Sirwootalot's New Compy! IT'S HERE!!

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 3:44 am

[edit: most of what you see below has changed quite a bit. look to the post made on 2/15 for the real deal.]

I'm buying this for (what else?) Oblivion, and also with the hopes that I wont need an upgrade for at least 4 years.

Case
See options below. Keep in mind function vs. form - IE, more fans VS. cooler-looking.

Power Supply (520 watts)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817148008
[img]http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/17-148-008-15.JPG[/img]

Video Card - XFX GeForce 7800GT
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814150124
[img]http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/14-150-124-02.JPG[/img]

Motherboard - Biostar TForce4U
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813138270
[img]http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-138-270-01.JPG[/img]

Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (Dual-core, 2.0 Ghz each)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103562

RAM - 1 Gig
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145505

-------------------------------

All of the drives I already have (2 HDs, CD burner, DVD, floppy), so this comes to a grand total of $900 dollars with shipping costs.
Why I'm posting these specs is because I'm wondering if anyone has reccomendations for how to make it better without changing the price too much (IE better PS, better deal on soandso somewhere else, etc). Also, I have no freaking idea how to install the processor beyond sliding it into the slot, so if someone could help me there that'd
be coolio.

EDIT: changed Power Supply; old listing wasn't powerful enough to run the video card.
EDIT 2: Found a better, more stable Motherboard for less money.
EDIT 3: Motherboard listed was out-of-stock and had only one audio connector (zoinks!), replaced. Video Card replaced with equally powerful, much less expensive, cooler-looking different brand.

Vernon · Post by **Vernon** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 5:50 am

Boy oh boy - that's a nice rig (except for the flashy lights - hey, call me old-fashioned :P ). Certainly a tasty video card, though I would have gone for the ATI option in the same price range. I can't really see much that could be hugely improved, but there do seem to be a few omissions such as soundcard etc. Are you moving all of that over from your old PC or are you going to settle with the AN8 onboard sound chip? Also the RAM and MoBo are both DDR 400 - I read somewhere that you sometimes need to turn the 400 option up from 333 on in the BIOS (but that was a couple of years ago now). Now I think about it - 520 watts seems like a hell of a lot of juice for a rig that doesn't appear to be running lots and lots of stuff (probably taken up by all the lights and fans!).

Anyway I can only suggest that, if possible, you put your old HDD in this as a slave so you can backup your work properly in future! :P

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 6:32 am

The 520 watt power supply is because the Video Card needs a super-beefy voltage rating (26 amperes! and it takes up around 200 watts, from what ive read in reviews), and yeah, the lights and such too. I'm also planning to slightly OC my processor if possible, to 2.2 Ghz - the 3800 runs at a ridiculously efficient temperature normally, so it should be able to handle it just fine.

and no, that's all i'll have for soundcard, for now... I'll be upgrading that along with more RAM and possibly a new keyboard/mouse/DVD burner next year.
About the HDs, yeah, i'll be using the 40 gig drive in this computer as a master and the 80-gig from my old comp (slave in this computer) as a slave there, too.
The new case is mainly for the fans, my current one (which used to be my mom's till she bought a new laptop) is micro ATX and gets toasty with a measly celeron 1.3 and intergrated video inside it... *shudders*

Vernon · Post by **Vernon** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 7:14 am

2.2 OC? Hmm - you could wait on the keyboard/mouse/dvd/ram upgrade and get a quicker CPU. Prices should have gone right down by next year, as 64-bit floods the marketplace. Just a suggestion. :P

Silverwood · Post by **Silverwood** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 3:54 pm

zomg, and i thought my new radion was the coolest thing for a computer...

Lady Nerevar · Post by **Lady Nerevar** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 4:50 pm

damn! that thing is super sexeh. even py parents agree

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 6:41 pm

2.2 OC? Hmm - you could wait on the keyboard/mouse/dvd/ram upgrade and get a quicker CPU. Prices should have gone right down by next year, as 64-bit floods the marketplace. Just a suggestion.

thing is though, it's a dual core, so it'd really be OCing 4.0 to 4.4, basically. In most benchmarks, this thing comes in about 5th place against all the other processors on the market right now, and even beats the Intel dual-cores that cost twice as much money. it's a total beast, especially with multitasking (IE running TESCS, AIM, windows media player, and firefox simultaneously) and gaming. I've read reviews where the person is playing battlefield 2, burning a CD, and browsing the 'net simultaneously.
It's weird, I'm so excited about this thing that I had a nightmare about it. I was checking to make sure everything was alright, and it was, till I saw that the temperature was running at 72 C for idle load - and then i started sensing that the thermal pad was melting, and I shaed the processor's pain as it burned up. THAT is how you know you have slipped irrevocably into true geekdom.

And yes, it's extremely sexy. I still cant believe I found such an awesome-looking case for only 20 bucks...

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 6:19 pm

I had another weird computer nightmare - I got all the parts, but the processor was flexible and made of some sort of plastic-ey material. I tried to clamp it down in the slot, but it just wobbled a bit and all the pins got bent.
God i'm a geek.

The_Warder · Post by **The_Warder** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 10:38 pm

man thats a nice rig nice to see you are going with newegg.

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 8:23 pm

Well, after switching out more than a few parts, i managed to bring down the price enough to make me comfortable with switching out the (extremely cheap as-is) case! problem is, there are SO MANY options, I just can't decide. so I makes a poll!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811156140
[img]http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-156-140-21.JPG[/img]
Pros: slightly less expensive than others, coolest temps of the bunch, sturdy.
Cons: My brother said it looked way too cheesy, can't think of any other cons.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811209002
[img]http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-209-002-10.JPG[/img]
Pros: Comes with keyboard/mouse/speakers, has a handle, plenty of cooling over GPU
Cons: Handle doesn't actually work too well, Front LEDs look a bit ugly.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144010
[img]http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-144-010-11.JPG[/img]
Pros: Temperature reading (overheating is what killed my old rig), sturdy
Cons: only two fans, a little plain-looking.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144107
[img]http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-144-107-04.JPG[/img]
Pros: Orgasmically-awesome-looking, temperature reading, CPU "tube"
Cons: Only two fans, and only one of them is for anything besides the CPU.

Annon · Post by **Annon** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 12:18 am

The age of the silicon is soon over. In maybe two to three years the first nano and optic processors will come. And those will be up too 1000 times more powerful. But if this computer is intend for Oblivion its really not worth too wait.

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 6:11 pm

well then, i'll take 2-3 years to save up for all that. From what i've seen of intel's plans for the next 5 years though, it's actually still silicon, but reducing the size of the processor dies to make multicore processors - the first quad-core processor is due out around 2007, and they have a technique of putting two dies on one chip that should allow for up to 8 cores by 2008. AMD will surely catch up with astronomically more efficient and less heat-mongering equivalents within 6 months to a year of the release of those.

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 6:36 am

ARRRRRRRRRRGH
I have to wait quite a while till I can get this - family is having financial issues, and i'm having grade issues.

Pythearon · Post by **Pythearon** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 7:07 am

That is great and i would definately go with the top cover primarily becasue if you runnin that rig it needs to cool. What type of fans are attached to it? Your gonna need like 4 lol

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 1:48 am

It's got three case fans (two over the GPU which already has a fan), a fan on the CPU (duh), and the power supply has three fans of its own.
Also, a while ago I changed the vid card/motherboard/RAM, decided on a case, and added a DVD burner; i'll change that first post to reflect that shortly.

Inferno_str1ke · Post by **Inferno_str1ke** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 2:41 pm

I know you said you've changed it, but I hope one of the changes was to a better motherboard. That one may look nice, but is by a relatively unknown developer - get yourself on an MSI, Asus, Abit or Gigabyte motherboard and it's sailing. And tbh the 7800GT isn't needed - the Dx10 cards are going to be out halfway thro the year, so may as well save yourself some cash now and get a 6800 UL or 6600 GT now and then get one of the new breed when they get released.

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:38 pm

That's what I would do, if I had the money. The motherboard I was going to get was an Evga, not great but not bad either.
Thing is, I imagine those video cards will be around $400 dollars for even the skimpiest, and I can spend no more than $300 on a video card. I'll probably just let time decide what to do.

Inferno_str1ke · Post by **Inferno_str1ke** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 1:42 pm

Those video cards will be the same price on release as the 7800GTX was, which isn't much more than it is now. If you save yourself alot of cash by getting a 6600GT instead of the 7800GTX you have a perfect space to upgrade again in a years time.

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 9:04 pm

problem is, I dont think a 6600GT will run oblivion very well (if at all). again, letting time decide...

Stalker · Post by **Stalker** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 10:35 pm

6600GT not being able to run Ob ? Bwahahaha. Of course not. If Beth programmers are even more lame than I except them to be. F.E.A.R. on x3m with no lag. Ob - pathetic.

Eraser · Post by **Eraser** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 11:15 pm

A 6600 will run oblivion. My old 9800 radeon runs fear quite well (and the lost coast for hl2). The only thing it can't handle to this day is Call of Duty 2. Of course this is almost all maxed out settings in fear(no soft shadow edges, it looks like crap so its not even worth the slowdown) everything else maxed out in 1024x768.

doesn't matter now anyway, I got a lovely 7800GT to go with the amd 64 3800+ I just ordered. And I_S, I needed it now to play CoD 2 fast and OB when it comes out in full glory. And especially with my ATI grudge, I wasn't about to wait for the DX10 cards that will probably go for $800 or more.

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:07 pm

hmm. well, if I get a 6600 now or wait till later and get a 7800GT (original plan), either way ill have no money afterwards - it'd save money for my parents, not me.
But hey, if I pool my money again like I did this year (I ONLY get money on birthdays and christmas), I should have enough for an awesome new vid card.
So in short, I'll still go with the 7800 - it's selfish, but hey, either option will make just as big of a dent in MY pocket.

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 9:40 pm

I BOUGHT IT!!!!!

It's coming in friday, and since I won't be home till 10:30 (school, improv, work) I'll be building it in the wee hours of the night. I'll take lots of pictures of the hardware for reviews i'm going to write on a friend's site, and i'll post some of those here too.

Case: Aspire X-Navigator, 500W dual-rail PSU
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811144125
[img]http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-144-125-04.JPG[/img]

Motherboard: Biostar TForce-6100
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813138264
[img]http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-138-264-06.JPG[/img]

Video: Intergrated GeForce 6100 (TEMPORARY)
See MB link. Is about as powerful as a Radeon x1300 or a lower-end 6600GT.

Processor: AMD Athlon X2 3800+
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103562

RAM: PATRIOT 2x512 MB, 2-3-3-7 timings
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820220037

DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106992

Thing is, this isn't the whole shebang. In about a month, I'll be getting the REAL video card, along with a pre-order of Oblivion. As for the exact video card I'm going to buy, I'm not sure yet. Depending on how much money I can get from my parents, it'll either be a 6800GS or a 7800 GT - either way, it'll be replaced by a DX10 card in a year or so.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 10:19 pm

Holy crap...XFX PVT70FUND7 Geforce 7800GTX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card? I nearly shit my pants...509 bucks for a video card :O

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 10:25 pm

I'm not getting a GTX! besides, that particular one, were I to get a GTX, is about $50 overpriced. :p
I'm probably gonna get a 7800 GT, which is around $280, unless my fahjah can't afford to chip in that much, in which case i'll get a 6800GS for around $180.

Thrignar Fraxix · Post by **Thrignar Fraxix** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 11:36 pm

Processor: AMD Athlon X2 3800+

Ah, a fine processor. The very one I have in my computer. (Which I only purchased in November)
I can tell you from that alone that you will be very happy.

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:43 pm

This is fucking awesome. I'm reinstalling HL2, listening to music, and typing this all at the same time. It's like sex, only better and much less messy.

Dexter · Post by **Dexter** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:11 pm

Can you work on your claim too?
HINT!

Thrignar Fraxix · Post by **Thrignar Fraxix** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:42 pm

Thats exactly what I was like. DLing morrowind and the sims 2 at the same time. by the time I entered the code for the sims 2 it was time for tribunal. Just wait until you actually play the games.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 9:08 pm

Im lucky enough to have the worst processor around...Intel celeron D 330...126 MB of RAM is all this piece of crap came with, and a crappy intel video card as well...Gonna have a fine time dreaming about having a good enough comp for oblivion

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 11:18 pm

My copy of bloodmoon is severely screwed up, and only installs 2/3rds of the way. My friend is coming over to behold the awesomeness of my computer, and he has a copy of bloodmoon too, so claim work should go down tonight.
Before installing either expansion, I opened up the CS to see how well it performs on this computer.
HOLY SHIT.
Balmora loaded up in half a second, and zoomed out all the way, I could still navigate around the landscape smooth-as-silk. with hardware this awesome, my claim can probably be finished WAY faster, because on my dad's PC the CS liked freezing all the time. What I can't handle is that it does this well, and I don't even have the video card yet! seriously, it's pimpburgers and awesomesauce.

Tamriel Rebuilt

Sirwootalot's New Compy! IT'S HERE!!

Which case is the best option?

Sirwootalot's New Compy! IT'S HERE!!

jesus

Nice Rig