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Building new PC - few questions for the experts

767 views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Ookster 
#1 ·
I've done a lot of reading and already gotten some good advice (thanks fastvfr). I'm getting ready to build a new computer, and this will be the second one that I've ever built. My other PCs have been store bought in the box computers. Here are the components that I've decided on:

-Pentium 4 3.2GHz Prescott
-ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe mother board
ASUS P4C800-E specs
-1 GB Corsair XMS DDR400 memory
Corsair RAM
-Probably a GeForce 6800 GT or Ultra video card

I'm still very new to this so I have a few questions:

1. The motherboard is set up for SATA/RAID, but I wanted to use my old hard drive for now. Will I be able to hook up my 2-year old Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM ATA hard drive using an IDE ribbon cable? Or will I have to buy a new SATA hard drive?

2. I've read that this CPU runs HOT when playing 3D games. Can anyone recommend a better heat sink/fan for the CPU that runs fairly quiet? I've got a pretty large Antec case with 400W power supply and 3 80mm case fans. Right now it's pretty loud. My current CPU is an AMD Athlon XP 2100+ with the factory heat sink and fan on an ASUS board. I have no problems with heat with this setup.

3. For 3D gaming (Half Life 2, Doom 3) is it worth the extra $$$ to get a 256MB video card, or would I be ok with a GeForce 6800GT 128MB card?

Thanks in advance for the help. There are some very knowledgable people here, and I greatly appreciate the advice.

Eric
 
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#2 ·
Will the processor come with it's own fan?
Then if you don't overclock it you will be fine.

yes you can use your curent hard drive IF your new motherboard has the IDE ribbon cable port.

You must have a lot of cash on hand if you are going to buy the Nvidia 6800 graphics card.

In this area there is so much information overload on specs and how fast the memeory is and how many flux capacitors this thing will do that I would go with the 128MB version.

I do however have an Nvidia 5950 Ultra with 256MB but that's another story on how I got it. :)
 
#3 ·
you left out what is getting to be a very important component.

what brand/rating of power supply are you going to be running?

get a good quality power supply (OCZ, Enermax, Sparkle, Antec, PC Power and Cooling)

get as a minimum, at least a 400W supply that can deliver a high Amperage on the 12V lines.

get a pwrsupply that has good amperage on the 12V rail. Preferably a pwrsupply that has dedicated 12V shielded lines for the video card and the hard drive.

This is the one I just installed and it has GREAT reviews:http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-151&depa=0

I run this in my P4 system.

I just got this one:http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-909&depa=0 for my son's AMD system.

don't scrimp on the pwrsupply. They are the heart of your system stability.
 
#4 ·
The P4 does come with the stock heat sink and fan. Since I don't plan to overclock it I'll probably just go with it and see what kinds of temps I get when playing 3D games.

Also, I plan to use my old Antec case with Antec 400W power supply. I'm not sure what model it is. I bought the case a couple years ago from Best Buy and it came with the power supply. I think it was about $149 for the total package. I'll look at it tonight when I get home and let you guys know which one it is, and maybe you can tell me if it's worth upgrading.

I'm still unsure as to which video card I want to go with. I've had good experience with invidia, so I definitely want a GeForce 6800 GT or Ultra chipset. I just can't determine if it's worth it to get a 256MB card (~$400) or a 128MB card (~$250-$300). I'll try to do some more reading and see if I can find some benchmark comparisons between the two.

Thanks again for the help!

Eric
 
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