I am building a new computer. NEED ADVICE!!!

Oh_Jeebus

New Member
Ok I am planning to build a new computer but don't know nothing. Any suggestions on anything is welcomed. I only need this computer for school, little gaming, and dling movies/anime. So I don't need anything thats like state of the art. I don't plan to overcloak because I don't know how but MAYBE in the future when the computer goes slow. This is what I got so far:

Motherboard: ASUS P4C800-E DELUXE S478 875P DUAL DDR 5PCI SATA RAID 1000LAN 1394 SOUND

Processor:INTEL PENTIUM 4 P4 3.0GHZ C 512K 800FSB S478 HT

Ram:CORSAIR TWINX1024-3200 PC3200 2X512MB DDR CAS2 SILVER HEAT SPREADER

Hard Drive: SEAGATE BARRACUDA 7200.7 200GB 7200RPM 8MB 8.5MS U100 OEM IDE HD

Video Card: ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB 256BIT AGP VGA DVI-I TV OUT RETAIL BOX

Sound Card: already have audigy 2

Power supply: ANTEC TRUEBLUE 480W ATX POWER SUPPLY P4READY W/ BLUE LED FAN UL FCC B

Case: Don't Know How To Pick One...

Fan: VANTEC STEALTH CASE FAN 80MM 2050RPM 20DBA 27CFM 3/4PIN DUAL BALL BEARING

BTW, im getting it built at www.ncix.com so please pick parts from there.

QUESTIONS:

1) Will everything work together?
2) Is my power supply "good"? Do I need more power?
3) Is that fan good? Is it good enough or do I need like 6? Do I need a hard drive or video card fan? Do I have to tell the store guy to position the fan/fans in a certain position for best cooling?
4) Whats a heatsink? Whats the difference between a heatsink and a fan?
5) I don't know how to pick a case, so can anyone be so kind and pick one for me? I don't need a very fancy one, just one that works. I would like to have at least 4 drive bays.
6) I am not too sure what cd/dvd drive I want yet. Any good suggestions?
7) Am I missing anything thats important for a good computer? Or is anything bad?

Finally I want to thank you guys in advance because I know this is one hella long post! Thanks for the time!!! :)
 

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
Will everything work together?
I dont see a problem withi anything, a very nice system you've put together :)

Is my power supply "good"? Do I need more power?
You should be fine :)

Is that fan good? Is it good enough or do I need like 6? Do I need a hard drive or video card fan? Do I have to tell the store guy to position the fan/fans in a certain position for best cooling?
It's a decent fan I guess but it's marketed (and designed) as a quiet fan so you wont get very much airflow from it -- then again thats not it's selling point. If you're okay with the output of that fan (i.e., if you want pure quiet). If possible, try and get Thermaltake's Thunderblade fans which have a much better CFM-noise ratio (i had a quick look on the site but they dont carry any ... you might want to consider getting them on your own and installing them ... just need a screwdriver really). Regardless of what fan you take you should probably want to get at least two more, one for the back, one for the side

Whats a heatsink? Whats the difference between a heatsink and a fan?
A heatsink is a chunk of metal designed in such a way to allow it to absorb a lot of heat and from one end (i.e, the end with the CPU) and release it out the other end quickly (i.e., the fins). Back maybe five-ten years ago it was common to find computers with just heatsinks although nowadays that would be folley. You'll find HSF (heatsink-fan), which is a heatsink with a fan on the top to help get rid of the heat. Unless you know what you're doing you'll want to get a HSF rather than just a heatsink.... and if you dont intend to do any overclcoking, you should be okay with the stock CPU fan :)

I don't know how to pick a case, so can anyone be so kind and pick one for me? I don't need a very fancy one, just one that works. I would like to have at least 4 drive bays.
A lot of it is preference really ... see something you like... buy it :p A couple straightforward cass:
- http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=9228&vpn=601AE-PURPLE&manufacture=Chenming
- http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=11368&vpn=CAC-T02-UW&manufacture=COOLERMASTER
- http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=12357&vpn=VA3000BNA&manufacture=THERMALTAKE
- http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=9488&vpn=ATXA4KW-AL&manufacture=TURBO GAMER
Note that depending on the case you may not need to buy (so many) fans

I am not too sure what cd/dvd drive I want yet. Any good suggestions?
Some very reputable drives:
- http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=9913&vpn=SOHR-5238S&manufacture=Liteon
- http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=9741&vpn=CRW-5224&manufacture=ASUS
- http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=11844&vpn=SOHC-5232K&manufacture=Liteon
The last one there also reads DVDs so it saves you from getting a dedicated DVDROM if you wish

Am I missing anything thats important for a good computer? Or is anything bad?
Nothing that stands out (you do have keybaord, mice, speakers etc)
 

Oh_Jeebus

New Member
ty so much Praetor! that cleared up alot of my confusion but one more question. You said I should get at least 2 more fans. And I will but where does the third one go? One on the back and one on the side....and the other one goes... sorry if this is a very stupid question
 

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
And I will but where does the third one go?
Typically the setup is 1xFront, 1xBack, 1xSide ... you'll have to have a closer look at the case though ... some cases (a) come with more hardpoints for fans and (b) some cases come with fans so you might not have to buy any
 
Top