Computer for friend, critique? :)
 

I was asked by a friend to build him a computer for a graduation present, I gladly accepted , especially beacuse I need to brush up on my not-too-good computer skills. Well I've picked the components out for my friend, found a good case for him. Now my only issue is a video card. It's an AGP system with an AMD 64, and I wanted a good video card that'll last him a long time (and to game with for a while). Now the case itself doesn't have amazing cooling, but it is apprently a good case (according to reviews). I'd like to add a blowhole and possibly a side fan. If anybody has any suggestion on the components I'm using (I'll post them, with links) please post 'em here. Also any suggestions on modding will be kindly accepted too. Since this rig's for a friend he said I could "spend" about one thousand dollars, not including tax or anything. I've not gone too high, and all I really need is a video card, again, ANY suggestions on anything welcome.


Here's what I got going:

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811154048

Case/heatsink fan:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811999602

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813123242

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817151023

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819103444

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145449

HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822144122

Sound Card:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16829102162

CPU cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16835106045

With that budget, why not go Socket 939 with PCIe? I'd do something like this:

Case - Chenbro Xpider. This one has a horrid orange color, but it's only $19! Excellent build quality and cooling with 120mm fans. No performance mods needed here.

Fans - There are a zillion fans out there, but I'd forget Vantec for sure. Panaflo and Yate Loon are good bets and provide plenty of airflow.

Mobo - Most of the major NF4 boards should be pretty good. DFI's NF4 Ultra-D is the hot pick for gamers/OCers these days and costs about $140.

CPU - Get the Venice 3000+ for only $8 more than the chip you listed.

HSF - XP-90 at $25. Killer performance at this price.

Vidcard - The 6600GT and 6800 are both great cards for the money. ATI makes great cards, but Nvidia owns the $150-200 niche right now.

Your other components look fine, though you might prefer a SATA HD. Don't forget an optical drive; there are plenty of good DL DVD burners for ~$60. You also might hold off on the Audigy - your friend might find onboard sound okay for his needs. Either way, you should have no problem building an excellent system for right around $1000.

Drop the Sound blaster and use onboard, you wont notice the difference unless you are gonna run some pretty major equipment.

Use the money to get a bigger/nicer hard drive. SATA, 120+gb.

Thanks a bunch guys, if you don't mind my asking, what's DL DVD actually mea? Or what is a DL DVD burner?

Oh, also which is better SATA II or SATA 150? I'll be posting the final partrs ina bit, see what you guys think.

if you do get a sound card
get a real one
M-Audio
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829121116
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829121105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829121101
i have an audigy and an M-Audio revalution 7.1 and WOW there is a major difference between what they sound like.

DL = Dual Layer
as in movie disc type DVDs with 4.7 x2 GB of space.
Thats 9.4GB per DVD.
I think the fastest DL burn speed right now is 6x

ooooh, ok thanks!

sata II has no real benefit over I. get whatever's cheaper

I'm still confused on SATA II and SATA 150. All the motherboards I find (for the 64 bit systems, the nf4) are all SATA 2. I'm assuming this means I can't run SATA 150 on it can I?

you can use it. its backwards compatible. also most nf4 boards also come with sata I ports as well on a separate controller