Proposed build - Need your honest opinions!

[Flashfly]

Ok... first post so here goes.....

Can you please provide me your honest opinions on the build I'm proposing? It'll be my first build but I'm fairly confident that I can do it. I've been visting this site and the forum for a while and I'd like to think I've done my homework. I see that there are a lot of knowledgeable people here with a lot of expereince.

I'm primarily building this to play games (mostly MS Flight Sim 9) and also to act as a TV / DVD Player / Video Recorder.

(Links show manufacturers sites)

Case - Thermaltake Tsunami Black (£85)

Motherboard - ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe (£125)

PSU - Thermaltake Silent PurePower 480W with Active PFC (£65)

Processor - AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Winchester Core S939 (£200)

Video Card - Nvidia Geforce 6800GT PCI-e (£320)

TV Card - Nebula Electronics Digital TV PCI (already own!)

Hard Drive 1 (for programmes) - Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10'000rpm (£120)

Hard Drive 2 (for data storage) - Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300GB (£135)

RAM - 1GB Corsair TWINX1024-3200XLPT XMS3200 2x512MB 2-2-2-5 Silver (£175)

DVD RW - NEC ND-3500A Black x16 Dual Layer DVD-Writer OEM UK (£45)

Sound Card - Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS 7.1 THX (£55)

There it is. I've had two main problems in coming up with this spec. The first is deciding what RAM would be best. The second is working out the best manufacturer of the 6800GT. Assistance with a better choice would be appreciated.

So what do you think?

Thanks,

Phil
Flashfly.

[Cricket]

Parts selection looks good to me.

I'm not a gamer so can't make any suggestions on the video card.

RAM should be fine, Corsair is a top tier RAM manufacturer...but double check that the RAM is compatible with that motherboard before you buy.

Cricket

[Flashfly]

Thanks for the info.

Been reading around some more of the forum threads and now I'm getting nervous. Am I getting the best system for my money (about £1300 in total)?

Also I am finding it really hard to find a 6800GT PCI-e card in the UK. All suppliers are out of stock. Anyone purchased one recently?

Thanks,
Phil.

[mrmister1]

That looks like a great build to me. Everything seems to be good.

The video card is a great choice if you can find one.

[mcjc]

it looks like a good build to me

[GraemeM]

looks fine, a couple of suggestions are make sure you get the SATA version of that harddrive. ALso with the memory, Corsair is a good brand, but go to Asus's site and get the manual for the mobo, or a spec sheet on the site, or something, look around and you should find a RAM compatibility chart. THat RAM should be fine, but if its on the mobos compatibility chart you won't have any problems. THe RAM looks good, but I think Corsair has a cheper version (only real difference would be in overclocking) that should do fine. I'm not sure, I know more about Kingston Ram.

With the video card, EVGA is a good company, I'm not 100% sure that they have a PCI-E version, but I think they do.

And you're getting a good buy in my mind. The only thing is that I think you could find cheaper RAM without much performance loss. Also if you're looking to save money, you could get a decent video card for half the price (it wouldn't be quite as good though). THe other thing that could save you a little money is go with the A8V mobo, and a AGP 6800GT (There will be no noticable difference), the only drawback is future upgrades might not be as easy.

Oh and you may want a normal DVD-ROM drive, its nice to have both a DVD-ROM and a DVD writer

[Flashfly]

Yes I was definitely going for SATA versions of the Hard Drives.

As suggested I've tracked down a RAM Qualified Vendors List for the Motherboard. However more useful was the Corsair website that I've just found that tells you which of their products goes with what motherboard. More by luck than judgement the original sticks I chose are shown as the best ones for performance.

Thanks for the suggestions on going for an AGP setup. I am hoping to invest now so that in a few years I can upgrade the chip and graphics card to extend the life of my system. So I'm keen to go for a S939 PCI-e setup. (If only the parts were easy to buy!)

Great suggestion about the seperate DVD-Rom drive. Hadn't considered it but now I definitely will. If anyone has a favourite or recommendation then please let me know.

Thanks,
Phil.

[Flashfly]

So I've now got my spec finalised and it is pretty much as originally listed.

I was having problems choosing a good 6800GT but I've read good things about the BFG GeForce 6800 GT OC. However I cannnot find a single supplier in the UK. I'm hoping it won't be long until the UK gets their hands on some.

I've taken GraemeM's advice and am getting a DVD RW and a seperate DVD-ROM.

I've already got the Case and I'm really pleased with it.

Just can't wait to get the rest of the stuff and start my build.

Thanks for all your help.

Phil.

[Moose on the Loose]

It's a very nice build, good lock with it. BFG supposedly makes some of the best overclocker cards, but apparently their quality control isn't fantastic. Gainward Golden Sample is supposed to be a goldmine for overclocking as well, if that's easier to get your hands on. Basically any manufacturer will do IMO, but try to stay away from XFX (although I've heard many good things about them too.)

[mystvearn]

Great choices there. And I would say that you have some high quality stff there.
Well its better to get a separate dvdrom/cd-rw whichever you think you will use the most

[Flashfly]

Yeah I heard things about XFX too. I'm going to stay clear of them.
Do you guys have any recommendations for a sole DVD-ROM? (I'm getting the NEC DVD-RW aswell). I was just going to go for any old DVD-ROM because they all seem the same.

The wait for UK stock is frustrating. I'm hoping this week might be good for UK stock levels. Finger crossed. I'm starting to get impatient.

Thanks,
Phil.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

It is possible to find 6800's in the UK. EG http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Product...e=PriceGrabber

That was the first I came across, but you can see suppliers of different cards at http://uk.pricegrabber.com/search_at...orce+6800&rd=1

[GraemeM]

look here:
http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=114081

ther's a good reference about what are good nvidia cards

and the dvd rom, really any will do, if you can go for a name brand which should be more reliable. Just make sure its 16x (not sure if theres any other speed) Its nice to have two for direct burning of cd's and data dvd's, or with retail dvds it can't burn direct, but you can do it in one step (meaning you don't have to come in the middle of it and switch disks).

[kram 2.0]

Parts look very nice to me - just don't forget the operating system

kram

[Flashfly]

Just spent another few hours on the web looking for a place to get a 6800GT PCI-e. Still no luck. Everyone is out of stock and I'm contemplating going for an ATI X800XT PCI-e card.

I know that this will not be able to utilise the SLI on the motherboard, but it's a good motherboard anyway isn't it? Plus I feel that I'd be able to update to two Nvidia SLI cards when the technology is more established and more games are able to take advantage of it.

I can order an ATI card today and get building tomorrow.

I hope my impatience isn't leading me astray.

Appreciate your views.

Thanks,
Phil.