Building my own computer

[Doug5984]

My computer is on its last leg and I've decided to go ahead and build my own this time. It will be my first time doing so, is there any advice anyone can give me?

I found this website http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/step/1/
and it seems to be pretty helpful. I'm looking to spend under $1,000 and I would like a pretty good system. What website should I order from, and are there any brands that I should stay away from...any that I should def. get? My roommate is telling me to get a dual processor, is that good advice if I'm trying to stay under 1k?

Any help would be appreciated

thanks,
-doug

[the_meanstrosity]

There are a few options you can do. If this is your first time, I would suggest purchasing a motherboard, cpu, and RAM combo from someone like Monarch Computers (http://www.monarchcomputer.com). They normally build and test the parts prior to shipping them out. That way you are certain of not getting a bad board, cpu, or memory.

Did your friend suggest a dual processor or a dual core? There's no way you'll stay under $1000 if you go dual processor. You'd have to skimp a lot on other pieces and that wouldn't be the smart way to go.

Tech Report has a system guide that they created that they termed the "Grand Experiment". They even have an alternative "Grand Experiment" that offers other options. It's a quality system and these guys normally know their stuff when it comes to pc hardware. I'll put the two links below.

http://www.techreport.com/etc/2005q4/system-guide/index.x?pg=4

http://www.techreport.com/etc/2005q4/system-guide/index.x?pg=5

I forgot to add some of the shops. As jbmagic stated, NewEgg.com isn't bad especially if there's an item you may need to RMA (motherboard, RAM, CPU, etc). ZipZoomFly.com is another quality online store.

You can use websites like resellerratings.com to compare prices from different online vendors. Same with froogle.com.

[jbmagic]

Newegg web site is a good place to order cpu parts

[timmynausea]

I use pricewatch.com to find cheap computer parts, but since you're ordering a bunch of stuff you're probably better off to get it all from newegg.

[timmynausea]

http://www.sharkyextreme.com/

This site has recommendations for what to buy with various budgets. In fact, they have a $1000 budget article from last month up right here:
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/MVGSBG/article.php/3569696

[Doug5984]

XION Black XION II XON-103 SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W Power Supply
Model #: XON-103
$64.99

Scythe SCKF-800 80mm 2 Ball Case Cooling Fan
Model #: SCKF-800
$5.99

Intel BOXD915GEVLK Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 915G ATX Intel Motherboard
Model #: BOXD915GEVLK
$108.00

connect3D 3038 Radeon X800GTO 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
Model #: 3038
$176.00

Intel Pentium 4 3.0E Prescott 800MHz FSB Socket 478 Processor Model BX80546PG3000E
Model #: BX80546PG3000E
$188.00

A-DATA Vitesta 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model ADBGC1A16K
Model #: ADBGC1A16K
$163.50

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6L160P0 160GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: 6L160P0
$75.00

SONY Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1615/B2s - OEM
Model #: DDU1615/B2s
$22.00
Subtotal: $803.48

So this is what I came up with rather quickly, would anyone here have any advice with this? Do they all look compatible, does that seem like a solid system? Where would you make some changes? I used newegg to get prices and everything. Most importantly is there anything I am leaving out?

[cartman]

Another site I've found that is comparable to newegg.com is zipzoomfly.com.

That looks like a pretty solid system for $800. Not sure how good the on-board sound is on that Intel MB, so the only other potential item I would add would be a sound card. But that can always be done later if the on-board sound doesn't fit your needs.

[timmynausea]

I'm not an Intel guy so I could be mistaken, but I think you've got a mismatch with your cpu and motherboard. The cpu is a 478 and the socket on the motherboard is LGA 775.

[the_meanstrosity]

I think you'd get a better bang for the buck going with an AMD processor and nvidia4 motherboard. Plus the AMD units seem to draw less power and don't get as hot as their Intel counterparts.

Also, the RAM you have chosen may not work on the Intel motherboard. I know a number of the newer Intel motherboards only use DDR2 RAM. AMD based motherboards currently use DDR, but their next generation builds will be DDR2.

I'd think about getting a NEC or Benq DVD burner. They can be had for about $40.

I'm not a big Maxtor (hard drive) fan. I'd look instead at Seagate, Hitachi, and Western Digital. You can usually get rebates included on those drives which would knock the price down.

[jeff061]

If you're not going Dell go AMD.

[timmynausea]

I've always gone with AMD as well.

[lytic]

I recommend Newegg.com, like several others.

You didn't state what you want your PC to do BTW. That's a big help when ordering parts.

[Doug5984]

I recommend Newegg.com, like several others.

You didn't state what you want your PC to do BTW. That's a big help when ordering parts.

I used to be a pretty big gamer and hopefully I would have time to do that some more. Something that could run Civilization, City of Heroes...so nothing to great. Mainly all I do right now is use instant messanger, browse the internet, and listen to music. After my night class tonight I am going to try to piece together another machine, and post it.

Thanks to everyone for their help, i think i'm getting close to having an idea of what i'm doing :D

[BigDPW]

If you are looking for a custom built high quality computer with excellent support I highly recommend Puget Sound Systems (www.pugetsytems.com (http://www.pugetsytems.com))...

I purchased from there after having had an alienware for 4 years and I am very satisfied with my decision... You pick every part from MoBo to specific brand of RAM much like if you were building it yourself... Not from certain set parts that are allowed like Alienware...

[BigDPW]

DOLA:

You can also email back and forth with there consultant prior to purchase even giving them your budget and goals/uses and they will assist you in making the best purchase for the price...

[Godzilla Blitz]

Good for you! Good luck with it. I made my first computer a couple of years ago and it was great fun. Only way to go for me from now on out.

Some stuff in this thread might be helpful, although I'd guess most of the technical specs are out-of-date:
Building a Computer Thread (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=15565&page=2&pp=50&highlight=build+computer+newegg)

[sterlingice]

I'll third or fourth or whatever newegg as I've built my last two computers and my wifes with parts from there and have never had a problem.

Same with AMD over Intel.

SI

[the_meanstrosity]

I used to be a pretty big gamer and hopefully I would have time to do that some more. Something that could run Civilization, City of Heroes...so nothing to great. Mainly all I do right now is use instant messanger, browse the internet, and listen to music. After my night class tonight I am going to try to piece together another machine, and post it.

Thanks to everyone for their help, i think i'm getting close to having an idea of what i'm doing :D

Are you interested in playing any of the new First Person Shooter games like Call of Duty 2, Fear, etc? Those will definitely push what video card you should purchase. If you're just playing Civ like games then you won't need to purchase a $200-$400 video card.

Here's a listing of some of the hardware I would look at.

Case: If you need a power supply, I'd think about grabbing an Antec case. The Antec power supplies are quality and the cases are as well. The Antec Solution SLK2650-BQE is a solid mid-tower case. If you just need a case then there are a lot of choices. Get one that you can easily build in. I've had good luck with my Coolermaster Centurion 530. The case is really a personal preference based on the ease of working in it and the appearance. Also, I would grab a case that has 120mm fans rather than 80mm. It's just so much quieter and cooler in my opinion.

Case Fans: ($10-$15 each) Enermax Adjustible 120mm fans.

CPU: ($210) AMD Athlon 64 (939) 3700+ 1MB San Diego (single core)

Motherboard: ($100-$120) EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra or Abit AN8 Ultra. If you were interested in the dual video cards from SLI, you could look at the SLI version of the Abit AN8 SLI.

RAM: ($100-$140 depending on rebates) Corsair Value Select RAM ( 2 x 1 GB stick for 2 GB total)

Video Card: ($200) eVGA GeForce 6800 GS 256MB

Hard Drive: Hitachi, Western Digital, or Seagate are the brands I would stick with. I would probably go with SATA rather than IDE, but that's just on personal preference since there isn't a huge performance increase one way or the other.

DVD Burner: ($40) NEC ND-3540A or Benq 1640. They can deliver great results with quality 3rd party firmware which is very simple to install.

[jeff061]

Agree with meanstrosity on nearly everything but the video card. I'm not a eVGA fan at all, go with the BFG Geforce 6800GS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143045) hands down. BFG, as far as I'm concerned, is one of the best hardware manufacturers out there, their support is second to none. They have that reputation and I've experienced it when my card started overheating.

Really, if you follow his suggestions you'll get a smokin system at a good price with plenty of room to upgrade.

[Doug5984]

AMD-compatible Motherboards
EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #: EP-9NPA+Ultra
$105.00

ATX Computer Cases
Antec Solution SLK2650-BQE Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply
Model #: SLK2650-BQE
$75.00

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
NEC Black IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM
$39.75

Fans, Heatsinks (Case, CPU, Chipset)
AeroCool TURBINE 2000 120mm Sleeve Case Cooling Fan
Model #: Turbine 2000
$14.99

Internal Hard Drives
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA NCQ 3Gb/s ST3160812AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3160812AS
$87.00

Memory - System
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS2GBKIT533D2 -
Model #: VS2GBKIT533D2
$148.00

Processors
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3700BNBOX
$223.00

Video Cards
BFG Tech BFGR68256GSOC Geforce 6800GS 256MB GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card
Model #: BFGR68256GSOC
$194.99

Total: $887

Well this is what I put together tonight, just about what I was looking to spend. Can anyone tell me if everything here looks compatable / a solid set up? I pretty much followed the advice here, so I'm assuming it will all work but I want to just double check before I go ahead and start ordering parts.

Thanks again for all the help!

[jbmagic]

be sure the motherboard is jumperless. much easier to install.

[jeff061]

I think all motherboards are jumperless now. Looks like a very solid system, amazing what you can get for relativley low money. Couple things, one critical.

That video card won't work, my fault, I linked to it. You need a PCI-Express card, not a AGP card. I couldn't find a BFG PCI-Express card for that chipset, not sure if they make one.

I'd also suggest getting a sound card. This (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102001)should be fine. Or you can get the Audigy ZS for another $50 on top of that.

[jeff061]

List of video cards at New Egg that will work. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2000380048+70001424+70001506+4017&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=48)

Purely by process of elimination of the other companies(I've had issues with all three) I'd go with the XFX, but honestly I don't know much about it.

[the_meanstrosity]

The DDR2 RAM is incompatible with the Socket 939 motherboard. You'll want to purchase DDR SDRAM probably of the DDR400 aka PC3200 variety. DDR2 RAM is currently used on newer Intel systems and on the next generation AMD systems that are due out in April.

Here is a link to the Corsair Value Select brand of the type you're looking for. I can't say for certain that the Corsair Value Select will work with the Epox motherboard, but it should.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145579

The Antec case comes with a single 120mm fan, but I believe it takes two. You could probably hold off on the second fan until the summer months. It's fairly easy to add on later. So you could skip the 120mm fans if you'd like.

AMD-compatible Motherboards
EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #: EP-9NPA+Ultra
$105.00

Fans, Heatsinks (Case, CPU, Chipset)
AeroCool TURBINE 2000 120mm Sleeve Case Cooling Fan
Model #: Turbine 2000
$14.99


Memory - System
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS2GBKIT533D2 -
Model #: VS2GBKIT533D2
$148.00

Processors
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3700BNBOX
$223.00

[the_meanstrosity]

Good call on the soundcard, jeff. It's really up to you on whether you need a soundcard or not. I believe the Epox Ultra motherboard has on-board sound so you could certainly use that and get by easily. If I were you, I'd go with the onboard audio first and see if that works for you. If not you can always add a soundcard later.

If you are interested in soundcards, I'll put a list of some of them with their price.

Top Choice within budget: ($115) Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 8 (7.1) Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card. This is one of the newer soundcards and is incredible from everything I've heard. The drivers are still maturing so that could be an issue, but I've heard good things about this soundcard.

Next Two: ($75) Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS OEM version and ($25) CHAINTECH AV-710 8 (7.1) Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card. The Chaintech card is more for music and possibly movies. It's a great deal for $25. I have the Audigy2 ZS and I've been very happy with it. It's great for games due to the surround sound setup with surround sound speakers.

[the_meanstrosity]

Also, I just saw this Antec case was one that was suggested in the same guide as I previously linked. It may be a better choice due to the newer power supply versus my previous recommendation. I have the older version of this case and it's one of the more popular cases made.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129163

I found it at Amazon for $92 and free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009WMD54/ref=nosim/002-5172992-4825664?n=172282

[the_meanstrosity]

AMD-compatible Motherboards
EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #: EP-9NPA+Ultra
$105.00

ATX Computer Cases
Antec SLK3800B ATX Mid-Tower Case
Model #: SLK3800B
$93.00 with free shipping at Amazon

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
NEC Black IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM
$39.75

Fans, Heatsinks (Case, CPU, Chipset)
None unless you want to.

Internal Hard Drives
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA NCQ 3Gb/s ST3160812AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3160812AS
$87.00

Memory - System
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) System Memory - Retail
Model #: VS2GBKIT400C3
$165.00

Processors
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3700BNBOX
$223.00

Video Cards
XFX PVT42GUAD7 Geforce 6800GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: BFGR68256GSOC
$199.00

Sound Card
Onboard and then perhaps later you could add a sound card if you decide to.

Network Interface Card
Onboard unless you want wireless and then you can purchase that later.

Total: $912

I scratched this quickly together to show you some of my thoughts.

You could probably get a better deal on the hard drive if you kept an eye on rebates, etc. Definitely stick with Hitachi, Western Digital, and Seagate.

You could also downgrade the video card if you'd like to something at the $100-$125 range depending on your gaming preferences. I have a video card that's 3 years old and I'm still able to play most games. Only some of the newer First Person Shooter games would pose a problem.

You could also downgrade the CPU. I chose the Athlon 3700+ because it's a good bang for your buck CPU right now. You could drop down to a Athlon 3000+ and be in the $150 range.

If you need more information or have any questions I'll try to drop by later tonight and check the forums. There are plenty of options for you. This year there will be a lot of changes in the industry, but you should be able to build yourself a quality PC now that should last you a couple of years easy.

[sterlingice]

Doug and I were talking on AIM for quite a while last night so I'll bring up some of what we were talking about. For instance, I had already talked him down to the PC3200 RAM as the DDR2 was useless for that mobo. That and the lack of need for a fan- almost all cases come with case fans.

We were kicking around the merits of the Venice chips (3200 for $160, 3500 for $201) versus the San Diego 3700, looking at the benches on Tom's Hardware. Ultimately you give up a little performance but for $50. I think he had decided on the San Diego still, tho.

The case is an interesting, well, case (pun kindof intended). Build-it-yourselfers, we all like to try and find spots to cut corners and save cash. That's why we're doing this after all. But you're paying a lot of money for the name on the case when you go with Antec. For instance, I got this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811156135) over a year ago for $50 and free shipping and haven't had any real problems. LEDs all work, case door works fine, pretty solid case, particularly for that price, 3 fans, 420W power supply, etc. One design flaw in that the USB access is on the bottom but I had an enclosure sitting around with USB ports that I put in one of the bays.

Ok, I've lost my thread, but the point is, if you limit your search to Antec cases, you're going to be paying a lot extra for a minimal quality upgrade over some of these other cases. The Antec case rates 4 "eggs" from customers over 200 reviews just like a lot of other quality cases that cost a lot less. And it's not without its faults either (a 350W power supply, that stupid bar across the top and fan vent on the side to make it more cramped).

Also, ran across a Western Digital 250 GB hard drive at Circuit City (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Western-Digital-Internal-Hard-Drive-WD2500JBRTL-/sem/rpsm/oid/70860/catOid/-12976/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do?sourceid=qIqsQ88iBEshATGUDB9L&affiliateid=20026380&carriage=befree) (bless those asshats at Fat Wallet- tho they were trying to price match down to $30 but that's another story) this week for $149 with two $40 rebates for $69 after the fact. However, it's IDE and not SATA. Still, I've got no problems with IDE- both of my HDs are and the seek, write, and latency times are almost identical between that and the Seagate on Newegg.

The one thing I'm just not sold on in this "updated" setup is the mobo. The USB problems look like they plague this mobo and are still from fairly new reviews. Never mind that the support is downright awful but I think that's true of all mobo companies. Additionally, everything on the board is just laid out poorly- the power cord, the PCI Express slots, etc. I'm not saying that it's awful, but if there's a better one out there, I'd be curious to see it. For instance, the ASUS with the same chipset (nForce 4 Ultra) has problems with the SATA controller and memory controller so maybe it's something systemic with that chipset.

Never mind that I completely missed that it was a PCI Express board so the graphics card will have to change :(

SI

[jeff061]

I wouldn't take a noname power supply if I was paid to. You are not just getting an Antec case you are getting the Antec power supply. Plus rattles tend to be less and the case easier to deal with, get what you want though ;).

I'd also stick with a SATA and don't know the specifics of problems with the nForce 4 Ultra, so I won't comment.

[Doug5984]

at the advice of SI- I'm putting this up to get a few comments before I go ahead and order everthing tomorrow...

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
NEC Black IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM
$39.75

ATX Computer Cases
Antec Solution SLK2650-BQE Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: SLK2650-BQE
Item #: N82E16811129148
$75.00

Internal Hard Drives
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA NCQ 3Gb/s ST3160812AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3160812AS
$87.00

AMD-compatible Motherboards
EPoX EP-9NPA+ SLi Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: EP-9NPA+ SLi
$137.00

Video Cards
XFX PVT42GUAD7 Geforce 6800GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: PVT42GUAD7
$199.00

Memory
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS2GBKIT400C3 - Retail
Model #: VS2GBKIT400C3
$165.00

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3700BNBOX
$223.00

Subtotal: $925.75

I'm pretty sure that all that is compatable, and it looks good to me (but I dont really know what i'm talking about :p )

[the_meanstrosity]

si,

I'm with Jeff on the Antec power supply. Yes, you pay more for the Antec name, but you're also getting a quality power supply which in my opinion makes it a good value. My current case is a Coolermaster and I like it more than the Antec cases. But I also already owned a quality power supply.

I agree with you on the CPU. I threw that in my last post as a possibility of moving the cost down if that was something he was interested in. The 3700+ Venice is a great buy considering the processing power, but there are definitely cheaper alternatives that are good buys as well.

Good find on the WD hard drive. I looked at Fatwallet, but couldn't find any hard drive deals at the moment. I did see a Seagate deal at MicroCenter, but it was brick and mortar and not online purchases.

The motherboards are all like that. Every one of them has an issue. You have to take a lesser evil option essentially. My personal preference would be to go with Abit or Asus, but Epox has been a good brand as well and it was on the guide that I sent originally in this thread.

[yabanci]

A 350 wt power supply is insufficient for an nforce4 board. The manual for the Epox 9NPA states: "The board requires a minimum of 400 Watt power supply to operate. Your system configuration (amount of memory, add-in cards, peripherals, etc.) may exceed this minimum power requirement. To ensure
adequate power, for SLi mode use a 550 Watt or greater power supply."

You should go with the Antec Sonata II case. It is a better case, better power supply, and quieter.

You should also consider the Zalman CNPS7700 and ZM-NB47J. Stock cooling in an nforce4 system is loud as hell.

[sterlingice]

yabanci- Oof. $165 for a case and fan. I don't think he's building a super gaming rig. Isn't that a ton of overkill.

meanstrosity: I have an Asus and it's pretty stable. There are still some little glitches that I suspect are from it and the Radeon clashing but it's much more stable than the Soyo Dragon I had before. But that's just one example. My wife has some cheap thing that I put in there and it works just fine for her. That pretty much illustrates the problem of anecdotal evidence. I'm not saying you're doing this, but always in shopping, in the computer community, I see a lot of "I bought it so it must be the best out there" recomendations so it's tough to know what to believe when reading stuff.

SI

[yabanci]

yabanci- Oof. $165 for a case and fan. I don't think he's building a super gaming rig. Isn't that a ton of overkill.

not sure where you get your prices, but the Sonata II is $99 at newegg.

[sterlingice]

not sure where you get your prices, but the Sonata II is $99 at newegg.That was for the case and fan you listed as well as the shipping (which is always killer on cases).

SI

[path12]

If you are looking for a custom built high quality computer with excellent support I highly recommend Puget Sound Systems (www.pugetsytems.com (http://www.pugetsytems.com))...

I purchased from there after having had an alienware for 4 years and I am very satisfied with my decision... You pick every part from MoBo to specific brand of RAM much like if you were building it yourself... Not from certain set parts that are allowed like Alienware...

My computer is from Puget Sound also and I have had no problems in the two years or so that I've had it......haven't even had to worry about upgrades to this point (though it's getting time for a new graphic card sometime this year)....

[Easy Mac]

man, i just built a computer, and you guys put me to shame. Granted, it was an insane budget computer, but still.

Case (450 watt PS) - 30
TUL MB, w/pci-xpress - $39
Sempron 2600+ 64 - 60
2 x 512 mb 3200 ram - 72 (1 gb)
80 gb 7200 hd - 47
PCI-X ATI X600 256 - 60
Fans/controller/splitters... - 40
XP Home - 60
DVD Rom - 17
Total - 425

Luckily, I was able to save some money b/c I already had a DVD-RW, 2 pvr-150s and a 200 gb hd. I also got a 20 inch monitor for 80 with shipping (CRT) and I'm getting another HD PVR card (can't get the current one to work in the new computer), so 80 more. Since we have a lot of computer experts, did paying 425 for the parts mean I overpaid. Is paying $585 too much to essentially build an HD PVR with a 20 inch screen, plays music (entire music collection), burns/rips dvds and records in HD, and has every nintendo, snes and genesis game? And I've tested some hd video, it can handle it, and its been running non-stop for 4 days, heat is at 31 degrees for the system.

[lytic]

Best Mobo for the money (after you upgrade the BIOS): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131584
...and I bought it myself and am using it now. I am VERY happy with it!

[Doug5984]

a huge thanks to everyone who helped me.
I ordered everything this past weekend, got in all the parts last night after my night class...and am finished setting up everything and getting all my settings to the way I like them. I don't have any new games to really test the machine right now, but so far it is running great!!!

[the_meanstrosity]

Not a problem. If you don't mind me asking, what did your final setup include?

[Doug5984]

Antec Sonata II case
with/

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
NEC Black IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM
$39.75

Internal Hard Drives
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA NCQ 3Gb/s ST3160812AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3160812AS
$87.00

AMD-compatible Motherboards
EPoX EP-9NPA+ SLi Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: EP-9NPA+ SLi
$137.00

Video Cards
XFX PVT42GUAD7 Geforce 6800GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: PVT42GUAD7
$199.00

Memory
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS2GBKIT400C3 - Retail
Model #: VS2GBKIT400C3
$165.00

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3700BNBOX
$223.00

Total: 1005.67 including shipping / tax and all that good stuff

[jbmagic]

did the building of your cpu go smoothly?

[Doug5984]

did the building of your cpu go smoothly?


everything went very smoothly- the only areas I had a little trouble with were all dumb user error- forgetting to plug a fan in at first...little stuff. Took a few minutes to get the sound working, but thanks to SI I got that and everything is running great.

[jeff061]

Good to hear, thats a hell of a system.

[the_meanstrosity]

That's a really nice system and you shouldn't have to upgrade the CPU or anything like that for a while. Congrats on the new pc.

[Anthony]

i'll post the specs of my MEGA PC, the rig i'm gonna use for media (mostly video editing, tv and some light gaming). i only have one more part to buy - the CPU. i'm going to purchase the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400 (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103546) at the end of this month. I've been buying the parts since early November, 2005.

Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI Socket 939 (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128301)

Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144160)

Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144392)

SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817151025)

HP DVD740i 16X Internal Double Layer DVD Writer (https://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=170669)

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119077)

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16821103116)

[Philliesfan980]

i'll post the specs of my MEGA PC, the rig i'm gonna use for media (mostly video editing, tv and some light gaming). i only have one more part to buy - the CPU. i'm going to purchase the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400 (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103546) at the end of this month. I've been buying the parts since early November, 2005.

Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI Socket 939 (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128301)

Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144160)

Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144392)

SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817151025)

HP DVD740i 16X Internal Double Layer DVD Writer (https://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=170669)

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119077)

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16821103116)

Wow thats a hefty price for a CPU! Don't you think you could get a much better price for only a little performance loss if you went with a 3800?

edit:

also what about the video card?

[Anthony]

Wow thats a hefty price for a CPU! Don't you think you could get a much better price for only a little performance loss if you went with a 3800?

edit:

also what about the video card?

well, here's the thing - i was all prepared to buy the 4200 which in December was going for $497. i want a rig that will last me for the next 5 years or so. now the 4200 is going for $400 or less, and now the 4400 is going for less than what i would have spent for the 4200. so it kinda makes sense to just go for the 4400. i could buy the 3800 today if i so chose, but since i have nothing else to spend my money on (due to me decreasing my partying with the boys and not playing video games anymore i have a little more disposable income) i decided to go for the 4400.

i'm going to do research on the card now. i only just recently decided i might want to use this Mega PC for watching tv up in my office, since right now i have an old tv up here on the floor with those rabbit ears antennaes. i wasn't aware you can hook up cable to your PC nowadays so i never considered that option. i was thisclose to picking up a GeoForce 6200 but i'm glad i held off cuz now i want tv capability.

[Philliesfan980]

well, here's the thing - i was all prepared to buy the 4200 which in December was going for $497. i want a rig that will last me for the next 5 years or so. now the 4200 is going for $400 or less, and now the 4400 is going for less than what i would have spent for the 4200. so it kinda makes sense to just go for the 4400. i could buy the 3800 today if i so chose, but since i have nothing else to spend my money on (due to me decreasing my partying with the boys and not playing video games anymore i have a little more disposable income) i decided to go for the 4400.

I hear ya. That should be a fun system! Nice HDD setup also.

[Anthony]

i just don't know what i should do video card-wise. i don't know much about video cards, to be honest. i know i want tv capability (need a jack to connect cable to). you can get a GeoForce 6200 for about $60, however 6800 is probably now considered "the norm" with the $200+ 7800 now the high end card. i know i need PCI Express, but other than that i don't know what's good - Radeon or GeoForce.

[Philliesfan980]

i just don't know what i should do video card-wise. i don't know much about video cards, to be honest. i know i want tv capability (need a jack to connect cable to). you can get a GeoForce 6200 for about $60, however 6800 is probably now considered "the norm" with the $200+ 7800 now the high end card. i know i need PCI Express, but other than that i don't know what's good - Radeon or GeoForce.

I'm not an expert by any means with video cards, but not wanting to harp on the CPU subject, you might want to shift some of those CPU dollars into your video card budget. I think you'll get an overall better product that way.

[Anthony]

I'm not an expert by any means with video cards, but not wanting to harp on the CPU subject, you might want to shift some of those CPU dollars into your video card budget. I think you'll get an overall better product that way.

i'm thinking of just going with a $60 GeoForce and a $40 tv card. it's much easier to upgrade a video card than a cpu, which is why i'm eager to get the "big stuff" out of the way now (ie, important hardware such as the cpu). i totally see what you're saying, though. my everyday pc that i use now is a P4 2.4 ghz, so when i get that Athlon 64 X2 4400 (which has 2 2.4 cores) i'll essentially have a mega pc that has the computing power of two of my current pcs. i like that. thanks for your thoughts and observations though, always good to look at things from different angles. :cool:

[Philliesfan980]

Someone please interject! You're going to really do a disservice to spend all that money on the rest of your system and then go cheap on the video card.

[sterlingice]

Someone please interject! You're going to really do a disservice to spend all that money on the rest of your system and then go cheap on the video card.Yeah, Philliesfan is right. You're spending all that cash on a super system that's going to be bottlenecked at the graphics card. All the computing power in the world means nothing if you have too little RAM or a lousy graphics card. You're going to end up paying $1500 for the performance of a $500 machine because it's so uneven. It's like putting a ferrari engine in a VW bug: great, so you have the power but you can't push the car past 65 without it falling apart.

Forget the second hard drive- those are really easy to add later and you don't need it nearly as bad as you need to put that extra $150 towards a $200ish graphics card. Especially if you're doing movie editing.

SI

[the_meanstrosity]

If you want to play any of the newer FPS games then you'll want a video card that will cost about $200-$300. Nvidia's GeForce is the better card at this time over ATI. I would look at the GeForce 6800 GS at least and possibly the Geforce 7800 GT.

As for the CPU, I would look for the Opteron 165 over the 4400. I believe it's still cheaper even with the recent AMD price cuts. The Opteron 165 has some very good overclocking settings that will get you some very good performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=Go&DEPA=0&description=Opteron%20165

[Anthony]

i don't think you guys understand:

1. all the parts have been purchased, save for the CPU and the graphics card. the mobo i have is compatible only with AMD.

2. this is going to be primarily a video editing rig. there'll only be minimal usage on gaming. the ratio of video editing to gaming will be something like 70/30. i just don't need the latest and greatest video card. i need processing power and speed. the graphics card plays no role in being able to burn DVDs, port over footage from a digicam without losing video quality, being able to quickly convert from one media to another, render special effects.

3. video cards aren't the end-all, be-all - you still have to have a monitor with excellent resolution to exploit a high end graphics card; my brother in law offered to selll me his flat screen monitor for $50, and if he's selling his flat screen monitor to me at that price i can only assume it's not going to be anything spectacular. if you don't have a good enough monitor it's like watching DVD's through a CRT tv.

when building a rig, it's important to note what the intended usage will be for, that way when you're assembling the parts you aren't paying for features you aren't going to need and you can apply your money to those features which are more pertinent to that tasks you plan on doing.

[Anthony]

case in point, in doing research to back up my claim regarding the (non)importance of a video card in the video editing forum i frequent, i found this topic (http://www.videoforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7338) which pretty much prooves my point.

and another quote from the same forum (but different topic):

"The 3 things that define how quick you machine renders are: RAM, CPU & Disks. - You GFX card has nothing to do with rendering.

More ram, a faster CPU and a faster disk setup will sort it."

[the_meanstrosity]

The mobo you have will use the AMD Opteron 165 that I suggested. If I remember correctly the Opteron 1xx series were created for servers, but can be used in desktops. It's a dual core processor which may be useful in the video editing use you noted earlier in this thread. The Opteron 165 or 175 can be overclocked to similar speeds as the 3800 and 4400, but they are normally cheaper.

As for the video card, you are correct if your only pc use is video editing. RAM and CPU are the best way to go there. But you stated there would be some game play hence why I suggested the 6800 GTS.

PS: Just an FYI, the two video cards being discussed in your link are for laptops and not desktops.

[Anthony]

it's finally complete. while i didn't wind up getting the X2 4400 (decided to apply the $100 i saved and upgrade the video card i was planning on getting so now i can at least use my video editing rig to play some games), i'm happy with everything i've aquired thus far. here are the last two parts:

eVGA Geforce 6800XT (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130261)

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200 (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103547)

now it's just a matter of seeing what programs i can get off ebay and maybe springing $40 for a decent soundcard/speakers. don't need anything fancy at all, my everyday PC will be on the same desk and if i want to hear music or anything i'll use that. can't wait till i get my parts in the mail and build this thing (with the help of someone who's done it countless times before, mind you).

here is the rest of my mega pc, for those that care:

Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI Socket 939 (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128301)

Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144160)

Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144392)

SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817151025)

HP DVD740i 16X Internal Double Layer DVD Writer (https://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=170669)

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119077)

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16821103116)