First time build- Please tell me what you think

[mu0325]

Hi,

I have never built a PC before and I have been checking the fourm and researching for about 2 monthes and this is what i have in mind with prices so far:

Pioneer CD/DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-118LBK LabelFlash Support - OEM $29

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM $54

EVGA 01G-P3-N981-TR GeForce 9800 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI$135

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model VS4GBKIT800D2 G - Retail$46

XFX nForce 750i SLI Extreme Motherboard / CPU Bundle - NVIDIA 750i, Socket 775, PCI-E 2.0, SLI, Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 Processor, 2.66GHz (3.28 lbs) $250

I was thinking to get core 2 due 3.0 GHz. In the future i want to get another 1 gb 9800 GT and use the SLI. I imagine that the case will cost $40 - $80. I need help on the power supply that support the SLI right? and do i need extra fans or anything else?

Also whats your take on AMD vs Intel? Do you think the GPU is a good choice or should i go with the 200s series instead of 9800?

What you guys think about the tech specs? and am I paying too much? Any advice will be greatly appreciated

I am a high end gamer, mainly first person shooter.

[RickyTick]

Is there a specific price range you're trying to stay in?

There are some much better components than the ones you listed.

That Pioneer burner is an IDE interface. We typically recommend SATA for the optical drive and hard drive.
Take a look at this optical drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188
and this hard drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

For a high end gamer, you really need to look at a video card in the GTX200 series. The GTX260 core 216 is the best bang for the buck. It will play most games on their highest settings, plus you can add another in SLI somewhere down the road and really be hard core. :)
Check out this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434

I'm not familiar with a E8200. Consider the E8400 or E8500.

You really can't beat this power supply in quality, power, or efficiency
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

What do you think?

[mu0325]

Is there a specific price range you're trying to stay in?

There are some much better components than the ones you listed.

That Pioneer burner is an IDE interface. We typically recommend SATA for the optical drive and hard drive.
Take a look at this optical drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188
and this hard drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

For a high end gamer, you really need to look at a video card in the GTX200 series. The GTX260 core 216 is the best bang for the buck. It will play most games on their highest settings, plus you can add another in SLI somewhere down the road and really be hard core. :)
Check out this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434

I'm not familiar with a E8200. Consider the E8400 or E8500.

You really can't beat this power supply in quality, power, or efficiency
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

What do you think?

Thanks for your reply. Well I would like the whole thing to stay between $700 to $800 max. So what I have before the case and OS and after rebate and shipping $695. I am read a lot of stuff about AMD but I am not sure there are so much info out there, the more I read the more I get confused. This is what I have so far I followed you advice on the CPU and went with E8400 and changed the optical drive to the one you recommended. The hard drive that you told me to check out has the same features that the one I have but more expensive so I did not change it. This is what I have so far:

SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support – OEM $29


Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM $60


EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $180


CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready $80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... $120


CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model VS4GBKIT800D2 G $46

EVGA 122-YW-E173-TR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard $120

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Processor BX80570E8400 - 3.0GHz, 6MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB, Wolfdale, Dual-Core, Retail, Socket 775, Processor with Fan $180

If AMD gives better performance for the money you pay I will drop the Intel, there are so many of them out there Athlon, Phanom 1.

Another thing I heard that GTX 260 heat up fast and I need more cooling is that true.

Another thing i read somewhere that if you are building a gaming rig for the hard drive it has to be RAID0 minimum instead SATA.

I need some help with the case and the cooling system.

[RickyTick]

On the hard drives, that Seagate is 500gb with 16mb of cache and a 3tr warranty.
The Western Digital is 640gb with 32mb of cache and a 5 year warranty.
It's about $15 more, but it's bigger, better, faster, and has a better warranty.

AMD is a terrific option. It currently is a better "bang for the buck", and it offers a better upgrade path than the Intel LGA775 lineup.

The GTX260 does not have a heat problem, but a fan issue. It defaults to a fan speed of 40% and will stay there until the card reaches around 80 degrees C, and then it only speeds up the fan very gradually. Most people use a software tool like Rivatuner or Precision to increase the fan speed. It works very well, and keeps the card at a more reasonable temperature.

Raid is an option, but certainly not a requirement. A single, high quality, fast hard drive (like the one I suggested :D) would work beautifully.

[Barrister73]

For a high end gamer, you really need to look at a video card in the GTX200 series. The GTX260 core 216 is the best bang for the buck. It will play most games on their highest settings, plus you can add another in SLI somewhere down the road and really be hard core. :)
Check out this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434


The exact same card overclocked is $10 more. How difficult is it to overclock that card and save the money?

MRR

[RickyTick]

The exact same card overclocked is $10 more. How difficult is it to overclock that card and save the money?

MRR

Simple.

[mu0325]

On the hard drives, that Seagate is 500gb with 16mb of cache and a 3tr warranty.
The Western Digital is 640gb with 32mb of cache and a 5 year warranty.
It's about $15 more, but it's bigger, better, faster, and has a better warranty.

AMD is a terrific option. It currently is a better "bang for the buck", and it offers a better upgrade path than the Intel LGA775 lineup.

The GTX260 does not have a heat problem, but a fan issue. It defaults to a fan speed of 40% and will stay there until the card reaches around 80 degrees C, and then it only speeds up the fan very gradually. Most people use a software tool like Rivatuner or Precision to increase the fan speed. It works very well, and keeps the card at a more reasonable temperature.

Raid is an option, but certainly not a requirement. A single, high quality, fast hard drive (like the one I suggested :D) would work beautifully.


This is what I have so far. I decided to go with AMD Phenom II X3 but I don’t want to get ATi I want to get the GTX 260 and in the future add another one in SLi setting, but I read a lot of bad reviews about AMD & SLI configuration what you think? Beside the only mother board that I could find is 750a and I heard that it is pretty small and it heats up. I could not find AMD AM3 DDR3 SLI supported mother board. Do you think I should go with ATI 4870?

I am not sure about the case and do I need extra cooling for the CPU. Also what ever case I get do I have to get extra cooling fan for it?

Thanks

SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

ASUS M4N72-E AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard

EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model VS4GBKIT800D2 G - Retail

AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor Model HDX710WFGIBOX - Retail

Corsair TX750W 750-Watt Power Supply