# Just looking for some build advice, and a check over my specs :)



## aeirion (Feb 17, 2009)

This is my first post on this forum, and I'm hoping my experiance goes well here, as it comes highly recomended by a friend of mine for great tech advice. 

This also happens to be my first build  Which is the reason I'm posting this in the first place. I've been working on computers for years, replaced many parts, and have upgraded just about every system I've owned at one time or another, but this will be the first system I've built *entirely* from scratch. I'd really appreciate it if I could get some feed back on my plans, specifically in the areas of any compatability issues that may arise, and any important building tips. 

My main goal for this system is to build a decent gaming rig for as little as possible. I know that probably sounds like an oxymoron to alot of you, but the way the economy is, I'm in a pretty tight spot at the moment, and don't have the 1-2k to invest in something crazy-good. 

I will accept donations!  

Anyway the main thing I'll be using this system for is playing various MMORPGs (WoW, age of conan, and Warhammer), as well as a few decent RTS, and SIM games I like. But I also hope to use this as a multimedia platform for watchin HD content, and possibly as a DVR (I'm not really sure how to accomplish that at this point, so any advice in that area would be nice as well). 

So here comes the specs! 

*Hard Drive*:Western Digital Caviar GP WD5000AACS 500GB 

*PSU*:RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W

*Video*:EVGA 512-P3-N873-RX GeForce 9800 GTX+

*Memory*:CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM 

*Mother Board*:Foxconn G31MV-K LGA 775 

*Processor*:Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz 
Probably overclocked to around 2.8 - 3.0ghz

*Optical Drive*:LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black

*Case*:RAIDMAX Tornado ATX-238WU

*O.S*:Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit This is the 'System Builder' Edition, as far as I know that just means it comes without tech support from microsoft, which I dont' care about, if I'm wrong about that please correct me.


Like I said earlier my main thought on this is money consumption, I've gotten pretty good deals on a few of the parts (like the GeForce 9800 GTX+ for example), but if you know of a cheaper part that has either similar, or increased functionality, or something that I've left out please note this as well. I'm trying to keep the cost of this less than $600. I'm sure that budget is funny to many, and I'll probably get a few comments about my idiocy, but thats what I have to work with 

I'll check back here in a few hours, and I look forward to the flood of responses that I'll hopefully recieve 

Regards,

Brad

p.s.

The system I layed out with shipping and everything tallies up to 625.78 cents including shipping, and it comes with $60 bucks in rebates  So.. 565.78


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 17, 2009)

for 1 its going to be dependent on what monitor your driving, and the person to send you the Athlon Machine doesnt specify what model specifically it is etc, also the first Machine id be skeptical of the Powersupply, Id say make it 550 watts to be on the safe side.


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## kyle2020 (Feb 17, 2009)

Looks like a pretty solid build - the only recommendations i will make are as follows:

Try and find a HD4850 thats cheaper than the GTX if possible - they are faster and in the UK atleast cheaper.

Im not liking the look of that pentium. For the same price you can get an E5200, and they do overclock well :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

oh, and for the price, id rather go for the intel system, and just to correct you, a dual core on 2.8Ghz isnt extremely fast, unless your coming from your pentium D's 

Apart from that, as long as you take your time, you should be fine - remember, we are here if you need help!


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## aeirion (Feb 17, 2009)

Thanks to both of you for the quick responses didn't really expect to get any this quickly!  I'm already starting have sexy feelings for this place.  

Oh and the (extremely fast) comment was written by the guy who offered to sell me the athlon for $550 ... just copy pasted it


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## kyle2020 (Feb 17, 2009)

haha, hope you enjoy your stay here, I know I sure as hell have 

I wouldnt bother with that AMD system, not when you can get a system with an E5200 (seen people overclock those to 4Ghz) and a 9800GTX. 

When are you ordering parts?


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## aeirion (Feb 17, 2009)

Oh yeah and I was thinking about this monitor, but I'm open to any recomendations, something low cost, with as much bang for my buck as possible would be nice. My only qualm with this one is the 5ms, I'd prefer 8ms + for better picture quality. I'm probably going to end up finding one locally though at a second hand shop, or off craiglist. 

Acer X193Wb Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor


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## aeirion (Feb 17, 2009)

Probably ordering today or tomorrow, whenever I get enough feed back to feel safe in my decisions.


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## kyle2020 (Feb 17, 2009)

looks like a nice monitor - a 9800GTX will be overkill on it mind. Still plenty of room for the future though, if you decide to go 22" or so.

Have you looked on ebay? always find the odd bargain on the bay


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## aeirion (Feb 17, 2009)

kyle2020 said:


> looks like a nice monitor - a 9800GTX will be overkill on it mind. Still plenty of room for the future though, if you decide to go 22" or so.
> 
> Have you looked on ebay? always find the odd bargain on the bay



Nah haven't checked ebay, don't really ever go there, I'll head over there now though... never used it before... guess it's worth a try


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## BarbaricSoul (Feb 17, 2009)

aeirion said:


> Oh yeah and I was thinking about this monitor, but I'm open to any recomendations, something low cost, with as much bang for my buck as possible would be nice. My only qualm with this one is the 5ms, I'd prefer 8ms + for better picture quality. I'm probably going to end up finding one locally though at a second hand shop, or off craiglist.
> 
> Acer X193Wb Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor



5ms isnt bad, but you are mistaken on one count, you don't want a higher ms rating, you want lower. The ms stands for millisecond. A 8 ms monitor has a slower reponse time than a 5 ms monitor. 3-5ms monitors work nicely for gaming, 8ms monitors are shit.


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## aeirion (Feb 17, 2009)

Ah thanks  I knew I posted here for something!  So a 3ms moniter it is then.


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## BarbaricSoul (Feb 17, 2009)

not a problem, and BTW, I agree with everything Kyle has said. 2.8 gig AMD dual core extremely fast roflmao, my system shut down is faster than that.


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## BarbaricSoul (Feb 17, 2009)

also, if possible, I would get this motherboard over either of those two boards if you think you might want to add another 9800gtx for some SLI performance upgrades in the future. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188033

Or this board if your not interested in going SLI as a future upgrade option

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136038

Both board are more expensive than what you listed, but you get what you pay for. Either of these boards will serve you better than either of those boards.


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## aeirion (Feb 17, 2009)

I definitally like your board alot but the price difference is extreme, at least according to my budget.. going from 40 bucks to 110 (a 70 dollar price jump) will make that board unatainable for me.. unfortunatly. But perhaps I can upgrade in the future, or if I sell this one can put it in my next. I dunno... I'd really like it...


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## BarbaricSoul (Feb 17, 2009)

well you can reuse the hard drive, CD drives and case from your previous computer to save some money. Personally, I would concentrate on getting the hardware you need for a faster system before worrying about a new DVD drive or case.


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## driver66 (Feb 17, 2009)

This thread deals in your budget area should give you some solid ideas 

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=80770


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## aeirion (Feb 17, 2009)

BarbaricSoul said:


> well you can reuse the hard drive, CD drives and case from your previous computer to save some money. Personally, I would concentrate on getting the hardware you need for a faster system before worrying about a new DVD drive or case.



I would tend to agree, but the problem is I just came out of a pretty bad break up in which I had to trade my previous computer, for the dog 

So... don't really have anything at this point. No mouse, speaker, monitor, no keyboard... no sex...  

lol anyway... I'm trying to start over from scratch, but your starting to sell me on the motherboard... I'll see if I can find some price adjustments elsewhere or find a cheaper HD perhaps from a local second hand store.


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## aeirion (Feb 18, 2009)

So just checked back in and it seems that sadly I haven't gotten any of my real questions answered. Not offended anyone of course, as this is completley volunteer type of deal, but if it wouldn't be too much trouble could someone answer some of my questions if they're able? I would love at your general direction for long periods of time.  Anyway just as a refresher my questions were:

1) Do you think I'll have any compatability issues?
2) Is this a decent build?
3) Any tips or advice for a first timer?
4) How would I go about using this system for a DVR and TV dealie?
5) Do you think I've chosen well for the money to quality ratio?

Again sorry to throw this up, but I'd really like to adress those points specifically the compatability point, before I order, and I'm hoping to order sometime today


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## kyle2020 (Feb 18, 2009)

nope, no issues - a bios flash is basically where you download the motherboards latest bios file, use the motherboards utility from within bios, and flash it to the latest revision. 

Its one hell of a build, and a solid all around performer. A dab of overclock on that E5200 and youll be laughing. 

Tips or advice? check out my stickied first build advice thread in my signature!


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## aeirion (Feb 18, 2009)

Thanks for the quick response yet again Kyle  I guess I'm just nervous being a first time builder, though I can also say the anticipation is killing me... can't wait to order these parts ahhhhhhhhh!


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## kyle2020 (Feb 18, 2009)

get them ordered mate! youll have a blast building it and when you first install windows, well youll feel mint haha.


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## Darknova (Feb 18, 2009)

One thing I will say that I've learnt from my own experience (and mistakes) is to NOT skimp on the motherboard and PSU. If need be get a cheaper CPU/RAM/HDDs etc. and grab a good quality motherboard that will last you longer.

This year alone I've been through 4 motherboards, of which only 1 I didn't hate.

Pulling out the motherboard and replacing it can be a pain in the arse, and Windows can sometimes throw a fit about it (I've been lucky so far), but I will never again skimp on my motherboard to get a better CPU. A CPU can be replaced with little fuss, a motherboard is a pain.


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## aeirion (Feb 18, 2009)

Well the CPU was the cheapest I could find that would do what I wanted, so I really couldn't adjust that, and as for the ram for the quality of corsair ram, and for 4GB of it, I figured 30 bucks was pretty economical as well as a great price for the items..  But if you have some recomendations to replace either of those I'd be interested, as I searched for awhile, and couldn't find a better deal at least in my opinion, which may not mean anything anyway  
As for my PSU, I didn't realise it was that crummy, what should I look for in a good PSU?


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 18, 2009)

you can shave money off if you get Value Series Ram, Now if your overclocking that's a diff story (altho ive heard of value ram kicking the crap out of performance grade when it was equipped with 3rd party heatspreaders)


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## kyle2020 (Feb 18, 2009)

nova was just making sure you dont go scrimping out - just be cautious, you dont want to spend $10 less on a board and have it die a month down the line.


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## PaulieG (Feb 18, 2009)

Your PSU is the most important component in your build. Spend a bit more here, and you will never regret it. I'd scrap the Raidmax and go with this one. Great quality, and won't break the bank. 

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=PS-ZU650W3


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## aeirion (Feb 18, 2009)

well I know this is cheaper, but it's more power, and it was more expensive... probably getting ready to phase it out. Sunbeam PSU-HUSH680-US 680W


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## Darknova (Feb 18, 2009)

aeirion said:


> well I know this is cheaper, but it's more power, and it was more expensive... probably getting ready to phase it out. Sunbeam PSU-HUSH680-US 680W



more wattage doesn't mean a better PSU, it's whether or not it actually delivers the power. I've seen 500W PSU's that deliver less than 200W.

My PCP&C PSU I won't change now for a good 2 or 3 PC rebuilds. It has more than enough wattage/amperage, and it's very good quality. By not skimping on my PSU (like I have in the past) I have in fact saved money in the long run.

My current board....well I hate it, if I'd spent £20 more I would have got a far better board and I wouldn't be having to change it again soon.

Don't skimp to save money in the short term, because chances are you'll have to spend more money in the future.


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## aeirion (Feb 18, 2009)

I'm probably gonna stick withe raidmax for now I think, it's gotten a lot of very good reviews from just about everyone who's purchased it.. and the specs seem decent. But I think I may have found a better Mobo, whatcha think? GIGABYTE GA-G31M


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## aeirion (Feb 21, 2009)

Ok found a better PSU: TOPOWER ZU-550W  and I've ordered the parts  I'll update when I receive them and tell you guys how it goes, thanks for all your valuable input, I really appreciate the help from all of you


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## aeirion (Mar 3, 2009)

Alrighty! Everything got here, took f'n forever, UPS needs to die... but anyway.. put it all together.. took me about 4 hours or so, booted up, installed the O.S. no problems whatsoever.. I  this computer.  Now I just need to figure out how to go about overclocking this mofo. 
I'll be posting in the OC forum for that info, so if anyone wants to make a comment just leave there please  Just thought I should cap this thread off with my results.


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## zithe (Mar 3, 2009)

My brother has that foxconn board. Perfectly good for a stock system. Won't OC very far. Maybe a few hundred MHZ.


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## aeirion (Mar 4, 2009)

I decided not to go with the foxconn board... I went with the gigabyte about 2 posts up.


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