Building a Computer

[Jeffrey903]

Hey everybody!

I'm building a computer for the first time and I think I have pretty much what I want. I just want your input before I order everything. The prices listed include shipping and there's no tax in NY (It seems that newegg has the best prices on everything, so I think I'm just going to order everything from them)

$352.63 (1) <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-463&amp;depa=0
">AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64 3500+ Processor</a>
$246.00 (2) <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-148-032&amp;depa=0
">Seagate 200GB 7200RPM</a>
$136.00 (1) <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-133-132&amp;depa=0
">Thermaltake VA3000 Dream Tower Black Tsunami VA3000BWA</a>
$86.94 (1) ENERMAX Noisetaker Series 470W Power Supply
$72.99 (1) NEC 8X Dual Layer DVD±RW Drive
$24.00 (1) Optorite IDE/ATAPI 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive
$220.99 (1) GIGABYTE Motherboard for AMD Socket 939 CPU
$316.00 (4) Mushkin 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200
$213.95 (1) SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB

Total - $1,669.50

First, I need to make sure everything is compatible and that it will all fit inside the case. I also need to get all of the cables (does anyone know where I can get cool, glowing cables instead of just normal ones?). Is there anything else that I have to do after that?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ggnl]

Looks like a killer system. There's only a few things I would change.

1. Motherboard. I know mobo selection is kind of limited right now for socket 939, but there seem to be a few boards earning more kudos than the rest. I'm assuming you've read this: Socket 939 Roundup: Battle at the Top

2. Ram. Running 4 sticks puts more strain on the memory controller, requiring you to run higher timings. If you really want 2gb I would suggest looking for 1gb sticks.

3. Video Card. The 9800pro has just recently lost its place as the top value card. I would strongly suggest upgrading to the 6800. It isn't that much more expensive and you'll get a huge performance boost.

Edit: Screwed up teh linky

 

[slackosaurus]

Not bad - however you should seriously consider 2 sticks of 3500 RAM instead of 4 sticks of 3200 especially if you intend on overclocking. I'm not a big fan of Gigabyte MBs - they look nice and are usually loaded with features but I'd still go with Abit or Asus. Get a Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu HS/fan for your CPU and an Arctic Cooling VGA silencer for your graphics card and you'll have yourself a cool and quiet kickass rig. And I would tend to agree with ggnl - the 9800PRO will be pretty basic for the next generation of games (Half Life 2, etc.)

 

[mAsTAd]

Alright, why do u need 2 gigs of ram?? Get 1 gig, then upgrade your graphics card to 6800 for like $80 and get 2x the performance.

 

[slackosaurus]

2 gigs does seem like overkill - I'm doing quite OK with 2 x 256mb

 

[RaNDoMMAI]

Is there an artic cooling VGA silencer for the 6800? i have a pretty quiet system and i dont want to mess it up with a new and uber loud vid card.

~RaNDoM

 

[FreshFish]

Originally posted by: mAsTAd
Alright, why do u need 2 gigs of ram?? Get 1 gig, then upgrade your graphics card to 6800 for like $80 and get 2x the performance.

Yea yea, do what he said, you will be happier

Edit: wait a second, what is this comp going to be used for? If it's gaming, then do what mAsTAd said.

 

[slackosaurus]

The NV Silencer 5 will be available in about 3 weeks
In the meantime there's http://www.gfe.com.hk/product/Geforce_6800GT.htm

 

[Jeffrey903]

Thanks for the replies. I don't do much gaming, so I think I'll leave the current graphics card. I'm probably also only going to go with 1.5GB of RAM instead of 2GB. The prices changed slightly since I first posted this, but nothing drastic.

I'm about ready to order anything, so last minute comments would be appreciated. Also, I still need to find a place to order wires (I really want to get glowing/lightup or something). Does anyone know of anywhere? Thanks again for your help.

Also, is the power supply powerful enough?

 

[Bugalaman]

you have to get an Abit mobo, all others are just CRAP, hehe

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Jeffrey903
Thanks for the replies. I don't do much gaming, so I think I'll leave the current graphics card. I'm probably also only going to go with 1.5GB of RAM instead of 2GB. The prices changed slightly since I first posted this, but nothing drastic.

I'm about ready to order anything, so last minute comments would be appreciated. Also, I still need to find a place to order wires (I really want to get glowing/lightup or something). Does anyone know of anywhere? Thanks again for your help.

Also, is the power supply powerful enough?

Use either two or four memory modules. The motherboard won't run with three.

 

[Jeffrey903]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Use either two or four memory modules. The motherboard won't run with three.

Are you sure?

Also, about the mobos. I currently have the Gigabyte one selected, but you suggested the Abit. Were you serious, or joking? The Abit seems to be about the same as the Gigabyte, but the rating on the Gigabyte is better. Also, the Abit is $100 cheaper, which makes me very suspicious.

 

[mechBgon]

Are you sure?

I've got Gigabyte's word on it, at any rate. Straight from the manual.

 

[Demo24]

giga-bytes are know for solid mobos and should give you any or little problems. if your not looking to overclock and stuff like that giga-byte is a good choice. I would just go with 1gb RAM though. you can always buy another stick later if you find it nessecary

 

[RadioHead84]

Originally posted by: DEMO24
giga-bytes are know for solid mobos and should give you any or little problems. if your not looking to overclock and stuff like that giga-byte is a good choice. I would just go with 1gb RAM though. you can always buy another stick later if you find it nessecary

make sure if u go 1gb you go with two sticks of 512...the 939 takes advantage of it if i am not mistaken

 

[Jeffrey903]

mechBgon - Thanks for warning me.

RadioHead84 - I'm definately going with 2x512. I don't see a point in paying for 1x1GB when I have 4 slots and can get 2x512MB at a cheaper price.

Also, does anybody think that I should get a sound card? I don't listen to much music, so I'm thinking that the sound integrated into the mobo should be fine. Does anyone disagree?

Also (again), does anyone know how many of each type of wire I'll need to connect everything?

Thanks in advance for your help

Edit - I just noticed that the motherboard supports "IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices" while the harddrives are "Interface: IDE Ultra ATA100". I'm assuming that that means that the harddrives will not be compatible with the mobo, is that correct? I'm also assuming that I now need to find ATA133 hd's.

 

[mechBgon]

For your system, you'd want two 80-wire ATA cables, one floppy-drive data cable (I assume you will have a floppy drive in there?), and that should just about do it. Looking at the photos of the Gigabyte, it appears there's just one 80-wire ATA cable and one floppy-drive cable included with the motherboard, so pick up one more 80-wire ATA cable for your optical drives.

I made a builder's guide a while back: link I don't know if any of that will be news to you, but the Resources page has some links and advice on keeping worms from attacking your raw Windows installation through your broadband modem (in the event you don't have a firewall/router), so that could be worth a look.

 

[Jeffrey903]

I just read the article in PC Magazine about building computers and they stressed that you should get good quality RAM. Should I get this RAM instead of the one that I've currently selected (it's only $1 more).

Also, I don't think that I'm going to get a floppy drive (I haven't used floppys in years).

And an answer to my harddrive question would be awesome. This Maxtor seems right (it's also only $1 more). I've also read that maxtors can be sort of loud. Do you have any suggestions for keeping it quiet (along with any other computer parts).

Thanks so much for your help and the link to the guide.

 

[RadioHead84]

I would get a floppy drive anyway..u never know when your gonna need it and it only costs like 5 bucks

 

[mechBgon]

The Seagate 7200.7's have low idle noise and low seek noise. The Samsung drives are supposed to be even quieter, however. My understanding and my experience is that the fluid-bearing Maxtors idle pretty quietly, but they make a bit of seek noise. And everyone's got such different opinions on what "quiet" means that it's hard to promise that anything is "quiet." But I think you'd find that the 7200.7's are quieter than your video card's fan or your motherboard's northbridge fan, and the system is as quiet as its loudest part, so they're "quiet enough."

Speaking of which, if you're after a quiet rig, you might consider the passively-cooled version of that video card, and consider the 80mm Enermax thermally-regulated case fans at Newegg (cheap, good, and very quiet at room temperatures). You could also replace the Gigabyte's stock northbridge heatsink/fan unit with a passive Zalman heatsink after giving the motherboard some break-in time to confirm it's healthy. That might void your warranty, however, so weigh the cost/benefit ratio there.

On the RAM, I haven't tried any of the ValueSelect modules myself, but Corsair is a reputable company. Then again, so is Mushkin.

 

[RadioHead84]

hmm i havent even been thinking about how loud everything is..how are the 160WD satas?

I so want to order now! lol

 

[Jeffrey903]

Well, I'm concerned that the Seagate harddrive won't work because it's ATA100 and the mobo says ATA133. The Maxtor is ATA133. Also, how do these - http://www.xpcgear.com/neon24cable.html and http://www.xpcgear.com/24redide.html - look to you for the harddrive cables (will they work)? Do I need any other cables that aren't already included with the parts? (the list is the same as my first post except I think I'm going to go with the Maxtor harddrives and the Corsair RAM)

Are there any other small parts or tools that I need? Is the heatsink that comes with the CPU good enough? Is the power supply good enough? I just don't want to order stuff and realize that it's not good enough or that I forgot something small.

Thanks again.

Edit - This really sucks now. Both the motherboard and the processor that I wanted are OUT OF STOCK. AHHH. Now I have to wait for them to come back into stock.

 

[mechBgon]

The power supply is ok and the ATA/100 drives will work fine too, or you can use the Maxtor if you like (it might be more audible, however).

Regarding the IDE cables... technically, ATA cables should be no more than 18 inches in length. Rounded ones are pretty popular but flat ones might have better signal integrity since each data wire is accompanied by its own ground wire and they're not all heaped together inside a tube. But to make a long story short, bumblebees can't fly either so the rounded cable with the glow-wires ought to be no worse than any other 24" rounded ATA cable. If that's what you want... give it a try.

 

[Jeffrey903]

There's also an 18" version of the cables. I just figured I should get the 24" because that's what you suggested for the other one you recommended.

Also, about the harddrive. So the ATA100 will work even though the mobo - http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-128-254&amp;depa=0 - says ATA 133? If that's the case, I will get the Seagate.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Jeffrey903
There's also an 18" version of the cables. I just figured I should get the 24" because that's what you suggested for the other one you recommended.

Also, about the harddrive. So the ATA100 will work even though the mobo - http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-128-254&amp;depa=0 - says ATA 133? If that's the case, I will get the Seagate.

ATA/133 controllers are backwards-compatible to ATA/100, ATA/66 and ATA/33. And that's a good thing, because your optical drives will be ATA/33 or /66.

I would've suggested an 18" flat cable above, except that Newegg doesn't even have them for sale Figure that one out...