new high end computer

R

r3m3dy

n00b
Joined
Jul 29, 2005
Messages
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this is the new computer i am thinking about getting. please give me as many suggestions as possible because i am new at making new computers and i have been working all summer long to get it. right now im not sure if i should get that single gfx card and later buy another or get 2 for the same pirce. i am also not sure if i need two cd rom drives instead of just one that does it all. and if there are any other things that i might be missing besides an OS please let me know. thank you. by the way the main purpose of this computer will be for gaming.

AMD-compatible Motherboards
DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Video Cards & Related Devices
BFG Tech BFGR78256GTXOC Video Card

Processors
AMD Athlon 64 FX57 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor

Memory - System
Kingston HyperX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit

ATX Computer Cases
Lian Li V SERIES PC-V2100B Black Computer Case - Retail

Internal Hard Drives
Western Digital Raptor 74GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 200GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive

CD/DVD ROM Drives
TOSHIBA Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model SD-C2712 BLACK - OEM

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A - OEM

Sound Cards
Onboard

Power Supplies
OCZ PowerStream OCZ600ADJ 600W Power Supply

Monitor LCD
HYUNDAI L90D+ Silver 19" 8ms LCD Monitor Built in Speakers - Retail

Keyboards
Saitek Black Wired Eclipse Keyboard - Retail

Mouse
Logitech MX518 2-Tone Mouse - Retail
 
If you are going to drop that much cash, invest into a raptor 10k rpm HD and use other as storage. I would also looking into getting just a BFG 7800gtx now and going SLI down the road since that card will be more powerful than most other cards even SLI (6800gt and such). Plus when you decide to pop the other one in there price will be a lot cheaper and it will make it a monster of an upgrade rather than having to upgrade both cards at once for the newest on the market.

Also get an XP-90C for the processor.
 
PSU is great (although if you decide to run SLI and overclock in the future, a ~600W would give more headroom -- check the stickied threads over in the Power Supplies forum to see which one you need/want).

Quick note about video card -
512 MB 6800 Ultra isn't worth it. Drop that and get the 7800GTX. It's pretty much general consensus that the latter is the better card...;)

~$150 cheaper too. :D
 
i have updated the list using suggestions and would love to have a lot more suggestions. thanks!
 
I'm not sure spending the money on a sound card is worth it, particularly if you're just using the speakers built-in to the monitor.
 
right now i plan on only using head phones(SENNHEISER PC 155). so should i just use onboard sound? another question i have is there a way to get a dvd burner that will also play cds and dvds so i can only have one cd rom drive thing instead of two?
 
I'd go with the onboard sound and save the $70. If you don't like the onboard sound for some reason, then you can upgrade later. If you decide to upgrade, I'd recommend an M-Audio card.

Yes, it is not hard to find DVD-RW drives that will play CDs. I really like the Samsung drives, like this one. The styling is neat, the drives are inexpensive and fast, and they seem very solid.
 
AMD-compatible Motherboards
good choice.

Video Cards & Related Devices
Another waste of money, obviously you aren't gonna have a video card that you WANT to work for more than a few years, so what good is a "lifetime warranty"? With the money you are saving, get two of these (they are faster than the BFG ones AND cheaper!): XFX 7800GTX 490/1300 clock $540 including shipping each
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=321028

Processors
Waste of money here. The future is in Dual Core. Get a 4400+ and you will be able to OC to the same level as a 4800+/FX-57 easily for 1/2 the money. $620
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=120241

Memory - System
You're wasting your money hardcore here. Plus that's ECC registered RAM, it won't work period in your system!!!!! Definitely change. Get Crucial Value 2x1GB. It is only $220 total, and

ATX Computer Cases
Sure, your choice for a case. That this is BIG though, make sure you know that. I'd get a v1000, v1200, PC-6077, or similar if you aren't going to water cool.

Internal Hard Drives
Bad, Newegg ships their HDDs in bubblewrap, which can cause them to be damaged. (NO major HDD manufac. accepts RMAs shipped in bubblewrap.) Get this:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=100719-6
It's the SATA version of the one you got (and you want SATA, it's even cheaper than PATA nowadays), with free, safe shipping. And stick with the Maxtor, it is 1/4 the price per GB of a raptor, with only slightly lower speed. The 16mb of cache make this the fastest 7,200 RPM drive out there for the SAME price as 8mb drives!

CD/DVD ROM Drives
good choice.

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
good choice.

Sound Cards
You're getting a sound card for built in speakers on a monitor??? Get the Logitech X-530 5.1s for $55 in addition to this or niether.

Power Supplies
You can save a lot of money AND get a better PSU by getting a Seasonic S12-600. They are $130 at both www.ewiz.com and www.case-mod.com. I just recieved a S12-500 from case-mod, no problems so far!

Monitor LCD
ok.

Keyboards
ok.

Mouse
GOOD choice!

-----

Do you need an OS? And you should look into additional CPU cooling so you can overclock. Your system is built for it. Get an XP-90, NOT c. The XP-90c and XP-120 only cool slightly better than the XP-90 and are a LOT more expensive. Look at this site:
http://www.jab-tech.com/customer/product.php?productid=2921
For just under $40 you can get a XP-90, a Panaflo fan (the BEST), AND Arctic Silver 5 or Ceramique (the best as well). I prefer Ceramique b/c AS5 is slightly capacitive and can short your system if enough of it gets in the wrong place

Please save some money with my changes. This system is a LOT better than your previous one, especially with 2 7800s instead of one. And I am willing to bet that it costs less! Save your money, you don't have to spend all of it. That or get a Dell 2405FPW with the extra. THAT is a REALLY good monitor. 24 inches of widescreen goodness!
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...y_id=6198&first=true&page=productlisting.aspx
It's fairly expensive, but you can search around the [H]otdeals forum for a coupon for it. There are a lot of those.

One thing. That monitor you chose can only do 1280x1024. 1 7800GTX will probably run all current games at absolute max settings at that resolution. So only get 2 7800GTXs if you get the Dell 2405FPW or something that has a large max resolution (1600x1200 or 1920x1200 for widescreen).
 
i really appreciate the help you are giving me but i have a few questions.

Russ said:
[Processors
Waste of money here. The future is in Dual Core. Get a 4400+ and you will be able to OC to the same level as a 4800+/FX-57 easily for 1/2 the money. $620
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=120241
Click to expand...
Would it be better to get the X2 4600+ instead of the 4400+? And if so which core should i get?

Russ said:
[Memory - System
You're wasting your money hardcore here. Plus that's ECC registered RAM, it won't work period in your system!!!!! Definitely change. Get Crucial Value 2x1GB. It is only $220 total, and
Click to expand...
Is Crucial Value good quality and were you going to say something else about it?

Russ said:
[Internal Hard Drives
Bad, Newegg ships their HDDs in bubblewrap, which can cause them to be damaged. (NO major HDD manufac. accepts RMAs shipped in bubblewrap.) Get this:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=100719-6
It's the SATA version of the one you got (and you want SATA, it's even cheaper than PATA nowadays), with free, safe shipping. And stick with the Maxtor, it is 1/4 the price per GB of a raptor, with only slightly lower speed. The 16mb of cache make this the fastest 7,200 RPM drive out there for the SAME price as 8mb drives!
Click to expand...
so you wouldn't reccomend me getting a slightly smaller maxtor with the 74gb raptor? reason i ask is because im not sure if you saw my post before or after i edited it.

Russ said:
[[CD/DVD ROM Drives
good choice.

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
good choice.
Click to expand...
would it be better to get this combo drive. im not sure if its able to play cds and dvds but i would like one that burns both and plays both instead of buying two seperate ones.
-----

Do you need an OS? And you should look into additional CPU cooling so you can overclock. Your system is built for it. Get an XP-90, NOT c. The XP-90c and XP-120 only cool slightly better than the XP-90 and are a LOT more expensive. Look at this site:
http://www.jab-tech.com/customer/product.php?productid=2921
For just under $40 you can get a XP-90, a Panaflo fan (the BEST), AND Arctic Silver 5 or Ceramique (the best as well). I prefer Ceramique b/c AS5 is slightly capacitive and can short your system if enough of it gets in the wrong place

Please save some money with my changes. This system is a LOT better than your previous one, especially with 2 7800s instead of one. And I am willing to bet that it costs less! Save your money, you don't have to spend all of it. That or get a Dell 2405FPW with the extra. THAT is a REALLY good monitor. 24 inches of widescreen goodness!
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...y_id=6198&first=true&page=productlisting.aspx
It's fairly expensive, but you can search around the [H]otdeals forum for a coupon for it. There are a lot of those.

One thing. That monitor you chose can only do 1280x1024. 1 7800GTX will probably run all current games at absolute max settings at that resolution. So only get 2 7800GTXs if you get the Dell 2405FPW or something that has a large max resolution (1600x1200 or 1920x1200 for widescreen).
Click to expand...
yes i do plan on buying an os. would you reccomend me getting this dell monitor instead of the current one i have selected. and again thank you so much for all of this help.
 
Is Crucial Value good quality
Click to expand...

mmhm.

that monitor has the same res...a 7800gtx will work great at that res though, you'll be able to max out settings on any game out. That optical drive is fine, but there are some around $50 that will read/burn cd/dvd, i can't get a link atm.


edit: the NEC in your original post that you have as cd/dvd burner will do the trick on it's own.
 
"Would it be better to get the X2 4600+ instead of the 4400+? And if so which core should i get?"

I'd get the 4400 & overclock the sucker. X2s don't have multiple revisions yet, they're all Rev. E chips.


"Is Crucial Value good quality and were you going to say something else about it?"

Yes, yes it is. Overclocks to 240MHz or more with only minor voltage increase.


"so you wouldn't reccomend me getting a slightly smaller maxtor with the 74gb raptor? reason i ask is because im not sure if you saw my post before or after i edited it."

Raptor's fastest, but he doesn't feel the price is justified when 16MB cache drives are only slightly slower. I tend to agree but it's your money. The Raptor IS faster, but not so much as most people are likely to care.


"im not sure if its able to play cds and dvds but i would like one that burns both and plays both instead of buying two seperate ones."

I'd just get a DVD+/-RW and call it done. It'll burn or play DVDs/CDs to your heart's content.

Monitor I'd strongly recommend a 2405FPW if you have the cash, or other model according to your budget.
 
Another waste of money, obviously you aren't gonna have a video card that you WANT to work for more than a few years, so what good is a "lifetime warranty"? With the money you are saving, get two of these (they are faster than the BFG ones AND cheaper!): XFX 7800GTX 490/1300 clock $540 including shipping each
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produ...ductCode=321028
Click to expand...
except for hte fact that BFG will replace the card at ANY point in its life, with the same one or a BETTER one. i just RMA'd a BFG 5900U and got a 6800GT back. hell of a deal, if you ask me.

is the XFX verified 490 core, or is that after adding that 30mhz that it does auto? parts of teh BFG core run at 490 too, just like stock some parts of hte core work at 460mhz instead of 430.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=321028
 
I've also heard that they'll lie to you and tell you it's better when it's not, that their support is generally unhelpful and borderline incompetant, and that it's a PITA to get them to ante up.

Problem is I'm not sure which occurs how often. EVGA's been flirting with going back to a lifetime. I've kinda gotten to trust their service, so it'd help. Plus then maybe one or the other would try to do something to upstage the competition and the consumers would benefit.

BTW all the 7800GTX cards are centrally manufactured. The "manufacturers" basically slap a heatsink on it, bundle it with some crap, and ship it out.
 
I've also heard that they'll lie to you and tell you it's better when it's not, that their support is generally unhelpful and borderline incompetant, and that it's a PITA to get them to ante up.
Click to expand...
i have never had any of those problems.

i could over clock the bfg 6800 ultra couldn't i?
Click to expand...
yes, but it would still be slower than a GTX
 
Obviously not...I've just heard enough horror stories to be on the wary side.
 
I officially hate you. Wish I could afford to look at a new system and consider $2K to be a perfectly alright number.

BTW, SLI has issues right now. From what I've heard, they are having to kind of program support for it specifically one game and program at a time, so it's a definite pain. You're actually better off seeking more powerful single slot solutions right now, though it is true that as long as you stick with PCI Express you have the option of someday going with SLI when a single card no longer is enough. (By then SLI will be running along nicely.) Right now, it is true that the 6800 Ultra actually is more than enough for any game currently out there (and, btw, 256MB is more than enough here in reality with current games and current cards and I just don't see even the 7800 TRULY benefitting from 512MB for a long time.) However, a single 7800 is practically 2x the power of a single 6800 Ultra. 24 pipelines, higher clocks, faster chip, etc. Considering how SLI just isn't quite there yet, you definitely get better performance from a 7800.

And, personally, I have heard good things about BFG. I suppose it's best to be wary, but, keep your options open at least. I'm inclined to say it's still the better choice for you right now from what I do know of them. Mind you, I'm personally most happy with Leadtek right now, they gave me absolutely no troubles with replacing a card when they actually had a right to based on just what was known at the time (no, I didn't have it unlocked or anything like that, at the time there was only the BIOS flash method and I wasn't about to do that.) They won't give you a better card if you have to RMA, just the same one (though they did send it in a completely unopened box with all the extra software, dongles and junk that the website said they wouldn't replace rather than just the card,) and I believe they don't do a lifetime warantee or anything like that. They seem to be a pretty good company, but, not as good as BFG is supposed to be.

EDIT: BTW, I'm glad to see someone else out there who doesn't get all obsessive about all this hype on the MX-1000. The MX-1000 is NOT that great. My dad has one and I've tried to use it. It's not as well shaped as the 510 at all, and the extra resolution is useless. The fact is, a 510 probably is enough resolution for the heaviest gaming, but, if that truly weren't enough for a person, the 518 definitely would still have to satifsy them. Plus it's just plain better on the hands... And if you just do a little circle with the cable on the desk, the wire doesn't get in the way, so wireless is just silly anyway. I'm glad to see someone else who at least realized part of this if not the whole thing. Word of warning. If you haven't used a high end logitech before, it takes some getting used to with the shape and button layout. Another word of warning. Once you have gotten used to it, it's so much better you'll be upset every time you are forced to use someone's crappy MS mouse. d-:
 
Yes, the XFX is "verified" 490 core (30mhz higher than the BFG at anything). And it adds like 40-42 mhz or something, not 30.

Other manufacs have a 2-3 year warranty where they do the EXACT same thing as BFG, replace your card if it breaks. If you really care about a card 2-3 years after you buy it, you shouldn't. They will be almost worthless in 3 years.
i really appreciate the help you are giving me but i have a few questions

Would it be better to get the X2 4600+ instead of the 4400+? And if so which core should i get?

Is Crucial Value good quality and were you going to say something else about it?

so you wouldn't reccomend me getting a slightly smaller maxtor with the 74gb raptor? reason i ask is because im not sure if you saw my post before or after i edited it.

would it be better to get this combo drive. im not sure if its able to play cds and dvds but i would like one that burns both and plays both instead of buying two seperate ones.

yes i do plan on buying an os. would you reccomend me getting this dell monitor instead of the current one i have selected. and again thank you so much for all of this help.
Click to expand...
NO. There is only one core for each speed rating of X2s so far. The 4400+ and 4600+ have the same core. Get the 4400+.

Crucial Value is very good quality. Sorry if I cut myself off. Crucial Value 1GB can do 235-250mhz @ 3-3-3 timings. That is very impressive for the $110 per stick price. Get two.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146545

Definitely DON'T get a raptor. Just a 250-300gb Maxtor.

DVD burners just about always do everythign else nowadays. Get the NEC that you initially selected, it will be able to burn and read all kinds of DVDs AND CDs.

Just get a Dell 2405fpw if you can. 19x12 res is nothing to sneeze at, and it's the only LCD res available (besides 16x12) where the 7800GTX will really shine.

-----

And don't listen to what he is saying about SLI. It IS polished NOW. There are either 80 or 100 odd game profiles for SLi now (I can't remember which) and nVidia just implemented a generic SLI profile for games without one in their newest drivers. All modern games (All the ones a 7800GTX by itself can't run at absolute max smoothly) have SLI profiles now. They are included with the drivers, so you don't have to worry about them. There is nothing wrong with 7800GTX SLI if you can afford it, as long as you are running 1600x1200 resolution or greater.
 
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