First Build ever, need some tips

[JakeTehSamurai]

I'm getting $5000 for my high school graduation and I'm looking into building a gaming machine that's going to last me for quite a while. These are the parts that I've been looking at, but I definitely would appreciate any support/responses/better deals.

I don't want to spend all of the money on the computer, but I don't mind spending most of it.

Thanks in advance!

Display
BenQ FP202W Black 20.1" 8ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 600:1 - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014105) - $239.99

Hard Drive(s)
4x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD4000KS 400GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136004) - $639.96

RAM
2x pqi TURBO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141211) - $439.98

PSU
Thermaltake Toughpower 850W W0131RU – NVIDIA QUAD-SLI APPROVED, FOUR +12V RAIL READY - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153043) - $269.99

Case
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133154) - $154.99

Optical Drives
2x LG Electronics Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE Super-Multi DVD Burner - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827136103) - $61.98

Speakers
Logitech Z-5450 315 Watts 5.1 Digital Speaker System - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121133) - $299.99

Sound Card
Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Platinum 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102190) - $166.99

Video Card(s)
2x XFX PVT71JYHF9 GeForce 7950GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150188) - $599.98

Motherboard
DFI INFINITY NF ULTRAII-M2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136015) - $89.99

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103759) - $409.99

TOTAL SO FAR (before shipping) = $3373.83

[johnny_quest]

i was gonna tear you one for the pc3200 ram, but i see you changed it :)

now im no hardware expert, more of an a/v buff... so i'd probably find an LCD to double as my TV. put some more money into it, get a 32" or something, and get it with DVI! And instead of wasting money on that sound card and logitech junk, you could get a nice bumpin' home theater system that will perform a lot better for the same price, and be cool for movies. that logitech has got, what, 2" drivers? come on now... get an onkyo with some balls!

and what do you need 1.6TB of storage for??? if you can justify it, cool, but if you dont have a reason, its just a waste for now! you can always upgrade later...

again im no hardware expert... but shouldnt you spend more than 2.2% of your budget on your motherboard :(

[johnny_quest]

oh and about making it future-proof like you wanted... if i were you i'd shave a bit off of your budget, and go put it in a 2 year CD at your local bank. it'll earn 5 to 10 times more interest then in your savings account, and you wont be able to get at it and blow it... then in two years you'll have some cash to make some upgrades!

[JakeTehSamurai]

I like the idea for the home theatre system, but I'm going to be living in a dorm room, which will probably be relatively small.

At this point I'm questioning even the surround sound system. The 30" would be a fantastic idea if there was space for it without dominating the room. Also, I don't like the idea of having to turn my neck to see the whole screen.

I do appreciate your comments greatly, and I suppose that I should have illustrated my situation more clearly.

[JakeTehSamurai]

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131013) - $141.99

Considering this one in favor of the DFI.

In regards to speakers and all-around space this system will take up, keep in mind that I will be staying in a college dorm room, which are famously small.

I'd really appreciate some comments on the build, or more than anything else, problems with the build I'm going with.

Thanks.

--Jake

[JakeTehSamurai]

I'm getting $5000 for my high school graduation and I'm looking into building a gaming machine that's going to last me for quite a while. I don't want to spend all of the money on the computer, but I don't mind spending most of it.

These are the parts that I've been looking at, but I definitely would appreciate any support/responses/better deals.

I will be living college dorm rooms, which are notoriously small, so full-blown theater systems and 30” widescreens are out. Space is a factor for stuff like that.

Motherboard
ECS NFORCE 570 SLIT-A (V5.1) Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813135026) - $94.99

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115002) - $509.99

Hard Drive(s)
4x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD4000KS 400GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136004) - $639.96

RAM
2x pqi TURBO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141211) - $439.98

PSU
THERMALTAKE TR2 500W Power Supply ATX12V V2.0 - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153028) - $79.99

Sound Card
Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Platinum 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102190) - $166.99

Video Card(s)
2xXFX PVT71JYHF9 GeForce 7950GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150188) - $599.98

Case
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133154) - $154.99

Optical Drives
2xLG Electronics Black 18X DVD+R 2M Cache IDE Super-Multi DVD Burner - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827136103) - $61.98

Speakers
Logitech Z-5450 315 Watts 5.1 Digital Speaker System - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121133) - $299.99

Display
BenQ FP202W Black 20.1" 8ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 600:1 - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014105) - $239.99

[saphalline]

If you're still considering the AMD-based system:

Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131011) - Based on the NForce 590 SLI chipset.

Just one set of Patriot 2GB dual-channel kit DDR2-800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220144) - Even with such a large budget, 4GB is overkill right now since WinXP can only use the first 3GB for programs. The last 1GB is only usable by the kernel. Stick to 2GB for now and upgrade later as necessary (like say when you upgrade to Vista).


If you're pushing for the Intel-based system now:

Get some better quality RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145098) in there. PQI isn't all that great.

The NForce 570 SLI chipset wasn't designed for Intel's CPU's. The performance just plain sucks compared to bona fide Intel chipsets. The only other SLI option right now for Intel systems is the almighty NForce 680i SLI chipset, like this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188009).


Finally, whichever way you go, dump those puny 7950 GT's!! Even two of them in SLI pale in comparison to the new King on the block - the D3D 10 compliant G80 GPU! The GeForce 8800 GTX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143075) reigns supreme over everything else (including every other SLI and CrossFire combo) while the little brother GeForce 8800 GTS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143074) reigns supreme in the lower price bracket. Even the little brother will beat a 7950 GT SLI set-up into the ground!

[JakeTehSamurai]

Actually, Saph, I'm planning on waiting until after the new year to start building, because I've been told December isn't a great month for buying parts.

Any truth to this?

Also, thanks for the help.

--Jake

[saphalline]

Actually, yes, come to think of it, there is some truth to that. November is fine, January is fine, but December tends to be... unreliable in terms of pricing. That whole Holiday madness of charging more simply because it's the "Holiday Season". "Must have it NOW!" and all that.

But if you've been following the street prices over the last couple months, you already know what's a rip-off and what's not. In that case, you only need to concern yourself with back-ordered components. If you want to wait until the new year rolls around, you might have better luck avoiding the dreaded "Out of Stock" label.

[JakeTehSamurai]

I'm getting the funds to start buying parts and I've changed my list a little since last time. I just want to get another look-over before I start filling my cart.

Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131011

ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard

$189.99

Processor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115002

Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor

$509.99

Hard Drive(s)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136004

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD4000KS 400GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive x4

$639.96

RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145098

2x CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory - Retail

$398.98

PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153028

THERMALTAKE TR2 500W Power Supply ATX12V V2.0 - Retail

$79.99

Sound Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102190

Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Platinum 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card

$166.99

Video Card(s)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143075

BFG Tech BFGR88768GTXE GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card

$629.99

Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133154

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

$154.99

Optical Drives

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827136103

LG Electronics Black 18X DVD+R 2M Cache IDE Super-Multi DVD Burner - OEM x2

$61.98

Speakers

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121133

Logitech Z-5450 315 Watts 5.1 Digital Speaker System

$299.99

Display

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014105

BenQ FP202W Black 20.1" 8ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 600:1

$239.99

Operating System

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/

Windows Vista - Home Premium Edition

Price $239

Total (before shipping): $3612.83

My main concern is power. Will the 500W be enough?

[rond36]

Your motherboard is socket AM2 for an AMD processor and your processor is an LGA 775 Intel.

[JakeTehSamurai]

Thanks. I don't know how I missed that.

Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131045

ASUS P5B Deluxe Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard

$176.99

Processor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115002

Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor

$509.99

Hard Drive(s)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136004

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD4000KS 400GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive x4

$639.96

RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145098

2x CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory - Retail

$398.98

PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153028

THERMALTAKE TR2 500W Power Supply ATX12V V2.0 - Retail

$79.99

Sound Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102190

Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Platinum 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card

$166.99

Video Card(s)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143075

BFG Tech BFGR88768GTXE GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card

$629.99

Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133154

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

$154.99

Optical Drives

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827136103

LG Electronics Black 18X DVD+R 2M Cache IDE Super-Multi DVD Burner - OEM x2

$61.98

Speakers

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121133

Logitech Z-5450 315 Watts 5.1 Digital Speaker System

$299.99

Display

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014105

BenQ FP202W Black 20.1" 8ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 600:1

$239.99

Operating System

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/

Windows Vista - Home Premium Edition

Price $239

Total (before shipping): $3599.83

[Jumby]

Not sure where Vista software went on Newegg's site (they used to have it for $119. the other day), but ZipZoomFly has Vista for $123. http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=604699&prodlist=nextag

[saphalline]

Was their site down? Vista (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16832116202) is still there on Newegg. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16832116204)

[Jumby]

They used to have the 32bit Vista Premium for $119.

[Jumby]

That's wierd. It wasn't there a minute ago; you had to do a search for it and it would come up. But I just went back to their site and it's on the first page of the site. Go figure. So like I was saying JakeTehSamurai, get Vista here

[Jumby]

Oooops, here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16832116202