Building my own computer

Nephilim

Nephilim

VIP Member
Would you disagree that Sapphire is a cheaper company that uses cheaper parts?
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I definitely would.


When it comes to video cards, you get what you pay for.
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Very true, you pay more for the ATI name.


Bottom line, if you are going for really high quality Sapphire isnt the way to go.
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Again, I digress. There's nothing wrong or cheaper about Sapphire cards. Mine has the same ATI GPU, the same reference heatsink, the same 400MHz RAMDACS and the same Samsung memory as the ATI cards. Bearing that in mind how can you legitimately claim Sapphire is inferior?


I have done my own tests with ATI cards versus Sapphire.
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With enough cards of the same make/model to make a qualified statement? To make a blanket statement based on personal experience isn't fair to the products or those people reading your recommendations.
 
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Jeepers79

New Member
Well....back to this :) think its ok

Well....back to this :) think its ok?
Jeepers79 said:
Okay I think I have completed my system (no thanks to myself!...) One last overview before I make my order.... Am I missing anything?

Case: (Prob #1 29.00)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-156-023&depa=1

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-156-132&depa=1

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-156-112&depa=1

PSU: 69.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-963&depa=0

DVD Burner: 101.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-131-311&depa=1

CD ROM: 19.89 (to allow me to burn one cd right to another)
http://www.essencompu.com/nupplysingar.asp?ID=6123

CPU: 146.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-381&depa=1

MOBO: 88.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-478&depa=1

MEMORY: 86.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=20-146-541&DEPA=1

HD: 63.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-122&depa=1

Video Card: 89.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-360&depa=1


Am I forgetting anything to complete my system? For a total of $690.89 Not TOO bad.
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Praetor

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
So far so good although I'd reccomend you NOT do OTF burning and thus spare yourself the $20 for the Litey reader. You might want to upgrade the memory to 1GB (even if it means dropping to PC2700) but that's your call :)

You might consider 4 case fans (even if they are stock) and potentially a HDD cooler but it depends on your budget. Something you also might want to consider is cooling for the CPU. A decent CPU fan can be had for $25-$30USD
 
J

Jeepers79

New Member
Praetor said:
So far so good although I'd reccomend you NOT do OTF burning and thus spare yourself the $20 for the Litey reader.
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Just wondering...why?

Praetor said:
You might want to upgrade the memory to 1GB (even if it means dropping to PC2700) but that's your call :)
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yeah, think just 2 of the same mem chips I have? or do a 1 chip?

Praetor said:
You might consider 4 case fans (even if they are stock) and potentially a HDD cooler but it depends on your budget. Something you also might want to consider is cooling for the CPU. A decent CPU fan can be had for $25-$30USD
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The case says it comes with 2...you suggesting upgrades on those? in addition to a CPU fan?

Sorry...first time at this, you guys have been more than helpful!

Mike
 
Nephilim

Nephilim

VIP Member
Hi,

On the fly CD burning introduces much more chance for errors. Using PlexTools Pro I've done a fair amount of testing burning the same files to the same brand media using on the fly or a temporary image on the hard disc, then I tested the discs for C1/C2/CU errors. The on the fly discs always exibited an unacceptable level of C2 errors whereas the discs burned from a temp file on the hard drive had little to no C2 errors. C2 errors aren't devastating like CU errors but they can still cause problems. C1 errors are almost always present to some degree or another but CD readers are built to automatically handle them.

As far as on the fly DVD burning, if you're short of coasters this is a great way to get a stack of them real quick.
 
J

Jeepers79

New Member
Praetor said:
Something you also might want to consider is cooling for the CPU. A decent CPU fan can be had for $25-$30USD
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It states it comes with a Heatsink +Fan. Need something different?
 
Nephilim

Nephilim

VIP Member
Me again :D

As for the fans I like to have the option to run them fairly silent for listening to music or web surfing and then crank them up for video encoding or gaming when the most heat is generated. I installed four 80mm AeroCool X-Blasters (52CFM, very nice) and then put them on a Thermaltake Hardcano 12 fan controller.

It works out quite well for me by keeping my PC relatively quiet when I don't need the extra airflow. Some may consider this overkill but heat can destroy components and I want mine to last until I sell them so I can upgrade :)
 
Nephilim

Nephilim

VIP Member
It states it comes with a Heatsink +Fan. Need something different?
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Personally I feel that if you deck your case out with some good fans you can get by with the stock HSF.
 
Nephilim

Nephilim

VIP Member
Hey buddy,

I'm a huge proponent of getting a quality power supply with enough overhead for expansion as the foundation for a solid system. Personally if I was to get that case I'd get a good quality Antec, Enermax or Fortron power supply in the 400 watt or above range. This doesn't mean that you have to buy a new PSU right away because from the components you listed a 350 watt PSU should be sufficient but whether you have the money now or later, a quality PSU is a very wise investment.

Regarding the power hookups for your fans, most fans use either a 2 or 3 wire connector and most come with molex adapters. For the number of fans you can fit in your case a fan controller would work well, give you plenty of hookups and the ability to vary the speed/noise level. They're a functional way to "dress up" your case :)

The Vantec Nexus series are very nice and relatively inexpensive:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-999-502&depa=1

And these are the AeroCool fans I mentioned earlier:

http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/fan-105.html


Just a few suggestions for you to mull over :)
 
Praetor

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
For the number of fans you can fit in your case a fan controller would work well, give you plenty of hookups and the ability to vary the speed/noise level.
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The Vantec 201 (and it's 3.5" counterpart the 205) can power 4 channels and comes with connectors for two single-3-pin headers and two dual-4-pin headers for a total setup of 6 devices (by default) and powers up to 16W worth of devices.

As for case coolers, the Thermaltake Thunderblades are also nice fans too! (especially with their power/noise ratio)
 
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