I need a little help.

**karak** · October 10th, 2005, 05:22 PM

Here is the deal if anyone wishes to help me out.. I am trying to build myself a new computer and I just want to know if all the parts I want are compatible.

This is the mother board..
http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...026&pfp=SEARCH

This is the processor...
http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...+HT+Processors

I have Kingston Ram.. it is KGW500S/512 two 512 clips

http://www.superwarehouse.com/p.cfm?p=25851&CMP=KA18698

Here is the case and the power supply..

http://www.compusa.com/products/prin...=XSELLPRODAUTO

Here is the fan I was going to get.

http://www.compusa.com/products/prin...881&pfp=BROWSE

This is the hard drive..

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=447580

The video card

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...16267&pfp=cat3

I have a cd rom and stuff.. so I know that all works I was just a little weery.. I asked some guys at Comp Usa.. but I don't trust companies because I have been screwed over.. If you wish to help me out or have any advice or perhaps think I should get other things.. please help me out. I would appreciate it!

Thanks alot,
Mike

**xpuser357** · October 10th, 2005, 06:08 PM

All looks ok except your fan. That is a case fan you cannot use
that for your CPU. You are going to need a heat sink fan combo.
to cool your 3 gig processor. If you was going to use it for case fan
that is ok more the merrier.

**TechZ** · October 11th, 2005, 03:16 AM

I'd ask one question here Mike, why are you buying from CompUSA? I can see much cheaper prices for the exact same hardware from www.newegg.com

Newegg are known for better service, and the best prices online, and you'd much rather get all your hardware from one source.

You have also chosen a PATA hard disk, even though your board can do SATA, which is much faster and easier to use, also the SATA hard disks are almost exactly priced if not cheaper than PATA hard disks.

The cpu you have chosen is boxed/retail and as such comes with a fan, so I think the extra fan you bought is for the case?

GIGABYTE GA-8IPE1000G ATX Intel Motherboard from newegg.com $73.00
(its more at compusa.com but the site seems unavailable now)

Maxtor 200GB (PATA) from CompUSA: $129

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB 16mb cache (PATA) from newegg $86.00
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB 16mb cache (SATA) from newegg $88.00

Radeon 9550 Video Card from CompUSA: $129.99
RADEON 9550 256MB Radeon from newegg.com $69.00

Kingston 512MB SDRAM Memory from superwarehouse.com $90.99 per stick

CORSAIR ValueSelect 512MB from newegg.com $45.00 per stick
(they have Kingstom for $51.49 per stick)
-----

You have chosen a Socket 478 CPU & Motherboard. Why not go for a newer solution? The Socket 775 board + CPU, more cache, newer technology, again, pretty much the same price.

You are getting a GiGabyte board & Intel 3ghz CPU ($229.99), both Socket 478.

A similar and much better P4 3.0ghz CPU (1mb cache, Socket 775) from newegg.com is $176.
Plenty of Socket 775 boards to choose from which are cheaper than what CompUSA.com has to offer.

I'd recommend going with Socket 775 (Board & CPU), getting a SATA hard disk, and if you plan to game, a much better video card.

IF you buy at newegg.com you cna probably save a good amount and spend that getting either better components overall, or a much better video card if you game.

**confus-ed** · October 11th, 2005, 04:25 AM

Originally Posted by TechZ

..Newegg are known for better service, and the best prices online, and you'd much rather get all your hardware from one source...

Are they really ? I think that'd be your opinion of them, & not a fact.. there's definately cheaper places, with just as good service ..

But the point about about buying from one place is handy if only that you take advantage of the 'system configurators' most box shifters have, which'd answer the more general 'does it fit together' question

(Though I think if you have to ask, then imho you'd be better buying a complete system {with some warranty} )

**TechZ** · October 11th, 2005, 04:42 AM

Its more of a fact, ask most people who buy parts online, either techs or home users, and they WILL recommened newegg.com based on their own experience, I've heard countless people recommened them for their excellent prices, service and on-time shipping.

**confus-ed** · October 11th, 2005, 05:21 AM

Originally Posted by TechZ

Its more of a fact, ask most people who buy parts online, either techs or home users, and they WILL recommened newegg.com based on their own experience, I've heard countless people recommened them for their excellent prices, service and on-time shipping.

I buy lots of parts online, & I don't use 'em anymore, I think you'll find that as with any large company, they'll keep some folks happy some of the time, but as the phrase goes there's no pleasing all of the folks all of the time .. & as they've tried to please their accountants, they've pleased less & less customers - but that'd just be my opinion as opposed to 'fact'

**karak** · October 11th, 2005, 05:28 AM

Originally Posted by TechZ

I'd ask one question here Mike, why are you buying from CompUSA? I can see much cheaper prices for the exact same hardware from www.newegg.com

Newegg are known for better service, and the best prices online, and you'd much rather get all your hardware from one source.

You have also chosen a PATA hard disk, even though your board can do SATA, which is much faster and easier to use, also the SATA hard disks are almost exactly priced if not cheaper than PATA hard disks.

The cpu you have chosen is boxed/retail and as such comes with a fan, so I think the extra fan you bought is for the case?

GIGABYTE GA-8IPE1000G ATX Intel Motherboard from newegg.com $73.00
(its more at compusa.com but the site seems unavailable now)

Maxtor 200GB (PATA) from CompUSA: $129

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB 16mb cache (PATA) from newegg $86.00
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB 16mb cache (SATA) from newegg $88.00

Radeon 9550 Video Card from CompUSA: $129.99
RADEON 9550 256MB Radeon from newegg.com $69.00

Kingston 512MB SDRAM Memory from superwarehouse.com $90.99 per stick

CORSAIR ValueSelect 512MB from newegg.com $45.00 per stick
(they have Kingstom for $51.49 per stick)
-----

You have chosen a Socket 478 CPU & Motherboard. Why not go for a newer solution? The Socket 775 board + CPU, more cache, newer technology, again, pretty much the same price.

You are getting a GiGabyte board & Intel 3ghz CPU ($229.99), both Socket 478.

A similar and much better P4 3.0ghz CPU (1mb cache, Socket 775) from newegg.com is $176.
Plenty of Socket 775 boards to choose from which are cheaper than what CompUSA.com has to offer.

I'd recommend going with Socket 775 (Board & CPU), getting a SATA hard disk, and if you plan to game, a much better video card.

IF you buy at newegg.com you cna probably save a good amount and spend that getting either better components overall, or a much better video card if you game.

I bought the HD already and I already have the Kingston Ram.. I got the HD for 90 dollars a while ago and the 2 ram sticks two years ago for 120$ each. I was looking at the mother boards you were talking about but I couldn't find the exact ones.. they say they are pentium fours but do they support HT technology. I am lost on what board to get from newegg..

And yes the fan I was going to get is for the case.

Also what kind of video card do you suggest?

And which board do you suggest with what processor?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138260 This board?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116185
And this Processor?

By the way thanks alot for helping me out I really appreciate it.

Bascially I have that maxtor HD and that kingston Ram.. I just want a pretty nice gaming computer.. and I have been trying to see what I need without having to buy a new HD or Ram because I basically have it.

**TechZ** · October 11th, 2005, 08:14 AM

As far as video card goes, it all depends on how much you want to spend, for a mid to high end card, the ATi Radeon X700/X800 and nVidia 6600/6800 are the ones to go for. If you are on a medium budget, Ati X600/700, nVidia 6600 should do very well with todays games.

Pick the interface (AGP vs PCI-E) depending on your motherboard choice.

I havent seen the case & power supply you are going to get, as the compusa link stopped working after a while, but a simple bit of advice is, dont go cheap on the PowerSupply, a bad PSU can cause more problems that its worth.

Good PSU brands: Enermax, Antec.

From this link, I'd go with a reliable brand, like Epox, Gigabyte, MSI, Abit & Asus.

Be sure to note when chosing a motherboard whether your video card will work in it. Some boards do AGP, but alot of them now do PCI-Express. I'd recommend PCI-Express as most cards are available in that format, and the price difference is rather negligible from AGP to PCI-E.

As far as RAM goes, check to see if the board does DDR1 as many newer boards do only DDR2.

**karak** · October 11th, 2005, 08:57 PM

Alright with what you told me I decided to make a new setup tell me what you think.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116200

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813186048

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814123142

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144012

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812105008

With my Kingston DDR 512 two clips..
and that Maxtor ATA/133 HD 200GB

Is that an alright setup.. I am not trying to go like berserk with graphics just something that runs games like world of warcraft, final fantasy XI and a wolfenstien good. My current system lags when I play those games..

The only thing is that the motherboard is Foxcon I don't know how good they are.

**TechZ** · October 12th, 2005, 05:33 AM

Very nice setup.
Foxconn motherboards are ... well lets just say they arent the best you can get. I'd rather go with any of these motherboards, some also offer you both DDR1 & DDR2 slots, so later on, you can upgrade to DDR2.

ABIT GD8 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813127204

ASUS P5GPL ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131529

DFI 915P-TAG ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136149

GIGABYTE GA-8I915P Duo(REV 1.1) ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128250

As far as the graphics card, spend a few more dollars and go for a very good mid-range card(ATi X700) , its 256mb as well:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102578

Hope you get what you are looking for and good luck

**xpuser357** · October 12th, 2005, 07:16 AM

The above mentioned boards do not support AGP. which would be better for
gaming? AGP or PCI

**GHogge** · October 12th, 2005, 08:18 AM

PCI - X is the future of high-end PC Video. AGP is good, but aging. Nvida has put out SLI technology that you might want to look into, but be forwarned that it is propriatary. That is to say that, so far anyway, you must buy Nvida based cards for it to work.

As for the NewEgg issue, my personal experience with them has been very bad. I will never buy anything from them again. However, I do use their site to compare prices and use that info to negotiate with other vendors if need be. I feel they (NewEgg) did not handle (more than one of) my orders well and then were rude when I called them on it. Like I said before, I will never buy anything from them again.

**TechZ** · October 12th, 2005, 08:26 AM

You must mean PCI-Express, which is to replace AGP & PCI eventually.

http://www.geeks.com/pix/techtips-031005.htm

On higher end cards you will notice a decent improvement. At the moment getting a board with AGP is fine, but when its time to upgrade in a few years time, you can be sure that the PCI-Express cards will be much more abundant (as they are now) compared to AGP.

**TechZ** · October 12th, 2005, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by GHogge

PCI - X is the future of high-end PC Video. AGP is good, but aging. Nvida has put out SLI technology that you might want to look into, but be forwarned that it is propriatary. That is to say that, so far anyway, you must buy Nvida based cards for it to work.

As for the NewEgg issue, my personal experience with them has been very bad. I will never buy anything from them again. However, I do use their site to compare prices and use that info to negotiate with other vendors if need be. I feel they (NewEgg) did not handle (more than one of) my orders well and then were rude when I called them on it. Like I said before, I will never buy anything from them again.

PCI-X is not PCI-Express.

PCI-Express is new and designed to replace AGP/PCI, PCI-X has been around for some time and normally found on server boards.

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/PCI_X.html

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1087
http://arstechnica.com/articles/paed...are/pcie.ars/1