comp build (i know youve herd alot of them)

hi, im about to build my first computer, i know theres been so many on the boards and your probibly sick of it but here it goes any way
all mony is in UNITED STATES DOLLORS
amd 3500+ 220 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103533)
vnf4 ultra (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813152049)
viedo undesided 150-259
geil ram (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144322)
thermeltake psu 480watts 60
need case sugetions up to 110
cdburner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152047)
hdd hatchi sata 3.0 sata2 80gb

thats 600

i sitll have 400 for a viedo card, case, and psu

so im looking 100 case, 50 psu and 250 gpu whcich acn gat me a nicex800xl or x850xt


and sohlud i go for a 3000+ and get a better gpu and upgrade to duel cores sonner or go wit h the 3500+ and upgrade later for duel cores once games support it

i need a nice gaming computer cuz my p4 1.6 with 256mb of ram and a 9600 isnt holnig out onbf2 demo its lagging but its till prety pleayable


thanks alot of you guys help

For cases it's all about personal taste, so I can't tell you what you'd like, but here are some I think are ok.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811170012
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119074
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144157
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144103

For video, if you don't mind unlocking a card, the new ati x800gto2, can be unlocked and overclocked to x850xt pe levels and costs only about $200(edit: they were $200, now newegg put the price up to $279). It is kind of a pain though, you have to flash the cards bios, but you get a lot more performance for "free".

If you don't want to do that, here's another option, the x850pro.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102594
An x850xt will be too much money for your budget, it starts at $320.
An x800xl would be a good choice, here's one for about $260, but I'm not sure about it's heatsink.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125174

Here're some benchmarks.
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20050524/vga_charts-02.html#3d_mark_2005

tnanks for the reply, i relly like both asprie cases and i like the x800xl it basily ties with the pro and is dollors more and have 16 piplines and probibly can be overcloked 440\1020 or sometiyhngm, im probibly buting in like 2 weeks ill pick up whats on sale as far as fans and cables go

That PSU you are looking at is on the list of BAD companies to buy from.

Check out this excellent PSU article:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=792566

ok thnanks, do u tihkn ocz powersupplies are good like the one here it isnt on the bad list




the ocz 450 psu (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817104154)

on second thoguht ill feel more confident if u guys told me what you think a good psu is becuase i looked at the antecs for like 60 or 70 but they lack a -5volt rail, what doe the --5volt raid do anyway, im willgin to go up to 100 on the psu which will gimme 200 on a viedo card an 100 on a case

ive prety much disided agentst the ocz because the revewssay the pow cable for the mobo was to short
thanks


update: ive decided on this case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811166

im buying parts in like 6 or 7 days its my first buld and im alittlw ne , i have 3 questions that i have been wondering abnoit


1. do the standoofs come with the mobo

2 are the obards today jumperl
and 3 do i have to install sata dirvers if so when do i do this before windows installsation or in the midde . thanks, ps i sitll need a little help findong a good psu i have 70 to spend on it










thanks you guys for som muc help

This FSP Fortron Blue Storm is a good buy at $91. 500 watts w/ dual 12v rails at 15 amps each, for 30 amps on the 12v total, all the latest plugs with sheathed cables and it runs quiet.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104934

This one is under $50 and still pretty nice http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954

Standoffs generally come with the case. Many mobos are pretty much jumperless but there still plenty out there with jumpers. If the SATA ports are native to the board then you shouldn't have to install drivers unless you plan on making a RAID array. Then you'll need to make a floppy with the RAID drivers on it (usually the mobo CDROM has a "make-disk" utility just for this) and you ijstall them right near the beginning of the windows install when prompted. It will ask if you have any mass storage drivers to install and if so hit F6. You hit F6 and it will download the drivers from the floppy. Couldn't be simpler.

thenks for the quick rpely,thats a nice psu the 500watt one

as the system stands now

amd 3500+
vnf4 ultra
ati redion x800pro
2gb of geil ram
nice transparent case
the forton psu

all add up to 879.93 without shipping so i sould add 40 for shippnig which suold play bf2 on all high settings

Here is a set up I suggested to someone else
3200+ Venice core CPU $190
ABIT KN8 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard $83
Corsair Value-Select 2 x 512MB $84.50
WD Caviar SE 320GB SATA HDD $140
FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN 450W Power Supply $50
XFX Geforce 6800 256MB PCI-e Video Card $209
Thermaltake Swing VB6000SNS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $60
Microsoft Windows XP Home w/ SP2 - OEM $84

$900.50 total from Newegg. Pretty well balanced

EDIT: Oops, didn't see your last post. That looks like a pretty good system.

thats a good setup but ill sitck with wat i got, ill prbibly pic k up a 7800gt later like next year

tnaks for your help

im still pen to sugestions,


what im buying as of now

amd 3500+
vnf4 ultra
x800pro veido card
2gb of geil ram
forton power supply
80gb hdd
transparent case

the price is 981 shiped, which is steep so u guys think its better to go with a 3000+ insted and save 100 dollors and upgrade to dules in 2 years

I saw a review of the bluestorm that wasn't so great.
Link (http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1359&page=15)
It failed the test because they lied about the specs, and it can't really put out 500w, it's actually like a 450w psu. But if you only need a 450w it should be fine.
I like my Tagan 480w, and the new tagan 480w u22 looks nice as well.

vnF4ultra-
I hate to break the news to you but most manufacturers, except PC Power & Cooling, advertise their PSU's at Peak Power rather than normal power. It sucks but there it is. In fact I think that PC power and Cooling may be the only manufacturer that refers to the peak power output in the specs only. My 510 SLI express is advertised at 510 watts but peak power is 650 watts.

Anyways, the Blue Storm is a very fine unit. I've had one for a year and only after upgrading to the 510 did I send it to my wife's system where it is once again providing rock solid power, very very quietly, with no fuss and plenty of connectors. Only this time it is hooked to a Pentium system rather than a AMD.

here is another write up
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/fspbluestorm500w/

I know many mfgs do rate using "peak power", but my tagan does not. It's a 480w continuous and 580w peak.
It passed the hexus full load test.
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1359&page=13
If Tagan was like many other companies they'd sell it as a 600w psu, but they don't, they're realistic.
Pcp&C are very good as well but more pricey.
The OCZ modstreams did well too, putting out their full power (520w)
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1359&page=16

I'm not saying the bluestorm is bad, I've heard very good things about it, but don't buy it thinking it will put out 500w continuous.
I think Fortron and Sparkle are basically one and the same(or somehow related), and my sparkle psu went up in smoke, so I kind of don't trust fortron/sparkle anymore. Maybe a fluke problem...

thnnks for the replys guys, dont star a war on psues :hotbounce


anyway, do u guys think a 3000+ will perfom close to a 3500+ im bf2
like will there be a nosrable fps difference



idk now about the ps vnf 4 says he haad bad ex[ernces with sparkel, and merc u say u love the psu so im in the air wiith it

eather the ocz 520, the tegen, and th sparkel/ fortorn
well il og on newegg and compar price

ii lookeed on newegg
there all betwween 90-95 with reabate

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817101516 tegan

ocz http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817104155


http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817104934 foroton/ sparkel


s
so which to get!!!!!!

vnF4ultra-
I hate to break the news to you but most manufacturers, except PC Power & Cooling, advertise their PSU's at Peak Power rather than normal power.


Maybe the likes of Aspire, Powmax, or someother jipo brand. Both my Antec and my Vantec, and even my OEM HIpro advestise as normal power.
For example my iON2 advestises as 460 Watts, but in the manual it states that the peak power is 505W.

the PSU i am talking about can be found here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103465

Im not saying PSU makers dont use peak, but alot more dont then you would think.

Both the Tegan and FSP are good. The Tegan doesnt have PFC but does have more amps on the 12v line. Either one will provide troublefree service and good power so take your pick.

The big thing is that you are avoiding Big Mistake # 1 that many first time builders make andthat is buying a lousy PSU to save a few bucks. The PSU is critical to a high end PC, as you can tell by the discussion above, LOL, and it is vital you get a good one. You are doing that with either of the PSU's you picked out.

I didn't refer to the OCZ as I personally don't recommend the modular plug systems. They drain power immediately at the plug and the plug itself is just another fail point. This is why the Tegans and PC Power & Cooling types don't sell them. It is a great idea though as it cleans up the case by reducing power leads.

The Tegan doesnt have PFC but does have more amps on the 12v line. Either one will provide troublefree service and good power so take your pick.

I think the Tagan does have active PFC. I think active pfc supplies don't have a 115v/230v selector switch, but rather can be plugged into whatever power source and it will automatically adjust to the power. The U22 doesn't have a 115/230 power switch, so I think it's active pfc. My tagan 480w UO1 has active pfc, and I'm pretty sure the U22 does as well, but I'm not sure why newegg says it doesn't. The cool thing about the u22 is that it has a dual rail/single rail selector, so if you want a dual rail psu to have more stable power, then you can select it, or if you want one really powerful rail, you set them to combine. Also, my tagan is so quiet you can't really hear it, so that's nice.

A review says it has active pfc.
The TG480-U22 is very similar in performance to the TG480-U01 reviewed earlier last year, featuring the same high build quality, stable power lines and Active Power Correction Factoring. Most importantly, this power supply lives up to its claims of being near silent.
http://www.pcreview.co.uk/reviews/Miscellaneous/Tagan_TG480-U22/3/

thanks guys, 1 more wuestion would u tihnk a 3000+ would make a notcable downgrade in profoamcnece then the 3500+ cuz i want to get that to cut costs a little and upgrade to x2 4xxx sereives when price goes down some., i mite be buying on wed if ym case comes in on newegg.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/index.html?modelx=33&model1=64&model2=62&chart=25
In farcry you'd loose about 11%, if I figured correctly. Would you notice 11%?

thanks, so ill be llonkig at like 20 fps in bf2 which i might notic, but what ever, ill have to settle for a 3000+ which is such a hughe improvnemt on what im using now, so i sohlud be happy with that i tihnk. does the tagan psu have duel rails, cuz i tohut i saw newegg say no, i tihkn i may go with the blue storm thigght because it seems to have more features and good revews but ill take the tagan into consideration
(swker98 goes to newegg to cmapair)




edit the tagan does have duel rails and has a combibned 40amps on the 12 volt rails compard to the blue storms 30, the taan is looknig relly good rite now altohugh i belvie both should be a goosd fit

Both PSU's are good. Get the Tagan. If it has more amps, active PFC and is the same price or cheaper then jump on it, it is a better buy. Now that I know about it and that Newegg has screwed up the blurb re. the PFC I'll be recommending it to other folks.

Bottom line is that either PSU will do great in your system and neither is a bad decision. Most important is that with either PSU you will have avoided "First Time Builder Pitfall #1", buying a crappy PSU. That is all anyone here really cares about anyways. We will argue the virtues and nitpick the details of a particular PSU to death but all we really care about is that in the end the new builder installs a good PSU. You will have done that with the either Tagan or the FSP. I'd get the Tagan though as the arguments back and forth have proved it the better choice.

Anyways, the 3000 is a great CPU but Newegg has the 3500+ with Venice core on sale for $209! That is only $60 more for an appreciable increase in performance. The 3000+ is on sale for $146 and I have read it overclocks great. At those prices you can't go wrong with either CPU.

The decision is easy at this point, if you can afford the extra $60 get the 3500+. If you can't, get the 3000+. Both are good CPU's and both are good overclockers.

I agree, as long as your not getting a cheap psu you've saved yourself from many headaches.

I also just remembered that my tagan has a 3yr warranty, which is pretty good as well.

I think amd just lowered the prices on their cpus now, so in a few days retailers should be putting prices down too.
http://www.dvhardware.net/article7772.html

thanks guys fot the reacherch and respnonece, the tagan itll be then, and i tihknk ill be the 3000+ which could get up to 2ghz eassely.]


now its just the fact if i can build it lol, i dont wanna skrew up and beake it puke: i tihnk i know how the only thang that confuses me is the standoffs a and the power buttin tihng how it gets connected to the mobo, i looked at so many guide and there all not so help full on those parts.

Standoffs come with the case, and you look at the board and install only in the places the board has. Particularly this is true with the vnf4ultra, since it's not quite full atx format, you probably won't need all the standoffs.

The power button should just be a two wire plug that goes on two of the motherboards front panel connectors. The manual says which pins are which, and it's not too hard, but it's easier if you connect them outside the case(if your front panel wires are long enough), as it can be tight once it's in the case.
Same goes for hd led, and power led.

I think most 3000+'s can get to at least 2.2ghz, but I have heard of some (unlucky) ones that would barely oc at all, it's all random chance really.

thanks i searched google alot andf have a good iea how to do it, im oridnig it tommrow or whenever my case comes in, wwhich is susto be tommrow, thans you for your help

amd 3000+
vnf4 ultra
x800 pro
80gb hatchi hdd
dvd burnwer
tagan psu

nice system for budget gamming under 900 dollors


thanks all for your help, you know hwere that power tihng plugs in, therer one for the speakers and dss lightm, where do they come form


thanks for all the great help :bounce: i cnt wait to plaay bf2 on high with no lagg
lol
:knock: :knock: :knock: :bounce: :bounce:

All those case lights and switches will plug into one block of 10 or so pins that usually sit in the corner of your mobo. Sometimes they are sparate little pins and sometimes the are linked to gether for ease of installation. Both the mobo book and the case manual will have diagrams of where they plug in. USB ports and front panel audio have the same setup but go to their own little blocks.

Thermaltake cases usually have the pins separated so that you have to match each little wire to a pin. They are all labeled and slide right on but it sucks. Lian Li gives you the USB and firewire cables in a full block and also separate pins to fit an odd case. Lian Li cases also cost $170 to $300.

Just take your time putting it together. If something doesn't work it is usually due to a misssed conection or reversed pin plug in. DOn't flip, just go backand reverse the pins or make sure the power is hooked up. On SATA hard drives use just one power hook up, not both.

Also, use an ESD (elecrto Static Discharge) strap. Yhet ar about $8 at Raido shack. Put it on your wrist and attach it to the case at least. This usually suffices unless you live in a very high static area. If you get static shocks on a regualr basis in the area you will be building the PC the you need to use extra precautions.

Personally, I use an ESD mat plugged into a grounded outlet and the ESD strap plugged into it. When inside the case I attach the strap to the case but leave the case unplugged as I live in a very low static area (remember you are just neutralizing the charge between your body and the case). If you live in a high static area the case should probably be plugged in with the PSU switched off and you clipped to the case. I hate this method, though, as you will eventually forget to turn the PSU off and really hurt something, or hurt yourself (remember that there is always a little power flowing through the system). SO low static area clip to the case and unplug the case.

thanks for tha answer but that box your talknigabout where is it acculy does the poerbutton and hdd activty light come with the case or the haerd drive or the psu thats hte only part im confuesd about, and asfar as esd how do i know if i am or im not in a high static ares?

ok guys my case was sold out so i waent with this onehttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119082 and the geil ram was so i went with the xms ram for crossair for like 20 dollros more, the sihped total was like 931 so thats a nice rig i must say

tihs is compatable right

Yeah, and I think that is a nicer case. Plus the HDD Light plug and power on LED plug etc. are pre-linked for much easier installation. Just lose the PSU. LOL. Keep it as a spare for testing and such.

yea there is no way i can keep that psu because my system needs more poer then that, the timmings on the crossair is 344 is that prety good or to h high, and one more time i tihnnkn you told me but i doindnt understand were do you plug the nimberlock and sound plug t again when we werre taling about the activty lights and such where does that oter end of the sound wire a and numbw loc wire go on trhe otwer end after you connect it to the box where the wires go

ok guys, im eather buying today or tommrorw, anre there any other thing i would know before i go for it and i fonsd this ram wiht a cas of 2 ill have to get the ocz cyz the geil qwas sold out but for 25 more dollors its nice
its ocz and its a 27 dollor rebat its 225 ill get the link in a minute

I know what RAM that is. It is pretty good stuff. Good luck with your build and check back in to let us know how it goes (or if you have any problems)

ill defintiyl post back on how it goes, and will pro have some truble with it but ill get thoguh and porribly u guys will help again, thanks so so so soso much for all of you guys help

You might want to use a spell checker with your postings. It is difficult to make sense. Take care.

sorry i was typing fast, i ordered my computer, i went with a

amd 3000+

vnf4 ultra

x800gt

tagan 480watt psu

cool max case

2gb of cas 2 ram form ocz

2faans ext



vnf4 does the tagan gave a 24 pin psu connector

Yeah, the tagan has a 24pin main connector, but it has 4 detachable pins so you could still use it with older systems with 20pin sockets. The vnf4/ultra can run on a 20 pin power supply, but I would think if it has 24pins you should power all 24 pins.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.asp?image=17-101-516-01.jpg,17-101-516-02.jpg,17-101-516-03.jpg,17-101-516-04.jpg,17-101-516-05.jpg,17-101-516-06.jpg,17-101-516-07.jpg&CurImage=17-101-516-04.jpg&Description=ePOWER%20Tagan%20TG-480-U22%20ATX%20480W%20Power%20Supply%20-%20Retail

Best wishes on the build.

thanks so mcuh for the support, the only resion i got the x800gt was because my mom said i coulspend that much so the gt was a good fit and ill upgrade to a 7000gt later

Which x800gt did you get? I hope this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814131420
The reason I say that is the sapphire cards are not clocked at full x800gt speeds, they're only 400/700(maybe a typo?), where a x800gt is supposed to be 475/980 and two of the sapphires are 128mb.
(like this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102573))
I would definitely get a 256mb for the small price difference.
Not that the sapphires would be bad, I just think the powercolor is a better deal on a better card.

yea i got the power collor i got a little mad aftewr i but it i skrolled down and ofr a little more mony thay have an oc one but i can o oc it as well i guss, that shappire is acculy if im tihngs right clocked at standered x800 speeds but like 30dollros cheepeer has only 128mb of vram

well this is my fist post form my new computer, its so faast and bf 2 plays os good, thanks you all or helpnig me

they have to be the worst cases iv seen

take it easy

what do you mean

you had links to cases that where supposed to be good however i took a look and there not...maybe i can show u a good cases and change your taste in cases?

those were just ideas, ia coolermaster ceveilar ill post link later

I dont know if u guys have heard of Coba but their not bad as well, It's one of those moded ones with the 2 90mm color fans, rated at 400w Normal power. also it is very quiet and has fans that will reach higher RPM's as the temp gets higher. As for cases the LC-660 case that i got is really nice you can view it on http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/germanlattanzis/