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Six months and I haven't made my computer

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Where is the best place to the get the 7800GT CO SE.???:

And do I need to OC my vid card...? seeing that I'm getting a 3800 X2 CPU or a opteron or similar price lol

 
OC video card = sure thing, why not.

OC CPU = possible even with cheap Epox/Chaintech boards. Instead of spending extra on motherboard (some premium boards cost $200+) just spend the extra amound on a faster CPU from the start if you want to spend that extra amount.

Value RAM = should be called "best value" RAM. There is 100% no need for expensive RAM even if you are overclocking. Only reason for expensive RAM is to win benchmark bragging rights. You'd be MUCH MUCH MUCH better off spending that extra amount on a faster video card or CPU to begin with.

CASE = Out of those Cooler Masters you linked to, I personally like the Centurion 5. Not counting just those cases... there's a bunch of nice ones out there. I like the Lian Li PC-7 Plus, Antec Super LAN Boy, Antec SLK3000B, CompuCase LX-6A19...

Sounds like you are a gamer (due to your video card choice) so prioritize that aspect... video card is top as long as you have any socket 939 CPU and any 1GB RAM. Monitor is probably second choice because after all what good is even a $3000 system if you are left only with enough money to buy an old, used 15" CRT. Lemme use some analogies...

What good is buying a $60,000 Corvette for autocross racing if you spent so much money on it that you can only afford econobox tires?

What good is buying that awesome $2,000,000 home in the best neighborhood if you can't afford furniture after the monthly mortgage payments?

What good is buying an expensive $5000 stereo system if you are only left with enough money to buy those $90 speakers someone was selling out of the back of a van parked at your local mall?

BTW, if anyone trys to sell you speakers out of the back of a van with whatever claims of a great deal, know that you are getting what you paid for, $90 speakers.

You are already doing well by choosing the video card that you listed, 90% of top performance for 70% of the price. Next is to choose a monitor. Best deals are probably 19" LCD. You can go with a 19" widescreen (Viewsonic at Costco $299) if you watch a lot of movies on your computer. You can allocate money like this:

video card $300
monitor $300
hard drive $130
motherboard $80
case $80
power supply $80
optical $45
keyboard/mouse $60
2GB value RAM $170
CPU $225
= $1470

Hopefully you've got tax/shipping covered, or just knock some back on the CPU or RAM.
 
Originally posted by: harobikes333
But it runs in our family. We can't make decisions
Click to expand...

That's why you pay us the big bucks here on the forums to make the decisions for you. Afterall, you get what you paid for... Oh wait, we don't get paid a cent!?!? 😛

Originally posted by: Greenman
Or just put the cash in a money market fund till you decide what to get, prolly have enough for a Cray by then....
Click to expand...

I hear you can get older Crays for $9.99 Buy It Now on eBay. Shipping's a bit expensive though at freight weight.

 
Ok motherboard - Asus MVP

Just to repeat again ...Asus MVP.

Whether you're overclocking or not it's the board to get and more reliable than any board like MSI which is known to have a not so great track record.

For your info it has:
- good HD Azalia sound
- completely passively cooled
- good overclocking ability and stability
- cheap

Anandtech did a review of it not long ago so you can check that out.
 
hmm that does look like a alright mobo... anyone have a reason that I shouldn't get this mobo>?

zap, ive got a mouse and keyboard😀 thnx for the reply!
 
ok so I've looked up the review on anandtech😀 Seems good but the thing is why don't other people ever recommend it? Also I've now decided not to OC at all.

I'll be in college by the time the warranty for the CPU goes off.

Any help? *crosses fingers*
 
alrighty seeing that I nit pick :

mobo=I haven't heard really anything about that mobo...???? anyone care to comment on it?

CPU=its an OEM version and since i'm not going to upgrade the computer probably ever since I'll be in college and my parents<--aka non computer able, will only use it to check email and going to a couple of sites a year lol.

Ram=Isn't that big time OCing ram:???? I'm not planing on OCing at all and if I do then I'll only be OCing at stock voltage.

Case=Mabe😀 I donno alot about that case

Fan=thank you! finally someone who posts a fan 😀 I donno how many fans I should put in the case though..:?


Monitor=that is a nice monitor😀 I'll have to look into it more thoroughly😀

Vid Card= Just wondering, why did you pick a XFX instead of an Evga?

HDD= Planning on a seagate .8version / 250G

PSU= I'm looking at a seasonic 500W I think😀 about 110
 
Yes, it's a good motherboard, if you pick the right parts. It likes Samsung UCCC memory, and yes that is overclocking memory, but for the price...

2 x 120mm fans. Those are really quiet. No motor noise. Push a lot of air.

That case may not look too pretty, but it's one of the best in terms of thermal design and value. It's got space for an intake and exhaust fan (120mm), and an optional 80mm in place of the CPU duct. Dust filter. Hard drive mount rubber grommets to keep vibration down. Very nice case.

Seasonic 500W. That's the cheapest I've seen from a reliable vendor.

You can pick an eVGA if you want. I just posted that one because it looked pretty. 😛 Anyways, I would change the heatsink either way.
 
Originally posted by: harobikes333
I'm not planing any OCing so shouuld I still get that opteron 165...?
Click to expand...

If you are not going to overclock, X2 3800+ is better since you get 200mhz more per each core which benefit more than 1mb cache.

 
Anyone have a recommendation? I am going to probably share the internet with another computer. Mabe not though... if the helps pick out a mobo or not...>_<

Anyway bump it is before I go to sleep
 
You'd better stay away from any NF4 board, you will have a good chance of encountering various problems with X2 chip, including frequent random lockups (Semi-convinced - nForce4 chipset problem - LONG). Go for ATI RD480 boards instead:

ASUS A8R-MVP

ABIT AT8

MSI RD480 Neo2-FI

(among them only ASUS board is available right now). My AN8 Ultra board will soon be replace by AT8.

or ULi M1697 boards (AT review, review2, review3):

ASrock 939GLAN-SATA2

EPoX EP-9U1697-J

Jetway A699DAS

ABIT UL8 Pro

(Available Q1 2006)

or VIA K8T900 boards

???

GeForce 6150 boards could be a good alternative of NF4 boards

ASUS A8N-VM CSM

MSI K8NGM2-FID

I don't know its reliability though.

Corsair Value Select is doubtless the most popular value RAM: VS1GBKIT400. I am using it and it has modest overclockability (stable up to 220MHz).

Thermaltake Tsunami Dream is a nice-looking, dual 120mm fan, Aluminum case: VA3000BWA ($95 at NewEgg.com).
 
I like that case...

That value ram is kool😀

I donno about all these issues though because alot of people seem to be using X2 CPUs with the n4 chip set:\:???
 
Lockup problem (with X2 chip) may be restricted to ABIT and ECS boards. I have seen one complaint about MSI board. USB problem seems to be fairly common in all NF4 boards. Data corruption sometimes occurs (with or without NV IDE driver). Look at this famous thread. The following is a typical user opinion:

"in my opinion there is something real bad in the way nForce4 chipset manages the buses, either it is SATA channel, PATA channel, RAM channel, LAN port, or other. I think that guys at Nvidia really don't konw what to do now and the last (6.70) released driver is an attempt to verify if removing PATA driver is a chance to have a stable system. The really sad conculsion is that I cannot trust personal data written on my PC or burned with DVD-recorder: who can say if it is or not affected from data corruption ? Also changing some parameters (drivers, memory speed, etc.) as proposed here in forum doesn't give you a better confidence that the problem is REALLY vanished."

I have been struggling with various NF4 boards (MSI, Foxconn, DFI, ABIT) since January, but I have not yet built a reliable NF4 system. I feel configuring NF4 boards properly takes much longer time than other chipset boards. (How easy buiding the AX8 system was!) I recommended a non-NF4 board for this reason.

I forgot to recommend PSU: Antec NeoHE 430 (or NeoHE 500, 550 if you want more power). It's best looking in this class, as quiet as Seasonic, comes with modular cable management, all cables sleeving (vs ugly spaghetti wire + Dr. Cable), and 4 SATA. Nice review at Silent PC Review. $75 shipped from Buy.com. But incompatiblity with ASUS A8N-SLI is reported.
 
Um well I need a new computer since the one I have right now is running at 780mhz with integrated graphics>_<

so here is the parts I'm getting so far..:
3800 X2

a reliable Mobo that can OC a CPU at stock speed ok

value ram

7800GT
 
you'll regret getting value RAM, especially if you get the Abit or DFI. Get the G.Skill. 2GB for $200 is a really good deal. Samsung UCCC chips, which the Abit seems to like. Not so much for overclocking, but for stability and compatability.
 
Originally posted by: renethx
Lockup problem (with X2 chip) may be restricted to ABIT and ECS boards. I have seen one complaint about MSI board. USB problem seems to be fairly common in all NF4 boards.
Click to expand...

Uh oh, I have an Abit KN8 and an ECS NFORCE4-A939. No lockups at all - had the Abit reboot once while testing overclocking, but nothing a single notch up in voltage couldn't fix. What's the deal with NF4 USB? There are a lot of people in the Motherboard thread about the ECS board with USB problems... so perhaps it is a chipset problem and not an ECS problem?

Originally posted by: GML3G0
you'll regret getting value RAM, especially if you get the Abit or DFI.
Click to expand...

Why do you say that? Well with the DFI there were BIOS problems causing compatibility problems. Were there similar problems with the Abit boards? I know that except for compatibility problems with specifically Corsair branded Value RAM, generally speaking the stuff works as advertised.
 
Originally posted by: Zap

Uh oh, I have an Abit KN8 and an ECS NFORCE4-A939. No lockups at all
Click to expand...

I meant ABIT NF4 = AN8. I completely forgot KN8. Lots of AN8 users in ABIT USA Forums are having lockup problem with X2. But I haven't heard lockup problem for KN8. I have two AN8 boards, both are fine with Venice, but both show random lockups with X2. There is a long thread on lockups for ECS NFORCE4-A939 in AT Motherboard Forum as you may noticed already.

Originally posted by: Zap

There are a lot of people in the Motherboard thread about the ECS board with USB problems... so perhaps it is a chipset problem and not an ECS problem?
Click to expand...

USB problem on NF4 chipset is a well-known fact. Lots people are complaining in various forums for various NF4 boards. But many look into only their own motherboad's threads/forums, so do not notice that it's a common problem of NF4 chipset.
 
Originally posted by: Zap
CASE = Out of those Cooler Masters you linked to, I personally like the Centurion 5.
^I too had chosen the ceunturion 5🙂

Not counting just those cases... there's a bunch of nice ones out there. I like the Lian Li PC-7 Plus, Antec Super LAN Boy, Antec SLK3000B, CompuCase LX-6A19...
^ I took a look at these cases and they all are nice🙂 I just donno aobut some of them since they don't have many reviews:\ I'm just paranoid:\

Sounds like you are a gamer (due to your video card choice) so prioritize that aspect... video card is top as long as you have any socket 939 CPU and any 1GB RAM. Monitor is probably second choice because after all what good is even a $3000 system if you are left only with enough money to buy an old, used 15" CRT. <--I'm not really that into gaming, I'd rather have a faster overall responsive desktop, etc. I do like to play games though🙂

Here is my current list of parts:

325 =3800 X2

300 =7800GT

??? =2gigs of value ram I donno what value ram to get:

??? =I haven't decided on a mobo

115 =Seasonic 500W..? This mabe be overkill seeing that I'm not going to be OCing

60 =Centurion 5 mabe...

100 =Seagate 250G ???

??? =fans... suggestions?

??? =Monitor, um I plan on getting a LCD 17 or 19in thats good for gaming etc but not too expensive.

What other parts am I missing...?

If I'm not OCing should I bother to get some of that acrilic silver or whatever for the heatsink or just use the stock pad with the CPU.

For those who don't know this is my first time building a computer.

Help is as always greatly appreciated!🙂
Click to expand...
 
You're missing a dvd burner

Soundcard if you're getting decent speakers

Fans - depends on what case you get as to what kind / size you'll want
 
Yea, I was reading the Abit is really picky running 1T with memory. It seems to prefer Samsung UCCC based chips.

Hmm... Zebo had the Abit AN8 Ultra, and I think an X2 as well, let me PM him and find out if he's had those freezing problems.
 
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