Building computer (SERIOUS THIS TIME!)

[Kwisatz]

Currently third revision

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, one $850 computer and 9 invoices for missing/damaged parts from CyberPower, I've contacted my credit card company and such and I'm sending my current computer back, because of the terrible/rude support and the fact that it's never worked properly for more than two weeks at a time. Hopefully I'll get a refund of $850, and build a computer myself, since my parents are now convinced that buying from someone is not always the best option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here, I am looking at a $1300 price ceiling for a new computer with speakers, input devices, and the works - mid-range video card, DVD Dual-Layer/Multiformat burner, etc. This includes shipping and some money for shipping back defective parts, upgrades, odds and ends, cables, etc. I already have a monitor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This computer will be used to play Source Engine games and HL1 games, browse the web, create levels for aforementioned games in Hammer, and do heavy text editing (like 40 editplus/firefox/notepad windows open at once).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Currently I am buying from newegg.com for the high-price items and TigerDirect for the neons and minor crap. I am looking at the following parts, which are all given in USD. I have checked all of these parts for compatibility, but if I missed anything, then please tell me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some notes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a fan controller, and space for all of the fans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless you can show me a system that will provide some kind of insurance protection against leakage, water cooling is NOT an option in a DIY system for me. If it were built by some company that has a warranty than I'd happily oblige, but I really don't trust myself to do any extensive amount of modification and handling of liquid around $1000 equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Case ASPIRE X-Plorer ATXB8KLW-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $50 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144102

 

 

 

Power Supply ASPIRE ATX-CW500WP4 ATX 500W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, CSA, TUV, CE - Retail $35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817148027

 

 

 

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-K8N Pro-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $115 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128301

 

 

 

Processor AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice 1GHz FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - Retail $219 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103533

 

 

 

Memory GeIL Value 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail $84 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144310

 

 

 

Hard Disk HITACHI Deskstar 7K80 HDS728080PLA380 -0A30356 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $63 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822145082

 

 

 

Optical Drive LG Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 4X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 24X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE DVD Burner - OEM $46 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827136049

 

 

 

Floppy Drive SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model MPF920 Black - OEM $11 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821103116

 

 

 

Keyboard Logitech Office Internet Pro 967453-0403 Black 103 Normal Keys 11 Function keys Function Keys PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard - OEM $7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823126164

 

 

 

Mouse Logitech Value 953817-0403 Black 3 Buttons 1x Wheel PS/2 Optical Mouse - OEM $6 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826104181

 

 

 

Video Card Albatron 7800GT Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail $359 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814170088

 

 

 

Back Fan Antec 77095 120mm Blue LED Light Case Cooling Fan - Retail $14 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835129016

 

 

 

Front Fans Antec 75000 80mm Sleeve Case Cooling Fan - Retail $7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835129027

 

 

 

Light LOGISYS Computer CLK15BL 15" Blue Deluxe Sound Activated Cold Cathode Light Kit - Retail $8 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16800888073

 

 

 

OS Windows XP w/ SP2 $147 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102153

 

 

 

Op Drive Cable ORION Pro Series Blue 12" True ATA133/100/66/33 IDE Round Cable, 2-Head Model 700-093-12BU - Retail $3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16812104551

 

 

 

Floppy Cable ORION Pro Series 18" Blue Floppy Round Cable, Internal IDC 34, Booted, 2-Connectors Model 700-010-BU - Retail $3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16812103501

 

 

 

TV Tuner KWORLD VS-LTV7131R(RF W/FM) PCI Interface TV Tuner Card - Retail $30 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16815100129

 

 

 

Video Card Fan Dynatron DB1206SP 120mm Sleeve System Exhaust Blower - Retail $4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835888602

 

 

 

Speakers Logitech X-530 70 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail $47 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121118

 

 

 

Miscellaneous (shipping etc.) 200

 

 

 

TOTAL $1,457

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just left 200 for shipping and such. It'll probably be about $1350 in total, a bit more than I wanted, but meh, this thing is a BEAST. If all goes well, I am ordering in two days, so PLEASE give me some advice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changes from my last configuration, which is below in the small print:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Got a different mobo, an SLI one from Gigabit, so rather than swapping out the graphics card, I can just get another 6800GT of the same kind.

 

 

 

-Upgraded to 6800GT

 

 

 

-Upgraded to a better, SATA hard disk

 

 

 

-Got cheaper case and separate PSU

 

 

 

-Upgraded to a 3500+. as suggested

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revision 2:

 

 

 

-Changed to quieter case fans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revision 3:

 

 

 

-Ground-up rebuild. Changed vid card to 7800gt, different fans, other crap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OLD Newegg.com config with TigerDirect parts for reference:

 

 

 

AOpen 91.05210.45H Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice 1GHz FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - Retail (includes fan and heatsink)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GIGABYTE GA-K8N Pro-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASPIRE X-Plorer ATXB8KLW-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASPIRE ATX-CW500WP4 500W Power Supply - Retail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GeIL Value 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HITACHI Deskstar 7K80 HDS728080PLA380 -0A30356 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LG Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 4X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 24X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE DVD Burner - OEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker - Retail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microsoft Windows XP Professional With Service Pack 2 - OEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$13 Light ULT31368 Ultra Dual 12" Cold Cathode Light Kit - Blue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$19 Video Card Cooler SP-FC70-BL Vantec Spectrum PCI Fan Card with Blue UV LED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$16 Case Fan Back AEROFLOW-4CB-120MM Aerocool AeroFlow Quad Blue 120mm LED Case Fan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$16 Keyboard and Mouse 967318-0403 Logitech Labtec Internet Desktop Keyboard & Mouse Combo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unincom U8025 80mm Sleeve Cooling Fan - Retail x 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OLD CONFIGURATION FROM TIGERDIRECT: (leaving this here for reference)

 

 

 

*$160 Case: ATXA8NW-AL500 Aspire X-Navigator Aluminum ATX Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Front USB and Firewire Ports, Built-in Fan Controller and 500-Watt Power Supply

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$308 Mobo and Processor BFG RNF4U nForce4 Socket 939 ATX MotherBoard and an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Processor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$120 Memory x 2: ULT30215 Ultra 512MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz CL3 Memory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$165 Graphics card 128-P2-N368-TX eVGA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB DDR PCI Epress DVI TV-OUT Video Card

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$2 Thermal Paste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*$60 Hard Disk 14R9246 Hitachi 80GB 7200 2MB ATA-100 EIDE OEM Hard Drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*$51 Optical Drive Samsung 16x4x16x DVD+RW 12x4x16x DVD-RW 5x DVD+R DL Black OEM DVD Burner with Nero Software and Adrenaline Pack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$14 CPU Fan A4006 Thermaltake TR2 M6 Socket 754940 AMD Athlon 64Opteron Ball Bearing Copper Core CPU Cooling Fan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$13 Light ULT31368 Ultra Dual 12" Cold Cathode Light Kit - Blue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$19 Video Card Cooler SP-FC70-BL Vantec Spectrum PCI Fan Card with Blue UV LED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$16 Case Fan Back AEROFLOW-4CB-120MM Aerocool AeroFlow Quad Blue 120mm LED Case Fan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*$140 Operating System MicrosoftÃÆÃââââ¬Ã¡ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî WindowsÃÆÃââââ¬Ã¡ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî XP Pro Edition OEM Version with SP2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$16 Keyboard and Mouse 967318-0403 Logitech Labtec Internet Desktop Keyboard & Mouse Combo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$22 Case Fan Front x 2 Aerocool X-Blaster 80mm Cooling Fan with Dual Ball Bearing - 4000RPM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*$55 Speakers 970114-0403 Logitech X530 70-Watt PC Multimedia Home Theater Speakers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would greatly appreciate any contructive criticism and intelligible flaming you can give me on this setup.

[____]

Personally I think issues with SATA drivers is rather trivial.

 

 

 

Somethings you have to download something for them and other times you can just plug them in and it's all good.

 

 

 

Really depends on the motherboard. More specifically the bios.

[EugenyG]

Your system seems somewhat disbalanced considering the budget.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First off, why in the hell do you need an $160 case? Unless you value the look of the plastic box more than the performance of your computer, it's grossly overpriced. I got a full-size box with 5 fans (and good looks too) for just $70.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secondly, you don't need a 500W power. Not only it costs more, but it will consume more electricity and produce more heat. A 350W would be very suitable (even 300W would work fine, but then make sure it's brand name, since those no-name companies often overbrand their true wattage), and 400W is absolute top of what you'd need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What you DO need to spend more money on is:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. I don't like the HDD. Not only it's extremely small in size (comparatively), but it has a low cache (2MB is very low). Thus writing to and reading from drive will be annoyingly slow. I suggest getting a 200GB 16MB cache drive. You can get it for around $140.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The mouse would likely suck for first-person shooters. Badly. I suggest getting a good optical mouse, either the laser Logitech X1000, or Logitech MouseMan optical. The keyboard likewise is not anything fancy, but getting a different one depends on what you need it for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you cut at least $50 from the case and power, you should be able to address these problems without touching the "reserves".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you do decide to use the reserves, consider getting a 3500+ instead of 3200, and/or 6800GT / X800XT instead of the mediocre 6600GT.

[Greatsilverwyrm]

As EugenyG said, rethink your case and HDD choices, seriously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, your CPU fan is Socket 754/940. You're getting a socket 939. I'm not sure if 940 is similar enough to 939 for that to work, but definitely look into that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If your case comes with 2 80mm fans, those will be fine, you're not going to do any overclocking.. at least not without a better cpu cooler at least.

 

 

 

If your case doesn't come with the 80mm fans you need, don't get the ones you have picked out. You can get them cheaper, and those are almost 50 db. That's really loud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depending on your case, the 120 mm fan will probably be in the back. If you're going to have your computer somewhere where the back won't be visible or reflective light won't be visible, don't waste money on the LED fan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would advise against getting the 5.1 speakers now. Just get a 2 or 2.1 system to start with. Then you can save up or use your "reserves". Unless you really feel you want them.

 

 

 

You could spend the money you save there on a better mouse/keyboard or a slightly higher processor or.. or..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now.. aside from that... have you looked elsewhere? I've used newegg.com for a long time and I think you may be able to find some better prices there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT:

 

 

 

Also... head down to your local radio shack or whatever and buy an antistatic wrist-strap. They're around or under $10 and are a good safeguard against static.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also.. have you ever built a computer before? Do you have somone there to help you or are you going to be doing it yourself? Do you have a general idea of what you're doing...?

 

 

 

90% of it is fairly easy and straightforward, but, for instance, if you install the cpu/heatsink wrong you could bugger yourself royally.. Not that doing that is that hard, but you have to have an idea what you're doing..

[Pyro]

you're not going to do any overclocking.. at least not without a better cpu cooler at least.

I disagree. Socket 939 AMD64's, especially the latest Venice/San Diego cores, are very easy to overclock without generating massive amounts of heat. You can overclock these quite a lot with the standard fan that ships with the Boxed version of the processor. In fact, there's a chance that the Box-fan is actually better than the one the poster picked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for Power Supply Units, you should be aware that wattage means very little. If you bough a Q-Tec 500W and a Tagan 300W, which would be more efficient? Difficult to say, but my money is on the Tagan. Go for a seperate PSU and pick one of a brand known for quality products. I have personally had trouble with horrible PSU's that shipped with cases, and it's not particularily entertaining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, I must say I see very little need for the VGA-cooler card.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: For the record, a Power Supply Unit with higher wattage will not consume more power unless your computer uses more power.

[Kwisatz]

 

you're not going to do any overclocking.. at least not without a better cpu cooler at least.

I disagree. Socket 939 AMD64's, especially the latest Venice/San Diego cores, are very easy to overclock without generating massive amounts of heat. You can overclock these quite a lot with the standard fan that ships with the Boxed version of the processor. In fact, there's a chance that the Box-fan is actually better than the one the poster picked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for Power Supply Units, you should be aware that wattage means very little. If you bough a Q-Tec 500W and a Tagan 300W, which would be more efficient? Difficult to say, but my money is on the Tagan. Go for a seperate PSU and pick one of a brand known for quality products. I have personally had trouble with horrible PSU's that shipped with cases, and it's not particularily entertaining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, I must say I see very little need for the VGA-cooler card.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: For the record, a Power Supply Unit with higher wattage will not consume more power unless your computer uses more power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@Pyro and Eugeny- Sure, I'll look into getting the case that I had before, the X-Plorer. I was gonna buy the one I mentioned because it was a "step above" the X-Plorer, and already had a PSU. And I've never installed a PSU myself. Which leads me to my next point...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@Wyrm - I have built computers from scratch before ('cept using a plywood board as a case :P). Especially after dealing with this company that I got my [now returned] computer from, I think that I'm fairly, if not very competent. I can hook up cables and wire the molex connectors properly to the fan controller, install a neon, install fans, install drivers, install a mobo and processor/heatsink, wire front panel connectors, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not especially difficult.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@Eugeny - I refuse to use an optical mouse. Don't ask me why, but I like ball mice way better. And that stuff about them having to be "cleaned" is BS. I haven't cleaned my circa-1998 Intellimouse since I got it, and it still runs perfectly with no stoppage, jittering, imprecision, etc. And I'm fine with cleaning out a mouse ball once a week, if need be with this Logitech.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concerning the PSU, it just came with the case. And I think that I'll fall back to the X-Plorer, which is $40, plus a decent PSU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the hard disk - it's my lowest priority at this point. It's upgradable, and I'm not exactly the most demanding person when it comes to "performance." And 80GB has always more than enough, especially since I have 50GB of Network Attatched Storage on another computer for backup and such. Once I re-price, we'll see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The processor is also low-priority at this point. I ran all the aforementioned games on Source at 8 AA/AF 1280x1024 at a solid 55-60 fps with the 6600GT and a 3000+. That's why I'm so weirded-out when people tell me that the 6600GT is "mediocre" when it delivers that kind of performance compared to its ATI counterpart for the money.

[Kwisatz]

A few nub questions BTW:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just received two nice speakers (not sure what you call them, but I'll call them speakers-with-two-tweeters-and-a-woofer-that-you-hook-up-to-a-receiver-with-speaker-wire speakers). However, they need to be hooked up via speaker wire. I know you need a receiver for this so you can make the computer's 3.5mm headphone jack into RCA, pipe it into a receiver, and then go to the speakers. However, I can't find a super-low-price receiver. Is there a way to just get the "amplifier" portion without the fancy bells and whistles? I plan on using these speakers as the rears in conjunction with the 5.1 system for a 7.1 system, and then using them for music when my computer is off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is there a significant performance difference between the 6800 and 6800GT cards? How does the 6800 compare to the 6600GT?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, @Pyro and WYrm: About the CPU fan, you have to buy it separate from the processor, and I don't plan to overclock, since the multiplier is locked on all AMD64 processors except the FX series, and I don't want to fool with the FSB.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I'll be updating the links to newegg, since I checked the BBB about TigerDirect and they had legal action taken against them, whereas Newegg has a better rating on both the BBB and resellerratings.

[____]

I can OC my 3500+ without having to fool with the FSB.

 

 

 

My BIOS allows me to alter the multiplier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And why aren't you getting a fan with your CPU?

 

 

 

My friend got a 3200+ and she had one boxed with it.

 

 

 

I noticed that you are, however, getting the mobo and cpu in one deal so that probably explains lack of fan?

[Silver_Dragon]

A few nub questions BTW:

 

 

 

Is there a significant performance difference between the 6800 and 6800GT cards? How does the 6800 compare to the 6600GT?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check my post on a GPU in this forum. I've found like three that seem good to me, and are priced within my limit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could also go http://www.techreport.com to get info on different graphics cards.

[Mercifull]

Arctic Silver 5 > *

[Kwisatz]

Updated it. All the high price stuff is coming from the more-reputable NewEgg this time, with all the odds and ends that NewEgg didn't have from Tiger.

[Greatsilverwyrm]

I think the video card cooler is pointless. It'll add to your noise level and pull power. I have a 6800 GT and have no heat problems whatsoever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cold cathode kit Newegg might have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fans I know Newegg will have. Probably for better price. Did you see my advice about the lights?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, you really need to go for quieter fans there. I think you'll be seriously unhappy with 2 fans going at 45.6db each..

[Kwisatz]

I think the video card cooler is pointless. It'll add to your noise level and pull power. I have a 6800 GT and have no heat problems whatsoever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cold cathode kit Newegg might have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fans I know Newegg will have. Probably for better price. Did you see my advice about the lights?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, you really need to go for quieter fans there. I think you'll be seriously unhappy with 2 fans going at 45.6db each..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am really bent on getting the vid card cooler. After hearing many things about how you need to cool the 6800GT and how it heats up to like 60C, I believe that it is well worth the investment. If it's not and it just adds to everything then I'll just pull it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Newegg has the cold cathode but it's in a one-pack. This one is a two-pack, and I'm going to wire one in the bottom and one in the back vertically (next to the rear 120mm fan).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this particular case, there are 5 fan slots, two of which come stock with 80mm fans. The back and the top fans are lit and come stock. The side where the exhaust port vent thing is fits an 80mm perfectly. And there are two in the front. My fan layout:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Move the stock back fan to the side where the exhaust port is and keep the filter and ditch the big thing that sticks out inside the case. Then put a 120mm in back and two 80mm in front.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will look for quieter fans. I just picked out the first two I saw because I was in a rush :P.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone so far for the constructive criticism. For the price this looks like it'll be the most killer system ever.

[crucifyed4us]

Hmm last time I commented on his overpriced case I got flamed, by everyone but the poster. Odd...I guess some people are just retarted.

[Greatsilverwyrm]

crucified- that was somone else's case choice, and the people who criticized BTTF's case choice are not the people that "flamed" you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not to mention that we didn't say "don't worry about the case", we just said "rethink your choice".

[Kwisatz]

Another thing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I chose an SLI motherboard so that I'll be able to upgrade the graphics system cheaper and more easily later on (when 6800GTs are like $150). Do SLI mobos need to have an SLI configuration right off the bat? Or can I just have the one card in there and add another later?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And where do I get the bridge thingee to link the two cards?

[Pyro]

I very much doubt SLI will ever be worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But yes, you can add another card later without needing to put any real thought into it now, as long as you have the Nforce4-SLI chipset. The cable you need should be included with the motherboard.

[Kwisatz]

I very much doubt SLI will ever be worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But yes, you can add another card later without needing to put any real thought into it now, as long as you have the Nforce4-SLI chipset. The cable you need should be included with the motherboard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well if the same 6600GT is about $150 in two years, and 6800GT is like, what, the seventh best card out there, then I'll be able to buy a second and get 180% the performance of a single 6800GT, rather than blow another $300 for a next-gen card that will run about 10 fps faster.

[Pyro]

Unforunately, that's not really the case. Every game you run and want enhanced performance in will need to be coded for SLI. This is far from the case today, and even when it is the performance gain does not reach near 80%. Not to mention it will still be an aged card, which means any new techniques (such as shaders) developed on newer lines of cards will not be available to you.

[Chris]

Unforunately, that's not really the case. Every game you run and want enhanced performance in will need to be coded for SLI. This is far from the case today, and even when it is the performance gain does not reach near 80%. Not to mention it will still be an aged card, which means any new techniques (such as shaders) developed on newer lines of cards will not be available to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Pyro why don't you just say "SLi's for the big boys."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which undoubtedly it is, unless you've got a lot of dosh I wouldn't bother with it. You may though still get an SLi motherboard in hopes of someday earning enough cash for like a 7800 Ultra (When they come out) or 8800... or 9800 actually I don't think nVidia can use the 9800 series as ATi already has it. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For use in SLi of course, I didn't mean single cards.

[Pyro]

 

 

 

Hey Pyro why don't you just say "SLi's for the big boys."

 

 

 

Because even if I was a millionare I could think of enough things I'd rather invest in than paying twice the price for not near twice the performance :P I do agree that there is no reason not to buy an SLI-board though, because there's always the chance that the support for it improves drastically the next year. Still, I wouldn't pay too much extra for the SLI-chipset over the Nf4U.

[Kwisatz]

 

 

 

 

Hey Pyro why don't you just say "SLi's for the big boys."

 

 

 

Because even if I was a millionare I could think of enough things I'd rather invest in than paying twice the price for not near twice the performance :P I do agree that there is no reason not to buy an SLI-board though, because there's always the chance that the support for it improves drastically the next year. Still, I wouldn't pay too much extra for the SLI-chipset over the Nf4U.

 

 

 

It's like the same price :P.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2258&p=5 ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

70% performance gain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although that point about the shaders and such is pretty valid.

[mrcowcow]

The speakers you chose are execellent. I have them, and really like them. I dont see a sound card on there. You will need a 5.1 compliant sound card to get the most out of them.

[Kwisatz]

The speakers you chose are execellent. I have them, and really like them. I dont see a sound card on there. You will need a 5.1 compliant sound card to get the most out of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have integrated sound on the mobo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I had them for a while too, and they kick [wagon] for what they cost.

[Kwisatz]

Bring

 

 

 

Up

 

 

 

My

 

 

 

Post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(please)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have reconfigured it. I retained many of the original parts, but tacked on a few goodies like a TV tuner, cold cathode, LED fans, and a better video card. I also changed it to all-Newegg so they can't pull anything about non-compatibility or it being another company's fault. I am likely ordering this configuration in two days' time. I would appreciate anything you could tell me that would allow me to maximize my bang-for-the-buck. As usual, I am a filthy redneck American, so all prices are in USD.