Building a Computer - Advice Needed!

[Shroomer]

How does all this look? You guys see me running into any issues with things not working together? See anything thats going to give me issues under linux?

Monitor: Dell 22" E228WFP - $276.00
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&sku=320-5205&redirect=1

Motherboard: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard[/b] - $239.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188013

Hard Drive's:
Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - $209.99 x2 = $420.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136012

CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe 2.93GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - $970.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115001

Video Card: EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - $559.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072

Ram: CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $319.00 x2 = $638.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145043&ATT=20-145-043&CMP=OTC-PCMag

Computer Case: Thermaltake Tai-Chi Aluminum Case - Liquid Cooling - $399.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1710666&Sku=T925-2174&SRCCODE=PRICEGRABBER&CMP=OTC-PRICEGRABBER

Power Supply: Tagan TG1100-U96 ATX12V / EPS12V 1100 Watts Power Supply - $309.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817714001

Sound Card: Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - $182.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102189

Keyboard: Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard - $71.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126179

Mouse: Logitech G7 - $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104203

Speakers: Creative GigaWorks S750 700 Watts 7.1 - $429.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116142

New Total: $4,568

[rufius]

It all looks pretty good. Though I'd probably have invested that money into a Sun Fire T1000 (http://www.sun.com/servers/coolthreads/t1000/) server ;). My days of having monster desktops are over I think. I pretty much stick to laptops and rack servers.

[Shroomer]

What would you be doing with that?

[rufius]

SMP applications running on Ubuntu. I do a lot of scientific work, powerhouse desktops aren't much use to me and I can't afford the electric bills ;). Not to mention I like to take my computer with me everywhere I go. I'm also very hot natured so I can't stand a machine that produces copious amounts of heat lol.

[Aberrix]

looks like a monster machine.

[mips]

I would pick a better monitor. You are skimping on something you are going to be staring at all day. Higher resolution would also be nice.

[igknighted]

I would avoid the 8800 unless you plan on doing high-end gaming. My 6600gt runs everything beryl and other non-gaming applications throw at it at their best settings. Also, the 8800 is very new so linux support is very poor right now. I would save some money and still go overkill on graphics with a 7800 or 7900 series card. Then you could put the extra money towards a monitor, which for most users is the most important part. Span is everything.

Oh yeah, one more thing... many of the high-end creative sound cards don't work at all in linux, so read lots of reviews before you buy one.

[Shroomer]

Awesome, I loving the advice! Any suggestions on a good monitor? I have read allot of reviews on that dell monitor and was under the impression it was a great choice.

[anaconda]

wow.. that is expensive.

Actually my experience is that a bit cheaper "mass market" components generally work better and have more software updates for them. The expensive motherboards etc. don't sell as much and so the sw-updates are not high priority.

eg. if you would have bought your "high end" machine a year ago the vista drivers would be a long time to come..

[mips]

I would also go lower spec on the gfx card and just dump the sound card seeing you have onboard sound. The latest & greatest comes at a cost premium and the performance gain is not directly proportional to the price. So you might want to consider stepping down a notch on the specs.

What are you going to use this PC for ?

That monitor you listed is not bad but I believe you can do better & bigger. I would say go 24". I have not kept up with lcd monitors. A good place to check that would be dpreview pc section, those guys are anal about their monitors. Look out for S-IPS panels or better with a low response time.

[KaitenV]

Post a picture of the inside, I demand it, and damn that's expensive. I thought I was splurging with my new system:

EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300
MB ECS NFORCE 570 SLIT-A V5.1 775
POWER SUPPLY CMAX500W CR-550B BKRT
CASE ANTEC|P180B BLACK RT
Super Old LITE-ON DVD ROM
20GB Samsung PATA Hard Drive (installed on)
80GB Maxtor PATA Hard Drive
320GB SATA Hard Drive (no plugged up)
Linksys network card

Help me boot to Ubuntu here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=2431657#post2431657 xD

[Shroomer]

I'm going to be, Gaming Big Time, Rendering/Encoding Video/Audio, Editing Video/Audio, Photoshop, ect

This will be a dual boot between Ubuntu/XP Pro

[Shroomer]

I'm still looking for a good deal on a great monitor.

[John.Michael.Kane]

@Shroomer This should leave you with enough cash to find a bigger screen, and should allow you to find a better after market water cooling set up.

Also the set up below gives you the raid set up, and a separate drive for the operating system.



Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1 Antec Performance One P180B Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through the majority of chassis 1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4 x HDD area ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811129017
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate $129.99
Antec Performance One P180B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129017)

1 Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822135106
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy $42.99
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106)

2 Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD5000YS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136032
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
$309.98 ($154.99 each)
Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD5000YS 500GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136032)

1 PNY VCG88GTS32XPB GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814133193
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate $289.99
PNY VCG88GTS32XPB GeForce 8800GTS 320MB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133193)

1 Tagan TG1100-U96 ATX12V / EPS12V 1100 Watts Power Supply - OEM
Item #: N82E16817714001
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant $349.00
$329.00
Tagan TG1100-U96 ATX12V / EPS12V (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817714001)

1 Creative Inspire P7800 90 Watts 7.1 Speaker - Retail
Item #: N82E16836116153
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant $86.99
$66.99
Creative Inspire P7800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116153)

1 Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16823126179
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$71.99
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126179)

1 Logitech VX Revolution Black 8 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB RF Wireless Laser Mouse for Notebooks - Retail
Item #: N82E16826104016
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate $79.99
$59.99
Logitech VX Revolution (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104016)

1 CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-8500C5D - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145043
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$40.00 Mail-in Rebate
$319.00
CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145043)

1 EVGA 122-CK-NF68-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813188012
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
-$25.00 Instant
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate
$229.99
$204.99
EVGA 122-CK-NF68-T1 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188012)

1 * Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe 2.93GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557X6800 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115001
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
* THQ Gift - Supreme Commander PC Game - OEM
Item #: N82E16800997016
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$39.99 Combo
$1,009.99
$970.00
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115001)

Subtotal: $2,794.91
Calculate Shipping
Zip Code:
Shipping: $0.00
Grand Total:* $2,794.91
* Above total does not include shipping or taxes. Please input zip code to calculate your grand total.

Adjust as you see fit.

[Unbound Spectre]

Here is a good resource about LCD monitors.
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=1745344&enterthread=y

Unless you are overclocking then you shouldn't need anything more than some Corsair ValueSelect.

The PSU is probably overkill, take a look at this instead.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=373110

You may want to look here for information for just about everything.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/

[MrSweet]

I am currently spec'ing out a system and I am stuck on a sound card as well. I have heard that the X-Fi series will not work with Linux and Creative has no plans on opening up there architecture or producing drivers. Most likely I will just take my Audigy out of the system that I have now. Creative still offers some Audigy cards but they are not as good as the older ones. Perhaps E-Bay would be a solution for this.

As for Monitors, I just picked up a new Samsung last month. It is the SyncMaster 225bw. It is a 22" wide screen with a 1680 x 1050 native resolution. I LOVE THIS MONITOR!!!! The colors are vivid, the brightness is great, and the refresh rates are fine for gaming. I have seen no ghosting or any other problems with this display. It cost me over $300.00 but you might be able to find it online for less then that.

Good luck in your search, and keep us posted on what you decide on getting.

Mr. Sweet

[mips]

I am currently spec'ing out a system and I am stuck on a sound card as well. I have heard that the X-Fi series will not work with Linux and Creative has no plans on opening up there architecture or producing drivers. Most likely I will just take my Audigy out of the system that I have now.

Someone posted a mail from Creative on these forums with them stating that they are busy with the xfi drivers. Think he mentioned 3Q 2007 but made no promises.

[mccurry]

here is a much easier and quicker solution www.system76.com