Just bought PC!!!

[godsgift2dagame]

1 Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129042
30 Day Return Policy $69.95
$59.95
1 BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX 128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813138130
30 Day Return Policy $109.99
$104.99
1 MSI N9800GT-T2D512-OC V2 GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814127406
Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy $129.99
$109.99
1 Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817371007
30 Day Return Policy $89.99
$69.99
1 AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor Model HDZ720WFGIBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103649
Processors (CPUs) Return Policy $145.99
$135.99
1 OCZ Reaper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1150 (PC2 9200) Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR11504GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227406
Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy $75.99
$65.99
1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148262
30 Day Return Policy $54.99
1 Logitech 967973-0403 Black PS/2 Standard Deluxe 250 Desktop - OEM
Item #: N82E16823126017
Standard Return Policy $13.99
$12.99
1 ASUS VW192T+ 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824236056
Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy $139.99
$119.99
1 LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS122-04 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106287
30 Day Return Policy $22.99
1 Rosewill RTK-001 Premium Anti-Static Wrist Strap - Retail
Item #: N82E16899261001
Standard Return Policy $5.99
$3.99


TOTAL WAS $707.00

BTW, Ihave been reading the board for months...I got pretty good idea about the parts.

 

[Shadow703793]

1. Should have gotten a 4850/4870 for a few $ more

2. Should have gotten a bigger HDD for few $ more.

3. Ask before buying.

====
Over all, looks good. Btw, are you going to OC and/or try the Tri=> Quad mod?

 

[godsgift2dagame]

Thanks Shadow (and megaman in other thread)!

Couldn't spare a dime...maxed out my budget...lol (18 years old)

I will upgrade my HD sometime this summer and I think a 4830 should do for this year.

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

P.S. Of course, I changed my mobo from Giga to Bio for a reason... And it's got decent reviews...

Only thing I'm worried about is DDR2 1150 on a mobo that recommends 800/1066

 

[godsgift2dagame]

Question...will DDR2 1150 work with a board that accepts DDR2 800/1066? I don't mean it staying at 1150, but will it at LEAST DOWNGRADE? So I don't have to send RAM back...?

 

[megamanx00]

Basically branding the RAM DDR2 1150 just means that the RAM SHOULD overclock to DDRD 1150. Even most DDR2 1066 RAM is really overclocked DDR2 RAM. If it needs more than 1.8 v to reach that speed, it's overclocked.

Anyway it should be just fine at DDR2 1066. To reach DDR2 1150 speeds though you will need to overclock the front side bus (technically you don't have an FSB in a phenom, just a base multiplier). Read the overclocking guides before you mess with it. Build looks good. The only thing is that you won't be able to SLI a 9800GT on a crossfire board, but I don't think that should matter too much since you maxed out your budget and are unlikely to upgrade soon. I'm sure that by the time you need more speed and save up enough for an upgrade you can pick up two new Radeon whatever DX11 cards to run in crossfire ^_^, and get a quad core AM3 CPU to drop into your board .

 

[Helloworld_98]

Yeah read the first few then I saw a 9800gt and a 19" monitor. Should've gone for a 710 AM3 and gotten a 22" monitor while changing the 9800gt to a 4850.

 

[godsgift2dagame]

I know,but the thing is this 9800 was basically as cheap as they get (most 9800's sell at $120-140) and a 710 is $15 cheaper but the 3" monitor difference will be $50 more? Whereto get the rest of cash? 4850 sells for same price as 9800...I literally have $0 to spend...been saving up for PC for half a year.

 

[godsgift2dagame]

By the way, this is my first good PC. We've never had a gaming PC before, so even a 9400 would have suited me fine. I just went w/ a little better quality to last longer. I lived off Sega Genesis/N64/PS2/Xbox 360 to get my gaming fix. \

BTW...

Should it be able to keep up with this PC? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4459734&CatId=1886

My friend isn't convinced I can build a great PC for hundreds less.

 

[Shadow703793]

^Yes, your PC will be able to keep up with that esp. if you OC. Only difference between yours and the tiger one is HDD and CPU. GPU/RAM is the same.

 

[godsgift2dagame]

Thanks shadow703793...you've answered everything I've thrown at you. Is there a MODERN pc-build it yourself guide? Not one 5 years ago that uses simple parts...

 

[x_2fast4u_x]

Take all parts out and put them on a TABLE not your carpet. Attach your wrist band as well.

Step 1a:Oops XD. Put your Power supply in.

Step 1b: Take the weird looking screws put them in your case.

Step 2: Mount the Motherboard in the case. Put the case on its side to do this.

Step 3: Very carefully take the CPU out of its wrapping and GENTLY set it in the socket. Make sure that you open the socket first.

Step 4: Apply your thermal grease on the CPU, a pea/grain of rice size dab should suffice, then gently set the Heat sink on top of it. fasten it down. keep in mind pushpins are satins creation. Hopefully you have screws.

Step 5: Slide in the HHD in the hard drive bay. Slide the optical drive in the 5.25in bay.

Step 6: Insert the video card to the Pci-E 16x slot.

Step 7: Put the ram in the ram bays, they slots are not equal one end of the ram is actually longer then the other, don't want you to bust your mother board, make sure you hear a click.

Step 8: Plug in all case wiring to the MoBo power switch, USB, Fire wire, ect. ect. Plug in your SataII cable to the MoBo and HHD, as well as your optical drive. plug in all fans prongs. Plug in all power connectors.*the sata cable should be a bright red. *the fans have 3 prongs per fan the CPU fan will have 4.

Step 9: RE-CHECK ALL plug ins, make sure everything is snug. Close up case.

Step 10: ...The moment of truth. Plug in the DVI cable the monitor and power all usb's speakers....Press the power button. Wait for it to post. If all is well then shazam, congratulations, mozeltov! Power down insert OS disc and reboot, make sure that you have the system to boot off of CD-rom install windows, install drivers, install games. Reap the rewards of building your own system.

hope this helps, I made this guide myself. I am 17 years old so i know what its like saving for a computer. Enjoy buddy. If you need any more help just message me or post your questions here.

 

[godsgift2dagame]

x_2fast4u_x,
thanks very much for this guide! Wow, this is pretty simple compared to what I envisioned. For a 17 year old, wow! Computer Engineer going to be your major?

 

[4745454b]

Seeing as its to late for this to matter, you really should have posted BEFORE you spent the $$$.

Should have dumped the 9800GT for the 4850. The 4850 is as good as the 9800GTX, and its cheaper then the $130 you spent.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121272

You could have got the 4830 for less then $100, and thats as good as the 9800GT.

$76 dollars for ram? Really? Whats wrong with the OCZ Reaper ram thats only $63 shipped, BEFORE rebate? Its only $33 once the rebate comes in.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289

Here is a ram kit that even comes with a ram cooler and its STILL cheaper then what you bought.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227409

Those are the biggest issues. I'm not sure about that case, most that buy it get the bundle with the PSU. You might have been able to save some $$$ by getting a different case. I'm also not sure about buying Biostar motherboards. I know the picking for modern AMD motherboards is pretty slim, at least if you like buying from the "big boys". Its got the 790(GX???) NB, and hopefully the 750SB. Nothing else is a deal breaker, but I'd say you goofed on the ram and video card. (Nvidia card on a CF board?)

 

[xthekidx]

Pretty good build. I would have gone for a different GPU and HDD, but the ones you picked aren't bad. I just would have gotten better.

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074&Tpk=wd3200aaks

 

[gkay09]

Well first choice 4850 ...
Else if you want nvidia, then you should have got this card...GTS250 for $129
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130468

 

[gkay09]

And you should reconsider the OCZ reaper...
U can get the GSkillz PI Black DDR2 800 and easily overclock it or get the DDR2 1066...So you can save atleast $20 on the RAM...

 

[godsgift2dagame]

Guys, the invoice doesn't show combos...9800 and 4GB ram were $150 together...I dunno, I realize you guys know way more.

 

[xthekidx]

Ram speed has little effect on gaming performance, so first priority should have been the best GPU you could afford, then the ram. You could have gone with this, and it would have been less after rebates with the gpu I showed you above, and would give noticable performance gains compared to your selections:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

 

[gkay09]

Guys, the invoice doesn't show combos...9800 and 4GB ram were $150 together...I dunno, I realize you guys know way more.

But still it is a costly deal...with not so good-value components...
Actually the combo shows $195.98 and not $150...

 

[4745454b]

Remember that he's getting an AMD setup here. Due to the IMC ram speeds does have an effect. The faster the ram the better.

 

[godsgift2dagame]

They already shipped the components...is there any way I can exchange them?

 

[WR2]

Should it be able to keep up with this PC? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4459734&CatId=1886

My friend isn't convinced I can build a great PC for hundreds less.

Don't forget - you didn't need to buy the OS. So that $830 system would have cost you $730 without OEM Vista installed. Add $130 for monitor and its $860 vs your $707
So I figure the overall savings is closer to ~$150, Still not a bad deal if the install and set-up goes ahead without a problem. Performance should be very close between the 2 system.

 

[WR2]

3. Ask before buying.

He asked. Not sure how well he listened
Still, overall - he didn't do bad at all.

is there any way I can exchange them?

You might be able to send a part back un-opened with a RMA - you'll need to pay the shipping costs, so you'll need to find a replacement part that's less expensive, shipping included.
Keep an eye out for sales and bargains - don't be in a rush to open things up if you think you really want to swap something out.

 

[Jack64]

x_2fast4u_x,
thanks very much for this guide! Wow, this is pretty simple compared to what I envisioned. For a 17 year old, wow! Computer Engineer going to be your major?

Putting the components together isn't hard....but doing it the wrong way can crack your MB!! I would advise putting your ram and cpu in BEFORE putting you MB in the case and securing it, The reason for this is, it is easier to get the orientation of the ram right if you can see the slots clearly and same with the CPU. It you put them in the wrong way and try to force them with the board on the standoffs instead of on a flat surface you could crack your MB and then your new system won't work and you might not even know why! Place the MB on the anti static bag it came in on a flat sturdy surface and orient the ram correctly and apply pressure till the retainers engage, after you have done that, then oreint the CPU into the socket correctly and lower the retainer and finally lower the arm that secures it, if it is like intels solution it might seem like the arm is about to snap, but it won't as long as you have the cpu oriented right. I have never built an AMD since they changed the sockets so I am not sure how hard they are to orient and lock, but the ram I do know is easier for a first timer to orient on a tabletop and is less likely to hurt the MB!

 

[godsgift2dagame]

Don't forget - you didn't need to buy the OS. So that $830 system would have cost you $730 without OEM Vista installed. Add $130 for monitor and its $860 vs your $707
So I figure the overall savings is closer to ~$150, Still not a bad deal if the install and set-up goes ahead without a problem. Performance should be very close between the 2 system.

Thanks WR2...

Thing is, he already had a monitor. I already had Vista...