not like it.

As far as my graphics card with the artic cooler. I will overclock that to increase its performance as it's closely related to the 6800GT just does not perform as well for Doom3 which is not a game I play. I play games such as Guild Wars, Battlefield, etc. Mostly an MMORPG type person and a FPS along with RTS. I like how the Silencer 5 has a seperate exhaust as to keep the heat from going into the rest of the case.

The fans were recommend from silentpcreview.com and just a little louder then a Nexus if any more loud and it's also a lot cheaper. $20.00 for a Nexus is insane.

I still am looking for a fan controller and do not know what I should do for that.

I figure in maybe a month or so I can get lower prices so maybe I can get under $1500 which is the goal. A similar system from Alienware, including software (I have most of it myself) was priced around $2,800.

Thats basically where I have gotten from doing a lot of reading and talking to people.

I'm open for discussion and critism. I'm looking for the quiet, close to hardcore gamer PC with a budget.

Also a keyboard wasn't mentioned as I figure I can go to best buy and see which one I like. Everyone seems to mention the Logitech Elite.

 

[Stokes]

Bump because I posted this message blank without any of this

 

[Stokes]

No advice on this build and already on fourth page?

 

[dodgybob]

One point if you want to have a quiet pc is that the chipset fan on the dfi board is very noisey. Might want to look in the silentpcreview.com forums about that since you're familiar with that site. It's awkward to replace with a normal aftermarket nb cooler as it sits where the graphics card overhangs.

Another thing, you mentioned overclocking the x800xl. It doesn't really overclock well at all but it's still a great card at the price. I'm certainly getting one with my next upgrade.

 

[shock311]

looks like solid setup, have fun OC'ing

 

[knothead34]

dfi recommends at least 480watts and native 24 pin power cable. go to dfi or dfi-street.com everything else looks great

 

[n7]

Looks good, but in two months, a lot can change.

 

[Stokes]

From my knowledge the S12 had a 24 pin connecter. What I'm wondering is if I need at least 480W. Because I don't plan on using SLI, and as far as components, there isn't that much. Let me look more into it.

As far as a controller, what is suggested?

I understand a lot can happen in the next month or two. Such as the release of the P180, which I hear is suppose to be great for cooling and its quiet. Although I like how the P160 looks. The other thing, maybe the 3500+ Venice will drop in price a lot letting me take that chip instead of the 3200+, although I've heard you can get the same results from both chips overclocking? As far as video, I know someone mentioned new cards coming out or price drops coming in the next month or two so that may affect what I get, but the x800xl is still a fantastic deal. RAM I don't imagine will change much nor the motherboard. Fans probably won't change and monitor is a great deal. The real thing to watch probably is the video card and CPU at this point.

 

[biostud]

you've done your research well.

Insert coin(s) to continue.

 

[Doctorweir]

The LD90+ is only 350 bucks in the US? :Q
*#%& it...I wanna get one and am supposed to pay 400 bucks here in ?-Land which would be $510...

Nice Rig though...

 

[Doctorweir]

What is the RAM quality (speed & timings)? Seems a bit cheap

EDIT: Just followed the link...2-3-3-6 seems ok if you don't want a n ultra high performer...

 

[Stokes]

Originally posted by: Doctorweir
What is the RAM quality (speed & timings)? Seems a bit cheap

EDIT: Just followed the link...2-3-3-6 seems ok if you don't want a n ultra high performer...

What would be suggested timings? How will that limit me in overclocking as far as speed? And what RAM would be suggested instead? I thought $100 on ram was a lot.

 

[ionoxx]

For about 200$ per GB you can get Crucial Ballistix. Its a great overclocker and had 2-2-2-6 timings at DDR400, and you can OC quite a bit before having to bring the timings up. Its one of the cheaper performance memories out there. And you can't bea crucial quality.

 

[Stokes]

$200 for 1 GB of RAM seems like a lot to be paying for the advantage of better OC. Can that extra $100 really be justified in performance?

 

[Stokes]

Still looking for more advice on the system, including a Fan controller and what people think about how loud the DFI Ultra-D chipset really is. I heard it can be decently loud. If it is, what other boards can be recommended for overclocking but are quiet?

 

[Stokes]

 

[Stokes]

So I found this fan controller:

http://svc.com/sf-609.html

I'm also added the Logitech x-230 speakers, seem really nice and good value

other then that. I'm expecting probably a price drop in the next month when I put this thing together. Right now, I'm just watching to see if any deals come up.

I'm still open for more advice, another thing, will that ram get that venice to around 2.6 ghz? I do have the xp-120

 

[wisdomtooth]

Originally posted by: Stokes

Originally posted by: knothead34
dfi recommends at least 480watts and native 24 pin power cable. go to dfi or dfi-street.com everything else looks great

From my knowledge the S12 had a 24 pin connecter. What I'm wondering is if I need at least 480W. Because I don't plan on using SLI, and as far as components, there isn't that much. Let me look more into it.

The Seasonic S12-430 you spec'ed is an excellent PSU for your purposes.

It puts out 14A and 15A on its two 12V rails, sustained. That's only 1 amp less than the Fortron Blue Storm 500W, while being a bit more efficient and lots more quiet. And yes, the S12 series all have 24-pin harnesses.

You have picked a winner. The Seasonic S12-430 will drive your system with plenty of power to spare. Don't listen to anyone who thinks the advertising wattage of a PSU matters.

HTH.

 

[Coolin]

Two problems with your quest for quietness:

That motherboard has an 8000RPM northbridge fan. You will have zero luck trying to quiet your PC as long as that thing is in your computer. Buy a Zalman passive northbridge cooler, and check SPCR forums for workarounds to the northbridge heatsink interfering with video card issue.

That aluminum case is going to resonate like crazy. You're going to have a loud computer using that case.

 

[Melchior]

I would get a laptop for college.

 

[Stokes]

Originally posted by: Melchior
I would get a laptop for college.

Can you provide more insight as to why? a Laptop will cost me more for what I will want it to do compared to the desktop. It won't be really upgradeable, and the main thing I'm thinking is $$$. The desktop will out perform it anyday

 

[Gigantopithecus]

If I might offer some constructive criticism, wait until you get moved into your dorm and your classes start picking up before you buy a computer. Your campus should have plenty of computer labs (hopefully one in your dorm itself) to tide you over the first few weeks.

I suggest this because one, you'll find out how small a dorm room really is (a full tower case & 19" LCD monitor might not take up much space now, but wait til you move into your dorm); two, you'll find out how much time you have to play games (this will depend on your courseload, how social you are, etc.); three, you'll find out how much money you're going through in a given amount of time; four, how often you'll want to hike back to your dorm to do your computing.

If you're going to a large university, you might not want to have to run back to your dorm every time you need to use your computer. Similarly, if you're going to be spending a lot of time in a lab (engineering, natural sciences), you'll probably be better off with a laptop.

In any case, good luck!

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Dell XPS Gen 2 gogo Lol j/k... Anyways, if you don't mind having a 7 pound laptop, the Dell Inspiron 6000 is a great value. $1k will get you all of this. Or if your budget is a little higher, you can upgrade to better graphics and maybe 1GB of RAM.

 

[Stokes]

I will be attending a small liberal arts school (approx 2000 students) and a 90 acre campus. Computer labs are not in the dorm area and I saw the smallest room avaliable and it's size was not at all bad for two people and their full size computers. I think if I had a full size CRT then I would have a problem since it is so huge. Otherwise, I think it makes sense to build this desktop.

I already have a Compaq Presario 2100 (Celeron 1.8 ghz). I can connect that to my desktop for class notes and such. Won't be doing anything really with engineering, so note taking on the laptop will be ideal. Other then that, I have one class at a time which takes about 3 hours out of the day, and they said you can expect another hour-two* of studying (*average). Then I have football practice which is probably another 3 hours. And of course I will not be playing hardcore, but that is the reason I didn't go with like a 6800GT or something like that, and why my ram is not as expensive. I went value for a few things while spoiling in another area (the case).

As far as the motherboard being loud at 8000RPM? I have personally never heard of a chipset fan going that fast. I asked past Ultra-D users about their chipset and they seem to never have a problem with noise from it. Can anyone else confirm if the chipset fan is loud or quiet?

 

[dcdude]

everyone says laptops are convinent for college, but thats hardly the case

maybe 70-80 percent of the people with personal computers have Desktops, or if they have laptops it just sits in there room

people may say "oh there good for taking notes in class..." but i hardly ever see anyone taken notes with a laptop, youd be the odd man out - chances are if you had a laptop it would never leave your room, thats how it is with a lot of people here that have laptops