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Artluo100

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
451
Hey guys, I'm going to go to college after this summer.

Anyway, I'm planning to build my computer now so I can use it over the summer. Please give me feedback on the specs of this system. I'm planning to use this computer with my 15" Powerbook.

Okay, this is the specs:

1) Black Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000
2) ABIT IC7-G MAXII
3) MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 Geforce 6600GT
4) Rosewill RP500 ATX 500W Power Supply
5) Intel Pentium 4 3.0E Prescott
6) CORSAIR XMS 1GB TWINX1024-3200C2PT (2X)
7) Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250GB (2X)
8) Logitech Elite 967234-0403 Black USB + PS/2
9) SAMSUNG 710N-BK Black 17"
10) Logitech MX1000 931175-0403 Blue/Black
11) NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A (2X)
12) CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS
13) Logitech 961265-0403 QuickCam Pro 4000 1.3MP
14) ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm
15) Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker
16) KINYO KY-100 3 x 3.5mm/6 x RCA Connector 5.1 Channel Headphone
___________________________________________________________________

Total = $1,923.45
 
bostesseger69 said:
get a shuttle.
Click to expand...

As a recent grad I will say that this is a good suggestion, I used to lug my f***ing full-tower back and forth all the time and it was a pain, though it was quite do-able.

now onto your specs

1) Black Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000
though it is personal preference you will likely be flamed for your choice of case, I'd remmend something a bit more stylish and possibly smaller, like an antec sonata possibly (comes withe a better PSU too)
2) ABIT IC7-G MAXII
Good mobo if you're goig intel, more on that later
3) MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 Geforce 6600GT
good card
4) Rosewill RP500 ATX 500W Power Supply
I'd recommend an Antec, Enermax or OCZ PSU, haven't heard of rosewill before
5) Intel Pentium 4 3.0E Prescott
Might want to consider an AMD64 proc (with a diff mobo obviously)
6) CORSAIR XMS 1GB TWINX1024-3200C2PT (2X)
Good ram though I'd say 2GB is overkill and 1GB is more than enough, your call though
7) Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250GB (2X)
I'd recommend either Seagate or Maxtor harddrives, I've had 2 WD drives die on me and more with other friends
8) Logitech Elite 967234-0403 Black USB + PS/2
Sweet keyboard
9) SAMSUNG 710N-BK Black 17"
nice monitor, might want to look into a 19" LCD though, never skimp on your monitor as I find its the part you have the longest
10) Logitech MX1000 931175-0403 Blue/Black
heard a bad thing or two about this mouse but my MX700 is working sweet as the day I bought it, can't go wrong with logitech IMHO
11) NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A (2X)
Excellent burner, I have the 3500 and it has yet to burn a coaster though it's a little slower in CD burning than the lite-on I had before. but why 2 of them? planning on burning 2 DVDs simultaneously? I don't know if that would work too well
12) CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS
IMHO pointless, I have yet to notice a difference between good onboard sound and an audigy2 through a set of klipsch 4.1 speakers. but again, it's your money
13) Logitech 961265-0403 QuickCam Pro 4000 1.3MP
14) ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm
15) Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker
16) KINYO KY-100 3 x 3.5mm/6 x RCA Connector 5.1 Channel Headphone

anything I didn't comment on is either fine or I don't really know enough about to comment on.

Peace
 
1) Black Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000
Where are you living? If you're in a dorm, I agree with everyone else; get a shuttle. It'll save on space, which will be at a premium. If you're moving into a house, and you'll have a full sized room to yourself, then go with the Tsunami. Also, make sure that if you do get a shuttle and a fancy monitor that you have a method of securing them. The number of monitors and portable computers that vanish in dorm at my college is pheonomenal.
2) ABIT IC7-G MAXII
A decent enough Intel mobo
3) MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 Geforce 6600GT
Good enough videocard, though if you can swing it I'd pick up a 6800GT.
4) Rosewill RP500 ATX 500W Power Supply
While the comments on the Rosewill PSUs haven't been bad, if I were building the system I'd go with Enermax, Antec, Fortron, Sparkle, or another known reliable manufacturer. Check out the PSU forum for a list of what are good and bad PSUs.
5) Intel Pentium 4 3.0E Prescott
Decent enough CPU
6) CORSAIR XMS 1GB TWINX1024-3200C2PT (2X)
That's a hell of a lot of RAM. Do you do graphics design or CAD? Why do you think you need 2GB of memory?
7) Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250GB (2X)
Good choice, though if you're going for quiet, then you'll probably want to get some Seagates.
8) Logitech Elite 967234-0403 Black USB + PS/2
Good choice.
9) SAMSUNG 710N-BK Black 17"
Good, though if you can swing 19" I'd do it.
10) Logitech MX1000 931175-0403 Blue/Black
Good choice.
11) NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A (2X)
Why two of them?
12) CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS
If you're really going to get this, get some GOOD speakers.
13) Logitech 961265-0403 QuickCam Pro 4000 1.3MP
14) ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm
Looks like you're aiming for quiet. This will defintiely help, but perhaps you should just look at some of the passively cooled videocards if you're aiming for quiet? Also, don't get the CU version, but get the Al-Cu; it cools about the same, and doesn't violate the weight spec nearly as much as the CU one does. I've seen mobos warp over time because of aftermarket coolers that violated the weight specs.
15) Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker
16) KINYO KY-100 3 x 3.5mm/6 x RCA Connector 5.1 Channel Headphone
___________________________________________________________________

Total = $1,923.45[/QUOTE]

I'd really recommend getting a shuttle, and passively cooling as much as you can as noise seems to be an issue. If you have to get a full case, look into the Antec P180 - it was in part designed by the guys at SPCR if I'm not mistaken, and is nicely designed AND helps to quiet down the computer.

 
Keep in mind that you are going to have to buy hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks. You may be able to buy used ones from guys a year ahead of you, or they may be already outdated - check with the teachers. Good luck and I hope you can get your rig.
 
lol, I'm building a huge rig as well. Looked into a SN25P Shuttle... but it didn't fit my enthusiast needs. People say its a pain to carry, but think about it. If you did 1 day of labor work... you'd carry about 8,000 times more. So the 1 trip every months with a big ass case... do you really want to sacrafice months usablility (if its a sacrafice in your case)... just for that occasional trip? Same thing with lan partys... yea at the time it's great, but lan's are rare enough that it's not worth catering your system to the (unless you go like weekly :x)
 
I just got done with my first year in the dorms (moving to an apt next year so all my goodies get to finally leave my house) and i have an antec full tower. It got kinda argeous to drag back and forth but it was def. doable. I would sudgest if you are doing the tower thing to def. get the LCD and go with a wireless desktop so you can clear it off easily. If you have the powerbook you should be set for the portable market. Just remeber to get a good printer (and that you can get the cartiges easily... i bought a canon because the cartiges are availibel at a 24 hr. walgreens up the road...) and dont forget the books!
 
My laptop came with a Dell printer. Sure its far from best probably, and you can only get the damn cartridges from Dell.com, but the price was right on the printer... free :D
 
The best physical security you can have is a laptop and being stronger than everyone else... or a stun gun. That way you carry the goods and the security with you all the time.
 
I'm going to bring a P180 with me to college. If I've got to empty the room anyway, what's one or two more trips?

The Klipsch 5.1s are what will make me mad eventually.

Good system, but definately look into A64s. You're welcome to come to read about my soon-to-be college rig but unlike you I'm lucky enough to be able to cannibalize monitors, keyboard/mouse, speakers, sound card, optical and hard drives from my old system. Consider selling the old to help finance the new.
 
Thes usefullness of a laptop in college depends on a lot of things:
a) Your major.
b) The facilities you will be working in.
c) Your distance from school (and transportation options to and from).

I would have found a laptop somewhat useful, but as a CS major most of my classes were in labs anyway. Once I had a car to make the trip to and from home, I preferred the desktop. You can always, always get more bang for your buck with a desktop if you don't absolutely need the added convenience of portability.

I had a full tower case, but I bolted handles to the top. I could pick it up and drop it in the trunk of my car no problem.

To be honest the most inconvenient thing about my rig was the huge 21" monitor. If you want to improve the portability of your setup, I would recommend finding a good flat screen monitor and a sturdy tower case so you don't have to worry about a few bumps and bruises.
 
Yea OP i'd definitely do some research before plunking down the money. $2000 is just too much for a P4 3.0ghz and 6600gt rig imho.

- As mentioned, forget the rosewill psu. Look into the antec truepower2 or fortron bluestorm, high quality bang for the buck.

- Forget corsair XMS if you're not heavily oc'ing, you're not really gaining any performance otherwise, well 1% maybe. Stick with known, less expensive brand names and you'll be ok.

- An audigy2 Value 7.1 costs about $20-$30 less and brings the same features to the table, except firewire ;). There are hacked drivers for even more functionality.

- If you haven't made up your mind fully, consider an A64 rig. Loads of power at a lower price.

- Money saved on an A64 rig can be put towards a 6800gt. The 6800gt 256bit interface will whip the 6600gt 128bit. Ignore this tidbit if you're not a heavy gamer ;)

Otherwise, the remainder of parts you listed look really nice. Enjoy the new rig.
 
I brought a full tower, a mid tower, a 22" CRT, and my Smart-UPS to school with no space problems...

Get a better PSU.
 
At one time, I had two mac desktops, two 14" monitors for them, 1 SGI desktop, a 17" CRT for that, 3 mid-tower PCs, 3 Full-tower PCs, two 17" CRTs, and a 2005FPW for the PCs, all in a dorm room.

Space is not an issue if you don't mind living, breathing, eating, and sleeping computers.
 
Shuttles are okay, but the best thing to use in college is a laptop. Some people may argue (CS majors) that they're not that useful, but for coding at the coffee shop or outside, really what alternative is there? There are more important things in college than computing, and while it's a large part of your life there, it is NOT the focus. So things like gaming, overclocking, etc take a backseat to doing actual school work (well that's if you go to a real college). Laptops are much more pimp and it's nice to take them to the libraries (books > internet) instead of using whatever they have there. Moving a desktop 2-3 times a year is not why you should pick up a laptop, but for writing papers/reports/thesis and staying connected at hang-out spots, etc there's no replacement. It's more of a lifestyle choice in this case. Contrary to what most here would say, you really don't need a powerful computer at school. If you do, they'll provide you with workstations.
 
Dont buy a Socket 478 intel right now, its useless. Go with LGA775 and PCI-E. You dont need to go AMD tho, reguardless of what the amdnerds say.

For 1900$, you can get a MUCH better system, and MUCH more updated than that.

1) Black Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000
2) Any 945P mobo 150$ or less
3) PCI-E 6600GT 180$ or less
4) Rosewill RP500 ATX 500W Power Supply
5) Intel Pentium 4 3.4E Prescott, only 250$
6) 1GB of DDR2 from OCZ (Platinum) 127$ @ newegg
7) Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250GB (2X)
8) Logitech Elite 967234-0403 Black USB + PS/2
9) SAMSUNG 710N-BK Black 17"
10) Logitech MX1000 931175-0403 Blue/Black
11) NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A (2X)
12) CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS
13) Logitech 961265-0403 QuickCam Pro 4000 1.3MP
14) ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm WITH LGA775 adapter
15) Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker
16) KINYO KY-100 3 x 3.5mm/6 x RCA Connector 5.1 Channel Headphone
 
Yeah, stay away from Socket478 now...the reason it's cheap is because the LGA is here to stay. I guess _I_should have paid more attention last summer when I did my own little upgrade project.

I've got two computers at school - an old IBM T20 (700 MHz P3) and my P4 2.8 desktop. The laptop is for stuff I'm doing that might require a computer when I'm not in my room (working at my hall's front desk, in someone else's room, surfing from my bed, etc). I use my desktop for typing, e-mail, chatting, gaming, etc. I also do all of my photography postprocessing on my desktop (2GB of RAM is sorta useful for that kind of thing).
 
dandragonrage said:
Rosewill = no
Click to expand...

That particular Rosewill PSu is a rebadge, its not bad at all. I for one had a Rosewill X800XL and it was the exact same thing as any sapphire or powercolor but with a different sticker.
 
Thanks guys, I really learned a lot from those comments. Oh yeah, some of you guys recommended a laptop, I have a 15" Powerbook. Guess I'm going to get a shuttle since my car can't fit everything (Infiniti G35 Coupe), I've realized that after looking into moving the stuff back and forth. So I've created a new list, please give feedback on this one too. Thanks.

1) MSI NX6600GT-TD128E Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
2) AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Winchester
3) OCZ Peroformance 1GB
4) Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA NCQ ST3120827AS 120GB
5) Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3250823AS 250GB
6) Logitech Elite 967234-0403 Black USB + PS/2
7) NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A
8) Logitech MX1000
9) CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS
10) Logitech 961265-0403 QuickCam Pro 4000
11) ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm
12) Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker
13) Shuttle SN25P Socket 939 AMD Athlon 64 FX/Athlon 64/Sempron nVIDIA nForce4 Barebone
_________________________________________________________________________

Total = $1,963.96
 
Make sure the 7700 will fit in your Shuttle. Shuttle likes to use a proprietary cooling system that may interfere with any huge heatsinks.

I recommend you use an Antec Aria if you want to use your own cooling. It's under antec cases at Newegg.

There's no PCI slot in the Shuttle, so the Audigy won't work in it. Another reason to get an Aria - choose your own motherboard.

If this were my system I'd get two of the same drive and put them in a RAID.
 
You've already got the laptop; so I'd say go for it- the need for a computer depends on your major and work habits- keep in mind not all computer labs are 24 hours; and it's not always about your computer's power- it's software liscensing. Can't run high-end software on your machine because you usually can't get a liscense- even if it'd be a helluva lot faster.
 
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