Building a new PC, Opinions wanted

[Nexus_One]

OK, so I'm getting ready to build my machine, and I wanted to see what some of you thought about my list, since at least a few of you know more than I do.

Pentium 4 560 (Prescott) 3.6GHz
Asus P5AD2 Premium motherboard
ATI Radeon XT Platinum Edition, 256MB RAM DDR3 PCI Express
2 160GB Maxtor Diamond Max 10 Hard drives in RAID1
Creative Audigy 2 ZS Gamer
2GB DDR2 533MHz, 2 1GB sticks
Lite-On DVD-RW, dual layer yes it is + and -
A-Open CD-RW/DVD-ROM 52/32/52 16xDVD
500 watt power supply
19 inch Viewsonic perfect flat CRT
Logitech Z-680 5.1 THX speakers
Microsoft Optical Pro keyboard and mouse (ergonomic keyboard)
Microsoft Windows XP Pro

Is this overkill? Would 2 512MB sticks suffice for the next year? Any bets on the benchmark scores?

[Avder]

That looks good, except I'd go for an A64 if this is gonna be a gaming rig.

[Tetrad]

You don't need two gigs of ram unless you know you need two gigs of ram.

Why do you have two CD burners?

What brand PSU? Don't skimp on this.

Are the hdds sata?

[Krom]

Yeah, the Athlon 64 is ahead for games right now.

[MD-2389]

Is this overkill? Would 2 512MB sticks suffice for the next year? Any bets on the benchmark scores?

Unless you're doing some serious video editing/CG rendering, I wouldn't go above a gig.

[Sergeant Thorne]

Yeah, definately build a new PC!

[Nexus_One]

The PSU will probably be either Antec or PC Power and Cooling.

I looked at FX-53 systems, but I also wanted PCI Express and DDR2. There is no release date for the Ahtlon based PCI Express motherboards, and that was an issue for me.

There is only on CD burner, the other is a DVD burner. The CD-RW is a combo drive, so I can burn DVDs easier. AT $50 it's not a big cost factor for the combo drive.

I also looked at the GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, but if I use it on a PCI Express board, I lose a PCI slot right off the bat (and yes I know this also applies to an AGP based 6800). There aren't a lot of PCI slots on the board as it is, and I really didn't want to lose any of them.

I don't want to use RAID 0 because of reliability issues. I will be sticking with RAID 1, I don't want to lose all my data again like I did with my last desktop.

What would you guys do for a premium gaming set up. I'm trying to top out at around $3500. That can buy quite a bit in the hands of some friends I have. The system I listed above was priced at $3800 for me, exactly as listed.

[Max_T]

looks good to me, make sure u pick some good quality RAM. Dunno if you need 2GB, but a 2 x 512 MB set would work fine.

[Asrale]

Unless you have a need for the extra software bundled with the Audigy 2 ZS Gamer, you should get the OEM version. You can download the drivers.

You didn't say which model # the Viewsonic monitor is, but don't get a monitor just because it's cheap. Sony and NEC make their own tubes with their own aperture-grille technologies; I'd recommend getting a monitor from either. For example, NEC's FE991, available in black or beige, which is still an excellent monitor.

And Logitech's Z-680 have long since been supplanted by Cambridge's MegaWorks 550D THX and Klipsch's ProMedia 5.1 Ultra. Either is far better than the Z-680.

[Nexus_One]

The problem with the Klipsch speakers is their lack of digital support. I have a set of Klipsch 4.1 THX speakers, and they absolutely rock, but no digital, not even the Ultras. I'm not familiar with the Cambridge speakers, but the Logitechs seem to be an overall winner from all the reviews I've read, plus I'm getting them for only $235, yes they are the Z-680's, I have a good supplier.

Turns out I will be using 2GB of RAM, the price difference for me isn't enough to drop down to just 1024MB of RAM.

I'm not choosing the monitor for it's price. I've used Viewsonic monitors in the past, they have been great for me. I have seen this monitor in stores too, and I like it a lot. The Sony and NEC monitors cost more than twice what the Viewsonic does too.

[Asrale]

Well the MegaWorks 550D isn't digital either...so I guess you'll be going with the Z-680 then. Not a bad system certainly, but the sound quality of the Klipsch and MegaWorks are definitely a cut above especially for music. But for $235 that's a great deal for what's essentially high-end gear.

[Neo]

I'd say keep the Intel stuff, ditch the Radeon and get a GeForce 6800 Ultra and get a 550 W power supply and get some nice, low-latency RAM. ^_^

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot...get a Logitech MX510 instead of the Microsoft mouse, and get a nice mousing surface. ^_^

Actually, you might want to get an MX310, since it's smaller, lighter, and therefore has less friction. On your system, it should be fast enough, and you might not need the extra mouse resolution offered by the MX510.

[Defender]

Why would he need a 550 over a 500 wat PSU?
Even the most demanding GF 6800 only needs a 480.
550's just overkill.

The 6800 is the fastest around atm, but as nexy mentioned above he needs the PCI slots and getting a vid card that blocks 1 isn't an option.

The mouse you get is really just preference.
I can't stand logitech mice. Smaller mice suck IMO.

[Nexus_One]

OK, I was misinformed about the price of the RAM, a simple miscalculation on someone's side, doesn't matter who. I will only be using 1024MB of RAM until next year when I will no doubt upgrade certain parts of my system. Other than that, the system is set in stone. Should only be a month until it's done, and I will hopefully have some benchmarks to back it up.

Anyone know any good free benchmark software? I don't want warez, just good shareware.

[AceCombat]

how many expansion slots does that mobo have?

[STRESSTEST]

A thread asking for oppinions for PC hardware. And! no one has turned it into a vs. thread. Still on topic too. You guys impress me, thanks!

Ofcourse I expect Mobius to come along and blow all that away.


Anyway, you have a fine system picked out

+.02 cents

[Defender]

Still on topic too.

Not anymore