Needing Advice

[ansimo]

I have been browsing around this site and forum for quite a while and have finally put together a parts list. I am wanting to build a new computer that could handle moderate gaming, i was thinking allong the lines of neverwinter nights and Morrowind, things of that nature, but it does not need to be top notch. I would like to keep cost minimal so if anyone could give me feedback on this list, ie compatibility, and possible suggestions for saving some cash i would appreciate it greatly.

also i have a dell monitor and keyboard and some altec lansing speakers, i just wanted to make sure that these would work with this system too. besides the OS what other software would i need besides things that come with the hardware.

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DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #: LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultr Remove Move To Cart Move To Wish List $123.00 $123.00

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail Model #: SONATA II Remove Move To Cart Move To Wish List $99.99 $99.99

LITE-ON Beige IDE DVD Burner Model SOHW-1693S Beige OEM - OEM Model #: SOHW-1693S Beige OEM Remove Move To Cart Move To Wish List $38.99 $38.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #: WD2500KS** This item may only be returned for a replacement of the same make/model within 30 days only. Remove Move To Cart Move To Wish List $115.00 $115.00

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail Model #: VS1GBKIT400 Remove Move To Cart Move To Wish List $76.55 $76.55

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail Model #: ADA3200BPBOX** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. Remove Move To Cart Move To Wish List $163.00 $163.00

Creative Sound Blaster Live! 24bit 70SB041000000 8 (7.1) Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail Model #: 70SB041000000** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. Remove Move To Cart Move To Wish List $32.00 $32.00


Leadtek PX6600LE 256MB Geforce 6600LE 256MB DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Model #: PX6600LE 256MB Remove Move To Cart Move To Wish List $96.00 $96.00

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Total= $745

[Stuey]

I don't know how that video card will perform with the games you listed, but it seems like you did your HW, and it seems like it's all good.

The only thing is although your onboard sound will probably have only 5.1 channels, it should perform decently well so you could probably save some cash by eliminating the sound blaster from your list.

[ansimo]

i was looking at the diffence between the

-DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard at ~$120

and

-ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard at ~$90


other than the price is there any real difference in quality or performance

[Science_guy]

That DFI board uses the NForce4 Ultra chipset, while the ASUS uses the non-ultra NForce4. The equivalent ASUS with the Ultra chipset would be the A8N-E, which is about $110. There are a couple of improvments in the Ultra chipset, but it's unlikely you would see a performance difference. Both manufacturers are good, but many have reported that DFI boards can be tricky to get set up the first time; they are usually used by experienced tweakers/overclockers.

I also suggest that you upgrade your video card, to at least a 6800 GT class, maybe X800 GTO. Your game performance would be much better. And your onboard sound is probably no worse than that $30 sound card, so you could save money there.

[ansimo]

Thanks for the help,

i have mainlly been looking at prices on newegg, are there any other sites that i should be looking at, oh and this would be my first build and i was curious if it is better to get all of the parts from one site or just go for who offers the cheapest.

[Science_guy]

Those questions arise from time to time. I (and many, many others) like newegg because they are honest and reliable. Zipzoomfly has a lot of fans, too. I prefer the egg's web site to zippy's though. I would stick to those two vendors to save yourself some potential headaches. As to one vs multiple orders, be sure to include shipping charges in your calculations. You might not be saving anything if you add in two or three shipping fees.

[jayb1234]

Monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers: You can use the old ones.

Parts Source: Newegg or Zipzoomfly are preferred around here. Stay away from tigerdirect, they have a pretty bad reputation.

Sound Card: Most of the 939 motherboards have pretty good onboard sound. You might want to try it out before you get a sound card.

OS: Get the OEM version instead of the retail version, a lot cheaper.

You might need a floppy drive to install drivers, bios updates , etc..

[ansimo]

well i just wanted to thank you guys again for your help

well i think i have narrowed down my list and shaved a bit more money off



Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail Model #: SONATA II $99.99

ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #: A8N5X $92.00

Leadtek PX6600LE 256MB Geforce 6600LE 256MB DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Model #: PX6600LE 256MB $96.00

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail Model #: ADA3200BPBOX $163.00

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail Model #: VS1GBKIT400 $72.50

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1200JS 120GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #: WD1200JS $73.51

LITE-ON Beige IDE DVD Burner Model SOHW-1693S Beige OEM - OEM Model #: SOHW-1693S Beige OEM $38.99

total- $643

i just wanted to make sure a final time that this would all be compatible with each other and if anyone could suggest some ways to save a little more money, keep in mind i am not a heavy gamer but just a poor college student.

[Science_guy]

For a budget-minded build, those parts look OK to me. But I would suggest the retail version of that DVD burner, rather than the OEM. The retail package includes some very useful software: Nero and PowerDVD. What will you be using for an operating system?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Science_guy But I would suggest the retail version of that DVD burner, rather than the OEM. The retail package includes some very useful software: Nero and PowerDVD.

The Lite-On OEM DVD burners come with Nero and PowerDVD also.

Cricket

[Science_guy]

Thanks for telling me. Now I can stop recommending the retail version

[Stuey]

It looks good to me. One thing though, this video card may or may not perform as well as you think it will. Don't forget the OS.

Also, you mentioned you're a college student. Microsoft Onenote goes for $50 or less for the student/teacher version. Here is the link to the website. Download the trial version and give it a whirl. I've found the program to be EXTREMELY useful for organizing notes for term papers and I'm currently using it as a planner as well. Try it out for free for 30 days, you might like it. If you like the idea but don't want to buy the software, there's a similar program called evernote that functions in a similar way.

[jayb1234]

Also you might be able to get a student discount on windows through the college bookstore.

[jfk]

Personally, I'd buy the student version of Windows XP to save some money, and then turn around and use that extra money to upgrade your video card to a 6600GT. It is a FAR more powerful card than what you picked out, and for $50 more I think you will be much happier with its performance than the LE version.