First build, need help picking parts.

[pEdRiDeR2008]

I am going to build my own PC in about 2 weeks and could really use help picking out the parts. I have $1000 overall for everything including moniter and OS. My intent is to game (DOD source and CS source) and do my music on (iTunes). I want to use an AMD 3800+ and a 1 GB of RAM. I would also like a CD/DVD burner and at least a 120 GB HD. I want to use the new NZXT Apollo case. I mainly need suggestions of the Video Card and the Motherboard. But any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Nuke]

Allthough I can't realy help with the other parts I can recomend a GeForce 6600GT graphics card. its only 128MB but it has dual outputs (for running two screens) and a molex connector which stops it sucking power trhough the motherboard, and the 128MB is plenty powerfull enough for SIMS 2 in full quality, along with Civ 4 and Combat Simulator 3.

I haven't really tried many other cards, but this one seems to work, and might get your ball rolling.

[pEdRiDeR2008]

i was looking at the 6600 on newegg.com and running it with another in SLI. I think i will go to cyberpowerpc.com and get a AMD 3800+ x2 w/ liquid cooling, the evga SLI mobo, 1 gb ram, CD/DVD burner, 160 gb HD, Windows x64 edition, and 2 nVidia 6600 with SLI.

[blue60007]

For about the same price as two 6600's you can get one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130017

It will blow away 2 6600's.

For a little more than 2 6600GT's (plus savings if you don't get a SLI board):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130016

That will beat the heck out of any dual 6600 set up. SLI is *not* cost effective, especially on the low end. You can't run two low end cards and expect great performance. It just doesn't happen. For the price of the two low cards you could get one good mid/high end card that will perform MUCH better.

I'd reconsider your vendor - I've heard really bad things about places like that. Bad service, cheap parts (they don't tell you half the brands of stuff), etc

Also water cooling is going to be a waste of your money...you could spend the $200+ for it on a bigger video card, etc.

For the best bang for your buck, consider building it yourself.

[Nuke]

Also I've seen computers after a water cooling system breaks down. Not pretty. $1000+ screwed becuase of a leak the size of a pin prick. I'm sticking with fans for now...

[Mr.Ferrari]

Originally Posted by Nuke Also I've seen computers after a water cooling system breaks down. Not pretty. $1000+ screwed becuase of a leak the size of a pin prick. I'm sticking with fans for now...

The reason for that is so many people fall for the cheap, unreliable, underperforming kits that are so widespread in the market. If it is done right, leaks are impossible, You have more of a chance of some computer parts going bad by themselves rather then due to a leak.

Aircooling is great for normal usage. But watercooling is made for people who seek slience, performance(overclocking), and if done right with a simple custom build, and a 24 hour leak test, watercooling presensts a great choice for those who seek it.

But for your first build, its better to spend money on components rather then accessories such as this.

And if I may, I really suggest you skip the x64 edition. Its truely not worth the headache for the minimal performance increase you will see. That and mediocre driver support. I think you will be happier with normal home or pro. Your OS is all your choice though.

[pEdRiDeR2008]

Im very confused with the microsoft x64 os and dual core cpus. Do you need the x64 for the cpu to run right?

What if i went with:
Athlon 64 3800+
1gb RAM
7600GT

and should i still go with an SLI motherboard?
And just because it is cheaper I think i will go with aircooling on my first build.

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by pEdRiDeR2008 Im very confused with the microsoft x64 os and dual core cpus. Do you need the x64 for the cpu to run right? What if i went with: Athlon 64 3800+ 1gb RAM 7600GT and should i still go with an SLI motherboard? And just because it is cheaper I think i will go with aircooling on my first build.

Nah, you don't need x64 os just uses the 64-bit cpu in 64 bit mode..
I hear x64 is buggy though. Just stick with normal old XP 32 bit is absolutely fine, and wait for Vista for some good 64-bit support.

[blue60007]

Athlon 64's are backwards compatible with regular 32 bit Windows.

Going with a non-SLI motherboard would save money there, and you wouldn't have to worry about a SLI-Certified PSU (not to say you should skimp out on the PSU).

[pEdRiDeR2008]

How many watts should my PSU be?

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by pEdRiDeR2008 How many watts should my PSU be?

Hm, it's not as much about watts as it is quality, but I'd say AT LEAST 450. Here's the list of who's who in PSUS: What Power Supply should I get? How many Watts? Who made it? Guide Inside

If you have the money, the Antec TRUEPOWER is great. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103931 550 watts, and made by Antec. Probably the most trusted PSU on the market

[messiah34]

I have had two friends have cyberpowerpc build computers for them and helped them pick out parts and they don't use cheap parts because they let you pick the brand and asus, evga, antec aren't cheap brands. Granted they have some cheap cases and psu's, but you need to know a little about it, but if you asked everyone what they thought of something some would say they hated it while others say they love it. Really depends on preference. I would recommend the vendor.

[pEdRiDeR2008]

I have to wait until my birthday (august 19) before i get anything but i should have around $1000 for a PC. I think i will go with a cyberpower or ibuypower pc because they aren't that much more expensive and everything is shipped right to you.

[pEdRiDeR2008]

Any other suggestions for a computer? What are your favorite places to buy parts?

There is a Micro Center by my house so I can get parts there. www.microcenter.com

[pEdRiDeR2008]

Can anyone here build a computer plus moniter and OS for less than $1000 that would be good for gaming(BF2, DODS,CSS)?

[Staren]

Originally Posted by pEdRiDeR2008 Can anyone here build a computer plus moniter and OS for less than $1000 that would be good for gaming(BF2, DODS,CSS)?

Short answer: no.

Long answer: It might be possible to a point, but not without resorting to sub-standard brands. A decent monitor and O.S. alone would eat nearly 1/4 of the budget. It would play ok with current games, but it wouldn't last long thru anything newer.

As for where to buy, there are 4 places that the people here colectivly swear by, and I agree with the group.

www.newegg.com
www.zipzoomfly.com
www.mwave.com
www.directron.com

My own personal view of cyberpower and ibuypower, I wouldn't even bother. I considered them when I first got here as well. That was until I heard the stories. Some their systems show up with some pretty stupid problems. Hot glue dried all over the iinside of the case where they did wire management, cables unplugged or missing, the wrong motherboard being installed, the list goes on. Not huge problems, and they are a small % of sales I'm sure, but it's enough to keep me away as long as I have the time to do my own build, or can access dell.com. My own view is, if you want a prebult, go with a major brand like HP, Toshiba, Dell, IBM, ect. If you want custom, learn enough to do it yourself so you know exactly what has been done to the system.

[messiah34]

I wouldn't go with dell. If your just loooking for parts go with newegg.com, but if you want a system thats built for you when u get it like a dell ect. i would still recommend cyberpower, but definately not dell because they make it so you can't do much as far as modification. They make it so you have to buy from them after they jack up the prices. Yes, they own alirnware because they want to create a monopoly and alienware's were too expensive to begin with. I have a Dell and if i hadn't spent so much money on it i would throw it out the window.

[blue60007]

I don't recommend Cyberpower power and the like, I've heard first hand experience with them and it wasn't good. Same story as Staren told - strange stuff inside, stuff not hooked up - and then customer service, or lack there-of, was horrible. If you go pre-built, I think Dell is the way to go (at least there you have decent quality and service).

I think you might be able to do an $800 PC (minus $200 for monitor). Would this include keyboard/mosue?

[messiah34]

[QUOTE=blue60007]I don't recommend Cyberpower power and the like, I've heard first hand experience with them and it wasn't good. Same story as Staren told - strange stuff inside, stuff not hooked up - and then customer service, or lack there-of, was horrible. If you go pre-built, I think Dell is the way to go (at least there you have decent quality and service).


Dell isn't a bad place to purchase, but if you try to call them for help unless you speak a foriegn lagnuage you aren't going to get much accomplished. They do have good service if something goes wrong, but with a little know how you can fix that yourself. You pay a lot of money for the service that really isn't all that necessary. I have a three year warrany on my dell and i haven't had to call them once, but my grandmother has a dell too and i had to call them a lot when she first got it because i didn't really know much about computers then. It really made me angry when i would call and spend twice the amount of time figuring something out just because i coudln't understand them. If im not mistaken i believe the toll free number you call is located in India. I have had two friends buy from cyberpowerpc and they didnt' have any problems, but thats not to say you won't. The one thing i don't like about dell is how they make it so you have to buy any upgrades from them. HP would be a better choice. If you dont' feel comfortable building it yourself im sure you can find a friend to help. Cyberpowerpc you could get a comp that would run bf2 well for about 1000 bucks. Get a 7900gt 256mb ram and you will be able to run bf2 on high settings. 7900gt runs the game at same fps as a 7800gtx. They give you free shipping and one year warranty. AM2 socket will be more expensive than 939 because its newer and ddr2 is more expensive.

[pEdRiDeR2008]

Well my friend bought 2 PCs from Ibuypower and has had no problems. I have a neighbor down the street that builds computers but he builds only work computers. I was thinking about this Compaq from Circuit City but I don't have enough money to get it yet. It says $500 but that is only after $320 in mail-in rebates. And my parents can't loan me any money or i would get it because it has the AMD athlon 3800+, 1 gb RAM, 250 GB HD, Moniter, DVD/CD burner. I would only have to get a better Video card.

[messiah34]

dell.com
xps 400
CPU-pentium d
VGA- 7300LE
Ram- 2 gb
monitor 19 inch
1 year warranty
1100$

Cyberpowerpc.com
CPu 3800 athlon
VGA 7900gt 256 ram
Ram 1gb corsair value select
PSU 550watt antec truepower 2
MOnitor viewsonic va712b 17inch, Newegg has same monitor for same price as they offer by the time you include 12$
nzxt case is offered too
shipping with newegg.
1 year warranty
1100$

Thought you said u had a 1000$?

[messiah34]

Do not get compaq I beg you. THey in my opinion are the worst if not next to the worst computer comp.

[glc]

No, you do NOT have to buy upgrades from Dell! They will accept MANY generic parts. They are nowhere NEAR as proprietary as most other big name brands - Compaq, HP, eMachines, etc.

[pEdRiDeR2008]

What about a Cyber Power Pc with:
eVGA SLI Mobo
AMD Athlon 64 3800+
1GB RAM
DVD/CD burner
nVidia 7300LE

[pEdRiDeR2008]

Or a Dell E510 with:
Pentium D 805

ATI x600 SE
1GB RAM
17" LCD Moniter
XP Home
CD/DVD burner
$820

Or Dell XPS 400
Intel Pentium D 820
Nvidia 7300 LE
1GB RAM
XP Media Center
19" Moniter
$950

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by pEdRiDeR2008 Or a Dell E510 with: Pentium D 805 ATI x600 SE 1GB RAM 17" LCD Moniter XP Home CD/DVD burner $820 Or Dell XPS 400 Intel Pentium D 820 Nvidia 7300 LE 1GB RAM XP Media Center 19" Moniter $950

7300LE is nvidias way of tricking the less informed into thinking they are getting a 7-series card. It's not a very good card (Well, considering its a 7-series), not that I know of at least.

[Staren]

The 7300 is not a bad card, for what it is. It is the lastest design and tech, but it is a low end card. Like the Radeon X1300 it was designed for office and other low video impact applications. The price reflects that. If you buy it thinking that it's a budget gaming card you won't be happy, but for the right application, it does it's job.

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by Staren The 7300 is not a bad card, for what it is. It is the lastest design and tech, but it is a low end card. Like the Radeon X1300 it was designed for office and other low video impact applications. The price reflects that. If you buy it thinking that it's a budget gaming card you won't be happy, but for the right application, it does it's job.

Yeah, thats what I was trying to say, its an okay card, for it's price definitely. But if you're expecting 7-series performance, you'll definitely be let down. And for the thread poster's task (half-life 2), it's not gonna do the job.

Here's a "real" 7-series card. It's not 7800+ or anything, but you don't need that kind of card. It's in the mid-100's in price, I find it a good deal. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130017

[pEdRiDeR2008]

Just the 7300 LE or also the 7300 GT and GS?

[messiah34]

If you can your better off getting a 7900gt. I was just showing you the difference in the comps. from the different stores. If you go with dell you might be able to customize it and get a better card, but it will probably be priced high. I didn't mean to lead you to believe that 7300Le was a good card I just meant it was in the same price and thats what you woudl be getting. I'm not sure what GLC meant by generic parts, but that doesn't sound convincing. I mean changing or adding a hdd is one thing but replacing the mobo and knowing whether it will be fussy with ram is a different story. I mean yiou don't have to do anything, but dell wants you to buy parts from them and they do a lot to prevent you from buying elsewhere. I don't have to eat, but i like too. If your looking to do some gaming I woudn't go below the 7600gt!