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Need help building a pc for a friend.

C

Crow550

Platinum Member
Hey everyone im new to the boards but have been reading various topics and this seems like a happening place.

Yeah........so......

I'm working on a HTPC for a friend and he knows a tad about computers and wants me to build him a killer machine that won't backrupt him. He's really into movies and music and has built quite a collection and I know the x-fi would enhance those with the 24 bit crystallizer and he wants to get into pc gaming. So here is the current specs of the pc I built. I know a great deal about computers and am willing to learn new things like overclocking if needed. I just want to build him somthing thats more bang for the buck.

So on with the list!

The Rig

THE CASE and what lurks inside:
Case: X-Cruiser Mid-Tower $80

Cold Cathode Light blue(Optional and may not be needed since fans are blue lit and may provide enough light.) $5

Extra case fans(blue): 1 80mm for front of case and 1 120mm for back of case: $12.92 ($3 80mm and $9.92 for 120mm)

Case fan filters (Keeps dust out and lets the cool air in) : 3 for 80mm and 1 for 120mm fans: $14 ($3 each for 80mm and $5 for 120mm)

Power Supply: 420W comes with case.

Fan filter for power supply (looking...Need to know fan size.)

Mother Board:ASUS A8V-E Deluxe $111

Memory:Corsair VS1GBKIT400 1GB (2X512mb) $89

CPU:AMD ATHLON 64 3500+ $219

CPU fan and heatsink comes with CPU.

Thermal Compound for CPU $3

Hard Drive:Western Digital Caviar SE16 (250 GIGS) $123

Hard Drive cooler $3

Optical Drive: Plextor PX-716SA $120

Video Card: SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON X800 GT 128MB $143

HD tuner:ATI HD Wonder $138

SD tuner:ATI TV Wonder Elite $147

Sound Card: Sound Blaster X-FI Fatal1ty FPS $250

PLASTIC TIES for case wiring (if needed): $2 or 3 for a bunch.


The crap to connect to it:

Monitor: 20inch viewable display CRT $100

Wireless keyboard and rechargeable wireless mouse: Logitech Cordless MX Duo $39

Thin smooth mousepad

Keyboard mold: $15 (http://www.compucover.com)

Wireless GamePad: Logitech Cordless Rumblepad 2 $20

Webcam: Logitech QuickCam Orbit $63

Speaker System: Logitech z-5300 5.1 280watts Speaker System: $97

Wireless headset & blue tooth adapter: Logitech Mobile Freedom headset(7 hour life/rechargeable) $40 / GearXS.com Bluetooth adapter usb $14


Also from what I have gathered from browsing this board. Getting a 3000 cpu can be easily over clocked to 3500 which would of course save some cash. So getting a 3500 could be over clocked to 3800 or 4000 speed then?

So what do all think?

Thanks again for taking the time to help me.

 
Most people, including myself, would recommend getting a better power supply than whatever comes with that case. I didn't check it out, but I imagine for a PSU that comes with a case for $80, it isn't the highest quality. If you plan to overclock you should probably go with a 3000+ or 3200+. You'll get as high or very close to as high as a 3500+ and save a bit of cash. Also, $80 is a pretty hefty premium to pay for the SATA connection on the Plextor. I understand the desire for the small cables, but an NEC 3540 for like $40 is tough to beat.

Wow, I almost let that X-Fi go... Spending twice as much on a sound card as a video card seems pretty dang stupid to me. I'd go with onboard sound and upgrade to a 7800GT for the same amount of money. The X-FI won't get you that many more FPS.
 
not really a htpc, but heres some pointers

get a better case and psu, aspire is pretty crappy

spend less on the sound card and more on the vid card

 
my first reaction is run away from this. you are going to be tech support for everything forever even when he screws it up.

other than that, what games?

first i would get rid of that fatal!ty sh!T, just a way for you to spend more $$$ and not get any better perforamance. also, like others have stated, spending $250 on a soundcard and $150 on a gpu is not too smart if the machine is for gaming. get a 7800gt and a decent sound card like the audigy 2 zs, or even use onboard sound. you say he is into music, that is very vague...is he an audiophile or just likes music. judging by the fact that you he will be plugging it into some logitechs i would say he is not an audiophile, so the x-fi is a total waste and onboard would probably be sufficient.
 
Like others have said, X-Fi is probably not the best way to go.

If he's interested in a good sound system, change the soundcard to something like an Audigy 2 value and then spend $350 on speakers rather than $97.

If he's not that big on audio, direct the money elsewhere.
 
Definatly do not use the crap PSU that comes with that case. Use a quality PSU from Antec, Fortron, Enermax, Seasonic..a 400w from any of those will be plenty. Why spend some much on the plextor drive, when there are plenty that are just as good, for a LOT less money. You can get an NEC 3540 for like $50. The Xi-Fi is a huge overkill if you aren't gonna use great speakers. I have the 5300's, they aren't bad, but you're gonna be wasting the xi-fi if you don't get better speakers. I'd ditch the xi-fi and get a better video card like the 7800GT. Any reason he needs more than one TV tuner? If you plan to overclock, I would get a 3200 and a better heatsink, rather than a 3500 and stock heatsink. They will overclock to the same levels, and you'll have better luck with a good heatsink like the XP-90 and artic silver 5.
 
So go for a 3000 or 3200 and overclock and go with the X800GTO2 and overclock that to x850. Then put that cash toward two gigs and go with the x-fi plantium for the 24 bit crystalizer for cds and dvds as well as dvd audio(yes I know the other cards do that) and not worry about x-ram for a few years?

Correct?

Hmmm and go with a different burner.

Okay as for the case he's a car nut so I figured it would fit him. Hmm...I should seek a different power supply too....

okay......Reccomendations on this stuff.

 
The tv wonder elite for cable since the theater 550 pro chip will clean it up and what not and hardware mpeg II encoder and the HD wonder for OTA HD broadcasts.
 
Originally posted by: Crow550
So go for a 3000 or 3200 and overclock and go with the X800GTO2 and overclock that to x850. Then put that cash toward two gigs and go with the x-fi plantium for the 24 bit crystalizer for cds and dvds as well as dvd audio(yes I know the other cards do that) and not worry about x-ram for a few years?

Correct?

Hmmm and go with a different burner.

Okay as for the case he's a car nut so I figured it would fit him. Hmm...I should seek a different power supply too....

okay......Reccomendations on this stuff.
Click to expand...

Does your friend want an X-Fi specifically?

Is there a reason he wants a front drive panel for sound connection? If you need X-Fi, the lowest one comes with everything you'll need.

If he's listening to CDs and DVDs on a decent speaker system, I would suggest leaving the source as it was intended by the creators and not having your soundcard mess with it.

You can get an Audigy2 zs gamer for $71 after rebate now. That's a nice deal if your friend would want the games that come with it.

With the original budget for audio of
$250 X-Fi
$100 z-5300s
=$350 + shipping

you could get
$50 A2 value
$299 Klipsch Promedia Ultras
= $350 + shipping
 
This sytem needs some defenite tweaks... from my recomendations, AND what otehrs say, here is the list

- dump hte audigy xi-fi...SERIOUSLY...audigy 2 man (i just got audigy2 zs platinum for 75 after rebate)
- upgrade graphics card......maybe 6800 somewhere in that range
- get ordinary amd 64 3000 (and don't bother oc'ing it....he will not notice any difference.... im ure he wil appreciate stability instead of a 10% higher speed)
- get a REAL case (Anted 3000b....just plain black tho), and REAL power supply (seasonics are nice 🙂 )
- drop the plextor SATA dvd drive... get a nec 3540
- get better speakers (my logitech z-5500 work nicely)
- your value ram and mobo are the only keepers i see on that list (IMHO)

ALSO, is he concerned about noise, CUZ USUALLY HTPC computers are somehwat quiet... ur current steup will prob be REALLY noisy...

.......hope this helps..ask for any clarifications..... you are gettin onthe right track (again, in OUR humble opinions)
 
Well most of the pc stuff was my idea. In the past he would always talk about how he was gonna get a surround setup and a dvd recorder and a pc........So I was like. You can build a pc that does all that and more for less.

So im in charge of building him a kick ass system.

He doesn't know to much about computers so he is trusting me.

So while I thought I built a good system. I figured getting advice from other builders would be a good idea.
 
Also I figured a pc geared toward recording media and playing dvds and what not in 5.1 would be considered a HTPC so it may not be so much an HTPC as it is a PC im trying to build.
 
Originally posted by: Crow550
Well most of the pc stuff was my idea. In the past he would always talk about how he was gonna get a surround setup and a dvd recorder and a pc........So I was like. You can build a pc that does all that and more for less.

So im in charge of building him a kick ass system.

He doesn't know to much about computers so he is trusting me.

So while I thought I built a good system. I figured getting advice from other builders would be a good idea.
Click to expand...

Is he gaming on this, or does he just want to burn some DVDs and have an amazing sound system?

If his original plan was to get a surround system and dvd burning capability, this system is really not optomized for that.

What kind of display is he using?

If he's not going to do a lot of gaming on this, he could just get a really cheap dell, you can stick your tuner cards in it, add a dvd burner if it doesn't have one, and use a digital sound connection to a real HT set. Does his display have a DVI connection?

Instead of a $1550 computer and a $100 sound system, you could wait for the next dell desktop deal and try to get a computer set up for maybe $650 or so and then spend the rest on the HT end of things.

I don't presume to know that this would be best for him, but I think you should see if he would be more interested with
1. A real HT audio setup with a computer that would handle DVD burning and other HTPC duties well
2. A set of computer speakers and a computer that can do all from above as well as play games better
 
Its 2. I am just trying to create a system that offers alot of cool features and has the balence of performance and price.

Okay so far.....

Need a better PSU?

Memory:Corsair VS1GB400C3 2GB (2X 1gb) $214 or would 1 gb be fine?

CPU:AMD ATHLON 64 3000+ $146 With Half-Life 2! Can be over clocked to 3500+ speed.

Need a better heatsink than what came with it?

Video Card: SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON X800GTO2 256MB $215 Can be unlocked to X850

A cheaper dvd burner.........

Sound Card: Sound Blaster X-FI Platinum $175 since it will take quite some time for X-ram to catch on....

Alright seems good so far....
 
Hows this for a burner?

BenQ DW1640 $41

Round IDE cable $3 🙂

Does having a 2mb cache compaired to the 8mb of the plextor matter? I mean doesnt Nero use system memory or whatever? For a bigger cache.


Okay need a good PSU......

Do I truely need a better heatsink..... Or should I say. Would it matter that much if I don't overclock?

Also for those who own an x-fi. Does the 24 bit crystallizer really kick ass in music and movies? Its $145 for Audigy 2 zs platinum. Not a big price difference.
 
Benq got the nod in the last AT burner roundup.

Depending on your motherboard it might come with some rounded IDE cables.

I've had no problems running my NEC 3520 burner for the couple hundred DVDs I've burned.

If you're looking for a quiet PSU I suggest Seasonic. My 430watt is very quiet.

My A64 3200+ runs quite cool on the stock HSF. If you're not overclocking, stock cooling on A64 processors should be just fine. Again, if silence is something you're looking for a different Heatsink and fan might be a good idea.

Make sure you're not going to make a silent PSU and HSF irrelevant with a noisy videocard though. 🙂

Use the search function and search for X-Fi to see what people have to say. Generally people like it a lot. Most make comments on the Crystallizer being good for some stuff and not desireable for other instances. If your friend has a lot of low quality media it might perk it up, but if he has good media to start with (real CDs, real DVDs) then I think it would be best to not alter the sound artificially.

How about $50 Audigy 2 value?
A2 zs for $71?
At most basic X-Fi for $115?

You can spend $400 on a soundcard but if you're pairing it up with a $100 set of speakers it's going to be barely better than the same speakers with a sub-$100 soundcard.

Would you buy a $400 videocard to play games on a 15" monitor running at 800x600?
 
Yeah I get ya.

Well most of his music is mp3s and he does own alot of cds as well. Uh as for the speakers I'm trying to be cost effective yet squeeze some power in. I mean those speakers have gotten good reviews and people have said they pack some bass as well as sound I mean that THX has to mean something. Thanks so far. I needed some help. There is just so many options when building a computer....so......many.... :-?

Okay about memory......1 gig or 2 and is using 4 512mb sticks evil?

So as far is an x-fi goes don't go for the gaming card because well it costs alot and x-ram will take some time to catch on.....

The reason I picked the platinum is because for the front panel to hook up external devices like console systems and what not.

What would be a good heatsink and how would I overclock the cpu? I mean doesn't the ASUS mobo have a built in over clocker and well.....How would I use it?

 
This system will be in his living room. Which explains the wirelessness of of it. heh.

If I get 2 VS1GBKIT400 1GB (2X512mb) for 2 gigs that would be $178 compaired to Corsair VS1GB400C3 2GB (2X 1gb) $214 but like I said above "is using 4 512mb sticks evil?" I don't see why it would be a problem......???

Also looking at all these brands of power supplys.....What is wrong with the one that comes with the case again??? Also what is a good power supply that is like 400w....Need some pricing....I dunno much in the power supply area. I have always used what the case has. Now im gonna hounded....


 
Yeah, I'm not saying the z-5300s are a bad deal, but pairing them with a soundcard that costs twice as much doesn't make sense to me.

My own soundcard cost about 1/30 the amount I paid for my sound system.

THX does go with most higher end computer speakers, but it's mainly a marketing thing.

Someone correct me if this isn't an issue anymore, but I thought running four 512mb sticks was going to give you a 2T timing for your ram while 2x1gig will allow you to keep 1T.

Not a huge deal, but I think that's the reason most people with 2 gigs are going with 2x1gb vs 4x512mb.

Just so you are aware, you'd be able to hook up gaming systems to a standard soundcard as well, just need to get an adapter that turns 1/8" into dual RCA and then run RCA cable to the back of the computer.

Is he wanting to hook up things that have digital audio output? In that case, yeah you're going to want the front panel or better yet a real HT system. If he got a HT system, he'd be able to hook up multiple gaming systems easily and have video as well as audio switching.
I know I sound like a broken record, but if he's intending to have his soundcard be a hub for a bunch of devices it might get a bit messy. He'd also have to have his computer on whenever he wanted to do anything with his sound system.

An onkyo HTIB would have a 5.1 input for a computer soundcard input, have three component video connections, four digital audio inputs, three 2-video inputs, etc.

Alright, I'll stop harassing you about this and let you decide what's best.

I'm not the guy you want to talk to about overclocking, but I know Zalman and Thermalright are popular brands for Heatsinks.

Generic powersupplies are generally a bad idea. If you can get something from Seasonic, OCZ, Fortron, Sparkle, Enermax, Antec, etc. you'll tend to have a better built and more reliable PSU.

If you want to get a Case and PSU together, Antec is the way to go.
 
I thought the HD Wonder also has a 125 channel digital tuner for standard TV broadcasts. Might want to check that out, unless you specifically want a 2-tuner solution.
 
The HD wonder does have an analog tuner as well. but it uses the theater 200 chip and doesn't offer hardware mpeg II encoding. So it eats up some CPU and doesn't do much for analog picture.

am I right?

YOyoYOhowsDAjello you could be right. Not saying your wrong. But now I may be wrong. But isn't the whole 280watts and 500watts of the 5500 mainly for bass....I mean if the 24 bit crystallizer is being used for a cd,dvd or older game. Then it would be like uh playing a dvd audio and wouldn't it sound the same minus bass performice?

I'm sure the pc would be on all the time with the tuners being used to record shows and stuff.

But uh anyways....As for the front panel I figured it would used for like plugging in the xbox360 to take advanage of the 24BC.

Thanks for all your input. Now im left with more questions though.....lol!

Whats a good speaker system that delivers on sound and bass and is a good price?

because I know he doesn't want to spend too much on this and I think I may be over killing.....he he he.
 
If for those wattage measurements you're asking what's the benefit of getting a 5500 set vs a 5300 set, the 5500s have a larger sub that goes deeper, the satellites are better, and it includes a control pod that can do DD/DTS decoding with it's digital inputs and it has a standard 6 channel input as well.

Wattage roughly translates into how loud your set will be able to get, but it's also based on speaker efficiency. Doubling the wattage given to a speaker will only increase output 3dB.

There's more to speakers than how loud they get.

Where are you getting that the 24 bit crystallizer is going to make sources sound like DVD-A?

I was under the impression that he was going to have a real display of some sort in his livingroom. Maybe I missed your answer but I think I asked what he was going to be using as far as a TV went.

I hope I didn't misunderstand this whole thing.

Is this a HTPC or just a computer with a tv tuner in it?
 
a real htpc is comprised of many more components. a real htpc would use a projector to make it a real home theater. a real htpc uses real speakers, not logitechs.
this is bassicaly a pc with a tv tuner.

my sugestion. get the guy an amd 3000 and a x800gto2 or x800xl or 7800gt(whatever fits the budget) then just get him a home theater surround sound kit from like bestbuy or something with a nice reciever. im not a sound expert so consult yoyo on how to hook up the speakers to the comp. and try to find him a prjector. of he could just pop it into a room where he has a tv and hook it up to that.

while your at it, get him an htpc case to match the reciver.

i know this is getting pricey, but its a real htpc.

just m 2 cents.
 
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