less than 1200$ and need a decent gaming machine.

[derek2006]

I have never built a computer before but I have worked on them. My current system (see sig) is really outdated and can't do much more than music, internet, IM, and email. And it lags when doing them all at once. I would like to build a new rig that plays games and converts xvid to mpeg in a timely basis, currently it takes a day and a half to convert. I want it at around >1200$. I'm 15 years old and dont's have a big budget. I already know the parts I want and was wanting to know if all the parts are compatible because I have been saving money for a year and a half and it just has to work. Also I was wondering if this is a good all around build. The parts that I need are:

Rosewill R6A34-SL 0.8mm SECC 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811147042
40$

2 SILVERSTONE FM121 120mm 2 Ball Case Cooling Fan - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811999344
16$ each 31$ all together

ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131025
270$
I was wondering if the onboard sound is any good? I have a Sony 360 watt stereo. 2.1 channels that are not positioned around the computer but the tv. So the left channel is in front and the right channel is in the rear. So 3d positioning does not matter.

Rosewill RD600-2DC-SL 600W Active PFC Power Supply SLI Ready ATX Form Factor 12V V2.2 / SSI standard EPS 12V, 90-264V
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817182041
70$

Edit: this PSU instead:
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, TUV, CB, FCC CLASS B, CUL - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931
80$

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115004
240$

Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820220095
180$

I need your help on which graphics card its ether the x1800xt or x1900gt. I'll game at 1280 x 1024. The x1900gt stock is worse than the x1800xt. But I heard because of the more pixel shaders the x1900 is more future proof. I will clock it it x1900xt speeds making it faster than the x1800xt ( not sure if possible with the mem ). And if possible, which I doubt, unlock the extra pipelines. Also will I need a new cooler?

SAPPHIRE 100154L Radeon X1800XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102698
205$ Edit: price drop is now 200$

or...

SAPPHIRE 100189L Radeon X1900GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 (RoHS) Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102022
196$

This machine will run overclocked at 333 mhz fsb 2.66ghz most of its life. Maybe more if it needs it in the future.

The parts that will be carried over will be the Tyris 19 lcd screen, keyboard, mouse, pioneer dvd drive, lite-on cd/dvd burner, Seagate 120 gig ATA HD, Seagate 160 gig ATA HD, 80 mm fan, floppy drive.

All together about 1030$ before S&H. I'll probably upgrade the vid card in maybe 2-3 years to dx10. And upgrade to some bigger sata hd's. Other than that I would not like to upgrade anything else for 4+ years unless forced to.

 

[deusex]

ONe question before commenting:

going into 10th grade?

 

[derek2006]

I'm freshman I just turned 15 like a little while ago. Can we stick to the subjuect?

 

[shadowduck]

Few things:

I would steer clear of Rosewill PSUs. I have heard bad things about them. 600W PSU for $68 says bad news to me. I would go Antec, OCZ, FCP.

You can save $40 by going to the E6300, whose performance is virtually no different than a 6400.

If you are overclocking, DDR2-800 RAM is better to get than 667. It gives you more headroom to overclock as well.

I would stick with the X1800 for now, and pick up a DX10 card when the are available. No reason to spend here now, when the X1800 works, and DX10 cards are going to be much better.

When overclocking go in steps, don't jump right to 333 in one shot. Don't want to fry anything.

 

[derek2006]

Thanks for the reply. I will search for a new PSU. For 40$ more i think i am going to go with the E6400 because of the higher multiplier. I heard that the ddr2 memory I selected is a lower clocked version of:
Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220144

And that the one I picked could reach its speeds for 50$ less. And i am going to be going 333mhz fsb it will be 1:1 ratio. Ill tighten the timings though.

Ill go with the X1800xt then. Any more opinions? Also what kind of steps should I take? I don't want to slowly increase it by 5 mhz and then test for stability for hours each time.

 

[IcY18]

Thanks for the reply. I will search for a new PSU. For 40$ more i think i am going to go with the E6400 because of the higher multiplier. I heard that the ddr2 memory I selected is a lower clocked version of:
Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220144

And that the one I picked could reach its speeds for 50$ less. And is im going to be going 333mhz fsb it will be 1:1 ratio. Ill tighten the timings though.

Ill go with the X1800xt then. Any more opinions? Also what kind of steps should I take? I don't want to slowly increase it by 5 mhz and then test for stability for hours each time.

Although you dont need to go up by 5mhz at the very beginning a small to medium size overclock at first should be used and then going up in 5mhz increments along with stressing the procs will determine what speed you can actually run the processor at with a decent temp as well, which would be >60 C at full load in your case

 

[derek2006]

Ive decided to go with this psu
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, TUV, CB, FCC CLASS B, CUL - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931

@ ICY Do u think it will reach close to 60 C at 333mhz, 2.66Ghz?

 

[godlyatheist]

The FM-121 fan maybe the king of case fan right now, but you can buy two FN-121 for $15+shipping. They are just as quite and move enough air.

as for CPU cooling, if what Maximum PC said is true then the stock HSF is more than sufficient.

Please back down a little on the mobo as you don't need WiFi or Crossfire.

Go with a E6300 and take the above saving to get yourself a X1900XT for $280 AR. Your games won't be CPU limited with an OC'ed Conroe so get a better GPU......

 

[shadowduck]

Ive decided to go with this psu
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, TUV, CB, FCC CLASS B, CUL - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931

@ ICY Do u think it will reach close to 60 C at 333mhz, 2.66Ghz?

Good call on the PSU. It's possible, but not likely to reach 60C.

 

[derek2006]

For the mobo i need the wireless network thing and I will have 4 ATA devices and not many mobos have that many ATA slots. Also I need the extra PCI slots which some mobo's are lacking. If I don't have enough ATA slots then I need an ATA card and i won't have the PCI slots so this is the only board that works.
I'm going to keep the E6400 because I am never going to upgrade the cpu ( well things could change ) so I want a little more power. And the higher multiplier is nice. If this cpu ever becomes bottlenecked then I will go to more extremes in terms of overclocking. Maybe 400mhz fsb but probably not for 2-3 years. Also this machine will be used for more than just games but video conversions and I want it done fast. My current system can take 18 hrs for xvid to DVD format.
I don't want to spend to much over 200$ on a vid card because i am afraid that because of dx10 and newer games I will be forced to get dx10. Making my investment in dx9 worthless.

 

[babbler]

I agree with godlyathiest, but this 3dconnect x1900xt is only $234 AR:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814142063

If you're really on a tight budget, I'd save money by getting an E6300 instead. Not sure if you intend on overclocking, but I think that it has better overclocking specifications than the E6400; the FSB and multiplier work out better according to Anand's review as I recall. May want to read it for yourself.

 

[derek2006]

I don't trust the mail in rebates. They're not always honored and I think it's a hassle.

Not sure if you intend on overclocking.

Did u even read?

This machine will run overclocked at 333 mhz fsb 2.66ghz most of its life. Maybe more if it needs it in the future.

And

If this cpu ever becomes bottlenecked then I will go to more extremes in terms of overclocking. Maybe 400mhz fsb

 

[AlanH]

I bought a barebones system from Tiger Direct. Currently $450 for an Intel 975 XBX board, decent case, 500 W power supply,CPU fan, and Dual Core 6300. 5 HD bays, front usb & fire wire. Easy build; I have a 320 GB Seagatge SATA 300, 2 GB OCZ 5400 memory and basic video card - I'm not a gamer. More power than I can imagine, and the 975 board will take evern the upcoming quad core Intel CPU. With a wireless keyboard and 19" LG monitor it is about $1250 including shipping, and after rebates. Hint: The Ul;tra case has built in front USB & fire wire. The 975XBX board has a 3.5" front usb/fire wire "plug in", but you should plan on a floppy drive, either ininstead of the Intel front , or as an external floppy. You do have 3 5" bays, so you could use mounting rails for one of them....

I have only the CPU fan and a 120 MM case fan - board stays cool and I have never seen the processor over 50 C. Case can currently 875 RPM and CPU at 3750 - quiet.

My advice: go for high quality components and you can even use it through college!

 

[babbler]

Wow, I make a polite recommendation and I get a reply like this?

Did u even read?

I don't trust the mail in rebates. There not always honored and I think it's a hassle.

By the way, It should be "They're not always honored", not "There".

 

[derek2006]

@ babbler I am sorry. And ya I always get my theres mixed up.

I am sure this will be out of date by college. I think colleges have minimal requirements, not entirely sure though. By then they will have some kind of tech breakthrough's that will beat this to a pulp. Ill get a new computer before I enter college probably a laptop. And it will be like a million times faster.

 

[xyzunit]

I am sure this will be out of date by college. I think colleges have minimal requirements, not entirely sure though. By then they will have some kind of tech breakthrough's that will beat this to a pulp. Ill get a new computer before I enter college probably a laptop. And it will be like a million times faster.

I doubt the requirements will jump by much unless you're going to MIT or some other uber-leet school, but I don't doubt that chips will be going a lot faster.

 

[MRetired]

Why are they offering such a larger rebate on that x1900xtx video card?

Is this a defective product, anyone have issues?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814142063

 

[babbler]

I'm not sure why there's such a rebate, but the reviews of the card are good except for one from someone who tried to put it in their Gateway and found out it was too long. I wouldn't have given it a bad review based on that. Otherwise, it should just be a reference design ATi card.

 

[jaQa]

Hi,

For the mobo i need the wireless network thing and I will have 4 ATA devices and not many mobos have that many ATA slots. Also I need the extra PCI slots which some mobo's are lacking. If I don't have enough ATA slots then I need an ATA card and i won't have the PCI slots so this is the only board that works.

I would rethink that. 270$ for a mobo is just too much, it's almost 1/4 of your complete budget just to get things running.

You could buy a reasonably mobo for 100-130$, a 300GB SATAII harddrive and a seperate Wifi card for less and put the rest of the money into a GPU or anything else.

Just my 0.2 cents ..

Christian

 

[ZOldDude]

I have never built a computer before but I have worked on them. My current system (see sig) is really outdated and can't do much more than music, internet, IM, and email. And it lags when doing them all at once. I would like to build a new rig that plays games and converts xvid to mpeg in a timely basis, currently it takes a day and a half to convert. I want it at around >1200$. I'm 15 years old and dont's have a big budget. I already know the parts I want and was wanting to know if all the parts are compatible because I have been saving money for a year and a half and it just has to work. Also I was wondering if this is a good all around build. The parts that I need are:

Rosewill R6A34-SL 0.8mm SECC 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811147042
40$

2 SILVERSTONE FM121 120mm 2 Ball Case Cooling Fan - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811999344
16$ each 31$ all together

ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131025
270$
I was wondering if the onboard sound is any good? I have a Sony 360 watt stereo. 2.1 channels that are not positioned around the computer but the tv. So the left channel is in front and the right channel is in the rear. So 3d positioning does not matter.

Rosewill RD600-2DC-SL 600W Active PFC Power Supply SLI Ready ATX Form Factor 12V V2.2 / SSI standard EPS 12V, 90-264V
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817182041
70$

Edit: this PSU instead:
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, TUV, CB, FCC CLASS B, CUL - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931
80$

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115004
240$

Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820220095
180$

I need your help on which graphics card its ether the x1800xt or x1900gt. I'll game at 1280 x 1024. The x1900gt stock is worse than the x1800xt. But I heard because of the more pixel shaders the x1900 is more future proof. I will clock it it x1900xt speeds making it faster than the x1800xt ( not sure if possible with the mem ). And if possible, which I doubt, unlock the extra pipelines. Also will I need a new cooler?

SAPPHIRE 100154L Radeon X1800XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102698
205$ Edit: price drop is now 200$

or...

SAPPHIRE 100189L Radeon X1900GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 (RoHS) Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102022
196$

This machine will run overclocked at 333 mhz fsb 2.66ghz most of its life. Maybe more if it needs it in the future.

The parts that will be carried over will be the Tyris 19 lcd screen, keyboard, mouse, pioneer dvd drive, lite-on cd/dvd burner, Seagate 120 gig ATA HD, Seagate 160 gig ATA HD, 80 mm fan, floppy drive.

All together about 1030$ before S&H. I'll probably upgrade the vid card in maybe 2-3 years to dx10. And upgrade to some bigger sata hd's. Other than that I would not like to upgrade anything else for 4+ years unless forced to.

Haveing built more than a few systems over the past 17 years:

If your going to build a NEW system:
NO Asus MB......Go DFI!
NO Antec PSU...Go PC P&C!

All other parts are up to you.

 

[derek2006]

If I try any other mobo without the wireless and extra ata controllers I can carry over my existing wireless card and ata controller. But that takes 2 PCI slots and I can't put anymore in because the video card will block the the 3rd one. And I will get a sound card eventually because everybody thinks onboard sound just absolutely sucks and will have no where to plug it into. The DFI infinity has 2 PCI slots and if I went crossfire I would only have one. I will probably go crossfire in the future because of physics. I could get my x1800xt for physics and some future card like a R600 and above card for graphics. P965 chipset is cheaper but a lot of them have an extra PCI x 16 slot that only goes at 4x which in my opinion is worthless. Also since this mobo is so expensive should I overclock it more than 333mhz fsb, how high do u think it can go?

PC P&C look really cool but are to expensive.

I would like to have this Hard Drive but if I buy it my total would be around 1150$. Before shipping and handling. After S&H it will be over 1200$.
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140
100$

 

[derek2006]

I just read that some guy called ATI and said that the x1900xt is dx10 compatible. Is it really a true dx10 or does it just support some of the futures and not all of them?

 

[angry_ducky]

By then they will have some kind of tech breakthrough's that will beat this to a pulp.

I wouldn't count on it. The P4 architecture has been around for 6 years (since 2000 8O ), and K8 has been around for 3 years. Only after 2 years of getting beat to a pulp by AMD did Intel come back with a good product. Technology advances fast, but not that fast.

About the build: I'd go with a better case, probably an Antec, or Lian-Li.

 

[jaQa]

Hello,

this is what i would do:

-buy a reasonable priced mobo like this
ECS P965
-get whatever big SATAII harddrive you like
-sell your older drives on Ebay
-take your existing Wifi into the new rig
-buy a seperate Soundcard, Creative Audigy or X-Fi

~ 100$ mobo
~ 100$ HD
~ 50$-130$ for the soundcard
~ -40$ drives sold on Ebay
---
~ max 290$ if you go with the X-Fi, but the Audigy is just fine if you ask me

you'll have a seperate soundcard, better harddrive and still have spent less money. I think this is a much better value.

I will probably go crossfire in the future because of physics. I could get my x1800xt for physics and some future card like a R600 and above card for graphics.

If you wanna reuse the new graphics card for physics processing sometime
in the future i would get the X1900GT. ATI will release a low level API that will make it possible to reuse the card as a physics processor, but this API is targeted at the X19** series. -> ATI DPVM news
The X1900GT has almost 3 times the shader performance of the X1800XT,
and that what will count when it comes to physics processing.

P965 chipset is cheaper but a lot of them have an extra PCI x 16 slot that only goes at 4x which in my opinion is worthless.

PCIex16 thats only running @ 4x speed is ok, i don't think it'll bottleneck the card when it runs as a physics processor. These Agea (or whatever they're called) physics cards are still normal PCI bus because physics isn't bandwidth intensive enough to limit PCI, and PCIe4x is much faster than PCI.

Christian