It's build time again!

[Superoo]

Hi all,

I have been browsing these forums for a while now so have hopefully gained
some knowledge about my next build. Before I found this site I was on my
way to purchasing an Intel based system but I have been steered elsewhere..

I am thinking of going with the following build so any suggestions are
more than appreciated. My system will be used for some home video editing,
web browsing, light programming, the usual microsoft office apps and some
gaming. An all rounder I guess. Let me know what you think.

Asus A8N-E SLI Premium - I don't think I'll be going SLI but like the silent water cooled board. Am open to other suggestions but want on board firewire support.
AMD 939 X2 4400
Antec P180
Antec TruePower2 550 - Have recently heard some not so nice things about this? Is 550W overkill if SLI is not in my current thinking?
2GB 3200 Kingston
Leadtek Winfast 256MB 7800GT Extreme
2 x WD 250MB Sata II 16M
Lite-On 1693S DVD RW
Creative Audigy2
Logitech X530
19" Viewsonic VX930b - Am also considering a 20" widescreen Philips 200W6. There seems to be a lot of differing opinions on the 4:3 vs widescreen debate. I will keep this LCD for a few years so this choice is important. Am I going to have to screw around a lot to get things looking OK on the widescreen?

I haven't listed any prices as I'm outside the US.

Thanks!

 

[Finns14]

Hey seeems like a good build the few things I would comment on would be that

There is a new socket type coming out I mean no one can see into the futur as to when the CPU will be cost effective and stuff but I'm just letting you know

I think there are better brands out there that make nVidia cards i.e. eVGA, BFG, PNY

For the PSU yes that is more than you will ever need but you have the right idea going with a good brand like antec.

You are the first person in a while who doesn't say "SLI mobo becaue I want to buy a second card in the future" SLI is a waste of money and your making the right choice bout that

 

[wpshooter]

I would get a Plextor CD drive instead of Lite-on.

 

[Mike Altieri]

I would get an OCZ ModStream PSU instead.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104155

About same price, much better PSU, will be plenty for SLI.

 

[bob4432]

i would do a opteron 165, has 1MB/core of cache but can o/c pretty well if/when you want to change it up, usually easily to 4200 speeds, some even up to 4800 speeds, but ymmv with o/cing.

as far as optical drives, the lite-on will be fine, as would a nec. plextor is nice and i have used them in the past, but unless you are buying it for the software, i wouldn't spend the extra $$$ on the name, unless you want a sata optical drive, which means then you have no other option.

as far as pus, i would put ocz, antec, enermax and fsp in the same group and wouldn't hesitate to buy any of them, basically whichever one was the best deal (the reason i now have a 480W antec, which i picked up for $60AR). above that would be seasonic and pc&p

as far as lcd size, remember that 17 and 19" lcds have the same resolutin - 1280x1024, the 19" is just "stretched" or has a larger dot size. basically the 17" should be a little clearer and crisper. i just went with one of the x30B models and must say it does very will in games, not ghosting whatsoever and very well every where else.

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: Mike Altieri
I would get an OCZ ModStream PSU instead.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104155

About same price, much better PSU, will be plenty for SLI.

i wouldnt say its better at all, the only advantage is the modular cables, other than that its actually more expensive.

 

[Bonesdad]

Leadtek is not a good name in video cards anymore? They were always one of the most sought after...

 

[CalamitySymphony]

Get the opteron 165, its better and cheaper than the X2.

Get an XFX, EVGA, or BFG 7800GT.

Get a WD4000 instead of 2HDs.

 

[mike3uz]

Get the OCZ Powerstream PSU. For Monitor dell would be great. I too would go with BFG, XFX, and eVGA. Leadtek is a very good brand though. I hope this helps.

 

[stevty2889]

I have had 3 leadtek cards recently, and have had no problems with any. Both my AGP and PCIe 6600GT's overclocked nicely, ran cool, and were quiet. My 6200TC has served it's purpose as well, so I see nothing wrong with getting a leadtek. Very nice system overall.

 

[Superoo]

Thanks for the responses.
I am aware of the new socket type CPU but I think I'll never buy anything if I wait for the next new thing to arrive. Opteron CPU's seem difficult to get in Australia - the X2 is much more readily available so I'll stick with the X2 4400.

I do know that the resolution of the 19" LCD's is the same as the 17" which is why I am considering a 20" widescreen with higher resolution. I'm still unsure about getting a widescreen as I've heard that there are issues with displaying many games. Do other normal applications appear OK with a widescreen? There's also the issue of budget - I'm willing to spend a little more on a widescreen but don't want to be sacrificing a lot of quality just to get one. Basically, I'm very keen to hear from anyone who may have had some experience with widescreen LCD's.

Thanks again.

 

[Looney]

There's no problems displaying games on a widescreen. About 90% of all games these days have widescreens (yeah, some you'll need to mess with the config files), and those that don't, you can either stretch it to fill the screen, or play with black bars on the side (it bothers me as much as having black bars in widescreen movies on my TV).

 

[KoolDrew]

Forget about RAID-0 if that is what you were planning on doing.

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Forget about RAID-0 if that is what you were planning on doing.

i think it's for more storage.

to the poster that said to get a 400gig, larger capacity hdd's get more expensive per gig so why not get 2 250gb drives instead of 1 400gb?


OP: the mobo you chose comes with water cooling? i think 550 would be too much though. why not settle for 500 or even 450w?

it really looks like you did your research. good job and welcome to the forums

 

[foodfightr]

Originally posted by: Superoo
Hi all,

I have been browsing these forums for a while now so have hopefully gained
some knowledge about my next build. Before I found this site I was on my
way to purchasing an Intel based system but I have been steered elsewhere..

I am thinking of going with the following build so any suggestions are
more than appreciated. My system will be used for some home video editing,
web browsing, light programming, the usual microsoft office apps and some
gaming. An all rounder I guess. Let me know what you think.

Asus A8N-E SLI Premium - I don't think I'll be going SLI but like the silent water cooled board. Am open to other suggestions but want on board firewire support.
AMD 939 X2 4400
Antec P180
Antec TruePower2 550 - Have recently heard some not so nice things about this? Is 550W overkill if SLI is not in my current thinking?
2GB 3200 Kingston
Leadtek Winfast 256MB 7800GT Extreme
2 x WD 250MB Sata II 16M
Lite-On 1693S DVD RW
Creative Audigy2
Logitech X530
19" Viewsonic VX930b - Am also considering a 20" widescreen Philips 200W6. There seems to be a lot of differing opinions on the 4:3 vs widescreen debate. I will keep this LCD for a few years so this choice is important. Am I going to have to screw around a lot to get things looking OK on the widescreen?

I haven't listed any prices as I'm outside the US.

Thanks!

I'd get an opteron 170 over a 4400.