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New Computer For College?

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Hello, I am going into college for computer engineering and decided on building a new computer for this summer. I would consider myself a gamer because I can spend a considerable amount of time playing games on the PC. Anyways, I am wondering whether the list I will be providing of what I am going to build will be suitable for my roomate. Basically, I am looking for a case to house the following:
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 MOBO
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ San Diego
Crucial Ballistix 2x512mb PC 3200 2-2-2-6
BFG Nvidia 7800 GTX OC 256MB
Western Digital Raptor 74 GB 10k RPM
NEC Black IDE DVD Burner
ASPIRE ATX-AS520W BLACK ATX 520W Power Supply

I am curious as to which case would keep this not too loud as I do plan on overclocking. Also, I am looking for a case that will keep this cool too. As a first time builder, I am open to many changes excluding the RAM and the video card. Also, I am curious as to which fan configuration will work best whether the stock fans with the case or buying custom ones. Water cooling is currently out of the question. I do plan to overclock this some time in the future as well.

Thanks for even reading all this and do look forward to your comments. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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The best mobo for OCing is the DFI Lanparty (nforce 4 ultra)and a close second is the Epox (also nforce 4 ultra)

<b><font color=green>Celibacy is not hereditary<font color=green></b>

Is there any kind of budget limitations for case? If you wanted to go crazy with it, you could spring for one of those superquiet Lian-Li ones. I personally would rather get a 7200 big hard drive but that's all in preference.

If you don't mind me asking, where are you going to school?

I think that the CPU is too expensive for the added performance. It's $150 more expensive than the 3700+ San Diego and it will only add 200MHz to your clock speed.

I don't think that you need SLI with that video card but it's your call.

<b><font color=green>Celibacy is not hereditary<font color=green></b>
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I'm going to University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I have already spent 480 on the GTX card which is a lot. I'm looking to spend anywhere from $60-$150 on a case. I need nice air circulation inside because I can bet the stuff listed above will get rather hot. Would a mid case get too hot?

If you're going to overclock mildly the stock fan is OK, and yeah the parts you chose are great but probably will get hot, and then hotter with the OC.

<b><font color=green>Celibacy is not hereditary<font color=green></b>

Well basically im hoping this computer will last me throughout all 4 years of college. I know I will be upgrading it but the motherboard, chip, powersupply, case, and ram are the only things that I hope to keep around. Your suggesting the 3.7 san diego over the 4ghz one? I initially considered this but figured the extra 200mhz would make a difference overclocked in the long run. Is this not the case?

$480 for that card is amazing lol! As long as it's a decent sized mid tower case I would not expect it to get too hot with adequate fan support of course. What types of cases do you prefer? Do you just want something to stick under the desk, or are you going to light it up and show it off?

The 3700+ rocks, you probably won't need any more than that, so yeah you might as well stuff that $150 in your pocket.

Yeah I was able to get the GTX for 460 because I was able to buy a coupon on ebay for $1.99 for 25% off dell small business purchases. I just signed up for an account and bought it. As far as the case goes, I kind of want a nice one too look at but one that is not too bright or loud so i can keep it on at night in dorm room. I looked at some of the tinted acrylic ones that look real cool but how are they on the cooling factor?

I've seen a couple cool acrylics lately but I've never owned one so I couldn't tell you about cooling. Some acrylics seem like they have fewer fan slots than standard cases. Ya I was going for that dell deal but I got to it too late and they raised the price.

The deal ends at 12:00 tonite EST. If you buy on ebay the coupon you might be able to get away with it provided you are indeed looking for another card at this moment. I don't know about acrylic, after hearing everyone talk about overclocking the 3700+ im more interested into a good cooling case rather than the flashy bells and whistles type. Both would be great but then again you can't have your cake and eat it too.

If you get yourself a good HSF like a Zalman or something if it will fit your board, then you don't really need to worry much about a super-efficient cooling case.

I hear that the Zalman's are quite large. Are they going to interfere with perhaps the RAM slots on the DFI Lanboy SF4 MOBO that I will get? If the HSF does do a good job cooling, perhaps I will go with the clear tinted acrylic case.

I'm not sure but check the Zalman website, they have a chart that lists compatibility with different motherboards. So check that and you'll be sure if it will work or not.

Sorry about that its through my account so its a secured connection. Basically its:
3700+ San Diego
DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939
OCZ OCZ520ADJ ATX 520W Power Supply ($135 a bit much here?)
WD Raptor 74GB @ 10k RPM
NEC DVD BURNER
ZALMAN CNPS7000B-CU 92mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan/Heatsink
+ 1gb crucial ballistix and gtx

I know a lot about computers but dont' have the actual hands on experience in building them with the best hardware. Im basically letting the fate of my computer rest in the hands of reviews and the people here :)  Budget about $1200-1800

Heh, I am an AMD guy. I can do with the cold just can't stand the heat (currently on vaca in Florida). Since I am a beginner at building computers will it be very difficult to put the stuff listed above together? I can get assistance of course but would prefer to do it myself.

Is the 3700+ really better than the 4000+ when both are overclocked?

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by t33lo on 07/14/05 07:59 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

Quote:
Is the 3700+ really better than the 4000+ when both are overclocked

Yes, by a little. The 3700 has a higher memory bus speed when OCed ( assuming the mem is running the same ratio). This gives more memory bandwidth and somewhat lower latency, so higher performance.
Everything does just go together, and there is nothing like the feeling of acomplishment when it works.
The most important bit of reading is the manual. Before you buy, download it, and read it thoroughly. Post any questions you like.

Since I hear that the Lanparty motherboard is a bit picky on fitting in HSF's, would it be more beneficial to buy a really good HS and just use the stock fan that comes with the processor?

I was reading som reviews on the Enermax PSU previously posted and it says that it's makes a 20 pin connection with the Lanparty MOBO which has 24 holes. It said that it came with an adapter for the extra 4 pins. Is the adapter worse off than a normal 24 pin connection? I keep hearing people say things such as power shortages etc. can occur. Any thoughtS?
CPUs Expert

It is ATX 12V v2.01 compliant and, therefore, fully supports 24 pin boards. Here is a link to the mfrs<A HREF="http://www.maxpoint.com/home/products/pow_supp/spec_pg/..." target="_new">specs</A>. Take a look at the pics of the connectors. There is a detachable 4-pin so the PSU can support either 20p or 24p mobos, but it is not an adapter.

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Awsome, now that I got most of the parts for my computer (thanks for all teh advice and suggestions) is it actually hard to build it? Any tips regarding the installation of certain hardware or the order in which to do it?

P.S. can i buy a temperature guage to put in a empty bay? If so how is that installed?

Sorry that I didn't answer yesterday.
I didn't log in in the afternoon.
But it looks like you got a lot of help though.
Tips for building?
Read the FAQs in the motherboard forum, and if you aren't sure of how to do something post it here before you do something stupid.

Good luck :smile:

<b><font color=green>Celibacy is not hereditary<font color=green></b>
CPUs Expert

Agree with dunk - read the FAQs in the following forums: HDD, CPU, motherboards and graphics card. These will give you a good base knowledge for assembling your PC. Also very important - read your mobo manual and ALL of its installation/setup instructions. That will save you a lot of heartache and needless posts here. Assembly - if done carefully - is the easy. The hard part is finding out what parts you want in your system! Good luck with the build and post here if you run itno any problems.

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<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

Building really isn't difficult at all. LED's might trip you up a little bit but that's all in the manual. The rest of it is pretty much common sense, as long as you don't put the floppy on backwards you should be fine :p 

By temperature gauge I'm guessing you mean like an LCD display with case/cpu temperatures?

Wow your system sounds like the one I built for college. Only with a 7800 stead of my ati 850xt. Where you going for college? And yea, building a pc is like building w/ really expensive lego pieces. Easy to do, just don't drop your screwdriver on your mobo or something dumb like that.

I'm going to University of Massachusetts @ Amherst. Our computers probably are similar because we both shopped for the best products at Newegg :) 

Is there something you can buy (at newegg) that sits in one of the empty bays of your case that gives you various temp readings? What is it called if newegg doesn't happen carry it?<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by t33lo on 07/15/05 03:43 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

I was looking over various processors, How does the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester compare to the 3700+ San Diego?

sorry about double post

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by t33lo on 07/16/05 04:26 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
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