Building a new computer

Voislav · Post by **Voislav** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:36 am

Hello!

I'm not sure if anyone will help me, but I'd really appreciate it if I could get some input.

I am looking to design a new computer for myself at a modest price (around $1000).

Parts that I've been looking at are

Athlon X2 4800
Nvidia 7800 GS OC (or GT)
Asus A8N motherboard.
(some type of appropriate RAM)

I've already got a hard drive/monitor/etc and am happy with onboard sound.

With the parts above, does 1000 seem like an appropriate price range? (Price was judged by poking around on pricewatch). If not, where could I sacrifice some money without much loss in power? (ie. is a 4600 really a lot different from a 4800? or a 7800 vs. 7600?)

Some buying questions:

Best to get a barebones computer?

Best to get CPU/Motherboard combo?

Best to get everything seperate and build from scratch?

What power supply should I use? 450W? 520W? This is an important one as its difficult to figure it out. I plan on eventually getting another GFX card to use the SLI link, but that will depend on necessity.

Appreciate any help!

-Voislav

Immortal · Post by **Immortal** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 1:16 am

They seem like solid choices imo.
If you are going to scimp on anything i would make it the CPU.. cause that can be OC'ed, and yes there is a massive difference between a 7600 and a 7800...
reagrding PSU, i would go for a minimum of 400W but recommend at least 450/470!
Try the different situations, see how much a combo is, then see how much it is seperatley... and work from there!

KnightRid · Post by **KnightRid** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 6:22 am

I would say seperate

cheap but decent case - Raidmax with 420w power supplies - look on newegg.com - they have a bunch. It will save you from having to buy a seperate PS upfront, but you can always change it later when you have some extra cash!!

MB's - I am biased towards Gigabyte

Get the BEST video card you can afford!!!!!!!!! I can not stress that enough, well if you are a gamer. If you are just playing internet games and stuff, then you can get the cheapest thing you can find.

RAM - no less than 512 of course! you can always start with 512 and add more later just like the PS.

Any more help, just holler.

Mike

OH - what are you using it for anyway? games, apps, internet, porn, etc..

Post by **Illuminati** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 8:48 am

Have you taken a look at our system guides? We even have an article now that tells you how to build the PC!

System Guides
How To Build Your Own PC

bigblockmatt · Post by **bigblockmatt** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:10 am

Illuminati wrote:Have you taken a look at our system guides? We even have an article now that tells you how to build the PC!

System Guides
How To Build Your Own PC

damn, your too quick for me this mroning

Also, there is a deal right now at zip zoom fly for some pc3200 ram...look in the deal section of the forums here.

Post by **Apoptosis** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:34 am

THe system guides will be updated in a few days also, so keep an eye out for the April editions.

Voislav · Post by **Voislav** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 10:27 am

Wow, thanks for the quick response.

I did see those guides on how to build and the computer of the month. I actually only looked at the higher end and lower end..the middle seems mostly what I want though. This is by far the best site for reviews/help I've been able to dig up...it actually has things posted within the last month.

I'm probably going to buy a couple pieces today if nothing else just to take advantage of the rebates for the month (60$ for gig corsiar = <3). Though maybe i'll wait till april and see what neato deals they have then.

Next question is brand.

For the video card the guide listed eVGA, I noticed on one of your reviews that the eVGA scored a little lower on the tests than other brands with the same model. Would this sort of thing be a 1fps difference that I wouldn't care about or is it a bigger issue?

For instance on the guides you have the high end using:

Micro-Star International Geforce 7800GTX 256MB $385

and the mid-level using

eVGA e-GeForce 7800 GT (256 MB) $294

Is the eVGA that much worse then the Microstar that its worth $100 (I know its GT vs. GTX also) less and you recommend it for high-level vs mid-level?

Using this for video games.

Post by **Illuminati** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 11:58 am

When comparing Brand X 7800GT vs. Brand Y 7800 GT, the performance difference is going to be neglegible. In most cases, every brand of video card out there will use NVidia's reference card's layout... so the only thing you are paying for is the type of cooling solution, warranty, and the software bundle the different brands use.

So the $100 difference was purely because of the GT vs GTX performance difference.

I think the only reason we selected one brand of video card over the other was just because of price. eVGA probably had the best deal for a 7800 GT at the time the March System Guides were written up... and the same for MSI on the 7800 GTX.

Hope this helps...

Sovereign · Post by **Sovereign** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:32 pm

eVGA's Step Up program allows you a 90-day hedge against a better videocard being released. You can trade in your card for full value as a credit for a new card from eVGA. Say I purchase a 7800GTX512MB now for $500. Two months later, the 8-Series comes out. The 8800GTX costs $500. I pay the shipping, and I send it the old card. I get a new card. For the cost of shippping.

Voislav · Post by **Voislav** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 3:24 pm

Again thanks for all the help.

I'm still looking for a good power supply/case and am having trouble deciding. One of my friends at work stated that for having SLI (Which I hope to eventually get) I would need a special adapter for my power supply. I've never heard of this and haven't seen it advertised, so I'm uncertain as to how accurate this information is.

I'm looking for a low cost, but effective case that will keep my computer both cool and be upgradable on the power supply if necessary. Currently I am looking at:

RaidMax Ninja
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811156177

Antec Inc. LifeStyle Sonata II
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... C-d3alt1me

Also having some issues with my Motherboard choices

I'm looking at the ASUS A8N-SLI as I stated earlier, but am wondering if is worth the extra cost to get the extra pipes on the primium versus the normal one. Its about 60 bucks more, and I'm uncertain if I'd see a worthwhile performance increase.

Let me know, I'm loving this place! Beats Tomshardware.

Razorbacx · Post by **Razorbacx** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 5:57 pm

As far as case and PSU, I would go with the Antec. You simply cannot go wrong with Antec. I personally like the CoolerMaster cases, but would stay away from their PSU's.

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:24 pm

Raid max PSU's suck. Generaly dont buy case PSU combos as the included PSU tends to be of very very low quality. I would suggest spending no less than $75 on a named PSU like Antec, OCZ, Fortron, Zippy, Emacs, Sparkel. The last thing you want to happen is to have your PSU crapout and kill your brand new 4800+

audiodox · Post by **audiodox** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 12:13 pm

^_^ as long as you know what you're up to - do it from scratch, it's a better experience!

werewolfdaddy · Post by **werewolfdaddy** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 12:39 pm

I have the antec sonata II and it's a great case. The power supply has been very stable and for a midsize case there is a lot of room in it.