Suggestions--Compatibility Newb here.

[mistrsweet]

I have this system in my shopping cart ready for purchase. I just wanted to get some feedback to my new system. Any comments, suggestions, improvements, pitfalls etc..

Budget 900-1100

Antec Skeleton Black ATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129056

KINGWIN ABT-800MA1S MACH 1 800W Nvidia SLI Certified Modular Power Supply Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006092

LITEON iHOS104-06 4X SATA Blu-Ray Reader Black Drive Bulk
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010673

ASUS M4N72-E nVidia nForce 750a SLI Phenom X4/Phenom X3/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon X2/Athlon 64 FX/Athlon 64/Sempron Socket AM2/AM2+/AM3 5200 MT/s PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) ATX Motherboard Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010115

ASUS ENGTS250 DK/HTDI/1GD3 Geforce GTS 250 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010248

*NOTE* I will be adding another video card like the one above at a later date for SLI config.

AMD HDX945FBGIBOX Phenom II X4 Phenom II X4 3.00 GHz AM3 Desktop Processor Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010422

OCZ OCZ2RPR10664GK 4GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) DDR2 Memory Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008035

CORSAIR CMFSSD-64N1 64GB SATA II Solid State Drive (SSD) Hard Drive Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010458

I am not sure about the solid state drive. I like the idea of it, but am yet undecided. My case doesn't have a bay for this SSD to fit in, so do I need to procure some sort of enclosure for it? If a SSD is a poor choice for my build please suggest a replacement.

Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Outlander_04]

Newegg seems to have a better range and often better prices than zipzoomfly

 

[mistrsweet]

I am not really worried about the website the parts come from. I will find the best deal once I get the system finalized. As it stands I find that newegg and zipzoomfly have competitive pricing where zipzoomfly normally offers free shipping AND is duty free in my state.

I am more interested in the interworking of the components I have chosen. I am wondering about the efficiency of the parts that I have selected to work together.

 

[Twoboxer]

Case: You're kidding, right? Consult other reviews about vid card installation, too

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/637/7

PSU: You might find this interesting

http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQwMCw5LCxoZW50aGlzdWFzdA==

If you decide on a different Antec case, this will Antec psu might work (review):

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=142

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024

If not:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Vid Card: If you want FC2 for $5 net:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125266

 

[outlw6669]

Yeah, stick with newegg.
Good prices and great customer service.

From what you have chosen, defiantly change the PSU.
There are quite a few higher quality units for quite a bit less.
Stick with Corsair, PCP&C, Seasonic, Enermax or the Antec Earthwatts line.

Also, stay away from nVidia based motherboards.
They are JUNK!
Get a good AMD based ASUS or Gigabyte motherboard.

Going on what you already have chosen, I put together the following:

Antec Skeleton (if that is really what you want ): $150
AMD PII 940 BE (same 3Ghz but with an unlocked multiplier): $185
Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P: $110
4Gb OCZ Reaper DDR2 1066: $45*
2x Saphire 4870 1Gb's in CrossFire: $280*
Corsair 750TX: $100*
WD Black 640Gb Hard Drive: $70
4x Blu-Ray Reader (do you really need one?): $70

Total: $1010*

*after MIR

This system will be much faster than what you posted and uses better quality components.
Above this, I would recommend changing the case for a more conventional and useful mid or full tower case and the BR drive for a standard DVD/RW.
Both of these changes will save you some cash and will not determinately affect your day to day usage.

 

[mistrsweet]

i was looking for a blu ray drive as a cheap alternative to a PS3 for movies. I already have a DVD/RW combo

 

[mistrsweet]

Other than that I will take your suggestions. Is there a reason why a BR drive shouldn't be purchased to play hi def movies?

 

[outlw6669]

If you plan on actually buying BR movies it is not a bad option to have the BR drive.
Sorry, just assumed you wanted it for bragging rights

 

[mistrsweet]

I really do appreciate your help. I have decided to go with a different case. Do you have an opinion on this case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811215006

 

[sighQ2]

Unless you already own some of this hardware, I would recommend rethink and get an all AM3 system. rather than buy older AM2+ system.

Perhaps you could indicate your intended typical real world usage for this system. is it gaming, running the NASA space program, email and internet, editing video, or advanced solitaire????

SSD not recommended - experimental.

agree that nvidia chipset is a bad idea - do some research on what is an AMD platform advantage - google "dragon" for starts.

 

[mistrsweet]

it is intended to be a gaming system. I have none of the hardware already. outlw suggested the above build. Do you have a suggestion? His suggestions fell perfectly within my budget.

 

[outlw6669]

I really do appreciate your help. I have decided to go with a different case. Do you have an opinion on this case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811215006

Well, as far as cases go, it will hold your componets
You do get what you pay for though.
I would not expect the build quality to be very high, the newegg customer reviews confirm this, and it seems to have an issue with the side fan igniting

While I am not a true expert on what cases are out there, I can offer you a few alternatives.
If you do not need a full tower, look at the Antec 300 or Antec 900.
If you do want the full tower (it is nice to have the extra space to work with), look at the Antec 1200 or Cooler Master HAF 932.
All four of these cases have excellent ventilation and are of good build quality.

 

[mistrsweet]

I suppose I will go with the Antec 1200. ~The more I discover, the less I feel I know. Thanks again

 

[outlw6669]

No problem

 

[sighQ2]

There's no rush, mistrsweet.

Surf and shop. It costs nothing to look. Read reviews. Read other threads in this forum. I use simple text files to list interesting items - sometimes I look at them months later, and see how prices have changed - i keep them in a folder, with some kind of naming system that means nothing later - I get messy - o well.

I suggested an AM3 SYS cos the future in AMD is all AM3. It used to be that ddr3 was more expensive; but it has come down in price. Is it cheap enough yet? - that's for you to decide. And you also get to be realistic about what cpu you really need.

Quads are expensive. For games all you really need is a dually - and the new Ph II 550 BE @3.1Ghz might be the hot ticket. research it. It's half the cores of a quad with ALL of the cache. about 100 bucks.

A Gigabyte MA790XT-UD4P is a good mobo and it's like a poor man's FX board. about 100 bucks. There's no onboard vid to pay for. And there a 16x pcie slot, plus a 2nd one for xfire that actually runs at 8x8x which is no big difference.

I am designing my own sys and this is what I have come up with for myself. I got over the fantasy that I really need a quad - most don't. I don't care if your vidcard is faster than mine - a gamerbox is a toy for fun. Being broke paying for a pc is no fun. There are other things in life, and I have a life, so I get to go outside and watch the real world. Speaking of real world, it's about real world performance in the apps I want to run - it's not about benchmarketing. Lots of suckers chases that junk. Who cares? Does it do what I want? Read the reviews slowly - get a feel for stuff. Ask questions. amdzone will show you a different view also.

I think I want OCZ ddr3 ram. /2x2 = 4gigs. less than 100 bucks.

I want a cheap case - I think it's just a parts bucket. 50ish maybe 60ish bucks. if I need more airflow, out come the tin snips - You can steal fans from dead or old pc's. Or you can buy whatever you want.

650 gig hdd is enough for me. cheap.

For vid, all I want is a radeon 4830 - and the mobo will perhaps eventually get a second 4830 in xfire, IF the single 4830 is not enough. The 4850's are cheaper now also. But i want to save on power consumption. But the 4830 still uses a 256bit interface like the bigger cards. yeh about 100 bucks.

I already have a dvd-rw, mouse and kb are cheap. 3 bucks at a thrift shop. mouse is personal tho.

It's a no frills screamin ocloxer - in my mind. but it's no quad that will sit idle doing nothing most of the time in games. Most games are single or dual threads only.

And perhaps most important, with the AM3 platform, I can eventually upgrade to anything else I want in future. So if I need quad later, I can drop it in = done. More ram? drop it in - cos I know there's vacant slots still available. Already mentioned 2nd vidcard if needed. Or even change the mobo. All AM3 parts - the AMD PLATFORM. Lots of options.

But if you think you need a quad cos buddy is buying one; what will you be running that needs it? If you run 8 apps at once, all the time; you need a quad. But you will be hard pressed to keep a Ph II 550 busy - at 3.1 stock, and 3.5ish oclocked, good luck - you'll have to type really fast to keep up

That's my approach to my new sys. O I forgot, I want a 750w PSU cos things in future might require it - so you can see, I have considered future proofing also - the am3 platform enables lots of choices for anyone who does a little research and wants to make a smarter choice. AM3 will be around until end 2010 or more. More cpu's still coming. New chipsets, and therefore mobos, in the fall or early 2010, etc.

Your research is best. What do you really need for your real world computing experience? Chase that. There will always be more. Avoid the "bleeding edge" of technology - get close, but not so close that you burn. AMD is based in collaboration - with it's partners and with it's customers - they work for your business. Make them earn it. That's what they want anyway.

good luck
.

 

[Twoboxer]

^ AMD Prophet - handle with care.