Ideas for the 1st time builder

2

Comments

  • edited December 2004
    That Windows Compatible stuff just threw me off and I am so paranoid I'll do something wrong and buy a wrong part. I'll do some more price research tonight and I'll check out that mwave place.

    Thanks a ton, folks.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited December 2004
    You are fine. He meant that the AMD Athlon 64 CPUs are the only CPUs right now that you can buy and run Windows on. There are other 64bit chips but they can run windows and not for desktop use.

    What you have is good and looks like a killer PC.
  • edited December 2004
    Wow. My answer won't be as thorough as the others, but I was in your boat a month ago.

    I purchased my PC separately and I have the following:

    GIGABYTE "GA-K8NS" NVIDIA nForce3 250 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL
    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-128-259

    AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - Retail
    http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-426&depa=1

    1 GB Corsair PC 3200 DDR RAM (two sticks of 512MB).
    60GB Hard drive for 30 bucks (from CompUSA, black Friday sale)
    Memorex CD-RW (52x32x52, 40 bucks from CompUSA black Friday sale)
    PNY GeForce 6800 128 MB AGP ($200 after rebate)
    Logitech keyboard ($10 after rebate)
    Samsung 712 17" LCD Monitor ($250 after rebate)
    And I suggest the Antec Sonata case....very good case. I also bought an extra case fan (10-20 bucks).

    Total, my PC cost around $1100. If you want, you can probably skimp on on some things to save money (downgrade to the GeForce 5000 series saves you about 100 bucks, skimping on the CPU can save you about another 100 bucks, going with a CRt monitor can save you about 100 bucks). The more I think about it, the more I wish I downgraded to something like an Athlon 64 2800 or 3000 to save some $$$. But I'm still happy with my PC.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited December 2004
    Stick with the MSI T-Rexx. And dont downgrade to that Video card either. You will be happy with the system you lined up already.
  • edited December 2004
    I found some goodies. Am I on the right track now to add this to my list above?

    AMD ATHLON 64 3200+ RETAIL BOXED 64-BIT SOCKET 939 W/COOLING FAN (3 YEARS WARRANTY) $199.50 mwave

    MSI K8T NEO2-FIR VIA K8T800 PRO CHIPSET SERIAL ATA150 ATX FORM FACTOR 1xAGP(8X)/5xPCI/4xDDR W/SATA,RAID,LAN(Gb),1394,USB 2.0 & AUDIO (CPU TYPE:AMD ATHLON 64 - SOCKET 939) $105 mwave

    Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD800JD, OEM Drive Only $71.19
  • JimboraeJimborae Newbury, Berks, UK Member
    edited December 2004
    Wrong motherboard :( you want the MSI K8N Neo2. THe K8T would work but the K8N Neo2 is better. Everything else is right though. :)
  • edited December 2004
    This one?

    MSI K8N NEO2 PLATINUM nVIDIA nFORCE 250 CHIPSET SERIAL ATA150 ATX FORM FACTOR 1xAGP(8X)/5xPCI/3xDDR W/SATA RAID,LAN(Gb),1394,USB 2.0 & AUDIO (CPU TYPE:AMD ATHLON 64 - SOCKET 939) $136.50 mwave

    Also, I was wondering if it would be wise to add a fan and how much of a pain it is to do that?
  • edited December 2004
    Hmm..I was just noticing that motherboard has 4 front USB ports and that case only has 2 front ports.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited December 2004
    T-Rexx wrote:
    This one?

    MSI K8N NEO2 PLATINUM nVIDIA nFORCE 250 CHIPSET SERIAL ATA150 ATX FORM FACTOR 1xAGP(8X)/5xPCI/3xDDR W/SATA RAID,LAN(Gb),1394,USB 2.0 & AUDIO (CPU TYPE:AMD ATHLON 64 - SOCKET 939) $136.50 mwave
    That's the sweet one. :)
    Also, I was wondering if it would be wise to add a fan and how much of a pain it is to do that?
    Nothing to it, assuming you get the right size fan for an existing mounting point in the case. The fan comes will need four screws (usually included) and will take about two minutes to install.
    Hmm..I was just noticing that motherboard has 4 front USB ports and that case only has 2 front ports.
    The four extra ports not built into the back of the board are connected by a "dongle" - an extra plate with wires leading to the motherboard. You should be able to wire two of the extra ports on the motherboard to the front of the case, then use the dongle in the attached picture (it comes with the board) at the rear of the case.
  • yaggayagga Havn't you heard? ... New
    edited December 2004
    check out www.zipzoomfly.com also. They are like neweggs rival in prices and shipping and products. www.pricegrabber.com also can let you search for many products and stores.

    Also, if you havn't already, check your local adds for sales on hard drives, you will always find better deals at your local stores, and they won't be oem either. But if you want a speedy WD Raptor then you probably will have to look to the internet.
  • edited December 2004
    OK I'm going to look around and replace those OEM parts and then I am placing the big order tomorrow. :thumbsup:
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    When you build, please don't forget to post at Short-Media and share your success; or to ask for help if you encounter problems.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited December 2004
    You are going to love your new system. The rest of your family will love it too. :)
  • edited December 2004
    I can guarantee you haven't heard the last (rookie question) out of me.
  • yaggayagga Havn't you heard? ... New
    edited December 2004
    Are the orders placed yet?
  • edited December 2004
    Yeah I placed the orders the night before last and I just recieved my CPU, motherboard, Win XP, CPU glue and free AMD t-shirt from Mwave. Living in California cost me about $130 extra because of sales tax but the plus side is most of my stuff is coming from California. Unfortunately, the case isn't one of them...lol.

    The motherboard box says it comes with Windows XP 64-bit Edition (beta version)...Do I dare try it?
  • JimboraeJimborae Newbury, Berks, UK Member
    edited December 2004
    Do you try Win XP 64? not just yet cos there aren't many apps that run in 64 bit & finding the right drivers can be problematic. All its good for is browsing atm. When you gott it up & running then may be have go with Win 64. :)
  • edited December 2004
    The FedEx truck just made another visit. I now have everything except the HDD and the speakers!
  • edited December 2004
    OK everything is here now. So I've been talking to people and reading some of the documentation.

    One person mentioned making sure all the jumpers are set properly before I turn it on. So I'm looking in the motherboard manual and the only thing I see about jumpers is "Clear CMOS Jumper: JBAT1" Do they not use jumpers and multipliers for setting the CPU speed anymore or would I find that information in a different manual?
  • Omega65Omega65 Philadelphia, Pa
    edited December 2004
    The Mobo should boot with the jumper default settings. You're just checking in case someone at the factory had did something stupid.

    Can you post a list of what you actually bought?
  • edited December 2004
    goodies.jpg

    Microsoft Windows XP HOME Edition With Service Pack 2 –OEM

    ANTEC Life Style Series Black Case With 380W Power Supply, Model "SONATA"

    Samsung 16X DVD±RW, Model TS-H552B/WRCH Black, Retail

    AMD ATHLON 64 3200+ RETAIL BOXED 64-BIT SOCKET 939 W/COOLING FAN

    MSI K8N NEO2 PLATINUM nVIDIA nFORCE 250 CHIPSET SERIAL ATA150 ATX FORM FACTOR 1xAGP(8X)/5xPCI/3xDDR W/SATA RAID,LAN(Gb),1394,USB 2.0 & AUDIO (CPU TYPE:AMD ATHLON 64 - SOCKET 939)

    Corsair Value Select Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200

    Logitech Cordless MX Duo USB/ PS/2 104keys

    I/O Magic 1.44MB 3.5 Inch Internal Floppy Drive, Black Bezel, Model IFLP02

    Maxtor Ultra Series Kit 80GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model L01M080

    ATI AIW RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/CATV/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 PRO"

    Logitech X-530 5.1 Black Speaker System

    SAMSUNG 910T-Black 19" LCD Monitor –RETAIL
  • yaggayagga Havn't you heard? ... New
    edited December 2004
    hey, does that samsung drive have extra cache? I bought a samsung cd-rw/dvd combo drive with 8mb buffer instead of the typical 2mb buffer and to date I havn't made one bad cd off it, I love it! It's also the only drive I've ever payed more than 20 dollars for hehe.
  • edited December 2004
    2mb buffer
  • edited December 2004
    OK it's time for an important question now.

    All the wires and connectors coming from the front of the case are labeled except 2. I have them marked in the picture below. Any ideas?

    help1.jpg
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited December 2004
    Uhh they are probably used to power something like LEDs or a display. Just plug it into a power supply molex connector.
  • edited December 2004
    I have a pair of wires labeled "PSU Fan Monitor Connector" that are coming from the powersupply. The documentation for the case makes no mention and neither does the mobo docs. Its a 3-pin connector that looks like it would fit an the motherboard fan pins. Any ideas?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    It's an RPM monitor.. For the PSU fan..
  • edited December 2004
    Any idea where it might get connected?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    Any fan header you please on your motherboard.
  • edited December 2004
    Ah ok, thanks.
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