First Build; comments appreciated on specs.

[artiemlucky]

Hi, this is my first build. My cousin helped me along, and I read the great review on this website about building it, and found this forum. Any comments are really great. I'm looking for an upper middle class gaming computer, and my budget is about where it's at (1500).


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001070 - SAMSUNG 740B Black 17" 8ms LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102629 - SAPPHIRE Radeon X1800XT 512 MB Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103562 - AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131568 - ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106028 - LITE-ON Black ATAPI/E-IDE DVD-ROM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144125 - ASPIRE X-Navigator ATXA9NW-AL/500 Black/Silver Computer Case With Side Panel Window
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152025 - SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series 250GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145486 - CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823146003 - Wolf King Timber Wolf 2-Tone Keyboard

I also have a mouse, which is good enough for me.

[freakitchen]

Welcome to the forums! My suggestions are as follows:

1. No point getting a high-end SLI motherboard, and an ATI Graphics card, since SLI requires Nvidia cards. Either replace the card for an Nvidia if you want the SLI option, or drop the motherboard to something like an ASUS A8N5X, which has a single PCI-E 16x slot.

2. I'd get a hard drive from Seagate, who make consistantly high quality drives.

3. Why not get a DVD Burner for a little extra cash? Lite-on is a fine brand.

4. You'll want a better power supply than the one in your case; ASPIREs are poor quality. Check out the power supply reference thread, stickied at the top of the general hardware forum, for the best brands. Keep in mind, if you're going the SLI route, you'll need an SLI-Certified power supply, such as the Antec TruepowerII 550w.

5. There's no need for Corsair XMS memory, unless you're a serious overclocker. Drop down to Corsair's value select series to save some cash.

FK

[artiemlucky]

Thanks for quick response!

1. Ah, okay. Do you know of any good motherboards for ATI based cards?

2. What size Seagate do you reccomend? I'm not sure what is a good deal or not.

3. Perhaps something like this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106023

Also, I'd still be able to run CD and DVD's off of this, correct?

4. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104014

Forton seems to be a good brand, but is this power supply worth the 140?

5. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145579

Something along these lines (or do I even need 2 GB? Would 1 GB suffice?)

thanks again

[freakitchen]

1. I'd get this motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131569

2. This Seagate 250GB seems good value; the jump to 300GB causes a significant jump in price, too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148111

3. Yes, a DVD-RW will burn and read both CDs and DVDs, that one looks fine, and has lightscribe too.

4. Fortron is a good brand, but that 600w model seems a bit like overkill. Going for an ATI card means you don't need an SLI certified PSU, but I'd still get the Antec Truepower 550w; a quality unit for a good price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103931

5. That RAM is the right stuff. I would get 2GB if you can afford it, the latest games will take advantage of it (such as Call of Duty 2, and Battlefield 2)

FK

[artiemlucky]

Okay, thank you so much.

Is that all I need then? I already have speakers and a mouse. I heard something about needing a Floppy Drive to install Hard drvies, could you maybe explain what they might have meant (I think I saw RAID).

Also, what does the DIV cable I show actually do? My cousin just told me to get it.

Sorry for so many questions!

[freakitchen]

That's all you need to get up and running. A floppy drive is not generally needed in the installation process, but it can be useful to have for running diagnostic tools, should anything go wrong. You don't even have to connect it permanently to your case, just plug it in if needed. A floppy drive is required on some motherboards for installing the SATA drivers (and probably for setting up RAID), however, there's no need for extra drivers on the A8N5X.....the SATA controller is built into the chipset.

Do you mean the DVI cable? This provides a digital connection between your graphics card and monitor, and is thus sharper than the old Analogue VGA connector. I noticed that the reviews on the monitor you chose all say that it ships without a DVI cable, so yes, you'll need to purchase one separately.

FK

[artiemlucky]

Okay, great. That means I don't need anything at all (I'd rather not buy a floppy drive, since there so outdated ... ).

Thanks for the great advice.

[blue60007]

Just have a floppy drive on hand should you need it. You can always borrow one from any computer around the house.

[artiemlucky]

Sorry to revive this dead thread from the grave, but I showed these specs to my friend and he told me that I was basically buying a crap machine. He then suggested me to these specs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001068
SAMSUNG 997mb-TwoTone Silver-Black 19" CRT Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150137
XFX GeForce 7900 GT XXX (560MHz) 256MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103931
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 550W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103529
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ 1GHz HT Socket 939 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812104006
Link Depot 24" Blue IDE Round Cable
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112098
Lian Li PC-0710B Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136152
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145579
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827152058
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822140166
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300GB 3.5" IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836121118
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104178
Logitech MX518 2-Tone Mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...6823146003Wolf King Timber Wolf 2-Tone Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817114706
Steel Pad 5L 20030 Mouse Pad

Also, I found an external Floppy Drive in case I would need it for RAID.

Now, is my friend full of himself? This is a little more expensive than my last set up because I'm buying speakers, mouse, and pad this time, but if those weren't included, it'd be virtually the same price.

[freakitchen]

I'd have to disagree with your friend on a number of points.

1.IMO, the 3800+ dual core processor you chose makes more sense than the single core 4000+, since games now and in the future will benefit from multiple threads.

2. DFI boards, although good quality, are considered 'enthusiast' boards, and can be difficult to set up. Stick with the ASUS board you chose.

3. You're now listing an IDE hard drive, which is older technology. Go with SATA.

FK

[Staren]

No, bad idea. I can not even begin to tell you how much I don't want yo to waste your money on that.

DFI motherboards are not for newbies. They're very picky about what will work with them. Corsair is a known to have major problems, and valueselect expecally. That RAM may work great in almost anything else, but a current DFI board would throw up on you.

The AMD X2 4000+ isn't worth the upgrade from the 3800+. It's such a small jump that you would never see it. I would either stick to 3800 or move up to a Toledo core.

EDIT: Just saw Freakitchens post. I missed that you changed from a dual core to single core 4000+. That might give you a 'small' boost for a month or two, but more and more games are going to start taking advantage of dual core CPUs. In those games, the slightly lower speed dual core will work better.

The last thing is that the hard drive you have listed is an IDE interface. If you are getting a drive that big, I would be going for SATA.

All in all, not the best idea. The CPU is just a money sink, but the the hard drive would be performance hit, and the motherboard / RAM combo could very well give you a system that won't even work.

[artiemlucky]

So, I should keep everything he listed, but just change back to my last CPU, my Harddrive, and my old motherboard?

[freakitchen]

Yes, for the most part; obviously no need for a second IDE cable though.

Also, i missed this last time; are you sure you want a 19" CRT screen? LCD is the way to go now, and a 17" LCD will give you the same viewing area as a 19" CRT.

FK

[artiemlucky]

I've heard that LCD aren't so good with gaming though (something to do with ghosting and blurring). Again, this is my friend talking, so perhaps he's just a moron.

Also, since I've decided to go the Nvidia route, maybe I should go back to my orginal motherboard, the ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

[freakitchen]

The Samsung LCD you originally chose has an 8ms response time, which means any ghosting should be virtually unnoticable. To give you an idea, I have a 17" Samsung LCD with a higher response time than that, and notice no ghosting.

The choice between the A8N5X and the A8N32-SLI, is a question of whether it's your intention to add another graphics card in SLI mode at some point in the future. You have an SLI certified power supply, so no problems there. On the other hand, if you think when the time comes to upgrade you'll be replacing your video card, then save some money by going with the A8N5X.

FK

[artiemlucky]

Okay, thanks.

What have you heard about Lian Li cases? I read some comments that they are really good at cooling, but aren't that roomy. And, why does my case have fish on the side with water? Is that just for looks, if so, kind of silly.

[freakitchen]

Lian Li cases are top quality. The roomy-ness of the case is controlled by the size of what you choose, and not really the manufacturer. Mid-tower, like the one you chose, is standard, but others prefer a full tower case for the extra room.

And yeah, I wouldn't like the Aquarium thing either. You can get Lian-Li cases with clear side panels, though, as well as no side window at all.

FK

[Staren]

Just to second the vote for an LCD, I've been using a Samsung 17" LCD for a little under 3 years now and have never noticed any ghosting. And that's with playing games like EverQuest II that can have a lot of movement.

If it where me, I would go with the SLI set-up. However, I'm not a graphics nut. I am happy playing on med to med-high settings, so I might have a langer upgrade cycle then some people.

As far as your friend goes: I don't think he's dumb. I do think his info is a bit out of date though.

[blue60007]

I haven't heard great things about XFX video cards...if I was you, I'd be going with an eVGA card, if you decided to go with nVidia.

[artiemlucky]

Originally Posted by Staren Just to second the vote for an LCD, I've been using a Samsung 17" LCD for a little under 3 years now and have never noticed any ghosting. And that's with playing games like EverQuest II that can have a lot of movement. If it where me, I would go with the SLI set-up. However, I'm not a graphics nut. I am happy playing on med to med-high settings, so I might have a langer upgrade cycle then some people. As far as your friend goes: I don't think he's dumb. I do think his info is a bit out of date though.

SLI Set up means getting the option of adding another graphics card, correct?

And yeah, my friend obviously doesn't know much when it comes to this.

Blue60007: What have you heard about XFX cards? On the reviews I've read, they run like a charm.

[Staren]

Yes, correct. You can have an SLI capable motherboard running a single ATI video card. What you can not do is use the full SLI set-up (ie: two graphics cards working together) with one card being ATI design.

If you want to use two ATI video cards together, you need a motherboard that supports their version of SLI (called CrossFire). Those boards work in the same way, that you could use a single nVidia card in a crossfire motherboard if you wanted to, but not two nVidia cards in that motherboard.

[blue60007]

I think the cards are fine, but I've heard their warranty/support isn't that great.

[artiemlucky]

Staren:

I see what you mean now. What do you suggest for me to buy? I was thinking towards the XFX GeForce 7900 GT XXX (256 MB), but the ATI Radeon X1900XT I've heard some good things about.

blue60007: I'll look into it, thanks.

[Staren]

Well, it depends on what you want. If you want the best single card avalible, that is the X1900XTX hands down. Though if you want the ability to boost your graphics speed (not graphics quality, dual video cards only adds to speed), then go with an SLI motherboard and the 7900GT.

Right now, I like the 7900 a little better. Mostly because of the prices that those cards are avalible for over the ATI equvilent. That isn't the automatic reply from an nVidia fanboy either. The video card in my current gaming system that is due for an upgrade, is a Radeon 9800 Pro.

[artiemlucky]

Hmm, I'm not so sure. When the prospect of adding another video card may be nice, I'm thinking the time that'd I do it might be when I'm actually replacing my video card. I'm not going to be the type of person who, 5 months down the road from buying my computer, I'm going to upgrade.

[Staren]

I think you might have anwsered your own question then. Your probobly a bit like me. Once a case is closed up and you have a working system, it isn't going to be messed with again unless you have to do something. In that case, a motherboard with a single PCI-E slot, and a Radeon video card sounds like your best bet.

The one thing that keeps the 7900GT on top for me is the price. All X1900XTs are around $400. The avrage price for 7900GTs is around $320.

[artiemlucky]

I've heard bad things about most of the other brands that make the X1900XT, most of them dying after a few months. Would it be wise to just pay more, and go with the ATI X1900XT?

Also, do I really need a 30$ pad and a new mouse? I'd rather put that money towards a better GPU, and I think the mouse I have right now is fine.

[Staren]

If budget is part of equasion, then I would go with a single PCI-E video card and a 7900GT. You don't have to go SLI with an nVidia card. It's just another option. What I would do is add up how much the rest of your system is going to cost, and then set a solid budget. If you have the money for a X1900 then go for it, if not go with a 7900. That's where a hard budget comes in handy. Just say to yourself 'this is how much I'm spending, this is how much I have left. This is what I'm going with'. Otherwise you could go back and forth forever.

As far as the mouse goes, no you don't. If what you have works for you, stick with it. Yes the mouse I use is a Logitech MX300. Cost me around $20 at the time I bought it, but I was swapping it for an old ball mouse that was sticking all the time. I 'needed' to upgrade. If you're happy with your current keyboard / mouse then by all means, put that money towards something that will do a bit more for you.

[mevensen]

Originally Posted by Staren Well, it depends on what you want. If you want the best single card avalible, that is the X1900XTX hands down. Though if you want the ability to boost your graphics speed (not graphics quality, dual video cards only adds to speed), then go with an SLI motherboard and the 7900GT.

I don't mean to derail the thread, but...
While I think I know what you mean, I don't think this statement is exactly representative of dual GPU technology. SLI/Crossfire does produce a net gain in FPS (20-30% on most accounts) given the same graphical quality. But, SLI/Crossfire does let you maintain playable FPS numbers while using higher resolution and more aggressive "special processing" (AA, AF, HDR effects, etc.). So, I think it is not exactly accurate to say the SLI/Crossfire cannot improve quality of images produced.

For the OP, I haven't gotten a sense as to whether or not you plan to try any OC'ing on this build. That intention could change a number of your options. Mobos OC differently, for example. For GPUs, many say that the x1900xt oc's very well to be competitive with the x1900xtx. Just an additional thought to complicate matters

Overall, though, this sounds like your first build. I'd keep it simple, but powerful. Get solid components that will play nicely with each other. I'd avoid SLI/Crossfire just for simplicity's sake (fewer power/heat/driver issues, etc.).

[artiemlucky]

I'd like to stay at about 1650$, and that's what I would be at if I don't buy the speakers, new mouse, or pad.

The only thing I'm having problems with is that I have some speakers, but I'm not sure how to set them up to my computer. Do you have a guide for that? It uses RCA, and it's an AIWA.

I'd rather not spend new money on speakers when I have some, and put that money towards the essentials, a computer that will last me until you NEED a DirectX10 GPU to play games.