lucky_charms

Hi guys,

I will be building my first computer soon and wanted anyone's opinion on the parts I have picked out. The motherboard I'm not too sure of so if anyone can suggest a better one, that would be great. I will be using the computer mainly for entertainment purposes, of course as well as doing work on it. I will be installing a music studio and probably watching several videos, and probably downloading a bunch of programs, as well as playing some games. I would like a processor chip of at least 3.2 GHZ if not more. Also, when you buy the processor chip, does it come with the thermal paste or will I have to buy it on my own? The prices are in Canadian dollars, but the price isn't too much of an issue, as long as I get an excellent performance out of it. Let me know, thanks for your time.


Motherboard:

ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe ATX S939 NFORCE4 SLI X16 DDR 2PCI-E16 SATA2 RAID Sound 2GBLAN 1394

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16595 - $219.99

OR

ASUS A8N-SLI Premium ATX S939 NFORCE4 SLI DDR 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E 3PCI SATA RAID Sound GBLAN Motherboard

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=15495 - $205.20

There is already an onboard sound card. The motherboard doesn't have an onboard videocard which is something crucial I didn't want because my friend's computer had an onboard video card, and it stopped working, so I had to buy another video card, but that didn't work because I couldn't go into the BIOS settings to change it because the screen wouldn't show up. I just wanted to make sure that wouldn't happen to me.

Processor Chip:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Dual Core Processor S939 Manchester 2.2GHZ 512KBX2 90NM Retail Box
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=14633 - $419.18

I only picked this one because of the price. I personally want as fast as possible, but with the highest quality. I'm not sure if the 2MB Cache is enough though. However, I would like to be able to overclock although I've heard that damages the quality of the chip. If you have any other suggestions please let me know.

CPU Heatsink:

Gigabyte GH-PDU21-MF Copper Alum CPU Heatsink Fan 1700~3200RPM 362~68.5CFM 21.3~40.1DBA
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16026 - $49.02

I'm actually not sure about getting this fan because the processor chip already includes it, but I heard it isn't that good and I should buy something that can cool it better as Prescott processor chips get hot really easily.

Power Supply:

OCZ OCZ52012U-520W Modstream Power Supply PCI-E Ready W/ Ezmod Cable System & Blue LED Fan
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=13609 - $115.24

I like this fan because the wires won't be all tangled up as my previous computers have been doing. The noise is also minimal on this fan as well. Also, there is the same power supply but with 450 W. I picked the amount of watt because there was something I wanted to put in, I can't remember on the top of my head right now that needed this more than 450 W.

RAM:

OCZ GOLD EL PC2-4200 1GB 2X512MB DDR2-533 CL3-3-3-8 240PIN DIMM DUAL CHANNEL MEMORY KIT W/ RAMSINK
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=15370 - $112.24

There are so many different brand for memory that I couldn't decide, but I came up with this one which I think should match my motherboard. I would like at least 1GB of RAM. This is for two 512 MB so that would make it 1GB. I'm not sure if getting two and add it up to 1GB would be better or getting one that is 1GB.


Video Card:

Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO2 256MB GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI VIVO OEM Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17166 - $216.60

Again, if you have any other suggestions, please let me know. I would like a video card that is at least 256 MB, and it has to bb either PCI or PCI-E


DVD-Rom:

ASUS Quietdrive DVD-E616A Black 16X DVD-ROM CD-ROM 48X Retail Box W/SOFTWARE
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17630 - $32.64

Since my mom will be taking my old computer, I have to get a new CD-ROM. I think this is a good one, because it is a quiet drive and it is CD/DVD compatible.

Hard Drive:

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 9MS NCQ Quiet RoHS Hard Drive 3 Year MFR Warranty
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17402 - $135.15

This is a quiet drive with 300 GB of space. Maxtor is a good company, I've had no problems with it as everyone's computer I have dealt with has Maxtor on it.

Tower Case:
Antec P160W Anodized Aluminum Super Mid ATX Tower 4X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5INT W/ Front IO Ports & Air Duct
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16579 - $126.73

This is the computer case I would like

SuspectZero

Very nice motherboard but if your looking to save some cash there are other choices that with fit your needs i actually have the a8n sli 32 deluxe its very good dont get me wrong but money wise look futher into it .

ceewi1

Those motherboards (the A8N32-SLI Deluxe in particular) are a bit of an overkill, particularly as you won't be using SLI at all. The cheaper A8N-E would do, and give you more money to spend where it would be more helpful.

You're not getting a Prescott. Even if you were, that was really only the first generation. A good HSF like the Thermaltake Big Typhoon would be advisable only if you intend on overclocking.

As distinct from the superb OCZ Powerstream 520W, the Modstream 520W isn't that great. Nasty crossloading requirements are a particular problem. For a modular PSU at this range, consider the Antec NeoHE 500W.

Two 512MB sticks are better, as they give you the ability to use Dual Channel. Consider 2x1GB for a total of 2GB, however. You can find decent 2GB kits for only slightly more than this. It would be a good place to put some money you'd save from a mobo downgrade.

You can get a superior 7600GT at this price, which would be a great choice. If gaming is one of your major concerns you may want to look at a 7900GT or X1800XT, but these will cost a lot more, and are not really for playing 'some games'.


A few extra dollars on a DVD burner would be money well spent. Something like this, for example.

The stock heatsink will come with a thermal pad. You can buy your own for superior cooling performance, if you wish.

__________________

Cheap PSUs - 2% of system costs, responsible for 28% of system deaths

Flipper

Arctic Silver 5 is the best for OCing and overall best.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

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