Yet another newbie

jrod2032 · TweakNOOB Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 10

Gee, I bet you guys are getting sick of these types of posts, but...
I'm gonna start building my first PC in the near future, but I need to know what to get. This PC will mainly be used for gaming, and I would like so that I could easily upgrade it down the line when the 'next-genish' games come out. I would also like it to be relatively cheap (don't we all?) I would like to know what to get internally before I worry about picking my case, so I'll save that for last.

Any suggestions?
Thanks!

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racing87stang · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 5:27 pm Post subject:

first off... Welcome to TN.net

second.. exactly how much are you willing to spend. You can make plenty of systems for under $500 (minus monitor/keyboard/mouse etc etc )

All of which can handle most of the games out currently with great possibility of upgrading later down the line. Let us know exactly what your willing to spend, I build computers on the side, and The first thing I tell any customer, is two things actually... What are you going to be using it for? and How much do you WANT to spend?
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jrod2032 · TweakNOOB Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 10

Thanks for the welcome.
Sorry that I didn't include my budget. I knew I forgot something. I'm looking to spend between $600-$700, but I am rather flexible on that part.

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Are we figuring hard drives and optical drives here? Without drives, you can build an AMD-3500+ based system with an Asus AN8 SLI board, nVidia 6600GT 256mb vid card, a gig of decent ram, but that would max out your budget. Hard drives aren't super expensive, if you look for sale prices, optical drives have really dropped in price, as well, but figure $200 for a good sized hard drive and at least a middle of the road DVD burner.

Don't forget about a good PSU, either. Most of the ones that come with cases are on the iffy side, I would definitely budget for a good SLI capable one right out of the gate.
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jrod2032 · TweakNOOB Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 10

First off...Happy New Years everyone!

Secondly, I'm budgeting about $600-$700 for everything INSIDE the case.
And on the line of PSUs, if I get more wattage than I need (say 500+), could that potentially mess everything up? Sorry if this seems like an idiotic question.

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

No question is dumb...........you should read some of mine.

Having more power is always good. Your system will only draw what it needs to run..............but it can't make power out of nothing, if the PSU is too small. 450w is really the minimum anymore, for a good, upgradable system.

Ok, so $600-$700 for everything but a case............slow the processor down, then, an AMD 3000+. (While I'm technically an Intel fan, AMD has the best route for upgradability for bargain building.)

You won't get a Raptor for your price range, so I would look at a Maxtor DiamondMax drive, SATA, if possible. They're some of the fastest 7200RPM drives available.

Optical drive........Plextor has the best, and they're not that pricey. Figure $100 for a DVD burner......not their best one, but reliable, and you won't need to replace it anytime soon.

Geil Value Select RAM, 1gb matched for dual channel. I got a set for $86 bucks a couple of months ago, and I'm very pleased with it.

An Asus AN8 based board, try to get the best one you can.

Sticking with a 6600GT, or even a regular 6800. Go for 256mb memory, 128 just doesn't cut it for newer games. Plus, you'll have SLI upgradability. Get one 6600GT now, add another in a few months, and you're kickin'.

Check for sales, hit up eBay, check the shopping page here on TN. You can get some killer deals on stuff. What I suggested would hit about $750, give or take. Not the fastest machine around, but solid, and should run most new games at reasonable settings and FPS.
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jrod2032 · TweakNOOB Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 10

Alright, thanks for all the help! I've used your input to create a possible configuration for my new PC. I did go over my original budget, but I'm still comforatble with it. I'm including links to these products to TigerDirect. It doesn't mean I'm buying from there, I just want you guys to look and make sure I chose correctly:

MOBO: Asus A8N-SLI
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Video Card: XFX GeForce 6600 GT 256MB
RAM: Corsair Value Select Dual Channel 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory
Hard Drive: Western Digital / Caviar SE / 250GB / 7200 / 8MB / SATA-150
Optical Drive: HP DVD740VI Burner with Lightscribe <- I think that's pretty neat...anybody have any experience with it?
PSU: Ultra / V-Series / 500-Watt

All in all, this setup totals up to be between $750 and $800, but I'm cool with that. I figure when I buy all of this it'll be a little bit cheaper, because I won't be buying this right away. This may be put off until the Spring/Summer months. (I don't have space in my dorm room for all of this)
Like I said, I could find some of the same stuff, but I picked what I thought to be closest. Also, should I worry about buying any more cooling measures? Because I don't figure that I'll be overclocking the system (mainly because I don't know what that is...

)

How's it looking?

sickofsoyo · Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 7:50 pm Post subject:

well, if your waiting... why not get the new 975X chipset? Very Happy

(I'm a hard core Intel fan)
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P4 3.2ghz
lanparty pro875b
Enermax Liberty 500 Watt Modular PSU
Sony 52X CD-RW
Samsung 120gig SATA hdd
Maxtor 100gig SATA hdd
Powmax Demon case
ATI X800 XL AIW, 525 Core, 525 mem
Creative X-Fi Platinum
PDP systems Patriot Ram 2,3,2,5 timings

jrod2032 · TweakNOOB Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 10

I'm a little too cheap for that my friend

Oh, and can anybody point me to where I can find a great variety of cheap, durable cases? I've been searching online and have only found little stores...

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

I'm not a fan of Ultra PSU's, too many problems in the past....and the power rating wasn't quite up to par. I would probably go with an Antec TP550 II

http://tweaknews.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=7730826

or this Enermax:

http://tweaknews.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=10581556

Both are a little bit more, but that $30 is money well spent. Not to mention they're both SLI certified by nVidia, that'll save you headaches if/when you add a second vid card.

For cases, have a look here:

http://tweaknews.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=41
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jrod2032 · TweakNOOB Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 10

Alright, made some changes due to suggestions/cost...
Mach2 is as follows:

MOBO: Asus A8N-SLI
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Video Card: XFX GeForce 6600 GT 256MB
RAM: Corsair Value Select Dual Channel 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory
Hard Drive: Western Digital / Caviar SE / 80GB / 7200 / 8MB / SATA-150
Optical Drive: Lite-on DVD Writer
PSU: Enermax 535-Watt SLI-Ready

This is all just a little less than $750. If prices go down in the future when I purchase, I may upgrade some of these (hard drive, burner) but this will basically be it. Whaddya think?

Now I just need to make a decision between these two cases... Razz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144151

Thanks again for all the help

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

I like the first case better, myself...........those goofy little gauges never work very long. But, if you want a door............eh, cases are like pants. They gotta fit you, or you look funny.

Get whatever you like.
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

In my experience...ive learned to NOT cheap out on a case.

I have the Aspire X-dreamer....when it does do everything it claims to....the construction leaves a little to be desired in my opinion. The edges are a bit sharp, its a little light in there....lots of brittle plastics, and worst of all..i had some grounding issues which i believe was caused by the front panel....

Just a heads up.
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jrod2032 · TweakNOOB Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 10

Around which price do cases change from 'cheap' to 'quality'?

sickofsoyo · Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 8:13 pm Post subject:

ummm... it can varry. I got a crappy case for $50.00. The paint scratched, the window cracked, and the front door broke. Now when people come over and see it, I call it ghetto. I would say around $75.00-$100.00
_________________
P4 3.2ghz
lanparty pro875b
Enermax Liberty 500 Watt Modular PSU
Sony 52X CD-RW
Samsung 120gig SATA hdd
Maxtor 100gig SATA hdd
Powmax Demon case
ATI X800 XL AIW, 525 Core, 525 mem
Creative X-Fi Platinum
PDP systems Patriot Ram 2,3,2,5 timings

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

It varies from brand to brand, really. There's some cheap, crappy $100 cases and some very good $50 cases.

I tend to stay away from flashy lights, fancy doors, that sortof thing......for the most part, those gimmicks break very quickly, and basically cover a cheap case with a fancy plastic shell. Also, alot of the cheaper cases have cheap PSU's included, which just raises the price without adding to the quality at all.

Try these.........

http://tweaknews.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=7251845
http://tweaknews.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=11410926 (also available in black)
http://tweaknews.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=5729373
http://tweaknews.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=9370103

Just for starters.........any of those would work well. I wouldn't get too worried about tool-free designs, many of the cheaper ones just don't work all that well. If the case has it, great, but I don't make it a determining factor.

Once you get up higher in price, you start to see more aluminum instead of steel, better tool-free designs, sturdier door designs, etc. Personally, I'm still using a $50 generic case with an X-window on the side..........leaves a little to be desired, but it works.
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jrod2032 · TweakNOOB Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 10

Yeah, I know it's been a while, but now I gots some more stuff to ask about my computer...It's been built for a while, and I just love it! I don't think I've ever had such a powerful computer; it's awesome! Now's the time for upgrades like a sound card, maybe more RAM, nother video card, etc. So it's time for more questions...yay!

So, in a nutshell here's the stuff that matters:
-ASUS A8N-SLI mobo
-AMD Athalon 64 3200+
-XFX GeForce 6600 GT (256 MB)
-1 gig of RAM
-600 watt power supply

...and a butt load of fans. Right now according to my temp gauge it says it's about 30 degrees Celcius in there (I forgot where I put the sensor)...mobo @ about 35 degrees...CPU @ about 38 degrees. Alright, do you guys know of a good fan controller to use in this thing? I'd prefer to have one with a display on it that would show temp, fan speed, time, etc. I've used the Shopping feature on this website, but I wasn't sure if that was all there was to choose from. Any suggestions? Also have any of you guys used expansion slot fans?

Zero_Fresh · Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 3:35 pm Post subject:

I know TH used to have expansion slot fans in his machine when he lived in Cadlwell. If I remember correctly, I don't think they hold up to the test of time too well. I could be mistaken.
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

^^^correct.....

I really think air FLOW is way more important than number of air moving sources.
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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

^^^^ what the angry brown whatsit said.

Expansion slot fans were useful back when PCI cards were really needed. Just a few years ago, you would need a vid card, sound card, modem, often a decent LAN card, and an IDE card (small drives meant the extra card for added storage). They were only moderately useful in removing hot pockets of air from immediately near your PCI cards.........otherwise, they do very little to cool the case.

I'm a fan of negative air pressure right now, meaning more exhaust than intake. I'm going to be playing with that in the next week, have a new case with a different fan setup than my current moldy oldie.

In general, though, you would want a higher CFM fan in the rear, a lower CFM in the front, and (if possible) a low CFM fan on the side, blowing into the CPU. This should move sufficient air to keep the case cool. Make sure your wiring is neat, use rounded cables and route them off to the side of the case, make sure your PSU cables are neatly tucked away with no extra cables hanging around loose.....basically, keep the cleanest, most open path between intake, CPU and exhaust as possible.

As far as fan controllers goes, I have a Vantec Nexus that I like, it's a simple four-knob jobbie, but it does the job well, and has never let me down. ThermalTake's HardCano series are also very good, depending on how many fans and how much info you want. If you want some "bling" factor, the VL Systems Blue Eye is a great choice:

http://www.xoxide.com/vl-system-lis-2-black.html

Personally, I prefer the KISS method.........four knobs works fine for me.
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