Comments on this "sweet spot" $2000 new build.

[SR71]

Hey there folks,

Looking for some feedback on this new PC. Had a budget of approx. $2000 - $2500 and wanted the best gaming performance I could get out of every dollar. Interested in stock performance on air cooling. How did I do. Any suggestions???

Thanks.

The Build:

Case
COOLER MASTER Wave Master TAC-T01-E1C Silver http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119023 $130

Power Supply
Tagan TG480-U22 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817101516 $91

CPU
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103529 $334

Motherboard
ASUS A8N5X http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131569 $92

Memory
(2x1GB) OCZ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227210 $256

Video Card
eVGA Geforce 7800GTX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130237 $559

Optical Drive 1
Plextor PX-716SA http://www.plextor.com/english/products/716SA.htm $143

Optical Drive 2
ASUS Black 16X DVD-ROM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827135136 $24

Hard Drive
Seagate 7200.9 160GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148105 $92

Modem
U.S. Robotics USR5610B 56Kbps PCI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16825104131 $65

Floppy
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821103116 $10

Sound Card
Creative X-Fi http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102188 $118

Speakers
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836119101 $150

Software
Windows XP Pro SP2 Retail http://www.buycheapsoftware.com/details~productID~1791.asp $209

 

[pickxx]

the only two things i dont personally like are the Xfi sound card. Unless it has a feature you have to have save some money, i like the turtle beach CATALINA

Also get the Z5500's you can get them for $220 and they are better then those 2.1 pro media. they are as good as the 5.1's form Klipsch that are 400bucks.

Other thent that....perfect

 

[SR71]

Thanks for the input. Those speakers sure sound good - and for the money, I've got to give them a try!

Will this system be cool enough? I love the look of that ZalmanCNPS9500 and the reviews on it are great. However, believe in being a "minimalist' to keep the airflow through the case at the max. The Wavemaster is only a mid-tower afterall.

 

[pickxx]

unless you are going to OC your cpu....you dont need a cooler on it. the stock coolers for AMD are very good.

I would say 1 120mm in the front and 1 120mm in the rear would be good enough....
try these CLICKY

It is a beast fan...it will do 100+ cfm, but it comes with a fan controller so you can turn it down. You can set it at a low setting and i fyou notice your system warming up durring gameplay to higher levels then you want....just give the fans some boost from 25%-50%. The sound should remain decent till you get to around 80% speed.

 

[SR71]

Thanks for the "fine-tunage" suggestions! Got one of those fans, an 80mm to 120mm conversion bracket and a matching side panel window for the old Wavemaster. Placing my NewEgg order Friday!

CIAO!!!

 

[Rugger]

Take a look at the Enermax 535W Whisper II model EG565P. Costs less and is a great PSU for that price.

I'd get a case with 120MM fan brackets rather than putting in a conversion bracket. The case itself will restrict the airflow and cause more noise in the long run.

Not a huge fan of that mobo...why not a Epox Ep-9NPA+ Ultra or Abit AN8 Ultra?

You're on dialup internet?! Any online gaming? If yes to both, then I'm sorry and I'd go broadband before computer upgrade...