New Computer.....first build, I need your help!

[gobygoby]

Hey guys...( first post, be nice ;) )

First off, props to all the modders here...when I found this site...i was amazed at the craftsmanship, detail, and ideas you all have come up with...amazing! beautiful creations!!

I am planning on building a new computer....I would love to do a custom case mod but I just dont have the time...

So I am going to go with a premod case, and I am not sure which one I like better or if one is "just" better(see below) However I plan on customizing the interior ( lights, watercooling, all the bells and whistles).

I am looking for some help with some of the major parts...case, mobo, processor, ram.....Please take a look at my which list and give me your recommendations. I am pretty set on the mobo...unless you can legitmattly tell me its a piece of crap or waste of money. Also, I would like to keep the rig a t a reasonable price range...say under $1500.( may or may not include a monitor)

I have a graphics card in my old 'puter thats ok...so I dont need to worry about that for now. (Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra, its kinda old, but works)


Thanks for your help and input!

oh ya....I am not big into gaming but I like to paly every now and then...I mainly use the computer for image editing, 3D stuff, web design, graphic design.....software I use: adobe suite, macromedia suite, office 2003, 3d Studio max....I know I probably have overkill on the parts, but I like to have cool toys :)

Not sure which one I like more....

RAIDMAX RX-9 GT ATX-911WR Red/Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811156058

Thermaltake XASER, Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811133154

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Gigabyte GA-G1975X ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128002

Intel Pentium D 930 800MHz FSB LGA 775 Dual Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819116238

CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM System Memory
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145098

Western Digital Caviar SE 200GB 3.5" IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive x 2
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144129

Thermaltake Big Water SE Water Pump with Blue LED Light 12cm Liquid Cooloing System
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16835106063

Hiper Type-R 580W Modular Power Supply
http://www.xoxide.com/hiper-power-supply-black.html

[AceX]

If you want a pre-modded case, I'd go to the nearest Fry's store and look at what they have. I saw the perfect case there while shopping with a friend who I'm going to help with a custom Case mod themed after the game "X3: Reunion"

If you are going to buy it online, Lian Li and Cooler Master are two very good companies that make some truly superb cases. Thermaltake is also a good one. Check out www.performance-pcs.com and see if there's anything there you like.

[Omega]

i got my case at the Fry's in sactown as well, a Cooler Master Cavalier 1.

(btw, yes, i live in cali)

i pretty much went to fry's to get all my parts, saw the Cav 1, thought it was a pretty clean and simple case, so i nabbed it.

[gobygoby]

sweet, I didnt know Fry's was computer stuff I just thought they were "electronics" I will check them out tomorrow on my lunch break!

Thanks.

[justleftlife]

Hey and welcome to the forums!

If you looking for feedback heres some!

I like the Red/black case better!!
now if you are gaming on it i would put Mushkin ram in there.
And other then getting a better video card I would say you have a nice setup!

[gobygoby]

Thanks justleftlife,

I like the radimax better as well, but the armor is bigger and has more room so I can cram more stuff in there.


AS far as RAM I read a new article on tomsharware.com about ram and corsair seemed to out perform all the others, then a brand called patriot, and then I think Mushkin was next followed by crucial....

....I am willing to bet that if I go with any of the top rated chips that a difference in speed is going to be very little, if even noticed without actually seeing specs.

is there anything I should add to my rig that is something you just cant live without?

Thanks!

[bcampbell91]

Im not that well versed in the area of case modding yet, so ill leave that reply to the pros. As for the system setup u have planned , it looks fine but there are a few things you should consider. First, if ur going the pentium d route make sure u have excellent cooling, cuz they overheat like a diz (however ur watercooling should take care of that), if u do decide to go amd route i really like the athlon 64 x2 4200+ manchester, its an awesome value for the power it dishes out, and ive had tremedous luck with it! Second, the motherboard uve picked out is pricy and its only destinguishing features i picked up on where its crossfire capabilities, and the 8 gig ram, but u said u would be using this for video and image editing, so i cant ever seeing u needing more than 4 gigs (which is pretty standard on a lot of newer boards) also id look at going with a sli system over crossfire, as ive had better luck with it and have heard better reviews (there are some very nice boards that run a pentium cpu and sli that ive never heard problems about, try the ASUS P5ND2-SLI ATX Intel Motherboard or the eVGA 133-P4-NF51-AX ATX Intel Motherboard theyve both worked well and are rich in features, theres also an asus that would work that is about 190$ name slippin me right now but it supports 16 gigs of ram). lastly, well thats all i have, i luv value select and would completely agree that corsair builds the finest ram around, its never failed me in the past, and that hiper power supply is awesome, not to mention how nice water cooling is(cant comment on the system ur using, no experience with it) but i do like the koolance all in one deal that slides into the case, it works wonders, only problem is it makes mid towers kinda cramped and is on the pricy side (if ur already going with liquid cooling that shouldnt be and issue though). Well thats my 2 cents hope it helps some.

[gobygoby]

Bcampbell91,
thanks for your input!

I have been on the fence over Intel Vs. AMD....

I have heard lots of good things about both. About the only think I can say about AMD is that its a bit more expensive then an Intel..

So I just found a mobo I liked and then picked a good CPU.

lol...Ya that mobo does have capabilities of 8 gig worth of ram...I doubt I will ever need or get that much:D but I figure if I want this thing to last a while its better to be able to upgrade then not.

as for the water cooling...I like it. Definatly going to have it. I picked out the Big Water becasue of the cost and it seems to be an easy install for a rookie. I have seen lots of people like to use Koolance or Danger Den.

One thing I think is funny is that some of the parts used in case modding I use in my other hobby....Reef Aquariums.....

I uses Eheim Water pumps and I also build things out of acrylic....you PC guys call it Plexi :)

anyway, this is very helpful...keep it coming!

Thanks

[bcampbell91]

no prob, this is all im good at so when someone needs help its cool. As for amd and intel ur right (but intel does run hot) since ur using water this isnt an issue so its ur decision. about amd being more expensive, its only thier x2 and fx series that cost more than pentiums, if u look at thier average venice core and compare it price wise and peformance wise to the p4s, the p4s fall behind a little and actually tend to be a little more expensive. correct me if im wrong but i believe an adm 3000+ would perform similarly to a p4 at 3.0ghZ. i would suggest u look into a board that runs sli though but if u wanna do crossfire im sure itll run fine on that mobo. with the wc and excess ram ur right its just for bragging rights but still it does kinda sound nice 8 gigs. if u have the money the raptor hdd's are the most amazing drives ive ever worked with!

[gobygoby]

I will do some research on the raptors.....but tell me what you know about them.

The only reason I went with western digital was a friend said he liked them....no other reason.:D

Thanks

[disfigured]

I'm in the process of building now.

I picked the Armour for my case, my buddy just built with the Tsunami.

I don't know much about water cooling, but from what I can tell the Armour will be roomier for it. It's got to be a tighter squeeze in the RaidMax.

I'm going with a Raptor, and may later and another and raid control them. If your a gamer they're worth it. My freinds new build (see link in signature below) has one, and the load times is where you see it. If that's not a concern of yours then they're rather pricey for dollar to gig ratio.

Other then that..........Good Luck.

[bcampbell91]

well theres the old raptors that are 37 and 74 gigs, and like disfigured said the load times are fast, they have latencies (or delays) of 3ms and seek times around 5ms (both of which are blistering) and spin at 10,000 rpm (very good). then theres the new 150 gig raptor also spins at 10000 has same latency and 4.6ms seek time and whats nice about this one, is the 16mb cache. Theres another new one thats the exact same and comes pre modded with a window but its a waste of dough for a modder to buy something like that. as far as speeds go, i have yet to find a better drive, dont let price discourage you if u can afford it, although theyre not big they easily make up for it in performance and speed. what i would do if i had the cash is pair a raptor (prob the 74 gig) with another much larger hard drive, then u can use that for basic storage, and ur raptor for things u wanna load quick. disfirured also mentioned theyre really worth it if ur a gamer, but it will also be noteably faster in most any process u do with it. ive used em in builds and love em but unfortuneately cant always afford thier superior performance! it looks like u go to newegg, and thats good, theyre prices are good as well as thier service(they carry all the hdds i mentioned above btw)

[qoou]

I have heard lots of good things about both. About the only think I can say about AMD is that its a bit more expensive then an Intel..


actually amd is cheaper...and better.

i would recommend this mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136157) and this processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562), return the ones you got if it was an intel.

the pair up there would be perfect for what you would have to do.

and this GPU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130277) is great, it also comes with a free mobo.

so of you are willing to spend 300 on a MOBO, just blow it on the GPU, and get the free mobo.

btw the Hiper PS you pick is the best! get it.

CASES:

these are all my favorite cases.

case1 (http://www.xoxide.com/antec-p180-case.html)
case2 (http://www.xoxide.com/asus-vento-3600-pc-case-black.html)

case4 (]case3[/url)

[url=]case6 (]case5[/url)
[url=]case7

[gobygoby]

Hey thanks for the tips on the raptors. as far as it goes now....money really isnt an issue.....well....I have a budget but if I go over a little...oh well. I would rather have better equipment that lasts longer and get better performance then something cheaper that I would have to upgrade sooner.

Yes I use newegg basically because they have a huge selection and good prices. I have never ordered from them before. I also browse tigerdirect and xioxide because they have some cool products.

Is there anywhere else to find unique items?

Thanks
Kyle

[gobygoby]

well...looks like raptors interface only come in ata150 and the mobo I like is ata100 :(

[gobygoby]

ok so I have decided that the Raidmax RX-9 case is out and the Coolermaster Stacker 830 is in....If I want to pay that much!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119103

Been reading a bunch of reviews and although I think its a sweet ass case...I dont think I would be satisfied with it.

qoou, you mention the Asus Vento...I have always thought they were cool....but didnt know if they were good. I would have mentioned them but I didnt want to get laughed at. some of the premod cases look like they are for a 15 year old kid...like some of them "Viper, all the Ninja Raidmax's...) I guess I want something that has a touch of class....


Thanks
Kyle

[qoou]

some of the premod cases look like they are for a 15 year old kid

i am 15...lol. you could always use an acrylics case and mod it?

[gobygoby]

so I am trying to figure this all out.

if the mobo says it takes DDR2 667 RAM
is that a recommendation or can I bump it up to like DDR2 800??

Thanks!

[bcampbell91]

correct me if im wrong but the mobo is gonna be set at the ddr2 667 level, it can take ram that is ddr2 800 but will operate no faster than ddr2 667, so it would kinda be a waste, try this web site it should really have everything u need to know
http://compreviews.about.com/od/cpus/a/RAMGuidePt2.htm
this web site has pretty much anything about comps u should know for basic knowlege, like i said i could be wrong, so read up!