My X-Blade Gaming PC

[Young Fire]

I am planning to build this during the summer, I need the input of a real PC builder, here are the stats below, along with priceage and links to the parts:

12" Blue Liquid Plasma (x3) - $12.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/lqccflspiralbl.html

Sapphire ATi Radeon 9800 XT 256MB DDR AGP 8X ATi Video Card - $456.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/radeon9800xt.html

Mirror Reflective 120mm Case Fan (x5) - $14.99
http://store.yahoo.com/extremepcgear/alfr123cafan.html

X-Blade Gaming Case - $74.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/xbladeblack.html

Corsair "Twin Pack" XMS Performance Series Memory DDR400 (1GB) - $382.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/cortw10320lp.html

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Sound Card - $89.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/audigy2zspci.html

Envision Monitor - $149.99
http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Brows...Name=17%22+CRT

Albatron 875P 800MHz FSB DDR400 Socket 478 Motherboard - $107.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/albapx875ppro.html

Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz Processor - $226.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/p43ghz800fsb.html

Linksys Broadband Router - $59.99
http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Brows...e=1&Sku=430930

Logitech Gaming Speakers - $399.95
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/pr...CONTENTID=5048

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition - $91.99
http://store.yahoo.com/extremepcgear/windowsxphome.html

AeroFlow 2 P4 CPU Fan - $21.95
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556041924.html

Samsung 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive - $18.25
http://www.pcpartscollection.com/al144flopdri.html

McAfee Internet Security Suite - $59.99
http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Brows...e=1&Sku=517076

5-port PCI USB 2.0 Card - $7.99
http://store.yahoo.com/extremepcgear/usb20pcihosc.html

NEC MultiSpin DVD-RW/CD-RW Optical Drive - $79.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/nd2500dvd.html

520W Vantec Stealth Power Supply Unit - $94.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/psvan520a.html

QuickCam Pro 4000 - $99.95
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/pr...CONTENTID=5042

Roxio Easy CD & DVD Creator Software - $14.99
http://store.yahoo.com/extremepcgear/roxiodvd.html

Western Digital 200GB HDD (x2) - $110.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...144-146&DEPA=0

Blue LED Optical Gaming Mouse w/ Fan Hand Cooling - $9.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/ledfanmousblk.html

Mouse Pad - $24.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/fxpro7mspad.html

Slim Multimedia Office Keyboard - $3.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/ez9910blk.html

I plan to use this for a multimedia pc, like online gaming and web designing and things.

Current Changes - July 5, 2004 @ 8:30AM

**NEW VIDEO CARD**
**NEW MOTHERBOARD**
**NEW POWER SUPPLY UNIT**
**NEW PROCESSOR**
**NEW MEMORY**
**CD-RW DRIVE BAY REMOVED**

Questions need answered:

1) Is 520W power good or will it most likely burn out everything? (Video card says it needs at least a 300W PSU to function normally with everything else).

2) Will the graphics look good and run perfect with a 3.0GHz processor (Northwood, whats the Prescott Core, just wondering?)

3) I know many of you will say no to this, is it smart to overclock the CPU, to try for more performance?

4) The Intel P4 3.2GHz Extreme Performance, what is the purpose of that?

5) *Just for Fun* Which is better of processor for gaming, and which is better for overall goodness, AMD and Intel?

[ric449]

Steer clear of that motherboard. You want one that uses an Intel chipset, better than any SiS chipset that motherboard uses. Also the chipset only supports DDR333 when 800MHz FSB P4's are supposed to use DDR400. Since this looks like you want max performance, go for a motherboard with an 875P chipset.

Since you want a 3.2GHz P4 that uses an 800MHz FSB, you should be looking at 400MHz DDR memory. Anything lower and the processor will be held back by the memory.

[i486]

That powersupply is made by aspire/turbo case, wich means it is junk. Get a thermaltake pp butterfly 420w instead. Also, gigabyte boards do have some problems. I recommend asus,abit,msi or tyan.

[yellohut]

there are a couple of problems with that list.
first off you can find a lot of those things cheaper elsewhere (www.newegg.com or www.zipzoomfly.com are two of my favorites)

also, the P4 you listed is a 800mhz FSB, so you will need PC3200 to run at that fsb Speed synchronously.

Also, it looks like the motherboard only supports PC2700 max, and doesn't support that processor, at least not with the current bios (it only supports up to 3.06 ghx officially.)

and if this is going to be used for gaming, you'll want to invest as much money as possible in the graphics card, even if it means getting a slower processor.
A radeon9800xt with a P4 2.8 will run games better than a GeForce 5700 with a P4 3.2.

[tigstah]

why not just get a plextor dvd - + rw burner and save some money on getting a stand alone cd burner....the dvd burner will burn cdr's

[ric449]

Originally posted by yellohut it looks like the motherboard only supports PC2700 max, and doesn't support that processor, at least not with the current bios (it only supports up to 3.06 ghx officially.)

It does support 800MHz FSB processors, it just doesn't support PC3200.

[TheJackal]

Originally posted by Young Fire 5) *Just for Fun* Which is better of processor for gaming, and which is better for overall goodness, AMD and Intel?

Neither is better... They are both equal for whatever you want them to do.

Your CPU selection is strictly a matter of personal preference.

[ric449]

Originally posted by Young Fire 1) Is 520W power good or will it most likely burn out everything? (Video card says it needs at least a 300W PSU to function normally with everything else).

Don't worry, the computer will only draw the amount of power it needs, so having a PSU that supplies lots of power will not damage anything. I do think 520W is over the top though, I would go for a high quality 450W PSU for that machine, possibly less.

Originally posted by Young Fire 2) Will the graphics look good and run perfect with a 3.0GHz processor (Northwood, whats the Prescott Core, just wondering?)).

The way the graphics look depends on the graphics card, not the processor. As for Northwood and Prescott, there is a few differences. The Prescott uses 90nm manufacturing technology, while the Northwood uses 13m technology. The Prescott has a longer pipeline than the Northwood (if you don't know what pipelining is you should look here: http://ricserv.servebeer.com/pipeline.php, not for the average PC user though). Next is heat, the Prescott pumps out much more heat than the Northwood.

Originally posted by Young Fire 3) I know many of you will say no to this, is it smart to overclock the CPU, to try for more performance?

It depends what you think. You can overclock and get some fantastic increses in performance for free, but you also shorten the lifetime of your components and risk damaging them. Look at my site in the articles section if you want to find out more.

Originally posted by Young Fire 4) The Intel P4 3.2GHz Extreme Performance, what is the purpose of that?

I guess you mean the extreme edition. This processor has 2MB of L3 cache, and as a result increases performace. It is a very powerful processor, but is also very expensive.

*EDIT* Fixed bad pipelining link

[JTH]

Just a few points...

1) You don't need anywhere near 5 case fans, unless you want to your computer to double up as a fridge!

2) No PSU is "too much" or will "burn out" anything, power is regulated as needed. 520W is way more then you need. You would be much better off (trust me) to get a smaller output from a reliable company (400w PSUs from Antec, Enermax and SilenX are thoroughly recommended).

3) That case comes with a PSU anyway, so you are wasting money by buying two PSUs. Buy a similar case (if possible) with no PSU and throw in an Antec, Enermax or SilenX PSU.

4) Seeing as you are buying the P4 retail, you will not need that extra CPU fan - the retail heatsink/fan does the job just fine.

5) Your whole system is undermined by that mobo. Go for an Asus for quality. For an optimal-performance build, the P4C800 has everything you could need (that said, so does the P4P800 Deluxe).

To answer your second question, the main difference between the Prescott and Northwood core P4 chips is that the Prescott has 1mb of cache, as opposed to the Northwood's 512kb. This is obviously better for performance but the Prescotts have been widely criticised for running to hot. In answer to your third question, I would run your system standard for a while at least, until you get a feel for it and make sure everything is okay. Later on you can overclock if you want.

Hope all this helps, JTH

[Young Fire]

The reason why I am purchasing a high powered PSU is the basics because I am adding in more things along time, like maybe another HDD, so you know I want to have a power supply that can support future upgrades, and another thing I don't want to do is get another motherboard because then it is a possibility I have to change processors and all of that.

Top answer the question about the fans, I am not putting them all in there, I am only putting 3 in there and then I'll hold onto the other 2 in case anything happen to them fans, like backup. :-D

A Prescott sound nice, but would you recommend me purchase one of them, plus what would be a good CPU Cooler for it?

5 more questions for answering:

1) The Asus P4C800 Deluxe, will all the stuff I have connect fine to it? (i.e. Processor and all that attachments.)

2) Is it true thatg overclocking a CPU will void the warranty for it?

3) Would it be better to just buy a pre-built PC and re-construct it into a gaming PC?

4) If yes to the last question, then where online can I get a cheap one?

5) What are the 5 most important things to change a pre-built pc into a gaming master pc (just the first 5 that I can buy first.)

[ric449]

1) It should do the job fine.

2) Yes

3) No, usually prebuilt computers have a very limited upgrade path, if any.

[Hi Ho]

Ok, first off, welcome to PCmech. Now, as has been suggested before, Newegg.com is the best place to buy computer equipment. You will save a lot of money and their service is top notch.

Power Supply
I will stress the importance of a GOOD QUALITY power supply. Just because it says "520 watts!" doesn't mean it will supply that and it could easily damage or destroy your system. The Enlight 420w is an inexpensive and high quality unit.

Video Card
If you can spend $400 on a new video card then the Radeon x800 Pro is the best you can get right now. If you want an excellent card fora half the price then the Radeon 9800 Pro will fit the bill perfectly. The 9800 Pro is the best bang for the buck right now.

Case
Browse around HERE and find a case you like. Unless it is made by Enlight, Thermaltake, or Antec ignore the power supply because you will need to replace it.

RAM
You don't need ECC registered memory for a P4 processor. THIS Geil memory would work perfectly and cost half as much.

Monitor
I recommend a monitor from a well known company like Samsung or Viewsonic. Check out your local Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, etc. for some good deals. Shipping charges from buyin online almost always kill the deal.

Motherboard
The Asus P4P800-E Deluxe is a much better choice and it is among the most popular boards for Intel processors.

CPU
The one you have, the P4 3.0c Retail is a very good choice.

Speakers
If you have $400 to spend on speakers then you should get the Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1's. Klipsch makes the absolute best computer speakers. If you still want the Logitechs, which are good as well, they are almost half price HERE at Newegg.

Floppy
$18 for a floppy drive is absurd. $10.99 will get you one just as good, if not better at Newegg.

Anti Virus Software
Stay far, far away from McAffee. It is a horrible program and it causes more problems than you could imagine. I solved literally 50+ problems I was having by removing McAffee. A much better alternative is AVG AntiVirus which is 100% free and works 100000% better.

Optical Drive
For the same price as the one you have listed you can get a dual layer capable burner, an NEC ND-2510A at Newegg.

CD Burning Software
Windows XP has basic burning capbilities built in that work fine. If you want a seperate program then you should try the free DeepBurner first. If you want better still you should get Nero.

Hard Drives
You should at least get hard drives with 8mb cach. The ones you have listed have only 2mb cache. The best route would be to get two Western Digital 200GB 7200 RPM SATA drives. SATA (Serial ATA) will give you much better performance.

Miscelaneous
A few other things I noticed. You most likely will not need a seperate USB card. The motherboard I linked to above has 8 USB ports. You can also find webcams cheaper HERE at Newegg.

I hope this helps.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Answer to question 5 (in jest, do not take it seriously):
You will need a hammer to assist you, hit the computer with it. Then buy what people have reccomended above. You can probably keep the CD Drive and case, although the rest should go.

On topic: Good Luck with your build!

[Young Fire]

Alright, now the Asus motherboard looks fine with me, but sadly, Ric already said I would be best to get a motherboard that is 875P, the Asus you sent me has i865PE, what are your comments on that. Thanks Hi Ho for all that information and for that I made some changes, see them in the first topic box.

Also, what would be your input on getting a Prescott chipset, or is that bad? I agree with Hi Ho that the one I got now is excellent. Imma make some changes though when you all confirm that Asus PC4800 Deluxe is just right becuz of the chipset being i865PE, I am going to be gone for the rest of the nite but leave ur messages, I'll check them in the morning.

[Hi Ho]

The only difference you would get with a Prescott core would be more heat. The i865PE is still a very good chipset and it costs a lot less.

[Young Fire]

But will my processor go right with it, will they match up right?

[Hi Ho]

Yes, your CPU will work fine. As long as the motherboard is the same socket as the CPU it will work.

[eX!le2127]

yes your CPU and MOBO will be compatible.
also if you are into gaming then i suggest a bigger monitor (19"+) with good resolutions,refresh rates,and quality.(sony,viewsonic,samsung... im looking into nec)
other than that:
just take all the advise you can get from this forum.
shop at newegg.com !!!
and let us all know how the build went when completed.

GOOD LUCK!

[Young Fire]

Sure thing thanks for the advice, Imma try and have it built before the end of September 2004 hopefully so I got 3 months

It would take me a week to build a pc, but it takes time for money and parts.

I may start a donation thing online where people can donate money to go towards the computer and they can be entered to win a prize package filles with cool prdocuts since I build websites.

[eX!le2127]

LOL... sure but im cheap! and im saving up for a build of my own

like i said good luck with everything!

[Young Fire]

Whats your setup, Imma go back to my default type I had, but I ain't going to have some things, like Im going to replace my PSU, Video Card, and my HDD and remove one of the drive bays.