# The "PLAN"



## FALLOUTGOD (Mar 8, 2005)

Right so I finally made up my mind about what I want for the most part. So here it is the plan for my new compy mostly bought all from newegg.com xcept for the OS. Look over and give me some tips suggestions and tell me if I missed something or not. 

***RAM***
$56.71(on sale at the time I looked price might be higher when I actually purchase it)
Model# 991093
Item # N82E16820146219
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Mushkin
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5-4-4
Support Voltage: 2.6V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: 64M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime

***OTHER RAM***
$138.00(is it worth it?)
Model# CMX512-3200XLPRO
Item # N82E16820145544
Specifications:
Manufacturer: CORSAIR
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184-Pin DDR DIMM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2-2-2-5(is that a big deal?)
Support Voltage:2.8V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: 64Mx64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime

***CASE***
$58.99(too much or could I do better?)
Model# ATX-811WBP
Item # N82E16811156172

Specifications:
Case Type: ATX Mid Tower
Color: Black
Material: 0.7mm SECC Steel
Drive Bays: 5.25" x 4/0, 3.5" x 2/4 (external/internal)
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: 2 x USB2.0, 2 x Audio
Power Supply: RAIDMAX 420W ATX 12V(will it be enough for everything I'm planning to get?)
Cooling System: 1 x 120mm rear fan, Side panel LED fan
Motherboard Compatibility: ATX Form Factor 12" x 10.5" or smaller
Dimensions: 8" x 17.8" x 17" (WxDxH)
Features: Front Thermal Display, Temperature controlled cooling fans

***NEW KEYBOARD AND MOUSE***
$24.00(I don't NEED it but my mouse is starting to not work as well[lags at times and such but it might also be a RAM problem... the lack thereof that is] and my keyboard looks like it has been washed in grime... well, maybe not that bad but close enough to it)
Model# 967320-0403
Item # N82E16823126131

Specifications:
Interface: USB/ PS/2
Number Of Keys: 104 keys + 10 Function keys
Wireless Technology: RF
Palm Rest: Detachable
Design Style: Standard
Mouse included: wireless optical with scroll wheel
Features: This ultra-comfortable, low profile cordless keyboard offers plug-and-play Internet and multimedia control in Windows XP without ever having to load additional drivers. Users can choose to do more with additional, useful productivity commands assigned to the F-keys.


***HD***
$98.99(is it a decent deal or what?) 
Model# SP1614C
Item # N82E16822152015

Specifications:
Capacity: 160GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Features: Fluid Dynamic Bearing Spindle Motor Technology(don't even know what that means)
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Packaging: OEM Drive Only(nor do I know what this means either)
Part #: SP1614C

***MORE INFO ON THE ABOVE HD***
Capacity: 160GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Average Latency: 4.17 ms
Buffer Size: 8 MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Form Factor: 3.5"
Features: Fluid Dynamic Bearing Spindle Motor Technology
High Speed Dual Digital Signal Processor (DSP) Based Architecture
Multi-Burst On-The-Fly Error Correction
NoiseGuard
SilentSeek
Hot-Plug & Hot-Swap capable
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years

***OS***
http://www.softwareandstuff.com/s_os_MSWXPH.html
On sale atm, don't know for how long.
$89.99(will only purchase if I can't get it from a friend or something)


***CHEAP REMOVABLE MEDIA I FOUND***
$35.99
Model# CRX320E Black
Item # N82E16827106819

Specifications:
Write Speed: 52X CD-R, 32X CD-RW
Read Speed: 52X CD-ROM, 16X DVD-ROM
Interface: Internal EIDE/ATAPI
Buffer: 2MB
OS Support: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
Features: PowerBurn Buffer underrun protection technology
Packaging: OEM Bundle (see pictures for details)

***MORE INFO ON THE ABOVE***
Specifications
Part #: CRX320E
Supported format: CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD Text, CD-ROM XA, CD-Extra, Video CD, Enhanced-CD, Karaoke-CD, UDF, Photo CD, DVD single/dual layer (PTP/OTP), DVD-R (3.9/4.7GB), DVD+R, DVD-RW & DVD+RW
Write Speed CD-R: 52X max
CD-RW: 32X max
Read Speed 

CD-ROM: 52X max
DVD-ROM: 16X max
Buffer Size 2MB
Interface EIDE/ATAPI
Random Access Time 100 ms
Form Factor 5"
System Requirements PC with 5.25" 1/2 hgt (open face) drive slot, an IDE Interface with at least one available connection & an available internal power connector
Pentium 266Mhz (Pentium II 400Mhz or faster recommended)
32MB RAM & 1GB HDD (64MB & 2GB recommended)
OS Requirements Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
Features Dual Speed Operation
Sony's PowerBurn system reduces the likelihood of unreadable CD 'coasters'. Recording speed is automatically adjusted to match the source
Supports OverBurn & RAW copy
Mt Rainier Support
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year

***PCIe VIDEO CARD***
$189.00
Model# 100596-Red
Item # N82E16814102461

Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: ATI Radeon X700 PRO/425MHz
Pixel Pipelines: 8
Vertex Shader Pipelines: 6 Programmable
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB GDDR3/860MHz
BUS: PCI-Express x16
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) + TV-Out (S-Video/Composite Out) + DVI
Support 3D API: DirectX 9, OpenGL 1.5
Max [email protected] Color: [email protected]
OEM (See pics for details)

***MORE INFO ON THE ABOVE***
Chip/Clock Speed ATI RADEON X700 PRO / 425MHz
Memory Configuration 860MHz 256MB 128-bit GDDR3
Connectors 1 x VGA(D-Sub)
1 x TV-Out (S-Video/Composite Out)
1 x DVI
Bus PCI-Express x16
Max Resolution [email protected]
TV Tuner N/A
VIVO N/A
Accessories S-Video Cable
S-Video to RCA Adapter
DVI to VGA adaptor
Driver CD
System requirements Intel Pentium, AMD or compatible CPUs
128 MB system memory or more
PCI-Express compliant motherboard supporting PCI-Express x16
3D Acceleration Features - Up to 8 Full Precision DX9 Pipelines
- 6 Parallel Geometry Pipelines
- Pixel Fill-rate 3.4 Gpixel/Sec
- DirectX 9.0 Architecture : Industry’s fully DX9 playable DX9 Architecture
- ATI® SMARTSHADER™ HD provides improved programmability and performance
- ATI® CATALYST™ unified software suit deliver rock-solid compatibility with software drivers
ATI® 3Dc™ image enhancement & acceleration technology
- 4:1 normal map compression/decompression
- Reduced memory footprint
- Accelerated surface detail emulates high polygon characters and scenes
ATI® SMOOTHVISION™ HD
- Offers the fastest, highest quality, and most flexible anti-aliasing implementation
- Improved AA and AF performance for HD resolutions
- 12x effective Temporal MSAA
ATI® HyperZ™ HD
- Reaches the unprecedented levels of rendering performance
- Double the Z compression (8:1)
- Ehanced Hi-Z buffer for improved performance at HD resolutions
ATI® VIDEOSHADER™ HD
- A seamless integration of pixel shaders with video
- FULLSTREAM for DivX, Windows Media 9, and Real Media
- MPEG 1/2/4 decode and encode acceleration
- New Video algorithms that use pixel shaders for 3:2 Pulldown, Interlacing, and Deblocking
- Added support for high-end HD resolutions
Operating Systems Support Windows 2000/XP

***MOTHERBOARD I AM CHECKING OUT ATM***
$88.00(not bad eh? kinda small though, micro ATX and all, should I get something bigger?)
Includes FREE Arx Fatalis PC Game
ECS "915G-M" i915G Chipset Motherboard For Intel LGA 775 CPU -RETAIL

Model# 915G-M
Item # N82E16813135163

Specifications:
Supported CPU: LGA 775 Pentium 4 Prescott(HT)/Celeron Processor
Chipset: i915G + ICH6
FSB: 800/533MHz
RAM: 4x DIMM support Dual Channel DDR 400/333 Max 4GB
Slots: 1x PCI-E x16, 3x PCI
Ports: 2x PS/2, 1x LPT, 1x COM, 1x VGA, 8x USB2.0(Rear 4), 1x RJ45, Audio Ports
IDE: 2x ATA 100
SATA: 4x Serial ATA
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC655 6-Channel
Onboard LAN: Realtek RTL8100C 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet
Onboard Video: Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Form Factor: MicroATX

***MORE SPECS FOR THE MOTHERBOARD***
Model 915G-M
CPU LGA775 socket for latest Intel Pentium 4 / Celeron processor
FSB 800/533 MHz
Support Hyper-Threading Technology
Chipset i915G + ICH6
Memory 4 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support DDR 400/333 non-ECC memory
Dual channel memory architecture
Max capacity: 4 GB
Expansion Slots 1 x PCI Express X16
3 x PCI
IDE 2 x ATA 100/66 IDE connector supporting up to 4 IDE devices
Serial ATA 4 x Serial ATA connectors supporting 4 Serial ATA HDDs
Back Panel I/O Connectors 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port
1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port
1 x Parallel port
1 x Serial port
1 x VGA
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 Ports
1 x RJ45 (LAN)
Audio Ports
Integrated Video Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 ( GMA900 )
Integrated Audio Realtek ALC655 6-Channel audio CODEC
Compliant with AC'97 2.3 specification
Integrated LAN Realtek RTL8100C 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet Controller
System BIOS AMI BIOS with 4Mb Flash ROM
Supports Plug and Play 1.0A, APM 1.2, Multi Boot, DMI
Supports ACPI revision 1.0 specification
Form Factor MicroATX
Dimensions 9.6" x 9.6"


***CPU***
$184.00(it's either a divine force or great sense for doing stupid things but something tells me it might be a good idea to invest in this LGA775 socket type processor stuff[could also be that they get pretty damn fast and thats what the socket was designed for] in any case I'd say thats pretty good price for a decent processor... yes? no? I hope to get some suggestions on the matter cause honestly I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing...)
Model# BX80547PG3000EJ
Item # N82E16819116200
Specifications:
Model: Intel Pentium 4 530J w/ Hyper Threading
Core: Prescott
Operating Frequency: 3.0 GHz
FSB: 800MHz
Cache: L1/12K+16K; L2/1MB
Voltage: 1.4V
Process: 90nm
Socket: LGA 775
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3
Warranty: 3-year MFG
Packaging: Retail box (with Heatsink and Fan)(<--hey, free stuff?)
Notice: This Processor Works with SocketT (LGA775) Motherboard ONLY!

Alright I'm sure I'm missing something aside from the monitor and speakers. I need some suggestions on what else I should get and ect. 

Let's see the grand total with the cheap but decent RAM is:$995.80 If I get 4 sticks of RAM...

um, you know what, the other RAM is a freaking rip off, I'm not even going to bother to calculate it. 

At any rate it all might be cheaper 80 bucks if I don't have to buy the OS...

Let's see, I'm sure I need something else I just can't put my finger on it... ???

Heatsyncs? fans? cooling fluid? ... theres got to be something I forgot and if I diden't then I did better than I thought I did.


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## Sarkast (Sep 12, 2004)

"Cas Latency: 2-2-2-5(is that a big deal?)"
"....If I get 4 sticks of RAM"

The lower the latency the faster your RAM - the better the performance. I dont quite understand why you want to go with 4 sticks though. Unless you already know you'll be using extremely memory intensive programs you'll probably see better performance by going with 1Gb - and spend the 100$+ you save on a faster gfx card or CPU.

"Power Supply: RAIDMAX 420W ATX 12V(will it be enough for everything I'm planning to get?)"

NO. Its a case PSU - means the cheapest &^%$ they can find. Unless its a brand name case like TT etc and you get a brand name PSU with it - that "420W" PSU is probably a 250W with jacked up numbers. There is no law against advertising a PSU that way - they can pretty much put any number on that thing they want.
You intend to spend 1000$ on a PC - why save 50$ where its most important NOT to save ? Again - i'd go with 1Gb and a decent 500W Antec or Enermax instead of 2Gb RAM and a crappo PSU that'll just make sure you'll be back in here in a few weeks wondering why your system doesnt boot or runs instabil.

"***HD***
$98.99(is it a decent deal or what?)"

I'd look around real fast if any other store has a rebate offer going right now. Maybe you dont like rebates - but i do. I got them all in the past - and also on a WD drive. Got it for 40$ when it was 90$ everywhere else.
Just an idea though. 

Other than that... things should be fine.
I dont think that Socket 775 will ever get freakishly fast though... the 775 prescotts right now pretty much max out at 3.8Ghz. The coming dual core P4s will need a new socket (well Socket 775 is supposably adaptable to dual core but new mobos will be needed). I have to admit i dont know if the new 65nm CPUs will fit on 775 - doubt it somehow. Somehow it seems 775 doesnt offer much upgradeability when it comes to CPU or RAM in the future... but if you want PCI-X its the way to go right now.


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## toxict3arz (Oct 12, 2004)

WAIT TIME OUT

i spent about the same amount that your going to spend on my computer and well i regret it i shouldve gone all out at once instead of getting a decent one and upgrading it ... so go all out at once 
also dont go prescott speaking from experience its very limited to wat you are allowed to do ..


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## Sarkast (Sep 12, 2004)

"also dont go prescott speaking from experience its very limited to wat you are allowed to do .."

Whats the deal with you and Prescotts ??? There are no limits to a Prescott. Besides - he wants Socket 775 - there are no Northwoods for this Socket.


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## FALLOUTGOD (Mar 8, 2005)

Alright, I decided to get this sexy thing insted of the RAIDMAX... 
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-133-138&depa=0

I got one question though, does my cheap ram of choice even match up with my mobo???


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## Sarkast (Sep 12, 2004)

Not to be disappointing - but the PSU in that case has less juice than my 36$ TT. If i was you (obviously concious about how much to spend) i'd rather get a cheap(er) case and put a nice 500W PSU in it. I mean that TT case is nice... but 150$ even though you might have to switch PSU again ???

About the RAM - i think mushkin is an alright company. See if the board you are looking at has a list of "approved memory". If the RAM you want to get isnt on it it might work - and it might not. As for slot compatibility - incase thats what you meant - it will fit on the board.


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## FALLOUTGOD (Mar 8, 2005)

Thanks, so what case and PSU would you recommend then?


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## Sarkast (Sep 12, 2004)

Mmm the case... isnt that something you need to like ??? LOL

When i looked for a case there were 2 main criteria for me:

1) It has to please my eye. No aliens, minotaurs, middle age warrior or otherwise silly looking boxes. :winkgrin: 
I didnt want the beige box but i didnt want to be the neighboorhoods laughingstock either.

2) I wanted one in which i can add a front 120mm fan and a 120mm exhaust.
The reason for that - my PC sits on my desk and i cant stand noise. So i knew ahead that i'd turn down the fans with a fan controller to eliminate as much noise as possible. And a 120mm fan at 5V is a lot quieter than an 80mm fan and still pushes more air. 

In the end i choose the Logisys armor and didnt regret it. Nice case, no sharp edges, good quality (came with a 400W PSU that it wasnt supposed to have... but did - and which fell apart when i took it out of the case - so much for the "case PSUs"). And the cooling is great. With my fans on 5V my case temp is never higher than 4-5 degrees above room temp. The case sits 2 feet away from my head and i can totally tolerate the noise (cause there is hardly any). Oh did i mention the case was only 50$ ? lol

PSU: Like i said... Enermax, Antec - both not cheap but you get what you pay for. You could make a new thread asking for help to decide for one - if the ones i am suggesting are too much money. A little while back someone posted a good list with PSU manufacturers that were decent (there are others besides Enermax and Antec) but i lost it. 

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=270321

That ones nice for example - also for the fact it has 2 seperate 12V lines. One for board, CPU the other for gfx card - cant get anymore stabil than that. 

Ok time to get to an end - sorry for all the bla bla... :tongue:


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## Fr4665 (Nov 18, 2004)

My input on this: 

why you want to go Intel ?

ever checked out AMD and their options ?

the point with the PSU and tower is to your decision the PSU will not matter in coloer or what ever unless ur getting a clear case. I got a TT one for 60$ and its awsome cant complain. find a case you like and get a TT power supple like a purepower or something in that direction. Most of the PSU's that come with cheap cases will crap out after a month and just fail of overheating or too much usage. 

but yeah check out AMD i kno most of you ppl are all into intel but thers alsways another option so check it out. 

64 bits liek the 2800 arent expensive at all and can be Oc'ed to 2.6 ghz easyly and the speed doest say alot.

if you want to go with a 64bit go with an asus k8xx those are sweet


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## FALLOUTGOD (Mar 8, 2005)

Like I said, I don't want to overheat stuff and mess with cooling. Cause once you think about it, if you plan to oc a cpu. The amount you spend on the cooling sys might have covered the cost a cpu of the speed you are trying to attain. Course, thats just my opinion, not like I know anything. :dead: 

Regardless, I guess I'll dish out more on the case and the VC cause everyone I talked to told me it's worth it and sense I never built a comp before I will trust the majority opinion on the matter. Hopefully people know what they are talking about and I'm not jumping off bridge right after them. :laugh: 


Ne, ways thanks for the input everyone, I really appreciate it. Feel free to add something if anyone else has another suggestion.


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## z_a_double_k (Feb 27, 2005)

I had that exact same 420W Raidmax PSU i believe.
To be honest i cant complain about it at all. I never had one problem with it, except for the fact it wasnt very cool looking. I just now bought a MGE/XG 600w Vortec PSU which is way cooler looking. But with that 420w I ran.....
AMD64 3200+, seven 80mm Fans, one 120mm Fan. Gig of ram, DVD-R Drive, CD/R-DVD combo drive, ATI Radeon 9800 All In wonder, some cathodes, a exhaust fan, vga cooler and everything worked fine


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## FALLOUTGOD (Mar 8, 2005)

Thats all I wanted to hear, you're the second person to say that RaidMax is dependable, and honestly I don't care what it looks like. I'm not going to sit around all day looking at the interior of my comp. :laugh: I'm going to use it to play games and get work done. So unless it got flowers and says gay pride all over it I'm not going to complain. (no offense to anyone that swings that way)


Some mobos I'm looking at... 

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-235&depa=0

oooh pretty one
http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?style=album
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-153-020&depa=0

this one got a nice blue to it :grin: 
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-170-131&depa=0

This one looks and sounds real nice... eh?
*http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-170-120&depa=0

This one is real nice looking but there are no reviews on how well it works... (only reason I'm looking at this one is it got an SATA raid I might never use lol)
*http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-186-032&depa=0

they went all out for this one... but it sounds like a rip off to me
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-180-063&depa=0

last and possibly the least... the most expansive and possibly the ugliest(unless you like halloween colors[thats black and orange for you who don't know]) motherboard money can buy, that thing is so ugly you could kill people just by showing it to them and pretending to like it. 
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-136-148&depa=0

*mobos I might buy unless anyone has a good objection

Ok... I don't know much about video cards... I mean this got a nice preformance rating on tom's hardware

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-483&depa=0

but seriouslly, is it really worth the money? 

Just how much is a good investment in a video card and what would gamers recommend. I don't want it to be top of the line the best 3d gfx that can be generated, I'm happy if I can play the game at all.  See, I'm more of an rpg person, so I spend little time on gfx I care more about the story line. Thats not to say that I don't want good graphics, I'm just saying as long as it works and it looks decent it's fine with me.


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