New comp

hey... so i wanna upgrade my comp before i go off to college.... i know i'll be playing a lot of games so heres what i was thinking:

APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-Navigator ATXA8NW-BK/500 Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail - $155.99

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $114.99

Kingston HyperX 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model KHX3200AK2/1G - Retail - $103.99 ---- (i already have 2 of these so i was thinking to buy 2 more so i can have a total of 2 gig)

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4400CDBOX - Retail - $249.00

MSI NX7900GTX-T2D512E Geforce 7900GTX 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card With Full Version Game King Kong - Retail - $474.99

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM - $15.99

total - $1,099.95

then i obviously have my old dvd drives, hds, floppy drive....

so ya.... i was just hoping for some thoughts.... is the ram things a good idea? or should i just buy 2 gigs (2x 1gig) ram??? any tips on any of my other things? please? anything? thanks guys!!!

 

ill help u if u tell me how much is ur budget

 

well.... my budget is pretty much limitless.... hahaha.... but i'm shooting for no more than 1500, but the less the better.... but i dont wanna sacrafice how good it is.... i just dont want to go extreme

 

so any suggestions? or does this look good? or what?

 

here check this out:
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio...ishList.asp?SltWishListNumber=&WishListTitle=

keep your case, get rid of the thermal paste.
I think it'd be nice but it's really up to you.

 

padams..... that link just shows me MY wishlist.... hahaha, so ya.... you wanna just copy each item of yours....???

 

Okay firstly the mobo you have pointed out has SLI and you have indicated a high-end Video Card so don't buy a "Generic" Power supply. Get a case only and then by a decent aftermarket power supply (there not that expensive) so you won't suffer any problems during gaming and you can upgrade to SLI in the future, excellent link on PSU for DFI that are SLI ready:

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10854

Do not skimp on a PSU as it can and will let down your whole system if not upto the task.

Next why are you getting a mobo with DDR (this is dating pretty quickly) DDR2 will give you twice the mem bandwidth and it is actually cheaper in Australia than DDR. DDR3 is already on the drawing board so look for a mobo that supports DDR2. You should easily find another DFI mobo with DDR2 and SLI.

 

Well I'm confused I looked for skt 939 w DDR2 and can't find them, wtf?!?!?

Anyway do get a decent PSU here are a couple even if you buy the case and the sales rep won't sell them without 1, just rip it out at home and put one of these in and you'll never suffer PSU issues:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817341001

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817341002

As far as DDR2 RAM goes I would be aiming for a system build that definately INCLUDES this. Don't build a system around a couple of RAM sticks "Kingston HyperX" especially as Kingston gets very average reviews but build it around a good processor or mobo or Video Card and ensure the rest of the systems supports your primary component.

 

so if you can't find any socket 939 MB's that support DDR2 what am i supposed to do? and if i can't get this case without the PSU, should i just maybe use the PSU in it and then just upgrade that if i do decide to go SLI?

i chose the MB because of the other features.... and i figured 2x 512 is cheaper than 2x 1024..... but you do have a good point with DDR2.... but can i find a MB???

 

Okay if you definately want AMD you could get a Socket AM2 whikch will support DDR2 (aka PC2-xxxx):

http://www.nintek.com.au/x/scripts/prodList.asp?idcategory=1326

http://www.nintek.com.au/x/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=565

There is also a list of some of the better mobo's there that will support the AM2. Hope this can be still done within your budget.

As far as the PSU goes well you could persist with it but don't be suprised if you do have to replace it in the future.

 

ok..... what do you think about this set up?

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio...WishListNumber=3124292&WishListTitle=2nd+list



APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-Navigator ATXA8NW-BK/500 Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail - $155.99

Gigabyte GA-M55SLI-S4 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $94.99

MSI NX7900GTX-T2D512E Geforce 7900GTX 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card With Full Version Game King Kong - Retail - $474.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4600CUBOX - Retail - $319

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail - $254

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM - $15.99

Total - $1,314.96

 

That looks a lot better and I'm sure for the extra couple of hundred bucks you will have far better performance.

That PSU should be okay for 1 PCIe card as the 12v rails has 38A (min. required is about 20A).

If you can afford a little more this is the bleeding edge RAM and will be very solid for any OC, Crucial Ballistix:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1558751&CatId=0

Other exceptional RAM brands are "Super Talent" and TeamXtreeme any of these 3 brands will make your system moooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeee.

 

do you really think the extra $200 is worth it? i suppose i could afford it.... but is it worth it?

 

Well that was only 1 site you might find them at PC2-6400 (instead off PC2-8000) and thus less cost. Is it worth it? well that depends on what you want to do with the system, if you plan to OC it and push it to it's limits it is definately worth it and it will give an extra 5-10% over other brands and be a lot more reliable and stable.

I am personally about to get some "Super Talent" PC2-6400 (which has been OC to PC2-8000 stable!) for about $469AUD and this is about the most expensive component but will be the brains of the system and therefore the most important imo. Apparently Super Talent are US based, have bettered Crucial Ballistix in 1 OC review:

http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&number=1&artpage=1718&articID=424

The ones I'm getting:

http://www.nintek.com.au/x/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=5150

More reviews:

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/332/1/

Consider these as a possible alternative the same modules of Crucial Ballistix are an extra $130 @ $599

 

i can't find anything from Super Talent on newegg or tigerdirect..... and nintek is australia..... and i live in the US.... but can't find the US based Super Talent RAM..... lol.... so not sure what i wanna do then....

 

Okay you could consider getting the RAM direct from the manufacturers (cut out the middle man):

Micron Crucial Ballistix:

http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.Asp?IMODULE=BL2KIT12864AA804

Super Talent USA suppliers:

http://www.supertalent.com/home/resellers.php

Just make sure you get this model although $20 more the timings are a lot better:

SuperTalent 4-4-3 PC2-6400 2GB DDR2 Kit (2x1024mb) DDR2-800Mhz, 2048Mb, T800UX2GC4

These are only suggestions and you buy what you really want but I'm sure if you spend $200-300 more now it will save you a lot of potential frustration in the near future. Hope this helps.

 

i think i'll stick with what i got... if i do have problems with any of it in the future.... i can pawn the stuff off to family and friends and buy new stuff.... lol.... thanks for your help Bold Eagle.... and ill be ordering it probably in a week or so.... just gotta make sure everythings right.... i gotta try to con my parents into paying for part of it, in return giving this computer to my sister... cause hers sucks.... hahaha