Bulding a pc and I need some advice with the parts I've chosen.

Necro

So I've finally chosen the parts for my new pc and I wanted to know if they are worth buying.Is there anything I need to change?
My budget:$1300
Price of PArts now:$915

Parts:
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$119.99
PSU:
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX ATX12V V2.2 450W Power Supply 90 $80
Cooler:
Thermaltake CL-P0401 110mm Full-Range Fan CPU Cooler $60
Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Processor BX80570E8400 - 3.0GHz, 6MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB, Wolfdale, Dual-Core, Retail, Socket 775, Processor with Fan $200
Motherboard:
Gigabyte P35-DS3L $90
Video Card:
Nvidia PCI-E 512 Mb XFX PCX9800GTX 675MHz
300$
Ram:
DDRII4096Mb (2x2048Mb) PC2-6400 800MHz DDR2 DIMM Corsair XMS2 C4DHX (TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX G) BOX $84.99

Mr. Eric

It depends on what you are doing, but I think getting a higher ghz dual-core would be a better choice.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache

^^ That one is ridiculously fast. It's also 45 nm technology.

Also, I would suggest getting a 650-700 watt PSU. Use this: http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html

I don't know much about liquid cooling, but you really don't need it with the case you have. My friend has almost the exact same computer (case, ram, processor, video card all the same) and it's fine. The case has quite a few fans and the entire left side is metal grating, so no need to worry about too much heat.

You are grossly overpaying on your ram as well. Use this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

Same everything, $50 cheaper.

Apreche

You don't need a 650-700 watt PSU. That's ludicrous. I got a 500 watt in mine, and it is more than enough. A 400 probably would have been enough. Heck, there are people getting 380 watt PSUs that are just fine.

Water cooling is also a silly waste. The cooler that comes with the retail Intel or AMD CPU cools very well, and is super quiet.

Usagimaru

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

If you're getting this case I'm guessing you don't care much about sound. I don't think you would need water cooling with all the fans in it.

Necro

I need the water cooling and the PSu becaue I'm going to overclock it til about 3.2 ghz and buy a second graphics card when I get the money and I'd rather play safe than have my CPU fried.

lackofcheese

If that's the case, you're better off getting a higher quality PSU than just one with more wattage.
Similarly, with the watercooling, if you're not going to spend a lot on it (and by a lot I mean a couple of hundred, or more), a good air cooler is a much, much better idea.

Omnutia

Similarly, with the watercooling, if you're not going to spend a lot on it (and by a lot I mean a couple of hundred, or more), a good air cooler is a much, much better idea.

Especially if you haven't overclocked before, a good air cooler will get you a good amount of overclocking so you can try it out.

Necro

Actually I have overclocked before and I know how to do it but with the components I will have and will buy for the pc I thought I would need water cooling.If you say so I'll get an air cooler.

Apreche

I need the water cooling and the PSu becaue I'm going to overclock it til about 3.2 ghz and buy a second graphics card when I get the money and I'd rather play safe than have my CPU fried.

Don't do that. Overclocking is a waste of time, and SLi is just stupid. Take the money you were going to spend on the extra video card and the water cooling, and instead just buy a faster CPU. Overclocking is really not a good idea, and not necessary.

I just built this computer with the Core 2 Duo E8400 45nm Wolfdale @ 3.0 Ghz. I also have an 8800GT. I can play the Crysis with everything turned up all the way. There is no need for overclocking. If you overclock, the only benefit will be that your computer will die faster, and you will spend extra money on cooling.

Necro

Well I've just seen the comparisons of the CPU and the E8400 seems to be the best for gaming and way cheaper than the Q9330 so I'll change the CPU.I also thing I'll change the cooling system.I'll update my first post as soon as I can get the prices for the new components.

lackofcheese

Okay. This is obviously a gaming PC, so the graphics card is the most important part. However, since you're already picking a 9800GTX, you can't really go any further.

There is basically only one question that matters when we come to SLi, etc. What monitor will this be running on? If the resolution on the monitor isn't particularly huge, there is NO POINT to SLI. It's only if you have money to burn and, say, a 30" LCD that there's a point to it.

With the PSU, like I said before, look for quality above all else. Take a good, long look into PSU reviews on various sites.

Necro

THe resolution is 1440x900 an I can go further with the graphics card by buyimng the 9800GX2 but it's an overpriced piece of hardware.

lackofcheese

Yes, the 9800GX2 is overpriced.
1440x900 is not a particularly great resolution (this is likely on a 19" I guess?). I'd consider spending some money on a 22" screen before spending more on the PC. You have no idea how important screen size is until you try a large one.

Necro

I have a 24" SONY Bravia LCD TV that isn't being used at all.It has slots for the monitor cables.Would that be any good?I've used it a few times and the games I played looked pretty good,I ddin't notice any difference between my current monitor and the TV.

lackofcheese

TVs don't tend to have high resolution (Yours would have 1366x768), so they're only good if you sit far away. 24" isn't that big for a TV either.
I'd still go for a new monitor if I were you.

Omnutia

Isn't the 9800GX2 SLI on a single card?
I wouldn't say a 24" TV would be a good idea as the resolution wouldn't be that high.

Necro

TVs don't tend to have high resolution (Yours would have 1366x768), so they're only good if you sit far away. 24" isn't that big for a TV either.
I'd still go for a new monitor if I were you.

I have about 300$ left and I'll get some more on my birthday so I'll get a new monitor.

Apreche

I'm probably going to buy the Dell Ultrasharp 20" widescreen. I'm talking about this one. It is the same resolution as the 22", and it is super cheap. It actually has a lot less total screen real-estate than a 20" that isn't widescreen, that is why it is so cheap. However, I can rotate this monitor on its side to get a very tall screen. That will making coding incredibly awesome. Rym likes the 22" better, but I see no advantage other than the ability to sit slightly further away. Resolution is what matters, not inches.

lackofcheese

Necro, when buying the screen, you can decide between 22" and 24", both are reasonably priced.
Even on a 24" all games currently out will run well on a single 9800GTX. By the time there are games that don't, you will be able to buy a single new card that will be much better value than SLIing your old cards.


Apreche, that price on the Dell 20" is decent, but the LCD panel itself is no better than what you get from other brands. Being able to rotate it is nice, but I would probably stick with getting a 24", either from the cheaper line or another brand. It's the next step up in resolution, and still quite reasonably priced.

Necro

I'm probably going to buy the Dell Ultrasharp 20" widescreen. I'm talking aboutthis one. It is the same resolution as the 22", and it is super cheap. It actually has a lot less total screen real-estate than a 20" that isn't widescreen, that is why it is so cheap. However, I can rotate this monitor on its side to get a very tall screen. That will making coding incredibly awesome. Rym likes the 22" better, but I see no advantage other than the ability to sit slightly further away. Resolution is what matters, not inches.

Thats one hell of a monitor.It's HD,has a great resolution adn a good price.Since we've got onto the topic of accesories will I have to get a new keyboard for gaming?I've already found a Razer Deathadder mouse for $65 so the mouse wont be a problem.

lackofcheese

I'm probably going to buy the Dell Ultrasharp 20" widescreen. I'm talking aboutthis one. It is the same resolution as the 22", and it is super cheap. It actually has a lot less total screen real-estate than a 20" that isn't widescreen, that is why it is so cheap. However, I can rotate this monitor on its side to get a very tall screen. That will making coding incredibly awesome. Rym likes the 22" better, but I see no advantage other than the ability to sit slightly further away. Resolution is what matters, not inches.

Thats one hell of a monitor.It's HD,has a great resolution adn a good price.Since we've got onto the topic of accesories will I have to get a new keyboard for gaming?I've already found a Razer Deathadder mouse for $65 so the mouse wont be a problem.

Unless the ability to rotate it is particularly relevant to you, you can get 22" on newegg for less than Dell's 20".

Good on you for the Deathadder. It performed the best in the only mouse benchmarking test I've ever seen :P, and it's a great mouse. The shape of it in particular is great.

As for the keyboard, there are three things you might want on a keyboard that could potentially matter to you:-
->clicky keys
->ergonomics
->macros
If none of the above matters to you, don't spend much on the KB.

Andrew

I recently picked up this awesome monitor which was an amazing deal. It has a higher contrast ratio and faster response time than any other monitor out there. A benefit of 20" over 22" is that at the same resolution the pixels are smaller on the 20" making it slightly more crisper in my opinion.

Apreche

24" is just too big.

Omnutia

Questions: How does one go about selecting a motherboard? Are there any particular numbers that have to me matched up with other parts? Can I get one without SLI to save space?

Andrew

Questions: How does one go about selecting a motherboard? Are there any particular numbers that have to me matched up with other parts? Can I get one without SLI to save space?

Yes. The important things to look for are FSB speed, what socket is used, RAM speed, and what kinda of slots it uses for video cards and the such.

Apreche

Questions: How does one go about selecting a motherboard? Are there any particular numbers that have to me matched up with other parts? Can I get one without SLI to save space?

What I do is I pick the CPU first. Once you pick the CPU, you can narrow down your motherboard choices to ones that have support for that CPU. I make sure that the motherboard can also support the maximum FSB for that CPU. Other than that, I check the maximum supported amount of RAM and maximum supported RAM speed. I also care about the number of connectors it has in terms of USB, SATA, etc. The size is important too. You don't want to get an ATX to put in a micro ATX case. That won't do at all.

Omnutia

FSB speed should match up with which parts (CPU and Memory?)?

Apreche

FSB speed should match up with which parts (CPU and Memory?)?

FSB should match the maximum FSB of the CPU. RAM has a separate speed.

For example. I picked the E8400 CPU. It supports an FSB of 1333mhz. Then I picked the GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L motherboard that supports a 1333mhz fsb. The motherboard supports up to DDR2 1066 RAM. So I bought some DDR2 800 RAM, which was much cheaper, and not much slower than DDR2 1066 RAM.

Omnutia

One more question: Is it better to use thermal paste or the adhesive pads?

lackofcheese

24" is just too big.

I use one, and love it. It only seems too big for about half an hour before you get used to it.

FSB should match the maximum FSB of the CPU. RAM has a separate speed.

Yeah, you want the maximum FSB of the motherboard to be equal to or greater than the maximum FSB of the CPU. However, with RAM, you'll find that performance improvements start to be marginal past the point when the actual frequency of the RAM exceeds the actual frequency of the FSB. Note that I say "actual frequency" - the FSB is quad-pumped, so take 1/4 of that for the actual frequency. All DDR is Double Data rate, so take 1/2 of that for the actual frequency. Consequently, 1333Mhz fsb is actually 333Mhz, which is the same speed as 667Mhz DDR.

Consequently, it's only worthwhile to pay for something better than 667Mhz RAM based on one ore more of these possibilities:-
1) You're getting something with significantly lower latency (once you've exceeded the point I mentioned above, latency is the deciding factor for RAM)
2) The price difference is minor
3) You intend to overclock the CPU, hence the actual frequency of the FSB will increase past 333MHz and hence you'll want the RAM to follow suit.

CHOIS CHOIS CHOIS

You don't need a 650-700 watt PSU. That's ludicrous. I got a 500 watt in mine, and it is more than enough. A 400 probably would have been enough. Heck, there are people getting 380 watt PSUs that are just fine.

Yeah, it's way to much. You'll need a small nuclear power-plant to power it. You can always upgrade from there if you need more. That's the nice thing about building your own tower.