[GameMakerThomas]

Hello! I just signed up at the forums so I could get some help building my new PC. I'm about to order the parts, I have talked to two computer builders and they said it looks fine. (one helped me get some parts that were better) I just wanted one last opinion before purchasing it. I can return these (newegg.com) if they dont work, which is good. I selected parts that were cheap but had good reviews (all of these are 4 or 5 stars) for my budget gaming computer. I'm good at the software level (I program and all sorts of stuff) and this is my first time dealing with hardware. I tried to get a case that was good for first time users, and had fans so that I didnt have to install any, and looked cool. I found a great one with the XION. If I can do any better on a part for a slightly higher price, please tell me! Thanks!


CASE:
XION Black XION II XON-103 SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: XON-103
(My comment: It says 20 pin power connector but someone said it was 24 pins, but that doesnt matter with my PSU)

$64.99

MOBO:
Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-K8NF-9
(My comment: None)

$76.00

GFX CARD:
SAPPHIRE 100106-RD Radeon X850XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - OEM
Model #: 100106-RD
(My comment: I cant wait to get a good graphics card . Also takes up an extra PCI slot for the cooler)

$218.00

PSU:
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-400 ATX12V 400W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: SP-400
(My comment: Case PSU's are flaky. I estimated my comp to use 225W (Its probably lower though)

$54.99

CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3500BPBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3500BPBOX
(My comment: This was cheaper than the 2.0ghz model o_O... This on is 2.2 Also, I do not plan on overclocking)

$201.00

HD:
Western Digital Caviar SE WD2000JD 200GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD2000JD
(My comment: I'm making the switch from 40gb to 200gb.... Now I dont have to be cautious!!)
EDIT: Thanks to scot I updated to SATA for only 7 dollars more, thanks!

$92.00

Keyboard:
Sunbeam EL-KB-03-BK 2-Tone PS/2 Wired Standard Illuminated Keyboard - Retail
(My comment: It gets dark early here in Germany, dont worry though, I am American and so I get mail at the base, and newegg ships to AE)

$14.99

Mouse:
Logitech MX310 930928-0403 2 tone 6 Buttons 1x Wheel USB + PS/2 Optical Mouse - Retail
(My comment: I have a Microsoft wireless mouse that hardly works anymore, I'm going to switch back to wired)

$19.99

Optical Drive:
LITE-ON Black IDE Combo Drive Model SOHC-5236V BK RTL - Retail
Model #: SOHC-5236V BK RTL
(My comment: I was never a fan of having one for DVD and one for CD)

$28.99

Other: (Wireless card)
NOVA TECH NV-926W 32bit PCI2.2 54Mbps Unwire Adapter - Retail
Model #: NV-926W
(My comment: Lets take a Cat5 cable and go all the way through the living and up the stairs with it! Saved by wireless technology!)

$21.50

And the real money killer, the OS:
Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM
(My comment: I dont really care about Professional, I'm going to be using Linux most of the time anyways)

$89.95 (Why Bill!?)


Subtotal: $878.90
WOOHOO - I like it!
Not counting shipping and taxes, but my mom is paying those
I have saved up a year for this, and Im really looking forward to it *twitch*

You may have noticed that I don't have RAM or a monitor...
I have 512mb or DDR 3200 DIMM 184-pin RAM sitting unopened next to me, and a crusty old CRT monitor I can use until I save up again for a LCD.

The WishList for more info

I also need to brainstorm a name for the computer. MindTempest is my idea.

Thanks so much and I'm going to go post a bit on these forums!

Edited by GameMakerThomas, 12 January 2006 - 11:12 AM.

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Only thing that stands out is the case you can get nice ones without the PSU the new coolermaster range is nice(the 530s the ammo model is quite good its a Lan/travelling case so its strong and light weight might suit you). Also the HDD you might upgrade to a SATA drive it usually doesnt cost any more and they are faster drives.

You think it gets dark early in germany, you should come to scotland its only 5 and its been dark for over an hour, lol, is it Rheidalen you are based? i can never remember which base is american and which is ours its a good thing i cant remeber the others name, i should remember the other FS at my squadron went there for a week last year but the name escapes me still.

[warriorscot]

Only thing that stands out is the case you can get nice ones without the PSU the new coolermaster range is nice(the 530s the ammo model is quite good its a Lan/travelling case so its strong and light weight might suit you). Also the HDD you might upgrade to a SATA drive it usually doesnt cost any more and they are faster drives.

You think it gets dark early in germany, you should come to scotland its only 5 and its been dark for over an hour, lol, is it Rheidalen you are based? i can never remember which base is american and which is ours its a good thing i cant remeber the others name, i should remember the other FS at my squadron went there for a week last year but the name escapes me still.

[GameMakerThomas]

Patch Barracks, Stuttgart.

Thanks for the quick reply!
I'll look in to the SATA drive, but I'm happy with the case (even if I have to schelack out a bit more money for the PSU)

Oh yeah, and if you can give me a name for my comp
In addition to MindTempest, howabout AcidCalc? Okay those are really dumb names...

EDIT: Thanks scot! The SATA was only 7 dollars more.

Edited by GameMakerThomas, 12 January 2006 - 11:13 AM.

[warriorscot]

PC names ar strange things they come to you, i named mine enterprise as it was on television when i was naming it. Although you can change the name until you find one you like, i like mindTempest thats quite good. Something will make itself known to you though it always does, nice to see someone thinking about the name, alot fo people dont nother and just call it computer or name it after the room its in but thats just boring at a LAN party you want a good name, mind you dont pick a trekie name i like my name its suits the computer but at some lans youll get it ripped out of you when setting up the netwok.

I like naming things like computers after famous ships, British ships mostly as they have the best names other countries have really rubbish ship names.

[GameMakerThomas]

Ooh! Good name! Denkou! (means lightning in Japanese)
Although it sounds empty...
Well my dad was gone for a bit, and now the family's going to get together and discuss this computer purchase! After that I will order! woohoo!

Im probably going to go generate more Japanese names.

Edited by GameMakerThomas, 12 January 2006 - 11:29 AM.

[warriorscot]

Lol, well its a good name, if you are using an old CRT EyeGouger would be good.

[GameMakerThomas]

Lol, but I came up with a great name. Not only does it sound cool, it has dual meaning!
Ryouken.
Means both "Thought" and "hunting dog"

Now how cool is that?

EDIT: I see you have a Super Lanboy case. That was second on my list.

Edited by GameMakerThomas, 12 January 2006 - 11:36 AM.

[warriorscot]

Lol, i like Ryouken thats a good one, ill remember that one.

The lanboy is a phenomenal case its the best one ive ever owned. Very very light almost unbeliavbly so, and it came with the harness which is very handy to have but the kinda thing you never buy because of the cost for something so simple.

[animefrk]

aloso what might help save you some more money is pricewatch.com constatly updated and anther called toms hardware which does reviews, spec comparison, and price comparison i used that when i was researching to find stuff for my computer im building here in the next month or 2 check those out with the components u want to get and there is a good chance that u can find a lower price. but also check reviews of the places u r buying from at www.resellerratings.com to make sure they wont rip u off.

[GameMakerThomas]

It's all newegg. I did price comparison and newegg has the best price. They also have a really good rating.

[GameMakerThomas]

Upadate: All the parts are here except the CPU and case. What the heck? Newegg said it would take 2-6 weeks, it's here in 6 days. Wow.

The only thing thats weird is the keyboard, the letterer must have ADHD, because the letter stickers are all jumbeled . The scroll lock button says "Scrl Lock (new line) EL on/off" but inbetween the two lines is a crossed out "Scrl lock el on/off button" in tiny leters and below that "Button here" in really tiny text

Cant wait!

[warriorscot]

Compaines are usually very conservative on shipping estimates, a good example with me is amazon i order something with free shipping thats 3-7 days after dispatch, but i get it within 12 hours of shipping because the distribution centre is so close.

What model of keyboard is it.

[GameMakerThomas]

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16823178102

The stickers are so funny, I'm still chuckling

[GameMakerThomas]

WOMG I'm done building it.
I got it on the second try.
The first time I blew the PSU sky-high, (forgot to set it on 230v) but my dad just told me that in our 7 year old '98 computer that barely functions, we have a 520w PSU in there... So I switched it. The second try the CD drive wasn't plugged in right and didn't work, easy fix though. I have Windows installed and I'm adding drivers... I have yet to test the front panel ports, they may not work because the connectors keep coming out of the pins
Keyboard works fine, the weird EL ON/OFF BUTTON HERE thing was actually a sticker that I peeled off and now it looks normal.
Thanks for your help Scot!

EDIT: It took me about 12 hours of building time, around 50 dollars damage, one sticker, butting the wrong screws in to secure the mobo, like 30 minutes looking for different cables, 30 minutes staring at the lit up case, 500 hours banging my head on a desk for not switching the voltage switch, and 1 screwdriver, needlenosed pliers, and very shaky hands. (My hands were so shaky I was having big problems connecting the connectors and screwing in scres )

Oh and I had slightly different parts than above, I had a different PSU that was the same but cheaper, an SLI-enabled mobo... (same price) My gfx card has a cooler that's supposed to take up two slots, but since the mobo is SLI it doesnt take up any, it just covers the SLI chip

Edited by GameMakerThomas, 01 February 2006 - 01:12 AM.

[warriorscot]

Sounds good glad its going, yeah you need to switch to European voltage of you got it in the states. Very good thing you didnt get a cheap generic otherwise the whole thing would have went up.

You learn more from the mistakes than you do from the successes, cant say i ever got my hands shaking but im so laid back as to horizontal most of the time, just call me ice man. You got decent parts so they can take a few mistakes they are built with some idiot proofing.

I would give the front panel a try, if the plugs dont stay in get some elctrical tape and secure them up tightly and the on to the mobo(just make sure to keep tape away from the hot parts of the board.) you probably need to just give them a better push in.

Once its going run PC wizard to make sure everything is working ok(all your ram is in cpu at proper speed etc.