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pc gaming build

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dk1m, I'm back.

No SLI!! You know how you said you only get 2 PCI slots if you get the SLI board? All the regular NF4Ultra boards have at least 4 PCI slots, and think about it, within a few years the 7800GTX will become really outdated, what's the point of throwing another one in? To make it louder? For added heat? To waste more money for the ill performance that you can get in a single card for half the price? Seriously, save the money on the motherboard, get a single 7800GTX and just get the next gen of cards when you need them, it's that simple!

And looking at those Panaflos, I dunno if the numbers are wrong or anything, but how can a fan spinning at 2850rpm be quieter than the same fan spinning at 2450rpm? Hmm...

As long as you don't get SLI (or at least don't get two video cards) the Seasonic or Enermax PSUs are fine.

And I agree with Bob, to an extent. I'm not discouraging you from splurging and getting a 2.5k dollar system, I just don't want you wasting your money. Getting a 4400+ or 2GB ram or whatever isn't a waste, but certain points of your system are (ahem SLI ahem). And I'm not trying to hide it, I really have something against SLI for any home system, there are real no upgrade options available for it and having two outdated video cards is worse than having one.

Make the right choice, dk1m.
 
lol ic hm now im not so sure about the 7800gtx i jus found some old articles claiming the r520 by ati will get over 10k on 3dmarks (hopefully they mean 3dmark05) so i dono now if i should wait for it.. also i mite change my mind again and go water cooling as it seems people from the extreme overclocking forums really seem to be for h20 cooling so this will take some research before i can get started n e ways 😛
 
Originally posted by: dk1m
lol ic hm now im not so sure about the 7800gtx i jus found some old articles claiming the r520 by ati will get over 10k on 3dmarks (hopefully they mean 3dmark05) so i dono now if i should wait for it.. also i mite change my mind again and go water cooling as it seems people from the extreme overclocking forums really seem to be for h20 cooling so this will take some research before i can get started n e ways 😛
Click to expand...

this is the other problem you will encounter, there will always be something that is coming out. go air for now, get h2o later if you want and enjoy a machine 🙂
 
Whatever you do...don't go with 2 7800gtx's... 1 7800gtx beats 2 6800gt's....

Seems pointless to me. The cycle is going to continue.

Another thing...what resolution do you play games at?...Do you have a 24" monitor that you want full settings + All upped AA+AF?...then the 2 7800gtx's might sound better. Or wait for the R520.

You should get a 4400x2 and OC that to 2.6-2.8 ghz with the ram you have. You will save $500 off the 4800x2 and your ram price will make up for the difference in $500.

Do not go watercooling...an XP 120 is an awesome heatsink.

Watercooling will set you back about $300 to $500 and the difference in temperature is not worth the price. You can reach the same goal and it seems smarter to just spend $50.

- You should get at least 1 74gb raptor. This would benefit your system.
 
hm ok ill stay air for now which makes sense since h20s not a requirement and i can always come bak to it later

also this is my updated list so far

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

+ PSU: ENERMAX All in One Noisetaker Series EG701AX-VE SFMA(24P) ATX12V 600W Power Supply - Retail ~ $168.99

+ 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: CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Activity LEDs Model TWINX2048-3200C2PRO - Retail ~ $266.00

+ Pri HD: Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM ~ $166.00

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

+ DVD ROM: PLEXTOR Black 12X DVD+R 4X DVD+RW 8X DVD-R 4X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 8M Cache SATA DVD Burner - Retail ~ $59.00

+ Sound Card: CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS GAMER Limited Edition 70SB035000013 8 (7.1) Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail ~ $112.99

+ Video Card: Nvidia Geforce 7800gtx ~ $599.00

+ FDD: NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model FD1231H-302 - OEM ~ $8.49

- Keyboard: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Mouse: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Modem: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+ Lan: (built in mobo)

- Monitor: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Speakers: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- OS: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Extras: THERMALRIGHT XP-90 Heatsink - Retail ~ $37.00
Panasonic Panaflo FBA09A12H -1BX 92mm Hydro Wave Cooling Fan - OEM ~ $12.00

for the gfx card it seems theres jus a never ending thing going on.. after ati releases their r520 nvidia gets their 7800 ultra then ati with their 580... jus goes on FoRevEr so ill jus stick with the current 7800 (and this would be a big improvemtn over my current mr 9700 with 4 pipelines anyways 🙂)

and for checking the comps temperatures fan speeds which panel would be recommended http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...xPrice=&SubCategory=11&Submit=Property

thanks
 
i wouldn't recommend corsair with the DFI board, sometimes they don't like to get along. and the raptor IMHO isn't worth the price premium. and you don't need the PSU, the 535watt enermax will do fine and save you half the price.
 
I didnt read all the replies but incase it hasnt been said yet, the harddrive is at 7200RPM, the one you listed. try for one that has 10,000RPM , I heard it actually does make some difference, although im sticking to the good ol 7200RPMs for a while.
 
Don't get Corsair ram with the DFI motherboard...They seem to be picky.

Go with OCZ VX Gold Ram.

And... You shouldn't get a sli motherboard, save yourself money.

You are spending an extra $150 on the x2 4400...check pricegrabber.com and you can get them for - 540.

And many experienced members of AT prefer the Ocz Modular Power Supply line.

Check Hot Deals...and get the 2405" Dell Monitor for $899 24 Inch monitor - It should be able to challenge your system at its high resolution.
 
hm for the ocz vx gold ram do they come in 2 gb 2x1gb? cant seem to find it on newegg if it does exist 😛 if they dont should i go for 4x512mb or does this have some type of performance issue involved? and if a 2gb ocz value vx doesnt exist would this 1 do ok http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227210 thanks

yeah n it seems the prices on newegg for the 2x keep changing.. now that i check its up 2 $720
 
i'd get the ocz el plat 1x2gb or i just ordered the mushkin lv2 2x1gb. VX afaik, isn't made in 1 gig sticks. you don't want the extra cooling with vx anyway 😛

also, get the UT version of the sli-dr, all you'll be missing is a carrying strap and the front-x panel which you may use once. save yourself $20.

tankguys has the mushkin at a really nice price too. here it is.

also, one more time on this x2. you realize a 3700+ frequently hits 2800 making it equivalent to the fx-57, which btw is the fastest single threaded core for many apps, including games. hell, i'm at 2750 with barely changing a timing from my winny.

if you are really going to use and x2 then fine, but for me 1/2 the price for equal or better gaming performance...well you know. especially as bob said m2 will be coming out next year. thats all i'll say on that, lol.
 
hmmm i guess ill have to consider the 3700 and wuts the m2?

and between the mushkin and ocz which would perform better

thanks

edit: ooo ic ddr2 ram = m2 😛
 
m2 is amds next dual core. if you get a dual corenow, you may even want to skip that gen, i dunno if it adds much more than ddr2. someone else would know better.

at any rate, my point is if you really only need gaming, then i think an x2 won't be neccessary for a while. in the meantime, the 3700+ will handle anything you need. later when the dual core is beneficial, you can look at a cheaper x2 as prices drop or the m2 or whatever else may be out there.

the mushkon and ocz are both rated the same i think 2-3-2-5 and from the reivews i saw will both clock about the same, which is to say, you'll neeed a divider above 220-230 regardless of timings or volts. although i think i saw one review say he got the mushkis up to 240 with cl3 2.8v.

i've always only bought ocz sso i figured i'd try mushkis based on some recommendations.
 
Check my rig in the signature or on the website.

I do a lot of web building work that involves Photoshop, Flash etc. and gaming is the other purpose.

My only 3 suggestions will be buy retail products if you don't have another computer that you can rip apart. I spent at least 100 dollars more than what I intended to because of OEM products. The second one will be about modding. If you are picking up a dremel or a drill and trying to do something on your case, make sure everything is masked. The third one will be about RAM. Don't buy more than 2 sticks of 512mb of fastest RAM. OCZ Platinum Rev2 is very good.

Also, I used laptops over the years. My house has 3 laptops...building a desktop is actually fun.

My computers generally have 3 years lifespan. 1.5k - 1.6k on hardware will get you there.

- Rex

 
hehehe im looking forward to building this as well 😀 😀 😀

hm why 1gb? wouldnt computers eventually start needing more ram as programs start to become more hungry for ram?

i think my comps finally finished

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

+ PSU: ENERMAX All in One Noisetaker Series EG701AX-VE SFMA(24P) ATX12V 600W Power Supply - Retail ~ $168.99 (150 zzf)

+ Mobo: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail ~ $172.00

+ CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4400CDBOX - Retail ~ $720.00 (625 tigerdirect)

+ RAM: OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Platinum System Memory Model OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K - Retail ~ $280.00

+ Pri HD: Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM ~ $166.00

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

+ DVD ROM: PLEXTOR Black 12X DVD+R 4X DVD+RW 8X DVD-R 4X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 8M Cache SATA DVD Burner - Retail ~ $59.00

+ Sound Card: CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS GAMER Limited Edition 70SB035000013 8 (7.1) Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail ~ $112.99

+ Video Card: BFG Tech BFGR78256GTXOC Geforce 7800GTX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail ~ $620.00

+ FDD: NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model FD1231H-302 - OEM ~ $8.49

- Keyboard: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Mouse: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Modem: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+ Lan: (built in mobo)

- Monitor: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Speakers: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- OS: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+ Extras: THERMALRIGHT XP-90 Heatsink - Retail ~ $37.00
Panasonic Panaflo FBA09A12H -1BX 92mm Hydro Wave Cooling Fan - OEM ~ $12.00

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM ~ $17.00
Thermaltake HardCano 12 HDD Cooler and LCD Heat Monitor - Retail ~ $59.99

i decided to jus go with the wdraptor since neweggs having a 20 dollar sale on it 🙂

hm i also did try to pick out as many retail as possible i hear oems jus come in a plastic bag?? ._. for the hardrives tho i couldnt find any retail versions

and 1 thing im worried about is will this tower case have enough room? not really sure how big it is

also will i need anything extra such as pins for the power supply or sata cables for the wdraptor

thanks

edit: oops forgot to erase the other panel lol
 
personally i like a full tower as they usually have more fans and obviously, room. in fact all i will buy now are full towers. i have a couple of mid towers and to be honest i hate working on them because they are so cramped. on newegg they have some larger lian lee cases, but they claim they are for eatx boards, you will need to verify that they will support atx boards as some eatx cases do support atx and some don't. personally i would get a larger case, it is one item you will have for a long time.

your m/b should come with sata cables for the hdd, if you need extra space just pick up any current gen large 7200rpm hdd for a secondary.

i am pretty sure that dfi board has decent onboard sound, others can verify, so you shouldn't a sound card

be sure to read the as5 instructions - more is not better with as5!!!

to everybody else reading this - is there anything special when installing the os from a sata optical drive? does it work just like a pata?
 
i would imagine it would be recogniized just like the sata hdd. so it shouldn't need anything. un less using raid, the dfi won't need any drivers from floppy. use the windows. even when you install the drivers from the driver disk after install be sure not to use the nvidia ide drivers as the are more trouble then they're worth.

buying oem is fine in most cases especially hdd. all my hdd, my opticals, my floppy, one of my cpus were oem. i personally wouldn't get oem vgas or mobos but thats imo.
 
hm im not sure as well about the sata i recently noticed that most dvd/cds come in pata i dono if sata has any advantages (to me it seems like the sata is at a disadvantage since the dvd runs at 12x instead of 16x like the pata but people say the satas faster because of other reasons because of a bigger cache or something) also some people say that they couldnt install windows 2000, ME on with it i dono if its tru tho 😛

for the oem processors how come their more expensive than retail? ._.

thanks
 
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