New Build Advice/Suggestions! - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

gnort · 08-06-2006, 07:58 PM

So this summer my mission is to put together something to replace my dying laptop. I've been working a lot (to pay for this in addition to my normal expenses) so I really haven't had much time to plan this thing out and, with summer drawing to a close, I think it's time I buckled down.

I'm looking to build something that I'll primarily use for school work. I don't game a lot, but I want to have the option if a game comes along that I get into (Spore!). I also do minor video and photo editing, but it's nothing that I spend a lot of time on.

Here's what I've quickly come up with that fits in my budget (under $1,000):

CASE: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5

MOBO: Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3500+

RAM: CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB)

PSU: Coolmax 550w

Graphics Card: POWERCOLOR X800GTO256MBDDR3 Radeon X800GTO

DVD: Samsung DVD Drive

HD: Seagate Barracuda 200gb [Already have it, plus another 200gb drive in an enclosure that I may throw in as well]

Monitor: Acer 19" Widescreen

I'll be running Windows XP Pro.

Do you think this is something I can get started on or do you have any suggestions for better components? I am kind of new to this and could use all the help I can get. I was also wondering if a heatsink is necessary for the cpu and if someone could suggest a cheap one that would do the trick.

Thanks in advance for any helpful tips!

Plaid13 · 08-06-2006, 10:02 PM

Ok first of all that case is a good choice its the one i use nothing fancy but it was easy to work with didnt have any crazy sharp edges inside and it has good airflow.

The motherboard should be pretty good i have used a couple gigabyte boards and liked both of them. but... if your going to use a nvidia based motherboard you should use a nvidia video card. Im not even sure why but i have always been told they would work better together then a nvidia based board and a ATI card.

For the ram the brand is great but that ram is a bit overkill the valueram that corsair makes is wonderful stuff and you wont ever notice the diffrence with it from the top of the line stuff they make unless you plan to overclock. Pretty sure that will save you at least $30 Save that money and spend another $40 or something then orginal and get yourself a second gig of ram. will work wonders when video editing or playing the next gen games.

Dont know anything about that power sorce so cant help you with that one.

The processor will come with a good heatsink and fan. But.. you might want to buy a 120mm fan to replace the one in the case for the exhaust. The one that came with my case was a pile of crap that was so weak it sometimes didnt have enough power to start itself spinning. Then get 2 80mm fans one for the intake in the front and one to put on the side of the case in the duct pointing right at the processor. just to keep it nice and cool. That one isnt needed but it dosnt hurt and it will cool the thing a few degrees extra.

Dont know anything about that dvd burner but it looks like it got good reveiws and samsung is a good brand and it looks like it might just be a great deal.

That moniter looks nice but i havnt ever been a fan of lcds. However acer is a good brand and it got a ton of good reviews so if i was looking for a lcd moniter i would consider that one worth getting.

Dont forget to get the little details. sound card if you plan on listening to music or if sound matters to you during gaming. for about $45 you can get yourself a nice one. Onboard audio sucks. then speakers to go with it unless you plan to use headphones. Mouse keyboard of corse. Then what most people tend to forget the thermal paste for between the processor and the heat sink.

gnort · 08-07-2006, 12:09 PM

Thanks. I wasn't sure about the quality of the cheaper RAM, but with the recomendation I'll definitely try and save some money there.

Also I think I'm going to use this graphics card instead.

Plaid13 · 08-07-2006, 07:08 PM

looks like a good video card for the price. As long as you stick to name brand ram you shouldnt ever have a problem with the quality. Corsair kingston and crucial are the three brands that i have always heard the best things about.

08-06-2006, 07:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
gnort Psycho Location: MA	New Build Advice/Suggestions! So this summer my mission is to put together something to replace my dying laptop. I've been working a lot (to pay for this in addition to my normal expenses) so I really haven't had much time to plan this thing out and, with summer drawing to a close, I think it's time I buckled down. I'm looking to build something that I'll primarily use for school work. I don't game a lot, but I want to have the option if a game comes along that I get into (Spore!). I also do minor video and photo editing, but it's nothing that I spend a lot of time on. Here's what I've quickly come up with that fits in my budget (under $1,000): CASE: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 MOBO: Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ RAM: CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) PSU: Coolmax 550w Graphics Card: POWERCOLOR X800GTO256MBDDR3 Radeon X800GTO DVD: Samsung DVD Drive HD: Seagate Barracuda 200gb [Already have it, plus another 200gb drive in an enclosure that I may throw in as well] Monitor: Acer 19" Widescreen I'll be running Windows XP Pro. Do you think this is something I can get started on or do you have any suggestions for better components? I am kind of new to this and could use all the help I can get. I was also wondering if a heatsink is necessary for the cpu and if someone could suggest a cheap one that would do the trick. Thanks in advance for any helpful tips! __________________ You had me at Qapla'

08-07-2006, 12:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
gnort Psycho Location: MA	Thanks. I wasn't sure about the quality of the cheaper RAM, but with the recomendation I'll definitely try and save some money there. Also I think I'm going to use this graphics card instead. __________________ You had me at Qapla'

08-06-2006, 10:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
Plaid13 I want a Plaid crayon	Ok first of all that case is a good choice its the one i use nothing fancy but it was easy to work with didnt have any crazy sharp edges inside and it has good airflow. The motherboard should be pretty good i have used a couple gigabyte boards and liked both of them. but... if your going to use a nvidia based motherboard you should use a nvidia video card. Im not even sure why but i have always been told they would work better together then a nvidia based board and a ATI card. For the ram the brand is great but that ram is a bit overkill the valueram that corsair makes is wonderful stuff and you wont ever notice the diffrence with it from the top of the line stuff they make unless you plan to overclock. Pretty sure that will save you at least $30 Save that money and spend another $40 or something then orginal and get yourself a second gig of ram. will work wonders when video editing or playing the next gen games. Dont know anything about that power sorce so cant help you with that one. The processor will come with a good heatsink and fan. But.. you might want to buy a 120mm fan to replace the one in the case for the exhaust. The one that came with my case was a pile of crap that was so weak it sometimes didnt have enough power to start itself spinning. Then get 2 80mm fans one for the intake in the front and one to put on the side of the case in the duct pointing right at the processor. just to keep it nice and cool. That one isnt needed but it dosnt hurt and it will cool the thing a few degrees extra. Dont know anything about that dvd burner but it looks like it got good reveiws and samsung is a good brand and it looks like it might just be a great deal. That moniter looks nice but i havnt ever been a fan of lcds. However acer is a good brand and it got a ton of good reviews so if i was looking for a lcd moniter i would consider that one worth getting. Dont forget to get the little details. sound card if you plan on listening to music or if sound matters to you during gaming. for about $45 you can get yourself a nice one. Onboard audio sucks. then speakers to go with it unless you plan to use headphones. Mouse keyboard of corse. Then what most people tend to forget the thermal paste for between the processor and the heat sink.

08-07-2006, 07:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
Plaid13 I want a Plaid crayon	looks like a good video card for the price. As long as you stick to name brand ram you shouldnt ever have a problem with the quality. Corsair kingston and crucial are the three brands that i have always heard the best things about.