New Builder

[AnOdorlessGas]

this is my first time to actually order and construct a new computer so i was going to see if everything i was looking at was compatible with people who know how to read everything ^_^
im looking to do moderate gaming and a decent amount of browsing
had this in mind for the tower http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811146018
mobo
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813130059
processor
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819116001
ram
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820141211
keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16823126179
mouse
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16826104178
monitor
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824009088
hard drive and what is "SATA" anyways?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144417
cd drive
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827131039
and this is the video card i already have
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102041
also i was looking at vista but not so sure i want that w/o a dx10 card not that i can afford one...and this build is on a major budget

[glc]

All compatible BUT...........

1. You need a power supply.

2. I know you are going after looks, but on a budget you are spending more on bling than function. What you are paying for the case and keyboard is killing you and you are shorting yourself on the parts that make a real functional difference. You are also overpaying on the DVD burner but that's minor.

[The Segasonic Kid]

SATA is a different type of connection from your motherboard to your Hard Drive...
The most often used 2 connections used are IDE or Sata make sure that your motherboard is capable of sata.

[AnOdorlessGas]

yeah the bling thing is true never had a pc with a pretty face, mouse and keyboard are major "maybes" but the case i just like. suggestions for a power supply or dvd drive?

[AnOdorlessGas]

looked around and found this for power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104029
replacement for the keyboard just needed somone to point out the big one was a stupid idea
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823109149
also swapped the cpu to
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819116239
im looking at ordering this with my tax return so i can go a little higher than i did, any suggestions on parts is helpful

[Alaron]

I would skip that combo power supply, just go for one solid unit. This FSP will do the job: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954

Also, if you can afford a bit more on the CPU, definitely go with a Core 2 Duo over the Pentium D. Don't be fooled by the lower speed, the C2D will outperform the P-D. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005

[AnOdorlessGas]

so how do you do the 3 monitors? 2 video cards one with 2 connectors?
and 2 questions about crossfire, what is it exactly and to use it would i have to find a motherboard with 2 PCI-Ex16 slots?

[flanzig1]

Crossfire combines the power of 2 ATI video cards to provide a better/faster video to one monitor than can be had from one card. In practical terms, unless your an uber gamer, not worth the expense.
If you want to use 3 monitors with different things on each; 3 ways to go.
1: Single dual head PCI-E x16 card and an inexpensive PCI card. cheapest
2: run 2 PCI-E x16 cards in non SLI or Crossfire. 4 monitor capable/expensive
3: Run a commercial multi-head video card. Expensive/not good for gaming.

[AnOdorlessGas]

the biggest game i intend to play is probably going to be Supreme Commander but i don't know the specs for it yet lots going on in it so i may want to run crossfire...ill shop around and see if i can find what i need...and is the board im going with now crossfire-enabled?...

[LeftyAce]

I highly doubt a real time strategy game will *need* crossfire. (And I looked at the description of the game; it's immense, but I still doubt u'll need crossfire). Lots going on means you'll want a good processor and lots of ram.

[AnOdorlessGas]

found a replacement mobo 3 PCI Ex16
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813153056

[AnOdorlessGas]

oh ok so uber graphics is more so for frame rate, textures and particle etc.?

[LeftyAce]

Yeah. When you've got lots of 3d rendering and particles, lighting effects such as HDR, etc, then maybe it would be worth it. General concensus around these forums is that SLI isn't worth the cost. (You don't get double the performance, and you pay twice as much on video cards).

On the machine in my sig I can run FEAR and HL2 Lost coast maxed out, with 1 card...

[AnOdorlessGas]

point taken so i wont even worry about it, but i think ill stick with that new board, only $20 more and it seems to be way better, in any case i get more room for expansion

It also seems to be a popular theme to run with the coursair memory, any specific reason or is it just the top dog on ram

[flanzig1]

That Jetway mobo is for Nvidia Sli and Jetway are so-so boards. Would stick with your orginal motherboard pick and use the X1600 for now until there are more DX-10 video cards out.
Uber gamers want every bit of eyecandy/frame rate/etc that money can buy.

[AnOdorlessGas]

alrighty then seems i had nearly everything in order from the start...fun part is going to be when i actually drop the cash and get the parts, never built a pc to an extent of working with bios and getting an os installed so its going to be a learning process

[AnOdorlessGas]

figured i would lay down a final list and with a better idea of my final budget...which was about 500 higher than expected and here it is
same case and motherboard the suggested power supply.
processor http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115005
memory http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145015
going with 2 sets of it just so i don't have to bump it up
hard drive http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822152052
disk drive http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827135141
i'm hoping thats a better deal
monitor http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824014131
got the larger monitor since i downgraded to windows xp-pro and saved about 150
it was logical since vista is so new...id rather give it time this is the first time i have ever used a forum sadly, but i'm probably going to come back next time i need help with anything pc based, everyone here has been a great help

[flanzig1]

Are you saying that your getting 4 gigs of ram? 2 gigs is plenty for XP and XP can only use about 3.2 gigs.
Don't need the XMS unlees using DDR2 800, this will do fine: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145098
Or this for the price savings:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590

[AnOdorlessGas]

alrighty ill take your word for it dropped it to 2 gig with the value select

[AnOdorlessGas]

one final question befor i order, is the dual channel ram worth it for the extra $$$?

[LeftyAce]

How much extra is it? I'm honestly not sure...wait for someone who knows what they're talking about.

My real reason for posting is to say, I have Supreme Commander on the pc in my signature and it runs great at max settings; you'll run it fine. (And it is an AWESOME game).

[Disgrace]

(And it is an AWESOME game).

I must say i'm not that addicted to it as I thought I would be. But back on topic, I have that keyboard and I love it. It's bigger than you think.

[glc]

If you have a dual channel capable motherboard, always buy your ram in a dual channel kit.

[AnOdorlessGas]

Ok got it built but i hit a few issues, for one when i installed windows it kept asking for a sp2 disk, i didn't receive this disk, i eventually hit esc. and it kept installing, when it finished i was missing files, no help or support files no i.e. which i have recently found on the disk so go me....ima putz. also though i keep trying to update the drivers for the built in network controller in my mobo it fails to detect the ethernet cord also it states that the hardware is working properly(of course)
also i was trying to install .net framework 2.0 and it continually fails. any tips on any of this?....if i don't figure it out soon i'm just gonna pay someone to clean up my mess

[glc]

Start over - and when it asks for the SP2 disk, put disk 1 back in.