Trying to configure new gaming rig...assistance greatly appreciated

[dasper1]

Hey all, I'm seriously considering building my first rig (I've only had experience installing video cards, small upgrades etcl., but I'm fairly knowledgable about computers). This computer would be for gaming (not sure on SLI yet) and some multitasking capability is necessary (AMD X2). Furthermore, I would like a system that is fairly easy to setup and get running with good compatibility and moderate overclocking. Looks and noise are moderately important to me. My budget is around $2000 but I could definetly be convinced to spend more. In addition, I'll probably order all this off Newegg.

Case:
Antec P180 - $149 A lot of people recommend this case and I'm leaning towards it
Lian Li V COOL PC-V1000BPLUS Black Steel - $210 I really like how this case looks but I don't know about the added cost

Mobo:
EPOX 9NPA+Ultra - $106 I haven't heard anything bad about this and the price is nice
DFI LanParty UT Ultra-D - $135 good price, read that it's amazing for overclocking, but I also read its harder to setup...
Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-SLI - $100 (refurbished, don't know new) loaded with features, wireless, SLI, not much overclocking capabilities?
Lastly, EVGA combo with 7600 GTX??? I don't know about this but it sounds good...

Monitor:
Dell 2005FPW - around $500, pretty set on this one...

Ram: (don't know enough about this...)
OCZ Value Series 2GB - $210
Patriot 2GB PC3200 - $200 is this lower latency?

CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ - $376
4400 maybe?

Video Card:
Leadtek Geforce 7800GTX - $499
eVGA 256-P2-N537-AX Geforce 7800GT with BF2 - $409
Not so sure about SLI...

Hard Drive: (not sure about this, SATA, SATA II I'd like to do this since I have the capability regardless of the lack of real world gains, and raid, speed most important, then noise)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3250823AS 250GB - $112
WD SATA II?
Raptor ?
Raid?

DVD:
BenQ Black IDE DVD Burner - $50

PSU:
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 550W Power Supply - $105
Any other recommendations?

I don't know what i need here...
Fans?
Panaflo M1A (92mm) - $15

Cables??? Wireless Keyboard and mouse???


I appreciate any input on helping me make these decisions and am open to suggestions...like I said, I can definetly go over $2000 dollars and am looking for a very responsive (with short load times) and multitasking capable computer that can easily be setup and somewhat overclocked. Thanks!

 

[Ricemarine]

If you don't know much about bioses and mobos... get the epox 9NPA...

2 GB isn't good for o/cing, might want to change that.. maybe to pc4000 or so... If 2 GB pc4000 exists.

Fan, if you don't mind noise, the M1A will do fine, but get an xp-90 to go with it.

 

[Polish3d]

Order my exact system, I think it was around 2000 w/o the monitor, HDDs and speakers.


4400+ ~500
2 gigs ram (maybe dont get my kind, its good but not stupendous OC'er, may RMA it.) 2-400
7800GTX -500
OCZ Powerstream 200
P180 125+shipping

HDD your choice
Soundcard your choice

 

[Ricemarine]

you paid $200 for that powerstream?!

Get a Seasonic S12 600w then lol.

 

[DfiDude]

Get PCP & C for power supply, they pwn zomg.

 

[dasper1]

DfiDude, what's PCP & C, do you have a link? thanks!

 

[DavidoFoo]

Mobo:
Epox 9NPA+Ultra/Abit AN8 Ultra

Monitor:
Dell 2005FPW - wait until one of those ultra-deals come up

Ram:
OCZ EL Platinum 2x1GB/PDP 2GB 2-3-2

CPU:
A64 X2 3800+/4400+

Video Card:
eVGA Geforce 7800GT(X)

HDD:
Seagate 7200.8 250GB
74GB Raptor if you have money left over

DVD:
BenQ DW1640

PSU:
Season S12 600W
PC P&C SLI 510W

Fans?
If there are empty fan spaces

Japanflo L1A 80mm/120mm @ jab-tech.com
Yateloon D12SL-12

 

[JBDan]

Originally posted by: dasper1
DfiDude, what's PCP & C, do you have a link? thanks!

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/about/whatsnew/
One of the top 3 psu's IMO.

 

[dasper1]

Also, any cables, or cable kits that I need besides what comes with the mobo/power supply?

 

[JBDan]

Depending on the mobo you go with...you might want rounded cables instead of ribbons. Nothing I can think of on the psu especially if you go pcp&c. Just match the psu to your system (ie. wattage, pci-express, SLI, sata, etc...)

 

[mike3uz]

null

The Turbo Cool 510 is loud. If you can handle the noise then its a kick ass psu!

 

[rise]

3800+ x2- 380
dfi ultra-d- 135
2gigs ocz- 210
7800gt- 405
nec or benq- 50
160gb hdd- 85
tpII 550- 105
p180- 130

those are the prices i've been seeing. if you want to spend more on the psu imo get the seasonic as the pcp$c can be quite loud by most accounts.

spend the rest on your monitor or a bigger hdd.

 

[JBDan]

Originally posted by: mike3uz
null

The Turbo Cool 510 is loud. If you can handle the noise then its a kick ass psu!

I am bias to pcp&c yes, but they have gotten quieter just this last year. Not by a lot though. The 80mm Nidec is a beast. Moves a lot of air and now ramps nicer than it did in 2004's models. Seasonic is # 2 in my book based on research & reviews only. Very efficient, very quiet, and good regulation. One problem though if he goes p180. The 24/20 pin mobo cable is very short on the s12's. Cable routing with the s-12's in the p180 might be tricky. Also the pcp&c 425W Deluxe/510Deluxe/SLI are completely sleeved and heatshrink. Top notch appearance (if that matters to ya). Line reg on them is 1%. Compared to the s-12 600W price is about $30 more. Not bad.

 

[rise]

ahh yes, forgot about the cable length. justy get the tpII and put the money elsewhere. it will run his set up no problem.

 

[JBDan]

Yup. If he goes p180, can't go wrong with the TPII. If I'm not mistaken, it even has the 5.25 bay voltage and fan controller mount. Whatever OP goes with, OP will have quite a nice rig!

 

[dasper1]

Thanks for the responses, I think I wilal go wiath the Antec TPII for power supply just to make things easy on myself. Along the lines of hard drives, I'm pretty sure I'll go with a SATA II, but what is the deal with the Seagate 7200.9 I've heard about?

 

[Novercalis]

this is a bit over the 2k mark:

Processor: amd X2 4400+
Motherboard: DFI LanParty UT Ultra-D
Rams: OCZ EL Platinum 2x1GB/PDP 2GB 2-3-2
Video Card: eVGA 7800GTX KO (save some cash and get the bundle with the mobo and forget the DFI mobo)
Case: P180
HDD: 2x WD 320gig SATA (see Hot Deals about this)
PSU over 500W not the cheap brands either!
SoundCard: unknown
Monitor: Dell 2005fpw

id appreicate if someone can run a full list of the price on the above spec and than weigh your option about it.
keep it stock for the meanwhile until you need the necessity to OC.
If so add the Zalman 7xxx CN HSF and look around on info of setting your fans properly in the P180 case with intake and exhaust optimized.

 

[Fresh Daemon]

Yep, that's a nice rig. I'd personally recommend the P180, unless you love the looks of the Lian Li. The P180 is built for quietness and you'll really appreciate it. Loud fans eventually drove me nuts in 440BX days.

Motherboards: DFI is better for heavy overclocking (more tweaks), but finicky about RAM, has heavy power requirements and can be intimidating. Since this is your first rig I say get the Epox, since it's easier to configure, less picky and, at least according to Anand, very close in overclocking potential.

RAM: 2GB will be necessary for the latest games pretty soon. It's already highly recommended for Battlefield 2, and the FEAR demo I think. RAM timings and latencies don't matter that much - read Zebo's guide. RAM is a good area to go cheap (but not too cheap - OCZ Value is a good point to be looking at) in order to spend more on the GFX card or CPU.

Single-core CPUs can multitask. X2's are good for heavy multitasking, e.g. encoding DivX while playing Doom 3. Don't think that a single-core processor will be a slouch in desktop multitasking. Heck, I can run 12-13 apps at the same time in Windows XP on this PIII-550 box I have sitting over here without it getting sluggish. Be also aware that in games, single-cores tend to beat out X2's at the same clock speed (although not by a lot - probably not even noticeable) and single-cores are certainly easier to overclock.

Don't go for SLI yet. One 7800GTX can handle all the games out there now, and then some. Anand found that a 7800GTX running Battlefield 2 at 2048*1536 4xAA was playable. Nothing wrong with getting an SLI mobo for the possibility in the future, though.

SATA won't make any noticeable performance difference. However, you do have more connections for it, and you want to preserve your PATA slots for optical drives so you're not doubling up on any channel. Plus the cabling is smaller, restricts airflow less and looks neater.

Don't bother with the Raptors or RAID. No noticeable performance difference in desktop/gaming use. If you're interested in the P180 I would recommend a Samsung or Seagate drive for quietness (Samsungs are the quietest, especially if you can find one with a Nidec motor). They are slower in benchmarks, but again, nothing you'd notice in your daily use.

Antec makes good PSU's. TPII is nice. Seasonics are quieter. PCP&C's have more stable output (although it's unlikely to make a huge amount of difference - maybe a slightly higher overclock, but then if that's important to you, get the DFI mainboard too). Up to you.

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

Heres a great TFT: Siemens p19-2

 

[dasper1]

So should I consider a 3700+ or FX-55 or something instead of dual core? Won't dual core end up being more future proof?