New to PC building and the forums

[O'Neill]

Hi there,

I'm new to the PC building scene and am in need of some general advice. I've done a bit of reading and know the basic components needed for a PC build. The problem is that I don't know whether all of my parts will fit together and work!! I've browsed the Aria website and have pre-selected all of the components which caught my eye and fit my budget, all i need now is a bit of advice on whether i'm going to be able to make a PC out of them.

Before I show you what i've selected, I want this PC to be an all-round machine, that is to say I want to play some of the recent game releases (with most graphic options enabled), aswell as watching DVDs and multi-tasking.

Here we go then....

MOBO: MSI K8N Neo4-F socket 939
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=19979

CPU: AMD Athlon 64x2 4200 Retail AM2
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=24440

Graphics Card: I had selected the Gainward bliss 6800GS SLI 512MB however it appears that this card is no longer on ARIA!! Any other suggestion is most welcome!!

Memory: OCZ Gold 1GB Kit PC2-5400 DDR2 RAM
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=21564

I chose this memory as I saw that whilst being within a reasonable price barrier, it appeared to offer more than the cheapest 1GB option, although I don't know whether it would make a noticeable difference. Any suggestions?

Case: Coolermaster Centurion 5 Silver
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=16357

I'm unsure of whether this case comes with a PSU however it does look quite good. I am unsure also of whether the MOBO will fit (because i'm new to the PC build). Any help on this is appreciated.

DVD drive: Samsung 18x DVDRW LightScribe Black
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=24551

HDD: 80GB Seagate Barracuda 9 SATA2 8MB
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=24403

I heard some bad things about the Maxtor so i hastily changed to a Seagate who i've heard of more regularly in the HDD market.

Monitor: ASUS VW192S 19\" TFT - Widescreen
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=24811

I'm looking to get this monitor also due to the low price tag, widescreen capability and its overall good looks, if there is anything wrong with it please tell me now!


And i think that is everything!

My main queries are if the mobo is the right choice, and if my components will fit it! Apart from that any general advice and suggestions are most welcome and i hope to be hearing from you soon!!

Thanks for your time!!


:P

[O'Neill]

thanks for the welcome,

i was wondering whether or not i had picked the right mobo for the CPU, as in the CPU spec table it says socket 939 and also says AM2 in the title. I got confused, thanks for the headsup. Does anybody have any specific recommendations for a mobo?

Thanks

[O'Neill]

thanks again for the help. i have just emailed aria about the PSU in the case and about the CPU as it isn't clear at all!

I've changed my HDD to a 160GB Hitachi Deskstar 133/7200+8M
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25011

It seems to look quite suitable and good capacity and price!

Any other advice is welcome, especially on the graphics card suggestions!

Thanks
:P

[Firerat]

[quote:62ed308236=\"ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ\"]
The mobo will fit in the case, but like you I can't see on there if it says it comes with a PSU or not....could email aria.
[/quote:62ed308236]

It dosn't come with a PSU , implied by it not having a power rate e.g. 400W

and I'm certain most people here would recommend you purchase a PSU separately even if the case came with one.

[bazzaric]

Who would ever call ElRob a no0b....

I'm guessing there's a mistake on the site! I think they are both 939, but email aria just to check.

Good ol FR helping out too...you've got the top 'men' on the case now...we shall have this PC built in no time!

Everything else seems to be ok, you should really spend the extra bucks on a good PSU

[Gregoroth]

These are my suggestions:

Monitor: I would get this instead: http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=24391 It should have 1 DVI connection and 2 VGA connections. The spec is very nice.

HDD: If you're just going to get one drive and not 'RAIDing', then I suggest at least a 160GB Seagate. Like elrobin said, it's not much more for doudble the space. Ideally, you would want a 16MB cache drive with NCQ technology. Seagate do a 250GB SATA2 16MB drive which you should be able to find on this site. I would have also recommended Western Digital drives but the don't have NCQ.

If you're going to RAID (you should do some research on RAID but basically you can set up 2 drives as RAID 1 - if one drive happened to fail, then the other takes over ensuring your data isn't lost), I would get 2 of the 80GB Maxtors. They have a fast seek time, not too loud and have NCQ technology. Either way, just make sure you get an 8MB cache, SATA/SATA2 drive minimum. NCQ isn't required but does have a peformance advantage when multitasking.

Motherboard: http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=22832

or my favourite

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=23044

Memory: I would personally get one 1GB stick of RAM (DDR2-800/PC6400) and get another 1GB stick early next year when the prices drop. Most brands have a 'Value' line of memory which will be fine. Just make sure you get a recommended brand such as Corsair, OCZ, Kingston etc. Cheap generic RAM can cause problems.

Graphics: If you have the money, go for the Radeon X1950 Pro for £130. It's mid range and powerful and should last you a while until you decide to upgrade to a DirectX10 card.

or

You can find a GeForce 7600GT 256MB on the web for £83 if you do some searching. Search this in google - 'CCL'. Their selection of Corsair memory is also less expensive that most other places.

Hope that helped.

[mac124]

Go with the msi AM2 equivalent, msi are a good brand imho.

If the case doesn't say it comes with a psu chances are it doesn't have one fitted. Also i would recommend a case that has 120mm fans front and rear, the 120mm fans tend to be quieter and shift more air than 80mm. As for psu's please don't buy a cheap one, stick to a decent branded psu from the likes of tagan, enermax, ocz and such likes, the psu is the 1 component you really shouldn't go \"value\" on. Spend £40 approx for a decent 400-500 watt psu and you wont be far wrong.

Graphics card well you say you want to play recent games with most the eye candy on so you will be looking to spend around £100+ go for a 7600gt or better maybe a 7900gs.

[O'Neill]

thanks for all the quick repsonses guys, its going to take a while to look at all of the information you've given but i'll put another list up in a little while based on the advice!

Thankyou :P

[Firerat]

yeah I would hazard that the CPU is actually AM2

I can't physicaly check until Monday

but I'll send some emails and it might get fixed sooner

[O'Neill]

Well I found this Corsair Value Select 1GB PC2-5300 memory
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=23537

I was looking for a graphics card (looking to spend around £100-150) and couldn't find the suggested models. If anyone could lend a hand it would be appreciated.

The monitor suggested looks amazing, i was wondering whether the 8ms response time will make a difference or not and whether it will be noticeable from day to day use and during game-play?

I think i will go for the slightly cheaper motherboard as the price of the PC is already managing to get higher and higher. I'm looking to put a cap on the basic components at no more than £550 without the monitor.

I already have a sound system which i can use so no speakers needed, nor do i need a sound card as the mobo as one already within it.

So just the PSU, graphics card and memory (if the one mentioned isn't suitable)
required now.

Is the CPU suitable do you think? I don't really know too much about CPUs apart from the newer dual core processors are the way to go.

Also i may need some help on the cables required to connect everything together!

Thanks again!

[Firerat]

Intel may be worth a look

Asus P5B Deluxe P965
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=23805

with a
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=23828
is a popular choice


even seasoned AMDers have been recommending Conros lately

Whichever CPU you go for I would recommend an Arctic Freezer

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductsList.asp?Name=freezer

They are nice and quite and keep even overclocked CPUs cool

[Firerat]

Got confirmation on the CPU

it is AM2 not 939

Site will be updated soon

[O'Neill]

although the intel conroe does look quite appealing, my budget simply doesn't allow for the price tag! shame really.

[O'Neill]

Thanks for the advice everyone,

I think i will be going for the slightly more expensive monitor just for the dvi.

For the PSU i have found this Xilence ATX2.0 420w PSU
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=19868

will this be suitable?

Thanks guys :P

[Firerat]

if you wnat a 'beefy' PSU

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductsList.asp?Name=Enermax+Galaxy

:lol:

[O'Neill]

[quote:c05c3467c4=\"Firerat\"]if you wnat a 'beefy' PSU

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductsList.asp?Name=Enermax+Galaxy

:lol:[/quote:c05c3467c4]

I think i'll pass on that one, lol.

So far my system is this:

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/5671/compvc9.th.png (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=compvc9.png)

(without the monitor),

I'll probably wait for a while before i get a performance graphics card, does anybody have any suggestions for a card around about the £50-80 price range?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

7300GT, DDR3 version, has to be the DDR3 version, performs better than the 7600gs etc. Very good card, not sure exactly the price though.

[Gregoroth]

[quote:5db182c5eb=\"O'Neill\"][quote:5db182c5eb=\"Firerat\"]if you wnat a 'beefy' PSU

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductsList.asp?Name=Enermax+Galaxy

:lol:[/quote:5db182c5eb]

I think i'll pass on that one, lol.

So far my system is this:

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/9998/comppn2.th.png (http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=comppn2.png)

(without the monitor),

I'll probably wait for a while before i get a performance graphics card, does anybody have any suggestions for a card around about the £50-80 price range?

Thanks[/quote:5db182c5eb]

I just PM'ed you with some links. My advice is don't get anything less than a Geforce 7600GT/Radeon X1650XT. IF you can find an X1650XT, then that's the best budget card you will get, if it's price is comparable to the 7600GT.

[Anonymous]

I disagree, go for the 7300GT and get a beefy one later when the DX10 cards are cheaper.

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25130

[Gregoroth]

[quote:2ce8c68c56=\"blaineoliver\"]I disagree, go for the 7300GT and get a beefy one later when the DX10 cards are cheaper.

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25130[/quote:2ce8c68c56]

I think that's a while off yet. I would have thought games in the coming few months are going to struggle at reasonable settings on a 7300GT. I think a 7600GT should ensure him medium settings.

[Anonymous]

Maybe, but against the 7600gs, it was a storm. Someone give me a linky to some benchmarks.

[mac124]

[quote:e27879d50b=\"O'Neill\"][quote:e27879d50b=\"Firerat\"]if you wnat a 'beefy' PSU

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductsList.asp?Name=Enermax+Galaxy

:lol:[/quote:e27879d50b]

I think i'll pass on that one, lol.

So far my system is this:

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/5671/compvc9.th.png (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=compvc9.png)

(without the monitor),

I'll probably wait for a while before i get a performance graphics card, does anybody have any suggestions for a card around about the £50-80 price range?

Thanks[/quote:e27879d50b]

TBH mate unless you are going to overclock then the stock cooler should be plenty good enough, unless you are wanting to make yor pc as quiet as possible, even then the stock coolers aren't exactly noisy. Just an idea to save a few ££ and maybe spend it elsewhere??

7300gt falls EXACTLY in that price range, as previously mentioned though PLEASE make sure it is DDR3

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25130

This should do nicely :D

[O'Neill]

Well then,

I've had a look and found 3 Radeon X1650s which are in my price range:

Powercolor Radeon X1650 PRO 256MB
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25334

Sapphire RADEON X1650 PRO 256 MB
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25243

Connect3D Radeon X1650 PRO 512MB
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=24927

is there any significant difference between each one? I'm not too sure.
I know that 512mb is not necessarily better than 256mb and so i will be needing your expertise once again, thanks.

You've all been a real help so far, i can't thank you enough :D


EDIT: in response to mac124,
if i don't need to buy the 'arctic cooler' that will be a real help, save me £15! The graphics card you suggested also looks pretty nice, should be plenty until i decide to go for a higher spec component!

Awesome! :D

[Gregoroth]

[quote:6df9ac64a7=\"blaineoliver\"]Maybe, but against the 7600gs, it was a storm. Someone give me a linky to some benchmarks.[/quote:6df9ac64a7]

I've got some tech specs for reference:

7300GT (64/128bit memory)

Memory bandwidth - 10.7Gb/s
Fill Rate - 2.8 Billion pixels/sec
Verticies/Second (Millions) - 350
Pixels Pipelines - 8
Vertex Units - 4

7600GT (128bit memory)

Memory bandwidth - 22.4Gb/s
Fill Rate - 6.7 Billion pixels/sec
Verticies/Second (Millions) - 700
Pixels Pipelines - 12
Vertex Units - 5

I think that's all correct. Still, if he can find a Raeon X1650XT he's pretty much sorted.

X1650XT>7600GT>7300GT :wink:

[Gregoroth]

[quote:e39d8df8ab=\"O'Neill\"]Well then,

I've had a look and found 3 Radeon X1650s which are in my price range:

Powercolor Radeon X1650 PRO 256MB
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25334

Sapphire RADEON X1650 PRO 256 MB
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25243

Connect3D Radeon X1650 PRO 512MB
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=24927

is there any significant difference between each one? I'm not too sure.
I know that 512mb is not necessarily better than 256mb and so i will be needing your expertise once again, thanks.

You've all been a real help so far, i can't thank you enough :D


EDIT: in response to mac124,
if i don't need to buy the 'arctic cooler' that will be a real help, save me £15! The graphics card you suggested also looks pretty nice, should be plenty until i decide to go for a higher spec component!

Awesome! :D[/quote:e39d8df8ab]

If those are your final decisions, then go for the Connect3D.

[mac124]

[quote:5b12ffbc19=\"Gregoroth\"]

X1650XT>7600GT>7300GT :wink:[/quote:5b12ffbc19]

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2043905,00.asp

3d06 seems to suggest otherwise, and my slightly overclocked 7300gt scores the same as the 1650xt at default settings, 1280x1024.


Also there doesn't seem to be much to choose between the 7600gt and the 1650xt depends whether the game is optimised for ati or nvidia, as is always the case.

[O'Neill]

Would it be advisable to go for the Gainward Bliss GF 7600GS PCX 256MB
http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25131

its £10 more but i suppose i can fork out a little bit more

[mac124]

In most if not ALL cases the 7300gt DDR3 will beat the 7600gs in benchmarks, gimme 5 and i'll find some linkies for you.

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?id=2012&cid=3&pg=4

http://www.overclockers.co.nz/ocnz/review.php?id=06vga00nv7300gtnv7300gtshootout0305

Just a couple of linkies

[O'Neill]

So then,

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/1797/compgt2.th.png (http://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=compgt2.png)

That is how my pc looks now (without the screen again). Its within my budget and its looking quite good in my opinion.

If there are any more suggestions please post them because i'll be going to the manchester store to go and pick up what I can in the next few weeks, thanks once again for all the help, couldn't have done it without you all.

THANKYOU!! :D :D :D

[mac124]

The only other thing i would comment on is the case, why waste money on a case with a cheapo psu in it when you are buying a decent psu?

I have actually got one of these http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25262 and it really is a nice case, £30 inc vat so wont break the bank (can provide a linky to my review if you want some more info on it) and i promise it will be alot better than the one with the psu included. It has 2 120mm fans included for a start (as opposed to 4 80mm fans bays with only 1 included), hidden optical bay, side vent and fan mount etc etc

[O'Neill]

thanks for the suggestion mac124, funnily enough i was looking at that very same case before! cheers

[Anonymous]

[Removed at the request of the author]

[O'Neill]

nice to see that this is regarded to be one of the best threads of the weekend! haha, not bad for my first thread eh?

thanks once again everyone, can't wait to start building my new pc!!

[Anonymous]

[Removed at the request of the author]