***look at my comp build up thread***

D

DRED

n00b
Joined
Dec 7, 2005
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8
first time user of hardforum... was told this is the place to come for computer help...


anyway, my goal is to build a computer for school that is capable of playing a decent video game... I don't need to play F.E.A.R. on it's highest setting, but i want it to act like a normal console video game... like halo for xbox (the only video game i've played since NES)...

that said, I don't know jack shit about computers... but have been studying my ass off the past couple days... since I decided on my $1k computer budget... I will be building it myself...

after my research, I came up with this for my "economically priced decent gaming machine"... let me know of anything wrong with my choices... and if you can give me advice on components that are comperable, but cheaper, I'd like to hear it...


case (and fan/power supply):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811212013

motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813135190

processor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103560

video card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130214

hard drive:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822144122

memory:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145440

dvd burner:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827106988

monitor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16824001068

OS: XP HOME

967.95 shipped to my door... is there anything I should change before I hit the checkout button?...

I'd prefer to buy only from newegg, so i'm getting it all from one place... however, if there's deals going on elsewhere, I'd be interested to know...

also, do any of you use controllers (like on a console) instead of keyboard/mouse?... recommendations on that would be good too...

thanks in advance...

-Dustin
 
fuck... they worked yesterday... they must have updated their site or something... let me check my 'saved checkout' and edit my original post...

sorry...
 
from another forum, the following things have been brought up...

for the hard drive, "the ATA100 would be too slow... you need at least ATA133"... i don't think it'll make a noticeable difference... am I wrong?...

also, the motherboard is "not even close to what I would buy" said form some guy that gave no other info... :rolleyes: that motherboard is recommended on the AMD site for the processor I'm getting, so what's the problem with it?...


thanks
 
Oh boy, this should be fun.

I wouldn't trust a Coolmax PSU to power my rig. I like Antec, FSP, Enermax, Seasonic, Tagan, and PC Power and Cooling for my power supplies. For your rig, I'd look at the FSP AX-450PN, with a seperate case of your choice.

ECS isn't exactly known for making high quality motherboards, although recently they have shored up their image a bit with their pretty good enthusist boards.

Socket 754 is a dated socket. Only capable of running memory in single channel mode, and there's practically no upgrade path for it. Go with an Athlon 64 3000+ in socket 939, which is the newest socket, Going with a new mobo, I'd recommend looking at the ASUS A8N-E or Chaintech VNF4/Ultra.

Get a SATA hard drive.

I like the NEC 3550A, DVD drive wise. Very fast.
 
okay... while keeping in mind that his computer isn't going to be worked very hard, do you really think I need that gnarly of a power supply?... I need the thing to stay on... not heat my radiator...

ECS will work, or it won't?... I don't need top of the line, I just want it to work... do you have an inexpensive board in mind?...

so i should bump up to 939... 3500?... I was told 939 would be overkill, but I guess if it'll be easier to upgrade later, I can manage it...

I meant to get a SATA hard drive... :rolleyes: my bad...

as for the dvd drive... I don't care about speed... just wouldn't mind the option to burn a dvd if I really needed to... (I barely use the cd burner I have now... :rolleyes: )


thanks for the help
 
as far as power supplies. dont be as concerned with the overall wattage as to the brand and the voltage across the 12v line.
this is the psu that you should buy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817189003

as far as ecs i dunno, i would look for a cheaper socket 939 from abit, asus, gigabyte, DFI, etc. I'd look at a 3200 venice, the last time i checked it was 10 bux more then a 3000. for your dvd burner i would look at the nec-3540 or 3550.

also a question, did you pick out the parts because they were cheaper or because thats what you were looking for?

with a 1k budget you can put together quite a nice machine.

here is the list that ive put together for a friend.
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultr

In Stock
Add item to Cart $135.00 $135.00
1 RiDATA DVD+RW 4.7GB DVD+R DL 8.5GB DVD+R DL 2.4X DVD+RW 4X Mixed Pack 5+1 pk Disc - Retail
Model #: DRD+855/DRW+471
** This item may only be returned for a replacement of the same make/model within 30 days only.
In Stock
Add item to Cart $15.00 $15.00
1 XCLIO XClio 450BL ATX 450W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: XClio 450BL

In Stock
Add item to Cart $52.50 $52.50
1 AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3200BPBOX
** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only.
In Stock
Add item to Cart $166.00 $166.00
1 G.SKILL Extreme Series 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Samsung TCCD System Memory Model F1-3200DSU2-1GBFX - Retail
Model #: F1-3200DSU2-1GBFX

In Stock
Add item to Cart $151.82 $151.82
1 SAMSUNG Beige 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM
Model #: SFD321B/LEB

In Stock
Add item to Cart $7.99 $7.99
1 Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD2500JS

In Stock
Add item to Cart $99.50 $99.50
1 NEC Black IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM

In Stock
Add item to Cart $39.88 $39.88
Subtotal: $667.69
 
GeForceX said:
I would advise seeking a better PSU. XClio's aren't good.

-J.
Click to expand...
They are pretty good, a million times better than the PSU that he originally wanted.
 
There we go.

I haven't heard anything about Samsung's SpinPoint series? Are they good?

-J.
 
DRED - the reason for pushing you toward socket 939 is that the socket 754 chips top out at 3700+. With minimal cost you can get into a 939 3200+. In a year or two when you realize your system isn't cutting it for gaming anymore then you can upgrade a 939 farther than you can a 754.

754:
3400+ to a max of 3700+

939:
3200+ to a 5200+ dual-core or FX-60 dual core.


I think that's the top announced 939 chips so far, could go higher. You still may be behind the leading edge of the technology curve but a ~60% upgrade in rated speed is a pretty good future option for just having to drop in a new cpu without changing anything else.
 
GeForceX said:
There we go.

I haven't heard anything about Samsung's SpinPoint series? Are they good?

-J.
Click to expand...
Spinpoints are great, reliable, and among the quietest drives.
 
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