First System Build.. I would like a little bit of help ;x

xydin

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2009
69
0
18,630
First off, I'll cover some of the background information, I'm 17 and am allowed ~$500 - 600 for building a decent computer. I'm trying to find something that will be fast enough to run modern games, but also fairly cheap. At the moment I'm pretty set on ATI's 790GX chipset, as well as a 7750 BE Kuma CPU. I'm definitely going to be getting 4GB of RAM, and no less than a 500gb HDD. I am not exactly sure on the PSU, but I'd prefer modular for easier cable management. As for the video card, I probably won't be able to buy one until two weeks have passed after I buy the main hardware to get the computer running (Have to wait for the next paycheck ;x) but, if the total hardware comes to under $400 with a graphics card, then I should be able to get it. At the moment I already have the case bought because it was on sale with a huge discount at a local warehouse.

Ok, so here is what I am thinking:



Case:

Thermaltake Armor +MX (Already have it sitting in my room, so it can't be changed)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133062


Motherboard:

Biostar TA790GX XE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138140


CPU:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 BE Kuma
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103300


RAM:

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209


HDD:

WD Caviar Black (500GB - 1TB, whatever I can afford in the end; maybe another brand as well? Not sure.)


PSU:

The one I have in mind is an OCZ Fatal1ty (550w Modular for $45 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022


DVD Drive:

Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R (It's IDE, should I go SATA?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129023


I don't know if it matters but, the thermal paste I was going to get is this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835202006


And if I could somehow fit in a Media Card Reader & maybe a fan controller, that would be pretty good.


Anyways, I had one kind of stupid question.. the only thing I don't know how to assemble on the computer is probably the easiest thing... the case fans. The case has 3 fans all with 4 pin molex connectors; I have no idea how to get them connected and running without a fan controller, and last I checked you can only put 3 pin connectors into the mobo. Would I plug them into each other then into the power supply? I really doubt it but, hey, that's why I'm asking lol, if someone could just briefly explain how to do this it'd be great.


Thanks in advance for any help/advice. ^^



EDIT: Oh, a little background on the games I play, since I don't really know how much of a graphics card I would need.. I play FPS's like COD: WaW, and also games like WoW, and Requiem Bloodymare if you've heard of it, and some other free MMORPG's that aren't usually too graphically demanding (My Laptop's intergrated graphics can handle most of the games I play, and its a few years old. Some of the games like Bloodymare Requiem and CoD aren't playable on my laptop though. I guess I'm kind of looking for something that would let me play the majority of the games I like on high settings without lag, but also if I got a card that could handle some newer games I would probably start playing the newer games, one of the cards I saw but wasn't sure about was this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102822



EDIT(2): Also our router and modem are out in the living room, so I would need a wireless card, but I'm not sure how good of one I would need, my computer is on the same floor as the wireless router, and about 40 - 50 feet away from it, I also have an xbox 360 in my room, and if there was some kind of other type of router, I'm sure there may be one but I haven't been able to found one, maybe something like.. the router picks up the other routers wireless signal, then I can route cables to both my 360 and my computer, maybe theres a firmware mod that allows this or something? Any information on this would be great, or should I just buy a wireless card for my PC and an Adapter for my 360?


EDIT(3): Lots of edits, sorry ><, I keep thinking of more stuff I forgot to originally post... but, should I go with 32 bit or 64 bit vista? I know there was a lot of problems with 64 bit back in XP, but I'm not sure how 64 bit is with vista, thanks.
 

copenhagenlc

Distinguished
Mar 22, 2007
114
0
18,690
Looks alright if your happy with it,

First off to take advantage of more then 3GB of ram you have to have a 64Bit OS, most of the problems have been worked out in my experience and you should be fine.

Not a huge fan of Biostar even though thats what my shop uses :D They seem to hold up pretty well as a lower end board thou, look into gigabyte or MSI, personal favs

Sata DVD-RW should be fine with better airflow because of the smaller cables

I hate samsung drives myself but if you can put up with them 1tb with free shipping from newegg for $80 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16822152102

Ram is cool PSU will support a high end ghx card if you ever decide to get one in the future. Personally go with the 4850 or the 4870 you will be regret not spending the extra 30-50 bucks trust me.

Those fans will plug right into the molex connectors no need for a controller will always be on at max.

For your WiFi Card, i try to get mine that have a wired antenna that way you can move it thru the room and get the best signal strength.

LoL sorry for everything being everywhere, but hope this helped somewhat, any more questions just send me a pm.
 

whitefang

Distinguished
Feb 14, 2009
1,048
0
19,360
Every thing looks good except I would go for a 4870, they are about the same as two 4830's in crossfire, and they will max any game out except for crysis, which it probably could almost max anyway.

The kuma processor is good, but you might want to look into OCing the processor because it could be a bottle neck.

If you can wait a little and wait for your pay check I would go for the Phenom II x3 720 BE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

That processor is great, I got mine and instantly OC'd it to 3.2 ghz on stock cooling and temps never went over 50C and I saw huge FPS increase in crysis, and my minimum fps was increase by 15 which is crucial.

 
I think a single 4830 is likely to be sufficient, assuming a resolution no higher than 1680x1050, unless you want the absolute highest settings on everything. What resolution will you be using? Since you've been playing on a laptop, I suspect you are likely tolerant of any lowering of settings that may be needed. Compare your current framerates, acceptable or not, with benchmarks on various cards. Or, test on the 790GX's integrated HD3300, and see how much improvement you want. My low-power system has an ASRock 790GX, and runs Guild Wars tolerably.
I haven't found much information on that OCZ PSU, but the little I've seen has been negative, due to the reputation of Sirtec, which makes it. I'm waiting for an actual technical review of it though. It may be just fine. A single 4830 (or 4850) or lower shouldn't stress it, so it should be safe. If you can forego the modular cables, check out Antec Earthwatts (even the 380 can handle a 4830).
Otherwise, your choices look reasonable. You've got an upgrade path into Phenom II X3 or X4 if you need it, or to a higher-powered GPU.
 

xydin

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2009
69
0
18,630
Thanks ^^, I actually have decided that I should spend $50 more for a AMD 9950 quad core and a gigabyte 790gx mobo, and I will probably be able to get a 4870 within a month, the on board gfx should be fine till then though ^^
 
I don't think the 9950 is a great choice any more, compared to the Phenom II. A 940 is only $20 more at Newegg (use code "AMD41420" to get $20 off the price).
See how the onboard GPU is before you decide how much to spend on a graphics card. While you'll probably want one, you may not need to drop the amount of cash a 4870 requires.
My wife's 790GX is Gigabyte (slightly older; discontinued at Newegg), and has given no grief.
 

xydin

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2009
69
0
18,630
alright, thanks a lot for the promo, I'll take a look at it

EDIT: Also, my fiance will be using art programs like Paint Shop and such a lot, would the 940 be much better for things like that?
 

march10k

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2009
24
0
18,510
I would definitely spend less on the hard drive, and more on the MOBO...especially with a budget computer, nothing but nothing limits your future upgrade potential (not to mention the life expectancy of the computer!) more than a cheap motherboard...Caviar black is really out of your price range for a $500 computer. You need to be looking at caviar blue. It's quality on a budget. Black is basically the cadillac of 7200rpm hard drives.
 

xydin

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2009
69
0
18,630
I've changed my shopping cart a ton, and actually don't have most of the parts listed in the first place in it anymore xD, I can either edit it or post a new list if you want