i asked some of this in another thread (LCD vs LCD widescreen thread), but it wasnt getting much response because of the title that was no longer relevant.

i'm trying to build a good all-around computer that is fast and also good for gaming (i play WoW and some other games). right now it's about as expensive as i want it to get. if you have any suggestions on how i can make it better or cheaper let me know. also, i've never built a computer before and may have made errors in picking parts that are compatible. i tried to make sure everything was, but i coulda missed something.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=1914771&WishListTitle=kevbuild+%2D+RATE+THIS

thanks

[Edited on February 23, 2006 at 12:16 PM. Reason : ]

2/23/2006 12:15:50 PM

bttt

any suggestions? (this is my first build, so i'm a little bit clueless)

[Edited on February 24, 2006 at 12:50 PM. Reason : ]

2/24/2006 12:50:22 PM

get a better case and psu, like antec

2/24/2006 12:59:32 PM

not too bad looking, your video card does look out of stock though. might want to think about a dual-core system, you lose a little bit on the top-end speed but you get twice the processing power which is useful for a growing number of applications and it keeps your pc from locking up when a malfunctioning process eats up 100% of your cpu. i think the X2 line dual cores from AMD are (or at least were) a good deal moe expensive than the intels so intel is probably your best bang for the buck if you want dual core. the speakers look expensive for a 2.1 setup, you could probably spend another $20-30 and get a decent 5.1 surround system.

and yeah, i would look for an antec case and psu, save some money (dont have to buy another power supply) and get antec quality.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129150 is the case i used. excellent quality, and i wouldnt be worried about the 350W power supply. i got a intel 2.8GHZ dual core, 2gb ram, atix 800GTO video card, 1 74GB WD Raptor and 2 large data drives in mine and it runs like a champ. the case has excellent cooling too, and plenty of room.

and if you're not set on building, since youre buying a monitor, you may want to think about a Dell. You would save some money and get a far superior display then the one you're thinking about.
http://www.bensbargains.net/ktalk/1140708344,12281,.shtml Of course you would have to add optical drives ($40-$60) and a video card ($140ish) and some more memory but you would still be saving a few hundred and getting a better display...but you would have to take a close look at the specs to see how much performance you would be losing.

[Edited on February 24, 2006 at 1:15 PM. Reason : ]

2/24/2006 1:11:09 PM

wow you really posted this and researched all this while you were at work. do some fucking work asshole.

2/24/2006 1:13:52 PM

im flashing a phone jackass


and unless you're now employed as "tww police" you can get back to work too

[Edited on February 24, 2006 at 1:17 PM. Reason : don't make me come over there]

2/24/2006 1:16:38 PM

bttt

2/24/2006 11:24:04 PM

Quote :

"plus i'm also considering jumping to the 7800 graphics card instead of the 6800, which is like a $140 price jump."

seems like a waste of money, ive got an ati x800gto which isn't nearly as good as a 6800 chipset(and much worse than a 7800) and it runs BF2 with all of the graphics on highest quality...runs Quake4 beautifully. At some point with video cards, the value per $ starts to drop off pretty bad...and would think that point would come around the 6800 series but you might want to ask around.

2/25/2006 10:31:04 AM

first of all you can save a lot of money if you use the PSU that comes with the case, 400W should be fine if it's compliant with your motherboard

also the performance of the Corsair XMS over the Corsair Value Select isn't worth the price, save $30 and get the value select, or put in another $30 and get 2gb of value select ram

also your mouse sucks, a WIRED mouse for $25, you should be able to get an optical wireless for that price, i picked up a new logitech wireless laser mouse for $30 AR

and i'd go with the NEC over the pioneer for the dvd burner

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 10:55 AM. Reason : .]

2/25/2006 10:53:41 AM

i agree with keeping the graphics card, getting 2 gigs of ram, and getting a smaller power supply unless you plan to go SLI later in life.

i cant tell a difference between an 8ms response and a 16ms response and unless you can, get a bigger monitor for the same price

drop the 2.1 speakers and get altec's 5.1 from circuitcity for $100

do you really need 250GB of hdd space, if not get a raptor. It might cost a little more but the performance is well worth it

2/25/2006 11:58:31 AM

you may also look at the 6800 GS instead as well, it's 12 pipes and the same cost as that 6800

2/25/2006 12:11:51 PM

6800 GS video card


fucking better case


i stopped looking past that, seemed like you were clueless

2/25/2006 12:59:25 PM

haha that's why i asked for advice

2/27/2006 8:20:48 AM

here's a new build a friend helped me come up with. no case or monitor yet. i'm still trying to decide between dual monitors or one dell 20" widescreen.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=1923173&WishListTitle=rate+this+build+please+%28no+case%2Fmonitor%29

2/27/2006 12:43:18 PM

i wouldn't spend $100 on that psu it's a bit over kill for your application since ur not running sli go with the 49$ 450w fortron. also dump the ligthscribe drive, it's an extra 20$ but it takes forever to lightscribe a disc and sharpies do the jobs just as well. you may want to look into a venice core if u're not afraid of overclocking those generaly overclock a good amount. or you can buy my 3000+ winchester that does 2.5ghz w. a small bump in votage and proper cooling.

2/27/2006 4:08:09 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826104178
Much better mouse.

I'm not a fan of wireless mice because I hate buying batteries. If the cord doesn't bother you, get a logitech g15 keyboard and mx518 or g5 mouse for about what you'll pay for that bluetooth desktop. They're better by far.

G15 keyboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823126179

g5 mouse

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826104191

The mx518 and g15 total to less than that cordless desktop and you'll never have to buy batteries. The g15 is a fairly expensive keyboard, so if 115 is a hard limit you could get a slightly cheaper logitech wired keyboard and the g5 mouse.

Or... if you're dead set on cordless now for some reason, the g7 is really really nice, although the logitch lx7 is much more reasonable. Logitech cordless desktops are also pretty cool.

[Edited on February 27, 2006 at 4:19 PM. Reason : ]

2/27/2006 4:12:48 PM

I would suggest the 7800GT if your budget for the computer itself was 1200, not a complete system. 6800 GS will for what you want out of it, but if you plan on keeping the computer for a while and still want some good upgrading for it. grab the 7800GT, you can find them for 280ish at the cheapest.

Also, your new list doesn't have a case in there. It would be cheaper if you opted for an antec case with a 450watt psu or similar. To note, your mobo choice doesn't say if its compatible with X2 chips, but I'm sure you can fix that with a simple BIOS update from the manufacturer if you ever decide to go with X2 chips. I wouldn't get that audigy 2 card new. I would say drop that and wait till a deal pops up and get one for 20-30 bucks used or even new. Slickdeals had them a while back for just the card for 30 bucks shipped.

2/27/2006 9:24:47 PM

gosh you're 2nd build isn't much better

i agree, scrap the bluetooth keyboard/mouse & the expensive PSU, get a good antec case/psu combo and a good wireless keyboard/mouse, or buy seperate, but those 2 alone are $230 and they should be around $60-100 for the case and $50 for keyboard/mouse are good prices.

spend the extra money and get corsair value select, yes it's an extra 2 dimms, but i highly doubt you'll need more than 2gb in the near future and brand name ram is a must.
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3746086

shave another 20 by getting the NEC burner instead of the BenQ

i'd stick with those logitech speakers, great brand, great speakers and good price for 5.1

also shave another $75 by using onboard sound, i can't forsee why you would need anything else unless you are an audiophile and must have true 5.1

take all that money you saved and put it into a good graphics card or a good case/psu

Quote :

"I'm not a fan of wireless mice because I hate buying batteries."

spend $20 and get some rechargeables, they last just as long if not longer than alkalines, and most wireless mice these days last 6 months or so

[Edited on February 27, 2006 at 9:46 PM. Reason : batteries/mouse]

[Edited on February 27, 2006 at 9:47 PM. Reason : link]

2/27/2006 9:44:09 PM

^ yeah, but by spending 20 more bucks to get those rechargebles with the recharger you just made a 30 dollar mouse a 50 dollar mouse. why not just buy a 50 dollar really nice corded mouse IF you don't mind the cord.

And poo on onboard sound. Creative desperately needs his money and shame on you for trying to take it from them!

[Edited on February 27, 2006 at 10:07 PM. Reason : ]

2/27/2006 10:06:41 PM

first of all i have rechargable batteries for my 20+ electronics that use them, not to mention LOTS of money saved on buying batteries over and over agian, it's not like a mouse is the only thing that uses AA batteries.

not to mention there are other sound boards out there with digital optical out and 5.1 for ~$30, creative is nice no doubt, but don't buy it unless you got $ to spend

2/27/2006 10:33:13 PM

With a cordless mouse either you're going to need to use/buy rechargeable or regular AA's. Either way they have higher costs of ownership and higher base costs than comparable corded mice. If he's fine with a cord, why not just get a better corded mouse for the same price. That's really his call though, just my suggestion.

[Edited on February 27, 2006 at 10:39 PM. Reason : ]

2/27/2006 10:38:52 PM

thanks again for the suggestions, i'll post the final build once i'm ready to order everything here in the next week or so

oh, and i went with the bluetooth keyboard/mouse not only because it's wireless and i like that, but because it comes with the bluetooth dongle, which i can use with other bluetooth devices i have (phones, mainly)

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 8:03 AM. Reason : ]

2/28/2006 7:37:05 AM

that bluetooth keyboard and mouse is the SHIT. once you have one u'll never go back. the mouse generally last a month w/ my comp always on. the keyboard will generally last 2-3 months just fine cuz it goes into a power saving mode. There's a delay on the first key stroke to tell it needs to turn back on but after that its just as responsive as a wired keyboard and mouse.

You use batteries for everything else in ur life its not that big a deal to out and buy a pack of 12 duracell that will last you at year of computing.

2/28/2006 9:25:02 AM

Quote :

"do you really need 250GB of hdd space, if not get a raptor. It might cost a little more but the performance is well worth it"

Hell 250gb for 100bucks is deal. You can always partition it different ways. What if he has a shit ton of music, video and dvd back up. 250gb maybe not enought. depends on the application. and its a SATA2. Raptors are still sata150. there is no noticably performance change that this point w/ sata 2 over sata150 but y would want to buy old technolgy when the new one has lots more room to improve.

10k raptors are not what they are cracked up to be. don't let the 10k rpms fool you. I have 2 raptors in RAID 0 and i can't any difference in running bf2, cs:s and wow in running it in raid 0 and a standard IDE interface.

Yes 10k rpm > 7200 rpm but the really life difference is about 2-5 seconds in game time loadings and cd rippiing . i can afford to lose 2-5 seconds on each song or game load.[quote]

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 9:35 AM. Reason : f]

2/28/2006 9:33:19 AM

i would get one 2005fpw 20.1" widescreen from dell in place of 2 17" monitors. The 6800gs that someone suggested earlier would be a much better buy than the x1600 and for only $20 more. It all depends on how serious you are about gaming. I think you could save some money on a cheaper power supply. Try looking for a 500w Fortron psu. They are going for like $80 on newegg.

Other than that I mean it's really up to you and what you like/want. I have the DFI board and the G.skill val ram. I can say I love the ram. I love the board other than the problems I am having with the chipset fan. I do not think with those 2 and a 3700+ you will be disapointed in any application you run. I have a 3500+ (going from a northwood P4 2.8ghz) and it surprised me when I first booted up. Good luck with your build.

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 9:59 AM. Reason : .]

2/28/2006 9:55:46 AM

how is this cpu, compared to the one on my list?

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Venice 2.4GHz

[Edited on March 1, 2006 at 9:13 AM. Reason : ]

3/1/2006 9:05:46 AM

and is there any overwhelming difference among these variants of the 6800GS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Brand=1402&N=1067918817+50001402&Submit=ENE&description=Geforce+6800GS+256MB&Manufactory=1402&Ntk=all

oh and here is a link to the specs on the cpu i mentioned above
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103531

3/1/2006 4:24:12 PM

dual core is pointless right now unless you do a LOT of multitaskin with some intensive programs

go with a single 7800 gtx

that is all for now

3/1/2006 4:26:00 PM

Quote :

"go with a single 7800 gtx"

Why would still want to pay 100 bucks more to the GTX over GT. Is 4 more pix piplines and a vertex shader worth it? I say HELLZ NO.

7800gt can slaughter any game out there right now >60fps your eyes can't see past 60 anyways. So why spend 100bucks more for something u can't tell the difference on.

even if you are an eye candy whore and must have the most amazing graphics i would get the x1900xt. its slaughters the 7800gtx 512mb in benchmarks

ncWOLFsu: how much gaming do you do? and what games are you going to be playing?

I do agree w/ the fact that dual cores are useless at this point. Unless ur running 2 intensive programs at once. like auto 2006 and bf 2. then i would make sense go for dual core.

multi-threaded games are hard as shit to program for and maybe like smart little azn in remote area of china can actually do it. there are not really other multi thread apps out there either.

3/3/2006 11:18:18 AM

i havent done much pc gaming since i got my xbox 360, but i play WoW. i want to have the option to game though in case some awesome game comes out that i have to play. i don't think it's worth the extra $texas for the 7800, but the 6800GS sounds like it'd be pretty solid.

thoughts?

3/3/2006 11:21:32 AM

u still don't need dual core

i have a shitty fx53 clawhammer OCed, w/ 1gb of ram, 6800gt OCed. i play WoW @ 1680 x 1050 at high settings and AA fully on, vsync in window w/ aim, itunes and firefox, asus probe running and i still get 50-60 frames on WoW, no prob

and switching from programs to programs is seemless. its gonna be while before a dual will be a must have. dual cores are really nice to have. U can set the affinity to ur cpus but its not worth the time or money at this point

[Edited on March 3, 2006 at 11:27 AM. Reason : 4]

3/3/2006 11:26:52 AM

when did i say i was getting dual core.

the 3700+ san diego is not dual core

random question, possibly stupid: can the 6800GS send out the max resolution for one of those dell 20.1" widescreen monitors?

[Edited on March 3, 2006 at 11:31 AM. Reason : ]

3/3/2006 11:30:45 AM

^yes

3/3/2006 1:18:18 PM

Couldn't figure out how to link my wishlist... What do you guys think of this build?

Quote :

"Antec PERFORMANCE TX1088AMG Gray Steel Server Computer Case 480W Power Supply - Retail $139.00 ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce SPP 100 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $224.99 MSI NX6800GS-TD256E Lite Geforce 6800GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail $186.99(x2) $373.98 AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4400CDBOX - Retail $458.00 CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 433 (PC 3500) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX2048-3500LLPRO - Retail $305.00 Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3250823AS 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM $90.00 LITE-ON Black IDE Combo Drive Model SOHC-5236V BK RTL - Retail $28.99"

Total: $1634.96

[Edited on March 9, 2006 at 12:29 AM. Reason : s]

3/9/2006 12:28:25 AM

one way to do it is email the list to yourself, and then copy the link you get in the email

3/9/2006 2:15:05 AM

how much would i have to upgrade this build if i wanted to play bf2 on it?

or should i just get it on 360 when it drops?

3/9/2006 1:37:20 PM

ok, here is the final build. im gonna order it today or tomorrow. any last minute suggestions/changes?

i already ordered a dell 20" widescreen lcd (2005fpw), and this should be everything else i need.
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=1923173&WishListTitle=rate+this+build+please+%28no+case%2Fmonitor%29

3/22/2006 12:04:57 PM

bttt

anyone?

3/23/2006 11:11:19 AM