Building my first computer..

[reddem0n]

Alright folks, for weeks I've been basically deciding on what I should do..Go with a prebuilt PC avoid trouble, don't have to spend all the extra time, get warranty altogether, and 24/7 support to go with it in most cases - compared to building my computer by ordering parts and such saving hundreds of dollars and getting a good all around experience so I can do this in the future. Well my decision was to build a computer myself and see how I can get this going.

Alright basically I'm trying to do something for basically my gaming and a little bit of my developmental side as well.

So here I go, I'm starting with this case:
Ninja Black
http://www.circotech.com/x-blade-pc-gaming-pre-mod-atx-medium-tower-case.html
450w Power Supply Case that comes with 3 fans.

Some of my friends are saying I should go with a larger case then that, what do you guys think?

As for the processor I'm definetly aiming for something like an AMD 3500+ with the Venice Core. The sound card I already have on my current computer which is an Audigy 2zs, that I'm going to move onto my new computer. Now I have another problem, I just don't know which motherboard would be right for me. I really am not interested in getting SLI at the moment, and PCI-E looks ok to me. For the video card I am interested in getting something equivalent or close to the price and power of a ATI 9800 Pro.

What exactly is the advantage over SATA? For memory I don't think I will need to go anymore then 2gb, for the harddrive I am looking at somewhere between this range 150-200gb, preferably two seperate harddrives that totals to that amount.

Many of my friends are saying I should go with an ASUS with a 939 socket. I'd like some suggestions THANKS!

 

[Cooler]

Case for basic cooling looks fine since your geting an amd. I would get x800xl about $300 on new egg. This card will last a few more years then the 9800 will. Basicly SATA is the replacment for old ide drives alowing for HD at faster speeds.

 

[Operandi]

Thermaltake is trash. For cases I start out recomending Antec and InWin. If you want somthing nicer start looking at Lian-Li, CoolerMaster and SilverStone.

 

[IntegraGSR]

Originally posted by: reddem0n
and 24/7 support to go with it in most cases

that's what forums are for

Originally posted by: Operandi
Thermaltake is trash. For cases I start out recomending Antec and InWin. If you want somthing nicer start looking at Lian-Li, CoolerMaster and SilverStone.

while with pretty much every other product they make i would agree, i disagree here

i personally dont like the flashy cases so much, but the case is the least important part for performance.. since its necessary, people should just buy exactly what they like (visually).. i have a case that i had never heard of and never seen anyone else with one.. i bought it cause i liked how it looked, and was about the size i wanted.. i have no problem taking a screwdriver to a few screws every now and then..


while i dont think you need to change the case, you DEFINETLY should get a different PSU..

the 3500+ venice is a very nice choice :thumbsup: will you be overclocking any? this will carry serious weight in suggestions for a motherboard. chances are the motherboard you choose will come with pretty nice 6-8 channel onboard audio (some with optical and coaxial in/out).. the audigy can probably be kept on your old computer.

as for the video card, just browse through newegg.. find the best looking speced cards in your pricerange and google some reviews... i'm not too familiar with the price range of 9800 pros... good companies are eVGA, BFG, Abit, Sapphire..

RAM: i recommend 2x512 of corsair value select for ~$80 if you're going to require 2gb, i would get 2x1024 geil ultra (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144322)

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Why do you need 2GB? 1GB is plenty for gaming, and unless you're going to be multitasking like crazy, 2GB really isnt necessary right now...

 

[Rike]

For your consideration, with your parameters, a high-mid range budget, and some OCing in mind.

All of the following are from monarchcomputer.com. Other merchants may have better prices so I'd shop around. The one thing I do like about Monarch is that they will pretest a CPU/Mobo combo for free. This cuts down on DOA parts and give you a solid core to start from that should work without difficulty.

Case: Antec Super LANBoy Aluminum Mid Tower $81.00
PSU: Antec NEOPOWER480 ATX 2.0 Power $114.00
Motherboard: DFI Lan Party UT NForce4 Ultra-D $139.00
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 512K 90nm Rev. E $272.00
Heat Sink Fan: AMD Certified Opteron/64/FX Heatsink $8.00
Memory: 1 GB DDR (2 pcs 512) PC-3200 (400) OCZ Value VX $121.00
Hard Drive: SATA - Seagate 80 GB/7200-RP $69.00
2nd Hard Drive: SATA - Seagate 80 GB/7200-RP $69.00
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM/CD-RW: DVD-RW - NEC ND-3520A $64.00
Video Card: MSI GeForce 6600GT 128 MB DDR PCI-E $185.00
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition w/SP2 $89.00

Free stuff with a Monarch CPU/Mobo combo 
Far Cry Promotion: FREE Full DVD Version of Far Cry
Napster Promotion: FREE Napster Music Download for 4 Months
Half Life 2 Promotion:FREE Half Life 2 Full Version Coupon (Download version)

Total $1211.00 + shipping/tax

A build like this should be a good overclocker. If you want to be a bit more serious about OCing on air, you could add a Thermalright XP-90 or Zalman CPU cooler and a couple more case fans.

If you want a bit more from your video card, the X800 XL is the best high end value, while the 6600GT dominates the mid range value.

On memory, unless you have some programs you know will use it, you really don't need 2 gigs of RAM. 1 gig is plenty for now.

On your case you listed, no offense, but I think it's ugly. However, as long as a case meets the basic needs, the rest is a matter of personal taste. I don't know anything about that particular case to say that it is bad, but it doesn't light up my aesthetic pleasure center.

Anyway, there's a place to start. Hack away at and substitute my recommendations until it meets your needs and budget. Happy building!

 

[reddem0n]

Monarch looks like an excellent site, possibly just what I'm looking for but at the same time that would mean if I went with that I wouldn't be able to get any practice on building a comp! : [ Anyways so I'mma stick with 1gb ...And yes I will be looking into overclocking it in the near future and such

 

[reddem0n]

I am thinking about getting this motherboard that my friend recommended to me
Abit "AN8" NVIDIA nForce4 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL
http://www.newegg.com/OldVersion/app/Vi...Desc.asp?description=13-127-197&depa=1

Basically it will fit what I need....Possible video card which would be a 6600 GT, 1gb of memory, about 160gb-200gb SATA HardDrive, and Audigy2zs

 

[MobiusPizza]

Why not get a DFi LanParty nForce 4 Ultra for motherboard?

Well The ATi X800XL as metioned earlier, is the most cost-efficent graphic card right now
I'd say 6600GT is underpowered for the new games right now.

 

[reddem0n]

If your talking about this motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136151

I'm not too interested mainly because I don't want to spend money on two video cards with the whole SLI....Not interested at all actually...I just don't see it worthy or any games actually requiring that much power. I'll just stick with PCI for now and go with something like ATI x800 maybe... but back to the Mobo..what do you guys think with that motherboard I selected

Also for the mobo I picked, I was looking at a similiar one
https://store.fatal1ty.com/productdetail.aspx?pid=196

I don't understand why its like 70 bucks more for the fatality one versus the original one...I looked at the specs and they are all pretty much the same...Is there anything else so different to spend the extra 70 bucks besides who its endorsed by..?

 

[MobiusPizza]

No no.
The DFi nForce 4 Ultra is the non-SLI version of the link you posted.
They have same reference design, and the ultra version is cheaper since it's non-SLI.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152

It looks like it has 2 PCI-Express x16 connector, actually one of them is x4 I think. Check the official site about that

 

[reddem0n]

hmmm frontside bus speed support is 1000mhz while the other one is 2000mhz...is that bad? also from the reviews it says this mobo is definetly not for newbies : /

 

[MobiusPizza]

No. the 2000Mhz one is a marketing gimmick. Since DDR is double data rate the company just put 2Ghz on so it looks better. In fact the true fsb is 1Ghz

True that DFi has lots more advanced settings. The fact that the board can overclock well means it uses good components. That means reliability even if you are a newbie and plan not to overclock.

Abit might have improved now. In past its components was of low quality that made capacitors blow. Well "A burnt child dreads the fire"

Imao and DFi is cheaper than the Abit board.
I see no reason opting for Abit board.

 

[reddem0n]

I will go with DFI then, is there a retail version for this?

 

[reddem0n]

Alright found the retail version. Just a brief update..I've already bought the motherboard and case. Now I'm at the part to pick what harddrive I want. Personally I would like to get two seperate harddrives, that would total up to around 160gb-200gb SATA. I'm not really sure which to pick though..RPM speed isn't a huge factor for me. Anyways basically I could go with one harddrive that would total the range I'm looking for but preferably I would like two seperate ones due to the fact that I am interested in having two operating systems on the same system. If possible can someone give me some good recommendations including the one harddrive or two harddrives.