I'm a noob, and scared!

[mechBgon]

That is not XMS memory, if that matters to you, and is not on Asus's QVL, if that matters either. Sure is a nice buy, though, it was in the $150 area not long ago

While the PC P&C power supply is excellent, I would get the $110 Antec TruePower 2.0 550W unit if that were my rig. And if you are wavering about SLI, you could also consider the Asus A8N-E instead. No onboard Firewire, though.

You still don't have WinXP Pro on there either, and unless you already have recent-version DVD-burner software, you might want to make sure you get a DVD burner that comes with some burner software, like that BenQ or the NEC bundled with EZ DVD Creator.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

You snuck in another post while I was typing.....

OK, here goes

That case is huge, you're sure you want it?

That PS stinks out loud and it's 2x the price of a good one. You don't need more than 450 Watts at the very most.

Get a Venice core CPU

Don't get SLI. You won't find the exact same video card to match it 6 months from now anyway.

You won't need 2 GB of RAM, and it's slower than the exact same memory in a 2 x 512 version.

More than $500 on a video card? Doesn't sound like you're on a budget....

You were better off with the original 2 HDD's.

Try the on-board sound with the mobo. If you don't like it, or want more/different plugs, go for the Audigy.

1 good DVD burner, that's it. No floppy!!!!

 

[rise]

Originally posted by: Son of a N00b
dude, i would check on ebay for a nice sutom built computer or get someone who knows to build one, until you learn more. becuase itll save you a helluva lot of trouble...(ive been building computers for people for over 3 yrs now on ebay ect, and i still learn new things everyday)

but hey if you wanna take the plunge, we'll be here for ya......

how hard is it to build a computer, seriously? i mean we're not talking rocket science here. with some research and common sense its really not difficult. know enough when to stop and take a break or ask some questions or consult your notes, guides, whatever.

i like what the guy said about taking apart the other computer first and reassembling it if it makes him more comfortable. my first complete build was a couple months ago on a dfi sli-dr and i had no problems aside from some quirkiness.

also, i never had any problem with sata.

don't get alienware, maybe don't get sli right away (i just got the sli board with 1 card) take your time read mechbgon's guide and have fun. its a great experience.

 

[frx218]

spend less READ MORE.

 

[Twsmit]

Originally posted by: CrimsonChaos
1. Most importantly, is everything above compatible?
2. Does the hard-drive comes with Windows already on it?
3. The RAM is dual-channel -- what does this mean? Should I just buy two single sticks of normal 512MB RAM?
4. Does ATI have SLI technology? If so, can I use it with the setup above or do I need something else?
5. Do heat-sinks/fans come with the setup above or are those separate items I have to purchase?
6. Is there any special testing equipment or other accessories I have to buy to ensure the computer is functioning properly during/after assembly?

1. Yes
2. No
3. means that both stick are packaged together. (sometimes they give you a discount other tiems its the exact same price as two individual sticks) you could buy the package or individually, doesnt matter.
4. Yes, but it isnt out yet. The best indication is that it will not work with your board, but it is possible. There is no confirmation from ATI yet though on what it will work with.
5. If you buy a retail CPU they come with the package.
6. Could run some benchmarks to see if its performing good, but otherwise you wont need anything but a screwdriver, your hands and a Windows Install CD.





Now in regards to waht you have picked.... I would tone some of the stuff down, i dont think you need a super rig, you can save alot of cash with a few changes and lose very little performance.



-Case is fine, but you can go alot cheaper if you want
-PSU is too much. Get a Antec, Enermax, Seasaonic, OCZ... Suitable PSU's can be found for around $100
-CPU is too much. Get a 3200+ or 3500+ Venice. Match it with the retail stock fan or the XP-90.
-Mobo is fine IF you want SLI. Otherwise there are Ultras like the DFI for less than $135
-Ram is ok, but getting Corsair Value CAS 2.5 will do just fine for you.
-Video, get 1 6800GT. SLI is a waste and next generation cards are going to be out by fall anyways.
-Dump the raptor and get 1 or 2x storage drives.
-Dont get the WD. Get a drive with NCQ, the Seagate or Maxtor are supposed to be good. Seagates also have 5 year warrantees.
-Sound is fine, though the gamer means nothing. All it comes with is a useless bundle of crap. If all you want is the sound card, get the OEM for like $30 less. If you want a live drive, get a live drive model, but please, dont get the gamer. Its the same OEM card bbundled with a bunch of crappy software and games.
-Make sure to get a dual layer drive, Lite-on has some good drives. Whatever you get, make sure it has the best specs avaliable. (only a couple of bucks more)

 

[6000SUX]

Originally posted by: homercles337
Drop the raptor and go with 2x BIG WDs and run in RAID5.
Drop SLI and go with an Ultra mobo (too buggy still).

Don't give advice without knowing what you're doing. You need at least three drives for RAID 5, and the RAID advice is ridiculous for a machine with just two drives unless the OP specifically says he needs RAID 1 to protect his data and doesn't want to buy more drives.

I second the last poster's advice on drives. You can get 160GB Seagate 7200.7 drives for decent prices (I have two of 'em) and there are lots of other great deals around; you should try to buy SATA drives with NCQ to get the most for your money.

 

[Taejin]

expensive PSU.. better to go with OCZ Powerstream? I actually don't know, but I think it would be better..

Can one PSU power 2 6800GTs and everything else?

Also, I ordered the cooler master stacker . Lovely lovely case.

Again, I have no experience with your mobo and CPU, but I'm gonna put this out there: wouldn't it be better for him to get the DFI Lanparty + amd a64 3700+ san diego core and OC it a little? not a lot.

 

[CrimsonChaos]

Thanks again guys.

What's wrong with the Power Supply? Everyone keeps saying it's too much, but over and over on this forum I've read that you should have a "great" power supply in your system. And I've read great things about PC Power & Cooling on these forums.

I'm not really on a "budget" per se, but I don't want to spend unnecessarily either. I will have to re-consider the SLI route, as people seem to not like it. I'll also have to think about SATA vs. PATA. Finally, I'll have to figure out what processor I want.

If anyone is still reading this... can you PLEASE answer my two questions:

1. If I get the SLI setup, can I use just 1 video-card for now, and add another one later?
2. Can I easily replace the A64 3400+ CPU with a faster model later, or will it require a lot of other changes or updates?

 

[6000SUX]

Originally posted by: CrimsonChaos
Thanks again guys.

What's wrong with the Power Supply? Everyone keeps saying it's too much, but over and over on this forum I've read that you should have a "great" power supply in your system. And I've read great things about PC Power & Cooling on these forums.

I'm not really on a "budget" per se, but I don't want to spend unnecessarily either. I will have to re-consider the SLI route, as people seem to not like it. I'll also have to think about SATA vs. PATA. Finally, I'll have to figure out what processor I want.

If anyone is still reading this... can you PLEASE answer my two questions:

1. If I get the SLI setup, can I use just 1 video-card for now, and add another one later?
2. Can I easily replace the A64 3400+ CPU with a faster model later, or will it require a lot of other changes or updates?

1. Yes, definitely. I currently have an SLI-capable motherboard in this machine, and only one graphics card. (I now wish I'd saved money by not buying the SLI capability which I'll probably never use, but that's a different story.)
2. The CPU can be replaced with another one that's compatible with your motherboard. In this case, you should be buying a s939 board, so you'll be fine for a while. Even the new X2 dual-core processors will be available for socket 939. If you buy a new processor later, you can offset the price by selling your current one, or you can keep it for testing purposes or starting a new system. Installing the new processor would be as simple as turning your computer off, grounding yourself properly etc., lifting out the old one and dropping in the new one; you could be done in about two minutes.

 

[Tiamat]

How bout this:
Antec 3000B
Seasonic S12 500
AMD Athlon 3200+
Same mobo
I would probably look at what OCZ has to offer.
Just get 1 graphics card now, and wait 3 months for your next one.
3x Samsung CP1614 in RAID 0
Sound card is a personal choice - you probably dun need those games? get 2ZS plain?
You only need 1 DVD RW drive since you have plenty of HDD to cache the files
No need for floppy drive if you have win XP SP2 (i think SP2 has RAID drivers)

Thermalright XP120
Yateloon D12SM

Total would probably be less than 1800$

You might have noticed my choices revolved around a quiet, but performance system. This is important to me since I sleep in the same room as my computer. If you don't sleep near your computer, then some of my selections may be irrelavent to you.

 

[6000SUX]

Ditch the RAID 0 advice.

 

[CrimsonChaos]

Thanks 6000Sux (what the heck does that mean?)

That's great news about the SLI. I'll just get the setup in the event I want to use it in the future.

I also just wanted to be sure that installing a new CPU doesn't require flashing BIOS's or CMOS's or other things I know little about. Sounds like it's pretty simple, though -- so I guess I better get to building!

P.S. I won't be doing any type of RAID.

 

[mechBgon]

Something else that can be really nice, if you don't have one already, is a memory-card reader. If you sort of want a floppy drive regardless, Mitsumi makes one that has a memory-card reader built right into it, Newegg has them here in black. What would've been even cooler is if the floppy part were USB too, but the rear shot indicates it still does use a 34-pin floppy cable for the floppy part.

 

[6000SUX]

Originally posted by: CrimsonChaos
Thanks 6000Sux (what the heck does that mean?)

That's great news about the SLI. I'll just get the setup in the event I want to use it in the future.

I also just wanted to be sure that installing a new CPU doesn't require flashing BIOS's or CMOS's or other things I know little about. Sounds like it's pretty simple, though -- so I guess I better get to building!

P.S. I won't be doing any type of RAID.

Great! You'll be fine. I highly recommend mechBgon's building guide; it got me nicely through my first build about six months ago.

If you were to go to the X2 processor, you'd definitely need to flash your BIOS. Just dropping in a faster chip probably wouldn't require that, but it might be necessary. It's really easy to do that anyway-- easier than building a machine!

If you want to play with RAID, be my guest. It would just be a mistake to do it on your system drive. Most people don't need it; about the only reason you'd specifically want RAID 0 as a home user is for super-fast media capture or something, in which case you'd be better off buying SCSI and/or dedicated RAID hardware. Most people that are on the RAID bandwagon right now are doing it stupidly; they use low-end software RAID built into motherboard chipsets, not realizing that they're actually decreasing performance this way. RAID 0 with crappy hardware can greatly increase seek times and doesn't give you much in the way of sustained throughput, which like I said most people don't need anyway!

6000SUX is the car advertised in Robocop, sort of a futuristic Cadillac gas-guzzler type. I was unfairly given a one-month "vacation" from the forum months ago, and my account was never unlocked for some reason so I made a new one.

 

[S Random]

get a DFI lan boy nf4 sli board instead of the ASUS, im assuming you have a floppy and CD rom drive in your broken comp, you can pull those instead of buying a new one, with that saved money buy a XP120 and some better fans for your case. Also you might wanna look at PSUs, personally id get a forton blue or the new coolermaster PSU for a SLI rig

 

[The Boston Dangler]

I can't believe people are suggesting a noob go with a X2 processor, SLI 6800's, 2 GB RAM, etc. Is it April Fool's Day again? What the Hell, it's not my money. Go for one of these.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
I can't believe people are suggesting a noob go with a X2 processor, SLI 6800's, 2 GB RAM, etc. Is it April Fool's Day again? What the Hell, it's not my money. Go for one of these.

Remember, he started by seeing what it would cost to duplicate an Alienware, spec-wise. First-time builder or not, he could still have good uses for the multitasking power of an X2 or the luxury of 2GB of RAM. Maybe he's a big-time video-editing guy or a student getting into 3DS Max stuff, or who knows. I definitely weighed the X2 upgrade path as a factor when I was trying to decide whether to build a second Socket754 rig or go on up to Socket939.

 

[imported_brad]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
If a connector breaks on the mobo, you replace the mobo (well, or you put the drive on a different connector if there's a vacant one). If it breaks on a drive, you try to figure out how to get your term paper off of the drive before 10AM tomorrow, or whatever If you get one, be careful with it.

YOU ARE THE MAN!! I didnt realize that it was you with the really good walkthrough.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: brad

Originally posted by: mechBgon
If a connector breaks on the mobo, you replace the mobo (well, or you put the drive on a different connector if there's a vacant one). If it breaks on a drive, you try to figure out how to get your term paper off of the drive before 10AM tomorrow, or whatever If you get one, be careful with it.

YOU ARE THE MAN!! I didnt realize that it was you with the really good walkthrough.

Hehe, I guess I need to bump up the size of the title across the top of the pages Well, glad you like it at any rate, not bad for an ex-bicycle-mechanic I suppose.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

1. Don't buy that INSANELY OVERKILL power supply. A decent ~450W should be MORE than enough. And that'll only cost you about $100 for a decent one.
2. SLI is useless and only for insane people that are crazy about benchmarks. A complete waste of money. Stick with a single card solution.
3. $200/GB is also a waste of money. You won't really notice much of a performance boost.
4. Get a Venice/San Diego core for the better memory controllers and better overclockabiliy.
5. Drop the Raptor. They're a total waste of money, they run really hot and loud, and the performance increase isn't really noticable. Stick with another 250GB drive and stick them in RAID 0/1.
6. You don't need a $100 sound card. A regular Audigy 2/Audigy 2 ZS should be fine. You don't need a "gamer edition".
7. Hard drives don't come with Windows

 

[Bonesdad]

what's wrong with the old computer? How is it 'broke' and what did it consist of?

 

[Twsmit]

Originally posted by: CrimsonChaos
Thanks again guys.

What's wrong with the Power Supply? Everyone keeps saying it's too much, but over and over on this forum I've read that you should have a "great" power supply in your system. And I've read great things about PC Power & Cooling on these forums.

I'm not really on a "budget" per se, but I don't want to spend unnecessarily either. I will have to re-consider the SLI route, as people seem to not like it. I'll also have to think about SATA vs. PATA. Finally, I'll have to figure out what processor I want.

If anyone is still reading this... can you PLEASE answer my two questions:

1. If I get the SLI setup, can I use just 1 video-card for now, and add another one later?
2. Can I easily replace the A64 3400+ CPU with a faster model later, or will it require a lot of other changes or updates?

I would go with SATA. It offers NCQ support and is the future tech. Also the cables are a hell of a lot easier to manage inside the case. The guys who are saying it is easy to break I think were either too rough, or totally underestimate your intelligence... lol You may be a nub, but all SATA requires is sticking a cable into a drive and not bending it or handling it hard.

As for SLI, yeah like they said you can use a single card. But this is the reason why no one is recommending it. SLI is like getting an FX processor. The cost to performance is not justified. You end up spening 100% more on a video card for 0 - 40% or so performance increase. (rough numbers)

Also with next generation video out at the end of this year, your 500-600$ invenstment in video cards will get beaten by 1x $400 card of the next generation.

Now there are some merits when it comes to buying one card now, and one later when its "cheaper" but.... your spending an extra $40 on the motherboard and in two years when you want a new video card, your going to have to spend around a ~$150 to pick up a 6800GT (im guestimating...) Add in the $40 you spent on the mobo and its nearly $200 for a video upgrade that gave you 20, 30, 40% speed increase???? With that $200 you could have picked up a state of the art top of the line super duper blah blah blah card that is probably going to kick the butt of your SLI setup.



#2. As for the 3400+ that is a socket 754 and wont even physically fit or work with a 939 motherboard. But if you get a S939 CPU it is easy to replace. Takes 5 minutes or less. Also with S939 you can upgrade to dual core next year.

 

[imported_michaelpatrick33]

CASING: ($146.00) ? Thermaltake Shark ? Full Tower
PSU: ($229.00) PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 510
CPU: ($485.00) AMD Athlon 64 4000+ SledgeHammer Socket 939
MOBO: ($175.00) ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX
RAM: ($218.00) CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR 400 (PC 3200)
Video: SLI - (2 X $349) eVGA Geforce 6800GT 256MB PCI-E
Hard Drive1: ($183.00) WD Raptor 73GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150
Hard Drive2: ($129.00) WD Caviar SE 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150
Sound: ($103) CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS GAMER Limited Edition
Media (assume links aren't necessary for these):
($49.99) NEC Black 16X DVD+/-RW CD-RW 2M Cache
($22.00) LITE-ON Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM
($10.50) SONY MPF920 Black 1.44MB 3.5"

Total: $2,447.50

Just a simple question for all the posters. If his budget is near 2500 bucks why in the world would he not get the 4000+ San Diego especially if he isn't into overclocking? It's his money right? I find it funny that people are telling him to get a lower clocked Venice and overclock. Why? If he has the money why would he do that when he can have it faster at stock? Why do people buy corvettes when they could have camry's? Both will get you there and the speed limit is the speed limit. But sometimes the extra dough gets you the intangibles. Funny.

Don't get the 4000 clawhammer for $480, get the San Diego 4000+ (new core rev) for $485. I am unsold on SLI but don't let posters talk you out of what you want. You may down the road get SLI G70's. Ram is up to you but I would go with 2 gigs myself if I am doing any kind of 3d or video editing work and especially if I had 2500 bucks to play with LOL and I wasn't overclocking. If you want a great PSU then get the 510 PC Power and Cooling SLI. It is one of the best PSU's. Remember, don't let posters tell you to get lesser priced parts because they are lesser priced. The most expensive isn't always the best of course the lesser expensive aren't always either.

Otherwise your comp looks great to me

 

[gsellis]

Different angle then all of your other posts... You have listed as a use video editing and graphics.

1 - 3 250's at least. 1 for OS, apps, and overflow (when drive 2 is full for temp store); 1 for video capture; 1 for render, scratch drive, DVD compile.

2 - 2 6800GTs may do nothing here or ... Depends on the apps. If you said you were using a Pinnacle product (higher end), I would say ATI instead. Vegas, Adobe, Avid... nVidia. If you have picked an editor, check that sites recommendations. You may actually want a workstation card as some OpenGL stuff is tuned for certain cards, depending on the editor and apps, including graphics packages.

Stay with the 2GB. It will not hurt anything.

Too lazy to look at the moment... Get a case with a front Firewire port. Audio is not so important as you have a headphone jack in the audio control on the SB. I have a Chenbro Dragon case with a front Firewire port. It currently has 5 HDDs in it, so if you plan more and more editing, consider how many HDDs it will hold. 450w power is not unreasonable if you consider 5 hdds and 2 DVDs (Nero will burn to multis) along with the high-end graphics cards. I have a 520, but that is because Vantec does EPS-12V natively, which I need for 2 processors - your mileage does vary.

A good reason to use SATA is because there are not enough PATA connections if you populate the case later. I have 4 SATA, 1 PATA, and 2 UIDE DVD drives. In theory, I could have use more PATA, but I like the smaller cables even with their risk (they are soooo easy to unplug too). I just do not open the case that much...

 

[MobiusPizza]

Originally posted by: homercles337
Drop the raptor and go with 2x BIG WDs and run in RAID5.
Drop SLI and go with an Ultra mobo (too buggy still).

I think you need 3 HDD at least to run RAID5