PC Customizing; Whatcha think?

[imported_Wish]

Heya,

After too many years using a hand-me-down of a hand-me-down computer, I'm looking forward to buying a new one! I plan on using it for multimedia apps, gaming, all purpose stuff.

Below is the configuration I've created. I would love any comments you may have please.

http://secure.ncix.com/pcbuilder/index....on=getprice&id=2227727&platformid=1000

There are a few things in particular that I an unsure about:

* the heatsink
* the memory
* the optional fan
* video card: is evga alright, should I go with bfg?
* the network card ( i know nothing about network cards )
* also the option of rounded cables. do i really need them? if so, which ones?

Not sure I wil be purchasing from NCIX or building it myself, but that webpage is an easy way to see the components.

Any and all comments are very welcome. Thanks for taking the time!

* wish *

 

[Some1ne]

Lian-Li cases are pretty, but needlessly expensive as well. You can get a stylish looking model from another manufacturer, like Antec or whomever, for less. I also recommend making sure whatever case you get has sliding drive rails, they make everything so much easier.

the heatsink

I wouldn't bother with a third-party HSF. The stock one that comes with your $650 CAD CPU will work fine, and it's free (essentially). In terms of the cost😛erformance that you'll get by adding in a third-party HSF, it's really not worth it. You can overclock just as well (or at least, very nearly as well) using the stock HSF. If anything just get a $5 tube of Arctic Silver 5, and replace the thermal pad on the stock HSF with it.

the memory

Um...the RAM you picked is DDR2. AMD chips and mainboards do not use DDR2. You need to use 184-pin DDR SDRAM. Anything that runs at DDR400 or higher from a name-brand manufacturer should work fine here.

the optional fan

Should be fine, although the case you picked already ships with two 120 mm fans. In practice this should be sufficient for your needs, so you may want to re-evaluate whether or not you need the third fan. Of course, if you switch to a more reasonable case, the number of included fans may change.

video card: is evga alright, should I go with bfg?

In practice, the brand of the card makes very little to no difference in terms of performance, all other things being equal. Get whichever one you prefer. Also, I strongly recommend against getting the SLI mainboard. SLI just doesn't make sense at all for the vast majority of users, period.

the network card ( i know nothing about network cards )

You don't really need it. Any decent socket 939 mainboard will come with an integrated gigabit ethernet adapted. You only need a standalone card if you want your PC to have two network adapters, and even then, there are socket 939 boards you can get that have dual gigabit ethernet built-in.

also the option of rounded cables. do i really need them? if so, which ones?

You don't technically "need" them, but they make things a bit nicer inside the case. Which ones doesn't really matter, they're all essentially the same.

 

[potato28]

Dang Some1ne posted right as mine got in... great system build!!

 

[EightySix Four]

Also with the recent info going around I'd have to recommend against antec. Apparently even the motherboard manufacturer Tyan is against them, their rails are unstable. Not sure if the problem has been ratified though.

 

[imported_Wish]

Thanks so much for the replies, especially Some1ne; very helpful. More would be greatly appreciated.

*wish*