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Need thoughts on selection for new gaming computer

E

Elemennop

Member
So my new goal has been to build my very first computer, and since I've mainly stuck with ok Dell computer or Toshiba laptops, I'm not trying my hand at making a very powerful, self-built computer. All I really need is a recommendation on the parts I've chosen; I'm unsure if the motherboard I chose is good enough, and if any part of the system will bottleneck it and cause the whole thing to kind of lose it's worth. Also, I really have no idea which certain video graphics card of the same chipset is worth getting. So anyways, here's the parts I have chosen ~

Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 ($150)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=20-145-440&depa=1
AMD Athlon64 3400+ ($220)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=19-103-484&depa=1
DVD/CD Burner/Reader ($65)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=27-152-032&depa=0
Maxtor 200GB SATA drive 7200RPM ($112)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=22-144-324&depa=1
Antec Sonata ($100)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=11-129-127&depa=1
Chaintech 7.1 Sound Card ($25)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=29-120-103&depa=0
Floppy Drive ($10)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=21-152-005&depa=0
Logitech X-5305 Black Speakers($65)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/view...=36-121-118&DEPA=0
ATI Radeon X800 XT ($490)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=14-125-139&depa=1
OR
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=14-123-137&depa=1
Viewsonic E90B 19" CRT Monitor ($175)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=24-116-302&depa=0
Asus K8N-E Deluxe ($119)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=13-131-498&depa=0
OR
DFI NForce3 250GB Socket 754 ($100)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=13-136-147&depa=0
Logitech Black 104 Keys PS/2 ($10)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/view...=23-126-167&DEPA=1
Microsoft Optical Mouse ($15)
-http://www.newegg.com/app/view...=26-105-143&DEPA=1

I'd also like to know if the case that I chose is worth the $$, and if it's 380W PSU will be able to support all of this. If I can, I'd really like to pay less money for a case, but still be able to have the power to handle everything. So uh, any recommendations about this will be appreciated.

Thanks for the help to whoever posts. 🙂
 
The Antec is the best case + power combination under $100, it is a good 380watt PSU not some ready-to-explode, wildly-overrated generic one. Don't cheap out on the case and risk destroying half of your parts!

My Sonata has a P4 3.2C, 1 GB, nv fx5900, 2 optical, 2 HD and has been humming along for a year now.
 
http://www.newegg.com/app/view...=11-112-025&DEPA=1

lian li makes the best cases. i have the same case, just a different size. its alluminum and therefore will be very light and cooler than a steel case. Granted it doesnt have a power supply, but the one you have isnt that good anymore since graphics cards are requireing more and more power.

trust me, the lian li is just so much higher quality build. they put a lot of time into it. there is a pre-installed fan filter for the front, a built in fan controller, and the front panel wires for the switches and LED's are wired together until the last 1inch to make it very easy to have a clean case. Also, the case is NOT painted, therefore you cannot scratch it 🙂. It also has absolutely no regular screws. Everything is screwed in using thumb screws 🙂. Finally, there are built in cd rom covers and floppy colors to cover up your ugly white drives 🙂. my dvd-burner is white and the cover acts just like the front of the burner. i press the button, and a flap opens, revealing the cd. its a little complicated to understand sorry 🙂. Nevertheless, after getting this case, i will never order a different brand case again. Its amazing how many extra small things lian li puts into this.

As for teh hard drive, i would get one from the seagate 7200.7 series with ncq and SATA II. Seagate makes the most quiet and reliable drives on the market 🙂.

Definitly get a 3000/3200+ winchester core socket 939 cpu with the msi neo2 plat. dont buy socket 754....cause ull be left in the dust if you wanna change cpu's in 6 months as socket 754 is going to be sempron only.

also, please get a quality mouse if youre going to game. something like a mx310 at least.
 
If I do choose the Lian-Li case, which PSU should I get with it? I like how the case looks, and have heard many goods things about Lian-Li, but it's really pushing my budget even on top of what I already have. If you could recommend a 400W+ reliable PSU for about $40, I'll definitely think about switching from the Sonata case (And if I don't switch, will the Sonata's 380W be enough to run this?).

I looked through the HD's at newegg from Seagate, and the 7200.7 series is expensive; again, I really dont' want to add more. I've heard good things about Maxtor and it's HD's, and so I don't really want to pay another $40 just for a little quietness...

Now that you mentioned it, I guess it would be wiser to go with a socket 939 CPU. Thanks for the motherboard recommendation; on the CPU, should I go with the 3500+ and pay an extra $70 than what I was planning to before, or go down to the 3200+ for $20 less than what I was planning? Newegg doesn't seem to have any inbetween processor, something like the 3400+.

Thanks for the mouse recommendation.
 
I got a 3500+ from Monarchcomputer for 252 about a week ago, now it's back up to 270 something, I guess I got lucky eh?

Yes you want a good mouse, I recommend something from Logitech like the MX510.

I don't think you'll be using all 200GB of your Maxtor, why don't you get a 160GB Seagate instead for like 10 dollar less? Seagate does make the best hard drives.

Everything else looks good.
 
No, I'll definitely be using the HD; I have over 160GB's worth of CD's in folders at my house. I was even thinking of picking up a second 200GB drive later on sometime.
 
get a 3200+. or 3000+. only difference between all three winchesters is the multiplier.

and psu...just try to get a quality brand like enermax or antec, but if you cant, then get one with 450w+ with good amperage on the rails
 
Wow, the PSU's really add on to the cost. I'll think about it, but if I choose not to, will my setup run on the Sonata's 380W PSU?
 
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