My first build

[CaptainObviousX]

hey all i am a newb and my frined told me to join this forums so i did.

In a few weeks i am going to be building this computer and i just wanted some opinions on it.

Antec super lan boy case
Forton 400w psu
EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice
Radeon X800
CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB)
Seagate Barracuda 250GB (SATA)

oh and budget is a big deal for me

[Know Nuttin]

which model fortron specifically?

nice computer.

[CaptainObviousX]

the saga AX400-PN, also i ment to put this in genral hardware

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I'd go with the AX450-PN instead, but the rest looks good to me. The AX400-PN is actually a 350w being made to look like a 400w, whereas the AX450-PN really is a 400w unit (confusing, I know).

Welcome aboard Captain :)

[CaptainObviousX]

Well now i want the blue storm 400w because that would look so hot in my antec super lan boy case

[Oklahoma Wolf]

The AX450-PN is actually an updated version of the Blue Storm 400w. Only big difference is the addition of a PCI-E connector, and perhaps some minor tweaking to the protection on the 12v rails to allow the chance one or the other can hit 18A while still having a 29A combined max limit. May not be too long before the Blue Storm line is discontinued.

[bert202]

The AX450-PN is actually an updated version of the Blue Storm 400w. Only big difference is the addition of a PCI-E connector, and perhaps some minor tweaking to the protection on the 12v rails to allow the chance one or the other can hit 18A while still having a 29A combined max limit. May not be too long before the Blue Storm line is discontinued.

Thats confusing the 400 is a 350 masked as a 400. The blue 400 is a 400. the 400 masked as a 450 is a slight upgrade of the real 400. whew :-/ they should hook up with AMD for a while, they'd be good friends.

[darksparkz]

Great choices.

I'd go for nVIDIA video card though, but that's just me being biased.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Thats confusing the 400 is a 350 masked as a 400.

Yep, not to mention irritating. Hope they stop the trend of trying to cash in on their reputation for underrating soon.

For reference:

AX500-A = 460w
AX450-PN (aka ATX400-PN) = 400w
AX400-PN (aka ATX350-PN) = 350w

To make things worse, Fortron is releasing a flood of new PSU's. Visited their newly redesigned site yesterday, and had a headache within about five minutes. To their EPS server offerings alone they added 4 quad 12v models ranging from 550w to 700w. All four are rated at 4x15A, probably with varying combined maximum limits.

[CaptainObviousX]

Great choices.

I'd go for nVIDIA video card though, but that's just me being biased.
Yeah i was planning on it, but zip zoom fly has a x800 for $120 and i dont wasnt to pass that deal up.

[fiji]

looks like a good setup

you might want to get more ram (1.5/2 ?-- granted you can always upgrade that later ) if you plan on playing games like Bf2, or in anticipation of newer games


i am guessing you are going with 2x512 MB -- for dual channel?
my advice; don't

when i built my rig i put in 2x256MB of ram (leaving me with 1 slot) well long story short when i wanted to upgrade to a gig, i ended up having to junk the 2x256 and get 2x512 instead


if i were you i could get 1x1GB , then in the future ifyou need more ram, you can easily go dual-channel 2x1GB

[CaptainObviousX]

just a bump and if anyone has the power move this to genral

[Know Nuttin]

go for the AX450-PN as Oklahoma Wolf suggested. It's the same as my Bluestorm 400w, for the most part.

[CaptainObviousX]

do you guys think i should pay an extra 20 for an nvidia card