New Computer

[Ramax57]

Hi all. This will be my first ever computer build. I've never really had any experience with hardware, so maybe you guys could offer me some good tips on how to get rid of any static discharge. Thats the only worry that I have when i put this together. That, and about the motherboard. I dont want to short out the motherboard. So, any tips on that stuff will be appreciated. Now, onto the computer build.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811133146

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817103457

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131569

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103546

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820231047

Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136010

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814127206

Keyboard: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16823144006

Mouse: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16826104178

Speakers: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16836121121

Optical Drive: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827152060

Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824179014

Thats it. My budget is $2100, and no more at all. I will game, and I want to be able to play FEAR, Halflife 2, Quake 4, CoD2 on max AA and AF at 1280x1024 with all max settings enabled with at least 60 FPS on the games. Other activities will be listening to music, watching DVD's, burning them, editing them, chat, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, some programming, and thats about all. (i might think of some more later)

And the reason why i have heatspreaders with my RAM is that i might try overclocking a bit later on. So, thats about it. I'm open to any comments/suggestions. Thanks guys.

 

[Mik3y]

you really expect me to click on every single link? A list would be rather nice...

 

[Ramax57]

well its acually not that many links. but whatever, i'd just like some feedback on how people think the parts would perform when they are all together.

 

[Ramax57]

can anyone pls tell me what they think of my parts?

 

[RussianSensation]

#1 I wouldnt' get 4400+. Paying $460 for CPU is overkill. You can get Opteron 165 for $320 and overclock it to 2.7ghz+. Even X2 3800+ is a much better value for $160 less.

#2 I wouldn't get that motherboard. For $100 mobos, Epox is the way to go. Otherwise something like DFI lanparty UT is what i'd get.

I like the ram choice, case, HDD, etc.

Also my other suggestion would be to get an ATI X1900XT as MSI has simply slapped on sticker; so why pay $30 extra for it? Take the $30 savings and get an aftermarket gpu cooler like the zalman VF700Cu to quiet the beast down. I am not sure how good that LCD monitor is. Here is a summary from a review:

"In short, the L90D+ is a gamer's monitor. You'll have to make no concessions where resolution is concerned, though. Beyond the native resolution, the image deteriorates significantly, so you'll need a good graphics card.

Screening films, on the other hand, was a disappointing experience. There was a little video noise here and there, but the biggest problems were caused by the viewing angles, which were too narrow. If you watch DVDs with friends, the viewers won't all experience the same image quality. While this is generally true of most LCD monitors, the narrow viewing angles are a real drawback on this monitor. A shame." I think it has 16.2 million 6-bit colour panel instead of an 8-bit one. But for the $ it seems good.

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: Ramax57
well its acually not that many links. but whatever, i'd just like some feedback on how people think the parts would perform when they are all together.

actually it's 12 links to many. It's far easier just to read through a complete list.

 

[guidzilla]

For monitor, the samsung 19 inch LCD's are very popular, I run the 930B 8ms and it has 0 dead pixels, and looks great ingame. Here is the 940b, which you should be able to find plenty of reviews via google on.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001066

 

[imported_fx]

ASUS A8R-MVP-$99
AMD Athlon X2 3800-$296
Thermaltake Soprano-$79
SAPPHIRE X1900XTX- $589
NEC Silver ND-3550A DVD Burner-$37
Enermax Liberty 500watts-$110
G-Skill Extreme Series DDR500 2x1GB- $190
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB-$105
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX3100- $114
HYUNDAI L90D+ Monitor- $300

Cost- $1919+shipping/tax

 

[starwars7]

Originally posted by: fx
ASUS A8R-MVP-$99
AMD Athlon X2 3800-$296
Thermaltake Soprano-$79
SAPPHIRE X1900XTX- $589
NEC Silver ND-3550A DVD Burner-$37
Enermax Liberty 500watts-$110
G-Skill Extreme Series DDR500 2x1GB- $190
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB-$105
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX3100- $114
HYUNDAI L90D+ Monitor- $300

Cost- $1919+shipping/tax

That looks very nice. I also didn't want to click on the 12 links, so if that is what the OP had, very coool, I'd definiltey enjoy that. Although it could be worth getting a higher end CPU and a lower end Graphics card.

Also I like the Lian-Li cases better than Thermaltake

 

[potato28]

The Hyundai LCD moniter has had a problem tho. In Video, there are many threads about a blue line going down the center. Buy a Samsung or Veiwsonic moniter.

 

[Ramax57]

wouldnt the X2 4400+ be a better choice because of the extra cache and higher operating frequency? if not the 3800+ would the 4200+ be a better choice over the 4400?

 

[Ramax57]

also, i dont really like black things. thats why i went with a nice sliver looking case, and i went with the silver LCD. So, hyundai isnt the way to go with LCD's?

 

[Ramax57]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824024502

also, would this monitor be better than the hyundai monitor that i originally linked?


ok, i just replaced the 4400+ CPU with the 4200+. would going with the 3800+ still be a better move over the 4200? i replaced the hyundai monitor with the monitor above me, and i just added the X-FI extrememusic sound card. Does this all sound good to you guys?

I'm also going to keep the same mobo that i have on my wishlist. I like the design of it, and with the double slot cooler design on the video card it wont take up any, still useful, PCI slots, just the X1 express slots that are basically non existant today.

 

[starwars7]

Lian-Li PC-7A PLUS-W Aluminum is a nice silver case. It is like $110.

 

[Larrymon2000]

Yeah Lian Li are great enthusiast cases - great to work with, great cooling. They're not the BEST looking though in terms of flair.

 

[kyparrish]

I'd ditch the 4400+ for an Opteron 165. Get in while the gettin's good!

 

[Ramax57]

screw something that has only 1.8 Ghz clock speed. i dont wanna overclock anything if i dont have to.

 

[Larrymon2000]

What about the 3800+? It just doesn't have the same L2 cache.

 

[ctbrown]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824024502

also, would this monitor be better than the hyundai monitor that i originally linked?

This monitor has a response time of 21ms versus 8ms on the Hyundai (lower is better). So if you're into gaming, this may make a difference.

Also, the Hyundai uses the same LCD panel as Samsung's SycMaster 930B (which I have and am happy with although I don't game)

The Speakers that you choose are great. I have these and use them with my PC based home theater system.

 

[kyparrish]

Originally posted by: Ramax57
screw something that has only 1.8 Ghz clock speed. i dont wanna overclock anything if i dont have to.

Text
Then get the Opteron 175. It's worth the <$40 extra bucks. Comes with a MUCH nicer heatsink/fan as well.

If, one day, you decide to overclock, you'll be so happy that you spent the money for the Opteron. Just look around the CPU forum or read the customer reviews on newegg, these things are going to be legendary.

 

[Ramax57]

no, im not a real big hardcore gamer. I dont play games all day long. I, however, want to be able to play FEAR, Quake 4, HL2, CoD2, Doom 3 all on max AA and AF with max settings enabled with over 60 fps. so i dont think the 21 ms monitor is going to make a big impact. And the price is right, and with me dropping down to a 4200+ and getting the X-FI sound card, its even better, is it?