plz help a first time builder out...

H

hiijackz0r

New Member
hey everybody, i was just wondering if some of you guys would critique my set up for a gaming computer im putting together this winter break... id like to know things such as... what should i add/remove? are the parts compatible? ... are their better yet equally priced substitutes?.. or anything you consider note worthy.. oh and lets not forget that im a noob in every sense of the word...

here is a list of the parts so far:

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor - Retail ($235)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103539

ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail ($92)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131569

eVGA Geforce 7800GT 256-P2-N516 Video Card - Retail ($299)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130256

Western Digital Raptor 74GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM ($136)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144160

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail ($77)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440

LITE-ON Black IDE Combo Drive Model SOHC-5236V BK RTL - Retail ($30)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106992

LITE-ON Black ATAPI/E-IDE DVD Burner Model SHW-1635S - OEM ($39)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131419

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS SB0350 Sound Card - OEM ($70)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102178

Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker - Retail ($54)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121118

the grand total comes to about $1033.. without shipping.. fyi, my desired price range is $1000-1200..

So, would this set up meet today's most performance demanding games?

Any advice is much appreciated.
 
hmmm... everything looks nice exept...why do you need 2 disk drives?
why not just get one light-on dvd+/-R...

also why do you need such a expensive hdd which is only 74 G.b??
why not go with this 300G.b one for roughly the same price?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148064

oh..also if your looking for a gameing comp ..whith the money you save get a better mobo?
maybe an8_sli
or dfi lanparty?
 
looks good. that shuld do pretty well with todays games. but are u sure that 74gb of hard drive space is enough. u might wanna look into a cheap 160gb or 250gb hard drive.

o yea and also are u planning on buying a case to put it all in?
 
sad_dc, yeah, i guess i dont need two disk drives, i was just copying the pre-built computers at like best buy or compusa... is the mobo i picked out not good enough?.. i have very little knowledge about mobos... i thought this would be a good board because i dont plan on using sli.. should i just get an sli mobo anyway?

bigsaucybob, here is the case i picked out, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119079...

i think 74 gb is sufficient for my needs, i really don't download that much music, and when im done with something i usually just delete it... but im not ruling out the option of a bigger, cheaper hd...

also, would it be wise to throw in a floppy disk drive?
 
well if you get 7800Gt i would NOT suggest that mobo...but hey...thats just me...
oh also if you dont plan on sli you still should think before buying that mobo..

about the H.D.d...you really dont need a 130$$ 74 g.b one when you could just get a 100G.b or 160g.b for alot less...

about the floppy...there only 9 bucks lol..
i suggest get one if your case has that pre built floppy
slot thing....
also they come in handy when you have somthing important on a floppy...

heres some nice mobo ideas...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130484

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136164

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127212


perssonaly i love my an8-sli its only 114 bucks and its very good (quality wize)

you have a monitor???
 
your still missing a PSU and a monitor if you dont already have that.
i also recommend gettting a bigger HDD and you wont even notice the difference between 10k rpm and 7200rpm.
 
maybe he wants the 10000 rpm on the 74gb harddrive compared to the 7200 on the ones you suggested? if he doesnt download a lot of music and only plays games he has plenty of space but maybe bying like a cheap 80gb 2nd harddrive wouldnt be a bad idea
 
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sence u got 167 $'s to spare well 120 after shipping maybe get 2 1gb sticks of ram? instead of 2 512's or just a single 1gb stick so you can upgrade later and run 2gb dual channel

edit: should have made 1 post instead of 2 lol
 
lol.. so this mobo is a no-go? hmm catchy... anyway, why would you NOT suggest this mobo... like is it not powerful (<--excuse my noobiness) enough to be paired with the 7800gt?...

you bring up a good point with the floppy, it is only 9 bucks hah, i can easily find that in between my couch cushions...

and yes i do have a monitor, which is kinda the reason why im building a comp altogether... i walked downstairs one day, saw the monitor and was like 'oh hey, no one is using that... i think ill build a computer for it!'... it was pretty impulsive lol...
 
I have a set up similiar to yours. I have the raptor, and let me tell you this, it is fast, load games even like BF2 in no time. But only 76G, so, if you ain't going to download too much movies and other junks or you have an external HDD, go for it, you will enjoy it.

The speaker system is superb for the money, I have them, that is as good as it can get for the price.

Monitor, I have a CRT 19" cost like 170, worth the money.

For gaming purpose, I suggest the razor mouse in newegg, it is probably the best mouse I have seen for gaming. Get extra headshots.

My PSU is pretty good, 550W, only 40 bucks (that includes the $20 mail-in rebate).

My case is alrght if you are not going to move it around.
 
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Jflo, i dont think i need 2 gigs of ram just yet... that initial cost does not cover the case, and apparently the new psu i need...

tttcomrader, thanks for the input... its very encouraging to know that the parts im considering aren't boo boo... out of curiousity, how did your first build go? (anyone can answer this question)... honestly, building a computer seems like a daunting and tedious process... very intimidating indeed...

hey can anyone give me any input on the motherboard that i chose? also this is the psu i picked out http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817182009... i would really like to know because im purchasing all the components monday morning... and im worried that it wont be good enough...
 
all the advice is great guys, but i really want to focus on the motherboard... can anyone provide me with a critique of the motherboard i initially picked out?...
 
hiijackz0r, (About the mobo you initatally picked out)

I think what everyone is trying to say that you have a substantial amount on $$$ to spend and you don't need to settle with that motherboard.

You could get a much better mobo with your money.

I had a 400$ limit, 2 get a mobo, processor, and graphics card. This is what I chose on the 17th and should be arriving shortly after x-mas. >

VGA XFX|GF 6600 GT 128MB PVT43GNDF3 $129.99
MB ASUS A8N5X NF4 939 $92.00
CPU AMD 64 |3500+ ATHLON 64 939 RT $201.00

I know this doesn't answer your question. I don't see what bad about this motherboard. I say, it isn't top of the line but it is still a good board.
 
all the advice is great guys, but i really want to focus on the motherboard... can anyone provide me with a critique of the motherboard i initially picked out?...
Click to expand...
In comparison to the rest of the specs... "it's crap"
 
Why is it crap? Hijacker, wants someone to crituqe it for him. I would like to know aswell because I already bought the board.

Comparison to what other specs? Besides its own?
 
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synergy187, have u installed and runned the board yet?... id like to hear how it performs, or how it doesnt... you are the go-to man seeing as you already have the board in your possession..
 
Why is it crap? Hijacker, wants someone to crituqe it for him. I would like to know aswell because I already bought the board.

Comparison to what other specs? Besides its own?
Click to expand...
Ignoring the box I spec'd for a second, lets classify the part's he's chosen with a scale out of 10 (10 being very high end):
- A64-3700 = 7
- ASUS A8N5X = 4
- EVGA 7800GT = 8
- Raptor 74GB = 9
- Corsair Valueselect = 6
- Audigy2 ZS = 8
While there's nothing WRONG with the board per se

Now lets's look at the box I specd using the same rough numerical criteria
- A64 X2-4200 = 8
- DFI Lanparty UT NF4 Ultra = 8
- EVGA 7800GT = 8
- PQI Turbo = 7
- Western Digital 250GB 16MB = 9
Which is a lot more evenly balanced :) (hence my comment about "relatively crap")

:)
 
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