My first system build!

[the wombat]

Well, hopefully if all goes well over the next few days, i shall commence construction of a new computer. This is my first build, but after many months of careful research (and waiting for money) i think i can pull it off before my March break from school is over. Your opinions on my configuration and general advice on what to expect on the build would be appreciated.

My configuration:

Case: Antec SLK 3000B

Power Supply: OCZ 450W ModStream PSU

Motherboard: MSI K8N NEO4 Platinum (NF4 Ultra)

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3000+

RAM: 2 sticks of Corsair Value Select 512 MB DDR400 PC3200

Hard Drive: SATA 80 GB Seagate Hard Disk

Optical Drive: Sony 16x DVD-ROM

Floppy: Sony 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive

Video Card: MSI GeForce 6600 GT

Keyboard: Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard

Mouse: Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer

Monitor: IBM 17" Flat CRT Monitor

Speakers: Altec Lansing VS2121

This setup should come up to about $1453.60 CDN (Including taxes)

Thanks in advance for your help/advice!

-The Wombat

 

[Cha0s]

don't buy ibm monitors.

 

[Melchior]

Um, yea you dont have a monitor to use? Get a decent one like a Dell P991 or Samsung/Viewsonic, be cheap go on Craigslist.com and find someone in your area selling a CRT, a 17 inch usually runs 20 bucks.

I'd also suggest a faster HD.. the slowest component in a computer. IMO, a 74 gb Raptor is always worth it, (so is SCSI if you got some extra cash).

 

[Azndude51]

For the core computer parts, you made excellent choices.

 

[the wombat]

Thanks for your help guys, I'll definitely check out Craig's List about the monitor. Any more comments out there?

 

[Ike0069]

Looks to be very solid, but don't you want a burner? It won't be much more than the DVD-Rom.

 

[mcjimbo]

Change yoru video card, for not much more you can have an ATI X800 XL with 256mb ram and 16 pixel pipelines:

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=318335&pfp=SEARCH

 

[the wombat]

Thanks for your advice, a burner would be nice. Any reccomendations? As for the video card...all the prices are in Canadaian dollars and the cheapest x800 xl i can find is $400 CDN.
I cant afford the extra $150 for the video card. The WD Raptors, however nice, are out of my price range. Thanks again.

 

[the wombat]

How bout this DVD Burner: LiteOn SOHW-1633S for $69 CDN (Or about $53 USD) I think I can afford it. My budget is $1500 and with the burner it comes to about $1498.45. Your advice and comments would be appreciated.

 

[the wombat]

bump

 

[Ike0069]

That burner will work fine. The NEC 3520A is a great burner and usually runs about $60 US if you can find it for that in Canada.
So I guess you already have a OS?

 

[the wombat]

bumpity bump

 

[imported_Kensai]

Nice core parts and nice choice with the MSI VGA. It seems to perform better than any other 6600GT when OC'ed for some odd reason.

 

[ribbon13]

$123.65 NEC FE770-BK
$198.00 NEC FE991SB-BK

 

[the wombat]

Thanks for the links ribbon13, just one question. Is there a difference between the 17" you linked to and the NEC FE771? Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Mojo027]

Any chance you could buy from NCIX.com? I'm Canadian and that's where I do all my computer shopping.

They have great deals on Benq LCD monitors.

 

[ribbon13]

Theres likely not much difference. The FE771 would be a fine choice.

 

[the wombat]

Thanks guys, but the shipping from NCIX (which i believe is located in BC) to Toronto would kill almost all the money that I would save. LCD's are nice, but too expensive right now. I'll probably get that NEC monitor, even though it will take me above the $1500 threshold. Any more comments/suggestions?

 

[leedog2007]

Whats the deal with the IBM monitors? all that matters is the tube.

 

[Nipples]

Originally posted by: the wombat

Power Supply: OCZ 450W ModStream PSU

Motherboard: MSI K8N NEO4 Platinum (NF4 Ultra)

-The Wombat

I am setting up a very similar system to yours as far as the MOBO and CPU goes. I came across this on ZipZoomFly.com for the MOBO you are getting. If you look part way down the page there is a red sentence that says - * This item requires an ATX 2.0 compliant power supply

I checked out the MSI web site, but they don't mention anything. It makes sense given the board setup, AMD 64, PCI-E etc... But I don't know why you would have to have a PSU with the ATX 2.0 standard. Must have something to do with the available space on the 12V rail?

As a result, I have looked into some other PSUs that meet that standard. These are the ones that I have uncovered with good writeups:

Enermax EG495AX-VE 485W @ $99 US MonarchComputer.com
Fortron AX500-A 500W @ 95.99 US NewEgg.com

Maybe somebody else can chime in.

 

[the wombat]

Thanks for responding. I'm pretty sure that the OCZ PSU will work fine with the motherboard. The guy at the store said that the PSU comes with a 24 pin ATX connector...isnt that the only differenciation? Anyways, looking forward to more responses.

 

[the wombat]

bump

 

[Nipples]

Originally posted by: the wombat
Thanks for responding. I'm pretty sure that the OCZ PSU will work fine with the motherboard. The guy at the store said that the PSU comes with a 24 pin ATX connector...isnt that the only differenciation? Anyways, looking forward to more responses.

Here's one take on the new standard: Tom's Hardware

I think the 2.0 standard mostly has to due with power quality issues and anticipated connectors for very high end systems. I believe the 2.0 standard also provides for two 12V rails with the assumption that newer MOBO CPU combos will otherwise produce high loading on a single 12V rail PSU, resulting in instabilty and possible failure. In addition, I also think the 2.0 compliant PSUs must also provide a dedicated PCI-E connector. Further, there also appears to be a suggested efficiency level, which is consistent for the intended use of and necessary power quality requirements of higher end systems.

Of course, that isn't to say that you probably couldn't get away with a high quality single rail PSU that has a 24 pinn connector, but the intended use of the Neo4 Platinum MOBO w/ an AMD 64 CPU suggests that you may end up pushing the limits on a single rail PSU.

Once again, I am not an authority on this and will defer to the more experienced builders on this site.

Good Luck.