Can't deicde (Need help)

T

Tunasam

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This is a long read, but Id REALLY appreciate some expert advice. I think I hit all the topics of what I need. Could you take a peak at this thread and give me your opinions? Thanks!

Honestly, I'm anal about my rigs. It takes me FOREVER to choose a freakin case, I guess because Ive been burned by bad air flow, shitty PSU's, and holes in my wallet due to immature spending.

But, alas, I have chosen, take a gander:
ANTEC P180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129154

I did quite a bit of research, and this case is just too sexy to pass up. Im not big into the windows and lights, so this is the perfect looking case for me, not to mention the superior cooling system.

Anyway, now that it took me a solid week of reading reviews and going over numbers, its time to get down to the nitty gritty specs, and decide on a PSU, a mobo, CPU, memory, HD, and someone can try to talk me out of buying a GF 7800.

POWER. How much? I read that the GF7800 actually uses less power then a GF6800 GT. Im not planning on running more then 2 HDs (3 MAX) and one DVD Burner. Im going to run with all the fans on max, and put in the optional stuff, maybe a card cooler and some other flow shit, but thats it.

Since I got the ANTEC case, should I go with the TruePower 2.0 550W? Is that going to be enough? I dont mind splurging here to give my system the longest life possible. Nothing worse then a dead rig due to a PSU failure.

Mobo:
I dont have enough cash to even think about getting 2 GFX 7800's for SLI, but should I get the SLI mobo's anyway? I dont really know whats good for motherboards, Im out of the loop. I dont plan on overclocking anything, going to get the high end components and leave them at stock levels. With that being said, whats the better motherboard?

I guess I should talk about the chip I want first, eh? Well, primarily, Im building this rig for games, but the difference in price between the A64 4000+ (San Diego) and the new Dual-Core A64X2 4200+ is only $100 dollars. Is it worth spending the extra money for the X2 chip? Is the reduction in gaming performance worth the multi-tasking in the X2, or is the better gamiung permornce worth the multi-tasking hit with the single core?

Staying with the 939 chipset, whats the best mobo out there, knowing Im not going to OC, running in a Antec P180, with a GF 7800?

HD's:
SATA I, II, Raid 0,1, SCSI, all way over my head. Seems everyone has a Raptor at 10,000RPMs and then a huge 2nd HD. Is that the best route to go? I dont move large data all that much, so this new SATA II 300MB/S stuff isnt that exciting to me, rather have the 10,000 RPM speed. Your thoughts?

And memory:
Ive read that the difference from DDR to DDR2 is negigible at this point with current apps and Os's, in games and apps. Talk my ear off about this stuff. Is 1GB going to be good for this system, or is 2 GB going to truly unlock the potential of this beast.

Alrighty, a bit longwinded, I know, but I could really use some expert advise here. Ive been out of the computer loop for far too long, and since Im anal about building a new rig, it'll take me forever to decide on parts for all this stuff. I keep contradicting myself.

One more note:

Am I shooting too high with some parts and not enough of others? I hear that some people get high end parts that dont match up with others and they end up blowing it all, since they're not truly using the power they have. Is it silly to get a 7800 and a 3500+ 939 chip, or vice versa?

I really appreciate your replies guys, talk to you soon!

-Tuna
 
POWER. How much?
Click to expand...
Somewhere around 500w

Look at either Enermax, OCZ, or Antec. I personally like the Enermax's and OCZ's. Make sure what ever you get has 2 12v rails and pretty decent amperage.

Is it worth spending the extra money for the X2 chip?
Click to expand...
I personally would vote for the X2

Seems everyone has a Raptor at 10,000RPMs and then a huge 2nd HD. Is that the best route to go?
Click to expand...
What are your Storage requirements? If you only need 60G of storage than get only the Raptor. However for me i have 60G of games installed easily. ( i dont uninstall any game ). If you need additional storage I would look at getting a Seagate 250g+ sata drive along with the raptor. They run around $120 at zzf.

Is 1GB going to be good for this system, or is 2 GB going to truly unlock the potential of this beast.
Click to expand...
I guess this kinda depends on the games you play. Although with the future right around the corner games only ask more out of our systems. I like 2GB when i'm building a pure gaming system that I dont really plan to OC.


Alrighty, a bit longwinded, I know, but I could really use some expert advise here. Ive been out of the computer loop for far too long, and since Im anal about building a new rig, it'll take me forever to decide on parts for all this stuff. I keep contradicting myself.
Click to expand...
Stick around read some of the other posts on this forum. You'll pick up the knowledge to help you through this rocky time ~

-bn
 
Thanks for the reply.

What about the best mobo for an X2 chip with a single GF 7800? Also, I dont see any motherboards supporting the 240-pin DDR2, whats up with that?

-Tuna
 
AMD does not support DDR2. I would recomend getting a SLI mobo, I would reccomend DFI but you rnt overclocking so you can look elswhere for a mobo. Get one 7800GTX now and then whenever you feel the performance start to drop buy a second one. You may never feel the need to SLI and you could end up saving a good chunk of money that way.

It seems like games released soon are going to start craving more ram like BF2, so get 2GB now so you dont have to worry about finding the same stick next year.

Hope I could help some
 
I wouldn't invest in SLI if you're not going to get it right away. It's been proven that the next gen video card will be better than a current SLI setup. So down the road, instead of spening $500 to buy another 7800, you can spend $600 and get an 8800 which will be better that 2x 7800.

Just my 2¢.
 
S1nF1xx said:
I wouldn't invest in SLI if you're not going to get it right away. It's been proven that the next gen video card will be better than a current SLI setup. So down the road, instead of spening $500 to buy another 7800, you can spend $600 and get an 8800 which will be better that 2x 7800.

Just my 2¢.
Click to expand...

Thanks for letting us know how good the 8800 will be..... You dont know that it will beat SLIed 7800s you are talking out of your ass. No one knows about the future it is best to live in the present.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, but Im looking for some actual component names. Im having a tough time deciding which mobo to get, which CPU, HD, and memory.

So far I have the Antec P180

Thinking about going with a 550 PSU (Stability, coolness, and longevity are key concerns, not noise)

I want the AMD X2 CPU Ive decided, as I do run quite a bit of apps, not just play games, and Im definetly getting the GF 7800, so whats a good mobo, memory, HD combo to go with those components. SLI could be a future option, but doesnt seem necessary for a while.

What do you guys think...

anyone want to chat about this on AIM? Shoot me a line, my SN is Tunasam0o0, Id appreciate it.

-Tuna
 
Chaintech VNF4/Ultra

I am currently using the Chaintech VNF4/Ultra and havent had any problems with it. Plus the price is nice. It doesnt support SLI but it does have pci-x for the 7800. I cannot recommend any others as I havent used them.

-bn
 
BeernuT said:
Chaintech VNF4/Ultra

I am currently using the Chaintech VNF4/Ultra and havent had any problems with it. Plus the price is nice. It doesnt support SLI but it does have pci-x for the 7800. I cannot recommend any others as I havent used them.
Click to expand...

Its PCI-E not X

BFG 7800GTX if you dont plan on overclocking and you get the warranty.
 
Thanks again for the replies guys:

I have an update!

Alright, I bought some more components, here they are:

I ended up picking the Antech 550 Watt PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931&CMP=BAC-hardocp_pujune&ATT=TruePower

and 2 GB of the Corsair XMX Memory (had a one day deal, thought Id buy it now):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145575

And the BFG 7800.

So now Im definetly going AMD.

so now I need a motherboard, chip, and HD.

Im either going to get the Athlon 64 4000+, or the Athlon 64X2 4200+, both around 500 bucks (yikes).

Does this make a difference in what mobo I choose?

Again, Im not overclocking, and Im 90% sure I wont be using the 7800 in SLI. One is good enough.

Knowing that which, mobo should I choose for single core, which for dual core.

And lastly, HD options:

What to pick? Are the speeds of the raptors really noticeable? Or should I just go with a300 GB SATA II.

Thanks for the help guys!
 
For the mobo I say go with the DFI lanparty Ultra NF4, its about 130 dollars. No SLI but if in the future you want to you can do a trick with a penicl to make it a SLI board.
And it overclocks the best out of any mobo because maybe 2 years down the line you might wana have a little fun.

From what I have seen around here the raptors will probably be a waste of money. Go with the one big HD.

And for the X2 vs 4000+ I say go with the X2. You will lose a couple FPS in some games but will gain the ability to run smothly while virus scanning and other stuff.
 
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