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First build - high-end

V

vorque

n00b
Joined
Aug 3, 2004
Messages
4
I've had my computer since before college. I graduated a year ago and I'm making money now, thank god, so here is the machine I am looking to put together. Any advice? Do I need the 3700 RAM? I would like to overclock a little bit--any heatsink recommendations? (I guess I will also have to get thermal paste)

Parts:

Cooler Master Wave Master Case without Power Supply, Model "TAC-T01-E1C" -RETAIL
N82E16811119023 $129.99 $129.99

AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64 FX-53, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - OEM
-> N82E16819103458 $819.00 $819.00

ASUS "A8V Deluxe Wi-Fi" K8T800 Pro Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL
N82E16813131499 $152.00 $152.00

XFX nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, TV-Out/DVI, 8X AGP, Model "PVT40AUA" -RETAIL
N82E16814150069 $449.00 $449.00

Antec 550W Power Supply, 24-Pin, Model "TRUE550 EPS12V" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Type: EPS12V
Maximum Power: 550W $112.00 $112.00

Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3700
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Corsair
Speed: DDR466(PC3700)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 3-4-4-8 1T
Support Voltage: 2.6V
Bandwidth: 3.7GB/s
Organization: two 64M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info-> N82E16820145441 $285.00 $285.00

Western Digital 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD1200JD, (x2)
Packaging: OEM Drive Only more info-> N82E16822144151 $94.00 $188.00

Logitech Cordless MX Duo USB/ PS/2 104keys -RETAIL
N82E16823126124 $69.00 $69.00

ViewSonic P95F+B 19" PerfectFlat CRT Monitor –RETAIL
Dot Pitch: 0.25mm aperture grille at center
Max / Optimal resolution: 2048x1536 @ 68Hz / 1600x1200 @ 87Hz
-> N82E16824116232 $239.00 $239.00

NEC 8X Black Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model ND-2510A BLK, OEM BULK
Packaging: OEM Bulk Pack (No Software Included) more info-> N82E16827152023 $74.99

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0350" -RETAIL
Special Features: DVD Audio, THX certified, EAX more info-> N82E16829102162 $87.99



total so far: $2,605.97
 
vorque said:
I've had my computer since before college. I graduated a year ago and I'm making money now, thank god, so here is the machine I am looking to put together. Any advice? Do I need the 3700 RAM? I would like to overclock a little bit--any heatsink recommendations? (I guess I will also have to get thermal paste)

Parts:

Cooler Master Wave Master Case without Power Supply, Model "TAC-T01-E1C" -RETAIL
N82E16811119023 $129.99 $129.99

AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64 FX-53, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - OEM
-> N82E16819103458 $819.00 $819.00

ASUS "A8V Deluxe Wi-Fi" K8T800 Pro Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL
N82E16813131499 $152.00 $152.00

XFX nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, TV-Out/DVI, 8X AGP, Model "PVT40AUA" -RETAIL
N82E16814150069 $449.00 $449.00

Antec 550W Power Supply, 24-Pin, Model "TRUE550 EPS12V" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Type: EPS12V
Maximum Power: 550W $112.00 $112.00

Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3700
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Corsair
Speed: DDR466(PC3700)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 3-4-4-8 1T
Support Voltage: 2.6V
Bandwidth: 3.7GB/s
Organization: two 64M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info-> N82E16820145441 $285.00 $285.00

Western Digital 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD1200JD, (x2)
Packaging: OEM Drive Only more info-> N82E16822144151 $94.00 $188.00

Logitech Cordless MX Duo USB/ PS/2 104keys -RETAIL
N82E16823126124 $69.00 $69.00

ViewSonic P95F+B 19" PerfectFlat CRT Monitor –RETAIL
Dot Pitch: 0.25mm aperture grille at center
Max / Optimal resolution: 2048x1536 @ 68Hz / 1600x1200 @ 87Hz
-> N82E16824116232 $239.00 $239.00

NEC 8X Black Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model ND-2510A BLK, OEM BULK
Packaging: OEM Bulk Pack (No Software Included) more info-> N82E16827152023 $74.99

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0350" -RETAIL
Special Features: DVD Audio, THX certified, EAX more info-> N82E16829102162 $87.99



total so far: $2,605.97
Click to expand...
you could go for the 3200 or 3500 ram... its supposed to be better.. there was an explanation on this in a thread some time ago... im not sure exactly how but it mentioned that 3200 has a lower fsb than 3500 which allows it to stay to some standard and overclock easier or something, not sure... hope some of the other members can clarify on this
 
can anyone clarify this? I want to do a modest OC...I am actually going to just get the retail chip and use stock, I think.
 
I wish I was making that kind of money :(.

Honestly though, right now, that is a horrible system to build. Pay the money now to get the new intel motherboards with PCI-E, and DDR2. This way you won't be kicking urself in the ass a couple months down the road. Just my 2 cents.

Whoa, an even better idea. Send me the money! :) j/k ;)
 
No, getting those LGA 775 boards would be a bad idea.

PCI-Express stuff doesn't exist except for video cards, and they command a premium. The socket itself is crap, very easy to bend pins. For a processor that comes near the FX-53, you'd have to shell out even more for the Pentium 4EE. DDR2 is too expensive too.

And seeing how this is a gaming rig (judging from the parts and video card), the Athlon 64 series is where it's at for gaming.

I personally would say ditch the Viewsonic P95+, that monitor is blurry as hell at high resolutions (though fine at lower res). I'd recommend the NEC FP912 or Mitsubishi DP930SB if you can spare the extra $60 - 70 for it.

If you're really looking for high end performance from the RAM and some overclocking, get some low latency PC3200 like the Corsair XL or Xtreme Low Latency series. I'm not too familiar with the Athlon 64/FX overclocking scene, so someone else can probably chime in with a good overview.
 
Looks good to me, but I'd like to make a few suggestions if I may.

The NEC DP930SB seems to be the 19" CRT of choice on this board and others. Pair that 120 Gig with a 74 Gig Raptor. And a get a 6800 Ultra.

And I'd have to agreee with BillLeeLee. If there's ever a choice between AMD and Intel, pick AMD.
 
Thanks for the heads-up on the monitor. I had a nice 17 inch Trinitron for many years and I agree that the NEC or Mitsubishi (Diamondtron or whatever they call it) is worth the extra vs the Viewsonic.

If you notice, I have two 120 gigs, for a RAID 0 (the one with better load times, I think). Would this be as good or faster than a Raptor, or should I get one Raptor and one 120 gig? I do have a price limit (under 3k for everything including accessories, really preferably under 2800) so I don't know if RAIDed Raptors is the way to go. I'm not a media junkie, though, so maybe I wouldn't miss the space.

Is the Ultra necessary vs the GT? Can the GT be clocked to Ultra speeds, or close? (Also Newegg doesn't seem to have any Ultras in stock).
 
The GT is the sweet spot for a high end vid card. It's basically an underclocked Ultra 6800.

For hard drives, I never recommend RAID 0 because it's a risk to data, and it's not a guarantee that you'll get a boost in read/write times.

From http://faq.storagereview.com/tiki-index.php?page=SingleDriveVsRaid0
...
Again, RAID 0 does have its advantages in a handful of key applications and uses where data files are huge and/or data requests are highly sequential in nature. Data requests are not highly sequential, however, in typical desktop productivity and most gaming usage patterns, the most often cited in "Help me build my RAID 0!" posts.

The point? Dont assume RAID 0 offers increased performance for all or even most applications... and dont assume that transfer rates reflect application-level performance.
Click to expand...

To summarize, RAID 0 offers generally minimal performance gains, significantly increased risk of data loss, and greater cost. That said, it offers the ability to have one large partition using the combined space of your identical drives, and there are situations where the benefit of the benefits outweight the disadvantages. It is your computer: The choice is up to you.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to scare anyone, just letting you know if you didn't know any inherent risks or such. You can still build a RAID 0 if you want, I'm not going to stop you. Just be sure to back up important data now and then if you do.

I think in your case, it'd be nice to have a Raptor 740GD (or whatever it is, the Raptor 74 GB) for a primary drive, and the 120 GB for a secondary drive for data and such. I'd prefer that to RAID 0.

Personally, I'm really excited about the Seagate drives coming out in the future with Native Command Queueing, which are supposed to beat the pants off current Raptor drives.
 
vorque said:
If you notice, I have two 120 gigs, for a RAID 0
Click to expand...

Woops, how the hell did I miss that? Although I think raid 0 is overrated (over-raided, :D). And Bill's probably right about the GT. So...nevermind.
 
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