[Seige07]

hi all. new to the forums would love for your guys opinions. i was looking to build a comp. came across a site and i build a custom computer and here is what it looks like

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 Socket AM2/ nForce 570-SLI/ DDR2/ SATA2/ A&L/ ATX Motherboard
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 6400+* (3.2GHz) AM2, Retail
CPU Fan: Thermaltake CL-P0257 Blue Orb II Silent For 945/K8/775/AM2 Dual Core CPU Fan
RAM Memory: 4GB (4x 1GB) DDR2 800MHZ PC6400 DUAL-CHANNEL MEMORY HIGH QUALITY
Hard Drive: 320GB 7200RPM SATA2 Hard Disk Drive
Cooling Fan: Hard Disk Drive Dual-Fan Cooler (RECOMMENDED)
Hard Drive: 74GB WD RAPTOR 10,000 RPM 16MB SATA HARD DRIVE
Cooling Fan: Hard Disk Drive Dual-Fan Cooler (RECOMMENDED)
Optical Drive: 52X32X52 CD-RW Burner Drive
Optical Drive: 20X Dual Layer DVD-RW Burner with Lightscribe
Video Card: (2x SLI Mode) nVidia GeForce 8600GT 512MB DDR3 PCI Express Video Card - DVI / TV-Out / DirectX 10
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 24-bit Sound Card (Low Profile), Bulk
Network Card: 10/100Mbps PCI Network Card
PC Tower Case: BLACK NEON & Side-Window Mid-Tower with Front USB
Power Supply: 680W ATX Power Supply with Power Plug
Case Fan: Ball Bearing ATX Case Fan (RECOMMENDED)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic 64-Bit DVD
Warranty: Standard 1 Year WARRANTY for BAREBONES SYSTEMS

I know this is a pretty good comp but is it good enough to be running games that come out next year in 2008 with direct x 10 graphics. and would it be good to not upgrade for a couple years?

Thanks

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Welcome to Geeks to Go.

Ehhh, where to start. The 6400+ is a good CPU but if you are looking to spend that much on a computer you should definatly be looking into the Intel side of things. I personally don't like SLI or SLI chipsets so I recommend the P35 over the more expensive 680i chipset. Look into the E6750 or Q6600 for a CPU.

The RAM you specified does not tell a brand. This is important because the quality of RAM varies greatly. I don't trust that it is high quality just because it says it. Some RAM will come with as little as 1yr warrenty while big name brands such as OCZ, Kingston, and Corsair offer lifetime warrenties.

The raptor drives are a waste. They do perform slightly better than your standard drives but the price tags on them are usually insane. Your HDDs shouldn't need their own fan. Your HDD isn't something that is overclocked and should be cooled sufficiently by your case fans.

You would get better performance for less money if you bought one ATI X2900 Pro or one 8800 GTS 320 or 640mb version as opposed to the two 8600 GTs (which are crap when it comes to gaming). Most of us system builders see SLI as not much more than a marketing gimic.

You can find network cards that 1000mbs for around $5. It is almost pointless. Nearly every mobo made in the last few years comes equipped with on board LAN.

The sound card will not be needed unless you plan on running a 7.1 sound system. If you do then hopefully James will drop in and recommend a sound card for you.

Your power supply has no brand listed. It is key that your PSU is of high quality. When a motherboard or RAM dies you usually replace the part that went bad and you are good to go. When your PSU dies it often takes other componants out with it.

I highly recommend against a 64bit OS. Drivers support for the 64bit systems are horrid. As an option you can buy a retail copy of Vista which will allow you to install the 32bit version and upgrade later if technology ever catches up the 64bit systems.

Honestly, I would scratch the build and start all over. We can help you pick out a system that will perform much better than the one selected for around the same cost.

What was the cost of that build? What is your budget?

Edited by Titan8990, 09 October 2007 - 02:16 AM.

[Titan8990]

Welcome to Geeks to Go.

Ehhh, where to start. The 6400+ is a good CPU but if you are looking to spend that much on a computer you should definatly be looking into the Intel side of things. I personally don't like SLI or SLI chipsets so I recommend the P35 over the more expensive 680i chipset. Look into the E6750 or Q6600 for a CPU.

The RAM you specified does not tell a brand. This is important because the quality of RAM varies greatly. I don't trust that it is high quality just because it says it. Some RAM will come with as little as 1yr warrenty while big name brands such as OCZ, Kingston, and Corsair offer lifetime warrenties.

The raptor drives are a waste. They do perform slightly better than your standard drives but the price tags on them are usually insane. Your HDDs shouldn't need their own fan. Your HDD isn't something that is overclocked and should be cooled sufficiently by your case fans.

You would get better performance for less money if you bought one ATI X2900 Pro or one 8800 GTS 320 or 640mb version as opposed to the two 8600 GTs (which are crap when it comes to gaming). Most of us system builders see SLI as not much more than a marketing gimic.

You can find network cards that 1000mbs for around $5. It is almost pointless. Nearly every mobo made in the last few years comes equipped with on board LAN.

The sound card will not be needed unless you plan on running a 7.1 sound system. If you do then hopefully James will drop in and recommend a sound card for you.

Your power supply has no brand listed. It is key that your PSU is of high quality. When a motherboard or RAM dies you usually replace the part that went bad and you are good to go. When your PSU dies it often takes other componants out with it.

I highly recommend against a 64bit OS. Drivers support for the 64bit systems are horrid. As an option you can buy a retail copy of Vista which will allow you to install the 32bit version and upgrade later if technology ever catches up the 64bit systems.

Honestly, I would scratch the build and start all over. We can help you pick out a system that will perform much better than the one selected for around the same cost.

What was the cost of that build? What is your budget?

Edited by Titan8990, 09 October 2007 - 02:16 AM.

[Seige07]

well would you guys recommecd a site for me that i can build a comp. or even better take a look and build one for me because i trust you guys about this alot more then me.

i was willing to spend around $1000 on this rig.

thanks for your input.

[Titan8990]

Are you wanting to build it yourself or were you hoping that you could get a customized pre-built?

[Seige07]

well i was hoping for a customized pre built but if i have to order the parts i will do that as well. which ever would be a cheaper deal for a good gaming rig that will last me a couple years without another upgrade.

[Titan8990]

Well, I don't know much about Canadian shops or who ships there. We have atleast one Canadian that I can think of that I'm sure will drop in and recommend a good location to order some parts.

[Seige07]

well that computer was much more then 1000 bucks but if anyone can help build one that is closer to 1000 bucks (or less) that will be decent to run direct x 10 games.

thanks titan8990 for all your imput and help. it probably saved me from buying a sub-par system for the price.

[jtscustomcomputers]

Well here are a few suggestions to be looking at

Motherboards:
http://www.tigerdire...e...&CatId=1533

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128064

http://www.zipzoomfl...ductCode=247122


CPU:
http://www.tigerdire...p?EdpNo=2905631


http://www.tigerdire...p?EdpNo=2280512

Memory:

http://www.tigerdire...e...&CatId=2531


DVD+-RW

http://www.tigerdire...e...39&CatId=89


Power supply:

http://www.tigerdire...e...&CatId=1483

Video Card:

http://www.tigerdire...mp;Sku=P56-8804

Various Hard drives:

http://www.tigerdire...e...0&CatId=139

http://www.tigerdire...e...0&CatId=139

Cases:

http://www.tigerdire...mp;Sku=ULT31824

http://www.tigerdire...p;Sku=T925-4000




These are just some quick suggestions. You can compare prices at http://www.pricegrabber.com My fav places to buy from include http://www.tigerdirect.com http://www.zipzoomfly.com http://www.newegg.com Be sure to shop around a little. Your budget would probably have to be pushed up a little bit if you want a nice solid performer which is very upgradeable in future and will handle just about any games for next few years. Have a look and remember these were quick suggestions!


Regards

Edited by jtscustomcomputers, 09 October 2007 - 05:26 PM.

[Seige07]

well i do like tiger direct alot. i have a tigerdirect store about 15 min drive away from place. i will def take a look at what you have listed here.

thanks alot. any othe suggestions are welcome.

thanks again

[jtscustomcomputers]

*Note on the Quad Core Intel Cpu I forgot to mention you want the GO Stepping not the B3 version. It will run much cooler. Bang for your buck this cpu is hard to beat for the price and very easily overclocks if desired.

Here is link on New Egg:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115017


My experience and advice is to put little extra money into a computer at initial build. Do not skimp on power supply, motherboard, and memory. These items are critical for a high quality machine. Building a computer is fairly straight forward and preferable way to go if you wish to get a lot of bang for your buck and is a great learning experience. The custom computers offered by many large name companies yes are very fast and have fancy paint jobs, but they come at a huge pricetag. Everyone loves to tout FPS etc, which is important, but is the extra $3000 or $5000 spent to achieve a few FPS really worth it? A high quality and very fast machine can be built for under $1500 minus monitor. This type of build will be current for several years with games. I have been building custom computers for 10 years and best advice is to spend a few dollars extra putting together a well matched machine. If you have any friends who build I am sure they would be interested in helping you out.

Regards,

J. Turner

Edited by jtscustomcomputers, 09 October 2007 - 01:14 PM.

[jackflash1991]

I would highly recommend not going with a SLI board. The boards that Jtscustomcomputers were SLI or had an out of date northbridge. Instead of going with a 650i or 680i SLI northbridge board I would go with a board with a P35 northbridge. Like the ABIT IP35-E: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813127031

One of the best bang for your buck CPUs is the Intel Core 2 Duo E6750. The quad cores are nice but all 4 cores are not quite utilized yet in games, but this is going to change with new games coming out like Crysis.

For Video card get nothing less then an 8800GTS or a Radeon HD X2900 PRO.

Edit: Get Vista Home PREMIUM instead of Basic. Basic SUCKS. Oh and make sure it is 32 bit, it will save you a lot of frustration.

Edited by jackflash1991, 09 October 2007 - 04:57 PM.

[james_8970]

I don't have much time so I'm going to make a quick comment right now and come around again tomorrow.
Take a look around www.NCIX.com I'm canadian as well and have lots of experience with them, if you have a question about them, just ask.
They are a great site, they will build your computer as well. I have only had good experiences with them to date, bear in mind I havn't bought one of there custom built PCs as I build my own.
At this point in time, I'd sway away from sound cards, it's not worth investing into at the moment. I made the mistake in buying one is June There are newer cards coming out that look promising, but they are 200$ so I'm not recommending them to anyone on a budjet for obvious reasons, also the drivers arn't mature enough at this point in time.
Basically put, if you game on vista, your stuck with 2.1 stero sound, till creative makes a software (hardware?) work around, with the introduction of vista, the coding for sound in games has changed forever.
James