Another "check out my PC plz" thread

[Dynamo]

Hi all,

You must get sick of these, but I am going to build a new PC, and would like you experts to pass over you critical eyes at my choices to see if it makes sence and is not going to be a lemon.

The PC will be for... well everything. I am a programmer that does mathematical modelling. And of course playing games. But the PC will be used for pretty much everything (a little video editing and the likes).

So far I am considering the following:

Mother board = Gigabyte GA K8N Ultra 9 S939 nForce4 Ultra PCI-E ATX

CPU = AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Socket 939 512KB
RAM = Kingston ValueRAM 2x512MB 184Pin DIMM 400MHz DDRRAM NP 2-3-2
HDD = Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 NCQ 120GB SATA150 7200rpm 8MB
Gigabyte GeForce 6800GT 256MB PCI-E DVI-I
Sony DVD+/-RW Dual Layer OEM Silver
CoolerMaster Cavalier 3 Case Silver

And of course a trusty FDD to top it off.

This set up is just above my budget (as most things normally happen). But can you guys notice anything wrong/ problematic.

Also what magnitude PSU would you reccomend, will a 480W do (as I said a little over budget even without a PSU).

Many thanks for your help.

 

[ofer987]

I recommend you get the Seagate 7200.8 instead of 7200.7. I think you have a typo there and you already mean the 7200.8 cuz the 7200.8 is the only one to come with NCQ.

Dude... you are getting an uber fast CPU but valueRam only! come on, i recommend you get something like a 3500+ but get rly good RAM instead like OCZ or any other respectible memory module. That would be a better mix and you could overclock better. besides the difference between 3500 and 3800 isnt that great for the huge price difference.

Oh and 480 Watts is more than enough, even 400 is enough, but get 480 cuz its better to be on the safe side. Oh and get a quiet powersupply from a respectible brand not a cheap no-name one. No-name powersupplies can make a lot of noise and be less dependable.

 

[Dynamo]

No, I will be installing the 6800GT 256MB PCI-E as listed above

I will look for more RAM, but the only "reputable" companies I could find at www.dabs.co.uk were CL2.5 or even 3. So I thought get the higher spec RAM as opposed to just buying the brand name.

Regarding the seagate, I just copied and pasted what was in my "wish list" from the online shop. Shall check for what you said (but what is the difference?)

Thanks.

Thanks.

 

[P4Man]

If I'm not mistaken, the coolermaster comes with a 350W PSU, and its likely good enough for your setup. BTW, are you sure you want a case that hides the optical drives behind a door ? Never saw the point of that..

And if you are over budget, just cut back on the cpu. You won't really notice the difference with a 3500+, except in your wallet..

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my wife. =

 

[ofer987]

The Seagate 7200.7 is a SATA/150 hdd , but the 7200.8 is a SATA/150 with the NCQ feature on. NCQ is diserable because it helps reduce access time on the drive by logically prioritizing the sectors it needs to access the access in the queue.

Anyways about the RAM, the one you picked sounds pretty good, especially if its a good price. I just believed that if you had the funds to get a 3800+, which is costly, then you might consider getting a 3500+ or lower cpu and getting faster RAM. Because, hey, overclocking is fun.. .

But thats just me, lol.

Edit: After wusy's comment, I now realize that the 7200.7 model can also come with NCQ. so get whichever model you can get your hands on, as long as it has NCQ.
But I'm enjoying my 7200.8 200gig drive, its rly good! very recommendable.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by ofer987 on 06/18/05 11:42 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[darko21]

<<BTW, are you sure you want a case that hides the optical drives behind a door ? Never saw the point of that..>>

I have that setup and it is stupid, not only that but in my case to door swings the wrong way. If it swung to the right at least I could leave it open and forget it. Doors on a case might look cool on paper but are a pain in reality.


If I glanced at a spilt box of tooth picks on the floor, could I tell you how many are in the pile. Not a chance, But then again I don't have to buy my underware at Kmart.

 

[darko21]

I guess if mine opened the right way I could live with it. But the way my office is the computer must go to my right and the door swings to the left. A better way to do it would be to make the door reversable like many refridgerators do. Belive me I checked and this case only swings open to the left. I never gave it much thought when buying but if I knew then what I know now I'd have gladly gone for no door at all. and even if the door opened the right way by no means would I pay more for it. It just looks cool when it closed but in reality you never close it cause you gotta get out of you chair and open it all the time.

just my 2 cents

If I glanced at a spilt box of tooth picks on the floor, could I tell you how many are in the pile. Not a chance, But then again I don't have to buy my underware at Kmart.

 

[darko21]

Maybe they all swing to the left i dunno, but what is odd is a lot of these cases have windows on the left. are not all windows on the left like yours and mine? If the window is on the left door should or must swing to the right yet they don't... So you look at the brochure get the window add the neon lights view it online with the door closed and walah dont work to good. These doors should swing to the right by default and be reversable for those that dont have a window and want to place the computer to the right on there desk.

I dunno I just felt a little cheated after I figured out how usefull a door on a computer really was. Not that it's a big deal, I have only ever thought about it to myself, now that the topic has been brought up I'm bitching cause I think it only looks good in a brochure or a picture and sucks more or less in reality.

If I glanced at a spilt box of tooth picks on the floor, could I tell you how many are in the pile. Not a chance, But then again I don't have to buy my underware at Kmart. <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by darko21 on 06/18/05 11:30 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Dynamo]

Well, your concern is something that I had thought about. I can see that having a door in front of my drives would drive me crazy.

However, I want a case that looks ok. I find these fancy flashy techno cases with windows and flashing lights a little tasteless - but I wanted something more than a beige box.

The online store that I alwasy use (perhaps a sucker - but I class it as loyalty and a case of "better the devil you know), wither had these garish nasty cases, or the cheap boxes. The case I choose was a happy medium. I did my research and it shows you can take the door off and make it open the other way (left or right hinge). So I thought, well, why go to that trouble, and just take it off and leave it off (the door is only the top half of the case).

That memory I posted although from the budget brand - its not exactly budget price (£100 - about $160?).

Any higher spec RAM - or from other known sources costs a lot more (good old rip off Britain).


So what is teh thought of using a 350W power supply as given by coolermaster in this case? Is that going to be a strong enough /reliable supply?

Sorry for all the Q's.