Help me build my new system

[Calculusaurus]

Greetings. I am building a new computer for my high school graduation present. I will be on a $1,100 budget. I will use this system mostly for gaming—Lineage II and UT2k4. I will take it to college with me, so I need it to be solid and stable.

Let’s start from the top, with my needs and wants for each component:

Processor: I’m looking at Athlon 64s and Pentium 4s. With my budget, it seems that, say, and Athlon 64 3000+, would be good. I am willing to go with either an AMD or Intel, since I don’t hold any stark biases. By default, I would choose AMD since my current system has a Duron, which I have been satisfied with. I do not mind whether or not I get an OEM plus heatsink, or the retail. If you recommend that I get an OEM processor, please recommend an appropriate heatsink.

Motherboard: Obviously, I need a stable motherboard, one that can easily support the other components in my system without bottlenecks. Given that I get an Athlon 64 3000+, I might get a Gigabyte "GA-K8N PRO" nForce3 150 Chipset, or an MSI Neo-FIS2R" K8T800 Chipset Motherboard. I am not necessarily looking for a boatload of features, considering I will not use a PCI slot or need a RAID 0 setup. However, I will need good onboard 6-channel sound.

RAM: This is an area I really need help in. I would like to have 1 gig (2 x 512). However, I do not know what brand and model would be most effective with my system. Would Corsair Value Select work, or would it be too low quality? Would Corsair XMS be overkill and get bottlenecked? Would 2 x 256 be a safer route with high quality RAM? I’m looking for RAM that will be best suited for my processor-mobo setup.

Video Card: This is an important component, considering I’ll be playing plenty of games. An ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (128 MB) seems like a perfect fit. Anyone disagree? Should I get the Sapphire version, or the ATI version?

Hard Drive: I don’t need too much space, since I won’t ever use anymore than 50 or 60 GB. The Western Digital special edition 80GB fits my needs and budget perfectly. Anyone think I should get something different?

CD Drive: I will only be using one CD/RW drive. I have no need for two, nor do I have a need for a DVD drive. The Liteon CD/RW models seem like they have perfect performance and value for my system.

Case: This is also an area that I need much help in. Although I want a good case, I’d much rather do my penny pinching here than in the processor or motherboard area. This may be considered superficial, but I think aesthetics are very important. I prefer the color black. I’ve been considering the following cases: AOpen A600a, Antec P-160WF, and Aspire X-Dreamer II. I do not mind whether or not I get a case without a power supply. But if you recommend a case without a PSU, please recommend an appropriate PSU. Also, I just want something appropriate; no 450W PSUs just because 450 is a high number.

Monitor: Since I’m trying to do my major money spending on my processor, motherboard, RAM, and video card, I really can’t afford an extreme monitor. A 17” CRT would be just fine. The Samsung Dynaflat model seems more than appropriate.

Sound: I will be using 6 channel onboard sound.

Operating System, Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers, and other peripherals: Already taken care of, don’t factor these in to the $1,100 budget.

Here is my simple, tentative wish list (this is what I want you to change if you think another setup would be more appropriate):

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-424&depa=0)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-K8N PRO (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=13-128-200[/url)
RAM: Corsair Value Select 1G PC 3200 (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-440&depa=0)
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9800 PRO (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-286&depa=0)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Special Edition 80GB (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-122&depa=0)
CD Drive: Lite-On Black 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=27-106-197&depa=0)
Case: AOpen A600a (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=11-130-142)
Monitor: SAMSUNG 753DF-T/T 17" DynaFlat CRT (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=24-001-120&depa=0)

Total Newegg Price: $1,115

Again, the motherboard, RAM, and case selections are the ones I’m particularly unsure about. I’m looking mainly for hardware compatibility. I want all of my components to work optimally with the other components in my system.

I greatly appreciate your help! Thanks!

[Skiing Squirrel]

I don't know too much about the cpu/ram/mobo. Everything else looks fine. The mobo/cpu/ram... Are you going to be overclocking it? It affects these choices significantly.

The case thing... Get a cheap case off newegg, read some guides and mod it yourself. Just make sure you put a good psu in there such as forton, sparkle, and antec.

[Calculusaurus]

I feel pretty good about most of the components, except I need more verification on the cpu, ram, and mobo. I've been recieveing a lot of feedback on the athlon64 and how it would be a bad idea to get it, simply because they are too expensive for my system--getting it would be overkill. So I may get an athlon XP. What do you guys think?

As far as the case goes, I'm going to spoil myself. Why? Simple: I build and use computers as a hobby; it's not like I'm working for a company and trying to pick out the cheapest and best valued case. I want something that looks good, and has a really high "cool factor". I like this case the best:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-144&depa=1

I will get an Antec 350W PSU. Sound good?

Anyway, some advice on the cpu, ram, and mobo would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

-edit- oh yeah, I probably won't be overclocking anything, at least not for a long while.

[Calculusaurus]

bump

[Vrykyl]

I wouldnt have said your chosen cpu/mobo combo is "overkill" - to me athlon64 3000 (1mb cache) + 9800pro (oc'd or not) = bad@ss gaming system! and this setup allows you to upgrade your gpu in the future and not have the cpu be a huge bottleneck, as well as supporting future 64bit apps and the new microsoft OS. The athlon xp series is dieing, so if were you and i opted not to buy a64 (tho the a64 is king - id buy one in a heartbeat) id go with a p4. id recomend a pentium4 C 3.06ghz - not the prescott unless you wana be able to cook on your pc!!
Corsair is an excellent memory choice - you should get some nice tight timings with it and take full advantage of the massive bandwidth that the a64's have.
As far as using a stock heatsinks go, IMO no dont!!! for your cpu id recomend getting oem and buying a Thermalright slk948 (designed for a64's) and low noise fan of your choice (something like a panaflo). With this combo at stock speed youll run nice and cool, and leave yourself the option of comfortably OC'ing your cpu to a 3200 or 3400 if you want to - youll get a better performing a64 for less cash!
Hope this helps

TG

[SimGuy]

RAM: 2x512 MB Corsair XMS3200 or XMS3500C2.
With a high-performance CPU like the A64, you need high performance memory. IMHO, the XMS is a better choice over Corsair's Value Select lineup for performance reasons (timings), which are oh-so-important on the Athlon platform.

Motherboard: Asus K8N-E Deluxe.
Asus's flagship motherboard for high-performance A64-based systems. Utilizing the brand new NForce 3 250GB chipset, it features lockable PCI/AGP divisors (unlike older NForce 3 motherboards), 8-channel onboard audio, SATA, RAID, onboard GigaBit ethernet and the legendary Asus reliability that users have come to expect. It really is a great motherboard.

Case:
Something with great ventilation. I'm partial to Antec's SX1080 series, but really any case with proper ventilation and mounting for your hardware will do. Just make sure you use an appropriate high-quality power supply in excess of 400W. I recommend Antec's TruePower 430W.

[russm]

a64 would be a nice choice indeed.

your pentium alternitive would be most likly

p4 2.8e (prescott)
abit ic7
kingston hyper x
ati 9800 pro
id get higher then a 350w ps.. you might be pushing it, get a true 450, antec is good though.

your other basics

good to go

[Calculusaurus]

Thanks guys! I greatly appreciate the feedback. Since I last posted, I have made some progress (through research and selection).

Here's my current tentative system (which i can afford).


Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ $223
Why? I read article after article, review after review, and benchmark analysis after benchmark analysis comparing various AMD chips to various Intel chips. I have several reasons for choosing the 64, but I bet most of you can guess what they are, so I won't enumerate them here. Quick questions: assume I can afford an Athlon 64 3200+, would you recommend I take the leap? Or is the extra performance negligable to the cost? Will I be amping my processor power way past my other components?

CPU Fan: Retail Athlon.
Why? I've heard that the stock fans are "just fine". Naturally, I'm not going going to trust the fate of my cpu to a few newegg reviewers. Convince me to get an OEM and a 3rd party fan if it's necessary, or even merely recommended.

Motherboard: MSI K8T Neo-FIS2R $126
Why? I read several reviews and articles. Everything seems to point to the MSI K8T Neo and the Asus K8N-E Deluxe. MSI was a tad cheaper. Should I go for the nForce chipset over the VIA chipset? --edit: I was actually thinking about the MSI K8T Neo and the Asus K8V SE Deluxe. Would spending $50 or so more on an "upper" model such as the K8n-E Deluxe be worth it? What would the benefits be, etc?--

RAM:Corsair XMS 512 MB x 2 $264 (more formally, CMX512-3200C2 -- getting two of them, not the twinx)
Why? The Corsair site itself recommended this exact stick for non-OCers using 64s.

Video Card:ATI Radeon 9800 PRO$222
Why? It rocks. :D

Hard Drive:Western Digital Special Edition 80GB$69
Why? I have little need for tons of HDD space: 80GB is plenty. Should I spend a tad bit more for SATA? Write speed isn't really that important to me; future-proofing my system is.

CD Drive: Lite-On Black 52X32X52 CD-RW$33
Why? No need for a DVD player or even a second CD Drive.

Case: Antec P160WF$120
Why? Preference, mainly. Antec is a reputable brand, and I happen to adore this case's aesthetics. Don't convince me to get anything else. :D

PSU: Antec True 430$60
Why? Better safe than sorry. True 430 will be more than enough.

Monitor:Samsung 955DF 19” Two-Tone$200
Why? I have in store credit to Best Buy, so I am going to purchase the monitor there (the rest of the stuff will come from newegg). To me, the extra image quality from a $240 Viewsonic monitor is negligable. I like the looks of the 955DF, and it's undoubtedly a sound monitor.

Thanks again guys! I will likely be ordering my stuff from newegg within the next few days. That is, assuming I've made final decisions between the 3000+ and 3200+, the OEM cpu and Retail cpu, and the MSI and Asus motherboards.

[Calculusaurus]

sorry about the bumps >.< it's just that i'm going to order soon, so i need quick feedback =)

[ares350]

I think A64s are before their day.

thus far, only 64bit program in existance is a linux version. and longhorn has a good 2 years before it will be around. same for most any mainstream game. what Im saying is, by the time a 64bit system has a use outside of benchmarks; your 3000+ will be old news, and slow to run the brand new stuff.

for that reason, Id go 2500+mobile, overclock it, and enjoy cheaper costs. take that cash, put it into a watercooling setup if your so inclined, or just pocket it(nice 2 year CD for a future A64 upgrade?)

thats my opinion of course, nothing wrong with A64. just feel like its overkill. like buying a super expensive 10,000hp car engine, but the tires that will be able to utilize all that power wont be available for a while so you just drive around like everyone else with wasted power. why pay the "first person on the block" premium?

[ares350]

also.

if you want to put that money somewhere, you could splurge on some BH6 memory, that will always be a worthy transfer to a future system. or get a x800 or 6800; that would improve performance on current games more than a A64 would.

just other places to spend that green.

also go fortron on your PSU.

[Calculusaurus]

hrmm, thanks for the advice. I see what you're saying, but I don't think the a64's only claim to faim is it's 64 bit architecture. from numerous reviews, benchmarks etc, the a64 is comparable to the p4 equivalents. i've heard and read so many good things about the p4 line and the a64 line that it's going to take a lot to convince me i'm wasting my money going with one instead of the other.

fortran instead of antec? could you explain what you're basing this on?