Kinslayer777 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Hiya! I'm currently trying to get a custom build computer online. However, i need experienced peoples' help. After all, this will be my first custom WHY CUSTOM? Brand names like Alien ware and Gateway charge larger commission for advertising, and for the name (among other things). Just like an Acroambia-a-ma-jigger shirt will cost $20 more for the name alone. With custom i can also choose what parts i want, not paying for things i don't want. WHAT KIND? I'm looking for gaming computer under or at the budget of $2500. If need be I'll add a lil'more too. WHAT HELP IS NEEDED? Well, truthfully, i need help in everything. The first step would be finding a good site for this all. I also need help in getting to know what exactly i do need. What is worth it, and whats not? Whats needed for gaming? Oh, and, i don't need to pay double for the "very top" processor or what not which generally isn't more then 4% better then the predecessor. Basically, i believe second best stuff in tech is the best, am i right? THANKS here I'll be putting peoples' name who help me a little more then need be. As in, they're nice people who put extra work to help someone out, or get themselves on a little list that'll last maybe a week ;) -Militaris -darkrick - - - - - (In no order) PM me if you'd prefer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 You can get a very nice machine for $2500 USD, the store which most people suggest for purchases within the US is http://www.newegg.com , They seem to have low prices while giving good service. They also stock a comprehensive range of products. Now onto the fun part. I would assume that you require everything, including a new monitor. I would also assume that you are not planning on overclocking. CPU: If you spend more money you can get a faster processor, but the 4000+ should offer more then enough, the 3200+ is accurate for most tasks. Another option is to go with dual core, that roughly doubles the price) AMD Athlon 64 4000+ 2.4GHz Socket 939 $334.0 Motherboard: This is a good preforming motherboard at a good price DFI nF4 Ultra-Infinity Socket 939 $96 Memory: 2x512mb of ram in dual channel is often suggested, although you allocated plenty of money to spend. You could easily save $100 here by going with value ram. OCZ PC-4000 2x1024MB EL Gold $228.41 Hard-Drive: I was thinking a large storage drive, and a smaller faster drive for preformance when it is needed. Although you can drop the raptor and save $156. In general the brand does not matter much. Western Digital Caviar RE 250GB 3.5" Serial $105 Western Digital Raptor 74GB 3.5" Serial $156.00 PSU (Power Supply): A good PSU is worth while for high end systems. I have always found enermax to be good value for money. ENERMAX Noisetaker EG495P-VE SFMA ATX 485W Power Supply - Retail $76 Video Card: Game play preformance is heavily influnced by the video card. The card below also has 2 DVI ports which would allow you to run dual LCD displays (Assuming the displays require DVI ports) A cheaper Alternative would be the 7800GT card, at a glance you would save around $200. eVGA Geforce 7800GTX 256MB $459.00 Case: Something you like the look of.... $65+ Monitor: I found 2x 19" to be better then a single larger display. It is also cheaper. Although 1 display is still fine. If you do not care for dual supply, half the cost. Acer AL1914smd 19 inch 8ms LCD (x2) $560 Speakers: I do not know much about sound and speakers, but I like Logitech, and I liked the looks of these speakers and they are quite cheap. Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker $53.99 Mouse and Keyboard: Choosing which mouse/keyboard is a lot up to personal preference. I find the cheap logitech ones fine, but many swear by the high end stuff. (I choose logitech because I like their products) Logitech MX518 931352-0403 Optical Mouse $31 Logitech Media Elite Black Wired Keyboard $27 Optical drive: I do not have a brand preference. Look to spend around $40-$50 Total Price: $2241 * The above is a good machine and would run most games without any problems, although you can get a machine nearly as good for around $1500. There is a nice buyers guide on Anadtech which is also worth a quick look. http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2659&p=1 *Price is a indicator only.... There is a chance parts might not be 100% compatible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Below is a cheaper alternative. CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz Socket 939 $171.00 Motherboard DFI nF4 Ultra-Infinity Socket 939 $96 Memory: CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) $168.00 Hard-Drive: Western Digital Caviar RE 250GB 3.5" Serial $105 Video Card: eVGA GeForce 7800GT 256MB $304.00 Monitor: Acer AL1914smd 19 inch 8ms LCD $280 The rest does not change, although a 420w enermax PSU should be fine. Total price: $1426 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
____ Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I'd go for the dual-core and 2GB of ram. Mainly for the sake that this will really be putting a strain on the system and it would probably be a good idea to get it now given how much some games really chew (battlefield 2 and half-life 2 for example) are really heavy on the system. Giving the system that extra bit of room with make things run a bit more smoothly. And with the case, I'd advise at least 4 5.25" bays on the front and generally front usb. Things like WiFi and headphone / mic jacks are also a nice benifit to have. And make sure you have GOOD airflow. Since it is a gaming machine I'd go for one with either dual 80mm intake / outtake or 120mm intake-outtake fans. With room for extras at least. Either that or you could opt for watercooling which is somewhere around USD$300 for a halfdecent one that'll keep Millitaris's first list well cooled. Sounds is to your liking. I've found 2.1 systems to be good enough. Unless you have the room for a 5.1 system (or above) I'd personally get a 2.1 of good quality. Not much else to add after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinslayer777 Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 Hiya, i'm very happy i'm getting all this help :) I still wouldnt mind a few more valuable opinions, and so i'll ask for a few more :) Some general things i'd like to remind helpers of -I allout my money in junks. So, well, basically i want to spend most of the money. Does this mean i'd rather an itsy bitsy better comp for $500 more to fill the bugdget? No, but it does mean that i'd rather not head towards to 1.5k area and focus more on the 2k area. Thanks! -This is a gaming computer, and the indrusty is crazly expanding. In a day a computer is obsolete, i'm hoping my comp will survive at least 2 years before getting useless for new games ^_^ -I'm very gratiful and feel warm and fuzzy when people help me. Well, actually, i might want to edit this out. Afterall, i cant have helpers be scared. Oh, and militaris was correct in assuming i dont want to overclock. Unless i can be persuaded otherwise, but i've a good feeling overclocking the procceser is bad is one way or other. Afterall, the makers would then just overclock if it wasnt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Overclocking can cause the CPU to run hotter, become less stable, and shorten its life. I personally believe that the makers do not 'overclock' at stock because they would compete with their more expensive alternatives. But anyway, because I have little better to do, I would look at a few potential alternative parts. CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4400+ $497.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103546 (Good dual core CPU, spending more would give more preformance) Motherboard EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra $105.00 This is also a good board with simalar preformance as the one for DFI, although without many of the overclocking tools. It is cheaper and probably easier to use. Video Card SAPPHIRE Radeon X1800XT 512MB $489.00 This is a very fast card, probably the fastest currently around..... (Would need to double check that) Suggested Alternatives include the 6800GS($189.99), 7800GT($299.00) or the 7800GTX($459.00). If you want to improve preformance for game play then getting a good video card is probably the best place to spend your money, Although video cards seem to lose their preformance advantage faster then other components. Memory. Like darkrick suggested 2GB is worth while if you do not plan to upgrade for a while. It has also gone down in price quite a bit so its nearly dirt cheap. With regards to the brands and specs only consider PC3200/DDR400, A few of the Brands with good reputations are Corsair, Kingston, Mushkin and OCZ. Although I do not recognise the brand (Although I do not recognise most brands of ram), the following ram seems to be good value for money. G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR 400 (PC 3200) $169.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231047 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldeon Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 with a huge proccessor, intense storage and gaming. Amatueristic mistakes on airflow can be very costly. Depending on what you choose if you have enough left over look into water cooling. Much more efficient and quieter. but costs more. You have the tubes, waterblocks, the heat extracting system thigny and thats about it. Instead of having a processsor with a fan you got water blocks and heat is conducted to the water which is a better conductor than air and carries it to the system/machine thingy outside your comp which gives off the energy to the air and repeats the cycle. Look into it at frozencpu.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mejiman89 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 An Intel Based Alternative: from newegg.com MOBO $205 ASUS P5WD2 Premium ATX Intel Motherboard best chipset out right now... only about $50 more than older 945p chipset... worth it. I like ASUS- they have the best manuals for the build, and nice features. This mobo has everything you could ever need for an intel based pc. For mobos just make sure the cpu socket matches the cpu. ATX is the current standard. Don't buy anything but ATX. CPU $320 Intel Pentium D 830 800MHz FSB LGA 775 Dual Core, best processor for money... if you are building a future proof computer, you have to go with a dual core processor. AMD x2s are better but cost around $200 more last time i checked. Graphics Card $140 - 285 eVGA 128-P2-N368-TX Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 eVGA 256-P2-N376-AX Geforce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 either graphic card is a good buy and if you have the money go with the more expensive 256mb model even 512mb if you wanna go all out. eVGA is a solid video card brand in my opinion. Geforce 6800 is good gpu. Def buy a graphic card that is "PCI express". Anything with 128-256mb memory is solid Memory $175 CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS2GBKIT667D2 the mobo I recommended supports up to 4 sticks of ddr2 ram. If you can afford more than 2 sticks go for it. You can never have too much ram. DDR2 667 ram is the best bang for the buck. Corsair is a pretty reliable brand and you shouldn't have any comflicts with asus mobos. Hard Drive $105 - $155 Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM SATA II will be the next standard for hard drives, the drive above is SATA II 3.0gb/s. Although the Raptor drive mentioned earlier in this post is fast (and also currently on sale on newegg), its a little pricey ($1.80 per gb). Its tempting as a boot drive, but not much else in my opinion. Anything SATA II is a pretty good buy. You might also want to look into RAID configurations (RAID-0, RAID-1), which is basically linking hard drives. My computer has 2 of the above drives in RAID-0. PSU $65 Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W PSU's are not the biggest deal, but for gaming pcs you generally want like 450-550 watts. I bought the above PSU. It's 500 watts and provides more than enough power for me. Make sure the power supply is ATX... anything else is crap. DRIVE $60 Sony DRU810A / 16x8x16x DVD+RW / 16x6x16x DVD-RW / 8x DVDÃÆââ¬Å¡ÃâñR DL I just bought this drive a week ago from Tigerdirect.com. It does everything. THeres a lot of cheap DVD burners out there... don't go cheap. This is a reasonably priced, feature packed DVD burner. CASE $50-150 really whatever you like. I bought an aluminum coolermaster case. I don't like the plastic cases with windows. Aluminum cases look good and are a big plus when it comes to cooling. SOME NOTES -Most mobos have integrated sound, works fine for me. If you want to go out and buy a creative card go ahead. Not necessary though. -You might want to get a cheap floppy drive for boot disks. -I'm afraid I can't help with speakers and monitor. I'm not really into those. Get a flat panel LCD with decent frame refresh rates, 17in is good. For speakers do what you can. - Get as many case fans as your case can accomodate, If noise bothers you, look into a control panel (slides into a 5.25" bay). - If you want to watercool your CPU (overclocked) look at coolermaster's aquagate. I don't own one but I've heard good things. - Computers suck... they become obsolete 2 months after you buy them. To future proof your pc for the next 6 months or so: *Dual Core Processor *DDR2 Ram (667 at least) *PCI express graphics card (most memory you can afford) *SATA II hard drive. *Proper cooling will extend the life of your CPU - Things that will come out this year * New Intel 965x chipset in July * New Intel Conroe dual core in July * Blu-Ray DVD-- Tobisha HDDVD? burners? maybe in dec but pricey * Windows Vista in Dec (original release date August 2005 :lol: ) * LCD prices will fall sometime? * DDR2 prices will fall further in spring * AMD will release new chipset supporting DDR2 memory in early 2006 Total Price: $1365 using high estimates for each component (price doesn't include monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, fans, etc.) For some reason this pc came out cheap? I hope i didn't leave out any key components. Maybe because others went for the pricey video cards. Oh well, hope I was of help. http://www.pcmech.com/byopc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 e reason this pc came out cheap? I hope i didn't leave out any key components. Maybe because others went for the pricey video cards. Oh well, hope I was of help. A quick look at my case (top post), it would cost $1720, while yours was $1365. The GPU, second hard-drive and more expensive memory increased the price. I would suggest the 6800GS rather then the 6800GT, the GS is cheaper ($189.00 vs $253*) and pretty much identical with regards to preformance. Here is a review comparing preformance. http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2593 * prices were cheapest from Newegg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinslayer777 Posted January 5, 2006 Author Share Posted January 5, 2006 Thanks, alot, and thanks again :). I'm still looking into it all again Ps to the person who said comps suck. Well, you suck. not really, but to say comps suck because they get outdated is really lame. dont be stupid and think before you type rofl. You're saying they suck because they get better and better. While i always did like pong, well...It got boring after a while...of destroying every at it ;). Anyway, seriously. Comps getting obsecelete is annoying. But hell! all it means is they're getting better. But dont get me wrong mejiman89, i truly appreciate your help and understand ya just telling me your mind. we all hate compys going oldy and wallets getting moldys cuz 0 it. :):):):) Lews Therin KINslayer :):):):) `~<>^v~ Olo Eopia `~<>^v~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldeon Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 also leave a bay open i dont know if its coming out 2006, 2007, or 2008, thats a while if 2008. But Holo-DVD readers will be coming out and as you guessed it its holographic memory, or 3d memory instead of the standard 2d we use today for cd, dvd, and blu-ray. I forgot the size but its more than 200gb it might even be a terrabyte. Imagine the possibilities for that.. I'm just saying that to inform on something cool in the future. Get watercooled if you have to money to be safe, check out frozencpu.com. I recommend the brand coolermaster. Also make sure you buy the water too because purified or tap water can damage it. You have to use a special ionized solution. Especially if you have high clock frequencys, inadeaguete fans, or choose wrong for the case and you have bad airflow. Because i had that problem and my pc would shut off when overheated. since watercooling its been just fine. And DEFINITELY use it if you overclock your cpu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 I would advice against getting water cooling, it is really only useful if you want a silent PC or need the extra cooling for over clocking. It is really just a unnecessary expensive and hassle. With regards to overheating I doubt it would be a problem, the stock heat sinks are designed to keep the hardware at a stable under normal conditions. With a decent PSU and a reasonable quality case cooling should be satisfactory. I like the Cooler master cavalier cases. They are priced around $60 and are good value. I personally would not pay any more then that. I have also seen a combo deal at Newegg, if you purchase a AMD X2 4400+ and a Antec case (from within a range) you can get a discount. The cases have good PSU within them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart_G Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Watercooling is un-needed. He said that he doesnt intend to over clock his system and it should all run at a stable temperature on stock cooling. Even if it does start to get a bit too hot, he can just add in a couple of extra case fans to cool it down. Heres a list of parts that i think would suit you nicely. ASUS A8N-E ATX AMD Motherboard - $109.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530 AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor - $497.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103546 CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - $239.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145574 Western Digital Raptor 74GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - $155.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144160 Western Digital Caviar SE 250GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - $99.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144154 SAPPHIRE Radeon X1800XT 100134 Video Card - $489.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102629 BenQ Black E-IDE/ATAPI DVD-ROM Drive Model 1650V - $17.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101668 BenQ Black IDE DVD Burner Model DQ60 BK - $38.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101002 Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-430 430W Power Supply - $69.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103928 SAMSUNG 915N-Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor - $348.95 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001185 Total - $2145.89 Thats just what i would choose with a budget like yours and youve still got $400-ish to spend if things dont match or you can find something that suits you better. I didnt add in a case because its something youll have to look at on a near daily basis, so you might as well choose something you like and not what i would pick. If any one else finds something wrong with what ive written, just correct me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinslayer777 Posted January 5, 2006 Author Share Posted January 5, 2006 Lol, no problem. The double post isnt bad, and thanks for the help you gave me too :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 I realise I suggest many things above. This is just to summarise my previous posts. These are the main components I would get if I was planning to buy a new computer with no intention to overclock or upgrade for 2 years.. AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4400+ EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra (Motherboard) GeForce 7800 GT http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/02/vga_charts_viii/ (Benchmark to compare different card preformance) Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR 400 (PC 3200) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwisatz Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 What Militaris posted was great. However, if I was you I wouldn't invest in dual displays, seeing as how they're [cabbage]e for gaming and unless you're doing heavy office work they don't benefit at all. After I got my new LCD i tried running a dual display on my 19" LCD and 19" CRT and it was so pointless it wasn't funny. Do not go with water cooling. Just get some nice fans, like Vantec Tornado and a good fan controller, then have the fans in front of the case pulling air in and the ones in the back and top pushing it out. Also buy the largest fans your case can support, 120mm fans are better than 80mm ones because they're quieter and move more air. Also stick with AMD, as their processors are way cheaper and perform much better than their more expensive Intel counterparts: http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/11/21/ ... age29.html for benchmarks. At this point in time I wouldn't go with dual-core unless you are doing Photoshop or CAD work, seeing as how games are not yet written to take advantage of such power (but Windows is when multitasking), but my budget was a paltry $1300 so I didn't really have that kind of option anyway. Also stick with Nvidia and buy an SLI-capable motherboard; they're practically the same price as regular PCIE ones, and provide a good upgrade path if you choose to slap a second card in later for the ~170% performance boost. In fact, I'd say drop the second monitor and get dual 7800GTXs. At this point in time, ATI's Crossfire may be a "better" technology but it isn't mature and does not have nearly as much support as SLI. And, keep about $100 reserve for if you have defective parts and need to ship back. I did this on my system, and I'm glad I did. handed me TWO tissues to clear up. I was like "i'm going to need a few more paper towels than that luv" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Here is a interesting article on CPU and their in game performance. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/di ... ames2.html It roughly claims/proves "you donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t need a high-end processor for real gaming with realistic settings and high image quality." "So, the best gaming system configuration from the price-to-performance point of view should definitely include a powerful graphics card, which will determine not only the image quality, but the gaming comfort in general. As for the CPU, you shouldnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t spend tons of money for a high-end model. You will be able to get almost the same performance from a CPU like Athlon 64 3200+ or Pentium 4 650." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullmetaboy Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Hiya! I'm currently trying to get a custom build computer online. However, i need experienced peoples' help. After all, this will be my first custom WHY CUSTOM? Brand names like Alien ware and Gateway charge larger commission for advertising, and for the name (among other things). Just like an Acroambia-a-ma-jigger shirt will cost $20 more for the name alone. With custom i can also choose what parts i want, not paying for things i don't want. WHAT KIND? I'm looking for gaming computer under or at the budget of $2500. If need be I'll add a lil'more too. WHAT HELP IS NEEDED? Well, truthfully, i need help in everything. The first step would be finding a good site for this all. I also need help in getting to know what exactly i do need. What is worth it, and whats not? Whats needed for gaming? Oh, and, i don't need to pay double for the "very top" processor or what not which generally isn't more then 4% better then the predecessor. Basically, i believe second best stuff in tech is the best, am i right? THANKS here I'll be putting peoples' name who help me a little more then need be. As in, they're nice people who put extra work to help someone out, or get themselves on a little list that'll last maybe a week ;) -Militaris -darkrick - - - - - (In no order) PM me if you'd prefer you have me on yourside, INSTANT COMPUTER VICTORY AMD Dual-Core Opteron 265 Italy 1GHz FSB Socket 940 Processor Model OSA265FAA6CB - OEM 678.00 MSI K1-1000D3 (MS-9245-100) 1U DUAL OPTERON (SOCKET 940) SERVER 925.00 ASPIRE XSuperalien Series Black/Red Aluminum Server Chassis with 500W Power Supply Model ATXA6SW/500 139.00 (comes with power supply) 2 CORSAIR CM72SD1024RLP-3200 128X72 PC3200 1024MB ECC REGISTERED CL3 DDR DIMM 259.00 Lite-On 52x/32x/52x CDRW 20.05 3.5in 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive Mitsumi 3.5in 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive 5.42 eVGA GeForce FX5500 Video Card 256 MG 57.99 Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value Audio Card - SB0400 48.00 Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 160GB Hard Drive 54.00 BenQ DW1655 Dual Layer DVDÃÆââ¬Å¡ÃâñRW Writer - Black w/ LightScribe 57.99 Total=2480.42 you still have 14.58$ left lol, you scored massively, with 160 gigabyte hardrive, a nice graphics cardm A SERVER, geez, all you need is the flat screen, the infared keyboard, surround sound with good BASS, and a wireless mouse and your set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart_G Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 you have me on yourside, INSTANT COMPUTER VICTORY AMD Dual-Core Opteron 265 Italy 1GHz FSB Socket 940 Processor Model OSA265FAA6CB - OEM 678.00 MSI K1-1000D3 (MS-9245-100) 1U DUAL OPTERON (SOCKET 940) SERVER 925.00 ASPIRE XSuperalien Series Black/Red Aluminum Server Chassis with 500W Power Supply Model ATXA6SW/500 139.00 (comes with power supply) 2 CORSAIR CM72SD1024RLP-3200 128X72 PC3200 1024MB ECC REGISTERED CL3 DDR DIMM 259.00 Lite-On 52x/32x/52x CDRW 20.05 3.5in 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive Mitsumi 3.5in 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive 5.42 eVGA GeForce FX5500 Video Card 256 MG 57.99 Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value Audio Card - SB0400 48.00 Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 160GB Hard Drive 54.00 BenQ DW1655 Dual Layer DVDÃÆââ¬Å¡ÃâñRW Writer - Black w/ LightScribe 57.99 Total=2480.42 you still have 14.58$ left lol, you scored massively, with 160 gigabyte hardrive, a nice graphics cardm A SERVER, geez, all you need is the flat screen, the infared keyboard, surround sound with good BASS, and a wireless mouse and your set. I dont like the looks of that set up at all, why you may ask? Well heres why. It is absurd to spend nearly $1000 on the motherboard, its a dual socket one yet your only suggesting he buys one processor which is leaving one empty. Just that alone is a big wast of his budget, and as it says, it is a motherboard for a server, not an every day machine for word docos, gaming, ect. As for the processor, it is also more suited for a server situation so it isn't really needed in an every day computer, as said above. You also picked out a geforce fx 5500 and from what i was told that range of cards sucked. It is a card from two generations back and it would just not cut it with the games there is today. Steer away from a card like that if you intend to game, your much, much better off with something from the geforce 7xxx or radeon x1xxx series. You don't need a CD writer and a DVD writer, that's just a waste of a drive bay, you'd be better off to just get rid of the CDRW all together and just get a second DVDRW, a plain old DVDROM or just have the single drive. Floppy... floppy discs are the most useless form of data storage there is IMO, because i have bought a pack of 10, only half of them would work, only reason to have one of them in a computer is for drivers if the need arises. The sound card seems decent so that's something you could use, or you could just opt for the on board sound on your motherboard. As for hard drive, with another $70-80 you could get a 300gb hard drive, which is twice of what you listed. And the power supply in the case could cause problems as it is most likely a no name brand psu and my understanding is to steer clear of those as they usually aren't as stable as a better quality one from a brand such as antec. There are my reasonings. My major gripe with the parts you listed is that the motherboard and cpu aren't necessary and are a waste of money. Its a dual socket motherboard yet you only listed one cpu, which seems like a waste of $1k to me. The cpu isn't needed either as you could just opt for an X2 which would be better suited for his needs and with the money you would save from ditching that mother board and cpu, you could put that money into a decent graphics card from one of the current generations, a nice new monitor, keyboard, mouse, speaker system or what ever else you may want to spend it on. If you or any one else disagrees with what i wrote or what i wrote was wrong, correct me so he can make a good decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwisatz Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 you have me on yourside, INSTANT COMPUTER VICTORY AMD Dual-Core Opteron 265 Italy 1GHz FSB Socket 940 Processor Model OSA265FAA6CB - OEM 678.00 MSI K1-1000D3 (MS-9245-100) 1U DUAL OPTERON (SOCKET 940) SERVER 925.00 ASPIRE XSuperalien Series Black/Red Aluminum Server Chassis with 500W Power Supply Model ATXA6SW/500 139.00 (comes with power supply) 2 CORSAIR CM72SD1024RLP-3200 128X72 PC3200 1024MB ECC REGISTERED CL3 DDR DIMM 259.00 Lite-On 52x/32x/52x CDRW 20.05 3.5in 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive Mitsumi 3.5in 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive 5.42 eVGA GeForce FX5500 Video Card 256 MG 57.99 Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value Audio Card - SB0400 48.00 Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 160GB Hard Drive 54.00 BenQ DW1655 Dual Layer DVDÃÆââ¬Å¡ÃâñRW Writer - Black w/ LightScribe 57.99 Total=2480.42 you still have 14.58$ left lol, you scored massively, with 160 gigabyte hardrive, a nice graphics cardm A SERVER, geez, all you need is the flat screen, the infared keyboard, surround sound with good BASS, and a wireless mouse and your set. I dont like the looks of that set up at all, why you may ask? Well heres why. It is absurd to spend nearly $1000 on the motherboard, its a dual socket one yet your only suggesting he buys one processor which is leaving one empty. Just that alone is a big wast of his budget, and as it says, it is a motherboard for a server, not an every day machine for word docos, gaming, ect. As for the processor, it is also more suited for a server situation so it isn't really needed in an every day computer, as said above. You also picked out a geforce fx 5500 and from what i was told that range of cards sucked. It is a card from two generations back and it would just not cut it with the games there is today. Steer away from a card like that if you intend to game, your much, much better off with something from the geforce 7xxx or radeon x1xxx series. You don't need a CD writer and a DVD writer, that's just a waste of a drive bay, you'd be better off to just get rid of the CDRW all together and just get a second DVDRW, a plain old DVDROM or just have the single drive. Floppy... floppy discs are the most useless form of data storage there is IMO, because i have bought a pack of 10, only half of them would work, only reason to have one of them in a computer is for drivers if the need arises. The sound card seems decent so that's something you could use, or you could just opt for the on board sound on your motherboard. As for hard drive, with another $70-80 you could get a 300gb hard drive, which is twice of what you listed. And the power supply in the case could cause problems as it is most likely a no name brand psu and my understanding is to steer clear of those as they usually aren't as stable as a better quality one from a brand such as antec. There are my reasonings. My major gripe with the parts you listed is that the motherboard and cpu aren't necessary and are a waste of money. Its a dual socket motherboard yet you only listed one cpu, which seems like a waste of $1k to me. The cpu isn't needed either as you could just opt for an X2 which would be better suited for his needs and with the money you would save from ditching that mother board and cpu, you could put that money into a decent graphics card from one of the current generations, a nice new monitor, keyboard, mouse, speaker system or what ever else you may want to spend it on. If you or any one else disagrees with what i wrote or what i wrote was wrong, correct me so he can make a good decision. Ditto. If I was you then I'd spend no more than $100 on a mobo. My mobo has SATAII, SLI, and the works for that price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128301 That motherboard does nicely. Works great for OCing too, should you choose to do so. handed me TWO tissues to clear up. I was like "i'm going to need a few more paper towels than that luv" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 fullmetaboy is obviously nothing more then a annoying troll... best just to ignore any of his comments/suggestions. Just have a glance at his other posts. (ASPIRE is a decent PSU brand, I read somewhere that they are lower end Topower (OCZ use Topower also I believe) (The only AMD Opteron worth considering is 165, maybe 175... and then because it is cheaper then the Athlon 64 equivalent and are excellent overclockers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runesmithie Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 I'm going to have to say don't worry about getting parts for how long it will last :P My computer from 2001 can play 3/4 of the games made today and it only has 512mb ram and a GeForce FX 5200 (PCI :P) I just posted something! ^_^ to the terrorist...er... kirbybeam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyro Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 If I were to purchase a new computer, selecting the main parts would be fairly easy: For a processor, I would go for an AMD64 X2 3800+. It's got two cores, so not only can you run programs that support multiple threads better, but you also receive improved multitasking capabilities. This is great, no matter what you use the computer for. There are faster X2 processors aswell, so just select the one that fits your budget. The 3800+ can be overclocked quite a bit though, so that's why I personally don't see the need for versions with higher clock frequencys. Motherboard? I'd go ASUS A8N-E. No reason in particular, but I've built three systems with this baby, and it's an excellent board. It's got the NF4U chipset, so you get SATA2 and NCQ etc. The BIOS settings are excellent and unless you need to go beyond 3.0v with your memory power, it'll overclock enough and beyond. It hasn't got SLI, but since that technology is one of mankinds most idiotic inventions in my highly subjective view, I wasn't bothered by this. I mean, seriously. Your high-tech rig gets old, so you put another old card in it? Heh. Memory? A pair of 512 sticks should do it. TwinMOS, Corsairk, etc. Doesn't really matter, one of the well known brands. Preferably CL2 or CL2.5, most of the other numbers don't matter enough to bother with on this platform in my opinion. Graphics? I'd go for the Geforce 7800GT. Feels like a nice mix between performance and price. Can overclock quite a bit, but it'll do just fine without that aswell. I really like Stuart_G's setup aswell, but IMO it's a bit expensive. I didn't feel the need to type up an entire setup, but here are some ideas about components at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart_G Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 He set himself a budget of $2500, so i thought why not go all out? But if you dont really want to spend the whole $2500, something like this might be an alright alternative. AMD Athlon 64 4000+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor - $334.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103529 ASUS A8N-E ATX AMD Motherboard - $109.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530 Western Digital Caviar SE 300GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - $120.50 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144393 CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - $195.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145491 eVGA Geforce 7800GT 256-P2-N516 Video Card - $299.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130256 BenQ Black E-IDE/ATAPI DVD-ROM Drive Model 1650V - $17.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101668 BenQ Black IDE DVD Burner Model DQ60 BK - $38.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101002 Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-430 430W Power Supply - $69.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103928 SAMSUNG 915N-Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor - $348.95 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001185 Total - $1534.41 Thats about $1000 off your budget and it would still be able to run what ever you throw at it smoothly, or atleast it should run what ever you throw at it smoothly. I didnt include speakers, mouse, keyboard or case in the list because i thought you might like to pick them yourself. So if you dont want to spend the whole $2500, a set up like that might suit you well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinslayer777 Posted January 16, 2006 Author Share Posted January 16, 2006 Ok, wow, i've been given loads of information. I trust most of you, except unfortunetly i feel i should disregard the information of the 1k motherboard specs. Sorry, too many people object (including me - it doesnt seem neccesary). It'll take me some time to bite all the info down, especially with my lack of free time. Ai-ya-ya. Notice, i complain that i got so much help. *slaps himself* Shame on me! Thanks alot folks! I'll be glad to finish with this riddled comp. As for the watercooling issue. Personally, i'd love to watercool. The comp will be right at home in my room, close to me for comfort ;), and so watercooling would be nice while it runs scans and such. Two things make me object; 1) I can survive with earplugs, i feel the extra costs dont balance with the fact i could spend it on other things 2) I dont think i should overclock 3) I hope with the comp being a "Bajinllion" times better, i dont think it'd take me 17 hours to run a full-everythingscan =p. (Ad-aware, registry, Spybot, Avast thorough, defrag, scandisk. My arsenal =-) So what? i cant count. Bah! when was the last time in mankinds 52 year span that counting mattered ;)?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now