Building a computer (First try, help really appreciated)

[CaZeek]

Hello,

I know this isn't the best forum to post this. I searched for some more related forums, but I am not finding much success in terms of forum popularity.

I already have some of the parts from my current computer. I bolded the items I would be purchasing. The primary use of this computer would be for gaming. I also am very big into video restoration / DVD creating, and that type of thing. Please let me know if you have anything listed is incompatible or not reccomended. I am begging for any suggestions whatsoever- I don't want to make any mistakes in this kind of investment. Thank you all so much!!

gjkhjk

Case: RAIDMAX Ninja ATX-918WBP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811156177

PSU: On-Board

Mobo: ASUS P5ND2-SLI Socket T (LGA 775) Nvidia nForce 4 SLI Intel Edition ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131578
It seems like a good motherboard that I can upgrade with as needed. It is capable of holding up to an 8GHz processor. It has 4 DDR2 Slots. I am just learning about motherboards today though, so I appreciate any help.

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.20GHz

HDD: Several

RAM: Not really sure, I have 4 slots, so I am thinking 2 1GBs or 4 512s for now.. I am not sure how to tell the difference between RAM, so suggestions really appreciated! I already have 2 512s that I can put in, but I am not sure if they are compatible, so if there is some way to check, that could help.

Pri Optical: Pioneer 16x DVD +_RW DVR-109

Sec Optical: LG 16x DVD+_RW

Sec Optical: LG DVD-ROM

Sound Card: Probably upgrade in future, any suggestions?

Video Card: ATI RADEON X1900 XTX looks very appealing, but expensive

FDD:

Keyboard: Already own

Mouse: Already own

Modem: Don't want

Lan: On-Board

Monitor: Already own

Speakers: Already own

OS: Already own


Here is a picture of my motherboard, you can also click the links on my motherboard and case. I am not sure what "C" is. Also, will the slots in my case line up nicely with this motherboard?

Thanks again!

[edDV]

Looks OK

You shouldn't need more than 1GB RAM for most video applications.

Video card can be a minimum PCI express for video apps. The ATI X1xxx is very early, expensive and unproven. I'd buy the cheapest card for your game needs, save the rest of the money and wait. MPeg4 hardware encoding support is not yet there. Even if you have a high budget, wait for that.

Use on-board audio until you know what more you need.

Describe what you expect to do with video.

[gadgetguy]

The Case/PS and Motherboard don't strike me as a good match. For example, the motherboard allows for up to 4 SATA drives but the power supply only has one SATA power connector. A 450 watt power supply seems kind of low for the capabilities of the motherboard, but could be OK depending on what you install in it. Reading through the user comments for both it seems that neither has stellar reviews.

[CaZeek]

Thanks for the replies,

I would not be capturing video on this PC at all. It would be used to encode and perform software audio / video restoration. I was hoping I could burn two DVDs simultaneously, since I have extra drives (would that be governed by RAM?) This computer would be primarily for gaming, so the graphics card is probably the highest priority, so I understand that that will probably be the most expensive piece.

--

gadgetguy, do you have any suggestions as far as motherboards and cases go (as opposed to the ones I picked out). I am definitely an amature at this, so you probably know better than I.

[moviebuff2]

I am not sure what "C" is.

Check this link:

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=227&model=558&modelmenu=1

[gadgetguy]

Not really. I haven't built a PC in a few years and I haven't really kept up on what's out there.

A couple words of free advice; In general, you want to look at what a motherboard is capable of supporting and make sure the power supply has enough connectors of the right type. In general if it has enough connectors to match the MB device capability, the wattage will be correct as well. Also review the specs for the MB and make sure you buy the correct memory type. Always look for and read user comments about any piece of hardware you plan to buy. It often will save you alot of headaches down the road.

[budz]

My suggestion is to get a good power supply like a ANTEC TRUE POWER 500-550 watt one. If you're going to use SATA hard drives they have enough connectors for them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103932

[redwudz]

I would agree with the 1Gb of RAM, more is just wasting money for no real return. Video needs fast CPUs, not massive memory. A SLI MB is ok for gaming, no real effect on video editing, encoding.

I run 4 hard drives, much better than partitioning, IMO. A super fast hard drive is not much use for video, maybe for capturing. SATA is good, fast enough for most. RAID 0, not really necessary. If you use a SLI MB, get a big power supply. 500 watts is what I would shoot for. And a good brand. Some cheap PS's are underrated.

Just my thoughts, IMO.

[jagabo]

I wouldn't build a video editing system without a dual core CPU. And there's no need for an SLI motherboard if you're not a high end gamer.

[CaZeek]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I changed some of the things- does this look any better?

Also two questions:

1) I have to PSUs listed, the Antec seems slightly better, but I am wondering if it is advantageous to have the same brand of Case and PSU.

2) Are DDR2-667 RAM backwards compatible with DDR2-533 RAM?

** denotes changed from original post

**Case: Thermaltake XASER, Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811133154

**PSU: Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817103932
or
Thermaltake W0101RU ATX 12V 2.0 Version 550W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817153029


Mobo: ASUS P5ND2-SLI Socket T (LGA 775) Nvidia nForce 4 SLI Intel Edition ATX Intel Motherboard
It seems like a good motherboard that I can upgrade with as needed. It is capable of holding up to an 8GHz processor. It has 4 DDR2 Slots. I am just learning about motherboards today though, so I appreciate any help.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131578


CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.20GHz

HDD: Several

**RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS1GB533D2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145525
The Motherboard RAM Standard is DDR2 667.. will this still accept 533, and even if it does, do you reccomend 667?

Pri Optical: Pioneer 16x DVD +_RW DVR-109

Sec Optical: LG 16x DVD+_RW

Sec Optical: LG DVD-ROM

Sound Card: Probably upgrade in future, any suggestions?

Video Card: ATI RADEON X1900 XTX looks very appealing, but expensive

FDD:

Keyboard: Already own

Mouse: Already own

Modem: Don't want

Lan: On-Board

Monitor: Already own

Speakers: Already own

OS: Already own

[edDV]

Your priority seems to be gaming. The hot trend there is dual graphics cards. Video conversion and encoding rely mostly on CPU speed. A minimal 2D graphics card is all that is needed.

[budz]

I'd stick with the ANTEC TRUE POWER II 550 PS. The case should be okay. I personally like the ANTEC cases because of the ease of removing optical drives (DVDRW). Some ANTEC cases with instant savings are on sale at COMPUSA till Saturday.

http://www.compusa.com/adproducts/products.asp?N=500458+200088&Ne=200000

[CaZeek]

Another change- I thought SLI and Crossfire were the same, as in an SLI board would be able to perform ATI's Crossfire too. It seems that this motherboard is the best option that is compatible, but it's twice the price:

Intel BOXD955XBKLKR Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 955X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813121286

[redwudz]

I would stick with the speed of RAM the motherboard manufacturer recommends. I'd much rather overclock a RAM module than underclock it. Underclocking could give you a hit on system performance.

And make sure you check the motherboard site, or one of the major memory company sites to make sure you are getting a compatible brand of memory. A few motherboards are touchy about memory brands.

But it should be a killer system.

[CaZeek]

Thank you sir- unfortunately I just realized my current RAM is DDR not DDR2, so it definitely won't fit.

I just discovered that my current processor model is the Intel Pentium 4 540J 800MHz FSB.

[CaZeek]

Also,

I was just looking around for ways to cut the costs, how does this case look instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144151

[ROF]

I've built two systems with this case. A few things to note as I did in one of my reviews at Newegg for this case. The power switch in both cases was bad. The first one failed when it was shipped(as noted in my review). The second one failed within three months of usage. Some other things to note is the case is lightwieght but is also very susceptible to dent and dings. Another note is that the power supply with the case is a 20 pin power supply. If you need a 24pin either get a different power supply or purchase a 20-24pin adapter. Newegg will charge you more in shipping for the adapter than the cost of the thing.

It's a good looking case and after some small modifications (hot glue for the front connectors) and replacement of the exhaust fan it's quite a good case. Is it worth $85.00? Not really, but there is no denying it's a good looking case. One customer noted that the analog fan speedometers remind him of his old barometer.

[candsh]

You might want to try www.pcinfinity.com. they have several combos to look at and you can switch components at will and then look at the price. The good thing is that the components will always fit the board/cpu you have selected and they will assemble and test the unit before shipping and you can get up to a 3 year warranty. I have built a lot of computers for myself and others in the past but now just refer to this outfit. I would be very careful about getting into a computer not knowing what you are looking for or at and without a wrist strap.

[ROF]

Ouch! PCinfinity is more expensive then Dell PCs.

Someone at holiday time last year pointed me to their site asking if a certain PC was good. They were looking at the top of line model which included a 1 PCIx16, 1 PCIx1, and 2PCI slots and only 2 RAM slots.

The PC was over $2000 and we eventually built one from scratch for $1200 monitor included.

[CaZeek]

Thank you everyone again for all of the help. I attached an Excel spreadsheet with the complete plan. If anyone would not mind going over it really quickly to see if there are any problems or ways they think I can cut the cost at all, I'd really apprecaite it. If all goes well, I'll probably make the purchases tomorrow, then bug everyone again when I screw up trying to install it

[Faustus]

What spread sheet?

[CaZeek]

Woops, didn't see that it didn't accept .xls, so it didn't upload. Here it is.

computer.zip