Building first gaming PC, review please

[boncher]

Video Card

eVGA 256-P2-N515-AX Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Desktop PC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130247

Motherboard
ASUS A8V Socket 939 VIA K8T800 Pro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131541

Processor

AMD Athlon 64 4000+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103529

RAM

(2x) CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145449

Hard Drives

(2x) Western Digital Raptor WD360GD 36.7GB 10,000 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144200
Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB 3.5" IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144203

CD Drive
ASUS Silver IDE CD-ROM Drive Model CD-S520-A5 –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827134010

Mouse
Razer Copperhead(Green)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826153107

Everything looks compatible right? Can anyone point me in the direction of a good soundcard and speakers(2.1 setup is probably what I'll go for)

[fluxrad]

Very nice rig. I'd recommend you get the Asus board with the NForce chipset rather than the A8V (I've had some freezing problems with mine). Out of curiosity, why do you need the three hard drives? I'd just get two big-ass SATA drives and dump the ATA100 since it's a third as fast.

As for a sound card, I've got a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS, but it's kind of a POS. I've heard nothing but good things about M-Audio gear, so I'd recommend this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829121122).

[_dave_]

[ QUOTE ]

Everything looks compatible right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, looks like not, presuming your links are correct.



[ QUOTE ]

eVGA 256-P2-N515-AX Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Desktop PC


[/ QUOTE ]

This is a good choice, the 7800GT is a fantastic card for games. Note the PCI Express interface,

[ QUOTE ]

ASUS A8V Socket 939 VIA K8T800 Pro ATX AMD Motherboard

[/ QUOTE ]

Following your link, this is an AGP compatible motherboard, not PCI Express.

These two will not fit together. You need a PCI Express Motherboard for this VGA card.

I prefer an Nvidia board to a VIA, try anything with an Nforce 4 SLI chipset link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?submit=PROPERTY&SubCategory=22&pro pertycodevalue=719:11283&bop=and&PageSize=50)


I also may consider the Athlon64 X2 Dual Core (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562) CPU - the one I have linked is a 2x2.0GHz, and is cheaper than the 1x2.4GHz you have linked. If Gaming is the only concern for this comp, then a higher clocked core may be better, but so far (only two chips), I have not seen an X2 3800+ that can't overclock to 2.4GHz+.

If the comp may do other tasks, for example downloading stuff while also playing games, the X2 wins by a country mile, overclocked or not.

I hope all goes well,

dave.

[Nomad84]

[ QUOTE ]
CD Drive
ASUS Silver IDE CD-ROM Drive Model CD-S520-A5 –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827134010

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't imagine being without at least a CD burner, but you can get a dual layer DVD burner for only about $18 more than the drive you listed. I guess it's personal priorities though.

Also, what do you want out of your speakers? Cheap, but bearable? Awesome, but hopefully affordable? I just got the Logitech X-230 speakers a few days ago. They were around $35 on newegg, I think. It's a 2.1 system. So far, I like them, but I haven't really had the chance to play with them too much yet. I don't use them for gaming, so I can't really say how they'd do for that. I just stick to music and poker, mostly. Nice set for the money, though.

[geo8o2]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
CD Drive
ASUS Silver IDE CD-ROM Drive Model CD-S520-A5 –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827134010

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't imagine being without at least a CD burner, but you can get a dual layer DVD burner for only about $18 more than the drive you listed. I guess it's personal priorities though.

Also, what do you want out of your speakers? Cheap, but bearable? Awesome, but hopefully affordable? I just got the Logitech X-230 speakers a few days ago. They were around $35 on newegg, I think. It's a 2.1 system. So far, I like them, but I haven't really had the chance to play with them too much yet. I don't use them for gaming, so I can't really say how they'd do for that. I just stick to music and poker, mostly. Nice set for the money, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

to go with this, i think for a "gaming pc" a dvd-drive is preferred over a regular cd-drive. some games nowadays require dvd playability.....

[Freakin]

1. I second the nForce motherboard instead of the Via board.
2. Get 2x1024 of your memory instead of 4x512. You'll be able to upgrade later if you want
3. What's your reasoning behind gettting 3 harddrives in your system? Are you planning on mirroring the two 10k drives? I would personally get a 74gb 10k Raptor and get something like a 250gb, 7200rpm, 16mb cache hd for misc data. Use the raptop as your boot drive and programs and stuff
4. Get a DVD burner (at least a DVD rom). It is increasingly common for games to come on DVD, and you're gonna be kicking yourself if you don't have a drive for them. Also a DVD burner is an EXCELLENT way to backup cheaply. Right now it's like $.20 for 4.7GB... You might as well get a dual-layer burner (for like $50) so that you can burn on the dual-layer discs when they become readily accessible.
5. I don't see a case on there. Make sure you get a good powersupply. The 7800 is a power hog, and if you have 3 harddrives you're going to need some juice.

You've got great ideas for overall specs, but it needs some fine-tuning. And that mouse looks pretty cheesy... but that part is personal preference.

[Neuge]

Won't repeat the other concerns posted, but I prefer the Logitech MX518 to the Copperhead. I haven't used a G5 or G7 yet, but I hear they're even better and comparable in specs to the Copperhead.

Ya, go for the Nforce 4 SLI board. Then if you want to upgrade to 2 graphics cards in SLI mode you'll have the upgrade path. Don't worry about having two x16 PCI-e slots, none of the graphics cards today can even use the bandwidth in x8 PCI-e. So the mobo's with 2 x8 graphics slots are fine.

Check to see what two 74GB raptors will cost vs. the three drives you have on you list now. Raptors are sweet drives.

Make sure you get a case with a drive bay cooling fan if you're going to run those 10,000rpm drives. Preferably with 120mm fan in front. Cooling is going to be key with a lot of this hardware, and you don't want a case that's going to restrict air flow.

Power supply. Minimum I'd go with is 480Watts. Enermax is good, I haven't had any complaints about Antec either. Top of the line (and will set you back $$$) is PC Power and Cooling, Inc.

Other than that, have fun.

Edit: Wish I could get a G7 but I'm left handed and they're right handed only. Razor's are nice. If I had a choice I'd go with the G5 or G7 myself.

[boncher]

What's the differene between these 2 kinds of memory?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145488
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145576

Is this the right motherboard?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131524

Good DVD drive?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827135043

[Freakin]

[ QUOTE ]
What's the differene between these 2 kinds of memory?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145488
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145576

Is this the right motherboard?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131524

Good DVD drive?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827135043

[/ QUOTE ]

The C2 in the product number refers to a CAS latency of 2. boring generic explanation of CAS latency and what it affects (http://www.motherboards.org/articles/tech-planations/1484_2.html)

That DVD drive should be fine for your uses.

[_dave_]

[ QUOTE ]
What's the difference between these 2 kinds of memory?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145488
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145576


[/ QUOTE ]
These are very similar memory modules, second one listed has slightly faster timings, which will make it perform a little quicker than the other stuff.

Scroll down the newegg pages to the "Tech Spec" section to see the difference, the cheaper memory is rated for 3-3-3-8, as opposed to 2-3-3-6 for the more expensive stuff. The lower the timings, the fewer clock cycles it takes to access the memory. If memory speed is important (and it certainly can be for games, given a fast enough video card & CPU), then the slightly faster memory will be an improvement. The Athlon64 CPU certainly likes low-latency memory, due to it's on-chip memory controller. Low latency memory is less of an issue with P4 processors, but they too will work better, only not such an improvement as the Athlon64.

For interest's sake, the fastest DDR modules i have seen run at 2-2-2-5 timings - these were somewhat expensive.

It is important to note that while I talk about improvements in speed, they will be marginal at best. The difference between 3-3-3-8 and 2-2-2-5 can be clearly seen when testing the memory with Memtest86, but it only gives a few extra FPS (if that) playing games.


[ QUOTE ]

Is this the right motherboard?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131524

Good DVD drive?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827135043

[/ QUOTE ]

Good motherboard - I like the A8N-SLI. Not the best at overclocking, but fast and stable at standard settings.

I've never used an ASUS DVD writer, but this should be fine.

dave.

[ QUOTE ]
What's the differene between these 2 kinds of memory?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145488
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145576

Is this the right motherboard?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131524

Good DVD drive?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827135043

[/ QUOTE ]

Lower latency settings are generally preferred by hardcore gamers/computer enthusiasts. In the past, test show you may gain a couple of percentage point difference in performance. Also memory starting with lower latency settings can be backed down manually in the bios when you overclock so theoretically, there should be more head room to OC in the lower latency memory, ie you can push the speed up on them.

Like that mobo. Want one myself. Drive will suit.

Edit: as dave says, the Asus boards aren't tops for overclocking, but they are a top tier mobo manufacturer and they are stable.