RedFlag's First Custom Build

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RedFlag

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Ok, so over the last few weeks, I've had people help me build and nitpick this computer, and against the will of my sanity, I'm gonna post it here to have more people debate the parts. I'm trying to keep it around the $600 range, which its in now, so if you have suggestions, keep them within that range.

Sunbeam Transformer $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811166004

ASUS M4A78 Plus $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131381

XFX Radeon HD 4890 1GB $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition 2.3GHz $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103244

G.SKILL 4GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

LG DVD Burner $23.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

Total price: $679.92 (not including shipping)
 
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thats the cpu i want to upgrade too when i finally get workin on my build
you'll be able to OC that thing up pretty high with enough cooling products
 
That build looks very good. I'd say go for it.

As far as power supplies go, remember that more 12V rails is not something that you should look for. A power supply with many 12V rails has to balance the load between them. Some lesser quality brands have a harder time with this, and result in less than steady output. A single 12V rail will be more stable.

That's not to say that a PS with multiple 12V rails is a bad idea. The single rail ones tend to be expensive, and if you aren't over-clocking everything like a banshee or pushing the limits of the PS, you would probably never know the difference.

The PS you have picked is a good one, but it will be a bit overkill for that machine. If you plan to upgrade processors/video cards in the future, then go with it so you won't have to replace the PS down the road. If you have no intention of upgrading, go with a cheaper one.
 
I am planning to upgrade in the future, the CPU specifically. I'm planning on getting a nice quad core down the road when I get more money, but for now, I'm sticking with the dual core.
 
I just added a quad core, so disregard my last post, it was only $20 more so I decided to go for it.
 
Don't got phenom, Get a phenom II or a really nice duel core. The phenoms ( I have one) do not do justice to gaming, I'm getting 30-70 FPS in games like DoD:S and CS:S because my phenom is bottlenecking my GPU

(I got 3 gigs of ram and a visiontek 3870 OC)
 
Bravo Company said:
Don't got phenom, Get a phenom II or a really nice duel core. The phenoms ( I have one) do not do justice to gaming, I'm getting 30-70 FPS in games like DoD:S and CS:S because my phenom is bottlenecking my GPU

(I got 3 gigs of ram and a visiontek 3870 OC)
Click to expand...

Uhh my friend had a 2.4Ghz 4600+ dual core, a 3870 stock, 2gb DDR2 Ram, and he was pulling 60-70 frames on DoW:DC maxed @ 1680x1050, and on CSS @ 1680x1050 at max he was pulling 50 - 70 fps... Dont think its your Phenom, think its more of the graphics card bottlenecking.
 
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RedFlag said:
I just added a quad core, so disregard my last post, it was only $20 more so I decided to go for it.
Click to expand...

That was all me. :D

And, although the Phenom II's are really nice, I think the price difference would be a tad too much. It'd cost maybe $40 more for the lowest-end Phenom II X4.
 
consider spending slightly more for this instead of the 4870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359

It has more punch in gaming and uses basically the same amount of power as the 4870

and if you need a chart or check this out http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/ati_radeon_4890_nvidia_geforce_gtx_275/page2.asp

image032.png
 
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RedFlag said:
I decided to switch out the video card (yet again) to an XFX 4890.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359
Is that a smart investment for the price difference?
Click to expand...

I'm more of a Nvidia fan myself, however if i were you I'd go with a dual core, most computer games will not even use two cores yet alone 4 cores. You'd be better off with it plus there would be no performance increase from 2 to 4 cores it's a true waste of money for a 4 core processor unless your running a game plus using SETI at the same time :cool: .

Read this
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/multi-core-cpu,2280.html
 
RukUS said:
Chief has told me you should stay away from ASUS motherboards.
Click to expand...

And yet the vast majority of people swear by them. It's called personal preference :P

I've used mostly ASUS boards on the 10 or so people I've built computers for over the years and I've never had issues, all have been great OCers as well.
 
Rogue Sniper said:
Uhh my friend had a 2.4Ghz 4600+ dual core, a 3870 stock, 2gb DDR2 Ram, and he was pulling 60-70 frames on DoW:DC maxed @ 1680x1050, and on CSS @ 1680x1050 at max he was pulling 50 - 70 fps... Dont think its your Phenom, think its more of the graphics card bottlenecking.
Click to expand...

That's weird, a 3870 should outperform my 8600gt with ease. I run css at 80-100fps... (With my old Athlon x2 6400+ 3.2GHz)
 
?Jv? said:
That's weird, a 3870 should outperform my 8600gt with ease. I run css at 80-100fps... (With my old Athlon x2 6400+ 3.2GHz)
Click to expand...

is that with everything on high etc? cause i have an 8600 gt OC and get some pretty bad graphical lag after a couple hours of playing CS, and i figured it was my cpu bottlenecking me
 
JunK said:
is that with everything on high etc? cause i have an 8600 gt OC and get some pretty bad graphical lag after a couple hours of playing CS, and i figured it was my cpu bottlenecking me
Click to expand...

Everything maxed out except no AA... I have the Club 3D 8600GT OC Edition..


Yeah I need to upgrade soon to find something that can match my i7 :crying:
 
Kaine said:
And yet the vast majority of people swear by them. It's called personal preference :P

I've used mostly ASUS boards on the 10 or so people I've built computers for over the years and I've never had issues, all have been great OCers as well.
Click to expand...


Same here, every ASUS board Ive had has lasted me and I still have a nForce 4 Chipset board that works

?Jv? said:
That's weird, a 3870 should outperform my 8600gt with ease. I run css at 80-100fps... (With my old Athlon x2 6400+ 3.2GHz)
Click to expand...

If your 3870 cant out perform a 8600GT, it maybe a driver, ram/cpu bottleneck, or something else. My friend had a 3870 played CSS 1680x1050 @ Max w/ 8X MSAA with 50 - 65 FPS while my laptops 8600GT (practically same as desktop version) gets 40 - 50 FPS 1280x800 at maxed settings and w/ 8xQ CSAA
 
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