PC breakdown - Good choices?

[junkyard]

So, I'm planning on buying a higher end PC, and wanted a few fellow PC builders opinions on what I have here. Feel free to rip it apart, that's what I want you to do. Tell me where I could do better.

 

1x Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

 

1x SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

 

1x EVGA 122-M2-NF59-TR Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD

 

1x EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HD

 

1x Thermaltake W0116RU Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version 750W

 

2x mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) with EPP

 

1x ZALMAN CNPS9500 LED 92mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan with Heatsink - Retail

 

1x AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model

$169.99

Subtotal: $1,590.91

 

AFTER SHIPPING

 

Grand Total: $1,613.87

[Angry_Games]

1. Antec 900 is great case. It's my server's case right now

 

2. Samsung are great drives. I also like the Seagates.

 

3. not familiar with the eVGA NF590 board, but it can't be bad, so I would get it

 

4. heh, 8800GTX...I ain't even got one yet. good choice

 

5. TT psu = I wouldn't own a Thermaltake psu if you paid me $5000. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Get a real brand psu like Corsair HX-620 or OCZ GX 700 etc.

 

6. I prefer OCZ/Corsair/Buffalo RAM. Not a big fan of Mushkin at all. OCZ and Corsair have reps in this forum to assist you, plus I and most others are much more familiar with OCZ/Corsair/Buffalo etc.

 

7. never owned that zalman cpu cooler but everyone else has. good choice

 

8. can't go wrong with that cpu for sure. (don't let anyone try and tell you you GOT TO HAVE an intel core2 cpu. you don't)

[ilikeducttape]

thats going to be one sweet rig! i agree with Angry though, TT psu's are not TT's strong selling point at all. for the price that you would pay for that psu, you could get an even nicer, like an OCZ or PCP&C which would me MUCH more reliable.

 

also, what monitor will you be running? dont get me wrong, the 8800gtx is a beast, but if you are running lower resolutions, you could save a few bucks and get a gts. however, if you are running 1600x1200 or higher, then the gtx is your best option.

 

also, didnt see a soundcard listed. are you planning on just running onboard sound?

 

either way, looks like a nice build. that should last you for a little while.

[suedenim]

Yep - looks good. What do you plan on doing with it - games, vids?

 

Interested to know what your monitor is/ will be as the GTX could be overkill (for now anyway). It might be more prudent to get an EVGA 320MB GTS, save the cash and then upgrade using their step up plan.

 

A shout for the OCZ PSUs. I've checked mine with a multimeter and it does exactly what it says on the tin (well the sticker on the side).

 

If you're looking to buy in some longevity you might want to consider a beefier PSU but otherwise you should be very happy.

[pkilway]

I would cross reference the psu's listed on "The Big Giant Power Supply Thread" and these two threads of recommended PSU's at JohnnyGuru's.com (Sub $150 psu's and High End Gaming psu's).

 

Which is exactly what I did and ended up with a new Antec Trio 550, which hasn't been put into the sig yet.

[AnUnknownSource]

ditto on TT PSU no-go...

 

Mushkin make pretty good sticks, but like angry said there's reps around here for OCZ/Corsair...

 

The 9500 is a damn fine cooler...

 

and if you accidently put my address down for that 6000+ I won't be mad (or the 8800GTX for that matter)

[Angry_Games]

I would cross reference the psu's listed on "The Big Giant Power Supply Thread" and these two threads of recommended PSU's at JohnnyGuru's.com (Sub $150 psu's and High End Gaming psu's).

 

Which is exactly what I did and ended up with a new Antec Trio 550, which hasn't been put into the sig yet.

 

I can vouch for Antec Trio 550, it runs my server:

 

Core2 E6400

4x1GB DDR2-800 (mixed OCZ 2GB + Corsair 2GB)

2x160GB RAID-0 + 250GB Seagate + 500GB Seagate

X300SE 128MB PCI-E (heh, it's a server dammit...don't need an 9999GTX-Z+)

DFI Infinity 975X/G

Antec 900 case

Antec Trio 550w psu

Lite-On DVD-RW

4x 120mm fans

that giant 90000mm fan at the top lol

Intel Pro 100 NIC (I hate onboard network cards for my servers)

 

 

server runs 24/7 and is a workhorse. This psu also ran a very overclocked E6600 + 8800GTS for about 2 months before I rebuilt the server with it.

 

Corsair HX-620 would rock as would the OCZ 600w and 700w GX psu's.

 

 

as others said that I forgot, let us know what resolution your monitor is for gaming. If you ain't got 1600x1200 (1680x1050 widescreen) then you ain't got no need for a GTX, and honestly an 8800GTS 320MB would be just fine (I got one, and it plays HL2 engine games at 8xAA/16xAF @ 1600x1200 and every other game just fine at 4xAA except Rainbow Six Vegas and NWN2, but they run just fine without AA)

 

Even a 640MB GTS would save you a good bundle. But a GTX...I wish my e-penis could afford one for sure lol. I'd love to have it even though I just don't need it :tooth:

[junkyard]

however, if you are running 1600x1200 or higher, then the gtx is your best option.

 

I have a gateway 24" running at 1920x1200, so yeah, GTX++.

 

also, didnt see a soundcard listed. are you planning on just running onboard sound?

 

I haven't decided on a sound card, but I'm deaf in one ear, so sound isn't a massive issue to me.

 

 

 

So apparently, rip out the PSU and go with an OCZ one.

[Angry_Games]

ocz, corsair, antec, enermax, fortron, all good psu's. Most of us have an OCZ and/or Corsair.

 

Sound = I buy used Audigy2 ZS sound cards for $30-$35 all the time from the Street and other forums...always a better choice for audio (even if ya deaf in one ear)

 

1920x1200 = definitely want the GTX!

[ilikeducttape]

freakin sweet! then yes, you definitely want the gtx. you can now consider me jealous, lol. :drool:

[Smoken Joe]

That PSU isnt that bad unlike all the rest of the Toughpower PSU's if it is the same revison as launch they replaced the third rate caps with reliable ones for the 'top of the line' models. I would not put it past them to cheap ones back in to save mony the ones listed above would be worth it for pece of mind like the PCP&C silencer. With that kind of budget it would be on the top of my list it doesnt hurt that OCZ now owns them. Really though the cheaper OCZ Corsair foltrons would do the job well and save money.

[suedenim]

Don't worry about the soundcard just yet. Trythe onboard, if it meets your needs then sweet, if not then buy one for those needs. Your choice of OS may have some bearing on this too!