How does this build look???

[SatansChipmunk]

Hello Everyone.

I'm a total noob to pc building. I've actually re-assymbled two. My wife's desktop HP and my own HP laptop. The Desktop of hers was a complete dissassy/reassy due to misc. problems. My laptop had a bad dc power jack, so I had to tear it down to the mainboard for the resoldering and strengthening of the connector itself.
With all that said, Now I'm trying to build my first complete pc. This is going to be primarily for gaming, but it's also going to be for the typical surfing, email, benching, and some overclocking, the more I learn about it.
So, How does this look to you, the folks who know.....
Case-$105.00
ABS Stealth CS-05A1S Silver Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811215002
Motherboard-$125.99
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152
Processor-$282.00
AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Venice 1GHz FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103531
Graphics Card-$519.00
ASUS EAX1800XT/2DHTV/512M Radeon X1800XT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121546
Power Supply-$139.99
OCZ PowerStream OCZ520ADJSLI ATX, BTX, SATA, P4 and EPS12V 520W Power Supply 100~120Vac / 200~240Vac 10/6a - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817711002
Hard Drive-$103.50
Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3250823AS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148065
Memory- $249.94
OCZ Gold GX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 500 (PC 4000) System Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227066
CPU Cooling-$33.99
Thermaltake CL-P0075 80 x 80 x 20 mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835106055
DVD/CD-$33.99
SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM 52X CD-R 32X CD-RW 52X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE Combo Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106826
Thermal Compound-$16.99
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100008
DVD RW-$42.99
LITE-ON Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATAPI / E-IDE DVD Burner - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106013
Keyboard-$38.00
Ideazon Zboard Gaming PW1USE1-B3ZBD01 2-Tone 108 Normal Keys 17 Function Keys USB Wired Standard Keyboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823161013
HDDCooler-$35.99
COOLER MASTER LHD-V07-UK 44mm blow fan Aluminum HDD CoolDrive Lite - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835888209

$1764.86Sub-Total (not including possible tax, shipping, etc.)
106.44 Shipping (Next Day)
1822.52 total

I think the main questions I have are those of compatibility. After weeks of researching all of this stuff night and day *yes..i'm that much of a geek* I know it should work theoretically, but what I'm asking is physically, will it all fit. Mainly will the GIANT x1800xt GPU fit with the chipset/fan on the DFI mobo.
Thanks for all your replies in advance. I look forward to your expert critiques.
Kev

[Louds3]

Not sure how much budget is a concern for you, but there are a couple of areas you could save some bucks. here's a few points i could think of

1) thats a nice PSU but you don't really need to spend 140 on a PSU in my opinion you could get a very nice antec or seasonic for around 100. i've never seen anything bad about this Antec TruePower 550... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931
But again, the one you chose is very nice as well but I am not sure it's worth an extra 50 bucks.

2) do you have an operating system?

3) you void your processor's warranty by not using the retail fan and heatsink. if this is a concern, use the retail it does a nice job and then you could drop the thermaltake heatsink and the AS5.

4) your DVD burner burns CD's as well so you don't really need the CD-RW

Overall that's a nice looking build and will be awesome for gaming. The DFI boards are good at overclocking but some here would probably argue that Asus boards and probably Abit as well are more reliable. Check out Dfi-street.com because these boards can be very finicky about what parts they work with.

steve

[FireByyrd]

Save 221 dollars by going with a evga 7800GT retail overclocked 470mhz/1.1ghz :P runs alllllmost the same as a x1800XT.

If you really want to spend 520, just buy this 7800GTX. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150105

smokes the x1800XT. :D 490mhz, 1300mhz. 24 freaking pipelines :D

[MakeYourslf2012]

I agree wil FireByyrd's comment on the GPU. Just look at some benchmarks to show you what will perform better than others.

But, yes, the graphics card will fit. I had the same thought when I got my 7800GT - it was a monster and I had my doubts. But I dropped it in and had room to spare.

[Spearball]

1 little comment on the ram. Please get ddr400 instead of ddr500. I Dont think your mobo supports ddr500.

[blue60007]

1 little comment on the ram. Please get ddr400 instead of ddr500. I Dont think your mobo supports ddr500.

I agree. I would go with DDR400 - unless you really are going to get into overclocking - which I would not recommend doing with a brand new system - you are just asking for trouble. You can get some Corsair Value Select for about $60 or so less. Take that $60 and spend it on a faster CPU where the money will be better felt.

Like Louds said, using an aftermarket cooler voids the warranty on the CPU. There isn't a need for another one, the retail cooler is plenty sufficient (took a look at the one you picked out and it doesn't look that hefty, at least not any more than the stock). Again, you could take that money and spend it on a faster CPU or whatever. One thing I suggest you do is look into hard drives with 16MB cache's, those are pretty fast.

Also, that hard drive cooler looks like it's just going to be noisy, I would say it's unneccessary.

[jayb1234]

I agree that you can drop the aftermarket heatsink. If you do, drop the arctic silver too. You won't need it. Also, you might need a floppy drive at some point during the setup, and they are handy to have for running diagnostics from.

[SatansChipmunk]

Thanks for all your answers, guys. The reason I'm going with that particular ram and psu are because of the forums at DFI-Street. They have a ram and psu database, regarding that particular, as well as all DFI NF4 mobos. I could go with something a little cheaper, ram-wise, in a pc3200, but I'd end up buying the 4000 later, when I started overclocking and benching. I just *figured* might as well spend it now, as opposed to later.
As for the GPU, well, as of last night, the build is on *hold* until the end of the month. Gotta LOVE anticipation. With that said, it'll allow me more time to research, and it'll also allow ATI to HOPEfully release their x1900xt. I'm sure now, I'll go with something other than the x1800xt, either way, be it nVidia, or ATi.
Thanks for all the responses and I'll keep you updated of the changes I make. I'll definitely be replacing the Sony DVD with a simple Lite-on cd-rom, because I want something simple for non-dvd games. It'll make a difference on some of my older games to, as some don't like running or installing on a cd/dvd rom, but on a sole cd-rom. I'll also drop the Thermaltake heatsink/fan. I didn't pay attention with the processor being "retail" it comes with one already, but I still would like to seperate it from the processor, lap the heatsink, and put some AS-5, for additional cooling properties.
I "may" upgrade the processor to an Opty, but I don't know too much about them as it is. I've always used Intel, so the whole AMD numbers vs. real speed is throwing me off some.
I am planning on installing a M$ Windows OS when it's assembled. I was looking on Newegg, but I didn't totally understand their sale of that software, because their home version said it was an update. I don't know if that means it's updated, because it says it contains SP2, or if that means it's to be used if you've already got 95/98/me/2000 on your HDD.

[Louds3]

If you are not using the Thermaltake heatsink/ want to maintain your processor's warranty, you can't use AS5 either. THen again, if you are overclocking maybe it doesn't matter cuz that voids the warranty as well. Realize that overclocking definitely has risks make sure you know them before you OC, there is good stickied info on this in these forums. You are buying a processor that is already quite fast, I would be surprised if you got it and felt the need for more speed. it's your call, lot of people find it fun don't let me rain on your parade if you wanna try it.

If you wanna see some benchmarks about the "real speed" of amd processors vs. similar intel ones u can check out http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html ... this list provides good estimates, there are slight variations because there are many factors but this is a good starting point.

Buying an XP Update CD means you must have a previous MS Operating System (you need the disc) in your possession. Don't even bother with this option, there is no advantage to buying the update CD, you want to buy the Windows XP Home OEM (full version, get SP2 it will save you some trouble of installing it later). it'll be around 80-90 bucks

steve

[SatansChipmunk]

Thanks for the response, Steve. I don't "really" want to overclock if I don't have to. I'm sure at one point I will do some light experimenting, but the MAIN thing I want out of this system are three things.
1. Stability from the parts and software at stock/default settings.
2. Great *Meant High* frame rates while gaming.
3. Some decent amount of longevity towards running new and upcoming games.
If going with the pc3200 ddr will give me that, then I'll switch the preference back to the g-skill 2gig set the guys on DFI-Street rave on and on about. It's just under 200 for the kit. Also, I didn't know that just putting my own thermal paste on would void the warrant. I know some of the smaller pc builders offer it, and I hadn't seen that it voided the warranty, but, maybe it voids AMD's and not their own parts and service warranty. If anyone knows, I'd love the info.
I'll have to go back to Newegg to look at the Window$ stuff again. I could, in all honesty, probably pick it up here for the same price, but I'm doing the whole "one stop shopping spree" thing with Newegg to save time and effort.

[blue60007]

Yeah, using a non-approved thermal interface material will void the warranty. I think there were a couple you could choose from, but AS5 isn't. Those smaller builders probably warranty the PC themselves.

[Louds3]

Thanks for the response, Steve. I don't "really" want to overclock if I don't have to. I'm sure at one point I will do some light experimenting, but the MAIN thing I want out of this system are three things.
1. Stability from the parts and software at stock/default settings.
2. Great *Meant High* frame rates while gaming.
3. Some decent amount of longevity towards running new and upcoming games.
.


About the memory, the main reason the dfi-street guys are raving about it is because they are probably overclocking like crazy. In this regard, it is better, but buying Corsair Value Select ddr400 cas 2.5 is still very good, and you can overclock it just not to the point of the ddr500 you mentioned.

You can't get any more stable than by running your system at stock speeds! Buying a 3800+ and a top of the line video card will give you excellent gaming performance for at least a year, and IMO it will still be very good in 2 years (this stuff is kinda subjective though)

I've never done any overclocking myself, mainly because I need stability on my system but in 2 years when my amd warranty starts winding down i may experiment, but I have a 3200+ and may need to by then. good luck with everything let us know if u need more help.

steve

[jayb1234]

Get either this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102059) version of windows or the retail version if you want the tech support from microsoft.