Hello everyone, I'm looking to build a new computer within the next few months, but I have a few questions. Now before you go making comments, I will say that I am no newbie if you will. I have done my homework for the most part, I just have a few small questions.
First let me explain something, my current computer has the following.
AMD Athlon 3200+ Processor
1 gig of OCZ platinum revision 2 ddr memory (don't know the specifics off the top of my head)
evga 6800gt graphics card
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card
A 36.7gig raptor hard drive (mainly for the OS and programs)
An 80gig ide hard drive (mainly for most of my games)
A 320gig sata 7200.10 hard drive (mainly for multimedia storage)
2 ide dvd burners
480W trutech PSU from Antec (I know the brand and wattage are correct)
19" Rosewill R912E lcd monitor
This really doesn't mean much, but I mention this because what I would like to have my new computer I want to be build become my primary machine, and then use this machine as a secondary machine, mostly for like when my cousin comes over we can do some LAN gaming, then. Considering this fact don't try to tell me to just upgrade my current computer.
Now I will get straight down to business here is what I am thinking of putting in my new machine:
-EVGA 122-M2-NF59-TR Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188016
-EVGA 768-P2-N835-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SUPERCLOCKED HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130079
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773
-Thermaltake Soprano DX VE7000BWS Black 0.8mm SECC Chassis/ Aluminum Front Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133040
-Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular recording) ST3750640AS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148134
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148231
-Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006
-Logitech X-230 32 watts RMS 2.1 Black Speaker System - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121123
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-05 - OEM (2X)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106073
-Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP support 300 cd/m2 700:1 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009094
Ok, now I left out the obvious things such as case fans, keyboard, mouse, etc. What I plan to do is take out the hard drives from my current machine and use them in my new machine. I'm getting an extra 750gig hard drive for storage. I'm also getting an 80gig hard drive which will replace all the drives I take out of my current machine. I'm getting that nice 2.1 system so when my current computer gets demoted, it will have a decent sound system.
I can say foremost, that I am not changing my processor. I've done my homework and that's the processor I want. For the most part the motherboard was the best one I could find for the price, however if you can find a better deal with similar specs please do tell. Basically what I listed above is no subject to change.
Now you'll notice I didn't include the memory or PSU as these are the two components I have real questions on.
I managed to narrow my memory choices down to two, but I can decide which is better. Either:
-Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146563
-OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227139
Note at this time the OCZ is significantly cheaper (~$75 less) then the Crucial. I looked at a review on the Crucial and it got good marks, and while I didn't do a review on OCZ, I currently have OCZ memory in my computer and haven't had any issues yet.
If anyone could give me some suggestions on what memory to go for, I'd appreciate it.
The next issue is PSU. I was initially looking at this PSU:
-Thermaltake W0106RU Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V CE, CB, TUV, FCC, UL, CUL, and BSMI certified - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153038
However, then today I read that if you're going with a lesser known brand of PSU then you need a higher wattage, but if you are going with a better known brand then you don't need as high of a wattage which led me to notice these three PSUs (Note I do completely know there is more to a PSU then it's wattage rating)
- Thermaltake Purepower RX W0143RU ATX12V 550W Cable Management / Active PFC / 14CM Fan / Triple +12V Rails Power Supply 115/230 V CE, FCC, UL, CUL, TUV, and BSMI certification - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153051
- HIPER HPU-4K580-MS ATX12V v2.2 580W Power Supply 100 - 120V - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817128002
- Thermaltake Purepower RX W0144RU ATX12V 600W Cable Management / Active PFC / 14CM Fan / Quad +12V Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153049
So, anyone have any good suggestions on any of these power supplies?
Now, I have a minor question. The monitor I'm looking at says it has HDCP support, I to assume correctly in that I can then play 720p HD content on this monitor?
I have a quick question about the graphics card, I saw ZipZoomFly had this one on their site:
- EVGA 768-P2-N837-AR e-GeForce 8800 GTX KO ACS3 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express Video Card w/Dual DVI-I, HDTV, S-Video-out Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=321206&prodlist=pricegrabber
Is that graphics card really with the extra $50 over the one I listed above?
I will close this with my big point, and that is I want this machine to be able to handle next gen games (such as Crysis) at the highest resolution my new monitor can support, which I think is 1680 x 1050 or something, with everything maxed out or turned on or whatever. Can it do this or should I say will it be able to do this?
I will now say thank you everyone for your input.
Oh and I forgot to mention: at this time this new build will cost roughly $2100 upfront, but about a little under $2000 after rebates and such, so before you go making radical suggestions try to make sure your suggestions won't charge me a whole lot more.
First let me explain something, my current computer has the following.
AMD Athlon 3200+ Processor
1 gig of OCZ platinum revision 2 ddr memory (don't know the specifics off the top of my head)
evga 6800gt graphics card
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card
A 36.7gig raptor hard drive (mainly for the OS and programs)
An 80gig ide hard drive (mainly for most of my games)
A 320gig sata 7200.10 hard drive (mainly for multimedia storage)
2 ide dvd burners
480W trutech PSU from Antec (I know the brand and wattage are correct)
19" Rosewill R912E lcd monitor
This really doesn't mean much, but I mention this because what I would like to have my new computer I want to be build become my primary machine, and then use this machine as a secondary machine, mostly for like when my cousin comes over we can do some LAN gaming, then. Considering this fact don't try to tell me to just upgrade my current computer.
Now I will get straight down to business here is what I am thinking of putting in my new machine:
-EVGA 122-M2-NF59-TR Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188016
-EVGA 768-P2-N835-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SUPERCLOCKED HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130079
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773
-Thermaltake Soprano DX VE7000BWS Black 0.8mm SECC Chassis/ Aluminum Front Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133040
-Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular recording) ST3750640AS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148134
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148231
-Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006
-Logitech X-230 32 watts RMS 2.1 Black Speaker System - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121123
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-05 - OEM (2X)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106073
-Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP support 300 cd/m2 700:1 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009094
Ok, now I left out the obvious things such as case fans, keyboard, mouse, etc. What I plan to do is take out the hard drives from my current machine and use them in my new machine. I'm getting an extra 750gig hard drive for storage. I'm also getting an 80gig hard drive which will replace all the drives I take out of my current machine. I'm getting that nice 2.1 system so when my current computer gets demoted, it will have a decent sound system.
I can say foremost, that I am not changing my processor. I've done my homework and that's the processor I want. For the most part the motherboard was the best one I could find for the price, however if you can find a better deal with similar specs please do tell. Basically what I listed above is no subject to change.
Now you'll notice I didn't include the memory or PSU as these are the two components I have real questions on.
I managed to narrow my memory choices down to two, but I can decide which is better. Either:
-Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146563
-OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227139
Note at this time the OCZ is significantly cheaper (~$75 less) then the Crucial. I looked at a review on the Crucial and it got good marks, and while I didn't do a review on OCZ, I currently have OCZ memory in my computer and haven't had any issues yet.
If anyone could give me some suggestions on what memory to go for, I'd appreciate it.
The next issue is PSU. I was initially looking at this PSU:
-Thermaltake W0106RU Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V CE, CB, TUV, FCC, UL, CUL, and BSMI certified - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153038
However, then today I read that if you're going with a lesser known brand of PSU then you need a higher wattage, but if you are going with a better known brand then you don't need as high of a wattage which led me to notice these three PSUs (Note I do completely know there is more to a PSU then it's wattage rating)
- Thermaltake Purepower RX W0143RU ATX12V 550W Cable Management / Active PFC / 14CM Fan / Triple +12V Rails Power Supply 115/230 V CE, FCC, UL, CUL, TUV, and BSMI certification - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153051
- HIPER HPU-4K580-MS ATX12V v2.2 580W Power Supply 100 - 120V - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817128002
- Thermaltake Purepower RX W0144RU ATX12V 600W Cable Management / Active PFC / 14CM Fan / Quad +12V Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153049
So, anyone have any good suggestions on any of these power supplies?
Now, I have a minor question. The monitor I'm looking at says it has HDCP support, I to assume correctly in that I can then play 720p HD content on this monitor?
I have a quick question about the graphics card, I saw ZipZoomFly had this one on their site:
- EVGA 768-P2-N837-AR e-GeForce 8800 GTX KO ACS3 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express Video Card w/Dual DVI-I, HDTV, S-Video-out Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=321206&prodlist=pricegrabber
Is that graphics card really with the extra $50 over the one I listed above?
I will close this with my big point, and that is I want this machine to be able to handle next gen games (such as Crysis) at the highest resolution my new monitor can support, which I think is 1680 x 1050 or something, with everything maxed out or turned on or whatever. Can it do this or should I say will it be able to do this?
I will now say thank you everyone for your input.
Oh and I forgot to mention: at this time this new build will cost roughly $2100 upfront, but about a little under $2000 after rebates and such, so before you go making radical suggestions try to make sure your suggestions won't charge me a whole lot more.