My "For College" Build, need advice...

Alright, I'm new to the forums, directed here by a friend, so, uh, hi!

Here's my situation...

I'm a pretty heavy computer user. Big time gamer, lots of photoshop/graphics/web work, etc. I put together the machine I'm typing on a few years back, but since then, I kind of faded out of the hardware part of computers.


I'm heading to sunny California for college come September and I'm putting together a new machine for myself. I don't want a laptop because to get the machine I want would cost me through the nose, and I hate laptops anyway.

The plan was to build a nice machine that I would bring home over the summer, etc, and just have all my critical files on an external hard drive that I could take home for extended breaks such as Winter, Spring, etc.


I'm trying to stay under $1000 for the whole package. Box, monitor, keyboards, everything.

For a monitor I would like a 19" flat screen with a decent resolution, but again, with the money situation, I guess Ill see, if you guys have any reccomendations, that'd be great.



Now, to the question of overclocking. Ive never done it before, never had a need for it, because Ive merely bought the gear I need without any desire to overclock anything. Now it seems, if I want to fly under budget and have a top of the line machine, I'm going to have to run the sucker a little hotter than I have in the past, and with that, I need advice, etc.


Here is a preliminary build of the machine I'm putting together. I would like advice, etc, specifically on the mobo/processor/fan setup and any other input. Again, I've been away too long to even hint at knowledge about these topics anymore, so I turn to you for help and advice.

Thanks a ton ahead of time!

-Mark


Processor
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=A64-3000BP

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440

Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152

Vid Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125156

Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822135106

External Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144373

DVD/CD-RW
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106988

Fan
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/FeedBack/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16835106061

A few quick things I forgot to mention.

Noise is definately a consideration (dorm room and all) so if a fan isn't enough, Im interested in other cheap, yet effective methods of cooling. I don't have a ton of money, but I need silence above money. Thanks.

First thing is don't get corsair value with that dfi mobo, try some mushkin or ocz value instead. I'd also switch the heatsink to maybe a thermalright 92mm or something. Now your total comes to roughly 744. I imagine you need a case, a psu, and an OS unless you want to run linux in addition to the monitor psu and keyboard. For keyboard and mouse we can't help you this is a personal preference but i'd suggest looking at something from logitech. OS sometimes you can find a cheap OEM version of windows so shop around if you can but lets budget $100 for that. For PSU look at getting a fortron 500w at ewiz, since you're already buying something there this shouldn't be a problem, add $70. Now you're at a little over $900. I think the external may be over your budget and since you have only an 80gb harddrive it may be easy enough to burn everything to DVDs. Monitor, you'll probably have to go CRT, there almost no way to have a good system and a LCD monitor for under $1000. And that's most of it... i'm sure you'll get a few more opinions anyway.

BTW which college you goin to?

Edit: for the silence there's the trick where you stick the rubber washers between the screws that hold the hd and cd drive. This greatly lowers vibration in the case. Also, be sure to 7v mod your fans to quiet them or spend $20 and get a fan controller. There's a sticky somewhere on this forum if you don't know what the 7v mod is.

Need the external. Looking around for a good PSU, but need to settle on everything else before I snag that.


I already have a copy of XP at home waiting, so that's accounted for.


Heading to Stanford btw

If you are going to overclock may I reccomend this as your cpu cooler: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article194-page1.html

Edit: Congrats on stanford and to the forums...

So...you can afford 38,000 for tuition but only 1,000 for a computer?

You can overclock without getting top of the line overclocking components. That's the first way I can think of to save some cash. Looks like you've already made some good compromises along that line, though.

What are you using for a case?

No case yet, reccomandations welcome, dont need anything fancy.


And the reason I want to keep it under 1000 is BECAUSE Im paying 45,000 for college

Here is a list of small computer cases I have compiled that would be appropriate for a dorm


http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion...ID=1582457&WishListTitle=Small+computer+cases

its called financial aid

Value RAM is fine, but Corsair VS has some issiues with the DFI board. So get some other Value RAM. Get a NEC burner. I would also just suggest an XP-90.

Youll excuse my noobness, but what is an XP-90.


Also, is the processor/mobo/cooling combo fine?

Should I get a more powerful processor? How hard is it to overclock this one and what do I need to know about it?

Youll excuse my noobness, but what is an XP-90.

Click to expand...

I'll quote myself

Trombe said:

If you are going to overclock may I reccomend this as your cpu cooler: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article194-page1.html

Edit: Congrats on stanford and to the forums...

Click to expand...

Noobai said:

Youll excuse my noobness, but what is an XP-90.


Also, is the processor/mobo/cooling combo fine?

Should I get a more powerful processor? How hard is it to overclock this one and what do I need to know about it?

Click to expand...

the xp-90 is a heatsink. i would get he xp-90 instead of the heatsink you have selected now.

your processor is fine some of the 3000+ hit 2.7hgz+. if you want to learn more about overclocking a64's look here http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=364223

Alright. In question of the heat sink, how big of a case do I need, read in some of the reviews that people had problems fitting them into a regular ATX case?

My case won't be big, not in a dorm room, heh.

generally, unless you are doing modding (Which I doubt) pretty much any case would be fine, you can look at the Antec Sonata case (which I believe is around $75) but I would replace the psu (as it is outdated and isn't ATX2.0 compliable - only a 20pin connector for the motherboard and no PCI-E).

oh and congrats on stanford, only reason I didn't go there was because of the $45,000 a year, and now I am at OSU paying $15,000 but wouldn't have traded it any other way, i love my Buckeyes

Thanks, and now that you mention it, what do I need in a PSU to support the PCI-E card, etc? Like I said, I dont know anything anymore

Ok, there are two computer cases...the Antec Sonata and the Sonata 2. Both are small, designed to be quiet, and come with power supplies. The sonata two comes with a 450 watt smartpower that IS ATXv2.0+ compliant and the Sonata comes with a 380 watt true power which has also been updated to be ATXv2.0+ compliant.

The Sonata 2 is a little more expensive because it comes with this crappy duct system which you will most likely throw away.
Antec has many small case offerings that come with decent power supplies, I suggest you look at some (a few are in the link I posted).

Alright, if I overclock, Im trying to figuere out cooling.


http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/FeedBack/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16835106061

That comes with a heatsink correct?


If I were to buy this then I would need to buy a fan as well, right?

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/thxpforinp4.html



Also, if overclocking, how much cooling, etc, do I need, what would be a good cooling setup to overclock (never done it before)

Thanks

I personally would get an XP-90 w/ 92mm Panaflo. I have heard good things about the TT Big Typhoon, but it is just too large for my tastes. Espefcially when the XP-90 is a very good one.

The OCZ Powerstream 520W is a really reliable PSU. It also has SLI compatibile connections.

Yes, if you get the XP-120, I think you would need to buy a 120mm fan with it. The XP-120 might be too big if your getting a small case.