New System Review!

[Atomik]

Hey All! Been out of touch with computers for the last year (real life is so overrated) and as such I have no idea what sort of components are the ones to have. ATI, NV, AMD, OCZ, Etc... While I could do some research, I've also always wanted to start my own thread I can always research the recomended components.

-Widescreen LCD 20" or so
-I do not overclock anymore
-Use my comp for everything
-No huge cases, and no TT products (Been down that road)
-~$2500CDN budget not including monitor
-I've always wanted a raptor, or at least one kickass awesome component

I hope to assemble something that will last a year or two, which I don't think is unrealistic with the new dual core CPUs. Thanks for all your recomendations. Is there a thank you smilie? This one will have to do for now

 

[Malladine]

Definately AMD. Maybe a 3800+X2 (dual core)

On the LCD i'd just check newegg and find one with 5/5 stars

Not sure how $2500cdn translates to $ based on the cost of hardware over there, but you want to aim for a 7800GT/GTX or X1900XT.

2gb ram, value is A-OK for non overclockers.

 

[professor1942]

Originally posted by: Malladine
Definately AMD. Maybe a 3800+X2 (dual core)

On the LCD i'd just check newegg and find one with 5/5 stars

Not sure how $2500cdn translates to $ based on the cost of hardware over there, but you want to aim for a 7800GT/GTX or X1900XT.

2gb ram, value is A-OK for non overclockers.

$2500 CDN is about $2200 US, and hardware is just a tiny bit cheaper in Canada based on the same currency.

 

[Atomik]

I take it that 2GB is the new standard these days?

The 3800+ seems pretty awesome, but would it be stupid to mate it with a super high-end vid card? The 7800GTX seems pretty decent, could it handle 20" WS resolution with mostly high details? Don't know much about the X1900's, didn't the X1800s just come out? Wierd. What sort of powersupply is required for todays medium-high end systems? I don't think my Enermax 350Watt will be up to the task. Judging by these boards, the Seasonics are on the it list.

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[shoRunner]

For a 20" LCD at a good price check out dell, they often times have their widescreen 2005fp or regular 2001fp on sale for around $350.

I will assume the computer is being built with gaming in mind.

Antec Sonata II Case $100 with $20 MIR

Seasonic s12-500 PSU $125 w/$10 MIR

Seagate 500gb SATA2 HD $ 340

2x1gb DDR400 Ram $165

DVD burner NEC $40

MoBo1 Asus SLI Premium $170
or
MoBo2 Asus A8r-mvp $105

ATI x1900xt $500

AMD x2 4400+ $470

SoundBlaster X-Fi $120

The total comes to around $1900 and you should be able to stay around $2200 even with the LCD.

You could even get the new $150 GB raptor in there as your main drive if you wanted.

 

[Atomik]

Just to keep the ball rolling

-BFG 7800GTX 256MB (worth it over the GT? Or shall I play the waiting game?)
-AMD X2 3800+ (Is the 4200/4400 a worthy upgrade?)
-OCZ 2GB Ram 2-3-2-5 (Good enough?)
-Raptor 74GB (Worth it?)
-WD 250-400GB HD of some sort
-Antec Sonata 2 case (Is the PS enough?)

I am having trouble choosing a motherboard. The A8N32 by Asus is getting good reviews but seems pretty expensive and also I need a couple PCI slots for Sound/TV Tuner. But, I would pay extra for a mobo with no chipset fan.

Any other suggestions/ideas?

 

[Rumple]

Check out the Epox motherboards. I just bought one and i am very happy with it. From my understanding the 2 best motherboards are epox and dfi atm.

eVGA is the new king of gfx cards buy their brand if you can. Raptors in my opinion are kinda pointless as they really dont help your system a whole lot for the huge price. If you dont over clock buy corsair value ram.