Please help me build my rig

[deveraux]

Ok, I'm considering getting a new monitor either Dell 2001FP or 2005FPW and I think I'm leaning towards the 2005FPW as I do lots of programming and it would be good to have several windows on-screen. I do play games although not as much as I used to but still a fair bit.

Anyway, this is what I'm considering:

AMD Athlon64 3500
2x512 Corsair VS RAM
GeForce 6800 GT (Gigabyte? -- only offer)
WD 74Gb Raptor
OCZ Powerstream (420W -- should I go for 520?)

For the CPU, I'm not sure if I should go for the Newcastle or Winchester as the Newcastles are cheaper. Bear in mind please that I do NOT intend to overclock at all. I really like my warranties =)

Also, I'm not sure on the mobo as I can barely find PCIe mobos (non-SLI) and even rarer is the supply of PCIe graphics cards. Also, is it worth getting a GeForce 6800 (non-ultra and non-GT) and just unlocking the pipelines? I've heard some people on this board do it. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[deveraux]

bump

 

[SirOblivious]

System look fine with me. Got a case in mind or have one your going to reuse?

If not OC'ing, newcastle cores are just fine. Still, make sure you have some decent cooling (especially if your reusing an old case). I myself am just now (stuff is in the mail on the way) upgrading my system. I went with:

A64 WC 3200+ s939
MSI neo2 Platinum MB
2x512MB Mushkin Value DDR400mhz
Antec 430W True Power PSU
BFG 6800GT OC - (AGP, next time I upgrade I plan on replacing MB/CPU/mem/GFX anyway)
I'm reusing my old case. It has spaces for 2x 80mm fans that I plan on filling.

On the 6800 unlocking... Its really just luck from what I hear. I just went ahead and spent some extra cash. I dont like gambling. The 6800GT card will last a good long while in the game world. AGP was fine with me as the MB's are cheaper, PCIe cards are more expensive/unavailable, and again - i'll probably just upgrade everything the next time again.

 

[deveraux]

Thanks for your reply!

I am still on the fence about getting a Coolermaster WaveMaster case (anyone?). But a lot of my stuff like sound card, optical drives and storage hdds will be coming from my current rig, with the Raptor for the main drive. The main problem I have is that the 20% discount I can get from Dell for the 2005FPW ends on the 26th, so I am really hoping that availability for PCIe mobo and gfx won't be an issue by then.

If anyone else has any opinions/suggestions, I am all ears.

EDIT: You mentioned getting decent cooling. Since I'm not OC'ing, wouldn't stock hsf be good enough?

 

[SirOblivious]

I just always say that . you can never get enough cooling. I was mainly refering to a secondary case fan. You have your PSU fan(s), CPU fan, possible GFX fan, and its a good idea to make sure there the case fan. Not truely necessary, but it can't hurt and it isn't expensive (if your case come w/o one and has spaces for it just through one it and supply power).

I got my 2005FPW last week and loved it (until my current P4 fried that is). Wide screen WoW, web surfing, movies, and even TV from a composite signal were awesome.

 

[walkure]

The Raptor may or may not be worth the extra money you'd pay for the slight performance increase. For programming (i.e. editing source files and then compiling/debugging), I don't think the lightning fast HD helps. For video editing, maybe.

See the reviews and comparisons to other drives on AT, also www.storagereview.com, www.xbitlabs.com, and surely many other sites.

 

[deveraux]

Originally posted by: walkure
The Raptor may or may not be worth the extra money you'd pay for the slight performance increase. For programming (i.e. editing source files and then compiling/debugging), I don't think the lightning fast HD helps. For video editing, maybe.

See the reviews and comparisons to other drives on AT, also www.storagereview.com, www.xbitlabs.com, and surely many other sites.

Good point. I was initially thinking of getting the raptor for my gaming needs (faster loading). Since I am on a tight budget, I guess I should just go with a 200Gb Seagate 7200.7. Tbh, I can just about afford the raptor, so the question is, is it worth it? Well, the gamers among you can give me the answer to that question.

PS: I just ordered the Dell 2005FPW, really hope it's worth the price tag. *fingers crossed*