Want some final opinions on my new build

[Supermercado]

So I think I'm just about there on this build. I've been reading as much as I can find about the parts and I think I've gotten a pretty decent system for the money put together here. I think I'm basically ready to order pending any major disagreements. Here's what I've got:

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $49.99
Motherboard: ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $79.99
Video Card: eVGA 256-P2-N584-AR Geforce 7900GT KO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $264.99 - $20 = $244.99
Power Supply: Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply 115/230 V TUV, UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC - Retail - $69.99
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 4000+ San Diego 2000MHz HT 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - Retail - $135.00
RAM: CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail - $121.00 - $20 = $101.99
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3160812A 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM - $58.99

Also got a $6 floppy for a total of $784.94 - $40.00 = $744.94 + ~$30 shipping. The system will be used primarily for gaming (2GB of RAM is in the future but it may be a couple of months before that actually happens), playing BF2 and CS:S right now. I have no plans to either overclock or upgrade the system before building a new one in another few years so futureproofing isn't really a huge concern. I won't be doing massive multitasking so I don't think an Athlon 64 X2 is really needed.

I guess what I just want to make sure of is that all the parts are 1) good parts and 2) they're all compatible.

I'm just about ready to pull the trigger and want some final thoughts from you guys that know far more about this stuff than I do. Any and all help, suggestions, etc. would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Pens1566]

More RAM. BF2 will run smoother with 2GB.

 

[Supermercado]

2GB of RAM is in the plans but I'm not sure that it's there just yet. The above would be leaps and bounds better than what I have now, which at the moment, I think is what matters most. Getting it to 2GB in the next few months is definitely in the plans, though.

 

[Powermoloch]

I would spend a few more bucks for a A64 4000+ :thumbsup:. And also the centurion 5 case is wonderful ( I own one too) you'll not be disappointed.

 

[Supermercado]

That sounds fair. It's only $10 to get the 4000+. As for the case, i'm glad that it's working for you. It looks nice and it's not too crazy on the cost, either. Kind of surprising. It's a case I would strongly consider even if I wasn't budget-oriented.

I actually just looked at the 4000+ again to compare it to the Opteron as listed above and I don't think it was last night, but they 3700+ is on sale for $99.99. Here's a Newegg product comparison on the $135 4000+, the $100 3700+, and the $125 Opteron 144. It looks like for my use, the Opteron wouldn't be as good as either of the other two, and unless that's completely wrong, the decision ought to be between the 3700+ and the 4000+. Which appear to be mostly identical save for the clock speed difference of 200MHz. When I first put the build together, I had the Opteron 146 in rather than the 144 and decided to drop back to the 144 to save that extra $30 even though it cost me 200MHz, which is probably fairly negligible at the end of the day, right? It makes sense to do that same thing here and go to the 3700+ and get the processor for just $100.

Thoughts?

Is everything else on the build looking okay, though? I've made what I think are pretty good choices considering my lack of knowledge on the subject but on the surface, everything seems okay.

Edit: Also, the price on the motherboard reverted to its non-sale price this morning, so that's $79.99 rather than the $75.99 listed above. I was expecting more than a $4 bump but I guess the sale wasn't so great

 

[Supermercado]

Evening bump to get any opinions on the 3700 for $100. I don't really have any intentions of overclocking or upgrading the processor before I build a new system so the only real concern is that whatever processor I put in is powerful enough for gaming. The 3700 seems to fit the bill but it's so much cheaper than all the rest. I know AMD just recently reduced the prices of their stuff but is the 3700 too much of a bargain basement processor for a gaming system? Is the 4000 worth $35 more for being just 200MHz faster?

 

[Powermoloch]

Originally posted by: SuperCommando
Evening bump to get any opinions on the 3700 for $100. I don't really have any intentions of overclocking or upgrading the processor before I build a new system so the only real concern is that whatever processor I put in is powerful enough for gaming. The 3700 seems to fit the bill but it's so much cheaper than all the rest. I know AMD just recently reduced the prices of their stuff but is the 3700 too much of a bargain basement processor for a gaming system? Is the 4000 worth $35 more for being just 200MHz faster?

From what I learned, the A64 4000+ san diego almost gets close in peformance compared with the A64 FX-55 chips (heck...those bastards cost a half of a grand). But anyways by the looks where you're upgrading from a pent 4 chip 2.4 GHz. You'll be happy with the 3700+. But if you're a serious gamer...might as well grab a 4000+

 

[LOUISSSSS]

have u considered the A64 X2 3800+? its the same clock speeds and is also dual core and is within the same price range (100-200).. you should really consider it

 

[Supermercado]

Powermoloch: Yeah, I've got the 2.4 P4 with 800MHz bus - I guess that's what, Northwood? I can't remember anymore, and a Radeon 9700 non-pro, so whatever I go to paired with the 7900GT will be a giant step up. I just want to make sure I get the most bang for the buck but at the same time, make sure I get a good system. Not sure exactly what classifies a serious gamer - I don't have to have all the pretties turned to maximum but I've gotten an LCD in the last few years and my current system can't push that to its native 1280x1024 so getting to that is my most important goal. After that, whatever eye candy I can turn on is just gravy. I'm not completely sold on the 3700+ over the 4000+ just because it's cheaper. I don't know how much longer the 4000+ will last me over the 3700+ but in a couple years' time, those extra few fps might make the difference between a game being playable and not, I suppose.

LOUISSSSS: I've considered it, but I'm not really sure how I feel about it. Here's a comparison of the 3700+, 4000+, and the X2 3800+. It looks like the X2 3800+ is 200MHz slower than the 3700+ at 2.0GHz. I'm sure that difference is negligible in gaming right now and probably shouldn't be a huge deciding factor. It's not that big a leap in price from the 4000+ so it's not like it's cost-prohibitive. I guess what it boils down to is: how is the dual core for gaming? That's primarily what the system will be used for and the most multitasking I'll pretty much ever do will be Ventrilo, AIM, Firefox, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver. My current rig handles that plenty fine so I guess it just makes me wonder if the dual core is really worth it for my needs?

 

[Supermercado]

Bump for some opinions on what might be the final list.

 

[dazraf25]

Originally posted by: Powermoloch
I would spend a few more bucks for a A64 4000+ :thumbsup:. And also the centurion 5 case is wonderful ( I own one too) you'll not be disappointed.

Finally some one who likes that case. I am also ordering the same case and hope I am as pleased as you with it. Thanks!

 

[Supermercado]

I think that case looks good. I wanted something that was 1) black, since most of the rest of my stuff has moved to black, 2) not crazy on the doodads and funky design, 3) didn't have a window, 4) didn't cost a fortune. There's another Cooler Master that I guess is the step up from this one on sale for $5 cheaper and it looks kinda nice but the power button, reset button, and front USB, audio jacks, etc. are up on top of the case and it looks kinda funky. I thought about that case but I'd rather run all those wires along the buttom of the case rather than up through the guts of it to get them to the top-front of the case.

 

[dBTelos]

You can get a Silverstone Strider 400W or Sparkle FSP 400W that would be better then that Antec.

 

[Supermercado]

400W is enough? I know without SLI, I won't be using anywhere near the full 500W of the Antec, but 400W would be okay?

 

[dBTelos]

I may be slightly off, but I doubt that whole system will ever need 300W of power, at any loads. The 7900 line from nVidia reallly took down the power from the previous 7800 line. IIRC, a 7800GT uses more power then a 7900GTX. Anyways, the Silverstone I posted is enough.

 

[Supermercado]

If I'm looking at the right one at Newegg, it's out of stock. I'm looking to place the order for this probably tomorrow. I've got an Antec now that I've been happy with so it's not like getting another Antec is a backwards step.

Everything else looks okay, though? It will all play nice? btw, thank you for your help.

 

[dBTelos]

You already have the Antec? Anyway, I highly recommend 2GB for games, it really helps. Corsair XMS is generally overrated, its good but a lot of money. Try OCZ or Patriot. And You could upgrade that HDD to something much larger for a couple more bucks.

Just so you know, Antec PSUs arn't that great, more like just ok (except for the Atlas).

 

[Supermercado]

No, I don't have the Antec yet. I've got an Antec in my current rig. Yeah, moving to 2GB is definitely in the plans, a couple months down the road. The above is a giant leap from what I've got now (2.4 P4, Radeon 9700 non-pro, 512MB RAM) and will be playing mostly the same games for now, or older games like HL2 and DIII that didn't run that well on my system. It should be sufficient for now but yeah, I definitely plan to upgrade to 2GB.

The RAM was kind of tossed in there to fill the hole while I really decided what to get. I have Corsair XMS in my current system and it's been good so I just kinda gravitated towards that for this one but I'm not brand loyal or anything. I was actually looking at some Patriot RAM when I was putting this together but I'll check out OCZ and see how that looks. I've seen a lot of other users here whose rigs are running OCZ.

By not great, how do you mean? I don't know a whole lot about PSUs so I'm not really sure what makes one better than another, other than the distribution on the rails.

I thought about going bigger on the hard drive, but I've got two working computers that have several hundred GB between the two of them so space isn't a huge factor.

 

[dBTelos]

"By not great, how do you mean? I don't know a whole lot about PSUs so I'm not really sure what makes one better than another, other than the distribution on the rails."

Well, umm, Antec PSUs arn't that reliable any more. yes, they are definitly better then your Aspires and Powmax PSUs, but they still arn't that great.

Silverstone, on the other hand is fairly highend and definitly reliable. I can recommend you other PSUs if you have something against Silverstone, but if you don't, I recommend you pick up the SS.

 

[Supermercado]

No, nothing against Silverstone. I've never heard of it, but that doesn't mean anything since I don't keep up with hardware unless I'm looking to buy. I think the Silverstone is out of stock and won't be back in until Monday. I'm hoping to place one order and get all the stuff at one time.

A friend of mine just built a system similar to the above and he bought a Seasonic for his. How would that compare to the Antec and SS?

 

[Supermercado]

dBTelos: Been looking at the Silverstone you recommended and Newegg has it back in stock so the thinking right now is that I'm going to go with that. I'm looking at the connectors that it has and I don't see PCIe on the list: if I went with the SS, would I need to buy an adapter for a molex connector to power the 7900GT? I guess those are probably dirt cheap but I want to know if it's something I need to include in my order. I'd hate to get all the stuff here and find out I need that one part to make the whole rig work. (edit: I just reviewed my video card and it has a molex->PCIe adapter, so all should be well there)

Also, I don't think we ever discussed the RAM in particular, but I've gone ahead and put this OCZ Platinum 2x1GB pack in my wish list. The final build is looking like everything as listed above with the Silverstone PSU and the OCZ RAM in place of the Antec and Corsair XMS. Final thoughts?

 

[Lyfer]

Sparkle 400W PSU with dual 12+ rails and 12CM fan, $29.87 (OEM version of Fortron).


That should more than handle your rig, with the difference saved, spend it on more RAM or even a Radeon X1900XT.

 

[Supermercado]

Yeah, I've already gone ahead and swapped out the Corsair for 2GB OCZ. I had an ATi card last time and had some issues with it so I think this time around, I'm going to try nVidia again and see how it does me. I'll check out that Sparkle and see how it compares with the SilverStone.

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[dBTelos]

Originally posted by: SuperCommando
Yeah, I've already gone ahead and swapped out the Corsair for 2GB OCZ. I had an ATi card last time and had some issues with it so I think this time around, I'm going to try nVidia again and see how it does me. I'll check out that Sparkle and see how it compares with the SilverStone.

Thanks for your suggestions.

I also recommended the Sparkle. They should be similar, in quality.

 

[Supermercado]

There's no practical difference between the two, then? I'm looking at Newegg since that's where I'm going to making the rest of the order but I don't see the 400FSP. I see this one, which is the same as Lyfer posted above. In your first recommendation post to me, you recommended the FSP model. Are they all basically the same?

If you were to choose between the SilverStone and the Sparkle, which way would you go?