First PC Build

[Dr Dmoney]

Hello, I am a new to building Pc's but not new to Pc. I just want to know if my spec's are very good. I don't want just a ok responce, I hope that they are up to par, par being a hole in one!

Potental Pc Spec's
Mother -Board EPoX EP-MF570SLI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123005)
Case XION XION _ Solaris XON-403 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811208009)
CPU AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester 2000MHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103547)
Graphics eVGA 512-P2-N568-AR 7900GT KO 512MB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130034)
ram pqi TURBO 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 800 (Two of these) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?Item=N82E16820141062)
Hard-drive Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144701)
CD/DVD Pioneer Black (two of these) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827129001)
Extra Microsoft Keyboard + Mouse (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823109147)
Total - $1023.30

I may upgrade the ram to be more in the future. If there is something else I need tell me. P.S. I already have a Power supply.

[Dr Dmoney]

I changed the Cpu. I am now going with AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103751)
Yeah, I realized I had the wrong socket. I had a 939 when my mobo was am2.

[jlreich]

Is the PSU a modern PSU having dual 12v rails and a 24pin or 20+4pin main connector? What's the wattage? What brand?

I would lose the PQI ram and get these. A little more expensive but not bad at all after rebate. And you can't go wrong with Corsair. ;) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590

You may want to add another fan in the front of that case. That will help keep your HDD's cooler as well as the case as a whole. Two 80mm fans isn't very much cooling. Maybe even upgrade the fans to bigger ones that move more air yet run a slower RPM's so they make less noise.

What are you going to use the system for? I take it for gaming since you picked out the 7900GT KO?

Other than that all the main components look good.

And just in case no one else has. Welcome to the PcGuide forums. :)

[Dr Dmoney]

Well, I have no info on my power supply yet. My friend gave it to me.
I plan on adding more fans. I am going to get the different ram ,too.

APEVIA(ASPIRE) CF12SL-UGN 120mm (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811998122R)

I am getting a better Cpu Fan/Heatsink as well.

MASSCOOL 5T568S1H3 70mm Sleeve CPU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835150071)

I have a question.
What about my mobo, It seems like it may not be the best thing I can get for the money.
Do you think I should go with the first board or this one

Gigabyte GA-M55SLI-S4 Socket AM2 (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128321)

[jlreich]

Just FYI, you can often find fans cheaper at your local computer center. Well I can get them about $5 cheaper at one of the stores in my area. About the only thing you can get cheaper than Newegg. Something to think about anyway.

I would hold off on the CPU HSF. The stock HSF's that come with AMD CPU's have been very good over that last couple of years. Very easy to install and keeps the CPU very cool.

Stick with the first mobo. It has the new nVidia 5xx series of chipsets. Nothing necessarily wrong with the nForce 4 series that the Gigabyte mobo has but I would much rather use the latest chipset.

There are more well known names than Epox, but the board does look solid. For the same price you can choose this Asus if you like. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131013

The Asus only has support for up to 2 PATA devices, but that may or may not be an issue for you. I personally like the external SATA port it offers. But that's just me. If i were building this for myself I would probably pick the Asus mobo if for nothing else than Asus is more established (and I like the external SATA port :p ), but I would have no problems using the Epox either.

Beyond that you would need to move up to mobo's with the nVidia 590 chipset that supports the full PCIe x16 on both slots when in SLI mode. The other chipsets only provide 8x on each slot when in SLI mode. But that would bump up the cost at least $50.

[saphalline]

Don't get that cheap-a$$ MASSCOOL CPU cooler. For a measely $6, it's not worth replacing the stock unit that comes with the retail CPU package. The stock unit is plenty. Unless you want to OC, in which case you need to invest in a high end unit, like a Zalman (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118004). :cool:

I agree with jlreich - get a mobo with a new AM2 chipset. The NForce 5 series are the ones to get. The NF 570 MCP/Ultra is the basic one for a gaming system. The NF 570 SLI is the basic SLI version. And the NF 590 SLI is the ultimate dreamer's chipset. Oh yeah, then there's the littlest unwanted brother - the NF 550 MCP, which nobody likes because it's a cheap little chipset that doesn't even have onboard video. Why someone would want the 550 is beyond me...

[Dr Dmoney]

Yeah, I killed the idea for the Cpu Fan/Heatsink. I also decided to go with the board I already posted. The heatsink on the aternative turned me away. the thing about getting fans at PC shop is that I don't have a pc shop in town. I do but they are fasist and don't sell much. I may go with something else because I am going to wait just a few months before buying. I just want to know if I was going in the right direction.
I looked at the power supply I have and I won't beable to use it. Do you have any sugestions.

[jlreich]

It was just a suggestion about the fans. I just happen to find one place out of several where I can get them for less. It's amazing that some retailers want $10 +tax for a standard 80mm case fan. :eek:

Have a look at Saphalline's sticky (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=47399) for suggestions on PSU's. I would recommend the last Antec 550w in the budget range as I have it myself and am very happy with it. You can probably get away with the 500w but I always like to have more than is needed. If you ever decide to go SLI you will be glad you got a good one.

Also keep in mind the ones on the list are suggestions and you don't necessarily have to get one from the list. But it does give you good idea of what to look for and the price range you are looking at. Expect to pay no less than $70 for a good PSU. ;) As Saphalline always says, the two most important components are the mobo and the PSU.

Come back for a review when you are ready to buy as things can change drastically in a few months time.

[Dr Dmoney]

Thanks, I just hope I can get all the money soon.

[TmGolfx360]

Dude, that Zalman owns I personally do not own one but my friend did and he just has a athlon 3500+ am2. But he was crashing due to heat and not oc'd. his case fans and stuff where clogged with dust and stuff. he bought this thing and pumped it up and lowered his cpu temp by 8-10 degrees. It is quality, I will definitely be putting it on my next comp.