Building a new computer...help

[RimDot]

Ok, I'm looking at motherboards and I think I've narrowed it down to two.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128347

The only real differences are the 25$ Price difference and one has PCI Express 2.0 and the other doesn't. Here is the GPU I'm looking at.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4209965&Sku=P450-9830

What do you guys think?

[AlucardsFate]

Is there any specific reason your going with Gigabyte? I mean I have no problem with them....just curious.

Though the unusually cheap price of the boards makes me wary. Kinda curious as to why those are so cheap...

But the GPU looks like a steal...even if it is a rebate. Kudos.

But read user reviews...a lot of them...and find things that are repeated over and over in a lot of different reviews...it gives you a good sense of what to expect...

[RimDot]

Well, I've gone through quite a few motherboards I started with Intel and worked my way down. I chose Gigabyte because I've bought their stuff before and it's done well for me. The question I was really getting down to is: Is PCI Express 2.0 worth 25$?

Here's the CPU I'm planning on purchasing.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1428385&CatId=1969

[AlucardsFate]

Man...when did stuff get so cheap...

My board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131095

My CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773

My GPU: http://shopping.msn.com/specs/visiontek-radeon-x1950-pro-xge-graphics-adapter-radeon-x1950-pro-256-mb/itemid813498858/?itemtext=itemname:visiontek-radeon-x1950-pro-xge-graphics-adapter-radeon-x1950-pro-256-mb

But again...read user reviews to be sure...

[Umbrae]

I'd go with the more expensive one.

I'm stating the obvious here, but as you said, it has PCI 2.0 and so does the new graphics card you're getting.

It also has 8 USB ports!

[AlucardsFate]

No firewire...but who needs that? No fancy ports like me...Firewire and Esata...

[RimDot]

Hmm...

I thought about going AMD but, decided against it. Intel is just so much better supported. But, I like that motherboard you got. I wasn't able to find anything decent with two PCI Express x16 slots for under $120 for Intel. I guess no SLI for me, oh well.

Well, I think I'm going to sleep on it. The more expensive one would be a bit better off in the future. What could I fill eight USB ports with. Also who needs Firewire?

Here's the case I'm looking at.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

Said to be quiet and that's what I'm looking for. You should hear how loud my computer is now!

[Hero_X]

make sure you get your terabyte drives.

dont go with a 9800 card. they are bitch to get into the box. i have worked with 9800 cards before, and they are a big pain. and please no vista... they are coming out with windows 2007 this year. change your floppy drive to a multi-mem card reader.

standard case is good.

[RimDot]

Windows 2007? That sounds kinda old.

Don't worry I'm not going to downgrade to Vista. I'll stick with 32bit XP for now. Does 32bit XP even support 4GB of ram?

The 9800GT was the best I could find. It's really well supported. Anyway, I've heard that all new GPUs are a pain to get in, they're so damn big!

Man, I haven't had a floppy drive for like ten years. I've just had an empty space where it goes cause I couldn't find the plate that goes there.

[AlucardsFate]

Hey...don't diss the floppy! I have one...it was neccesary to install XP onto my SATA drive...

Windows 2007? That sounds kinda old.

Don't worry I'm not going to downgrade to Vista. I'll stick with 32bit XP for now. Does 32bit XP even support 4GB of ram?

The 9800GT was the best I could find. It's really was supported. Anyway, I've heard that all new GPUs are a pain to get in, they're so damn big!

It does...sorta....it can't handle more then 4GB...so it will usually read as somewhere around 3.75 or some weird number that's close but not quite 4....

Yeah...newer cards are tough...but keep in mind...yours looks smaller then mine...and I did fine...(Seriously...mine is a damn car part...)

[Umbrae]

He means Windows 7. They already have Beta out, but I thought we're gonna see it anytime soon.

Case is ugly as hell, but who's gonna look at it, right? Even thought I have a kick-ass tower (IMHO), it is sitting on the floor where nobody can see it.

[AlucardsFate]

Huh...I actually considered that case briefly for mine...but ultimately...I bought the cheapest one I could find...as it was getting paint anyway...

NO CASE YOU FIND WILL BE BETTER THEN MINE!

[Hero_X]

xp 32bit can handle 4gigs of ram.

2gig for applications and the other 2gig for cpu. i think thats how it's split. it will still say something around 2.25gig to 3.75gig of ram on the computer properties, but it will still be using 4gig.

there is a small version of the 9800, not sure if its the gtx or the gt series.

im still using asus7800gtx and it has served me well for my gaming needs.

[Umbrae]

Ohh, I'm using 7800 GTX also! Not that I do any gaming with it~

This thread reminded me that I need to buy RAM. I had 1Gig before (2*512MB), but one of them died, so now I have 512MB~

[PSRT]

I'm running Vista x64 right now, and I've had no conflicts with any applications, drivers, or games. If you're not planning on upgrading to Windows 7 right out of the gate, Vista is a viable option for gaming thanks to SP1. nVidia's downsized GPUs are usually in the GTS classification, so the GT would still be large. Just check the dimensions, and make sure they fit into your case, as I've heard of people having trouble fitting cards that are an inch or two too long.

[RimDot]

Well, I think I'm going to decide on the cheaper motherboard. I don't even know what PCI Express 2.0 does and I have to get all the other stuff too. It's not like I'm a big PC game player. That's what my 360 is for. I don't want to play Crysis. I want to play Half-Life 2 and all that uses the same engine. From what I read this will be much more than enough.

I'll keep you guys updated.

[AlucardsFate]

I would get the PCI Express 2.0...considering your GPU can use it....

If you get the cheaper Mobo...you may as well save money on a GPU too! Find one without 2.0...

I imagine 2.0 has a faster data transfer rate....

Considering how cheap those boards are...getting the pricier one shouldn't be too bad...cause those are seriously cheap....

For a comparison...when I bought my board...it was $130...WITH MY EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT....

[Hero_X]

I'm running Vista x64 right now, and I've had no conflicts with any applications, drivers, or games. If you're not planning on upgrading to Windows 7 right out of the gate, Vista is a viable option for gaming thanks to SP1. nVidia's downsized GPUs are usually in the GTS classification, so the GT would still be large. Just check the dimensions, and make sure they fit into your case, as I've heard of people having trouble fitting cards that are an inch or two too long.


i wish i had that inch or two too long problem... hahaha