This is topic Am I forgetting something? (Building a Computer) in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
Here's what I'm buying:

LIAN LI PC-G50B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
ASUS EN8800GTX/HTDP/768M GeForce 8800GTX GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card
SILVERSTONE DA750 ATX12V / EPS12V 750W Power Supply
Patriot 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model PSD21G8002 X 4
ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600
Microsoft Windows XP Home Sp2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM

I have DVD+RW, mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers.

Am I forgetting anything, or will this make a complete system?
 

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Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
 
Check to make sure the case/motherboard has all the various outputs you need (usb, firewire, etc) if not get a pci card with any you're missing.
 

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Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
 
That's all the basics.

Other possibles:
-Floppy drive, in case you ever need one
-Media drive (SD, CF, etc.)

The video card you're getting is really beefy: what do you use it for? Most things I can think of that would require that much video memory would also benefit greatly from 2 gigs of RAM, rather than 1.
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
Case has these on the front: USB2.0 x 2, 1394X1, EARX1,MICX1.

Mother board supports those and has 2 PS/2, l LPT, 4 USB, 1 1394, 1x CoaxialS/PDIF (which I don't know what it is - I assume it's digital audio), and 3 audio ports.

So that's good. (I assume you're not actually interested in the details, but I made the list to keep track so I'm keeping it as a record of what I've confirmed. )
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 

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Floppy drive, in case you ever need one

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Media drive (SD, CF, etc.)

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The video card you're getting is really beefy: what do you use it for? Most things I can think of that would require that much video memory would also benefit greatly from 2 gigs of RAM, rather than 1.

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Short answer: nothing right now, but I never want to replace it while the machine is running. I can add a second if I ever need to via SLI, and past that the memory and chip should be the throttle point. I'm thinking of dropping down to the 388, but I wanted to price it at the max configuration first.

I have 4 gigs of ram in the list (the x 4 is all the way at the end.
 

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Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
 
if you were to give the computer to me for a while, I'd be happy to tell you how I like it.
 

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Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :
 
Mmmm, *wipes drool from chin*

I think that should just abut do it. BTW, isn't this the minimum spec for Vista?
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
I ordered the parts. Supposedly the motherboard and power supply come with all the needed connectors, so that should do it. Hopefully I'll have it built by Saturday night.

Thanks for double-checking this for me!

And Vista won't go on this any time before SP1 comes out, and likely not even then.
 

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Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
 
Power cord.
 

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Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
 
The power supply probably comes with the cord, albeit usually a short one. The processor you are getting, it's a retail one with the HSF, right? Even so, you may want to upgrade from the retail HSF to something with a bit more cooling prowess, especially if you are overclocking.
 

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Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
 
XP may or may not have issues with the 4GB of RAM, from what I've read. I assume you'll go to Vista fairly soon [EDIT: nevermind], but there its been an ongoing issue of getting decent nvidia drivers (though I read within the last couple days it may be mostly resolved with the latest drivers). Also, do you want a quality sound card, or just going to go with the on-board solution?

That is a nice box, Dag. My current box is more modest:

Antec SLK3800B Case with stock PSU
ePoX EP-9NPA+Ultra nForce4 Board
Socket 939 AMD Athlon XP 64 x2 4400+
2x standard Crucial RAM (PC3200)
Seagate 250GB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA HDD
On-board sound (yeah, I'm cheap )
X800GTO2, with all the pipelines unlocked

In the next 6-12 months, I'm looking at adding a beefier PSU (Seasonic brand), a new video card (Probably the 8800GTX, maybe ATI's DirectX 10 card), and Vista (likely Ultimate since I need parts of the Business addition for work, and parts of Home for personal stuff). I will also add some more RAM too.

-Bok
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
I have many cords if the included one is too short. I may also buy power protection/UPS for this.

The processor comes with HSF. If I decide to overclock, I will buy more heavy-duty cooling capability - maybe even liquid cooled.

But I'm not close to needing that yet.

My upgrade options are overclock, replace processor, double the RAM, add another video card, buy a new computer. The order will depend on where the bottlenecks arise in use.
 

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Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
 
S/PDIF = Sony/Phillips Digital InterFace

Yes, it's Audio.
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 

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XP may or may not have issues with the 4GB of RAM, from what I've read.

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quote:

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Also, do you want a quality sound card, or just going to go with the on-board solution?

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quote:

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In the next 6-12 months, I'm looking at adding a beefier PSU (Seasonic brand), a new video card (Probably the 8800GTX, maybe ATI's DirectX 10 card), and Vista (likely Ultimate since I need parts of the Business addition for work, and parts of Home for personal stuff). I will also add some more RAM too.

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It's fun working with desktops again. For years I only used laptops, where expansion and modification is basically limited to ram and hard drive size.
 

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Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
 
I just pieced together a system over the past few months, and fired it up for the first time last night.

ECS N4ST-A9 Socket 939 Mobo
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (using this Thermaltake cooler)
2 x 512mb GEiL pc3200 modules
250gb SATA HD
Onboard Sound
580w PS

The video card is forthcoming, trying to decide if I hold out for the mid-range 8xxx series from nvidia. I tossed in my old Geforce 3 and blazed away in Counterstrike, temp gauge barely budged (idle at 33C, highest I've seen is 35C).

quote:

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It's fun working with desktops again. For years I only used laptops, where expansion and modification is basically limited to ram and hard drive size.

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First real build I've done in a while, too. It is fun, especially since it'll mean Jen and I will be able to play NWN2 together.
 

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Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
 
I just got a fancier new 2.1 set for my computer, using some bonus money and holiday gift cards. I don't need anything more for my computer, because I tend to not play FPses, and I don't have the space to set up a complicated setup.

I feel like in the last year or so, it's begun to be more worthwhile to build your own system again. For a while, even on the desktop side, it wasn't really worth it, financially.

-Bok
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
I saved over $750, and there was only one system I found that was only that much higher. Most were $1,000 - $1,500 more.

Many of them included additional features I didn't want or need, but only the $750 more one had all the features this one has.
 

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Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
 
Were'd you order from, newegg? Mwave, TigerDirect? Local shop?

-Bok
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
Newegg. The $750 one was a local shop and included assembly. I could have saved more by buying some components at NewEgg, some at Tiger, etc., but not enough to make it worth breaking up the purchase.
 

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Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
 
I use MWave to put together the case, PSU, motherboard, and CPU. I hate dealing with CPUs, I feel like I'm going to snap them in half when I install a new one. I am also paranoid that I didn't apply the thermal paste right. Still, I just put a new CPU in last month (the dual core).

-Bok
 

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Posted by Nato (Member # 1448) on :
 

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Originally posted by Dagonee:
And Vista won't go on this any time before SP1 comes out, and likely not even then.

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I just did a quick search - it seems it'll only recognize 3 gb. I guess I'll have to look into Vista sooner than I thought if I want to get the use of the memory.

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I have a very similar system. Best buy had a Geforece 7900 for dirt cheap--it was a mega sale. I bought that to update my integrated video. I was shopping around online for a good card. I was thinking of waiting till the cheap 8000 series hit the market, but then I saw I could get the 7900 for about $100.

My computer only sees 3GB of ram. I have tried adding the switch in the boot.ini file. I have tried the registry trick. Nothing worked.

I am ok with it tho, my computer is blazing fast. I feel no need to go to vista any time soon.
 

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Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
 
Dag...if you don't mind saying, what did this run you?
 

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Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
 
Kwea, I'd guess around $1700-$1800. Less if he goes for the next step down video card.

-Bok
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
Exactly, Bok. (I went with the full video card - probably a waste, but I'll run something to push it to the edge, just to see what it can do. )
 

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Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
 
I know a lot more about computers now than I did a few years ago, and will probably try to build my own (or create it and let someone else build it) next time around.

That's why i was interested.
 

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Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
 
*cries*

You could play Supreme commander at maxed settings =(


Vista on my machine runs fine, only Call of Duty doesnt work right so far. My only issue is that only having 1 gig of ram kinda sucks, 90% of it is being used if I play BF2, and around 80 for Supreme Commander at low settings.

Vista is supposed to be able to run 4 gigs of ram, which is nice since when I get 4GB I am going to play tose massive hacked maps in CIV4. Basically the map editor only supports a certain size, so you can hack it to force to be BIGGER so that imagine a world map that is nearly to scale, its huge, the problem is that it lags.... ALOT even early game because the map is so huge. Thats with 1 GB of ram, 4 GB of ram and it should play decently.
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
It's assembled (sides are still off until I know it works) and Windows XP install is formatting the drive now. 2% in 3 minutes, so I'm probably going to bed.
 

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Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
 
If they have a device that can fit inside of an unused floppy port that will toast a grilled cheese sandwich, get one.

And how about a retina scanner?



You wouldn't want unauthorized users taking your sammiches, now, would you?
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
I put in an awesome detector instead. I figure that, unless Chuck Norris comes by, no one else will have high enough levels to get through.
 

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Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
 
So it's to be merely for decorative purposes, is it?
 

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Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
 

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Originally posted by Dagonee:
It's assembled (sides are still off until I know it works) and Windows XP install is formatting the drive now. 2% in 3 minutes, so I'm probably going to bed.

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Oh the foibles of youth. No ye not that quick format is just as good? I only use the slow format if I really really really want to erase what's on the hard drive.
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 

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No ye not that quick format is just as good?

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Originally posted by Dagonee:
Turns out the presence of the RAM wasn't causing the instability. The return process was annoying (and expensive - 15% restock) enough that I decided to try the RAM one more time. I reseated it and ran Microsoft's memory test a couple of time.

Windows XP only sees 3.5 GB of physical memory, but the intermittent problems went away. So I'm wasting half a gb until I decide to go to Vista, but I'm not hurting the system any.

I have a good power supply, but is it worth it to get a UPS/power conditioner as well? We definitely get voltage drops in our house.

If one is recommended, does anyone have any suggestions? I don't need a long UPS. I'm more interested in orderly shutdown and well-conditioned power.

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With a computer that hungry, definitely get a UPS. Anything with a battery in it will protect you from dips and spikes, and you can get those for around 50 dollars (Don't order online, they're heavy as heck, so it's actually cheaper to buy at a store). If you have constant power *outages* or long brown-outs, I'd suggest something between 750-1000VA to give you time to shut down or finish what you're working on before shutting down. APC and Tripplite are pretty good brands to look for. APC's been making UPSes for...a really really long time.
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
Cool, thanks Boris.

Of course, having just gotten it working as I want, I now have a huge project at work for the next week, making game-playing time scarce.
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
Question regarding UPSs: Am I right in thinking I need one that has a wattage rating at least as high as my PSU? I haven't found any by APC or Tripplight for less than $150 at 750W.
 

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Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
 
You can sometimes find APC's BX1500 at Costco/Sam's/BJ's type stores for pretty cheap. Keep an eye on sites like techbargains, as they find deals on 1000va + UPS's fairly regularly.

This Belkin might be a good choice, definitely second tier below APC, Tripp Lite and Liebert but usually solid.

edit: On the wattage rating, normally you can go lower (as few people with 'standard' loadouts get close to the max PSU load), but gamers with hardcore vid cards, dual core CPUs and the like are more prone to it, so at least that much is best.
 

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Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
 
Hey Dag, if you go for an APC, let me know. I have a connection there that may be able to give a discount.

-Bok
 

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Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
 
It sounds like a great machine. My only worry would be that 250 GB is kind of on the low side these days, especially if you work with a lot of media files (and with an increasing amount of software shipping on DVD.) Are you bringing over a HD from an older system?

(Notably this is not difficult to fix later- a second drive can be added rather easily, USB drives are plenty fast for most storage purposes, and the prices of both internal and external drives are dropping rapidly.)
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
Bok, thanks. I'll look into this more and get back to you.

Sterling, right now, it's for playing one game, and that only takes 7 GB.

When I need more space, I'll buy a couple of 500 GB and stripe them (I have RAID capability in the motherboard). The longer I wait, the cheaper it will be. I have SATA, so adding a new drive takes about 10 minutes.
 

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Posted by Little_Doctor (Member # 6635) on :
 
You forgot the computer-people colony. They need somewhere to live too! Besides, who else would eat all of your cookies?
 

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Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
 
Here you go... UPS power explaination.

Basically, what you need to remember is that even though you have a 750W power supply, you won't ever reach the point where your computer is actually requiring 750W of power to operate. The power supply will only pull as much current as it needs. I would guess that your setup will require somewhere between 400-500 actual watts. A 750VA UPS will certainly give you more time to play with in the event of an outage, if you can save 50 bucks or more buy dropping to 650, you should be pretty safe.
 

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Posted by Mr.Funny (Member # 4467) on :
 

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Originally posted by Dagonee:
Bok, thanks. I'll look into this more and get back to you.

Sterling, right now, it's for playing one game, and that only takes 7 GB.

When I need more space, I'll buy a couple of 500 GB and stripe them (I have RAID capability in the motherboard). The longer I wait, the cheaper it will be. I have SATA, so adding a new drive takes about 10 minutes.

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