my 1st build ever, critique it please!! really need ur help

[omgitslong]

This is my first build ever. I'm about to order them some time in the next 2 weeks, so I reallly need you to give any opinion or which ever comment that would help me in anywayz, thanks.


These are on a tight budget, but, other additional minor/major upgrades won't be anytime before 3-4 months after this 1st build is complete.



Aspire X-Dreamer midTower w/420W

AMD Althon 3500+ Orleans 2.2Ghz AM2

GIGABYTE GA-M55SLI-S4 Socket AM2

G.SKILL 512MB DDR2-800 5-5-5-15 CAS 5

Acer 19" 8ms LCD

WD 250GB 16MB SATA 3.0

Geforce 6600 256MB 128-bit DDR PCI-E

Dual-Layer Optical Drive




I really appreciate it.

-Long

 

[custommadename]

That power supply is really bad. You should definitely get a brand name power supply. I've had an Antec for the past 7 years, and it's working today like it worked when it was new. I can still overload PCs with tons of drives and lots of memory, and the 300W pulls through just fine.

I see you're buying everything through Newegg. I guess that's fine, but you can save a few dollars shopping elsewhere. Anyway, I'll give you Newegg links.

I have used a whole lot of Hipro power supplies, and they all work perfectly fine. The 400W Hipro has active PFC, a top-notch feature, and it's only $20. Plus, it has dual 12V rails for great stability, and though it may not look like much, it performs so very well. I reviewed it stating that it's the "worst great power supply" mostly because of the short power cable, which will definitely reach your motherboard's power connector. It's good, and it will last forever.

I am going to take a wild guess and believe that you're getting the cheapest SLI capable video card just to go with SLI. Although that may seem intriguing, those two cards are really slow in SLI as compared to other cards in SLI. Also, an X800 pretty much beats the snot out of 2 6600 video cards. You won't have good performance at all with those.

 

[s3anister]

This is my first build ever. I'm about to order them some time in the next 2 weeks, so I reallly need you to give any opinion or which ever comment that would help me in anywayz, thanks.


These are on a tight budget, but, other additional minor/major upgrades won't be anytime before 3-4 months after this 1st build is complete.



Aspire X-Dreamer midTower w/420W

AMD Althon 3500+ Orleans 2.2Ghz AM2

GIGABYTE GA-M55SLI-S4 Socket AM2

G.SKILL 512MB DDR2-800 5-5-5-15 CAS 5

Acer 19" 8ms LCD

WD 250GB 16MB SATA 3.0

Geforce 6600 256MB 128-bit DDR PCI-E

Dual-Layer Optical Drive




I really appreciate it.

-Long

ok, now i own an NVIDIA 6600GT, and it sucks. by far compared to anything else on the market now. take my word for it. NOW, I recommend you get EITHER an nvidia 7900GS, or an ATi x1900GT.
Both perform about the same. but you can typically find the 7900GS for less money than the ATi card.

so here are some links to the cards.

XFX version of the 7900GS factory overclocked

HIS x1900GT with the IceQ heatsink

 

[s3anister]

oh yeah by the way, if you're looking to get a sub $100 videocard, do me a favor and don't buy anything less than a NVIDIA 7 series video card, or an ATi 19xx series video card.

here is a link to the ONLY sub $100 videocard that i recommend.

best NVIDIA 7300GT on the market

that card will play all new games decently, and it has GDDR3 memory which is amazing. really. oh yeah the 7300 GS and LE, SUCK. don't buy them. only get 7300GT or higher video card if you go with a 7 series GPU

 

[pwnage]

I recomend NOT using the power supply that comes with the case. i just dont trust them.

You can find a good antec or something for about 50 bucks.

 

[custommadename]

I'd still go with the Hipro 400W. So far, two PCs have that, and a few have the 300W version. I like the 400W much better because of the dual 12V rails in addition to the active PFC, which guarantees great, stable voltage.

I'm very impressed with the linked 7300GT. It has 128-bit ram, so loading times will be awesome. The GPU is nice and fast, and it has a full-fledged set of 8 pixel pipelines. That's not much these days, but it's as many as the 9800XT and the 5950 Ultra had. It's fantastic budget-oriented performance.

 

[phreejak]

COOLMAX CP-500T EPS12V 500W ($50)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817159040
Great buy for the price because it has dual 12v rails with strong amps (18 per rail). It has the added bonus most in this price range do not with Active PFC.

 

[UC7]

I would suggest that, if you are looking for a budget build with some speed, you take a look at Ebay for some deals for your video card.

This type of item has a high turnover rate, and although you don't get the warranty, you can get a better card for the same money. Heck, I have never had to use a warranty on a video card anyway.

One example I would give is that I recently purchased an ATI X800 series card for a coworker who was planning on spending the same amount to get a X300 series card. (I know that neither are tops for games, but the x800 should be more than enough for what he was looking to get.)
Use Tom's Hardware Video card charts to help you with the different types.

Click Here

 

[omgitslong]

thanks for the help guys

those specs are just for now, I'll live with it for only about 2-3 months, but the PSU will go bye bye with a replacement of a better PSU

ALSO, this is a budget PC, since I'm borrowing $250 from my brother to build this ~$650 PC, so, my point is, future upgrade will be later on, and out of my own pocket, so yea.... $650 tight budget for now, so plz.... stop attacking me with >$100 video cards!! eekkk!! though it's VERY tempting >___<

please keep in mind, this is my 1st build ever, so, main priority is to assemble it altogether and up-n-running

I'm very interested in computer for a longgg time, but didn't have the money or the chance to build one for my own, now I finally have the chance. I did lots of research about computers or any computer related stuffs, a little over 8 months.

Last thought in putting them together: how would it work? I just assemble every component in the correct place and press the power button?????? help!!! *BIG QUESTION MARK*

 

[UC7]

Once you have the main ingredients put together (MB, CPU, Heatsink, Memory, PSU, Vid Card [if needed - some boards have option of cruddy on-board video], sound card [once again, if needed]) and you have everything hooked up the way that your motherboard manual specifies, you should be in good order to check and see if it POSTS. This just means that the initial logo screen will be able to come up (offering you to press delete to enter BIOS or maybe a function key+number). This will give you the chance to check the basic settings on the computer - hence the B in BIOS. Some people will also install their HD and optical drive before powering on for the first time. This allows you to see if the MB can recognize that the HD and the optical drive are both there.

Once you see that the settings are all working fine (most of the time, for a new builder, you shouldn't need to consider changing any settings aside from date and time), and that the HD and optical drive is recognized, you can start installing your operating system. If the HD or optical drive isn't recognized, they may be set-up incorrectly (via jumpers or other reasons). However, if everything is good, you are set to proceed.
If it's windows XP, just restart the computer with the windows disc in the optical drive. Follow the instructions and format the HD (as it is a new one) - then you will be asked to create a partition. People differ on the amounts, but for your HD, if you aren't going to be storing a lot of MP3's or changing a lot of photos, you may jusy choose to make one large partition. Some people make 2 - one division for the operating system, and another for the files that they commonly store and erase. This keeps things separated a bit better.
Windows will install the OS on the main partition, and you will go through setup.

Now, if you are using an old HD on the computer, things are a little bit more tough. The operating system has been conifgured to recognize the previous computer's setup. I generally support people doing a fresh install of windows just to avoid messy driver complications and avoid slowdowns from junk in the computers file systems that is no longer needed. One way to make things easier is to install the new drive with a fresh install of windows, and also place the old drive in the same system as a second HD. This allows you access to the old files via picking and choosing, or just using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

Once the old drive isn't needed any longer, consider leaving it in the computer as secondary storage. I don't suggest that you use it to back things up. I always recommend an external drive for that (one that can be left unplugged when not in use). If you do have an old drive though, you can consider buying a HD enclosure that would allow you to use the old drive via USB or Firewire. Then it could serve as a backup drive.

I am sure that there are several others here who could answer your question better, but I thought I would throw this out to you to try and help.

 

[omgitslong]

omg this is awesome!!! thanksssssssss

 

[s3anister]

thanks for the help guys

those specs are just for now, I'll live with it for only about 2-3 months, but the PSU will go bye bye with a replacement of a better PSU

ALSO, this is a budget PC, since I'm borrowing $250 from my brother to build this ~$650 PC, so, my point is, future upgrade will be later on, and out of my own pocket, so yea.... $650 tight budget for now, so plz.... stop attacking me with >$100 video cards!! eekkk!! though it's VERY tempting >___<

please keep in mind, this is my 1st build ever, so, main priority is to assemble it altogether and up-n-running

I'm very interested in computer for a longgg time, but didn't have the money or the chance to build one for my own, now I finally have the chance. I did lots of research about computers or any computer related stuffs, a little over 8 months.

Last thought in putting them together: how would it work? I just assemble every component in the correct place and press the power button?????? help!!! *BIG QUESTION MARK*

I'm totally serious about you getting this video card it really is the best buget videocard that you can buy, AND it will last you i would say a year while playing all of the new games. It's the best sub $85 video card that i know of. So you won't have to buy a video card until DX10. or whenever.

But basically when you go to build your computer this is what i always do. 1. check out the case (if it's damaged then return it you need a perfect case for things to go smoothly, espcially on your 1st build) 2. get the motherboard in and make sure it screws down and fits in the back bracket properly (unless you're putting in a new PSU then install the PSU first) 3. Install the CPU onto the motherboard then install the heatsink/fan onto the CPU ( you can take the motherboard to install the CPU/HSF if it makes things easier for you) 4. get the RAM in 5. Install the video card 6. get your optical drives/floppy drive/ Hard disk drives in and seated properly 7. connect all cables then get ready to POST!!!!

OH AND REALLY, WHEN YOU POST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR MOTHERBOARD MANUAL READY BECAUSE YOU REALLY SHOULD GO INTO YOUR [BIOS] MENU TO PROPERLY CONFIGURE YOUR COMPUTER/CHECK COMP SPECS, and what i mean by that is to make sure you have your memory in dual channel mode, the mobo sees your optical/ hard drives, you have the CPU bus settings set up right and so forth. but MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL OF THE MOBO MANUAL! i can't stress this enough on your first build.

well i hope that helped, now go enjoy your computer!

 

[s3anister]

nice post UC7, i tried to cover/ reinforce what you didn't say/already said. lol.