first build of koogco =)

[koogco]

this is my first build, and though i've tried hard to figure out everything i am still in doubt.

here are the specs end explanation of my doubts.

MOBO - Asus A8N-SLI/SE, nForce4 SLI, S939 - might use SLI when the cards gets cheaper instead of buying a whole new GPU, but is the deluxe version alot better?
PSU - shg PSU 400 Watt Low Noise, 120mm, 17db - this is a discount PSU and it might not be big enough..
CPU - AMD Athlon64 3500+, S939, BOX, Venice - good value for the money with danish prices
GPU - Asus EN7900GTX/2DHT/512M, PCI-E - the best single-card avaible and fairly cheaper than x1900xtx in denmark
HD - Samsung SP P120 250GB, SATAII, 8MB - performed very well on the chart and resonable price
Tower - NZXT Trinity, Black, No PSU - looks cool without being too much of the good
RAM - Dane-Elec DDR400, 2x1024MB, Dual Kit - shoud be very stable..
System - Windows XP Pro Edition DK, OEM - is Pro edition necesary? (instead of home)


anyway you are welcome to tell me about any part you want. i have not settled on anything yet (exept for the GPU that is)

oh and BTW this computer is for gaming, though it will be used for homework as well.
and OC is not really my thing, though i might try it out, just to see if i feel the difference

 

[koogco]

decided that i am gong for XP home, wich leaves more money for a PSu..
but wich one should i buy to be sure it is good (dont mind too much about noice as the GPU will probably be making some noise as well)

 

[doolittle]

MOBO - Asus A8N-SLI/SE, nForce4 SLI, S939 - might use SLI when the cards gets cheaper instead of buying a whole new GPU, but is the deluxe version alot better?

Check out this newegg comparison, the biggest difference is the additional 4xSATA 1.5 ports through the additional Sil 3114 RAID controller. Kind of nice if you have a full tower and want to add fileserver capablility...

PSU - shg PSU 400 Watt Low Noise, 120mm, 17db - this is a discount PSU and it might not be big enough..

So is SHG the brand or the distributor? I found shg.biz which is a seasonic retailer... Got any additional specs?

System - Windows XP Pro Edition DK, OEM - is Pro edition necesary? (instead of home)

Pro will have security updates until 2011 while home will have them only 2 years after the release of Vista 8O - so it really depends on if you are considering a vista upgrade, and if you are concerned about security updates if you don't

 

[wun911]

The MB you have chosen is ok (I have an asus MB).... but if you do go AMD I would recomend a MB by DFI instead of Asus. DFI have specialized in AMD they never make Intel based MBs not for a long time anyway. DFI are reputable for their OC ability and frequent Bios updates.

I cant say anythink about the CPU never used AMD I'm an intel fan personally.

I dont know about the PSU, 400w seems a bit week but im sure it would work fine. I would recomend a silverstone or tagan 600w just incase you want to go SLI in the future or add another HD. I doubt 400w PSU will cut the cake for a future 7900GTX SLI system.

The GPU is an excellent choice but do remember it takes 2 slots compared to the 7900GT. You may need some of those PCI slots under the PCIe for an audigy 4, tv tuner, wireless etc.

The ram??? Never heard of this "Dane-Elec" a danish thing I guess....

I would consider RAM by: Mushkin, Crosair XMS2, G. skil, or OCZ, (recmendation from most recomened to least in this order).

The home edition of XP should be fine its not like the Pro version makes games run faster just save your money. I only got pro to hook up to the uni server thats about all it does.

NZXT tower is ugly in my opnion (you wanted my opnion) Lian Li is much better choice, but like all good things it comes at a cost.

HD is okay WD raptor is still the way to go.

 

[koogco]

i wont go deluxe then

as far as i can see the danish shg computershop makes them themselves (along with some other things, towers, fans, and stuff.) the specs i found is:
+ 3.3 Volt 26 A
+ 5 Volt 35 A
+ 12 Volt 15 A
noice - 17 db

powerconnections
for Floppy disk 2 stk
for HD/optical drive (dvd/cd) 4 stk
for SATA units 2 stk
for MOBO 20 Pins
24 Pins
for PCI-Express GPU (6 Pins) 1 stk -thats not good if i want to upgrade to SLI once
Ekstern power no

btw stk means units.. couldnt be bothered translating from danish..
it looks like i will have to find something alse.. what do you suggest?

edit - i just found out that shg produce a 500watt witch does have 2 PCI connections

 

[koogco]

DFI looks great but the difference in price is (at least in denmark) way to much.
and asus should overclock easyer - if you are a newbie (wich is nice as i have never played with that before)

 

[jap0nes]

that's a nice setup

 

[koogco]

thx

 

[koogco]

wun911 said that WD raptor was the way to go.. but look at the price tag...
samsung is about the same as the normal WD, so i think i will stick with samsung..

 

[jap0nes]

stay away from raptors, unless you have a lot of spare money and dont know where to spend. It is faster than other drives, but in real life it saves you 10 seconds when booting windows (you can start your computer 10 seconds earlier, if that's the case). It also saves you 5 seconds when loading a game (you can sneeze and wipe your nose in that time, for example).

At least to me, it's not worth leaving 100GB or 175GB behind just to get some seconds of advantage.

you always have the option to add another drive later, but that implicates more cost and more heat.

 

[koogco]

that was what i thought.. but does HDs really heat things up that much or is it only raptor that does?

 

[jap0nes]

drive surface temperatures can reach 40-50C, but the main problem is not the heat spread to the system, it's the heat on the drive itself. You can add a fan, but that implicates noise. As i dont like a noisy computer, the less fans, the better.

 

[wun911]

yes the raptor is hot and noizy but you want a game rig...... It will kill ANY 7200 RPM HD

 

[koogco]

i know that it will improve loading.. but it is not enough to justify the enormous pricetag

 

[jap0nes]

that's the same case with the FX's for example. They kick ass, but their price does not justify. A 7200 rpm drive performs well in a gaming system. Also, the main bottleneck in gaming system is not the drive.

 

[koogco]

no usually the GPU is the bottleneck.. but for my system i think it might be the CPU.. at least in some games.. but anyway that will only be at high framerates, and therefore wont be noticeable.

 

[jap0nes]

yeah, but with that card you can crank up the resolution, AA and stuff, so the framerate wont be too high

 

[koogco]

yeah.. it should be able to run full quality on all of the new games (oblivion here i come =P)
but do you know how overclockable my components is? it would be nice if it was easy to get some more performance.. but on the other hand i dont want to use money on any fancy cooling solutions..

 

[jap0nes]

hmmmmmmmm nope
i dont like overclocking, then i cant give you any advice on it... but i think you can take some 7% and 10% from your cpu and video card repectively with their stock cooling without increasing temperature. Just a guess.

 

[koogco]

ok.. i thought it would be something like that.. but anyway, there are not much purpose at OCing when it runs tha newest games that easy..


when collecting this computer i have also looked a little on future upgrade posibilities.
and there is sufficient RAM for some time. i can add sli to the GPU witch will boost my grapichs allot without being too expensive. i can get another CPU caurce this was kinde cheap (1300dkr with fan (3800+ costs above 2100 with fan..) - this is danish prices that, even if reconfigured to US$( you have to make it /5.9) will sound like alot. cauce electronics is allot more expencive in denmark than they are in US)
i also have a nice 540 watt (RMS) 2.1 stereo, that will enchange my gamning experience (bought it a month ago)
so all in all i think that i will enjoy my system.
but if you have more to add then please do it.. it will be another week before i order the system, and i would like to get the most out of my money.

 

[jap0nes]

yes, i think the same way as you.
2GB of ram is pretty good for today's standards, and you'll be able to play any game with it, the same with your video card.
The socket 939 gives you a good upgrade path, even with new stuff coming from intel and amd. You'll still be able to stick some 4X00+ dual core for example. And the drives you can add, or simply buy newer and bigger ones.
I also think you will enjoy your system
go for it

 

[wun911]

Ok forget the WD raptor then it wont make a massive massive difference to your comp but.....

I had a 300Gb MAxtor 7200Rpm, I never used up that much space (never keept that much porn)... I got a faster HD that has only 150Gb. Not only does it load faster it can read and write faster, format faster and it has NCQ etc etc. A WD raptor 150Gb is only 70bucks more than a 300Gb SATA II Maxtor.

ANNYWAY......

THE PSU please reconsider the PSU and the RAM

If you want to OC ram is just as important as your CPU. You wont get anywere with a crap generic ram, IF you OC a generic "elixar" ram you wont even past POST.

A 500w PSU may surfice but When you OC you will up the voltage of a lot of things RAM, NB, CPU, GPU etc etc.

A stable PSU with solid 12v rails will help you have a more stable OC experience. Go with a more reputable PSU seriously it is a small additional cost compared to your 7900GTX.

You want to OC but I dont seem to see any HSF on your list of items????
You wont OC very far with the stock cooler, you may want to try a Zalman fan they come in lots of differnt flavours. I would recomend a 9500 or a 7700.

 

[jap0nes]

man... he said he doesnt want to overclock too much so he wont need any different cooling (from stock, i guess).

 

[koogco]

no it is not hat serius.. i dont even know if i want to overclock at all yet.. but even with a zalman cooler.. how much more would i get out of the CPU?

 

[wun911]

If the dude dont want to oc then just get whats on the list.......

Sorry got over zelus with the oc advice.... but your set up (MB and CPU wise) haz a lot of potential to OC.

yes zalman will help you to oc it will just decrease the temps buy maybe 10-15 degres. how much more preformance you can squeeze from the cooler cpu is debateable... maybe 20-30% more thats just my estimate.