Finalizing Build, Buying in a week... HELP!!

Cervantesx

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Ok, So I was supposed to build this system back in late Jul and Aug when Conroe's came out, but being practically unattainable. I ended up buying a new motherboard for my ancient dual 1800 mp system. Now I am looking into finally making this sytem yet I have a few questions now that there is new info about the motherboards, and the ram I was going to get seems to have not so great ratings on newegg.


Mobo: $270 ASUS P5W DH DELUXE
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131025

This is the board I was going to get but now I am looking at the P5 Delux and saving 75 bucks or is it really worth it or even better boards for the same price?
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131045


Case: $150 Thermaltake Armor Series full tower
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811133154

Absolutely love the look of this case.

GPU: Sapphire X1900XT
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814102051

Heres where I run into some problems where are the damned DX10 cards? Will this beast hold me over for some time to come or should I buy a 100 dollar card and wait for DX10? If so reconnmendations?

PSU: $90 Antec TRUEPOWERII 550W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817103931

Stay with the 550 or get the 500w antec and save 25 bucks?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103937

RAM: $230 OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Another huge problem for me this was the ram I was going to get but now 33 5 star reviews and 33 1 star reviews doesnt seem like a good set any other suggestions around 200??

HDD: $75 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148144

Originally was going to get the 320GB but I really dont need all that space off the bat... Then again for 10-15 bucks should I?

OS: Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16832116059

DVD Burner: ?????????????????


BTW, The system will mostly be used for gaming and ripping. However I do not own any of the newer games (last thing I bought was everquest 2 blah) but I plan on some heavy gaming as soon as this system is up and running.
 
Suggested Changes:

Mobo: Unless there is a particular feature on either the P5W DH or P5B Deluxe boards that you absolutely need, then go for the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3

Video Card: If DirectX 10 interests you at all, avoid high end cards by all means. Get an eVGA Geforce 7600GT instead. If you have no ionterest in DX10, that X1900XT is the same one I would have picked.

Power Supply: If you're going to go with the X1900XT, get the 550W supply. If you go for the 7600GT, dropping to the 500W model will be fine.

RAM: That set is fine. Never trust Newegg reviews. The people who post them are idiots, or have a bias one way or another.

Hard Drive: I would take an extra 70GB of storage for $15 more any day.... I say go for it.

DVD Burner: NEC ND-3550A
 
where are the damned DX10 cards? Will this beast hold me over for some time to come or should I buy a 100 dollar card and wait for DX10? If so reconnmendations?
What DX10 games are you looking forward to buying in 2007? Are you buying WindowsVi$ta ($159) in the spring? Did you know that DX9 video cards will play DX10 games on WinXP just fine? (OK-maybe you won't have 100% eyecandy mode available but the games will be playable.) That smart move is to get the right card for the games you're playing now and in the next nine months.
 

chased13

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get the 500w antec.

id go for an x850xt its only 120 and its a really fast card, just doesnt do hdr. it will hold you over easily with good framerates, minus the hdr stuff.

prophecy, please stop recommdending the DS3! recomemdn the S3 instead. its exactly the same except it has standard capacitators which dont change perforamce, just supposed added lifetime. but ive never seen standard capactiatiors go bad. it saves 20 bux

ram is a biatch. id go for g skill ddr2 800 (pk model) as it is supposed to work every time with the gigabyte mobo. ocz gets such mixed results. the rev 2 stuff supoosedly works, but idk. patriot does well. any ram that boots at 1.8v (usually the cheap stuff) or ram that will boot when undervolted has been working. its just so damn picky though.

id go for the 320gb. i mean when we can start downloading Hi def vids, space is gonna get eaten up. is 10 bux for 70 gigs. dont be that cheap.

you can try getting windows from a less reputable source. it works for many.
 
I've been reading in these forums for a little bit and all of the above suggestions are good! So here's my review of what's been stated.
1) If using 7600gt then 500W PSU is fine (totally agree here)
2) If using x1900gt than 550W PSU is fine (totally agree too:)
3) Use Gigabyte Mobo and save your $ for something else (totally agree again)
4) Use cheaper RAM that boots at 1.8V (not sure here, but seems to be a common answer)
5) Will be able to run DX10 games on Win XP (not sure, but I wouldn't worry too much about it right now)
6) Definately upgrade to the 320gig HD, you won't regret it later!

Overall I think you have a good system in mind and all of the comments have been VERY solid, so go with what you think will work for you:)

My 2cp
 

Cervantesx

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ok so far im going with the 320 gig hdd, 550 power supply will be fine for dx10 right? and ill get the 7600gt for now. Any idea how much cards out-performing 1900xt will be?

Motherboard still debating, will the gigabyte overclock as well as the asus board(s)?

And that ram is good for its price or might there be better?
 
prophecy, please stop recommdending the DS3! recomemdn the S3 instead. its exactly the same except it has standard capacitators which dont change perforamce, just supposed added lifetime. but ive never seen standard capactiatiors go bad. it saves 20 bux

I've seen the electrolytic capacitors blow on lots of motherboards. For an extra $20, I'll take the added peace of mind any day. Especially if the board is going to be placed in a high stress environment like gaming.

@ Cervantesx,

The Gigabyte boards (The DS3 I suggested for sure, an d possibly the S3 as well) have the ability to overclock better than the Asus boards.
 

rwaritsdario

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prophecy, please stop recommdending the DS3! recomemdn the S3 instead. its exactly the same except it has standard capacitators which dont change perforamce, just supposed added lifetime. but ive never seen standard capactiatiors go bad. it saves 20 bux

I've seen the electrolytic capacitors blow on lots of motherboards. For an extra $20, I'll take the added peace of mind any day. Especially if the board is going to be placed in a high stress environment like gaming.

@ Cervantesx,

The Gigabyte boards (The DS3 I suggested for sure, an d possibly the S3 as well) have the ability to overclock better than the Asus boards.

The DS3 is definetly the way to go. It overclocks as well as a P5B Deluxe actually, having the P5W DH and the Abit AW9D-MAX PWNING it at it. Remmber that the most something overclock stable the more rock solid performance itll give you at stock speeds.

Take a look at Antec NeoHE series and OCZ GameXstream PSU. Very fine values in the market.

The gskil PK is the cheapest DDR 800 CL4, but its somewhat of a hit and miss when overclocking. Got with the Patriot kit to ensure that ~500+Mhz CL5 :wink:
 

Cervantesx

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i bought it yay, lol went with 1900xt just wont worry about vista for awhile. kept my ram went with the 320gb hdd and overall just switched mobos. thx for the help all 3 day shipping makes for a fun friday...
 

Cervantesx

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Well, I recived everything tonight and attempted putting it all together. But i cant seem to get any bios/video at all. when i 1st hooked everything up i didnt have the 12v atx pluged in, when its pluged in my cpu fan doesnt work and the system will keep rebooting. if i leave it unplugged my cpu fan will run but i still get no video. anyone have any ideas? or should i make a few thread?
 

rwaritsdario

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Well, I recived everything tonight and attempted putting it all together. But i cant seem to get any bios/video at all. when i 1st hooked everything up i didnt have the 12v atx pluged in, when its pluged in my cpu fan doesnt work and the system will keep rebooting. if i leave it unplugged my cpu fan will run but i still get no video. anyone have any ideas? or should i make a few thread?

Wich guide did you follow to put it together?
 

Cervantesx

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None, I have a pretty good understanding when it comes to building computers, built a couple a few years back so I just did this one from memory. Anyway so far, I have gotten to bios a few times and past it then it ask for a boot cd. It wont read my downloaded xp pro cd so I try using my xp home for another computer, however the farther I have gotten is to setup is starting windows. another thing is it will not boot actully it did one time to bios with 2 sticks but only that one time(and it froze right after the memory status). and it only boots once in a while while only 1 stick is in, seem if i let it sit it will boot but i really dont know where to go from here. Should i update the bios 1st? could both sticks be bad? I already tried using floppys to load windows and there was a file it couldnt load something like ntkrnp.***. Sorry for this post being all jumbled together kinda fustrated...
 

Cervantesx

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Well updated bois system starts everytime now, using my old xp home to load a os then putting my xp pro on it... sadly one ram was doa and i have to send them both out to newegg to get replacements :( anyone have any idea how long rmas ussally take?
 
Newegg is usually pretty good about RMA's, so I wouldn't worry too much. I'm betting that you'll get your memory out within 24hrs of them receiving it. Good luck and hope all works out well.
 

Cervantesx

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Ugh at work, need some advice for when i go home so i can order some more memory. Newegg messed some crap up and is just going to refund me the money, so can anyone link some good memory from newegg for me for around 240 or less... really not a strong subbject for me...

thx in advance..
 

Lachdan

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I would definitely suggest Corsair Memory. The compatibility is perfect with the DS3 and, well, you can't really go wrong with Corsair Ram.

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Link to Newegg

230$ after a 50$ mail-in rebate.
 

rwaritsdario

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I would definitely suggest Corsair Memory. The compatibility is perfect with the DS3 and, well, you can't really go wrong with Corsair Ram.

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Link to Newegg

230$ after a 50$ mail-in rebate.

Welcome to the forums, go read at the Memory forums (mostly mine, wusys, and Mondomans posts) and youll see there are alot more manufacturers that provide better memory for the price.
 

SPARTAN-117

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Look at an AMD Nvidia setup. I just spent $2,000 on my 939 DDR system and it's right up there in the benchmarks with DDR2. Plus as many people including the guys at Toms Hardware have noted DDR2 isn't fully matured yet and some DDR systems beat DDR2 on any given day. If your going to buy this machine you'll just be buying perfomance that ain't there. :!: :evil: :wink: Also use a much beefier PSU. I've got a PC Power & Cooling 510w PSU that peaks at 650w and is much higher quality than any Antec.

-----------------

My System:

AMD 64 X2 3800+ OC'ed to 2.2 Ghz, BFG 7900 GTX 512 mb OC'ed, ASUS A8N-SLi Deluxe, 2 Gb Kingston Value RAM CAS Latency 2.5-3-3-6, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 4, Westen Digital 74 Gb Ratop ADFD, 2x Western Digital 250 Gb Caviar SE, 3x Thermaltake Hardcano 14 HDD coolers, Thermaltake Blue Orb II CPU cooler, Zalman VF-Cu 900 Blue LED VGA cooler, Thermaltake Extreme Spirit Northbridge cooler, and a PC Power & Cooling 510w PSU.
 

rwaritsdario

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What many ppl dont understand is that DDR2 wasnt made to beat the DDR performance. But to widen the FSB.
Youve got somewhat a nice setup but sadly s939 is a dead end for upgrading. No more processors will be made for it and the current ones will be phased out by Q2 '07. While AM2 will be compatible even with AM2+, giving it a much longer longevity.