need input on new build! help please!

A

alkaline

Gawd
Joined
Jan 31, 2006
Messages
727
i need a case, preferrably black with a side window. help me out! critique this build.....all suggestions welcome! See something you dont like? Show me what i should get!

DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827136063

HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822144417

Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16824116381

MOBO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813136151

VID Card [would have liked to go EVGA, but they are out of stock at the egg]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814143047

Sound Card [i have speakers]:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16829102188

PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817711002

Processor
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103546

HSF
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118223

Thermal:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835100007

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820227210

OS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16837102062

Total: $2,508.28
EEK!

any suggestions for the same performance but a lower cost?? Help a brotha out! lol.....I was considering removing the sound card, it would lower the cost to about $2300 if i did.
 
it looks good all except for the $$$ issue, if you have the money to spare go for it! if you want to lower the cost possibly ask yourself this. what am i really going to need what am i useing this for? first thing i would say is the processor i would lower it down a notch same with the graphics card. the motherboard....i think i remember reading something bad about these boards idk cant help you to much there. the sound card i would keep its only $100 but if you scrap it make sure the onboard audio is enough for your speakers.
 
Yeah, scrap the sound card. Totally not needed and will save you some dough by keeping onboard.
 
PWMK2 said:
Yeah, scrap the sound card. Totally not needed and will save you some dough by keeping onboard.
Click to expand...

I disagree, I would stick with the sound card and as stated earlier drop the CPU a little, unless of course all that is within your budget, in that case I say go for it and enjoy :).
 
Unless you are set on the residual value of SLI, I would suggest a X1900XTX instead of a 7900GTX as a single card solution. They are generally better in terms of both image quality and performance.
 
i have done some more research and i have found that there are issues with DFI boards. any of you guys using a board that you really like? What do you think i should change my processor to?

[my sig is the last computer i built, for a friend.....built it about 2 months back]
 
daphatgrant said:
I disagree, I would stick with the sound card and as stated earlier drop the CPU a little, unless of course all that is within your budget, in that case I say go for it and enjoy :).
Click to expand...

Which would you prefer, lower the price and still have exactly the same level of sound quality, or drop the price and get a slower CPU?
 
i think i am going to scrap the sound card. heck, i can always buy it later. might as well spend the money on a faster chip
 
daphatgrant said:
I disagree, I would stick with the sound card and as stated earlier drop the CPU a little, unless of course all that is within your budget, in that case I say go for it and enjoy :).
Click to expand...

Agreed. On a rig of that calibur upgraded audio and offloading the audio from the CPU is a must.

That and I'm just extremely pleased with my X-Fi, although I didn't pay full retail for it. :p
 
alkaline said:
i think i am going to scrap the sound card. heck, i can always buy it later. might as well spend the money on a faster chip
Click to expand...

If you do, don't settle for onboard audio. Get a Chaintech AV-710. It uses the Envy 24-bit chip which produces surprisingly good sound for the price, and comes in around $25.
 
alkaline said:
i have done some more research and i have found that there are issues with DFI boards. any of you guys using a board that you really like? What do you think i should change my processor to?

[my sig is the last computer i built, for a friend.....built it about 2 months back]
Click to expand...

I made the switch from an Ultra-D to the Asus A8R-MVP and am very happy. The layout is much better (everything at the edges of the board), passive cooling (quiet and no risk of fan failure), and no extra power connections on the board (cleaned up cables!). Also no chipset driver is required, only a SATA RAID driver for the ULi southbridge.

I can't compare the overclocking between the two because I switched CPUs and RAM at the same time, but I'm running my X2 at 2500Mhz at stock voltage with stock cooling which I find impressive for a board under $100 with passive cooling and 3-phase power design.

In the Anandtech tests it got the highest overclock of any Skt939 board they've tested, trumping the Ultra-D and the A8N32, and it also gave 26% better disk controller performance. Has HD Audio and external SATA port as well.
 
Stellar said:
Agreed. On a rig of that calibur upgraded audio and offloading the audio from the CPU is a must.

That and I'm just extremely pleased with my X-Fi, although I didn't pay full retail for it. :p
Click to expand...

It is a myth that getting a standalone sound card significantly increases gameplay performance. For the price you spent on an X-fi, you could have bought a much better CPU. Even then, you might start seeing something like a 5 FPS increase after getting a stand-alone sound card... just not worth it in my book.

And even then, the sound is exactly the same. I would call myself an audio person (been editing sound on a couple computers for quite some time now), and my onboard Realtek AC '97 sound is in no way any worse than an old Audigy2 that I had. If you really want to increase sound quality, get better speakers... seriously.

Stellar said:
Are you kidding?
Click to expand...

No.
 
PWMK2 said:
It is a myth that getting a standalone sound card significantly increases gameplay performance. For the price you spent on an X-fi, you could have bought a much better CPU. Even then, you might start seeing something like a 5 FPS increase after getting a stand-alone sound card... just not worth it in my book.[/b]
Click to expand...

It's not a myth, Realtek chips take up to 7% CPU utilization on some boards. He's buying a 4400+, what's he going to upgrade to for ~$110? That thing will hit FX60 speeds no problem.


And even then, the sound is exactly the same. I would call myself an audio person (been editing sound on a couple computers for quite some time now), and my onboard Realtek AC '97 sound is in no way any worse than an old Audigy2 that I had. If you really want to increase sound quality, get better speakers... seriously.
Click to expand...

So you've never heard an X-Fi? How would you know? I owned an Audigy 2 before as well, and subjectively the sound improvement is VERY noticeable. Most reviews reflect the same opinion. What kind of cans are you using? I'm using HD515s. It's a physical impossibility for AC97 to sound "exactly the same" considering it doesn't support:
  • DTS ES
  • Dolby Digital EX
  • Digital Input
  • EAX 5.0 HD
  • CMSS3D
  • 24-Bit Encoding/Decoding

..not to mention the difference in SNR, THD, and frequency response.
 
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