(Yet another) New Gaming PC

[Destinatus]

Ok here is what I was thinking so far (based loosely off of other peoples posts)

Case: I'm not sure, just something that works and is relatively cheap >$100
Mobo: ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4200BVBOX - Retail
Memory: CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS2GBKIT400C3 - Retail
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100150 Radeon X1900XTX 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - OEM
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE 250GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

I noticed that if I get an off-brand of the X1900XTX I can get it for pretty cheap, does this effect the quality at all? I already have a Dell 24" LCD monitor, Sicuro 5.1 gaming speakers, and a mouse and keyboard that will do for now. I'm going to be starting from scratch because I'm selling my current one.

EDIT: I heard that ATI has strict guidlines for its third-party manufacturers. Does this mean that the x1900xtx card from third-party companies (like sapphire) would perform just like the ATI x1900xtx w/o the warranty?

Here's my Newegg Wishlist let me know if I'm missing anything, thanks guys.

[jayb1234]

You won't need the Arctic Silver, the processor will come with compound or a thermal pad.

You can get a decent Antec case without a power supply in that range.

[Destinatus]

Originally Posted by jayb1234 You won't need the Arctic Silver, the processor will come with compound or a thermal pad. You can get a decent Antec case without a power supply in that range.

Would just the standard case power\cooling (depending on the case) be enough for all this? I'm just worried about not having enough power\cooling for everything.

EDIT: How many watts would be recommended given all the compenants listed, any specific case suggestions?

[glc]

The TPII-550 power supply you have chosen is fine.

[Destinatus]

I was thinking either this case:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144102

or this case:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144152

The first one is a little bit cheaper, but I think the 2nd one looks a lot cooler. do the case fans matter much? like 120mm or 80mm?

[Alaron]

Both of those cases have the same interior, with one 80mm in the rear and one 80mm at the top. That should be adequate cooling.

What is important when selecting a case is the power supply. You have already chosen a good one, so get any case that you like.

[Destinatus]

I'm thinking about changing the mobo my friend said it would be better to go with a non NVIDIA board and I don't need the SLI or Crossfire anyway 'cause I only plan on having one card, can anyone recommend one? I've been pretty happy with ASUS, and it needs to support Athlon 64 X2

[Alaron]

The Asus A8N5X is an excellent choice for a motherboard. It only has 1 PCI-Express slot so SLI and Crossfire are already non-options.

The Nvidia Nforce4 chipset is the best choice for AMD processors. The fact that the chipset is made by Nvidia has no relation to what video card you use.

I would stick with the A8N5X.

[Destinatus]

Originally Posted by Alaron The Asus A8N5X is an excellent choice for a motherboard. It only has 1 PCI-Express slot so SLI and Crossfire are already non-options. The Nvidia Nforce4 chipset is the best choice for AMD processors. The fact that the chipset is made by Nvidia has no relation to what video card you use. I would stick with the A8N5X.

Ok thanks, I think your opinion is more credible than his anyway heh

[Destinatus]

does anyone know why the Sapphire 1900xtx 512mb is $20 cheaper than the ATI 1900xt 512mb? Is this just because you don't get the warranty? I'm worried that the performance isnt as good because this doesn't really make sense to me.

[jfk]

Originally Posted by Destinatus does anyone know why the Sapphire 1900xtx 512mb is $20 cheaper than the ATI 1900xt 512mb? Is this just because you don't get the warranty? I'm worried that the performance isnt as good because this doesn't really make sense to me.

Get the Sapphire. They make the stuff for ATI anyway. You won't be able to tell the difference between them.

[HiFi]

im running a sapphire card and i can tell you its top quality. ATI makes sure the quality control is there or they wouldnt let sapphire put their name next to 'Radeon'.

[Davermonk]

I have that mobo (A8N5X) and an ATI X1900XT and I couldn't be happier.

[gary_hendricks]

Food for thought:

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=154763