My parts list. Suggestions/Comments please.

[Jed]

Hey guys. I'm building my very first gaming PC this weekend and wanted to go over my parts with the experienced members of this board. Though a buddy is helping me put this together (A "experienced" PC builder) I wanted some good 2nd opinions on everything. You know, just to make sure I don't put 100% trust on one person. Anyway, if anyone could please read over my list and make any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. And if everything looks a-ok please say so too so I can start ordering my parts. (To view more detailed info please click on the name of the part you want to see)

The Computer:
COOLER MASTER Stacker STC-T01 Full Tower Case
*Changed*Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 PSU
Athlon 64 X2 4200 Processor
Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro MotherBoard
MSI Geforce 7900GT 256MB GraphicsCard
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM
*Dropped*Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS SoundCard
Pioneer DVR 16X Burner

Peripherals:
BenQ FP202W 20.1" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Logitech MX518 Mouse
Logitech Internet Pro Keyboard
Wolf King Warrior Ergonomics Keyboard

As you can see this computer is being built from the ground up. And coming to a total of $1, 500 (rounded off). So its important to me to get the best for my money. The one thing I'm still really iffy about is the monitor. I would really like a widescreen since the games I want to play can be set to use it. But I know really nothing about LCD tech and reviews are hard to come by. Originally I was looking at Dell's UltraSharp 20.1 Widescreen but they are really expensive and apparently the new models don't please everyone.

[minsonngo]

Looks pretty good to me. The BenQ LCD you picked isn't bad either.

One suggestion, instead of the Pioneer optical drive, go with this:

SAMSUNG Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATA/ATAPI DVD Burner With LightScribe - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151118

[blue60007]

I'm not totally sure on the quality of the power supply. I think some Thermaltake's are OK, and some aren't. Here's a great one for the $$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103931

Gigabyte's are decent, but I prefer ASUS boards. An ASUS A8N5X is a good choice.

You don't need premium RAM for a Socket 939 build. You can get away with some Value Select.

You may also hold off on the sound card. The motherboard has decent onboard sound. And if you don't have a fancy set of speakers, an upgraded sound card would be kinda wasted if you can't hear the difference.

You might look at Viewsonic, Samsung, and Dell monitors too. If the larger ones are too much, go for a 19" - they are pretty cheap.

[jayb1234]

Crosspost

[Jed]

Thank you for your reply guys. Since more then 1 person agrees on the TRUEPOWERII PSU I'll move to that instead of what's on the list. I'll also look into a downgrade of ram, possible switch of the motherboard, and switch of the DVD burner. I'll need to research on those things some more to be sure.

Now, I have a little question. When we was picking out the sound card I actually questioned about its need right now since I don't have a sound system good enough to make use of it. My friend insisted though. Saying certain games act buggy without them like Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. What's the say on this? Fact or myth? :P

[blue60007]

I've used onboard sound on many of games with no problems. (granted, probably not the same onboard sound or that game). Can your friend provide some links to people saying they have problems so we can check it out?

[Jed]

Originally Posted by blue60007 I've used onboard sound on many of games with no problems. (granted, probably not the same onboard sound or that game). Can your friend provide some links to people saying they have problems so we can check it out?

I could request it from him but honestly he is one of those people that is, well, "my word is truth" kinda type. Thats why I'm hearing asking people who actually deal with building all the time. If you guys haven't had any problems then its possible he is just hearing a myth.

[blue60007]

Ah, I see. I've haven't heard anything, but then again, I don't play that game. If they have some type of support forum, you could take a look around and see if people are having problems. But then, the sound card is one of those "I can always get it later if I need it" items.

[minsonngo]

I agree, onboard sound is more than adequate.

[Jed]

Cool. If I can't get any real info about games bugging out then I'll drop the soundcard for now. I'll probably get it later but If I can save money up front on the build then I'll do it.

Edit: Talked to him online and asked about the info. His response is a "I'm a PC man, my word is gold". Heh. Anyway, we talked about ti more and he said I could just drop the card for now. So I think since everyone agrees I'll do that.

Now, he is talking about some kind of new Geforce 7900GS coming out this month. Anyone have a opinion on that?

[blue60007]

Haven't heard of it, but I'm sure it's true. I wouldn't worry about it though. When that comes around you'll hear of something new and want to wait for that, and over and over.

[Jed]

I'm thinking to help reduce cost I'll move this this brand of Ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146841 Would anyone object to this?

[minsonngo]

That would be fine too.

[Jed]

Wonderful! It saves me a lot of money in the end. A little update is that I bought this case today. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119103 Not at that price mind you. I got her for $180 new on eeeeeeebay.

[minsonngo]

Thats a beautiful case, never had experience with it though (I would never spend over $100 dollars on a case), let us know how you like it when comes in.

[Dr Dmoney]

Well the 7900s have lots of flaws, thankfully evga has there Ko edition gpu.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130033

[Jed]

Originally Posted by minsonngo Thats a beautiful case, never had experience with it though (I would never spend over $100 dollars on a case), let us know how you like it when comes in.

Will do. I was honeslty not wanting to spend over $150 on a full tower case but heat is a concern as my current living space does not always provide decent air conditioning. So I thought maybe I best spend the money on a case that can give my some of the best fan cooling possible with allot of full tower room to spare. In the hopes it pays off in the end. For a case that retails for $260, I did alright in the buy at lest.

Originally Posted by Dr Dmoney Well the 7900s have lots of flaws, thankfully evga has there Ko edition gpu. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130033

Thanks for the insight. I'll look into this for sure.

[Dr Dmoney]

Yeah I been looking for a good 7900 on newegg and found out the memery loves to crash. I came apon that Gpu and they work out the bugs and a new memery company so the 7900s are comeing back but most companys are not debuging the cards so it is hard for the gamer to buy 7900.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by minsonngo One suggestion, instead of the Pioneer optical drive, go with this: SAMSUNG Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATA/ATAPI DVD Burner With LightScribe - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151118

Samsung optical drives are about the worst ones out there in terms of reliability and performance. The Pioneer burner is a much better choice.

Cricket

[minsonngo]

That particular model is pretty good. I know Samsung has a bad reputation on here though so I do apologize.


This Lite-On drive is good too:

LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/ LightScribe and 5X DVD-RAM Write Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHM-165H6S - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106019
$31.99

[Jed]

Originally Posted by minsonngo Thats a beautiful case, never had experience with it though (I would never spend over $100 dollars on a case), let us know how you like it when comes in.

Sorry to bump out a older thread but as this person wanted to know, I got my case today. A bit of a pleasant surprise it was. I walked through the front door carelessly and tripped. Looking around from the floor I discovered what I fell over was the box that had my new case in it! :P I hurried up and started to open it right away. Here is some pics of my case. The CM Stacker 830. Click to enlarge.











My first impressions where: "WHOA! This thing is a monster!.." Then my 2nd impressions turned into "This is sweet!". In short I think this is a bloody awesome case for $180. I looked all through it and I'm impressed. Its big..really big..but I don't mind so much as that'll just help with ventilation which is a reason I got it. The fact its all metal is way snazzy and the amount of fans it can have is just what I was looking for. I seen lesser featured/quality cases got for this much so I think for the price you can't go wrong with this thing. Unless space is a issue.