Banli

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Building a new mid-range computer. Can you tell me if the parts I selected are good? The computer will be primarily used for gaming. I may do slight overclocking, but do not plan on anything major.

Antec True Power II 550 W $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931

X2 4200+ Manchester $350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16819103547

Asus A8N-Sli Premium $170

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131540

HD: Raptor 74 Gb $150

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144160

RAM: 2 Gb G.Skill $170

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231047

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value $45

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102179

Case: Aspire X-Dreamer II $55

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144026

Xfx Geforce 7800 GT $280

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150108
 

parlee

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well if i were u i wouldnt get 1 74gb raptor, if u have a hd from an old system use that, as long as its a 7200rpm drive... 1 raptor wont be a massive increase from 1 7200 i dont think? usually raptors are used in raid to make them much much faster, also do u really need a 4200? the 1mbx2 cache is = to 200mhz, overclock a x2 3800 to achive similar performance... with the money u save consider an x1900xt or 7800gtx
 

Finny

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All the bits u selected are great! exsept i would ditch the audigy2value and get the ZS or XFI-extreem music the value catagory of any hardware is utter shite

allso the audigy 2 value has a different driver set(which is shi* and buggy) to the zs/xfi exteem music
 

luminaris

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Can't go wrong with that setup. I would go for the upgraded sound card though like the Audigy 2 ZS if you can. Other than that, your golden man. Good luck with it :D
 

Banli

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I chose the 4200+ over the 3800+ because it was only a ~$50 increase. Is there any significant advantage to the 3800+? Is it a better oc'er than the 4200+?

I went for the sli mobo because I wanted to keep my upgrade options open in the future.

I looked at bench marks and a single raptor looked to give a significant increase over 2 7200's in raid, plus the fact that I heard people complaining about how RAID wasn't all that good if it wasn't done through a designated raid controller which was too expensive for my tastes.

After looking at multiple reviews of the 2zs vs. the value, I've heard conflicting things. I saw a few consumer reviews saying that the value has problems handling extended EAX in newer games while the zs can. Can anyone confirm this?

The cheapest GTX I found was in the 440 range. It seemed like a lot of money to jump from the GT to the GTX. (~$160)
 

luminaris

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I just setup a 3800 dually and haven't had a chance to OC it yet so I'm not totally sure about its OC abilities but so far I can tell you that its performance is awesome at stock speeds so the 3800 maybe all you need. If you have the cash and its only 50 bucks more, go for it. Might as well start out with a higher clock speed.

As far as graphics go, I would go for the 7800GT because you can always OC it to almost 7800GTX speeds. Although it doesn't have as many pipes, it will handle just about anything you throw at it. Here's a link ..

7800GT

I read the same article on the raptors too and the advantage for using a single vs. RAID was rather surprising to me. I for one do not use RAID so a single raptor should do you fine. I use the Seagate SATA drives because to me, they seem very zippy and fast. I have had problems with a few of them in the past but Seagate support is top notch in my book.

I've heard and read about some problems with the Audigy value series. I have two of the Audigy 2 ZS and they rock!
 
"The cheapest GTX I found was in the 440 range. It seemed like a lot of money to jump from the GT to the GTX. (~$160)"

Indeed it is expensive for the performance increases invloved...

If primarily gaming, and if money is a factor is affording the 1900XT, drop to a non-SLI mb, skp the sound card, relying on the onboard sound soution, drop the cpu down to a single core if nescessary or an X2-3800, and get a great single video card. (The 1900XT runs as fast as a pair of SLI $440 GTX256 cards in many new game titles...it's performance above a single gtx256 makes it easily worth the additional $100! Period!)
 

luminaris

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yeah, I have to agree and IMO, this sounds like a better solution all the way around provided the cash is available. Good call man
 

Banli

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I changed a few parts, what do y'all think?

I don't want to shell out all the extra $$ for an x1900 or a gtx.

As far as the raptor goes, I'm not interested in hard drive space. I never use more than 20-40 gb on any of my computers.

I like having 2 cd/dvd drives. I find it useful when gaming/installing etc..

Is the value version of the g.skill memory close enough in performance to the stuff I have listed above to be worth getting a mere $20 out of?

Asus A8N-E $105 Mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530

Antec TruePower II 430 Watt $70

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103928

Trying to decide between one of three cases. After looking more in-depth about the x-dreamer I decided it wasn't for me.

1) CoolerMaster Centurion $90

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119095

2) Lian Li PC-7 B Plus $90

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112212

3) Cooler Master Ammo 533 RC-533-SWN1 $75 (65 w/ rebate)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119098

*note* Some of my comments in regards to part decisions might not make a whole lot of sense because I'm copy/pasting this message on 6 different forums and my comments are based on the combined comments I pulled from everything people posted thus far. *end note*
 

Vile

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Isn't the PSU a little 'weak'? I mean, you're planning to use a 7800GT with it, right? Sure, it's Antec Truepower series, but I'm just concerned about the PSU. Isn't the 550W just 15 dollars more? Might be worth it.