Please help critique/validate my new gaming rig!

[Ackk]

Hey everybody, this is the first new system I have built in a while and the setup below is based on 12 straight hours of mind-numbing research and trying to catch up with the latest technologies, so I wouldn't be surprised if I am missing a few things. I want to keep the cost around $1500-$2000.

ANTEC Life Style Series Black Case With 380W Power Supply, Model "SONATA"

MSI "K8N Neo2 Platinum" NVIDIA nForce3 ULTRA Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL

eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model
"256-A8-N344-AX" -RETAIL

AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor - Retail

(x2)Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail

Maxtor 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model 6B250S0, OEM Drive Only

NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive, Black, Model ND-3520A BK, OEM

NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive, OEM

Logitech Elite Keyboard USB/ PS/2 104keys -RETAIL

Logitech Blue Performance Optical Mouse PS2/ USB, Model "MX510" -RETAIL



Total cost on newegg NOT INCLUDING monitor: $1334.84


Are all of these parts compatible? Any suggestions/changes? Also, I am looking for a 17" or 19" LCD monitor for gaming and have read the anandtech 19" comparison, but would appreciate further suggestions on an LCD gaming monitor to get.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Megatomic]

I'd double the RAM and get 1GB if I were you, but everything else looks solid to me.

 

[Ackk]

Sorry, that was a typo. System should have two sticks of the 512mb ram.

 

[tiap]

I would go for a little bigger power supply.

 

[Megatomic]

That power supply is fine, I have the same exact model in the same exact case running my system. Check the link in my sig for details on what I run.

 

[bigboxes]

If I said too much I would be picky. Overall, it looks very nice. I have heard a lot of negative comments about Maxtor drives as of late. It seems as if all hdds go through a phase of bad models. I just happened to get in on IBM's turn. I would recommend a Seagate. Do a search of the forum and you will see what I am talking about on that issue. If you plan on adding any additional hdds I would bump up your psu to a 430w or larger if you can afford it.

Just out of curiosity, what are you upgrading from?

 

[Ackk]

I'm upgrading from a celeron 1Ghz processor oc'd to 1.3ghz, 512 mb of pc-133 ram, geforce 2 GTS, 18GB HD....so yea, it's about time.

Thanks for the comments so far, keep them coming!

 

[doublejbass]

If you can bear to wait a month, I think buying a 6800GT right now with the X800 XL on the way is wasteful.

 

[imported_waldo]

Also, you may want to wait a month so Nforce 4 boards hit the market strong....I think they will be worth waiting for...and more solid upgrade potential, but based on past history, you may not worry/care about that.

 

[nick1985]

looks great to me. :thumbsup:

 

[Thegonagle]

ANTEC Life Style Series Black Case With 380W Power Supply, Model "SONATA"
Great choice, IMO. The PSU will be fine.

MSI "K8N Neo2 Platinum" NVIDIA nForce3 ULTRA Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL
I would choose Asus, but that's because I've never had a problem with them with 4 different boards I've used; I haven't tried MSI though and it might be great too. The MSI has a tiny screaming northbridge fan though, which are worse than the devil IMO.

eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model
"256-A8-N344-AX" -RETAIL
I'm sure you'll love it. It ought to be pretty future-proof, too. I'd buy an Arctic Cooling VGA silencer sooner or later though, because they cool great, are quieter than any stock HSF, and help cool the case by exhausting the VPU heat instead of dumping it inside.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor - Retail
That's what I'd buy if I was building a new PC from scratch. I'd also use an aftermarket HSF because I'm a freak about excessive noise. I'd look at the Zalman 7000 AlCu, Zalman 7700 AlCu, Thermalright XP-90 (with quiet Panaflow, Enermax, or Globe fan and Zalman Fanmate), or Thermalright XP-120 (also with quiet Panaflow, Enermax, or Globe fan and Zalman Fanmate) depending on what fits best.

(x2)Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail
Great choice--my experience with Corsair Value Select has been wonderful.

Maxtor 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model 6B250S0, OEM Drive Only
I prefer Seagate for various reasons, including the fact that I've had 2 of 3 Maxtors fail over time (no Seagetes have failed on me yet, knock on wood), and Seagates are quiet in the idle whine department, which is more annoying to me than a little bit of seek noise.

NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive, Black, Model ND-3520A BK, OEM
I've had no problems with my NEC ND-2500A, and I like it because it's fairly quiet, so I endorse your choice of the 3520.

NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive, OEM
They say a floppy is a floppy. I'm using the Alps floppy from Newegg myself, and it's been fine.

Logitech Elite Keyboard USB/ PS/2 104keys -RETAIL

Logitech Blue Performance Optical Mouse PS2/ USB, Model "MX510" -RETAIL

KB and mouse are personal chioces, and I generally like Logitech KBs. I've had no experience with that mouse though.

Good luck with everything!

 

[AnotherGuy]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle
ANTEC Life Style Series Black Case With 380W Power Supply, Model "SONATA"
Great choice, IMO. The PSU will be fine.

MSI "K8N Neo2 Platinum" NVIDIA nForce3 ULTRA Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL
I would choose Asus, but that's because I've never had a problem with them with 4 different boards I've used; I haven't tried MSI though and it might be great too. The MSI has a tiny screaming northbridge fan though, which are worse than the devil IMO.

MSI Neo and Neo2 boards are known to require good 12v rails with plenty ampers on it. My PS now has only 12v@18A which is considered a little low from the usual... but I havent seen any issues from that whatsoever. I hope that 380W is enough... but I see u also have a more powerful Vidcard which requires even more power. If u r going to OVerclock u definitly need a better PS. Good luck.

Not that i like to contradict anyone, but my MSI Neo2 does NOT have any screaming fans on it... my only fan that I can hear sometimes at startup is that tiny bastard from my old radeon 9600xt which gets loud.

 

[Relion]

Why u didnt went Nforce4?

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: AnotherGuy
Not that i like to contradict anyone, but my MSI Neo2 does NOT have any screaming fans on it... my only fan that I can hear sometimes at startup is that tiny bastard from my old radeon 9600xt which gets loud.

I was going by the picture from Newegg's website. They should update it if the board now has no fan, because seeing a fan on a motherboard where a passive HS should do the job causes me to eliminate it from consideration. I know a lot of other people feel the same way.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: Relion
Why u didnt went Nforce4?

because there is no speed difference compared to an nforce3, and he got a 6800GT, good luck trying to find a PCI-E 6800GT for a reasonable price.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Case is great, have one myself. You'll love it.

CPU: Maybe consider the OEM 3000+ (and a nice cpu fan) instead of the retail 3200+. You'll save yourself about $50 for negligible decrease in performance, since you can OC the 3000+ to 3200+ speeds very very easily. In any case, the decision to go with a S939 64 is a good one!

MoBo: Another vote for the ASUS A8V Deluxe. Again, have one myself, and love it. After doing my research, it came down to the MSI K8N Platinum and the ASUS - I went with ASUS simply because I have never had problems with an ASUS board and have never had an MSI board - though honestly this decision seems like a push.

Memory: Good choice.

HDD: Bad choice, hehe. I'd definitely go with a Seagate or WD - or with the $50 you saved downgrading to a 3000+ cpu, get yourself the 74GB Raptor.

DVD burner: Those NEC dual layer burners rock. A friend has the model you listed and absolutely loves it.

Before you buy everything, though, check out some of your local computer retailers - they might be able to match and or beat newegg. Newegg just doesn't seem to have the most competitive prices anymore, and it's always good to support your local economy. (Not to mention the cost of shipping the case probably negates having to pay taxes.)

Have fun!