Need help choosing between some parts !

[Lyricsrid3]

couple things to note:
+ CANADIAN prices, vendor ncix.com
+ purpose of computer: content creation (vg map dev, imaging, flash, html, web programming etc) AND game rig
+ I want to overclock
+ i am only buying a comp tower, absolutly nothing else (i have rest alrady eg monitor, headphones, etc...)


Desired price range: 2000$ canadian

$171.00
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=13747
Case: XG TITANIUM 17IN ATX STEEL TOWER CASE 5X5.25 2X3.5 3X3.5 INT SILVER NO PS W/ WINDOW

1 ---------------------------------------
which Processor:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=15708
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core Processor S939 Manchester 2Ghz 512KBX2 90NM Retail Box
$385.02


http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?...14633&vpn=ADA4200BVBOX&manufacture=AMD
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Dual Core Processor S939 Manchester 2.2GHZ 512KBX2 90NM Retail Box
$460.73

^comment^ these CPUs already come with ood heatsinks? or buy additional?...
---------------------------------------

2 ---------------------------------------
Which mobo?
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16595&vpn=A8N32-SLI-DEL...&ma
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe ATX S939 NFORCE4 SLI X16 DDR 2PCI-E16 SATA2 RAID Sound 2GBLAN 1394 Motherboard
$256.50

^comment^ This allows for x16 SLI instead of x8... this is apparently not a major difference right now, but later on it will?

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=13423&vpn=A8N-SLIDELUXE...p;manuf
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Motherboard NFORCE4-SLI S939 DDR 2XPCI-E16 2PCI-E 3PCI SATA RAID LAN Sound 1394
$240.54

^comment^ This allows for x16 SLI instead of x8... this is apparently not a major difference right now, but later on it will? reviews don't like built-in sound on this mobo...

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=15495&vpn=A8N-SLI%20PRE...M&m
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium ATX S939 NFORCE4 SLI DDR 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E 3PCI SATA RAID Sound GBLAN Motherboard
$215.86

^comment^ if the "premium" is a higher-end version than the deluxe as said, why is it cheaper at vendors? From what i can tell/have read it has the same features as deluxe but cooling using no-fan technology to make it quite, this makes it cheaper?!!?
---------------------------------------

Memory:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=14504
OCZ EL Platinum PC3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR400 CL2-3-2-5 184PIN Pin Dual Channel Memory Kit /W Ramsink
$324.23

IDE Hard Drive:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=11069
Western Digital Raptor 74GB SATA 10000RPM 8MB 4.5MS Hard Drive 5 Year MFR Warranty
$210.90

^comment^ i have several other hard drives to store files, this is just for OS and installs... (good right?)

3 ---------------------------------------
which video card?
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16260&vpn=256-P2-N525-A...mp;manu
EVGA E-GEFORCE 7800GTX 256MB 256BIT DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV VIVO SLI Ready Video Card Retail
$589.39

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16693&vpn=256-P2-N527-A...mp;manu
EVGA E-GEFORCE 7800GTX 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV VIVO SLI Ready Video Card W/ ACS3
$578.56

^comment^ how does ADDING ACS3 cooling make this card cheaper?

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17529&vpn=3056&manufacture=Connect3D
CONNECT3D Radeon X1900XT 625MHZ 512MB 256BIT 1.45GHZ DDR3 PCI-E16 Dual DVI-I VIVO OEM Video Card
$628.24

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=15841&vpn=256-P2-N518-A...mp;manu
EVGA E-GEFORCE 7800GT PCI-E 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV VIVO SLI Ready Video Card
$459.89
---------------------------------------

4 ---------------------------------------
which Power Supply?
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=13610
OCZ OCZ45012U-450W Modstream Power Supply PCI-E Ready W/ Ezmod Cable System & Blue LED Fan
$92.26

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=13609&vpn=OCZ52012U&amp...nufactu
OCZ OCZ52012U-520W Modstream Power Supply PCI-E Ready W/ Ezmod Cable System & Blue LED Fan
$115.24

^comment^ SLI ready... as well

http://search.ncix.com/displayproductde...5&vpn=ELT620AWT%20&manufacture=ENERMAX
Enermax Liberty ELT620AWT 620W ATX12V V2.2 20/24PIN Modular Cable Power Supply W/ 120MM Fan
$192.66

^comment^ SLI ready... but worth it?
----------------------------------------------------

5 ----------------------------------------------------
which DVD Writer?
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=10510
Sony DW-U14A DVD-R/RW 4X2.4X8 DVD+R/RW 4X4X8 CDRW 24X10X32 IDE Burner OEM Beige
$105.91

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17413&vpn=DW1655-0B3&am...anufact
BenQ DW1655 Lightscribe DVD+RW16X16X8 DVD-RW16X16X4 CDRW48X48X32 DVD Burner Black W/ SW
$72.69

^comment^ for someone that makes custom albums (as in like just a few every month or season...) is lightsribe worth it? Does it look good/work well? or passing gimmick/stick to traditional sticker labels?

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=13912&vpn=ND-3520A&...ufactur
NEC ND-3520A DVD+RW 16X8X16 DVD-RW 16X6X16 Dual LAYER+R 4X INT IDE Beige OEM Burner W/ SW
$69.34

^comment^ put in the extra 10$ instead of the other NEC drive?

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17382&vpn=ND-3550A-SL&a...manufac
NEC ND-3550A DVD+RW 16X8X16X DVD-RW 16X6X16X DL 8X/6X IDE 2MB Burner Silver OEM W/ SW
$59.99
----------------------------------------------------

thanks in advance for all your comments. ANY comments are welcome if you see a problem/issue other than the choices i need to make; ie new pats coming out v.soon that i should wait out for etc...

 

[Bobthelost]

CPU: 3800X2 or the Opteron 165 (better if you can find it).

Graphics card: The 1900XT would blow any of the others out of the water. Unless you're definitly going sli then the 1900XT is best by a long way.

Motherboard: You're only interested in Asus? The A8N32 is great, but the DFI lanparty range is just as good for overclocking and you could save $100 by going for a non SLI board there...

DVDRW I'd go for the benQ 1640 or 1655, both excellent drives, the NEC 3550 is also quite good, but the stock firmware is shite so you're best of flashing it when you get it.

PSU: 620W is a waste of money, if you're not going SLI then a 400W PSU will do that all and more. If you are going SLI then you're pretty much sorted with a 450W PSU. But you won't belive me.

 

[Lyricsrid3]

So this is the final setup i have come up with, do i need an additional heatsink? (Zalman CNPS9500) i have heard the built-in one on the opteron is GREAT, plus my case has excellllent cooling. just trying to save myself 100 bucks :0

Desired price range: 2000$ canadian]
actual price: $2,044.83

THE ITEMS:
Case:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=13747
XG TITANIUM 17IN ATX STEEL TOWER CASE 5X5.25 2X3.5 3X3.5 INT SILVER NO PS W/ WINDOW
$171.00
---------------------------------------
CPU:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16792
AMD Opteron 165 Dual Core Processor S939 Denmark 1.8GHZ 2MB L2 Cache 90NM Retail
$393.24
---------------------------------------
Motherboard:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=13825
DFI LANParty UT NF4 ULTRA-D Motherboard ATX S939 NFORCE4 Ultra DDR 2PCI-E16 SATA RAID Sound LAN 1394
$139.98
---------------------------------------
Memory:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=14504
OCZ EL Platinum PC3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR400 CL2-3-2-5 184PIN Pin Dual Channel Memory Kit /W Ramsink
$324.23
--------------------------------------
IDE Hard Drive:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=11069
Western Digital Raptor 74GB SATA 10000RPM 8MB 4.5MS Hard Drive 5 Year MFR Warranty
$210.90
---------------------------------------
video card:
ATI Radeon X1900XT 625MHZ 512MB 256BIT 1.45GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I VIVO HDTV Video Card
$642.97
--------------------------------------
power supply:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=13610
OCZ OCZ45012U-450W Modstream Power Supply PCI-E Ready W/ Ezmod Cable System & Blue LED Fan
$92.26
----------------------------------------------------
DVD Writer:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17382&vpn=ND-3550A-SL&a...a...man
NEC ND-3550A DVD+RW 16X8X16X DVD-RW 16X6X16X DL 8X/6X IDE 2MB Burner Silver OEM W/ SW
$59.99

 

[d3lt4]

go for an intel if you are gaming. They are much better price for performance.

 

[Lyricsrid3]

i'm also a dev though, photoshop hammer flash programming dreamweaver etc etc etc...

 

[potato28]

Go for the Centurion 5 instead. Best bang for buck in cases. Other than that... the second rig looks great!

 

[n7]

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?...7504&vpn=ELT500AWT&manufacture=ENERMAX
Better PSU.

I have the Modstream 520W, & it can't even pass S&M's PSU test, not to mention my initial one died after 6 months of use

I kinda get the impression you want everything silver, but i don't think that black Enermax will look bad in that case.
Also, those Modstreams are actually mirror black i believe; the pic is wrong.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17117&vpn=A8R-MVP&manufacture=ASUS
The mobo i'd recommend.

The DFI is good for extreme OCing, but it can be difficult to set up.
The other issue with it is that with the stock chipset cooling fan on the DFI, you'll find your X1900XT will not quite fit snug into the PCI-e slot, since the card is too long/chipset fan too high, so while it'll work, it's not ideal at all.

I'd suggest the BenQ DW1650 OEM for burner, or if you need the software, then why not get the 1655 w/ Lightscribe

 

[Effect]

Originally posted by: d3lt4
go for an intel if you are gaming. They are much better price for performance.

^^^ Now there's something you don't see every day.... And some would say for good reason. There are a few good bang-for-buck Pentiums.....but i'd still suggest AMD. Oh....and there may be children reading this, so it's best to censor the "I word" (Int*l?). =P

Back on topic....your recent list looks good, though you may be able to save money with the RAM and the mobo (perhaps the Epox 9NPA+Ultra IF you want to save money and still get some decent o/cing). Can't suggest much on the DVD drives, but definately look into lightscribe types, if possible, for no reason in particular, they're just cool. Overall you'll have a beast and a half on your hands.

 

[Lyricsrid3]

thanks for the comments , i think i am going to stick with the ram i have right now becasue there is a 74.25$ rebate... so that helps a lot.

 

[Bobthelost]

It still looks good, The A8R is a good board, excellent reviews and i'm an Asus fanboy. The enermax liberty is a nice design too.

I don't know where the hell this came from though:

Orriginally posted by: a jibbering idiot
go for an intel if you are gaming. They are much better price for performance.

 

[Cook1]

Enermax Liberty 500W

Nuff said.

 

[imported_rod]

Originally posted by: d3lt4
go for an intel if you are gaming. They are much better price for performance.

Umm...NO!
Gaming is the one area where AMD clearly out-performs Intel.

RoD

 

[Lyricsrid3]

haha ya weird post on the intel part... w.e

I've refined the PC more, this time changing the case, GFX card (same one, just not directly from ATi), PSU, and added a heatsink b/c heard DFI LP doesnt have a great built in one like the A8N's

From what i can gather this case is at least DECENT for OCing, if not good. I'm a heavy OCer but only basics, eg ram/vg card/cpu. this should serve my needs right? I'm looking for general increase, the extra tiny mile isn't necessary. I know there is the new 'amazing' coolmaster CM stacker but... for 100$more (then i feel like i need to get the special fans and cooling to fully take advantage of it grr) should i get it... ugh

official sites for cases:
"amazing case": http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?L...0&other_title=RC-830CM%20Stacker%20830

reasonable case...
http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?L...C-T01&other_title=TAC-T01Wave%20Master




Desired price range: 2000$ canadian]
actual: 2001.43$

THE ITEMS:
Case:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=10128
COOLERMASTER TAC-T01 WAVE MASTER SILVER ALUMINUM 18IN CASE ATX 4X5.25 1X3.5 4X3.5INT NO P/S
$144.90
---------------------------------------
CPU:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16792
AMD Opteron 165 Dual Core Processor S939 Denmark 1.8GHZ 2MB L2 Cache 90NM Retail
$393.24
---------------------------------------
Heatsink:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=16409
Zalman CNPS9500 LED Copper CPU Heat Sink 92MM Fan 1350-2600RPM 18-27.5DBA W/ Blue LED
$78.14
---------------------------------------
Motherboard:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=13825
DFI LANParty UT NF4 ULTRA-D Motherboard ATX S939 NFORCE4 Ultra DDR 2PCI-E16 SATA RAID Sound LAN 1394
$139.98
---------------------------------------
Memory:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=14504
OCZ EL Platinum PC3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR400 CL2-3-2-5 184PIN Pin Dual Channel Memory Kit /W Ramsink
$324.23
--------------------------------------
IDE Hard Drive:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=11069
Western Digital Raptor 74GB SATA 10000RPM 8MB 4.5MS Hard Drive 5 Year MFR Warranty
$210.90
---------------------------------------
video card:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17529
CONNECT3D Radeon X1900XT 625MHZ 512MB 256BIT 1.45GHZ DDR3 PCI-E16 Dual DVI-I VIVO OEM Video Card
$628.24
--------------------------------------
power supply:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=17503
Enermax Liberty ELT400AWT 400W ATX12V V2.2 20/24PIN Modular Cable Power Supply W/ 120MM Fan
$96.39
----------------------------------------------------
DVD Writer:
http://search.ncix.com/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=17704
BenQ DW1650 Black DVD+-RW 16X Dual Layer DVD Writer OEM
$52.94

thanks for all the comments so far, what do you think of the PSU only being 400? I dont plan on going crossfire/sli with THIS computer, just regular OCing. Also the case and choice and heatsink still don't have me totally sold... hm

 

[Bobthelost]

400W liberty should be enough.