My PC update (tentative)..need help!

[MasterChief]

I've been working hard lately trying to come up with a good setup for the new PC I'm building. I haven't ordered anything yet, but I'm planning on doing so within the week. I wish I could say price is not an issue, but I am working on a budget so please keep that in mind when making suggestions (I copy/pasted these straight from newegg so ignore the extra info):

SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800 PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -BULK (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-268&depa=1) -$210 ...or would it be better to go with the ATI version for 227??

Logitech Elite Keyboard USB/ PS/2 104keys -RETAIL (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=23-126-114&depa=0) -$28

Logitech Z640 5.1 Speakers -RETAIL (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=36-121-104&depa=1) -$58

MSI K8T800 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 754 CPU, Model "K8T Neo-FIS2R" -RETAIL (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-130-434&depa=1)-$126

AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-424&depa=1)-$223

Seagate 160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model ST3160023AS, OEM (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=22-148-018&depa=1) -$122

NEC 16X DVD ROM, Model DV-5800C/MXL, OEM (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-152-004&depa=1) -$32

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0350" -RETAIL (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=29-102-162&depa=1) -$88

RAIDMAX Blue 10-bay Case with 420W Power Supply, Model "ATX-868WUP" -RETAIL (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-156-137&depa=1) -$49

NEC/MITSUBISHI FE990-BK 19" CRT Monitor –RETAIL (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=24-002-044&depa=1) -$215

WinXP Pro (I get that for free...i think...from my dad's work)

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First of all, I would greatly appreciate if anyone can point out any glaring omissions I have made. If there is a significantly better price out there for any of these items please let me know...or, if there is a better version of a certain part available for a similar price. Most importantly, though, PLEASE please tell me if you would anticipate any compatibility problems with this setup whatsoever. I've mentioned before I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing here so I wouldn't be surprised if I've made a few mistakes.

A couple other things I'm not sure about...most of all, the RAM. I looked through at least 2 dozen options and I'm just not sure which to pick. I would like about a gig of the stuff, and quality is very important but of course so is price. Nothing way too fancy, please.

Secondly, I'm not sure about the CD drive. I picked one that looks like it will do just about everything. Is it necessary to pick a separate one for each basic function or will I do just fine with just the one? The one I picked apparently will burn DVDs too but I don't really need it. I'm pretty sure there has to be a less expensive option out there without all these bells and whistles. Basically I just need it to be reasonably fast for gaming, play DVDs, and maybe burn CD's.

Lastly, the case. I would appreciate it if someone took a close look at the specs for this puppy and told me if everything will "fit" in it. Does it have enough slots for the stuff I've listed here, and enough for later possible expansions?? Also, given the tentative specs for the PC itself does it look like I'll need a new fan or two and maybe a better power supply?? I really don't mind spending the extra cash on things like this if it means I'll be saved the pain down the road.

Again, mucho thanks goes out to those willing to help me. I'm totally new at all of this and so far I'm having tons of fun. The prospect of having a new gaming PC is nice, but this is above all a learning experience for me.

w00t!

[RHooks]

Dude. Athlon 64 is not going to fit that board.

[MasterChief]

What would you (or anyone else) recommend instead??

[RHooks]

Well which do you really want? The Athlon 64 or the Shuttle m'board? The new 64s need one of the newer chipsets like the NForce 3.

[MasterChief]

Oh. Well I guess I'd rather have the A64. I'll look around for an NF3 board, see what they got.

EDIT: OK, I'm officially lost :p:
Anyone have any general recommendations for a good (yet not too pricey) mobo to go with my AMD 3000+??

Thanks for the help :D:

[Ojnod]

Yea you either have to pick the 64 with a different chipset (like nforce 3 or that via one) or get a barton 3000+ to go with that motherboard.

The shuttle is a solid board, I have that one myself. However the Athlon 64 is faster, and more future proof when compared to the reuglar 3000+. I haven't looked at boards recently but MSI, Asus and Abit are usually reliable brands.

Monitor, I have the older model, it is nice and I recommend it.

DVD burner, you can get a 8x NEC or lite-on for cheaper. I know the NEC only does +R's at 8x and others at 4x, but really +R is what is burned most often. And the price is going to be half, you make the call.

Video card, Sapphires are fine, I bought 2 and they were both great. They are pretty much re-branded ATI's They usually don't even put on different heatsinks.

Thats all for now chiefy.

[MasterChief]

So are you saying I should just stick with the AMD processor I already have up there and choose a different motherboard? Sorry, this technobabble has my head swimming in circles :p:

[Bruenor]

So are you saying I should just stick with the AMD processor I already have up there and choose a different motherboard? Sorry, this technobabble has my head swimming in circles :p:

What they're saying is the motherboard you selected is made for the Athlon XP processor and is not compatible with any Athlon 64 processor. Therefore you have to make a choice.

A) If you keep the processor, you will need to select a new motherboard.

These are motherboards for the Athlon 64 processor (note that this is a Canadian site that I use, I only listed as an example of mobos).

http://www.vibecomputers.com/index.cfm?loc=hardware&if=y&mcat=16&scat=05

B) If you keep the motherboard, you will need to select a new processor.

These are the processors that are compatible with your motherboard you selected (same site)

http://www.vibecomputers.com/index.cfm?loc=hardware&if=y&mcat=14&scat=02&dcat=01

On another note though, notice that the Athlon 64 3000+ is a socket 754 processor, the NForce 3 board is for Athlon 64 FX series and are a different size, so don't go picking NForce 3 chipsets unless you are getting a FX series processor.

[MasterChief]

How about this one (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-130-434&depa=1)? I'm pretty sure that's compatible with the processor I have, plus it seems to be pretty popular.

EDIT: cool, I noticed from that page you posted that it is indeed compatible. Anyone have any experience with this particular mobo??

[RHooks]

MSI is usually a good solid performer.

[Bruenor]

MSI makes great, solid boards. I bought one for my new PC, and have since bought another for my wife's PC. GenX also speaks very highly of MSI as well.

Good choice.

[MasterChief]

Neato, then i guess I'll just go with that one. Does it look like I'll be okay on fans, or should I buy one or two more? I think I'll probably swap the powersupply the case comes with for a better one once I get it.

Other than that, looks like I'm about done. Does anyone see any remaining compatibility issues?? Now I just have to work my butt off to get the money to pay for this sucker :p:

Thanks again!

EDIT: also need suggestions for some good RAM...what brand, type, etc?? I'll probably start off and just buy one stick of 512 and then get another later on down the road.

[RHooks]

That case comes with two small ones in the back and a larger lighted one in the side. Plus the power supply fans. I would see how it cools before buying any more. I haven't read anything about the heatsink/fans that come with the AMD 64 retail box processors. The AMD XP retail processors come with fans made by Taisol that are adequate but not anywhere near the best. I'm only assuming that the newer 64s use the same brand but you may want to look at buying a better CPU fan/heatsink.

[MasterChief]

OK, sounds good. Just out of curiousity, what would be the acceptable temperature range for a setup like that? And how do i find out how hot it's running? As for the processor heatsink/fan, I'm not sure about that. I haven't read any complaints about it yet so I guess that's a good sign. If I have any problems with it I'll definitely look for a better one.

[0x64657200 0x6A61636B616C00]

You should be just fine w/ cooling unless you get into overclocking.

Just make sure the two 80mm in the back are pulling air out of the system and the one 80mm on the side is also pushing out.

Later in "life" you may look into getting another 80mm and dumping it in the front of the case pushing air into the case. :)

CPU Temps vary from company to speed. For the most part, mid 60's to 70's (centigrade) is bad, you're pushing the melting point with those temps. :)

How do you tell? If you get the MSI board, they'll probably include a utility that shows you the chipset temp, CPU temp and overall system temp. They're not 100% accurate, but they're probably within 4 or 5 degrees.

[O'C]

I don't know if you deleted it, or I'm just blind, but I don't see a DVD burner on your list. The NEC you list is read only. Personally, unless you plan to copy movies, I would just go with a CD/Rw in addition to the one you've listed. You can probably get that DVD drive plus a CDRW drive cheaper than a combo that lets you burn DVDs.

Also, I know they're going the way of the dinosaur, but what about a floppy drive?

Finally, what about a mouse? I have the Logitech MX700 and it's great. But if you want to spend a little less than that, go for the MX 500 / 510 which I believe is the same thing, just corded.

[MasterChief]

Thanks Genx for the suggestion, I'll definitely keep that in mind. The last thing I want is for this thing to overheat and cause a deadly explosion or something :p:

As for the CD drives, I'm going to go without a DVD burner for now. I also don't really need a CD burner either, I have one on my other two machines. Basically I just want to be able to watch movies and play games with it, and I'd rather not buy another drive just for burning at this point. As for the mouse, I forgot to mention, I already have one. It's a logitech optical, very sexy.

EDIT: I just looked on the bottom of the mouse, it's a mx 310. Almost forgot the floppy drive too. Not sure about that though, because this machine I'll be using pretty much entirely for gaming. I have other PC's for homework and stuff.

[0x64657200 0x6A61636B616C00]

I doubt out of the box with that case you'll have any problems with stock cooling. :)

[MasterChief]

OK, sounds good. So how about that RAM? Don't be shy now :p:

I think I'll order the case and keyboard tonight if I can steal my mom's credit card for a while :D:

[0x64657200 0x6A61636B616C00]

RAM isn't too much of a big deal IMO, I know people "swear" by this brand or that brand, but honestly, I've never seen any concrete evidence that brand a was any better than brand b. You'll be just fine with generic RAM. :)

[RHooks]

Plus the new series of AMD processors have their own memory controllers so memory speed isn't as important as with Intel. Some good ol' cas 2.5 memory should do fine. I would stick with the name brands, Kingston, Mushkin, Corsair, etc....

[Ojnod]

Just get whatever speed is needed to run on your motherboard. Unless you are overclocking there is really no difference between brands. Like hooks said stick with name brands, in addition to the ones he listed other good ones are geil and crucial. These usually have a lifetime warranty which is always good on stuff like ram.

[MasterChief]

OK, but does type really matter? I see that alot of the RAM that is so popular on newegg is DDR, but I think I remember someone saying DDR was on the way out or something.

Where do I look to see the RAM speed my mobo requires?

[Ojnod]

Your motherboard would take DDR at PC-3200 aka DDR 400 speeds. Even if it runs slower, you can always buy ram faster than the board requires. It will just down-clock it so it runs at the correct speed.

[0x64657200 0x6A61636B616C00]

Rambus is memory "type" on the one on the way out, at least in it's current form.