Your opinion needed on parts for new computer

[DonNagual]

AMD Athlon64 3700
184Pin DDR SD-RAM PC3200-512MB SAMSUNG Original x2
ZALMAN CNPS7000B-CU LED (CPU fan)
MAXTOR 6L250S0
ASUSTeK A8V-E Deluxe/NW
NEC ND-3540A (DVD-RW drive)
Antec SONATA II (Case and PSU)
LG L1980Q (19" flatscreen, 8ms)
Sapphire SA-X800 XL 256MB PCI-E

Going to be gaming, and the computer is in my bedroom so I need quiet.

If I buy all these part, and stick them all together..... they'll work? New to building you see. I am particularly worried of three things:

1. If the power connecters are the right type (450W PSU that comes with the Antec case) for my other parts (video card, motherboard etc.)
2. Am I making a huge error in the motherboard? So much cheaper than the nForce4 boards... but I do plan on overclocking. Anyone with experience on the K8T890 chipset?
3. Will the ram will be compatible with the mobo? I live in Japan, and this is the best spot to buy: what is the best ram of this list to get for this mobo? http://www.faith-go.co.jp/lists/itemlist.asp?cid=00003&fl=1,2

And finally, I have about $300 left in my budget. Where is it best spent? Sound card? Going to the nForce4 chipset mobo? Monitor? Other?

Thanks everyone, as always.

 

[PanicX]

Looks like a nice system to me.

Your PSU and Motherboard are ATX12V v2 compliant so they should work fine together.

Can't offer any opinion of that motherboard as I'm not familiar with it, but its specs(asus.com) do look nice.

Unfortunately I can't read Japanese, however Samsung is good quality memory. But if you plan to overclock I believe OCZ or Corsair are better.

With the extra $300, I'd probably try and grab a 74Gb Wester Digital Raptor hard drive for your OS and use the 250Gb for storage.

 

[zephead]

looks like a fine system. just wanted to clear up two things:

make sure the athlon64 you get is NOT based on the newcastle core, and that the one you do get IS based on a 90nm process.

And finally, I have about $300 left in my budget. Where is it best spent? Sound card? Going to the nForce4 chipset mobo? Monitor? Other?

i don't know if japan uses ac or dc and at what voltage, or what the power quality is like in your area. but for the love of christ make sure you get a damn good surge supressor. do not make the mistake of dropping cash on a new rig and not protecting it with a surge supressor. if you're talking USD, i'd expect a nice UPS supply to be avaliable to you. i believe that japan uses a different type of electricity than the US, so i guess i can't reccomend anything. your computer is an investment - protect it!

1. If the power connecters are the right type (450W PSU that comes with the Antec case) for my other parts (video card, motherboard etc.)

yes, and adapters are cheaply available should you have any trouble.

2. Am I making a huge error in the motherboard? So much cheaper than the nForce4 boards... but I do plan on overclocking. Anyone with experience on the K8T890 chipset?

you picked the right one. the only other a64 board i'd reccomend as of now is the msi k8n neo4. the via chipset you mentioned is NOT at all good for overclocking (as are all via chipsets), your chosen board was the right pick.

3. Will the ram will be compatible with the mobo? I live in Japan, and this is the best spot to buy: what is the best ram of this list to get for this mobo? http://www.faith-go.co.jp/lists/ite...id=00003&fl=1,2

i also do not understand japanese but can tell you that the saus website contains a list of certified compatible modules for each board.

i hope this helps...just remember what i said about surge supression. let us know how it turns out - looks like it'll be fun.

 

[DonNagual]

Thanks. Especially on the surge protector advice. Will do!!
And also on the CPU, I will be sure to get the San Diego version.

Update on the choice of parts:

I am going with the SLI option instead. Who knows, in the future it may come in handy.

Asus A8N-SLI Premium
Asus 6800GT 256Mb (just one for now)

All other parts remain the same. Will be buying it all tomorrow, so wish me luck!

 

[harrisdurrani]

Well umm the extra 300 dollers... Dont buy a radeon X800 XL y not buy an Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX :evil:

 

[DonNagual]

Well umm the extra 300 dollers... Dont buy a radeon X800 XL y not buy an Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX

Well, I have decided to go for the 6800GT (leaving me the option for SLI sometime down the road). Is the price difference to go up to the 7800GTX really worth it??? I mean... will the 6800GT be all that bad, really?

 

[harrisdurrani]

hey

I could be Wrong ...But i think a Single 7800 GTX would be better than two 6800 GT's connected ....major differnce is the price you can get a 7800 GTX for around 600 bucks on ebay !! ....

 

[zephead]

this may be true, but he needs surge supresson. i believe that the extra money would be better spent on a good surge supressor. i'd rather have a 6800gt and be protected than to have a 7800gtx without protection.

 

[DonNagual]

I now have all the parts here at home, and spent the past.... 4 hours? or so putting everything together.

Had a green light on the motherboard, turned on the power switch and....... nothing. No fan movement, just complete silence. How anti-climatic!

I am too tired to try and figure it out. Anyone have suggestions on where to start looking when I wake up tomorrow morning?

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Check the small cables from the front-panel to the side of the motherboard. (Power/speaker/reset/HD etc.)
Quite often these are connected wrongly (or not at all!)

 

[DonNagual]

Yep. You got it, that is exactly what the problem was. I had the power switch connector one pin over to the left. Damn they are small!!

I am up an drunning my new system. Thanks everyone for your input!