My First PC

[blakewalla]

Hey, trying to build my first PC. I want to make sure that I put together a list of parts that will work together correctly. I'm not gonna lie i read two FAQ's on how to build a computer and am now before you a novice. I plead for your help and consideration.

I'm Buying these parts in the US. I found all of these parts as you follow the links on newegg.com

My most demanding programs will probably be Autocad Civil3D 2007 and Final Fantasy XI online. And maybe COD4 with all the settings turned down XD.

GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor

EVGA 512-P2-N757-TR GeForce 8600 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 20X DVD±R DVD Burner

TRICOD 9003 Black / Silver SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

If your wondering the total on this machine only comes out to be 444.93 so it is a bit thrifty but as far as i can tell this is what i need.

Thanks for your time reading.
Blake

 

[boomhower]

If that budget adjustable? Any particular allegiance to AMD? Will you OC?

I would suggest and intel system. The performance, in particular when OC'd will be better for the same money. Go with a Gigabyte EP35-DS3R motherboard(same price as your AMD version) and an E2180/E2200(virtually the same price).

Also get a better power supply. You could go with a Corsair 450W unit for ~$70(buy.com usually has the best price), newegg also has some decent OCZ PSU's in sale that are pretty cheap if you can live with rebates.

The video card as you know if a bit lacking. If you look hard enough you should be able to find a 8800GS for not a bunch more money ($20-$30)

You may want to consider an aftermarket heatsink. Look for a Freezer 7 on sale for ~$20 for a good price/performance.

I know most of the suggestions I made involve more money. The two I want you to take to heart is the change for Intel(hey thats free) and a better PSU. You should consider that a requirement. A low quality PSU can and will destroy your new system.

The HD is a bit dated. For $15 you could go with a single platter 250GB Seagate 7200.10 for much better performance.

To save a few buck go with

 

[aceO07]

I haven't been up to date on parts for a while, but the first thing that stands out is that you'll be using a 'micro' ATX board in a 'standard' ATX case. I don't know if the position of the screws will match. Also, even if it will work, you can fit a bigger motherboard that will provide for more upgrade options in the future.

 

[velillen]

first off the 8600GT will play COD4 on medium settings. How do i know? cause i have the BFG version of that card now as well as a 4400+ and 2GB of pc3200 and can play it with good FPS.

As boomhower said you could go the intel route but there isn't much wrong with your choices either. you did choose a motherboard with built in video ATI Radeon HD 3200. You could go for a board without the onboard video and possibly save a few bucks or get a board for the same price with a few more features. That motherboard is also micro ATX and your case is a mid size tower which supports normal ATX. Nothing wrong with micro ATX just pointing it out if you didnt notice that you had a micro ATX board and a normal sized case.

Like anything a few extra bucks here and there and you can get better pats and performance but when your on a budget that isn't always gonna work

What i really wanted to tell you is about
http://www.corsairmemory.com/s...t.aspx?report_id=12472
Its a bit dated on the components but it is still a really nice "step by step" guide on how to put together your first build.

 

[s44]

Some good advice above re: PSU & HD. The rest is sort of up to you. The 2600XT (or the GDDR3 version of the 3650) is cheaper and faster than the 8600GT, though. Also if going with AMD you might as well spend the extra $10 for the Black Edition.

 

[blakewalla]

Alright this is a completely new build. I have stuck with AMD because of good past experiences.

Okay, I dropped the other motherboard because of the pointed out size issue and found a board that is slightly better for the same price with what i think is a good feature "NVIDIA Hybrid SLI Technology".
BIOSTAR TForce TF8200 A2+ AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8200 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

The processor is actually slower than the last build, however after reading article after article about OC I think that i may be saving myself some money for the same performance.
"I think" lol
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Brisbane 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor

The ram remains the same.
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

Well this part is different than before. Although the performance i think is about the same, maybe a little better.
POWERCOLOR AX3650 512MD3-P Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

I took the PSU advice to heart and found a reliable PSU for my needs.
Rosewill RP500 ATX12V v1.3/ EPS12V 500W Power Supply 115/230 V CSA, CB, TUV, FCC, UL

I spent the extra $15 and found this HD.
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

And finally I found a tower that is a little more expensive than the last but i think the fan system makes this a great upgrade.
Sunbeam Silent Storm IC-SS-SVBK Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

This part is a little funny lol. The total you might ask for this machine? 1 dollar less than the last, and much better for sure.
Subtotal: $443.93

I have been sticking to newegg so far for the parts. If and when I can find my build I will shop the parts a little more. Still i think its funny that my two builds are so close in price.

The last posts have been a great help and already I feel like I'm making some great progress in my knowledge base. As before I ask your opinion of this machine as I know I can only benefit from your personal knowledge.

Thank you
Blake

 

[s44]

Rosewill PSUs are iffy -- decently built at times (doesn't Rosewill often switch OEMs?), but you never can tell about the capacitors. I'd stick to a known good thing like the Earthwatts 430 for $30AR.

Hybrid SLI won't do anything when your mobo is Nvidia and vidcard is ATI... It's pretty much a gimmick now anyway. You really don't need anything more expensive than this TForce.

 

[heyheybooboo]

You may want to reconsider the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G or possibly the BIOSTAR TForce TA780G M2+HP AMD 780G because of the sb700 on the AMD chipset.

In the not-to-distant future (with AMD it's always hard to tell ) a 780g 'refresh' with onboard frame buffer and sb750 will be available - so you may want to hold out a month or so (if you can) to see what the future holds.

The earthwatts PSU should be da one - and will save you almost 20 bucks.

If you drop the idea of the video card at this time you could come end for around $350 (you can always add the discrete video later) - or bump your microprocessor to the X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 65W Black Edition

 

[Extelleron]

I think you can do better with that budget.

CPU - Intel E2180 2.0GHz ($69.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819116052
Mobo - Abit IP35P P35 Mobo ($57.99 AR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127049
Mem - Patriot 2GB (1GBx2) DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 ($31.99 AR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820220144
Video Card - XFX 8800GT 512MB w/ Zalman Fan ($139.99 AR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150280

Total with other components you selected: $458.98

Really would be in another league compared to the setup you posted; the video card is much, much better and will allow you to play anything out there easily (except Crysis @ Very High of course). Call of Duty 4 would be an easy Max settings + AA/AF at anything but 2560x1600.

The CPU will be better when oc'd and probably slightly faster at stock speeds compared to the one you posted. Overclocked it should hit 3.0GHz easily, which will be enough for any game out there.

I don't see a problem with anything else you posted, except the PSU. I don't know the status of Rosewill PSU's currently, but they are not the most reliable brand. You can get something like a Corsair 550W for $30 more: http://www.buy.com/prod/corsai...loc/101/205852646.html

 

[blakewalla]

I was looking at the Mobo on your build Extelleron, it says it only supports PCI Express x16, and the video card says PCI 2.0 x16. will there be a compatibility issue with this? or is it worth it to get the 2.0 tech for my card in this case?

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: blakewalla
I was looking at the Mobo on your build Extelleron, it says it only supports PCI Express x16, and the video card says PCI 2.0 x16. will there be a compatibility issue with this? or is it worth it to get the 2.0 tech for my card in this case?

It doesn't make a difference. Most people on this forum with PCI-e 2.0 cards are running them on the older PCI-e x16 slots. By the time it matters you're likely to be buying a new CPU and motherboard anyway.

Extelleron's setup will blow the AMD one out of the water.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: Extelleron
I think you can do better with that budget.

CPU - Intel E2180 2.0GHz ($69.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819116052
Mobo - Abit IP35P P35 Mobo ($57.99 AR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127049
Mem - Patriot 2GB (1GBx2) DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 ($31.99 AR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820220144
Video Card - XFX 8800GT 512MB w/ Zalman Fan ($139.99 AR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150280

Total with other components you selected: $458.98

Really would be in another league compared to the setup you posted; the video card is much, much better and will allow you to play anything out there easily (except Crysis @ Very High of course). Call of Duty 4 would be an easy Max settings + AA/AF at anything but 2560x1600.

The CPU will be better when oc'd and probably slightly faster at stock speeds compared to the one you posted. Overclocked it should hit 3.0GHz easily, which will be enough for any game out there.

I don't see a problem with anything else you posted, except the PSU. I don't know the status of Rosewill PSU's currently, but they are not the most reliable brand. You can get something like a Corsair 550W for $30 more: http://www.buy.com/prod/corsai...loc/101/205852646.html

This list of suggestions is much, much better. :thumbsup:

 

[Mwing]

agree with Extelleron here, plus a good cpu hsf if oc

 

[blakewalla]

Well I tried again, stealing Extellerons build and adding the fan and new tower.

Intel Pentium E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

RAIDMAX Smilodon Extreme ATX-612WEBP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

XFX PVT88PYSF4 GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

ABIT IP35P LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

Antec earthwatts EA430 430W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, CB, C-tick, CCC

Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW

Comes to 488.91 after rebates.
This looks like what I'm going with.
What do you think?

Thanks
Blake

 

[Nightblade]

Looks like you have 2 power supplies in that config (one bundled with the case) seems kind of redundant.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Nightblade
Looks like you have 2 power supplies in that config (one bundled with the case) seems kind of redundant.

I wouldn't trust the PSU in the Raidmax case, so I don't blame him for buying a separate one. (In fact, I would encourage it.) He can either keep the included PSU as an emergency backup, or sell it to get a little bit of the cost back.