Getting ready to build - parts picked

[GreatHype]

this is the new beast....Speed Loader Megadeath.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

I have no clue what that is. What is it?

 

[GreatHype]

...the computer the guy wants to build...thats the new beast and I made a name for it thus Speed Loader Megadeath

 

[EricM]

Well I think I may go with the xtreme music. I need to work some stuff out tho because I am way over my budget with taxes and all... The speakers and monitor alone could buy me another computer. Well I hope prices go down or something... do you know when the new video nvidia cards are going to be released? because that will hopefull knock down the prices of the 7800gtx and that would save me a bit. Should I stick with 2gb.. or should I go down to 1? I really want two as I know I will upgrade in the future anyways when computers will need more.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

If you want max bass, the Dolby Pro Logic II: Music maximizes the bass. It literally pounds the crap out of my walls depending on what kind of music you listen to. The new stuff can come as early as January through summer. Nvidia usually upgrades like every 4 months. I think the higher RAM you go, the more latency. I would stick with 1GB. No need for 2GB.

 

[EricM]

The ram I want is available in a 1gb version and has the same latencies. So what suggestions do u have for 1gb ram? Is there a difference between 2 sticks of 512mb and dual channel 2x512mb? I am looking at downgrading some stuff right now because I think I am going a bit overkill for my needs. Is there a big noticeable difference between the 7800gt and 7800gtx? And for my cpu ... should i just go with an athlon 3500+ or greater? Or should I just stick with the X2 4400+ I was gonna downgrade to the 4200+ or 3800+ but I am not to sure about those. And one last question regarding monitors... Does dell make good monitors? I found this monitor... http://accessories.dell.com/sna/Pro...ry_id=211&first=true&page=productlisting.aspx
Its 20ms tho... But I am not the biggest gamer so I got some decisions to make!

 

[ownage]

You will benefit from 2x1GB sticks of RAM. Get a X2 3800+ and the GTX and GT have a big difference. Dell monitors are very nice, especially the 2005FPW and the 2405FPW

 

[TRDCorolla1]

7800GTX is just the best to get right now. I just wish I had the extra $200 to get it. It's easy to get carried away when building a system, especially when you want it to be good. Dual channel is a basic config with that motherboard so you can get any 2x512MB RAM and it will automatically be in dual channel (if you put them in the right slots according to the motherboard manual).

I would downgrade the monitor, speakers, graphics card, motherboard, CPU, and the sound card. You can use the onboard sound temporarily until you have more money later to add the X-Fi in there. The X-530 is a nice set of speakers.

Logitech X-530 70 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121118

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 1GHz FSB 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Dual Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562

SAMSUNG 940b-Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1 0.294mm Pixel Pitch - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001066

For monitors, they're almost all the same price if you plan on getting LCD 19 inches. That DFI motherboard is almost $200. Maybe get something around $120-150. It still doesn an excellent job and you won't even notice a difference in performance. If you still plan on getting an SLi motherboard, get a 7800GT video card and buy another one later down the road. DO this if your budget is tight. The 7800GTX is a nice video card and highly recommended, but like you say, at a higher cost. Eventually, it will come down in price.

For memory, Corsair XMS and OCZ Gold or Platinum are two performance RAM I feel are good. I've been using Corsair for so long, that I may end up getting Corsair XMS again.

Even after all those changes, you will still have a kick ass computer and at the same time, shave off hundreds and hundreds of dollars doing it.

 

[EricM]

Is there a huge difference between the x2 3800+ and the 4400+??? The OCZ ram I wanted in 1gb is now on sale for 120 dollars CDN. I think I may get that. The sale ends January 7.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Well, the 4400+ is a better processor. I feel there's a significant difference as benchmarks show the 4400+ to be more superior to the 3800+. The 4400+ has a higher clock rate and more cache. Not to mention $160 difference in price.