1st build any advice greatly appreciated

[jamesgig]

I am currently running a 4 1/2 year old Dell (P4 2.0 ghz, 512mb, 64mb graphics card not OC'ed) and would like to update. I have read several other threads and have learned a lot. This system will mainly be used for gaming/school projects. Hesitant about OC'ing but will do it for significant performance boost. With a budget of about $3000, I am considering the following components and would like to order in the next few days.

CPU: AMD X2 4400 AM2
$485

MB: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX $144

RAM: Corsair CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
$270

Graphics Card: MSI NX7900GTX-T2D512E Geforce 7900GTX 512MB
$430

DVD-ROM: ASUS Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM ATAPI/E-IDE
$22

DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATA/ATAPI DVD Burner With LightScribe
$41

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
$115

Power supply: FSP Group FX700-GLN ATX12V/EPS12V
$166

Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
$80

Card reader: Atech Flash Xm-4U 11-in-1 USB 2.0
$25

Case: Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS
$125

CPU cooler: Thermaltake Mini Typhoon CL-P0268
$50

GPU cooler: Zalman VF900-CU LED 80mm
$49

Thermal paste: AS5
$6

Monitor:LG L203WTX 20.1" 1:1400 300nits
$455

Keyboard: Microsoft Natural 4000 B2M-00012
$50

Mouse: Logitech G5 Laser 931376-0403
$49

Speakers:Klipsch Audio ProMedia GMX A 2.1 Speaker System
$130

OS: Windows XP Pro
$138

Shipping: about $95

Total: $2928 give/take

I would like to keep the price on the lower side so my parents will contribute more to my $3000 ski equipment. Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[ponkan pinoy]

Ohmigod what I'd do for 3k to spend on a rig. If you want to reduce price, there's supposed to be a price cut sometime this month, it might be worth it waiting, though I don't know how much it's gonna go down for the 4400+. You could also recycle old peripherals, ie keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers.... I think the onboard sound of the asus mobo should be pretty good. I'm guessing these prices are from newegg? The WinXP OEM or retail? OEM's cheaper, but more difficult if you want to reformat every few months like I used to.

 

[sno.lcn]

I would switch the burner out for this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827249006
I have one, and it's awesome.

And I'd get an evga instead of msi video card. If you're wanting to drop some cheese, get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130023

Also, get a better psu, even though I have an antec myself(neo he).

Instead of the zalman paste get some as5 and instead of the zalman cooler get a thermalright or scythe. I'm very fond of my ultra-120.

And like ponkan pinoy mentioined, I think it would be a good idea to hold off just a little while for prices to drop.

 

[boomheadshot45]

you can get g skill 2 gb ram for 150 $ so that takes off 120 $. Also, get an evga, xfx, or bfg 7900 gtx

 

[pookyman]

you can get g skill 2 gb ram for 150 $ so that takes off 120 $. Also, get an evga, xfx, or bfg 7900 gtx

He can't use the G. Skills because he's going DDR2.

 

[twoeyes]

I'm certainly not the first person who's going to say wait a few more months for conroe it looks like a very nice chip, though if you're set on getting a PC at this very moment then thats the way to go i believe. The only thing i'd suggest is that if you're not to set on the natural KB then go for a logitech G15, perfect compliment for your mouse and is very nice. Also look into some more options for your monitor, the gateways come to mind, as well as the dells. Hell for a $150 more you can get a 24" dell if you shop around.

 

[ponkan pinoy]

Well, on the subject of keyboards, it would be difficult to convince me that there's a better 104-key keyboard than the Das Keyboard -- completely black, with blank keys

 

[twoeyes]

< hopes he's joking

 

[jamesgig]

Thanks for your suggestions so far. A few questions:

To sno.lnc, what do you mean by better psu, more watts or different brand or both?

With the 4 fans, and upgraded cpu cooling, will the temperatures be in the correct range? About how much would water cooling cost for this system?

 

[ponkan pinoy]

No, not joking. See? It's all my mom's fault, actually, she made us take typing lessons until we could touch-type. So having blank keys isn't a problem, in fact it's kinda cool

 

[jamesgig]

Would the fsp 700watt be a better choice?

I added some cooling.

Should this be enough to OC?

 

[shadin]

Might want to look at Lite-On DVD drives. They're Cheap n' L33t (tm). Used them exclusively for years and haven't had a single issue, nor a single disc that couldn't be read. No coasters, either.

And this is a minor part, but good choice on the card reader. I have that one, and it has been fantastic.