PC shopping

Okay. Now that Ive decided to build my own, I wish I could change the name of the thread to "Rooster Needs Help". Anyway I've decided on an ABS Aplus ABS-CS-Monolith Black SECC Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case.
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 PSU. I could use some suggestions for a reasonably priced Motherboard for OFF on high settings. Preferably an Intel. You were right Danny. Im doing most of my shopping on Newegg. Also if you have any feedback on the tower it would be appreciated. Reviews on Newegg say that I may need to install extra cooling fans?

Here's the link for the tower: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811215009

-Rooster
 
One small hint Rooster. Be sure to read the reviews as there is usually a lot of info there, some good, some bad.
I personally use the Apevia Black XCruiser mid tower. One feature I like about it is the dedicated ductwork to bring in cool air directly to the CPU cooler. The case cools rather well. My E8500 runs around 38C at idle and my 8800GTX runs around 65C. It came with a 120mm in the back and an 80mm in the top. I added 2 more 80mm in the front blowing over the hard drive(s). A good case IMO but the choice is ultimately yours.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144157
The PSU that comes with the case would not really be suitable for a gaming rig (420w). The one I bought didn't come with a PSU so it was only $49 after rebate.

CJ


 
Thanks CJ. Yep Im reading up all the reviews I can get. I want to build this right the first time. I dont think mounting a couple extra fans in the case I've chosen will be too big of a hassle. Maybe another 2 80mms. I did that calculator for PSU power and it reccomended 476w so I think the Corsair 650w PSU oughtta do it.

-Rooster
 
Something I forgot to ask. What kind of budget are you looking at? It may help to know that to make recommendations easier. Are you considering a Quad core or Dual Core, or the new i7? ATI or Nvidia? Polovski recommends the 200 series (GTX 260-280)from Nvidia. Since my budget wouldn't allow for that, I went with the card he previously recommended, the 8800GTX and have no regrets whatsoever. I can run Phase 2 on 5,4,4,5,1 and maintain between 40-60 fps at those settings. The next upgrade for me will be 2 more gigs of memory and a 780i based mobo, as soon as I can afford it. Just to show what can be done for around $700 US, these are my specs.........

APEVIA X-CRUISER-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower

-ABIT IN9 32X-MAX - motherboard - ATX - nForce 680i SLI - LGA775 Socket-

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache-

OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)-

EVGANvidiaGeForce8800GTX768MbGDDR3-

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s-SAMSUNG Black2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe-

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card

Antec EA650 650W ATX12VSLI CertifiedPower Supply

It's not cutting edge, but it ain't far off.

CJ



 
Im trying to keep the budget at around $1000. Hopefully my tax rebate and change bucket will be able to handle that blow. I think it might be slightly higher though. So far this is what I've come up with for a rough idea for my specs.

Case
ABS Aplus ABS-CS-Monolith Black SECC Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Power Supply Unit
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
CD/DVD Drive
LITE-ON Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe
Sound System
Cyber Acoustics CA3090WB 7 Watts total RMS 2.1
Monitor
SAMSUNG 920WM Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 700:1 Built in Speakers

I need to decide on Motherboard and Graphics Card. I want to go with Nvidia. The 200 series sounds great but theyre definately pricey. I was thinking of going with this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130429 I also have to learn about memory, and figure out what to do with that. Let me know what you think about what I've picked out so far.

-Rooster
 
Newegg is definitely a great place to buy. They are usually even cheaper than Tigerdirect and some other online stores. Their shipping etc for a lot of things is even free.

But, to the point, your build looks great so far and the gfx card you have selected looks awesome! (I can only imagine how much better that would be than the 256 card I am 'struggling' with) I would look around a little more for those though, I think you might find a good one for even less money. For memory, I would go for 4GB for sure.

I am thinking of upgrading maybe next year. Luckily I would only have to buy a motherboard, cpu, memory and a gfx card.

Anyway, hope your build will work out for you!! :)
 
Looks good, but if I were you, I'd spend the extra $20 for the E8500.
As far as graphics cards go, here's a little something to help you decide,
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2064-7.html
I went with the 8800GTX myself. It has 256Mb less memory but I got a factory recertified one for $129. You can still find them for less than $200 on Ebay. I have seen them for around $125 periodically. Like I said before, the decision is ultimately yours.

There are so many mobos out there, it's really hard to find the right one. I think that the majority of my research was in finding the right mobo. I like the Nvidia chipsets and graphics cards personally. One reason is that you can use one "tweaking program" for the mobo and the graphics card. Also, since they are from the same manufacturer, there are usually no compatibility problems. I picked up my 680i for $98.50 from a company called "Ascendtek" through Ebay. It has 3 PCIe slots. Two of them run at 16x and one runs at 8x. A lot of the SLI boards out there, when in SLI config run both slots at 8x, which, in my mind defeats the purpose of having SLI. My Abit IN9 is a little behind the times but I like the full 16x on both PCIe slots and the fact that it will support up to 32Gb of memory, for when I eventually upgrade the OS.

CJ
 
Thanks for all your help in this CJ, cant say enough how much I appreciate it. I did change to the E8500 too, $20 for something that much better is worth it. Hmmm. I had a feeling finding the right MoBo would be a pain. Seems with every motherboard half the people who bought it, love it and the the other half absolutely hate it. Im thinking about going with this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188026

-Rooster
 
I looked at that board myself. Nice board. I'd have to get new memory though. Since I just upgraded not long ago, I think I'll wait and let the 780i get a little less expensive. (and keep the Missus happy) But yeah, for what you're planning to spend, that ought to do nicely. If you would like a second opinion, get in touch with Parky. He says he's not a guru, but he's about the closest thing we have to one around here.

CJ
 
Just one thing to remember, IMHO stick to a mid tower case, the full tower is huge, most full towers are between 24 & 26 inches high.
Most computer desks are between 24 & 26 high, just asking for trouble.

Mid tower is 20
 
Thanks gimpy. I'd hate to overlook anything but I measured it all out. The tower Im going with is 22.5" high. It'll definately fit under my desk. And I probably will shoot a line to Parky, if he doesnt check in here first and offer some great advice.

-Rooster
 
LOL. Yeah. I was just reading the thread on OvS' rig and looked it up. Thats a really good looking case. Sounds like it has really good cooling properties too. I'm just concerned if it will fit everything I want, including an EVGA 01G-P3-N880-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP. Thats why I opted for the full tower. I'll see if OvS or Parky knows if that card would fit.

-Rooster
 
The Antec 900 is a huge case Rooster. You should have no problems. Mine looks empty. Just wait til I get quad sli, dual pwr supplies (and backup), tri-mobo and intel octo-core installed ! And it lights up like a disco .... or should that be a rave or a trance ? I've got the 9800gtx+ but only 512mb version (I'm jealous).
 
Awesome. Thanks Catch. I guess I'll switch to the 900. It'll be smaller and its $10 cheaper. Dont be jealous as I dont have it yet. lol. Ok so heres the specs as of now.

Case

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Power Supply Unit
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Graphics Card

EVGA 01G-P3-N880-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
CD/DVD Drive
LITE-ON Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe
Sound System
Cyber Acoustics CA3090WB 7 Watts total RMS 2.1
Monitor
SAMSUNG 920WM Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 700:1 Built in Speakers
Motherboard

EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
Memory

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

I'd be interested as to what you guys have to say about the way it is now, I think these will be the final specs. Also any parts I may be overlooking such as extra wires or anything else I wouldnt know about.

-Rooster
 
That's remarkably similar to my specs Rooster. It'll rock. I'm glad you're getting a sound card. People sometimes overlook that these days.
 
I'm currently running an ATI 3850 with 512 MB. Looking at moving to either 4850 with 1 GB or the Nvidia 260 GTX. Thoughts?
 
Hey Rooster... Looking good. I almost went with the 900 case as well, but settled on the Thermaltake Armor. The Armor is MASSIVE and comes with a great cooling setup and there are aluminum as well as steel versions. It's more expensive though.

If you can spare the change, a second hard drive would come in handy. I used my old 120 gig Western Digital as my main drive (it has the operating system and primary apps like my office suite and antivirus etc) and got a new 500 gig for my games and such. This way, I can keep my paging file on a different physical drive from my games... speeds up read times a little.

I also like the convenience of a second optical drive. I have a plain old DVD drive and a DVD burner. This way I don't have to swap out disks when I am making copies.

All in all you look like you have a great rig in the works there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top