# my first build - gaming computer



## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

1. Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?

up to about $1500 but less would be better

2. Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want?

nope

3. Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much?

prabably a good deal of multitasking

4. Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games?

It'll be mostly used for gaming with some brand new games

5. Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding?

maybe a little but not much

6. Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?

I don't really know very much about how to overclock, but i might do it a little bit when i learn how.
7. Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing?

250gigs should be enough

8. Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices?

not really

9. Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility?

Vista 64bit
10. Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it?

I'm having a big problem diciding on a case. I want it big enough to fit all of my components

11. Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included?

i do need a keyboard and maybe a mouse but i think I'll look into them separately.

12. Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have?

no.

13. Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen?

i was thinking 22" widescreen

14. Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from?

i like newegg but if stuff is cheaper other places i have no problem with that.

15. Location: What country do you live in?
U.S.


I have a list of parts that I've researched and picked out:

motherboard: MSI 750i
Graphics cards (SLI): MSI 9600GT 512mb (x2)
PSU: Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W SLI Ready-ATX12V V2.01 Power Supply
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
RAM: OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200 RPM 3.0Gb/s
CD/DVD burner: Pioneer 20X DVD +/-R
OS: Vista 64-Bit Home Premium
Case: can’t decide between XCLIO A380BK (with APEVIA CF12SL-UBL 120mm Blue LED Case Fan) and Antec 900

Does all this stuff work together? Any opinions on cases? Anything i can change to make it faster? if you need more info ask.


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

hmm, won't let me edit my original post any more but here's links to all the parts i picked out:
XCLIO case:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16811103010
exaust fan for XCLIO:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16811998121
Antec 900 case:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16811129021
motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813130159
GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16814127332
PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817182032
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16819115017
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16820227269
HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16822148262
cd/dvd burner:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16827129018

with the processor i've picked i think i should overclock at least a bit since i'm going to be gaming. help on that would be greatly apreciated.


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

First off, the power supply you have selected (Rosewill) is not even a good power supply. My personal thought is that it worse than poor. This is the heart of your rig, so this piece of hardware will not do the job for you.

You need to look at something like the Antec Trio 650 power supply, the OCZ 700, the Thermaltake "toughpower" 750, or even the PC Power & Cooling 750. These will definitely do the work that you expect.


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

thanks, I would never have known that. Any idea how much power I'll need? If the suggestions you gave will all run the computer equally well i'll go with the cheapest one, the Antec 650W. Is there any reason i should get one of the others?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

if you are only going to run 1 video card go with the antec
if you are going to run 2 go with the 750w
if you are going to eventually run 3 start looking at the 1kw supplies


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

I think i'll go with 750W for now, 1KW is expensive.
How about cases? is there any reason i should get one over the other? more room better airflow in one than the other? or any other case suggestions besides the two i looked at?
Also, is there anything i can do that'll make it easier to overclock? which i will probably to eventually but not immediately


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

i just use full tower cases with plenty of hard drive slots,go for a gaming case with plenty of fans
get it up and running before worrying about o/clocking
i would go with the XCLIO because it is a full tower compared to the antc being a mid tower


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

ok, thanks


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

how about the other parts? Any suggestions for them? also i should probably look for a mouse and keyboard despite what i said earlier. If anyone has any ideas for not too expensive gaming keyboards and mouse that'd be great. Also I looked into monitors and picked out this one: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16824001096
does this look good?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

i am using a samsung hdtv as a monitor pictures great
i don't ahve games on the computer so don't know anything on gaming k/b's or mice


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

the logitech g5 mouse is awsome and i really dont think that a keyboard really helps to much


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

I'm also wondering whether I should go with a single graphics card that costs the same as 2 of what I have now even if it's slower for now so that I can later upgrade to SLI with that better card when I get the money?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

the 9600 will be faster then alot of sli configs what cards do you have now?


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

i have duel 9600GT's picked out now because reviews said they were better than a single 8800GTS (G92) but about the same price. But if i got a single 8800GTS (G92) then i could upgrade later to SLI with the 8800's, but until i did that it would be slower.

would 9600gt SLI be faster than 8800GTS SLI?


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

and would it be worth doing?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

check it out http://en.expreview.com/2008/02/23/geforce-9600gt-review/?page=15


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

i saw that. But i was wondering if i was to get an 8800 so that i could later upgrade to 8800 SLI, because i assume that would be faster than 9600 SLI, although after thinking about it a bit i realized it probably isn't worth it.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

yeah by then there will be a card that iwll out proform them lol


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

u was just looking around and i was wondering what the difference is between these 2 cases:
XCLIO A380BK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103010
and
XCLIO A380PLUS-BK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103014

also i saw this case:
XCLIO Windtunnel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
which is $10 cheaper and looks like it has pretty good reviews.
also are there any other cases that'd be better and are in that price range?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

the plus has a bigger side fan and is high gloss 

look at the antec 900


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

yea, looked at that and it was on my original list but i was thinking i'd rather have a full tower cause there's more room. How big exactly is a full ATX, it's really hard to tell from the pictures. Now that i see it i was thinking of going with the XCLIO Windtunnel, but i don't really know how big it is and if it's way to huge i'd rather get something smaller.


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

is Xclio a reliable company for PSU's? 
because they have a 750W PSU that's a bunch cheaper and one that's more power and the same price as the Thermaltake i was going to get.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

thats a big no, as for thermaltake only look at their toughpower series


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

sounds good


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

two questions:
first of all can this board handle 3 graphics cards
second if i were to eventually go to 3 how much power would i need?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Ok i beleave that 780's are the only ones that can tri sli (like this one yours only came with a normal sli bridge http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188024

And i would not go for less then 1000 watts in a 3 wayy sli since only really high end cards like the ultra can tri sli


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

well, that adds a lot of $$$ so never mind then


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

yes i would not recommend it unless you are just running benchmarks


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## 0goober0 (Mar 1, 2008)

i have a bunch more questions:
I was going to get Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium OEM. Is this a good idea? If my hard drive crashes or i change mobo do i have to buy a whole new OS? If i go retail i can install it again if something happens right? Also is 64-bit a good idea?

there was another question i had 30 seconds ago but now i can't remember.....oh well.


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