Gaming computer final

[EliteGuard]

This is my first crack at a custom machine and I really have NO room for mistakes. I'm on a tight budget of 2,500 with small leeway and I really want this to be a purchase worth my money and gaming experience. I will look into overclocking after I do my research about it, it sounds beneficial. I do not plan to reuse anything from old computers.

My plan:

A8N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboard--A8N32-SLI-Deluxe$$249.99@tigerdirect

AMD Athlon 64 4000+ San Diego 1GHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor--ADA4000BNBOX$$334.00@newegg

eVGA 256-P2-N527-AX Geforce 7800GTX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card--256-P2-N527-AX$$459.00@newegg

LITE-ON Beige 16X DVD-ROM 52X CD-R 32X CD-RW 52X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE Combo Drive--SOHC-5236K BG RTL$$29.99@newegg

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6V200E0 200GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive--6V200E0$$101.00@newegg

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Gamer Limited Edition--70SB035000013$$117.00@newegg (i hope the included games are free)

CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 433 (PC 3500) Dual Channel Kit System Memory--Twinx2048-3500LLPRO$$298.00@newegg ***(i could use help on good OC memory)

Thermaltake Modern Life Style XaserV Damier V6000A Full Tower Case--V6000A$$130.00@zipzoomfly

Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V ATX12V 550W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, TUV, CB, FCC CLASS B, CUL--TP2-550 EPS12V $$99.99@newegg

Cooling--undecided (need good HSF, liquid=too much work for lazy people like me)

These are my components with model number and prices. Please don't hesitate to inform me of compatability issues, faulties, or any other problems I might encounter. Also, anyone could benefit from a few extra bucks so please inform me of any ways to decrease my spending. I could use some input on a liquid cooling solution for my CPU. Things I don't know CAN and WILL hurt me.

Thanks for helping me out, I appreciate it much.

EG 8)

 

[ms2005]

Your list will work well, but will be noisly, make sure you have enough fans, the 7800's alone are over 100 watts

You might want to just go with the 4000+ - it's the same as the fx55 except for locked multiplier and much cheaper.

HDD is too small - get a 160 or 200, basically same price. WD's and maxtors are cheaper in my area,

I would lose the cd burner and get a dvd burner. NEC's and LG's are cheap and reliable for about same bucks.

Were i live, high volume local shops are significantly cheaper than tigerdirect / newegg. Worth checking out

 

[EliteGuard]

thanks for your input ms2005, i really appreciate it--i will make sure my comp is cool and the noise will not be a problem, i have a tornado in my current comp at 5700 RPMs max and it vibrates my whole desk at full blast lol

and if it might help, i will definetly be using windows xp pro, i forgot to mention that

 

[godlyatheist]

I'm on a tight budget of 2,500

you call that tight???

you said you want to do overclock so....

true the fx55 have unlocked multiplier but do you really want to eat the price tag for it??? Get the 3700 and OC it to fx55 stat for $230. The 1xx Opty's OC like a beast, the 146 go from 2 to 2.8ghz on air if you're lucky to get the older core

That mobo is the most expensive out there. It is good and pricey just because it has full x16 PCI-e lanes for SLi. So far tests indicate you don't gain anything from it. You sound adventurous so i would suggest the DFI SLi solution It probably will OC better than the Asus but takes more knowledge. The Asus is more spacious than the DFI tho.

Two BFG 7800GT's-it will run faster than one GTX 256mb but cost $240 more, not worth it in my opinion. For that price you might as well grab a X1800XT for $500(will do better than 7800gt SLi and gtx 256) or get the GTX and OC it. The eVGA has the best performance/price ratio. it can be OC'ed faster than the BFG GTX($570) at stock. For the X1800XT you should go with the Sapphire one. Personally I would get the X1800XT because it is faster at higher resolution(which is why you by these high end cards) and supports higher resolution.

A thing about SLi or Crossfire, right now most game doesn't like it. Some do but you don't get a whole lot of increase. The biggest increase comes in benchmark, but you don do that every single day. They are cumbersome in your case and eats lots of power and blocks PCI slots. Maybe in the future games will be more compatible with SLi or Crossfire.

Yes, get one right now, the GTX 256mb or X1800XT and don't go Sli when you have more $$$, simply sell this one and get the new best single card

you can still keep the SLi mobo tho cuz they OC better than non-SLi if you want the price tag.

good sound card

If you overclock grab 2x1gb PC3200 rams instead. have someone else recommend a good OC ram. they run from $200 to $300.

is that a CD-burner only for $50???????????get some Lite-on DVD/CD-RW drive for $30. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106982.
FOr $50 you can probably get a DVD-Burner
It doesn't matter what brand optical drive you use.

since you don't need Sli, you don't need Sli PSU
antec truepower this is a reliable PSU with ample wattage and ampage and SLi support if you ever get the urge....

Liquid cooling-no need for that extreme. Some good fan will do since i don't think you will go 100% OC. Thermalright SI-120 for $60 and a fan for it is a good solution. Of course there are cheaper and effective ones out there. *note-some of the most effective HSF are big...so make sure it fits and doesn't cuz trouble on your mobo. A HSF with fan controller will decrease the moise level considerably.
The stock HSF will be good for up 15% OC
you need at least 2 case fan(in&exhaust-preferably 120mm) with a filter on the in-take fan. a side fan with filter if your case has one

If you insist on liquid, some1 else will rec it to you.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144393 this is a 300gb for 126$$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144012 a 200gb for $101

you want SATA drive not IDE, it is same or cheaper and newer and creates less mess in the case

price count:not being conservative

3700+ $230
asus mobo $240
X1800XT $500
sound card $117
HDD $126
RAM $300
DVD/CD+RW $30
PSU $100
CPU HSF $100(liquid or no liquid, liquid probably runs higher)
Case fans $50 (for 2)
Case $229 (mucho mucho nice case, only no removable
mobo tray to ease installation)

Total:$2130
Shipping:$100

Grand Total:2230

grab another X1800XT if you are crazy about games and can bleed a little right now, but for two ati cards you need a mobo with ati xpress200 chipset, not nf4 chipsets. TGH did an article recently on that.

even with one X1800XT and 3700 at stock, this beast will mutilate any game at MAXXXXXXXXX setting

if you do OC the 3700 to Fx55 or 57 stat, OC RAM, OC two X1800XT with new sapphire bios driver to 625+/700+, who knows what might happen..................................

NONONONONONO, don't use the home edition if you can. the pro version works better. you can upgrade from home to pro using some MS program for a lot less

 

[EliteGuard]

wow thanks a lot for your input godlyatheist, i dont see any harm in going to windows xp pro so i guess i can. about getting ATI, do you or anyone else think it is the best way to go? i read that nvidia had 9 month headstart on dual graphics cards and thats why i went with them. I really prefer ATI but the 9 month head start seemed promising. Is ATI really catching up already? also, if anyone can tell me about an experience with
DFI, MSI, or Asus motherboards, id really appreciate it. if crossfire is the way to go...what are some premium MBs out there?

thanks guys

 

[godlyatheist]

Let me reiterate: dual-graphics platform is NOT mature yet. Even Nvidia with its 9 month of revision it still has trouble. ATI on the other hand is lagging in support hugely with their Xpress 200 chipset. Check the this chart. You'll see that SLi lags most of the time, and either the X1800XT or the 7800GTX take sthe crown depending on the game(although you see GTX winning more)

Games are simply not designed with SLi or Crossfire in mind yet and they favor either ATi or Nvidia. Just compare the fsp on DOOM3 and HL2 with the same card. This is like games not benefiting from dual-core CPU so far...you see my point?

Advantage of each solution

Nvidia:
1. cheaper getting two GTX than two X1800XT, not that much of a difference in quality
2. more experience and better support with more mobo (e.g. NF4 chipset)

ATi:
1. X1800XT outperforms GTX in high high resolution(not all games) and runs a LOT faster if you OC the thing
2. doesn't split the PCI-e lanes into 8x, so it doesn't matter which Xpress 200 mobo you use, and more rendering option with Crossfire

So it looks like the GTX wins, but you know how fast the video cards change....ATi is rumored to have a 48 pipe card coming out(GTX has 24, XT has 16). I wouldn't go dual-graphics yet, grab the GTX or the XT. Someone should advise you on which one to get. what games will you be playing anyway?

The LAnparty's UT and the asus you picked are PREMIUM mobo even though it doesn't have that word in the title. Premium=high price, that's how you tell

 

[EliteGuard]

WOW i see your point about many games not being made for SLI....i guess im going single card now then dual later when needed...still debating on ATI or Nvidia tho, so i could use some input on that. my most played game for the time being is BF2 and i am a fan of FPS. thanks for clearing up the definition of premium too.

 

[godlyatheist]

BF2 is an ATI game, ATI cards will own the NVidia by up to 100% in that game

 

[the_guru]

BF2 is an ATI game, ATI cards will own the NVidia by up to 100% in that game

With dual 7800GT it doesn't matter that much. You can run at the highest resolution and highest detail unless you have some extreme display that can show over 1600x1200.

 

[linux_0]

I would go with nVidia

nVidia cards are fast, look good, work great, have great drivers and great multi-platform support!

ATI cards are great too but I would still use nVidia.

 

[eeBs]

Ive built an FX57 system for $2300. IMO get the 7800GTX, im an ati fan,
but the X1800XT numbers are far to broad for me to trust them. If you'd like I can show you where to get better prices for the stuff you looking for, PM me.

 

[EliteGuard]

well i redid my plan with input from you guys and research i did myself. i think it will all work and give me results i need for gaming. i realized i forgot a floppy drive but is it still useful today? take a look at my new setup for a gaming rig...it come out cheaper than my old plan and hopefully better. any OCing tips for the processor, video card, and memory would be nice. and what else other than the unlocked multiplier (no idea what that means) does the fx 55 or 57 have going for it to make it pricey compared to athlon 64? the opterons that apparently OC so well i dont think will work with my Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe. i dont know how well athlon 64 4000+ will compare to fx 55 i was getting or how well it will OC.

thats all for now...thanks again guys

 

[linux_0]

If you have an unlocked multiplier you can overclock without having to do anything funky.

An unlocked multiplier means you can change the frequencies things run at. Like RAM, bus etc.

The Opteron 1xx socket 939 should work fine in virtually any 939 motherboard.

The Opteron 1xx 2xx and 8xx socket 940 will NOT work.

So if you get an Opteron make sure it IS socket 939!

 

[godlyatheist]

OC memory?, the OCZ VX has gotten good reviews

No you don't need a floppy drive unless you don't have $20 to buy a 256mb flash drive.

OC video card? the 7800gt can't OC unless you change the stock HSF, because it is already factory OC'ed very high. the x1800xt can with jsut a BIOS flash. I don't know how much the gtx can OC.

the 4000+ is the same as FX-53 with unlocked multiplier. the 3700+ is a much better buy. In general, the lower class the CPU (3000+, 3200+), the more it OC's.

read the sticky in the OC forum, it has everything.

 

[EliteGuard]

hmmm according to the OC forums my 4000+ isnt the best of the OCers but it does run at 2.4ghz which is dandy for me. i looked into the opterons and their OCing abilities and wet my pants. i could save yet another 100 dollars and OC (once i learn how) passed what i get stock speeds of the 4000+ which cant OC too hard. i read on a newegg review that AMD is discontinuing opteron in jan 06...if anyone can confirm that i dont think i will have enough time to decide on getting it. i still cannot find visual confirmation that opterons will work on my A8N32-SLI Deluxe.

ive been looking at AMD Opteron 148 Venus 1GHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor, reading all good results to at least 2.6 ghz. it is $235 and would be a worthwhile buy if I could OC it to at least 2.4ghz.
even tho the main AMD site gives me the impression its a server CPU... i am really a OCing newbie and wouldnt want to risk too much...then again ive saved myself enough money to buy the 4000+ if OCing doesnt work for me...

why does there have to be so many options i can choose from? :?

 

[godlyatheist]

you don't need a visual, all skt 939 proc will work with any skt 939 mobo (e.g. athlon and opty). Intel doesn't do that.

any opty will OC a lot but the older batch are almost 99% gone..... But the new batch can get like 500-700mhz higher with just air and stock Vcore.

the opty 146 for $259 can go to 3.4 on liquid if you got the older ones, try that!!!

 

[EliteGuard]

well im still in a big debate about opty or athlon 64...i got the money for both and i want the one that is best for gaming. i dont want to do too much messing around with OC because i dont want to blow anything up seeing as tho ive no experience with it. im probably going for athlon 64 because the opteron is a server CPU from all the descriptions on the amd site.

i have also come to a decision that even tho i would love to use liquid cooling...im just going to stick with a heatsink and fan. i guess im going to have too cook when the summer comes. if anyone has any good cooling solutions for my computer i would like to hear from you. i read zalman and thermaltake got some good quiet fans out. i will take a look at them tomarrow.

happy new years everyone

 

[CommodoreRed]

unless you really want to OC athlons your bet. Fans those are great. Just check see if mobo can support sizes. And usually if case comes with some good fans, and dont OC, can keep good stock temps without needing spend a lot for fans.

 

[EliteGuard]

does anyone have an experience of using a Blue Orb 2 from thermaltake? i want to get this with my A8N32-SLI Deluxe...the DIMM modules seem close tho. i think it is the CPU fan/heatsink im going to buy...but some people have problems with the heatsink blocking memory modules and having to apply too much pressure to install the supporting back plate. i could use some input about this fan and heatsink.

 

[EliteGuard]

well i think that this will be my final system setup...PLEASE PLEASE take a look at it again and tell me if there is anything wrong with it. im going to buy soon. i changed my case X_x. im going to look around to see if there is any cheaper solutions then newegg. 2 or 3 days and i'll be ordering.

thanks for all your help guys.

 

[godlyatheist]

what video card did you decide on?

 

[EliteGuard]

oops i forgot to put that in there but its the eVGA card

 

[godlyatheist]

okay, this beast will rock any game on max for a long time

 

[EliteGuard]

hmm ive been looking into final checks on my system and im seeing some antec PSU problems with my mobo. anyone have any ideas about antec and asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe? i want to know if I should switch PSU.
i was think about NeoHE 550 from antec if that makes it any better...i like cable management and a few other features it has but im not an expert on PSUs.