pc gaming build

[dk1m]

hm this is what 1 guy recommended off the pc hardware forums "I recommend you go for an Enermax Noisetaker (485W) or Seasonic S12. Both are fantastic, extremely efficient, quiet and have dual-12V rails."

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: dk1m
hm this is what 1 guy recommended off the pc hardware forums "I recommend you go for an Enermax Noisetaker (485W) or Seasonic S12. Both are fantastic, extremely efficient, quiet and have dual-12V rails."

good recommendation

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: dk1m
hm this is what 1 guy recommended off the pc hardware forums "I recommend you go for an Enermax Noisetaker (485W) or Seasonic S12. Both are fantastic, extremely efficient, quiet and have dual-12V rails."

good recommendation

Yep.

SLI:
Btw, FYI it'll be useless to SLI anyways. Think about it, say tou take the 7800GTX. It won't be until 2-3 (maybe even 4) years until games start SLOWING down your card (I'm even 100% sure that in 3 years you'll be able to play games on at LEAST medium settings, if not high (but defiantely not super-duper-high with max resolution)). By that time, the 7800GTX will be like.... total crap and it'll be super cheap. Adding a 2nd one would be stupid becuase they'll have like a 10800GTX or something. A single, middle-of-the-road card (in 3 years) will definately outperform that dual 7800GTX that you buy now.

-TPG

 

[dk1m]

haha tru tru but lets say that 100000 gtx comes out i can take out the 7800 and put 2 of those updated 1s in there and who knows games mite make more use out of the sli.. just my theory

wut i ment was in the near future not year 2050 😛

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Rofl. 10 bucks says that there'll be a "new" type of SLI in the future 😛.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: The Pentium Guy
Rofl. 10 bucks says that there'll be a "new" type of SLI in the future 😛.

i have to agree with this, look at sata - same speed as pata but they hype this sh!t out of making everybody think it is better, when in fact it is the same speed with a small cable and hot swap, the people that use hot swap would probably be better off with scsi anyway.

agp 8x - we still don't even use all of the bandwidth of that but now we have to go pci-e for what reason?

since i just got a new m/b and can now really o/c my 2.8c, this machine will probably last me until the agp 6800gts and ultras become reasonable, then i will put one of those in there. my current machine is 1.25yrs old and i still only need to upgrade the video only to play the newest games at the highest resolutions.

dk1m - i guess my rant is don't try to buy to far in the future, it is not worth it.

 

[dk1m]

lol tru.. ok now i think im almost dun i understand that lian lis are well built cases but which fan set ups are are most effecient (i finally decided not to go water). i see cases with 2 120mm+90mms or some1 else recommends thermaltake cases and some of those use 7 80mm which would be the most efficient? and for ram timings any of u guys no if lower ras latencys are actually worse for the nf4 mobos?

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Originally posted by: dk1m
lol tru.. ok now i think im almost dun i understand that lian lis are well built cases but which fan set ups are are most effecient (i finally decided not to go water). i see cases with 2 120mm+90mms or some1 else recommends thermaltake cases and some of those use 7 80mm which would be the most efficient? and for ram timings any of u guys no if lower ras latencys are actually worse for the nf4 mobos?

Rofl - sorry but I can't read 1 word of that >_<.

 

[Malladine]

Originally posted by: shoRunner
the enermax i listed will work for sli...any Lian Li tower should work, they are simply all alumium(light) and well built.

Careful with Lian Li, i own one and have had difficulties fitting cards correctly. It could be because I'm not using the risers that came with the case though 😱

Too lazy to test that out 😀

Other than that and flimsy drive bay place holders it's a great case.

PSU wise, you really don't have to look anywhere beyond Antec or Enermax.

 

[Cheezeit]

Fortron Enermax and Antec are all good PSU makers.

Personally, I reccomend the FOrtron BS 500 as they are all that go into my builds

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: dk1m
lol tru.. ok now i think im almost dun i understand that lian lis are well built cases but which fan set ups are are most effecient (i finally decided not to go water). i see cases with 2 120mm+90mms or some1 else recommends thermaltake cases and some of those use 7 80mm which would be the most efficient? and for ram timings any of u guys no if lower ras latencys are actually worse for the nf4 mobos?

like i said earlier, get a case where you can use 92/120mm fans in it. 80mm @ 2500rpm = ~32CFM, 25dBAba, 120mm @ 1200rpm = ~42CFM, 22dBA or most of the 120mm you can speed up to 2000rpm which = ~75CFM @ 35dBA, which is a little louder but you would only need 1/2 the amount of fans. in my rig i have 7 80mm case fans, but this case is 2+yrs old and i like to know it is on. my next case will use 92 or 120mm fans because of the amount of air they move.

 

[dk1m]

haha sry i type like a unclearly since this is how i usually type when im chatting in games (abbreviated and unclear 😛)

u guys all been really helpful (especially bob 🙂) i have a much better understanding about computer parts and wut works and wut doesnt 🙂

this is my updated list again feel free to comment on anyhting (i think im gona burn money for this build but its kewl)

Case: Lian Li PC-60BPlus Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ~ $129.00

PSU: ENERMAX Whisper II AX 2.0 SLI 535W Power supply, Model "EG565AX-VE FMA 2.0 - SLI"-Retail ~ $99.00

+ Mobo: DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail ~ $194.00

+ CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4400CDBOX - Retail ~ $689.00

RAM: OCZ Performance Series 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Copper Heatspreader Model OCZ4001024PFDC-K - Retail ~ 2x $110.00 = $220.00

Pri HD: HITACHI Deskstar T7K250 HDT722516DLA380 (0A31637) 160GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA II Hard Drive - OEM ~ $86.00

- Sec HD: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sound Card:

+ Video Card: Nvidia Geforce 7800gtx ~ $599.00

im still a little unsure about the harddrive and ram and i understand this is a great psu but im wondering if this would be enough power because i really dont want to be short 😛

 

[shoRunner]

going with 512x4 is generally not recommended. as it lowers command rate to 2T(which is a slight performace hit).

and as i said before go with the value vx. it may take alittle tweaking but they will overclock well with the dfi board

 

[bob4432]

you should be ok with that ps, but they make a 585W version that you may want to look into. like shoRunner says, don't go with 2GB of ram if you have to do 4x512, you need to 2x1GB due to the command rate. since you are going balls out, don't skimp on the ram and get some good 1GB sticks - shoRunner will this work ok and work at 1T? -> (http://www.newegg.com/OldVersion/app/Vi...esc.asp?description=20-227-210&depa=0)

dk1m - not trying to bust your balls, but for ~$160 you could get a 3200venice and o/c it hard and not be too far behind what you are getting with the x2 4400 in games. the only area the x2 will dominate is multi-threaded apps and serious multitasking like gaming and encoding movies at the same time...

 

[shoRunner]

yes two 1GB sticks will run at 1T. that memory will not overclock as well as a set of 512mb sticks. it will probably top out at around 230-240mhz or so with really lose timings. so you'll have to run a divider, which isn't too big of a deal but not as quite as good of performance as running 1:1. what are you doing that you'll need 2GB of memory?

 

[rise]

2t probably means as much as the divider you'll need to run the 1 gig sticks anyway- really no real world performance hit.

i'd get this case-
http://www.tankguys.com/antec-p180-case-p-1091.html
nice 120mm fans, its tall though.

and unless you're really going to use that x2, why not get a 3700+ sandy and oc it to a fx-57? almost all can hit that on air.

additionally, if money isn't an object as it appears not to be, i'd get the ocz 600 powerstream as you keep thinking sli down the road.

 

[dk1m]

that antec case looks great but will it make any difference since its not made of aluminum?

for the processor i hear that later on games will use the multi threading so jus to be on the safe side 🙂

for the cd/dvd drive, network card and floppy(just incase) will these be ok?

cd/dvd - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131329

floppy - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821152005

network - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124120

thanks

 

[rise]

Originally posted by: dk1m
that antec case looks great but will it make any difference since its not made of aluminum?

nope, the air flow is far more important. theres a link in hot deals too i think for 110$

for the processor i hear that later on games will use the multi threading so jus to be on the safe side 🙂

doubt you'll see any benefit for a couple years at best.

for the cd/dvd drive, network card and floppy(just incase) will these be ok?

cd/dvd - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131329

you can get the nec for 45$ shipped i think.

floppy - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821152005

looks fine

network - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124120

can't help you there.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: dk1m
that antec case looks great but will it make any difference since its not made of aluminum?

for the processor i hear that later on games will use the multi threading so jus to be on the safe side 🙂

for the cd/dvd drive, network card and floppy(just incase) will these be ok?

cd/dvd - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131329

floppy - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821152005

network - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124120

thanks

we need to change your thinking that things that cost more a always better. this is not the case with computer, but the reality is that things that cost more are just newer.

the dvd-rw you chose is nice and since it has has a mail in rebate making it ~$60 i would get it, but the necs work very well also.

like rise4310 states, gaming will not be multithreaded for a long time and by that thime your x2 4400 will be outdated as will probably skt 939 and also the 7800gtx, so that is why we keep trying offer up better, reasonable alternatives for the now. don't try to future proof your machine now as it will cost you out the a$$ and you will still not be future proof. in computers, there is no such thing as future proof.

as far as the network card, your board should have one on it.

 

[dk1m]

lol ic ill check out the necs

well for the processor i read much about it and seen reviews with benmarks and even tho its multi it did pretty well against the single threaded processors in games.. i do understand that the single threads can be slightly cheaper and offer more for games today but im pretty sure im gona stick with this processor 🙂

i also want to get seperate heatsinks + fans for the cpu and gpu heatsinks(not sure if its neccessary here) to keep the comp cool when/if i overclock.. which heatsinks + fans would be good for these? and can the mobo also have a fan upgrade since iv read that the mobos fan for the dfi can start to become warm when in use

hm theres another thing im worried about i went to frys and actually saw the dfi mobo n realized that it only had 2 pci slots would this be sufficent?

 

[shoRunner]

well what do you need to put in the PCI slots...maybe a soundcard thats about it... the board comes with NIC onboard. the X2 overclock pretty well too (about 2.5-2.7 on air) and it will perform just as good as a single core of equal speed in games. zalman and thermalright make good heatsinks.

 

[dk1m]

between these 2 which would most likely keep the comp cooler (or is there a different model better than these 2)

zalman - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118115 <im guessing this 1 loL

thermaltake - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835106037

and for the mobo (or does the dif mobo already come with a better 1)

zalman - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118202

zalman - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118214

for ram (dono if these are necessary as wel but if they are which would be betterl 😛)

ocz - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835116014

thermaltake - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835116012

thanks

edit: hm i checked out the necs and they seem to not have any sata dvd/cd drives only in ide

 

[bob4432]

dk1m - i was saying that the plextor is an excellent drive, especially at that current price. for the ~$60 i would buy it, but not for $80, but since it has a mail in rebate, go for it. as far as sata on a optical drive, i wouldn't worry about it, and i think plextor is the only one currently that offers a sata optical drive, imo not needed. sata, on a hdd doesn't have any real world advantages on a 7200rpm hdd drive, let alone on a optical drive. it also might be interesting on trying to boot up from a sata rom drive, hopefully somebody else can chime in on that as i don't know if xp has the drivers built in for the booting up on optical drives or not, or it might be just as easy as a pata drive, don't know.

as far as the hsfs, shoRunner stated thermalright, not thermaltake - 2 different companies, i would go thermalright, like there xp120c.

also, the reason the gaming benches were "doing pretty well a single core cpu" is because the games are just using 1 core, since the games are single threaded. single core cpus can be significantly cheaper, ~$500 than the dual core you have chosen, but that is up to you. to be completely honest, for gaming you would be better with a 3500venice and 2x7800gtx in sli...

i would hate for you to spend all this money and have a machine that cost 1/2 the $$$ that you paid be 95% as fast...

we are not suggesting this to you because we are all broke and jealous, but rather because we have been in your shoes especially being a noob and reading all this information saying this is better, that is better, etc. i have personally spent thousands of $$$ on sh!t that i didn't need or could have easily waited another month for and saved a ton. that is why i will preach it again. start slow and learn. i don't know how old you are but when you hit or did hit 16, i doubt it would be wise to have your first car be a ferrari as you would probably wreck a ~$125,000 car (i personally know people in this exact situation), and again, to be perfectly honest, if you drop a 7800gtx in anything faster than a a64 3000 it will be fine for quite some time because the games are no longer limited by cpu power but rather graphics power. bear in mind that anything over 70fps is a waste as you can not see the difference between 70 &150fps (i think bf2 is limited to 99fps as was bf:v and bf1942). i play an older flight sim for rc planes and since it is an older game, with my machine it will hit 400+fps @ 1600x1200, but to be honest, i can't see any difference between 400fps and 60.

 

[dk1m]

i love you too bob!!! ;-; pshh ferrari > lambo murcielago (HOT as hell!) 😀

hm for the thermalright i also felt the xp 120 was a good heatsink but after a bit of research most seem to say the xp 90 with a panaflo fan works slightly better is this tru?

 

[The Pentium Guy]

XP120 = mightnot fit. XP90C is probably the best choice, with a Panaflo L1A