Good Setup?

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Schizm

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Aug 7, 2006
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I'm considering building my own computer instead of buying a pre-built one. I was wondering if the parts I'm listing are compatible and if it's a good setup. This is my first build.

Parts:

Case - Raidmax Smilodon Mid-Tower
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-K8N
CPU - AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Toledo 2.4GHz
HDD - Western Digital Raptor 74GB
RAM - Corsair XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB)
Video Card - XFX Geforce 7900GT 256MB
DVD Burner - Philips ATAPI/E-IDE DVD Burner
Sound Card - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi

I'm not stuck on AMD or anything, so if Intel would be a better way to go, I'll consider going that route. Would dual-core be better than single-core for gaming? I was hoping to build a system that could play Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 on mid to high settings while not causing the CPU and the video card to overheat. Playing Oblivion on at least mid settings wouldn't be bad either.

I was going to decide on the monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and floppy drive later. I mainly just wanted to decide on these parts first. I might add a 200GB(or larger) HDD later.
 
Thats a very nice setup! But i'd go Intel C2D (conroe) and i'd get like a WD 250 gb hdd. I would put the OS and things like that on the raptors, then put your games and other stuff on the 250 gb hdd. hope this helps!
 
Whats your budget? I'd suggest at least AM2, since it seems like you have a decent budget, judging by the parts you already chose. The total for the parts listed comes to about $1380. You could build a nice conroe system that would outperform that 4400+ X2 939 setup. Check out this article:
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2802

Here's a good conroe setup for your assumed budget:
$320 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz
$175 - MSI 975X Platinum Socket T Intel 975X Motherboard
$250 - G.SKILL 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
$230 - XFX PV-T71G-UDF7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB (470Mhz/1370Mhz) ($260 - $30MIR)
$95 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB 7200RPM SATA3G
$70 - Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W Modular PSU (w/ SmartFans)
$90 - RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower w/500W PSU
$30 - NEC 16X DVD±R ND-3550A
==============
$1260 + tax and shipping

I'd advise against the raptor... its just not worth the price premium for the little performance over the seagate 7200.10 model drives. You could do a RAID0 array of two 160gb drives for ~$130, which would give you similar performance to a single raptor while giving you more space. If you really want the raptor, the 150gb model has a rebate for a $200AR price.

You shouldn't need a soundcard unless you're an audiophile (if you can tell the difference between 128kbps MP3's vs 192kbps MP3's and the lower quality bugs you, then I guess you're a mild audiophile). While corsair makes nice ram, they're overpriced. G.Skill works just as well and is cheaper. Do you really like that case over all of the thermaltakes or cooler masters? Anyhow, the PSU that comes with it is crap, so get the antec or a 600W if you plan on running crossfire in the future; in which case you should go with the x1900xt instead.
 
My budget for it would be around $1500-1600, but I'm willing to go higher. I don't want to spend too much though.

I might go with the Conroe system. It has better reviews than the AMD I chose. Seems like it would be faster too. I was considering a Raptor for my OS, but I don't need it. I could go with a larger HDD like the 320GB you listed.

I've been hearing good reviews about Corsair, but it doesn't matter what brand of RAM I use, as long as it works good for a long time. Don't want to have to replace it after six months or something. lol

I really don't need the Soundcard, so I could drop it from the list if it isn't needed. I really like the case, but I might go with another one since some of the reviews say it can be heavy with all the parts inside. Plus, it's out of stock, I'll probably need to find a different one because I'll be wanting to build the computer pretty soon. I was considering buying a seperate PSU, so I'll probably find a case that doesn't come with one.

Just wondering, is Crossfire similiar to SLi? I don't know much about either one. I hope this isn't a dumb question. lol I haven't read much on graphics cards lately.
 
Schizm said:
My budget for it would be around $1500-1600, but I'm willing to go higher. I don't want to spend too much though.

I might go with the Conroe system. It has better reviews than the AMD I chose. Seems like it would be faster too. I was considering a Raptor for my OS, but I don't need it. I could go with a larger HDD like the 320GB you listed.

I've been hearing good reviews about Corsair, but it doesn't matter what brand of RAM I use, as long as it works good for a long time. Don't want to have to replace it after six months or something. lol

I really don't need the Soundcard, so I could drop it from the list if it isn't needed. I really like the case, but I might go with another one since some of the reviews say it can be heavy with all the parts inside. Plus, it's out of stock, I'll probably need to find a different one because I'll be wanting to build the computer pretty soon. I was considering buying a seperate PSU, so I'll probably find a case that doesn't come with one.

Just wondering, is Crossfire similiar to SLi? I don't know much about either one. I hope this isn't a dumb question. lol I haven't read much on graphics cards lately.
Click to expand...

Crossfire and SLi are basically the same concept, 2 card's working together. Crossfire you dont need the dongle SLi does, and i believe soon Crossfire you will not need the cable either. If you are looking into a dual graphics solution i would look into do your homework, read reviews/ benchmarks and see what really fits you. Something maybe be great for someone but suck for another.
 
You would only need SLI or Crossfire if you were a heavy gamer playing at resolutions higher than 1600x1200 at full high settings.
 
-(Xyphox)- said:
Crossfire and SLi are basically the same concept, 2 card's working together. Crossfire you dont need the dongle SLi does, and i believe soon Crossfire you will not need the cable either. If you are looking into a dual graphics solution i would look into do your homework, read reviews/ benchmarks and see what really fits you. Something maybe be great for someone but suck for another.
Click to expand...

enginurd said:
You would only need SLI or Crossfire if you were a heavy gamer playing at resolutions higher than 1600x1200 at full high settings.
Click to expand...

Thanks for answering. I'll probably do some research on it, but I doubt I'll need it. I don't plan on having a resolution higher than 1600x1200. I'm not a heavy PC gamer. I'm more of a console person, but there are some games on PC I want to play.

I guess if I ever start playing more on PC than with consoles, I'll look into Crossfire or SLi, but that'll be a while. I can do with just one video card for now.

I'll mainly just focus on getting the system built and running first.
 
I know this thread is old, but I've still been deciding on what to use in my build. I think I've finally come up with a good system, but still wanted to get some opinions on it. I've researched on the compatibility of the parts, but still wanted to make sure that after I buy the parts and get it together that something won't happen to ruin some of the parts or I won't have to waste time sending back parts to get ones that are compatible.

$150 NZXT Zero Black/Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
$240 ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium/WiFi-AP Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
$315 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz
$270 CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) ($280-$10 MIR)
$254 eVGA 512-P2-N573-AR GeForce 7900GTO 512MB
$95 Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
$34 PHILIPS ATAPI/E-IDE DVD Burner
$130 SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT ATX12V/ EPS12V 550W PSU
-------------
$1488 + Tax and Shipping

I'll get the moniter, keyboard & mouse and floppy/multi-card reader once I fully decide on the parts above. I know I could probably get cheaper replacements for some of the parts I listed, but I just wanted to build a system that I know will last for a while. Plus, part of my decisions on the parts was based on reviews given for them.

I'm more worried about quality than cost, so if it costs near $2k when I finally decide, it won't bother me that much as long as it runs good. Plus, I know if I got this same system through someone like Alienware, it would probably cost close to $2500 if not more. Not to mention all the extra software I don't want. :D
 
fyi, dx10 cards are just around the corner (nov 8th i believe for the geforce 8800gtx/gts). also, the nforce 650/680 and rd600 chipset based boards are due out soon as well. those are two great reasons to wait a bit longer. however, if you need the system now, the parts you chose are great if you don't plan on overclocking. if you do want sli + overclocking capabilities, then wait for the nf650/680 chipsets.
 
I'll probably wait since the video card I chose will probably drop in price, but I might also wait to see how much the new ones will cost. I wouldn't mind getting a dx10 card since I heard that some games coming out after vista is released will require it.

I wouldn't mind overclocking the cpu, so I'll probably just end up waiting.

Thanks for the info. I've heard about the new graphics cards coming out, but I didn't know exactly when they would.
 
Well, I read up on the geforce 8800gtx/gts cards and I think I'll pass on those and go with the 7900gto.

The 8800gtx/gts cards are DX10 cards and DX10 can only run with Vista. I'd require the DX9.0c driver for XP just to run them, but I wouldn't be able to run them at their best since their originally supposed to run with DX10. At least that's what I've read from a couple of sites and a thread I found on these forums. I'm waiting a while for Vista, probably after the first Service Pack. I don't want to get it at release.

I think I'll still hold out for the nforce 680 SLI board since it's supposed to be a replacement for the one I was originally going to get. Plus, I was thinking of overclocking at least the CPU when I learn a little more about overclocking.

I do think the nforce 650/680 are being released on nov 8th too. Supposedly, from what I've read, you can buy a special bundle of the 680 and the 8800 gtx. Don't quote me on that though. lol
 
I just got my system built a couple days ago. It's running pretty well. I was just wondering, should I run a couple of Stability Programs on it to make sure it will hold up under heavy load? Or should I just run one while Overclocking?

I've run the nVidia Stability Program that came with my Mobo and my system didn't get too hot. Still running with stock cooling with the CPU, except I've put Artic Silver between it and the CPU. I've also run the FFXI Benchmark just to see how well my system would play the game. It held up well during that too.

Should I run 3dMark05? 3dMark06 requires a 2.5Ghz processor and I'm running an E6600 which runs at 2.4Ghz and I don't feel like Overclocking right now.
 
You can run prime95/orthos overnight. (http://sp2004.fre3.com/) You don't have to run it before overclocking... you can run it while oc'ing. 3dmark06 doesnt require 2.5ghz, thats just a guideline. A 1.8Ghz conroe can outperform a pentium ee 3.7ghz, lol.

So what are the final parts you went with?
 
I ended up buying these:

nVidia 680i SLI mobo
C2D E6600
7950 GT KO Superclocked 512MB
2GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2
HDD: Master - Seagate 320GB Slave - Seagate 400GB
OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU
NZXT Zero Full Tower(same listed earlier)
Philips DVD Burner
Floppy Drive and Media Card Reader combo
Samsung 204B 20.1" Monitor

I saw they had 2.5Ghz listed on their website, so I thought that was what it required. lol

I just bought Fable: TLC and I played it for a couple of hours without trouble. I don't have an external temp display, so I think I'm going to get one so I don't have to Alt-Tab between a game and the temp program that came with the Mobo.

So I mainly just need to use something like Prime 95 while overclocking? I guess I'll run it on my next day off anyway just to make sure it's stable.

Just wondering though, would my system be able to play Neverwinter Nights 2? The E6600 is right at it's minimum processor speed. Maybe the Ram and Video card would make up for it? I know it could if I overclocked it, but I think I'm going to wait a little while before I start overclocking.
 
Any requirement that mentions a certain clockspeed (pentium class or K7) is most likely now inaccurate, since the introduction of the Core2Duos.
 
Schizm said:
Just wondering though, would my system be able to play Neverwinter Nights 2? The E6600 is right at it's minimum processor speed. Maybe the Ram and Video card would make up for it? I know it could if I overclocked it, but I think I'm going to wait a little while before I start overclocking.
Click to expand...

You've got more than enough processing power to play Neverwinter Nights 2. :p

Number of Ghz doesn't mean as much as it used to. Your E6600 @ 2.4Ghz would smoke a Pentium4 2.4 Ghz.

Plus, 2GB of RAM and your video card is more than enough. Power supply's a bit overkill, though ... unless you're planning for the future, which is okay in my book.
 
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