Building A New Computer
<div class="IPBDescription">Looking for advice</div> I'd like your guys' opinions on these computer parts. I'm mainly looking for stuff that will be stable but nothing too fancy as I don't have all the money in the world to spend <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> . Anyways, any advice you guys have is more than welcome.
MOTHERBOARD : ASUS K8N4-E DELUXE Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $114.00
TOWER : ASPIRE X-Dreamer II ATXB4KLW-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 420W Power Supply - Retail $55.00
HARD DRIVE : Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST380011A 80GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM $59.00
RAM : Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model KVR400X64C3AK2/1G - Retail $82.77
PROCESSOR : AMD Athlon 64 2800+ Newcastle Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 754 Processor Model ADA2800BOX - Retail $121.00
VIDEO CARD : ASUS EN6600/TD/256 Geforce 6600 256MB DDR PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail $130.00
All prices are off of newegg.com, and thanks in advance for all the help. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
EDIT : Total price is : $563.60
MOTHERBOARD : ASUS K8N4-E DELUXE Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $114.00
TOWER : ASPIRE X-Dreamer II ATXB4KLW-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 420W Power Supply - Retail $55.00
HARD DRIVE : Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST380011A 80GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM $59.00
RAM : Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model KVR400X64C3AK2/1G - Retail $82.77
PROCESSOR : AMD Athlon 64 2800+ Newcastle Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 754 Processor Model ADA2800BOX - Retail $121.00
VIDEO CARD : ASUS EN6600/TD/256 Geforce 6600 256MB DDR PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail $130.00
All prices are off of newegg.com, and thanks in advance for all the help. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
EDIT : Total price is : $563.60
Comments
Lol that's what everyone keeps saying <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->, but I don't think I'll need one. Right now I have a 40gb hard drive with 14gigs still free.
You might as well get a 200GB SATA. It gives you more space for the price, and you can continue using it even after an upgrade.
The rest is fine. Well, I'm not sure about the PSU, but I don't really know much about them and I won't bother checking the specs. As long as you know it got what you need and isn't complete crap, it'll do fine.
Okay. Good PC as I said before, but I still reccomend ATi over NVidia(better overall).Edit: Note that is for the video card. Mobo = good, being the NForces flippin rock.
With that price tag, I'll have to save and get that. Alex, tell me before you order this, so we can set up together <3
Keep looking. Newegg has seemed to get stupid lately(?), and getting a x600 all-in-wonder means you could get a X600 for about $120 or so(WTH?!). All-in-wonder has a ton of extra capabilities you don't need.
If you have maybe 40 bucks more for a vid card, u should get an x700, it gets mych better performance than an x600. And if you don't have all that much more, go for a 6600 GT, the GT basically means a faster core and generally better quality parts.
Socket 939 is also something I reccomend, 400 more MHz on the HT bus and dual channel support, you really can't go wrong.
BTW, the cpu you are planning on now is fine (unless you want a 3000 or 3200 skt. 939) but it will probably struggle somewhat with games in the future. Especially on things like HL² which is MUCH more cpu limited than any other game. Needless to say you will still be running all high settings in HL² with fps to spare with your current setup.
As for the ram, I have liked my kingston value ram, but there is other simmilar performance ram for cheaper, so it may be worth a consideration. Just because you see names like OCZ, Mushkin, Geil, Patriot, and Corsair less often dosen't mean they make bad ram (those five I actually highly reccomend, good prices and excellent performance.)
All in wonder cards have a built in TV tuner, they generally overclock less, and are slightly more prone to driver problems. To be perfectly honest, few gamers will reccomend them. Its simpler (though sometimes more expensive) to get a seperate PCI tv tuner.
I think the HDD is okay, I've got a 160 and a 40 in my current comp, but most people don't need that. If you see one though, many 120 or 160 GB harddrives can be only 10 or 20 dollars more, my 160 GB SATA drive was only 90 bucks.
My biggest beef with the HDD is the interface. ATA 100 is many years old, ATA 133 is becoming out of date, SATA is about the same price and instead of 100 MB/sec maximum transfer, you get 150 (plus a better chance of more buffer memory).
I recently put together a couple systems on newegg for set amounts of money. I got a simmilar system with an x600 pro, an 80GB SATA drive, and an Athlon 64 3000 for almost 500 dollars even (just not including monitor or OS). You can do a little better for the price.
It's the only one on newegg that is 939 and has a PCI-Express slot.. also, if I buy a motherboard thats socket 939 do I need to get a processor thats socket 939 as well?
Edit:
Quanaut, if you suggest an X600, you're an idiot. They are just PCI-Express 9600 Pros.
Edit2:
Ugh, the rampant stupidity in some of these suggestions has forced me to conclude that you should consult a HARDWARE FORUM (Anandtech or Hard OCP) for advice.
It's $5 cheaper and its ATA133 so it's slightly better, correct?
I'd stay away from integrated graphics if I were you. It's generally pretty crappy for a gaming computer, so you'll need to buy a new graphics card anyway. Integrated graphics can cause some incompatibility issues with certain types of memory, so don't get it unless you don't plan on getting a graphics card. Also, I'm on the deep end here, but I'd probably get a regular ATX and not a Micro ATX. You may have to change case if you got with a Micro.
On the HDD:
I'd just get a SATA of decent size. It's more future proof, so you can probably use it for as long as it works. Not to mention faster and better, and not that much more expensive.
Try also looking for good brands, Chaintech, Biostar, MSI, Epox, Gigabyte, DFI, Asus, Abit, and Soltek. Other brands are usually cheaper, but there is probably a reason for that, and for the most part, haven't been traditionally as nice a quality. Maybe try this board: <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813152053' target='_blank'>Chaintech nForce 4</a>, it has the PCI-E 16x slot, space for 4 sticks of ram (need pairs for dual channel), gigabit lan, 7.1 audio, 4x SATA connectors, and some extra bells and whistles for playing around with, all for $84.
With the HDD, you really can't go wrong with SATA, try this one maybe: <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822152018' target='_blank'>80 GB SATA</a>, it has 4x the buffer size (moderate speed increase) and is SATA, for only 7 dollars more than the last HDD you posted.
And Rapier, for the most part you have a point, but asking at a new forum probably isnt necissairy. If nothing else, google the name of the component with the word review, and free wisdom will be imparted upon you. (usually, there isn't that many places that do crap reviews....)
What do you think about this ram? : KINGMAX SuperRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model MPXD42D-2K - Retail $75.53
Also, since I changed to a socket 939 motherboard does that mean I need to switch to a 939 processor?
And thank you all again for the help, I really appretiate it. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I prefer nvidia cards, but I'm running a radeon now. 6600's seem pretty good
If you can find an x700 or a 6600 for cheap, they will probably give u best value per dollar.
Ram seems good, I've at least heard of the company too <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
CPU shouldn't be too much of a hastle, i believe the 939s go down to 3000, and will probably soon having a large price drop (when the A64 X2s come out). But who knows...
B) SATA throughput is a myth. The overhead eats up that 'extra' bandwidth, and usually results in SLOWER access times than ATA133. Also, there are virii circulating that will enable the SATA crypto password... the problem is, most nVidia crap mobos don't have the option to turn SATA encrypt on or off. So you're solidly f**ked, if you end up catching one... data recovery specialist time. The only actual advantage is the thinner cables promoting better airflow. Which doesn't mean jack crap, for the most part. Far as I'm concerned, SATA hdds are the next 8-track.
C) Go with a socket 939. The dual-core Ath64s will be coming soon, and you'll be able to just drop-and-swap, instead of needing to re-spend as much in the future.
Also, last I knew, Socket 754 still could utilize dual channel RAM to its utmost just fine.
Since socket 754 is a cheapy version of the athlon 64 (whether intended or not) and memory controllers are integrated into the core, the 754s only have one, while the 939 and 940s have 2.
<a href='http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/processors/socket-939/index_2.shtml' target='_blank'>Good little table thing</a>
ASPIRE X-Dreamer II ATXB4KLW/350 Beige Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply - Retail - $53
CHAINTECH VNF4 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $84
SAPPHIRE 100595L-BL Radeon X700PRO 128MB GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $129
(You can proabably find a better deal if you look on pricewatch or froogle, but I'll leave that up to you.)
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3000BPBOX - Retail - $145.99
CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX1024-3200C2 - Retail - $115
(Regardless of what some people may say about it being too expensive, Corsair ram is the bomb. It pwns all other ram.)
SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series SP0812C 80GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM - $60
(SerialATA=Winner. I've never used a Samsung drive so you might want to ask around before getting one, if you want to spend a little more money I'd get a Western Digital but that's just my personal preference)
And all for a grand total of $586.99 @ Newegg.
That's just what I would do.
That corsair is biggie expensive though, since the timings are like 2-3-2-5 or something crazy-go-nuts. If you go with the corsair value select, its still corsair, and its probably at least 25 bucks cheaper.
And samsung makes half the video memory in existance was well as a whole bunch of other electrical gizmos. I have never heard anything against their HDDs or most of their other products. But if you care, the 80 GB SATA drives from other companies are for the most part within 5 bucks of that price <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
That corsair is biggie expensive though, since the timings are like 2-3-2-5 or something crazy-go-nuts. If you go with the corsair value select, its still corsair, and its probably at least 25 bucks cheaper.
And samsung makes half the video memory in existance was well as a whole bunch of other electrical gizmos. I have never heard anything against their HDDs or most of their other products. But if you care, the 80 GB SATA drives from other companies are for the most part within 5 bucks of that price <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yea but regular corsair ram is just alright, not great. I think the difference in price is well worth it for the performance you gain.
Since socket 754 is a cheapy version of the athlon 64 (whether intended or not) and memory controllers are integrated into the core, the 754s only have one, while the 939 and 940s have 2.
<a href='http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/processors/socket-939/index_2.shtml' target='_blank'>Good little table thing</a> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
ya i think i made a big mistake of going with the 754 socket.
<a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814123148' target='_blank'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814123148</a>
ABIT RX700PRO-256PCIE Radeon X700PRO 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail $154.50
Seriously now, its pretty cheap, and plenty powerful. Shoebox just said it in fewer words. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Seriously now, its pretty cheap, and plenty powerful. Shoebox just said it in fewer words. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
O YA!! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Lol that's what everyone keeps saying <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->, but I don't think I'll need one. Right now I have a 40gb hard drive with 14gigs still free. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thats what I thought when I had 30 gigs/6 free. Then I got a 120 gig drive. I have 4 left.