my revised build

[trapper700]

My budget had dropped from my previous amount of $1500, so i'm going to try to keep things as close to $1100 as I can. I'll be using this computer mainly for gaming, with hopes of playing HL2 and the upcoming Battlefield 2 well. This is the build I've come up with this time.

OCZ ModStream 520w- $99.00
Thermalright xp-90 w/ zalman fan & as5 -$42.26
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Processor (Venice) Socket 939 Retail -$198
DFI Lan Party UT NForce4 Ultra-D Audio/GB-LAN/IEEE/PCI-E/SATAII/DDR/ATX 64 939 - $129.00
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6B250S0 250GB Serial ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive w/16MB cache- $144
OCZ Value VX Series 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)- $105.98
POWERCOLOR R43C-TD3D/BULK Radeon X800XL 256MB GDDR3 PCI-E x16 Video card - $283.00
NEC Black IDE DVD 3520a- $49.99
Thermaltake Tsunami case- $115.99
Total- $1,167.22 shipped (prices included shipping)

Do I need to get any additional cables since my hd, dvd writer and video card are OEM? Any comments/suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[nick1985]

PSU sounds shady.

 

[the wombat]

Why are you getting the arctic silver and the extra heatsink? If you get the retail a64 you'll save some money. I'm running the retail hs/fan on my 3000+ winnie and my temps have never gotten over 43C and are usually at 30C.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: the wombat
Why are you getting the arctic silver and the extra heatsink?

see sig. maybe thats why.

 

[trapper700]

ah, yes, the 3200 is a retail. I guess i don't need those two after all, but I was just following my friend's advice.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

If you get an OEM CPU, you can save $25. Better still, you could get an Athlon 3700+ OEM, basic cooler and ECS nForce4-A754 motherboard for $370 total. Now, I know that's $14 more than the CPU/cooler/motherboard configuration you listed, but you'll have a faster CPU and you won't have to worry about overclocking anything.

EDIT: below are direct links

$194 -- Athlon 64 3200+ "Venice" OEM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...=OTC-pr1c3watch&ATT=Microprocessors+PC

...or...

$300 -- Athlon 64 3700+ OEM: http://www.bzboyz.com/store/product4829.html
$70 -- ECS nForce4-A754: http://www.compu-terra.com/store/product2444.html
$13 -- basic cooler: http://www.arsenalpc.com/Details.asp?ItemID=18880&Res=2

 

[trapper700]

I haven't read much about the subject but wouldn't getting a socket 939 be "better" than getting a 754 despite the difference in processor speed?

 

[Twsmit]

I would also drop the extra fan and arctic silver. Waste of money unless you plan on heavy OC'ing.


As for s754 vs s939. you could go 754, nothing wrong with it, the advantages of 939 are future dual core chips and newer cores like venice.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: trapper700
I haven't read much about the subject but wouldn't getting a socket 939 be "better" than getting a 754 despite the difference in processor speed?

Socket 939 has a couple features that socket 754 doesn't, namely SLI and dual-channel memory. But you're not using SLI with the graphics card you picked, and getting a 3400+ or 3700+ would more than make up for the lack of dual-channel memory.

Bottom line: You can get a faster system for less money if you go with socket 754.

 

[QD]

if you plan on upgrading to dual core cpu at some later time, get 939

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: QD
if you plan on upgrading to dual core cpu at some later time, get 939

Why get a slower CPU than necessary? He can always sell his 754 board whenever he decides to upgrade.

 

[trapper700]

I don't really plan on upgrading for two or three more years (or whenever my computer will fail to run the newer games decently). But the suggestion of getting a 754 A64 3700+ is intriguing. Although, for the same amount of money, I could probably get a 3500 venice. So which of the two would you guys suggest?

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: trapper700
My budget had dropped from my previous amount of $1400, so i'm going to try to keep things as close to $1000 as I can. I'll be using this computer mainly for gaming, with hopes of playing HL2 and the upcoming Battlefield 2 well. This is the build I've come up with this time.

My Build
THERMALTAKE Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $106
MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - $86
SAPPHIRE 100105SR Radeon X800XL 256MB GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card - $305.00
LINK DEPOT Super Flower TT-450TB ATX 450W Power Supply - $48.99
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - $219.00
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - $78.00
Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3200826AS 200GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - $114.00
NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3520A - $49.00
Arctic Silver "ARCTIC SILVER 5" Thermal Compound - $7.99
GIGABYTE GH-PCU21-VG 2 Ball Cooling Fan - $42.99
Total- $1,056.97

Does everything look okay? I wasn't sure if the motherboard/psu/processor/vidcard were compatible. My friend suggested the Ball Cooling Fan, but will I actually need it right away? Any comments/suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance.

I see you're using Newegg, which is definitely a good thing. My main suggestions would be to look at the price premiums you're paying to get those fancy features and items. For example, do you really need thermal compound or a $43 CPU cooler? And, why go with the "Venice," which is $33 more than its "Winchester" counterpart? Also, the $155 seems a bit much for a case and power supply when adequate models start at only $40. That means you're paying $115 so your computer can look good.

Finally, make damn sure you need that super-powerful video card before you shell out $305. If you're not an avid gamer, that's a big, big waste.

But, like I said, it's not like you're getting ripped off. You can't go wrong with Newegg. I think you just need to focus more on power and usable features, and not spend so much money on what ultimately amounts to fluff.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: trapper700
I don't really plan on upgrading for two or three more years (or whenever my computer will fail to run the newer games decently). But the suggestion of getting a 754 A64 3700+ is intriguing. Although, for the same amount of money, I could probably get a 3500 venice. So which of the two would you guys suggest?

The "Venice" is only for socket 939, and the biggest difference between it and a "Winchester" is the SSE3 instruction set.

The cool thing about socket 754 is that you can get a 3400+ for less than a 3200+ on socket 939. And, if you go with 754, it looks like you could actually afford a 3700+.

 

[trapper700]

I don't need the thermal compound or the cpu cooler after all, so I dropped those. But, one of the main reasons i decided on that case was actually because I had read many reviews about how efficient it was at cooling, as well as it having a light aluminum frame (which is important because my dorm room is on the 5 flights of stairs up with no elevator, as well as ability to take to lan parties). I also liked the way it looked right out of the box, and I wouldn't have to do any more case modding to make it look good.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: trapper700
I don't need the thermal compound or the cpu cooler after all, so I dropped those. But, one of the main reasons i decided on that case was actually because I had read many reviews about how efficient it was at cooling, as well as it having a light aluminum frame (which is important because my dorm room is on the 5 flights of stairs up with no elevator, as well as ability to take to lan parties). I also liked the way it looked right out of the box, and I wouldn't have to do any more case modding to make it look good.

Designing a PC is really, really fun, and it seems like you know enough to have great success. I'm not saying you shouldn't get the case. I'm just saying you should ask yourself why you're choosing it over something less expensive. If you like it, go for it! As you said, it has great reviews, and probably could fetch a pretty penny on Ebay when you decide to upgrade. On the other hand, if you don't care how your box looks, and don't plan to overclock (which, judging from your choice of RAM, you do not), you should probably get something basic for $40 or $50. But, it's up to you.

 

[trapper700]

updated, also will I need additional cables because the video card, dvd writer and hard drives are oem?