A Fresh Start...Load me up?

[SiKNiZ]

Whats up guys... im new to the board! So hi... I was wanting some opinions... I am currently getting a new computer but im freaking stuck on what i should get... I am a athlon guy, but i was wanting to try out intel. I dont think i can do it tho.. heres what i have laid out for the intel system! These are just the core components, i have all that extra stuff (dvd burners and so on)
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ABIT "IC7-G MAXII ADVANCE" i875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU
Model# IC7-G MAXII $132
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott and Northwood) Processors
Chipset: Intel 875P + ICH5R
FSB: 800/533MHz
RAM: 4x DIMM support Dual-Channel DDR400 Max 4GB(ECC)
IDE: 2x ATA 100 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP Pro 8X/4X(0.8/1.5V), 5x PCI
Ports: 2xPS/2,1xLPT,1xCOM,SPDIF In/Out,3xIEEE1394a(Rear 1),8xUSB2.0(Rear 4),1xLAN,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: 6-Channel AC97 Codec
Onboard LAN: Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
Onboard SATA/RAID: 4x Serial ATA, RAID 0/1
Onboard 1394: 3 Ports

Intel Pentium 4/ 3.2C GHz 800MHz FSB, 512K Cache, Hyper Threading Technology
Model# BX80532PG3200D $265
Specifications:
Model: Intel Pentium 4 w/ Hyper Threading
Core: Northwood
Operating Frequency: 3.2GHz
FSB: 800MHz
Cache: L1/12K+8K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.55V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 478
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2
Warranty: 3-year MFG

Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200
Model# TWINX1024-3200C2PT $224
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Corsair
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2-3-3-6 T1
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: two 64M x 64 -Bit
Special Features: With Platinum Heat Spreader
Warranty: Lifetime

ATI RADEON 9800 PRO Video Card, 256MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP
Model# 100-435105 $265
Specifications:
Chipset: ATI RADEON 9800 PRO
Memory: 256MB DDR
BUS: AGP 8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub)+TV-Out(S-Video)+DVI connector
Support 3D API: DirectX®9, OpenGL®2.0
Cable/Accessories: 2 Cables, 2 Adapters, 1 CD, Manual
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But i am not sure if i wanna do it, as for the athlon system i would get..
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AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - OEM
Model# ADA3400AEP5AP $305
Specifications:
Model: AMD Athlon 64 3400+
Core: ClawHammer
Operating Frequency: 2.2GHz
FSB: Integrated into Chip
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/1MB
Voltage: 1.5V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 754
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: OEM(Processor Only)

ASUS "K8N-E Deluxe" NVIDIA nForce3 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL
Model# K8N-E DELUXE $137
Specifications:
Supported CPU: AMD Athlon 64 Processor
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce3 250Gb
FSB: 800 MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM Supports DDR266/333/400 Max 3GB
Slots: 1x AGP 8X/4X, 5x PCI
Ports: 2x PS/2, 1x COM, 1x LPT, 8x USB2.0(Rear 4), 1x IEEE1394, 1xRJ45, 1x S/PDIF Out, Audio Ports
IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2x SATA RAID with 0,1,0+1 by South Bridge, 4x SATA RAID with 0,1,1+0,5 by Sil 3114
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC850(8-Ch)
Onboard LAN: 1000 BASE-T Ethernet
Onboard 1394: 2x ports by VIA VT6307
Form Factor: ATX


Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200
Model# TWINX1024-3200C2PT $224
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Corsair
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2-3-3-6 T1
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: two 64M x 64 -Bit
Special Features: With Platinum Heat Spreader
Warranty: Lifetime


I want to get a nvidia 256mb card still deciding whom i should buy it from(brand), If you have any good recommendations on a card that would be great.. Also feedback on which system you would get and if i should make any adjustments to any product on that... <I most likely will get the athlon system, so more feedback on that> also cooling systems?? WATER?? polarflow?<AS of now im leaning towards Athlon>

[Yawgm0th]

You don't want to try out Intel. AMD has better bang-for-buck processors.

Try this:
Corsair XMS PC3200 x 2 - $224
eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT - $389 or get it with Doom 3 for $419
MSI K8N Neo Platinum -$126
OEM Athlon 64 3400 -$305
Thermaltake Venus 12 -$34.99; it's an OEM CPU so you need this; it will be cooler and actually won't cost any more than just getting a retail CPU with an AMD heatsink
Arctic Silver 5 -$7.59; you'll need this on top of the cooler

You could get a regular GeForce 6800 to save some money. It's a bit slower than the GT and has less RAM, which means a lot in certain games (Doom 3, mainly), but will mean nothing in others. It does save $100...

Another way to save money would be to get some Kingmax PC3500 RAM instead of that Corsair. It will run at higher speeds at the cost of timings. It also saves almost $60 (assuming you get 1GB).

You could cut the price by getting a Chaintech VNF3-250 instead of the MSI motherboard. It will perform and overclock just as well, but has less features (Which you may not even use). It costs over $40 less.

You can always cut the cooler and drop to a cheaper Athlon 64.
Athlon 64 2800 -$144
Athlon 64 3000 -$173
Athlon 64 3200 -$207

[SiKNiZ]

The processor and ram i am pretty firm on, unless some amazing deal comes out soon.. As for MSI i havent heard much of them and was more of a ASUS ABIT guy, any suggestions in them for a mobo.. I was looking around for some cheap HSF for the cpu found this one...http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...108-038&depa=0 or http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage....106-044-08.jpggive me an opinion on it..Good choice on the gfx card, i didnt want to go much higher on money, but i hear magnificant things about it ;)... i like corsair, what do u suggest for a power supply i was looking at this... http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...148-008&depa=0 also the case i am getting is the aspire dreamer II,, i just want a simple case, my last ones huge custom built antec dual window fan 120fan on top... so i wanted to get a smaller one

[Yawgm0th]

The CPU and RAM are just options, I listed the same CPU and RAM you did. But the RAM is an amazing deal. With the more expensive Corsair, you'll be paying $60 for maybe 2-5 frames per second in a game, depending on the game...

The HSF I found is cheaper and better... If you want something cheaper, this ought to do...

The Aspire should be enough for this system.

[SiKNiZ]

Im all for the price i would even go with the two i chose...

[Yawgm0th]

Im all for the price i would even go with the two i chose...

I'm not even sure what you are referring to with this post...

[SiKNiZ]

Ok heres the results: What you think?

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AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor
Model# ADA3400AEP5AP $305

Specifications:
Model: AMD Athlon 64 3400+
Core: ClawHammer
Operating Frequency: 2.2GHz
FSB: Integrated into Chip
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/1MB
Voltage: 1.5V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 754
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: OEM(Processor Only)



ASUS "K8N-E Deluxe" NVIDIA nForce3 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 754 CPU
Model# K8N-E DELUXE $137

Specifications:
Supported CPU: AMD Athlon 64 Processor
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce3 250Gb
FSB: 800 MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM Supports DDR266/333/400 Max 3GB
Slots: 1x AGP 8X/4X, 5x PCI
Ports: 2x PS/2, 1x COM, 1x LPT, 8x USB2.0(Rear 4), 1x IEEE1394, 1xRJ45, 1x S/PDIF Out, Audio Ports
IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2x SATA RAID with 0,1,0+1 by South Bridge, 4x SATA RAID with 0,1,1+0,5 by Sil 3114
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC850(8-Ch)
Onboard LAN: 1000 BASE-T Ethernet
Onboard 1394: 2x ports by VIA VT6307
Form Factor: ATX



Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200
Model# TWINX1024-3200C2PT $224

Specifications:
Manufacturer: Corsair
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2-3-3-6 T1
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: two 64M x 64 -Bit
Special Features: With Platinum Heat Spreader
Warranty: Lifetime


eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "256-A8-N344-AX"
Model# 256-A8-N344-AX $389

Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT/350MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB GDDR3/1GHz
BUS: AGP 4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) + TV-Out (S-Video) + DVI
Support 3D API: DirectX 9, OpenGL 1.5
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@60Hz
Cable/Accessories: Manual, 2x DVI to VGA Adapters, FARCRY
Retail Box (See pics for details)


Thermaltake SilentTower 4 in 1 CPU Cooler for Intel P4 478 & Socket T, AMD K7 & K8,
with Heatpipe Cooling, Model "CL-P0025"
Model# CL-P0025 $45

Specifications:
Compatibility: Intel P4 Socket T, Intel P4 478 up to 3.2GHz, AMD Athlon 64 / Athlon 64 FX, AMD Athlon XP up to 3400+
Dimensions: 86x80x138mm (59 fins)
Material: Copper Base & Aluminum Fin
Heatpipe: Copper Tube ( F6 mm) x 3pcs
Fan Dimensions: 90x90x25mm
Bearing Type: 1 Ball, 1 Sleeve
Fan Speed(RPM): 2500 ±10%
Max Air Flow(CFM): 52.24
Rated Voltage: 12V
Connector: 3 Pin

--------------------------------------------------------------------------The only thing left to pick out is a power supply any suggestions for this beast computer?

[Yawgm0th]

Stop posting the specifications... It's just annoying and doesn't help me.

Change the motherboard like I told you... The MSI K8N Neo Platinum is better and cheaper.

That HSF will be good. Not as powerful as the Venus 12, but it should be quiet.

This ought to be a good PSU.

[SiKNiZ]

I will go with the mobo you suggested, i havent heard much on them tho... On the HSF why is the venus more powerful? Im throwing two fans on that one? I would be willing to pay for water cooling under 125$ Also on the motherboard chipset should i take off the factory one and upgrade? (suggestions once again) thanks alot for everything Your making my life so much easier!

[Yawgm0th]

The Thermaltake Venus 12 gives more airflow andis made of the same material, so it should be more poweful. The SilentTower is, well, silent. The Venus 12 might get loud at times.

If you want to read more on that motherboard, this article will tell you all you need. The Epox 8KDA3+ is another good option, but it's a lot more expensive due to features you probably won't use.

Also on the motherboard chip should i take off the factory one and upgrade?

Not even sure what you mean... Do you mean putting a seprate HSF on the chipset? Don't bother...