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      03-25-2008, 06:49 PM   #1
ScheerSpeed
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building a super-computer!

haha, jk.

well im trying to attempt building my own computer.

here's what i got so far:

-power supply
-motherboard
-processor
-memory
-case

what else do i need (other than HDD and CD/DVD drive)? any recommendations for a video card setup?
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      03-25-2008, 07:08 PM   #2
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There are no reviews on that board, hopefully it works out! Make sure your ram is on the compatibility list for the MB. I have had many ram issues with ASUS boards in the past. Personally I only use Antec PS, although the one you selected has a good reviews. Unless you are set on that case, you may want to check out antec cases too...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021

Good Luck!
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      03-25-2008, 07:16 PM   #3
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hdd, video card, sound card, cd + dvd rom, monitor, printer, speakers, mouse, keyboard.

sound card is usually optional and i never buy one.

if you are doing this for the first time.
i'd recommend...

intel processor, asus motherboard, EVGA nvidia video card, seagate HDD.

i use 8800GTS as a video card and it's alright. my computer isn't performing that great at the moment...i need to upgrade processor and another 1gig memory.

antec PSU is good and i've used OCZ as well and currently running it.
i've replaced that PSU twice for no reasons but i've received 700watt PSU instead of 500watt that i had. OCZ has a great customer service so i will definately get another one in future if antec PSU isnt available.

make sure to get a correct sockets, chipset, and etc. you should be able to figure it out pretty quickly once you start comparing specs.
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      03-25-2008, 08:46 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by b335i View Post
There are no reviews on that board, hopefully it works out! Make sure your ram is on the compatibility list for the MB. I have had many ram issues with ASUS boards in the past. Personally I only use Antec PS, although the one you selected has a good reviews. Unless you are set on that case, you may want to check out antec cases too...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021

Good Luck!
well i figured the mobo has the X48 chipset, and it's new, so i figured it might be a good option?

how would i know if the RAM is compatible?
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      03-25-2008, 08:46 PM   #5
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dual nvidia 8800 gt=good value....seeing as how you are looking top notch(you will be approaching 4.5k)

i suggest you look into raid at 7200 rpm for hd

and look into upgrading the case if you overclock, etc.......more fans or liquid

go to www.extremetech.com good stuff...there is also a detailed guide on what you need to purchase.....
www.pcmag.com

im holding off since there are supposedly some new processors coming

Last edited by E(@M#; 03-25-2008 at 09:09 PM..
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      03-25-2008, 08:57 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by ScheerSpeed View Post
well i figured the mobo has the X48 chipset, and it's new, so i figured it might be a good option?

how would i know if the RAM is compatible?
depends on the socket.....not too familiar with that mb but i would imagine it has 8gb(total) running 2gb slots
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      03-25-2008, 09:59 PM   #7
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if you tell me price range, intel or amd, and usage (gaming, photo, etc), i can build you one and give you the links, yes i have build several pcs in the past and yes i know my pc stuff .
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      03-25-2008, 11:19 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by hl0m4n View Post
if you tell me price range, intel or amd, and usage (gaming, photo, etc), i can build you one and give you the links, yes i have build several pcs in the past and yes i know my pc stuff .
dont want to spend more than 2g's

for gaming, media, etc...

i want it to be a kick-ass computer!
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      03-25-2008, 11:19 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by hl0m4n View Post
if you tell me price range, intel or amd, and usage (gaming, photo, etc), i can build you one and give you the links, yes i have build several pcs in the past and yes i know my pc stuff .
dont want to spend more than 2g's. intel processor.

for gaming, media, etc...

i want it to be a kick-ass computer!
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      03-26-2008, 01:17 AM   #10
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here ya go

Case $199.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133056 (best case thus far, so many features, but the best is the sliding mobo tray which makes swapping gpu and cpu a breeze along with other stuff)
CPU $299.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115040 (if you can shell out a few more $$$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115027)
Mobo $349.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813141009
HD $69.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144176 (for ultimate get one of these and if space is too low buy 2 and raid them together http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136035)
Video $269.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130337 (future buy one more and your sli ready)
PSU $149.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153034 (great for future sli)
Ram $169: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145182
Floppy $7.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...black%2bfloppy
DVD/CD Drive $139.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106225
Burner $174.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827129016

Total: $1831.91

Optional & Future:
F-Secure $39.99: http://www.f-secure.com/ (i use myself and it does not lag up pc and offers great security)
Sound $179.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102014
Fans $15.99 + $14.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835129244 + http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835129247 (your color of course)
OS $134.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116400 (not a big fan of vista yet)
Ram $169.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145182
SLI $269.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130337
Hawking Booster $79.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833164151 (i have one and yes, there is a significant difference when gaming; test yourself before and after at speedtest.net)
Water Cooling $239.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835127006
-Ram Attatchment: $80-120
-GPU Attatchment: $80-130
-Mobo Chip Attachment: $40-60
-HD Attachment: $35-40

Other Optional Essentials:
Monitor, Speaker, Mouse, Mouse Pad, and Keyboard

with the $200 sum left over from your $2k mark, i can build it for you and ship it to you with the wires loomed and cleared so it looks all purty inside

Last edited by hl0m4n; 03-26-2008 at 09:04 AM..
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      03-26-2008, 11:15 AM   #11
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thanks for all that!

what is different between intel and AMD processors?
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      03-26-2008, 11:25 AM   #12
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no need to mention amd atm. intel>amd and nvidia>ati

let me know if thats the setup you go with too
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      03-26-2008, 11:36 AM   #13
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It used to be that Intel was used more for processing power while AMD was better at gaming. I think this has subdued in the past couple of years. At this point I think AMD is struggling and I would look for Intel myself.

FYI, If you want to save another $200 you can drop $40 per DVD/CD burner (Samsung is good and cheap) and not go as expensive as he put. I just built my brother a decent computer (including 22" widescreen monitor and wireless moune and keyboard) for under $1,000. It doesn't have top of the line stuff but I think H0lmes was actually trying to go super gamer on you. Unless you are playing the most taxing games available, you do not need what he has put together. just my .02

ps. The burner he posted is a Deactivated Item and is no longer available.
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      03-26-2008, 11:52 AM   #14
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boring... our low end desktops at work consist of DUAL quad core xeons (8 cores total), pci-e 16x video cards, 8-16GB of ram, and 4-8TB SATA space on 3ware cards running raid 6. Funny thing is 99% of what I need to do could be done on a 486 running a terminal. Overkill!
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      03-26-2008, 11:56 AM   #15
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get this http://www.nvidia.com/content/newsle...2_prod_img.jpg

and you will have graphics like this http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/f3/fu...ors_lakers.jpg
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      03-26-2008, 11:59 AM   #16
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i also want the computer to be future proof, so thats why i want top of the line stuff. the computer i own now is a dell. pentium 4, 512mb DDR ram (not even DDR2!) 60gb HDD, and thats pretty much it. no video or sound card either...
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      03-26-2008, 12:02 PM   #17
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Yes, you need SLI. You need quad SLI.
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      03-26-2008, 12:09 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PresaMat View Post
boring... our low end desktops at work consist of DUAL quad core xeons (8 cores total), pci-e 16x video cards, 8-16GB of ram, and 4-8TB SATA space on 3ware cards running raid 6. Funny thing is 99% of what I need to do could be done on a 486 running a terminal. Overkill!
Sounds like you have an overzealous IT department and stupid management.

No computer is ever going to be future proof. If that is what you are looking for spend 1K on a good computer right now and in another year or two build another good (would be a great one today but probably just good at that time) computer then for another $( 1 + e^r ) K.
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      03-26-2008, 12:12 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Last E92 M3 View Post
hdd, video card, sound card, cd + dvd rom, monitor, printer, speakers, mouse, keyboard.

sound card is usually optional and i never buy one.

if you are doing this for the first time.
i'd recommend...

intel processor, asus motherboard, EVGA nvidia video card, seagate HDD.

i use 8800GTS as a video card and it's alright. my computer isn't performing that great at the moment...i need to upgrade processor and another 1gig memory.

antec PSU is good and i've used OCZ as well and currently running it.
i've replaced that PSU twice for no reasons but i've received 700watt PSU instead of 500watt that i had. OCZ has a great customer service
so i will definately get another one in future if antec PSU isnt available.

make sure to get a correct sockets, chipset, and etc. you should be able to figure it out pretty quickly once you start comparing specs.
Funny, I had the exact same thing happen to me earlier this year. My 420w OCZ PowerStream PSU literally blew up, in sparks and smoke. I sent it back and they sent me a brand new 600w GameXstream PSU. I'll definitely continue to do business with them with that kind of customer care.

ScheerSpeed: It looks like I got in a little late and a bunch of people have already given some good input. I would only say a few things, get 4 GB of RAM. I like to have 1 GB per core, and with as cheap as it is, 4 GB costs nothing right now. I personally can't suggest a Western Digital hard drive to anyone, I don't think I've had a single one except my Raptor that is still running. Every single one of them is dead. I've had at least 10 dead WDs while only have a few dead of any other brand. The Seagate 7200.10 SATA drives are probably the best HDDs I've ever used. I would strongly suggest them for low capacity, or their big brother, the 7200.11s if you need more space. I have 3 320 GB 7200.10s in RAID 5 and they are incredible. Personally I run an 80 GB Raptor as my main system drive, and keep all my personal files on the RAID array, that way my Windows drive is on a very low latency and fast HDD, and I can also wipe out the entire system drive at any time without losing any of my data. You might want to look into something similar, it's made life much easier.

Uhh, what else, oh, don't get an 8800 GTS, the 8800 GT has since been released and basically takes over it's spot as a blazing fast mid range card. It also a newer chipset with more advanced features than the GTS such as better support for HD decoding. I have a GTS from before the GT came out, I wish I had a GT now.

Other than that I think you've got it down pretty well. Post up a final config before you order and we'll read over and let you know if you miss anything or if there is anything better.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hl0m4n View Post


Quote:
Originally Posted by PresaMat View Post
boring... our low end desktops at work consist of DUAL quad core xeons (8 cores total), pci-e 16x video cards, 8-16GB of ram, and 4-8TB SATA space on 3ware cards running raid 6. Funny thing is 99% of what I need to do could be done on a 486 running a terminal. Overkill!
That's more than I have on my development box here at work.
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      03-26-2008, 12:15 PM   #20
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hey scheerspeed, take it from me. i custom built you the pc for your price range and future proof. the case, mobo, etc are all smartly selected by me for future.

for example the case has a removable mobo tray which makes like 1 infinity times easier to swap processor in future.

the sli is all you need. quad sli is useless right now and the tri-sli is just a eh. dual sli is more then enough. if you really need the graphics in the future (more then what i provided) you can upgrade to the new 9800 gx2 but right now the one i listed alone is a great performer and in the future you add another one your good to go.

as for the ram ideal will be full 4gb. but a 1-2gb setup is fine right now. and don't skimp on ram they are like tires on your car .

if you have any other q's just post here
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      03-26-2008, 12:18 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hl0m4n View Post
hey scheerspeed, take it from me. i custom built you the pc for your price range and future proof. the case, mobo, etc are all smartly selected by me for future.

for example the case has a removable mobo tray which makes like 1 infinity times easier to swap processor in future.

the sli is all you need. quad sli is useless right now and the tri-sli is just a eh. dual sli is more then enough. if you really need the graphics in the future (more then what i provided) you can upgrade to the new 9800 gx2 but right now the one i listed alone is a great performer and in the future you add another one your good to go.

if you have any other q's just post here
See, I dunno. I personally would rather have to do a little more work than spend that much money on a case. Then again, I can have a computer apart and together in no time, so I guess it's not as big a deal to me, but I wouldn't DREAM of spending $300 on a case. Hell, I won't spend more than $100. Some of the best cases I've ever used have been < $50. Plus, I grew out of the lights and windows and stuff and now just prefer to not even see the box.
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      03-26-2008, 12:23 PM   #22
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I would not skimp on the hard drives....

I would get 2 WD Raptor 150 GB X's and configure them in RAID. 10k RPM SATA w/ a 16MB Cache buffer.... I can install windows XP pro in < 15 minutes. Alot of people skimp on 7200RPM 8MB buffer HDDs, but I would much rather spend the extra $$ on the Hard drive vs Blu ray player for your PC...You can also add a large HDD for extra storage but for cost savings run a 7200RPM cheaper model than the raptors...I mean honestly how often will you even watch a blu ray DVD on your PC?? I have a PS3 and a 42'' 1080P LCD for that...

I notice alot of guys who claim to build PCs or self proclaimed 'expert' computer builders always seem to skimp on the hard drive...

Take it from a Systems Administrator by day, PC gamer/enthusiast by night. Video card, RAM, CPU, HARD DRIVE, PS (power supply) are the things you dont want to skimp on....obviously MB is important as well but dont let your MB limit your expandability
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