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review build. will i need anything else?

G

gamekid

Gawd
Joined
Nov 1, 2004
Messages
626
parts:
arctic silver 5
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-100-008&depa=0

steelpad 4d
http://www.xoxide.com/steelpad4d.html

mx 510
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=26-104-151&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

logitech elite keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=23-126-114&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

vantec tornado
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-999-613&depa=0

xp-90
http://www.xoxide.com/thermalright-xp-90-cpu-cooler.html

msi sli mobo
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=110481
winchester 3500+
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=120429
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^cpu and mobo combo at monarch

printer
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=28-104-196&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

1gb(2x512) g.skill pc4400
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-231-006&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

silverstone tj06
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA20735

pci-e 6800ultra oc
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=190483

enermax whisper 535w psu
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-460&depa=0

plextor 12X DVD+/-RW Drive, Black, Model PX-712SA/SW-BL, Retail
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=27-131-329&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

floppy
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=21-152-005&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

western digital 200gb hdd
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-153&depa=1

nec 930
http://www.nm-select.com/product.asp?sku=2551053

windows xp
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=37-102-151&DEPA=6

aintivirus- i herd of some free online one thats better then norton but i forgot the site if anyone could post a link

ath-a900s
http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Audio-Technica_ATH-A900_Art_Headphone.html
-------------------------------------
i am pretty sure on the parts that i listed, all i want to know is if i missed anything i need?

thanks for any advice in advance, im really glad the 6800ultra isnt $700+ like i have been seeing :D
 
I would stick with the 3500 and would opt for the PCP&C 510 SLI PSU, more than enough power and arguably the best out there. If you are doing any overclocking I would go with the DFI SLI mobo if you can find it. Everything else looks really good, you should have an excellent gaming rig.
 
well, the PCP&C 510 SLI PSU is more expensive, im not sure of the price, and i am aiming to get the price down, i counted everything and my budget is no more then $2,375 including shipping.

and i want to order in the next few days and i cant find the dfi board in stock anywhere. the msi should be a good overclocker too......i dont need as much voltage for the ram as the dfi supplies..so either way, i should get a good oc.

i think i will ask my sister to give me $200 for the headphones and i will let her use the computer more often ( she acctually thinks i will let her use it when she wants and shes not dishing out a penny atm ) i will drop the 250gb hdd to a 200gb and buy HL2..

i really want to know if i can buy a cpu/mobo from monarch in the combo without ram and get the free software, if i can i will just buy the mobo from their too, i got to check zipzoomfly for prices tomarrow. if anyone knows of a good site to buy parts from in the U.S feel free to post a link

i am a sophmore(10th grade in highschool) now and i think i will just sell the computer and buy a labtop when i go to college...but thats for another time
 
If you really want to find out about the monarch deal you had better just call them up and ask them to be sure. From what I see on their website it looks as though you only have to buy the motherboard w/a CPU.
 
First of all I know you don't want to hear it, but you're young so I think I should say it...

DON'T SPEND ALL YOUR FREE MONEY ON YOUR COMPUTER.

Try to cut $200 or $300 from the build. You never know what kind of emergency you'll need it for and there might be other things that you want to buy later on. Don't get into this terrible habit of spending it all just because you have it.

That being said..

To answer your initial question, make sure you have a USB 2.0 cable for the printer. It of course will not come with one. Also you may need a 20-to-24-pin adapter for your power supply, as the link on Newegg doesn't specify that the unit is EPS approved. The header on the MSI board is a 24-pin one. Also a good mouse mat if you don't have one. Since you're obviously a gamer I suggest a DKT or Func mouse mat.

If you want to cut your spending a bit, you could go with a Winchester 3000+, a 6800 GT, and an smaller power supply. An OCZ 520w would do the job more than well, you would just need an extra 6-pin PCI express adapter for your second video card if or when you install it. Given you are only running 1 hard drive and 1 optical drive, no watercooling or other devices, 600w is definitely overkill. All of the late Winchester chips are well known for overclocking up to 2.5Ghz fairly easily, sometimes on stock cooling and voltages. So buying the cheapest Winchester possible would be a quick and easy way to get a 3500+++ and save some money while doing so. It's equally as easy to hit Ultra speeds with a 6800 GT. I personally have my 6800 GT running WELL beyond 6800U speeds with a bump of the voltage to 1.4v and a $20 NV5 aftermarket cooler.

Also you could always go with a smaller, cheaper case. The Silverstone Gloria (Tj04) has a very similar design to the CM Praetorian which is very popular, however it is made of SECC steel which is quieter and more sturdy, and it comes with dual 120mm fans which would provide enough airflow for an SLI rig.
 
ohnnyj said:
If you really want to find out about the monarch deal you had better just call them up and ask them to be sure. From what I see on their website it looks as though you only have to buy the motherboard w/a CPU.
Click to expand...
.........................excellent

ok, the powersupply i listed i am pretty sure it is 24 pin since it is rated for sli and all the sli mobos need 24 pin psu's. i thought 600watts was overkill too...i will have to change that.

for saving money up, i dont really have to do that. i dont buy a lot of things with my money. lately all i have been doing is saving up for this computer...before that i bought a ps2 when they were still $300 and i bought like 20 games for it over time. my parents pay for food, shelter, clothes, anything school related...basically everything i need, i just pay for the extra stuff.---but i do have a terrible habbit of spending money just cause i have it

i'll have to take another look at the tj04, i saw all of them but i forgot what one was that.

i have a guestion with the overclockability of the 6800 ultra. yes i know 6800gt's overclock past those speeds but i herd an ultra has an extra molex connector or something and u can get alot higher clock then a 6800gt could ever oc. but im not sure if its just for watercooling?

i completely forgot about the pad, are the steelpad's any good? they are kinda expensive for a pad. and i didnt know i needed a cord for the printer--thanks a lot

if i have to, i will get a 3200+ because for some reason all the winchesters generally overclock the same.....

thanks for the replies, keep em coming :)
 
i changed the psu to a enermax whisper 535w...

i dont understand what u mean by a usb 2.0 printer cable. i looked at pinter cables and i found a bunch that were IEEE(or somethign like that) to IEEE...and i found another that was IEEE to usb but its like $20 for just a cable......

i read a little more on monarch and i dont have to buy ram from them :D , the msi sli board is set ~$50 more on their site but i still get the software which is said to be worth $150.

what optical drive should i get? the nec or the plextor? i herd plextor was really high quality but the nec has better speeds......

ok, i changed a bunch of stuff, just noticed the g.skill is out of stock :( , i wanted to buy everything tomarrow or today. i added a xp-120, artic silver 5, steelpad4d, 120mm sunon fan, changed the 250gb hdd to a 200gb, 3500+ to a 3200+, and i am tempted to get a 6800gt unstead of an ultra but i dont want to. i am gonna make a post about it to help me decide.

i added everything up and with the additions and downgrades i got $2,243.47, add $100 for shipping and thats like $2350. ok that is in my budget but i also need headphones. i was looking at the DT770s (forgot the brand) but they are $200 :( , so i think i might have to drop the 6800ultra to a gt.

subtract $60, i changed monitor, price is ~$2300 now :) ....the dt's are too expensive, i think i will setle for the sen 280s
 
bump!

i figure not that many people are posting because i dont really need much more help but can anyone at least boost my confidence (not that is low or anything) by saying its good or something?

the only thing that i need right now is a cord for the printer......i still dont understand what i need, at mwave.com, they have the same printer and on the side u can select a cord, the printer itself is like $10 more but if i dont know wat cord to get so i might just buy it there.
 
It's definitely a good build, and I can assure you it will play any current game at high quality at the highest resolution that the monitor you are buying will display.

I particularly like your choice of PSUs, because that is the one I'm ordering next week. Except I'm going to order it from Perf. PCs and get it fully sleeved in my choice of colors.

As far as the cable you need, don't order it.. you can pick it up at any local PC shop, Wal Mart, Staples, Office Max, etc.. just a regular 10ft. USB 2.0 cable. An IEEE cable refers to a parallel cable, I don't believe your printer has a parallel connection but even if it did there would be no reason to use it, USB 2.0 is faster and supports PnP.

Did you change your mind about the case? I really like the Gloria (TJ04), the only reason I'm not ordering it with my upcoming build is because I like having a removeable motherboard. I am however ordering it's clone, the Praetorian.

If your tight on money, go ahead and order the GT. I can personally gaurantee you it will hit Ultra speeds. The only thing an ultra will get you is maybe 20-30 more Mhz on your overclock which might amount to 5-6 fps in-game depending on what you're playing. So it's up to you whether or not that's worth blowing your budget.
 
I agree with Stellar on the cable, just find any USB 2.0 cable which should be readily available at a local retailer. As far as NEC vs Plextor, I actually recommend the NEC despite the fact that I have two Plextors in my rig right now simply because the NEC is just as fast and since you are on a budget, much cheaper. Too bad on the memory, but you could get some Corsair or OCZ for about the same price and are just as good. Overall it looks like a solid rig. Oh, and go for the GT.
 
well, i hope the g.skill is in stock tomarrow or monday because i hear some places dont ship on weekends.

i will just get a 6800gt if i can play everything maxed out.

on the burner issue, the nec is $64 and the plextor is $105 but has a $30 rebate so its like $75......$10 isnt gonna make or break my decision.

i will just go down to a local store and buy a cable.

i got a problem though :( , the msi sli board doesnt support the xp-120, so whats the best after that, the xp-90?....monarch will have the dfi board march 1 but i dont want to wait anylonger........so all i need is a hsf and im set to go.

------is this a good hfs? http://www.xoxide.com/zalman-7700-cu-cpu-cooler.html its the zalmon 7700 one. it says its compatible with the msi board, seems to me to be the best after the xp-120

it looks like i will have some extra money afterall, but i think im gonna buy a new chair :cool:
 
You probably won't notice much of a difference between an Ultra and GT especially if you overclock the GT. I'm not familiar with the various heatsink/fans but I am pretty sure that it will do. And since there is such a small difference in the optical drives, go with the Plextor. Extra money? What about those headphones?

I did find this review for that heatsink.
 
i think i will get the plextor but i dont understand why it is set originally at $100, its rated at slower speeds then the nec.is it the quality or something?

and a new chair will be ~$50.....head phones....i am aiming to the ATH-a900s, which are $200, the only reason im spending so much for them is because they should last me a very long time. headphones dont get outdated very fast.

so im good on the hfs, and everything else but the optical drive, i think i will ask this in another forum section, if their is one.

to the few that actually posted, thanks alot
 
ok i got a little money to do a upgrade.

i can either get a 3500+ or a 6800ultra or a 250GB HDD.

i dont need the 250gb hdd but its a option none the less. i dont know what would help me more, a ultra or a 3500+, because i can always oc the 3200+ to realatively the same speds the 3500+ ocs to, and the 6800gt will oc past ultra speeds.....so i could always get a amp for the headphones and also get a chair.
--and i would keep the money, but my mom's paying $1,000 after my money runs out so all i would be doing is saving her money...which doesnt really matter too much considering it wouldnt effect her much.

i choose the plextor drive too...just seems to be the better choice.

and would it help to send newegg an email asking when will they get some more g.skill in stock?

looks like im ordering the stuff tomarrow :) , and if they still dont have the g.skill, i will just order everything but that. and wait a little bit longer.
 
ohnnyj said:
I would stick with the 3500 and would opt for the PCP&C 510 SLI PSU, more than enough power and arguably the best out there. If you are doing any overclocking I would go with the DFI SLI mobo if you can find it. Everything else looks really good, you should have an excellent gaming rig.
Click to expand...

The MSI one will probably be just as good a choice as the DFI. Granted you're not going to get 4.0V DIMM's but if he's going with TCCD's he doesn't need 4.0V. Plus the MSI is $60 less than the DFI (which isn't even in stock anywhere I've looked). Just my $.02, not trying to flame you :).

I just bought parts for a similar rig with the MSI board and the 3200+ (although I got the G.Skill LE's when they were in stock on Friday). I'd go with the GT instead of the Ultra for the fact that it is at least $100 cheaper and it has a single slot cooling solution (although slapping an NV5 on it takes away the single slot cooling advantage...much quieter though :) ).
 
ok, if i get the ultra and a nv5, would i be able to fit another ultra and nv5 in there?
-what does it mean by single slot cooling?
 
The plextor you reference is their Serial ATA interface model. Note you will want to verify if you havent already, that your mobo is on their compatibility list. If its not, go for their 712A or 716A model instead. they are regular IDE/pata interface and no compatibility issues there.

That being said, I love my 712. The reason its higher priced is multi-fold

The plextor comes with retail packaging. It includes a box... (pretty wimpy retail package, doesnt even include a cable to connect the drive to soundcard). The NEC is OEM and gets shipped to you with a sleeved CD of software and the bare drive.

The plextors have a very high reputation as a quality optical drive with exceptional media compatibility. the NEC is also exceptional quality and great media compatibility, but the Plextor has a solid reputation over many years.


That being said, I love my plextor, but the NEC is also of terrific quality. you wont go wrong with either purchase.

a more apples-to-apples plextor drive is this one. The retail pack includes the black front-plate.



Oh the PCP&C, $240. But its money well spent. I've had enough of cheap-assed PSUs going bad on me or causing instability. I dont regret spending the cash on the 510.
 
gamekid said:
ok, if i get the ultra and a nv5, would i be able to fit another ultra and nv5 in there?
-what does it mean by single slot cooling?
Click to expand...

Single slot cooling means you can theoretically use the next available PCI slot next to the card (usually not a good idea because you want good airflow to your card to keep it from overheating). If you look at the ultras (at least most of the ones I've seen), they take up two slots with the size of the coolers on them. The NV5, while being a much better cooler than most if not all stock cooling options is a 2 slot cooler (with one of those two slots being used for the card, the other to get the heat from the card out of the case in an almost pci blower fan manner). I'm not sure how the new NV5 is, but the old VGA Silencer I put on my 9800 series card was gigantic. It seemed like it was almost as big as the card itself. With that large of a heatsink, it might be a tight fit with 2 ultras in the DFI motherboard particularly (at least according to some other postings in this forum...sorry, don't have a link). It will most likely fit, but I'm not sure you would get optimal airflow. Once again, just my $.02. The NV5 due to the fact that it expels the air outside the case might be able to handle another ultra right next to it in SLI config.
 
I don't think you will have a problem w/two Ultras and two NV5s as the Ultras themselves have a two slot cooler and obviously they are made for SLI and so replacing the stock cooler with another that takes up the same amount of space will be no problem. Of course this is coming from someone who has the A8N which has a little more clearance between cards so I am not sure how much tighter they would be on a different board. One thing you have to keep in mind, though, is that since you are spending a lot of money on this system and no spare cash if anything should happen to your parts, the removal of the stock cooler will void the lifetime warranty on your BFG and so you would be out $550+ if something should go wrong. Not that anything will but just something to keep in mind. And in regards to the 3200+ vs. the 3500+ I would go with the latter only if the price was within a reasonable amount as the former should overclock pretty well. But remember, not all processors are going to overclock well, sometimes it is just the luck of the draw, so your mileage may vary as they say. Remember to get the Winchester core, though.
 
i just got another $50 from my godmother so i think i might be able to get both but i have to add the prices up.

well, since it would void the warrenty, i think i will wait on the nv5. i am going to run everything for a month or 2 before i oc anything to make sure its all stable and good.

enermax psus are good, if i need a new psu later i will probably be able to get the pcp&c.

i hope i got money left over because i forgot i wanted that rome:total war game but that can wait.

and will i need a cable for the HDD?

ok everything (everything as in everything im buying, including shipping and headphones) priced out to be $2,523.39 :), the top i could go was $2,535.
now if i dont need a cable for the hdd im all set.
 
i would recommend not going with SLI. i would go with an MSI Neo2 Platinum and a 3200+ Winnie. also, get a xp-90 and your choice of any good 92mm fan. dont spend the extra money on an ultra. i got my 6800GT at more than ultra speeds. dont get an nv5 unless you absolutely need it. i have one, and i havent put it on cuz i havent the need to as of yet. you most likely wont fill up a full 200GB. i would get a good 160GB SATA like a samsung.

AND PLEASE! dont spend more than $50 on headphones. i got some Kinyo 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones, and they're great. they come with an amplifier and everything. you can find em on newegg. and if you're gonna get good headphones, make sure you get an awesome sound card. i'd recommend a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS.

and for power supply, any fortron 480W or above should do you just fine. i would also go with Corsair or OCZ memory.

that's all i have to say. i remember i messed up terribly on my first build. wasted so much money on stupid crap.
 
i know what i want.....i have the money.........i decided to buy what i want.....and im happy.....nothing more too it then that..........i waited too long for sli to throw that option out the window........i could of went with agp and the neo2 back in november.......i went too far to go back now
 
Yes, go with what you want, I can say that from experience, I waited a good three years to finally get my system together as I kept saying oh I can wait just a little longer and get this or this. I finally said forget it I need to get a computer that I am happy with and it looks like you have found the same so kudos. As for the HD cables, the mobo should come with everything you need.
 
ok all; i have to do i check if the plextor works with the mis sli board and then everything is good besides the fact the g.skill still is out of stock :(


my mom is at work so i cant order anything till she gets back...i will just put everythng together and wait another day or two for ram.
 
I think you should be fine with the Plextor as I have the 716SA hooked up to an A8N-SLI board. However, if you enable RAID on the SATA ports then I don't think it will function any longer, at least it did not on my board. I had to put it on the Silicon Image SATA ports in order for it to work. But it did work on the nVidia ports as long as I did not enable RAID. Maybe the MSI is different, but just something to be aware of.
 
im not useing raid as of yet.........maybe if i get more HDD's


i am happy to say i ordered everything except the case and ram. the g.skill will be in stock on the 17th and mwave shipping charges are bogus.......$30 for the case!
 
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