Beast Box

[BigMannOffCampus]

I'm an experienced computer user, but an inexperienced computer builder. I've never done it before.

I'm looking to build my first box, and my budget is high. About $2k or so. I can go over that if I feel it's necessary. I've already ordered my ATI x800 xt(shipping August 31st... damn backorders...), but beyond that, most everything is up in the air.

I want something fast. I plan to play plenty of 3d games, such as Doom 3 and Half Life 2, and I want to have something to make mine and other people's eyes bug out. Beyond that, I use my comp for the same things as most everyone else. Lots of internet, particularly heavy music DL and storage, gadgets, etc. I used to buy a new comp every 2 years or so, but now I want to get to know the innards of my box so I can upgrade at will and be more knowledgeable about hardware. I was a CS major, so my lack of applicable hardware knowledge is appalling.

I'm going to get a p4 chipset. I was leaning towards a 3.6 ghz, but they're hard to find and supposedly difficult to manage as far as heat. I suppose I might have to settle for a 3.2. I've been hearing about dual processor stuff, but this seems overkill. Feel free to convince me otherwise if you have the time.

The motherboard is the main reason I'm looking for help. I know next to nothing about all the technical jargon I see around here. I want something with plenty of expandability, in PCI slots and hard drives, I want to run the new 533 mhz RAM, and I want good features. I do not want the most expensive, just something solid. No more than 250 bucks here, not the ridiculous $400-$500 models. Unless, of course, it's really something cool

The other thing I need that I'm not familiar with purchasing is the case. What features should I be looking for, and what's a good site to browse them on? How much power supply do I need, given the requirements of the x800 xt?

Hard drives and other peripherals are easy enough to deal with. It's the three aforementioned components that I have no direct prior experience with: Mobo, chipset, and case.

Any help is greatly appreciated! Please help me build the best box I can, this is going to be my first baby.

 

[xeenrecoil]

heya BigMan;

The hardest part about building a new computer right now is the next gen stuff is getting ready to come out in 2005, from both intel and AMD.
Having said that if it were me i would either build a A64-3500+ 939-pin, or a dual Xeon machine - BX80546KG3000EA, the P4 desktop processors are pretty much getting stomped right now by the A64, which really irritatates me, but thats besides the point.
The A64 on-die memory controller is just sick and wrong, and paired with some Crucial Ballistix memory modules they are an unstoppable pair, and a horrifying force to be reckoned with.

That being said, dual Xeons would also be pretty insane on the new i7000 series chipsets from intel, were talking 800FSb with 1MB cache apiece, a real go getter in performance, for the down to earth price of $350 apiece or less. combined with Dual PCIe slots and all the toys you can expect from a workstation board this thing is well... nasty...this route is a little more expensive then the a64 route but each to his own.

Some may argue that a dual CPU computer is pointless, i disagree, there are tons of games that are multithreaded, and there will be even more next year in Q2-2005, as both intel and AMD are slated to release their dual core CPU's, you can bet software companies are gearing up with multithreaded applications.

With that in mind the decision to make the leap to Dual CPU should come much easier. There is however some very good reasons to go with AMD as previously stated. Take some time do the research, shake some hands, kiss some babies...erm sorry political flashback there -=P

 

[El_Jefe_77]

well... like hm. 2k on a machine. first off, dont get more than 1 gig of memory. And true, get that memory to be crucial ballistics. get something next generation, a xeon witht 800 fsb would be that definitely, and so would a socket 939 AMD single chip. Dual opteron could work as well, you have to hunt and peck though to find out whats affordable in that market.

Graphics cards are your best bet to get real super speed out of the machine. x800 256 megger is the thing i would get, or the nvidia6800 with 256 megs. The megs are being used a lot now, 256 will be the standard soon I am forseeing (well, standard for high graphic settings on big games)

I would go something neat like raid array of some sweet hardrive drives if you arent going for a silent system. 2 is sufficient, get at least 320 gigs of space.

I would not go p4 3.6EE.... its hot, its old technology, it isnt worth it and AMD can kick its butt for the same price if you you want to go fx-53. really, fx-53 is the fastest system out there currently for gaming. also, the board that runs it well, from MSI with 1000mhz fsb (yes, 10000 mhz!) is only like 140 dollars! ram is kidna cheap too, check crucial for 2x512 pc4000 chips in their ballistix line.

2k is a lot to play with nowadays. if you go something less expensive but next generation like a 939 3500+ chip and msi board with 1 gig ram, you could get some snazy 19-20 inch monitor to go with it all for under budget or at budget.

 

[martinvast]

Sounds like a fun project. I've always been a big fan of AMD, and now that they dominate the game, so much the better. Certainly top of the line CPU is important, but video card is the key to a smooth run in the intense graphics arena. According to Tom's, the x800 rocks.

You also mentioned non-gaming use, and so far no one has mentioned that. For your case, look for one that has easy to access ports in the front. If your box is tucked away like mine is, it's important to have head phone jacks in front as well as data in lines. Look for a case that has multiple USB and Firewire. The case is also what will make your friends' eyes pop out, so consider your choices. I've always been a fan of Lian Li for beauty and substance (for example http://www.xoxide.com/newlianli601.html ), but there are lots of good choices. These days you can buy them modded out of the box if you don't have the desire or time to do it yourself.
Obviously you'll want a motherboard that supports these functions as well (USB 2.0 and Firewire). Personally I'd look into a serial ATA array for your HDD solution.

As others have said, $2k should be plenty. Good luck and have fun.



There are 10 types of people. Those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[blackphoenix77]

I wouldn't worry too much about next generation, when they come out they will be rediculously priced and won't be that much performance gain. I'd go 939, nforce3, 1gb ballistix, nice case, new hard drive, 6800gt 256mb, big 19" monitor.

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[DeKamme]

Well, as msot have said, I'd do the same - 939, a good paired up set of RAM (don't get ballistic here, Europe), and one of the M/B suggested here.

the case isn't that easy to pick these days - depends somewhat on what you want.

A component left out after all the S-ATA fuss is the harddisk. Get 4 80GB SATA harddisks and a RAID controller, for about 250$ total. That's 240GB at really high speed... And if you want more speed, capacity and reliability, just add a drive! I think this is a good cost-effective solution for mass storage...

So, if you're going to go this way, you should really go for a case with lots of internal drive bays.

Look for the A-brands, and see what you need... Space is always nice, so you can upgrade to whatever you want. Also, you'll need space for fans too, especially blowing to HDD and sucking from CPU, and maybe some setup that can suck from your VGA too.
But, after all this sucking, we need blowing too (now don't let your thoughts dwell off!) - get some dust filters on the fans blowing to the inside, and let a little more air blow to the inside than outwards. This way you get more pressure inside your case, and it will blow (hot) air (and dust) our of every small hole. Less dust = less resistance for fans = less noise, watt, heating, ...

You also must give some attention to PSU (this is often neglected), get a 400W ar so, preferrably silent one. You won't have to upgrade this, good buy, and not so expensive.

I like cases from Chieftec, coolermaster, some from Antec... Some good reviews here on THG!

 

[RichPLS]

BMOC,
I would suggest sticking with the 875 chipset for your rig, since your statement of sticking with intel, which I must say, is a good choice. The 915's and 925's are just coming out and limited supplies including add-on cards, while the 875 is just as fast and mature. The heat is not a problem, unless your o/c'ng. Recent price drop puts the 3.4 ghz at around $275, or a 3.2 for $220.
For the board check out the 875 chipsets, Like Gigabyte GA8KNXP, or Asus, or DFI Lanparty boards.
With P4, expecially if you have a plexiglass clear side panel on your case, I suggest the Corsair 3200XLPro memory. Timings of 2225 and has cool 16 LED lights per stick of memory that flash when accessed. Also, Gigabyte makes a cool cooler which is easy to install, and fits most boards, The 3D Cooler Pro which has blue LED lights illuminating the fan, about $40.
Your video choice is excellent.
Rich

 

[Crashman]

You'd be best off to set your dollar limit then be happy when you never reach it! You have a lot of money and AMD is putting out the best performance numbers, so I'd go with the fastest A64 non-FX you can find available and an nForce3 250GB chipset board. But you can settle for Intel if you really want to.

Beyond that I'd get a GeForce 6800 (the fastest version you can find available), 2 512MB Crucial Ballistix PC4000 (if you ever plan on even playing with overclocking) or Ballistix PC3200. A Fortron Source or Sparkle Power FSP530 power supply, an NEC ND2510A CD-Burner, and since it looks like you WANT to spend money, a couple Western Digital 74GB Raptors (personally I'd go with a couple 200GB Western Digital SATA drives, but they are a bit slower).

Basically when you spend $100 on a case you get a good one. Take your pick based on what you like. If you didn't have such a big budget I'd suggest a couple good $60 cases, but it sounds like you wouldn't be interested.

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