Need opinions on a $2500 Build. Any help greatly appreciated

Mustang64p

Member
Nov 14, 2005
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Hey there I'm building a gaming system for my cousin. He's wanting a fairly high end gaming rig that will be upgradable and fairly capable of running the best games for like 2-3 years (isnt that what we all want?) SO I got a system together and I was wondering what you guys thought. Looking around $2500 (more if necessary) for the tower alone.

Asus A8N SLI Premium-$163
(seems to be agood sli board)

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor ? Retail-$400 (I know that the AMD FX is the best gaming CPU at the moment but I figured in the near future programs are going to be taking dual core into account and this will put him ahead in the game and allow for upgrades in the future w/o too big of a performance hit at the moment.)

CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail $219
(Is this RAM good or should I go up another level?)

Western Digital Raptor 74gb 3.5? Serial ATA150 Hard Drive-OEM-$161
(as primary drive w/ the games OS etc.)

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6L300S0 300GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive $128
(for all the extra's mp3's videos , general storage etc)

BFG Tech BFGR78512GTXOC Geforce 7800GTX 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail-$750
(I figured start with the best card out at the moment and then in the future he can get another one for SLI)

AeroCool Turbine Power ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail $100
(Need some serious suggestions here. I'm not that familiar with good PSU's)

NEC Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X
(decent burner?)
DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE DVD Burner - OEM- 38.99
(just a fast basic drive)

Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005 ? OEM $129.95

PLease feel free to offer any more suggestions. I figured the case will be up to him pretty muuch aesthetics etc. However I've never ran a system with SLI and dual core processor so I know the heat is going to be a lot higher than I'm used to. SO any cases I should keep an eye on. Won't really be doing too much Over clocking. Like I said the PSU is something I'm reall wondering about. Still got room for like another 300-400 bucks if theres something I should step up a level like go up to a AMD x2 4400? 3gig RAM?

Appreciate the help.
 

unfalliblekrutch

Golden Member
May 2, 2005
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you might want to consider the new 939 opterons, they're supposed to oc like mad.

the power supply seems ok, although you might want another opinion on that.

in all honesty, most people dont "add another card later for SLI". Usually, by the time they're ready for that, a newer single card solution will be powerful enough to warrant replacing the current card altogether.
 

atybimf

Platinum Member
Sep 17, 2005
2,390
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Go for a Seasonic, Fortron, PC Power & Cooling (Im pretty sure thats the wrong name :)), or Antec as far as PSUs. Get at least a 550W. The dual core Opterons are very nice as well. Otherwise, good choices.
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
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If u can find a 939 opteron go with one of those. Otherwise ur better off getting a x2 3800+ and OCing. Most of them will go to the same speed as a 4800+ on stock voltage with stock cooling.

Dont cheeze on the PWS. If ur going to be running 2 7800's your system is going to require a LOT of power, Seasonic's are awesome, but there not modular which is BOO~!!. Invest in some wire sleeving kit.

Personally i like DFI better then ASUS, unless ur going to get that new board with 2x x16 pci-e. I also read that the ASUS has problems with adding more then 2GB of ram so make sure u follow up on this issue on if its fixed or not b4 you add more then 2 gigz.

Id also get OCZ instead of Corsair, there cheaper and there just as efficient. But i'll probably get flamed by the people using corsiars on this statement. :X

 

w33bo

Senior member
Jan 4, 2004
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2500 seems like a relatively large budget, but do you really want to waste money???

you can save 100 with a 3800 x2,
and like 300-400 by going to a 7800gt (can upgrade to sli later),
deal on raptor at newegg 20 off too

the 7800 512 is a sweet card, but I would wait a couple months before getting that card (in the reviews ive seen TOMS review, sli gtx beats 512, to save money sli gt might be a decent idea this one shows dual gt beats gtx512 (you could buy one 7800 now, and upgrade later if you want to save money)

power supply reviews you should read
check out the antec 500 watt class, they are solid, especially the true power and read the conclusions for all these articles, you dont need to read the whole thing unless you want to, just narrow down a little bit, and find a PS right for you
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also, unless you specifically need media center i would suggest going for XP pro, they are supposed to be the same, but just from personal experiences, i find that there are often issues with media center, and if you game a lot, with the latest graphics cards, i think xp pro is the best option.
 

w33bo

Senior member
Jan 4, 2004
208
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by the way, i love the p180 case you should check it out, find a couple reviews too, it was 120 from newegg this weekend, its 140 now http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129154

if you think youll ever overclock, check out the dfi lanparty cards

IMHO, it would be smarter to get a good system now, overclock it (ie 3800 x2 or opteron, overclock it, and dual 7800gt's with the system as you listed), that saves you a couple hundred bucks, and you invest that into a couple games, or save the money to upgrade you system sooner

good luck
 

Mustang64p

Member
Nov 14, 2005
41
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so do you guys think i should drop the 4200 x2 and go with a AMD Opteron 170 for 2dollars more? Also please expand on some motherboard options. I want the best that I can get presently id like more than 3 pci slots but I havent seen any plus i want room incase he does end up buting 2 7800 512 monsters in SLI. I think i am gonna stick with the 7800 512 b/c my cousin has a little extra cash at teh moment and doesnt want to have to upgrade for over a year or two atleast. Also what could the opteron 170 be Over clocked to? Thank again for the quick responses.

*NOTE* I nor my cousin (who the system is for) has ever overclocked anything. I would be willing to if i had specific instructions but I wouldnt want to OC to anything that would need constant monitoring (as I live out of state and he couldnt /wouldnt worry about watching that kind of thing. He wants to turn it on and it run). KNowing this would you all suggest anything different? Is it pretty easy to OC? Thanx
 

foodfightr

Golden Member
Sep 19, 2004
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If you're running an Asus A8N Premium, you will want to invest in an antec p180 case, for two reasons.

1. The fact that the case has amazing (and quiet) airflow to cool your fanless motherboard.
2. A scythe ninja heatsink will line up PERFECTLY with the case, allowing you to eliminate yet another fan.

Your computer to run close to silently and stay very cool. If you need more cooling, you can add in 1-2 extra fans on the scythe ninja for unparalled air cooling.

I've been a huge fan of that setup ever since Dynamix3D posted his pictures.

Originally posted by: Dynamix3D
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jodhas

Senior member
Aug 5, 2001
834
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My 2 cents...

Spending over $2K on a single computer build days are over.

About $1,200 (when oc'ed and shopped for wisely) will give you what you are looking for in $2,500. (Or very close to it)

Even if you have $2,500 to burn, burning it for the sake of burning it is foolish.

 

datamestonic

Member
Nov 8, 2005
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Originally posted by: foodfightr
If you're running an Asus A8N Premium, you will want to invest in an antec p180 case, for two reasons.

1. The fact that the case has amazing (and quiet) airflow to cool your fanless motherboard.
2. A scythe ninja heatsink will line up PERFECTLY with the case, allowing you to eliminate yet another fan.

Your computer to run close to silently and stay very cool. If you need more cooling, you can add in 1-2 extra fans on the scythe ninja for unparalled air cooling.

I've been a huge fan of that setup ever since Dynamix3D posted his pictures.

Originally posted by: Dynamix3D
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I was thinking about the P180, seemed decent and looks pretty damn nice, but then I went to CompUSA and checked it out... I don't know, I thought it felt pretty flimsy and cheap, especially the door. But it's been getting pretty good reviews as far as I've seen and I suppose it's very quiet with good airflow, so certainly consider it, but I suggest checking it out in person if you have a pc store nearby.
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
20,905
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get the NEW ASUS 32x board if ur going asus. 2x16 on pci-e is awesome o_O

And yes go with the opteron 170. I heard u dont even have to use registered ECC ram on those and they are built much better then a X2. Anyone that tells u X2 is better has to be smoking crack. :X

I still think you should concider OCZ ram over corsairs. Everyone that has OCZ loves them and you wont hear a complaint. Plus there a lot cheaper then sairs.

Lastly the P-180 case is nice it has a lot of room but the PSU mounts on the bottom which is kind of wierd for me.

I like big cases because i love the room inside, i use the Thermaltake ARMOR. Its a really nice case and it has nice flow. Its also built very sturdy and my complete system weighs about 75lbs :X

Lastly, i would invest the most in things that dont drop in value. A dell 24inch widescreen LCD would be nice. :D

With the remaining i would then use it to buy the comp and OC it. The price on CPU/MOBO/RAM will bleed in value while the LCD should hold its price for at least 3times longer then everything else.
 

w33bo

Senior member
Jan 4, 2004
208
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he will want to upgrade.......i give it 6 months before the next big thing is out, dont lie to yourself :) ;) although if the prices drop enough in a year, SLI gtx 512 sounds mighty good :)
either way...its his money