|
|||||||
 |
|
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Rate Thread | Display Modes |
05-31-2006, 05:10 PM
|
#1 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 27
|
My (first) build
This will be my first time building a computer, and I probably won't mess with a lot of complex things (water cooling, thermal compound, sli, overclocking, etc.), so this should be fairly simple. I'm going to use this computer for gaming, and general use for school. I would like the computer to be able to handle most any game(most notably, Oblivion) and be able to have a bit of staying power when it comes to the future.
Currently my build looks like this: Case: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811119094 Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813130049 Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814150144 Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817103937 CPU: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819103633 Ram: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820220142 Floppy: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16821103201 HDD: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822144701 Optical: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827152055 I will have an OS, monitor, keyboard, speakers, etc., but I am more worried about this stuff. Does it look okay? Everything compatible? Suggestions to make it better? I'm trying to keep it around 1200, which this build comes close to. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! 
|
|
|
|
05-31-2006, 06:55 PM
|
#2 |
|
Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
|
You should get a dual channel kit with the memory (2 512MB sticks).
Also, I would consider an eVGA card over an XFX. I've heard better things about eVGA.
__________________
"It is the way of man to make monsters and it is the nature of monsters to destroy their makers." |
|
|
|
|
05-31-2006, 08:05 PM
|
#3 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 27
|
good catch, I didn't notice that. I was planning on getting dual channel...
That brings me to another question. Should I stick with 1gb of memory, or should I save the future upgrading and go right to 2gb? |
|
|
|
|
05-31-2006, 08:08 PM
|
#4 |
|
Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
|
Some games love the extra RAM, like BF2. I don't think you'll be wasting your money with 2 gigs, provided you don't break your bank.
|
|
|
|
|
05-31-2006, 10:28 PM
|
#5 |
|
Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,509
|
That motherboard has via in the name, they aren't a very good manufacturer, see if you can find one with a straight nvidia setup. MSI is ok ASUS is a little better in my opinion.
You might want to look at the Liteon burners, same price range as the NEC, but come with PowerDVD software too. Take a look at the Antec cases that have the power supply included. there are several that would save you some cash compared to the case/psu you have listed. They also have a few without PSU's that aren't as costly as the coolermaster.
|
|
|
|
|
05-31-2006, 10:34 PM
|
#6 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 27
|
Would something like this be a good quality 2gb?
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820227030 Good point about the case w/ps. I'll check that out. As far as the motherboards go, there isn't too much of a selection right now on newegg for the socket AM2's, but I'll see what I can come up with. Last edited by hawksview; 05-31-2006 at 10:55 PM. |
|
|
|
|
05-31-2006, 11:17 PM
|
#7 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 27
|
Funny thing about the "Via" motherboard, was that yesterday it only said MSI K9N Platinum... and now it says VIA / VPSD K9N Platinum...
So that kinda struck me as odd... |
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 12:37 AM
|
#8 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 16
|
dont settle
on the topic of the motherboard.. don't settle for a board you don't really want just to get the system specs that will kick butt. the motherboard is pretty much the hub of the computer, so if you skimp on that, you might as well skimp on the rest. no sense buying new rims, new transmission, and all new performance parts if you have a salvage yard engine, ya know? i've always been a huge fan of asus mb's http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131013 .. also, as far as memory goes, i've always been partial to crucial ballistix http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146565 and corsair xms http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145589
but thats just me. i know these may be a little more expensive, but to pull from another thread in this forum, dont rush into buying the parts.. make sure you have what you want before you put money into a machine. you don't want to get the parts, put together your dream machine only to realize its a nightmare. one more thing... if you happen to run across some extra money, you should look into getting two of these and running in an SLI config: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16814121213R hehe.. quad sli.. probably dont have money for that (who does?) but hey it is nice to dream |
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 01:57 AM
|
#9 |
|
Member (2 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: SHANGHAI, CHINA
Posts: 3
 |
My suggestion:
1.Do you think you need a floppy drive still? It is too old. 2.ASUS's MOBO is better than MSI. 3.1G RAM is enough for you to play games. 4.BENQ is the best optical drive manufacture. I ever worked in it and its quality control is much better you can image. |
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 02:21 AM
|
#10 |
|
Member (6 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Maryland
Posts: 41
|
Interesting.
hmmm.. funny. your build looks almost identical to my list right now. Same Mobo, same psu, same looking tower. lol.
Yeah the motherboard guys was a MSI. On my shipping list right now that is tracking the order it says MSI, not VIA. I have no freaking clue what that is all about. I took a look at the picture on the box.. and vwhooolla. MSI... yeah I'm not to fond of VIA but seeing as I've already ordered it unbeknownce to the soon-to-be-change.... I might stick with it and tell you how it fares. I personally love ASUS but their boards are very picky with RAM. I have some horrible time getting PNY memory into it. The asus board wasn't available when I first started looking, but now that it is I'd recommend it since it's only about a 10$ difference. So yeah, I'd go with the Asus mobo. I recommend Lite on for your dvd drive... cheaper and tend to work a lot better than most others. |
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 12:31 PM
|
#11 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 27
|
Another question that has come up.
Since I'm not going to be doing "extreme" gaming, would I be better served dropping down to a 7600gt instead of a 7900gt? Can a 7600gt perform well in today's games? How much time before it becomes obsolete, compared with the 7900gt? Thanks for all the help guys. |
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 03:20 PM
|
#12 |
|
Kickin' it
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: USA
Posts: 7,723
 |
The 7600GT is a very capable mid-range card. You'll be happy with it.
I don't think anyone can answer how long it will last. The graphics card companies are constantly putting out new cards and game makers are constantly creating more powerful games. That said, I wouldn't worry about it being obsolete. It will be adequate until your next upgrade.
|
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 03:41 PM
|
#13 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 27
|
Thanks for the reply on that. I think I'll go with that, to save a little money, but still have a good quality card.
So, what I'm looking at now is the following: Case: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Computer Case - Retail (w/PS) http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811129155 Motherboard: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813131013 CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Processor - Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819103633 RAM: Crucial Technology Ballistix 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146566 Video: eVGA Geforce 7600GT 256-P2-N553-AX Video Card - Retail (good choice for 7600gt?) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130283 HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 3.5" SATA 300 MB/s Hard Drive - OEM http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822144701 Optical: LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/LightScribe and 5X DVD-RAM Write Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHM-165H6S - Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827106015 Floppy: ALPS Black Internal Floppy Drive Model DF354H121F - OEM http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16821103201 I should need some other cables for my floppy and HDD? Do I need to worry about any cooling? Any better choices for me? Thanks! |
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 03:55 PM
|
#14 |
|
Kickin' it
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: USA
Posts: 7,723
|
That looks good to me. Your motherboard will come with cables for your drives.
|
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 04:38 PM
|
#15 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 27
|
Cool. Do I need to worry about the power supply at all?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...ply+%2D+Retail |
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 04:43 PM
|
#16 |
|
Member (10 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Sterling Heights, Michigan
Posts: 892
|
I found some OCZ Gold RAM for $50 less, it will perform just the same:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227029 Unfortuantley, that PSU isn't going to work. You need an SLI-Certified unit: http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone2_build.html If you never plan on using the SLI feature, you might be able to get away with it. However, if you ever choose to add a second card or even upgrade to a more powerful one, your going to need a unit off that list. Last edited by MakeYourslf2012; 06-01-2006 at 04:47 PM. |
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 04:47 PM
|
#17 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 27
|
50 bucks is 50 bucks!
BTW, you're in Sterling Heights? I used to live there some time ago... Can I assume that there isn't anything wrong with the power supply? Last edited by hawksview; 06-01-2006 at 06:08 PM. |
|
|
|
|
06-01-2006, 09:16 PM
|
#18 |
|
Kickin' it
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: USA
Posts: 7,723
|
For the build you have listed, the 450w in the Sonata will be fine.
But, if you ever plan to use SLI or buy a more powerful card later on, you will need to upgrade it. Just something to keep in mind. |
|
|
|
|
06-02-2006, 11:54 AM
|
#19 |
|
Member (5 bit)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 27
|
Sorry to keep this going, but how much more powerful does the video card have to be to go after a new power supply? Even as low as the 7900gt?
|
|
|
|
|
06-02-2006, 06:04 PM
|
#20 |
|
Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
|
A 7900GT should be Ok with the 450W in that case. Even a 7900GTX might be OK (especially since you don't have a powerful FX-60 or anything - those use a lot of power). If you wanted to run dual cards, then you would have to upgrade to a SLI certified unit.
|
|
|
|
|
06-05-2006, 02:48 PM
|
#21 |
|
Forum Administrator
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Joplin MO
Posts: 37,765
|
I'd shy away from Ballistix - I've been seeing a lot of compatibilty and defect issues. If you are doing AM2, you do need DDR2-800 ram for proper performance.
|
|
|
|
|
| Bookmarks |
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
| Display Modes | Rate This Thread |
|
|
Linear Mode
