My First System

[Deftones81]

Hey guys; I am new to this forum and to building computers and was looking for some advice when it comes to actually picking components. I ultimately want a great gaming machine and am willing a to spend a little to get it. So far I have:

Case: Thermaltake Xaser (the one that weighs 50 pounds...)
PSU: Seasonic S12 600 Watt
Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI Premium Socket 939 nForce4 ATX AMD

I think I will be getting either an Nvidia 7800 GTX or whatever ATI throws out if it performs well . I am really leaning towards an AMD Athlon FX57 but I am curious about the 4800+ X2. I really need a lot of help when it comes to memory. I know I am supposed to get DDR 400 or something but what about faster memory; will that still work? What exactly are these crazy CAS timings #-#-#-#? Any other pointers are greatly appreciated!! Hell, if you read this I am happy. And just so you know, I am not one of those guys that wants to buy 5 raptors and 4 gigs or ram; I just decided that I could get each component one at a time and eventually the damn thing will be able to turn on....

 

[w00t]

7800gtx is probably your best bet after seeing the benchmarks on ati's new lineup looks like its a failure. if you wanted to build a gaming machine your gonna want to go singel core an fx-57 would be the best. dual core is actually worse for gamers the only thing you need them for is multi-tasking ( having aim open while playing bf2 doesnt count.. ).

as for ram i would get ocz plat 2gb 1gb sticks from newegg.

edit: I just noticed your new Welcom to the Forum's i am sure overtime you will like it alot.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Welcome to AT.

Looks like you have a pretty serious budget going 🙂

I'd suggest looking around at the different system build suggestion threads that are around to get more ideas.

X2 seems to be where it's at at the moment.

Make sure to check out mechbgon's build guide if you haven't already.

 

[imported_rod]

Welcome to AT forums.

Personally, if you dont have to worry about money, i'd go for:
AMD 4800+ X2
2GB Quality RAM
7800GTX
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium

The FX-57 may be a little better in games, but the 4800+ is a better all-round chip. Plus, future games, and even the next version of windows (longhorn/vista) will start making use of dual core CPU's...

2GB of RAM for any high-end gaming rig these days.

7800GTX is top-of-the-line. Get the 7800gt if you're a little more budget consious...

ASUS make the best MoBo's IMHO, and the A8N-SLI is no exception.


You'l probably also want:
DVD-Burner (Pioneer DVR-109 or similar)
DVD-ROM
300GB Seagate/Western Digital HDD
And maybe aftermarket cooling to keep everything cool 'n quiet.

RoD

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Oh, and don't forget the sound system :evil:

 

[Deftones81]

How do I know what kind of RAM to go with? Does anyone understand the timing numbers? I apologize for my newbness....Oh, also going with the Athlon X2 4800+ will be better in the longrun than going with the Athlon fx57?

 

[biostud]

Save money get an x2 3800+ or 4400+ and overclock.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Yes, the X2 will be more 'future proof' so to speak. If ALL you are going to do is game, nothing else... then by all means go with the FX-57. If you burn dvds/edit video/ anything else that takes alot from the CPU, go with the X2. But don't think that if you go with the X2 you can't game, that's not true. But it will be better in the months to come. I'd also go with the 78000GTX, very nice card.

 

[Deftones81]

But then I could overclock the 4800 to who knows...lol

 

[jimbob200521]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Oh, and don't forget the sound system :evil:

:thumbsup:

Originally posted by: Deftones81
How do I know what kind of RAM to go with? Does anyone understand the timing numbers? I apologize for my newbness....Oh, also going with the Athlon X2 4800+ will be better in the longrun than going with the Athlon fx57?

for your memory question, that board, and for any amd in the near future, ddr is what youll be wanting. id recomment either cosair or crucial, as they are not only personal favorites, but have quite a reputation, as well. as for the x2 4800+ being better in the long run? for sure. the industry is making a bold move away from raw mhz & ghz, and going towards processing multiple threads at once, as opposed to processing a single thread insainly fast.

 

[Deftones81]

Thank you very much guys! I have learned more in a few hours than in a few days researching it on my own. The thing about the ram that is really confusing me is the timing. Some people are saying that they have 2-2-2-2 which is better than 1-2.5-3-2 or something like that. I have NO IDEA what these numbers mean. I am deftinatly going to go with the X2 4800+ after your good advice.

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: Deftones81
But then I could overclock the 4800 to who knows...lol

but you could probably reach same speed or a little less with a 4400+ still saving some money.

 

[jimbob200521]

Originally posted by: Deftones81
Thank you very much guys! I have learned more in a few hours than in a few days researching it on my own. The thing about the ram that is really confusing me is the timing. Some people are saying that they have 2-2-2-2 which is better than 1-2.5-3-2 or something like that. I have NO IDEA what these numbers mean. I am deftinatly going to go with the X2 4800+ after your good advice.

those numbers are ram timmings, and a quick google search will reveal what each number stands for, but basically, for the most part, in general, the lower the numbers, the better. when i say that, take it with a grain of salt, as the actual performance differances between a 2-2-2-3 and a 2-1.5-2-2 system are not going to be night and day. the lower numbers help, but arent going to make or break you system. but if you try messing around with the numbers, you system may start acting wonky, meaning that you have taken these numbers too low, and had better back off. hope this helped, and didnt make things worse 🙂