Looking for help/comments on this new machine I'm building

[Orogenesis]

Hi guys, I'm new here at Tom's Hardware....nice to be here

So anyway, my old system that I built 4 years ago needs to be taken out back and shot (AMD 3200+ 2 gigs of RAM, 9800 XT 256) it's served me well but it's time to move on.


So this is the build I've been thinking about, and so far I'm really happy with my price to performance ratio.
(Read up on reviews on most of these parts)

Since this will only be my second system build I'm still kind of a newbie and might miss some compatibility issues or better parts for the system so any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated

At the moment I'm only concerned about the motherboard I selected, I've heard rumors that it won't recognize more than 3.25 gigs of RAM.

I already have an OS lined up and I'll be using my old 19' NEC LCD.

So here we go:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/TemporaryWishList.aspx


Be gentle

 

[Orogenesis]

Whoops, forgot to save the list and get the ID...one sec

 

[Orogenesis]

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=8457772

There we go

 

[Orogenesis]

Ugh....I've selected the "Share" option but it's not showing up in the public list when I search for it....wtf?

 

[WR2]

Give it some time. It just takes a while before it shows up on the public lists.

 

[Onus]

That 750W Corsair PSU is way overkill for this build, but at that $119 price (plus $20 MIR), if you're buying it for the long haul I say "Good deal!" Otherwise, you'd be fine with 550W (or even less).
Unless you already have the software, get a Retail version of your DVD drive in order to get the decoder you'll need if you ever want to watch movies.
I'd probably choose a WD hard drive, but that's nitpicking. This is a nice build.

Edit: removed an "s"

 

[Orogenesis]

Just in case anyone is still having trouble, here's the list:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8457772

so jtt283, you like it? Yay!

Any other thoughts? What do you all think about the motherboard and do you see any compatibility issues with this build?

 

[hyperjoe]

Similar comment. Alot of people will tell you to go after the 640GB Western Digital HD vs this one.
Other than that it looks good.

Gl

JR

 

[Onus]

Yeah, nice job. Have fun.

 

[pcgamer12]

The build is very nice. Definitely go for the WD 640GB.

 

[slayeron444]

At the moment I'm only concerned about the motherboard I selected, I've heard rumors that it won't recognize more than 3.25 gigs of RAM.

The only way your system won't see your 4 gigs of ram is if you have a 32 bit operating system, in which case it will see about 3.5 gigs. If you have a 64 bit OS then it will see it all. Just curious, you said you had an OS lined up, what is it?

 

[Orogenesis]

The only way your system won't see your 4 gigs of ram is if you have a 32 bit operating system, in which case it will see about 3.5 gigs. If you have a 64 bit OS then it will see it all. Just curious, you said you had an OS lined up, what is it?

Well I was going to use one of my XP Pro copies, but it's 32 bit so I guess I'll have to go with Vista to get the most out of my system.

I've avoided Vista on purpose up until now because of the numerous horror stories I've heard from dedicated gamers (not casual newbs) so I don't know jack about it....is it worth getting Vista Ultimate?

What are my options here?

Oh and thanks for the comments on the system build, I'm making some modifications for a second option, I'll post that later to see what you all will think.

Thanks!

 

[Orogenesis]

Ok guys here we go, I've tinkered some more with my setup and I've come up with a second build that seems superior in practically every way.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8082671


For comparison purposes here's the first build that you all commented on earlier:


http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8457772


Revisions: -I swapped the P43 board for a more solid, and cheaper P35
-Went with a cheaper, more cost-effective and just as potent case
-Downgraded to a Corsair 650W PSU, you guys are right, 750 is overkill at the moment, and 500 isn't planning for the future, so 650 is right up my alley.

With the savings above I was able to do this:

-Switched the Samsung 500 gig to the better 640 gig Western Digital deal
-Upgrade to a HD 4870 instead of the 4850! The 4870 (and even 4850's) can actually outperform Nvidias $600+ cards!
-Get a great aftermarket cooler in case I decide to try some OC'ing

So sa you can tell with these changes the revised build is only $33 more than the old one, and as far as I can see, better overall.
And if I remove the cooler which isn't a must-have it comes out to be cheaper than my first build.

I'm pretty proud of these revisions, so tell me, did I make a sweet build even better? Or do you see any downsides?

Man, it feels great getting back into building a system again, just selecting components is so much fun

Let's see what you guys think!

 

[Orogenesis]

Bump

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

This ram has better timings and voltage, and its $65 after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731
The Asus 4870 is only $255 after rebate.
With those two, you save $35, which is enough to upgrade to the Cooler Master 690, with better cooling and more room.
In that case, you can fit the Xigmatek S1283, $26 after rebate, $32 if you get the retention bracket for it.

 

[Orogenesis]

Thanks for your input thepowerofdonuts.

A few things:

1. The CAS latency is 5 on both the Mushkin and the G. Skill RAM, and to my knowledge that's what will have the biggest impact on RAM speed, will the Mushkin really give a notable performance increase?

2. Any real difference between the ASUS HD 4870 and the Diamond HD 4870 or are you suggesting the change because of the price savings? (I really do hate mail-in rebates though lol)

3. I really like that case, only thing is it houses the PSU on the bottom of the case and I've heard that's not very good if your computer sits on carpet flooring, which mine does. Or would it still be a better choice than the CAC-T05-WW Tower?

4. I like the idea of that Xigmatek....how do I get the retention bracket with it, it seems to come with no matter what?


Thanks!

After these revisions I think I've done all I can within this price range....pretty much the flawless setup no?