Von's Gaming Rig

[Von]

This will be the first cpu that I build. These are the components that I am going to use. (Still deciding which memory to get). Express your opinions.

ATX Computer Case
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: VA8000BWS $154.00

Motherboard
BFG nForce 4 Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: BFGRNF4U $109.00

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail $323.00

Video Cards
BFG Tech BFGR78256GTXOC Geforce 7800GTX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Model #: BFGR78256GTXOC $559.00

Memory (Which is better)
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model Twinx2048-3200c2pt - Retail
Model #: Twinx2048-3200c2pt $303.20

OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Platinum System Memory Model OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K - Retail
Model #: OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K $263.35

DVD Drive
LITE-ON Black IDE DVD Burner Model SOHW-1693S Black - Retail
Model #: SOHW-1693S Black $48.00

Internal Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA II Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD2500KS $125.00

Power Supply
Antec NeoPower ATX 480W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: NeoPower $99.00

Sound Card
CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS GAMER Limited Edition 70SB035000013 8 (7.1) Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
Model #: 70SB035000013 $114.00

 

[Von]

Oh yeh.. do AMD processors come with standard heatsinks??? or do I have to buy one?

 

[endyen]

The retail chip comes with a good hsf. It will usuallt handle a 15% OC. To overclock more than that, an aftermark hsf may be required.

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

okay... so how do i begin tearing ur system apart?

case: let scott handle this one ;D

mobo: never heard of BFG makign mobos.. so so stick with a DFI/epox for a good mobo.. i like the ultra-D

cpu: look sgood

gfx card: looks good... prepare to be demolished by my r520!!! MWUAHAHAHAHAH...mwuahah...*tear*

Mem: okay, why 2 gigs? this is a gaming rig, if your gonna play WoW or something... 2 gigs is a waste of money... ppl see like a BIG improvement over 1 gig on WoW. but think about it, 1 gig is more than enough to load the game and all its parts, its just the speed that they are loading in... go for some fast ram, rated at ddr500/550 speeds with really good timing... as i said before, my choice would be

g skill F1-3200DSU2-1GBLE
search that on newegg or google, basically, ddr533 speeds, 2-3-3-?, but very good set of RAM

dvd drive: i dont' give a crap

hard drive: SATA2? wtf... i didn't know ppl support that yet, but its gonna be usesless, who cares if you have a gazillion gb/s bandwidth, when ur hard drive can only dish out 70mb/s... save some money and go for a cheaper SATA drive, or spend a few extra bucks and the the reliable RE version, or get a raptor.

power supply, you need more power than that.. .
please go with teh ocz powerstream 520w, or u'll be sorry!

sound card: blabh blah blah.. same old [-peep-], creative monopoly...

make sure you get some nice ass klipsh 5.1 speakers w/ that system too!

<font color=red>gforce mx100/200 @ 230/440 =]</font color=red>

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

what title do i need to at least cuss? lol

<font color=red>gforce mx100/200 @ 230/440 =]</font color=red>

 

[RichPLS]

If he is not going SLI, no way he will use the capacity of a 480 watt PSU.
Hell, a Antec True 430 watt will do, and that is what I have.

I am running a
gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64
Prescott 3200
2 gig Corsair 2-2-2-5 RAM
3 hard drives, 1 is a Raptor 74gig
ATI X800XT-PE
Plextor 712 DVD burner
ATI TV Wonder Pro
Floppy
PCMCIA card reader

So I would think a Antec 480 watt would run it also...

<pre><font color=red>°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°`°¤o \\// o¤°`°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°
And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside" Huh
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own little sign</pre><p></font color=red>

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

he has a 7800gtx, and plus, if he OCs, the ocz will serve him well.. trust me, if two identical systems were put to the test w/ these 2 different PSUs, ocz will go higher cuz of the very stable rails, not to mention ajustable rails.. lol

<font color=red>gforce mx100/200 @ 230/440 =]</font color=red>

 

[RichPLS]

Maybe so, I just don't see it pulling anywhere near capping the NeoPower 480 watt, but more power will not hurt, that is for sure!

<pre><font color=red>°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°`°¤o \\// o¤°`°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°
And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside" Huh
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own little sign</pre><p></font color=red>

 

[RichPLS]

I did not think the 7800GTX does not require any more power than the 6800Ultra, at least according to nVidia.
Which is about what my ATI X800XT-PE uses roughly.

<pre><font color=red>°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°`°¤o \\// o¤°`°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°
And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside" Huh
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own little sign</pre><p></font color=red>

 

[Von]

Masturbater, why is my case bad???

 

[fate]

Er is that case made for watercooling only or something

 

[RichPLS]

<A HREF="http://www.directron.com/201tblk.html" target="_new"> Here is my case for rig I mentioned above and is $72 </A>

All aluminium and toolfree, with air filter and removeable drive cage and motherboard tray and three clear panels. No sharp edges for cuts on fingers either and mine came with 4 gold plated grilled case fans to boot.

<pre><font color=red>°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°`°¤o \\// o¤°`°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°
And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside" Huh
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own little sign</pre><p></font color=red>

 

[Von]

Well darn haha, I guess that is an important detail that I overlooked. Do you have any recomendations for one that looks sweet yet works well?

 

[Rugger]

1. PSU: <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-934&depa=0" target="_new">Fortron Blue Storm 500W</A>
OR
<A HREF="http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=270402" target="_new">Enermax 535W Whisper II model EG565P</A>
2. Case <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-141&depa=0" target="_new">Antec P160</A>
3. Mobo: <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-236&depa=1" target="_new">Epox Ep-9NPA+ Ultra</A>
OR
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-136-152&depa=1" target="_new">DFI Lanparty UT nF4 Ultra-D</A>
4. <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227210" target="_new">OCZ 2Gb dual channel Platinum</A>
5. Onboard sound unless you're an audiophile and demand the BEST sound.
6. Vid card: <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150104" target="_new">XFX 7800GTX</A> faster default core clocks for less money.

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[Rugger]

How do you think it compares to the P160?

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[Rugger]

And how loud is it with 5 80MM case fans...

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[RichPLS]

It is actually pretty quite. I think the filter and good construction help out.
The case fans are amazingly quite. I hear more the Gigabyte 3D CPU Cooler Pro since I keep it on 3500 rpm most times, but is nearly silent when throttled down to 2000 rpm.

<pre><font color=red>°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°`°¤o \\// o¤°`°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°
And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside" Huh
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own little sign</pre><p></font color=red>

 

[Von]

Rich I was checking out your case. I plan to add a neon light or 2 to it. But other than that hopefully it will suffice. I am going to get it. Should I add a 60 mm fan?
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Von on 07/25/05 11:28 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Rugger]

Sweet! What RPMs are they running, who makes the fans, are they controlled or 1 speed only and what is the rated dB level?

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[RichPLS]

I think it is a great deal, I paid $120 for it when I got it for my build, but it came with 4 low noise case fans with gold plated grills.
You might want to verify how many are included now at this lowered price. It looks like only one fan comes with it and the gold plated grill is not included.

Looks like the gold grills are $0.99 each if wanted.



<pre><font color=red>°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°`°¤o \\// o¤°`°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°
And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside" Huh
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own little sign</pre><p></font color=red>

 

[RichPLS]

I believe they are Panaflow low noise, I ordered them off Directron's site with the gold grills. They are not lighted and single speed. But they are silent.

<pre><font color=red>°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°`°¤o \\// o¤°`°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°
And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside" Huh
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own little sign</pre><p></font color=red>

 

[Rugger]

Sweet!

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[Von]

I was looking at the standard specs and I think it comes with those fans

Fan: Standard: 2 x 8cm (at front) + 2 x 8cm (rear fan) + 1 x 8cm (top fan). Four fans have golden fan grills that look great with the black surrounding. I/O Interface at front side: 4 USB, Audio ports. Dimensions (WxHxL): 8.25" x 18" x 19.75"/ 210 x 457 x 502 mm.

 

[RichPLS]

Damn well that is a great price then! I know I paid close to $120 for same case.
It is very strong and good quality. And the black aluminum is very durable and I have no scratches on it, and none visible on the acrylic panels. The rivits are flush mount to, so that makes them smooth with the sides, no bumps.

<pre><font color=red>°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°`°¤o \\// o¤°`°¤o,¸¸¸,o¤°
And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside" Huh
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own little sign</pre><p></font color=red>

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

why isn't scott answering the case question yet? lol

basically this is his point of view:

armor/kandalf cases are pathetic copies of the cooler master stacker
because:

1) horrible case design
2) worse performance compaired to the stacker
3) according to scott, it looks liek a piece of cow poo

its basically the bling vs performance issue... but i really don't give a crap, oh and did i mention the stacker comes with teh cross flow fans, which helps cool the mobo while you reach high OCs with phase or something

and the name is masturDEbat3rr

i debate

i don't jerk off ;D

<font color=red>gforce mx100/200 @ 230/440 =]</font color=red>