Computers & Networking

[asandwhich]

Are the below parts all compatible with each other in the way that i could build my own computer?

Part                                                                                                                                 Cost
CPU- AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (HDZ955FBGIBOX)                                          200
GPU- Nvidia geforce 250 gts 1gig ddr3                                                                             125
HDD- Western Digital - Caviar Black 1TB Internal Serial ATA Hard Drive for Desktops        99
Optical Drive- SH-S222L 22x DVD±RW PATA DVD Burner with Lightscribe OEM                  30
Cooling System- Vendetta 2 Universal CPU Cooler                                                            30
Power Supply- StealthXstream 600 Watt ATX 12V Power Supply                                      80
Sound Card- Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI Express                                               50
Motherboard- NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI                                                                             165
RAM- OCZ Technology Gold XTC 6GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL8 Memory Kit (Three 2GB Memory Modules)                                                                                                                           120
Case- COLER MASTER Elite 334 computer case (Nvidia edition)                                          50
                                                                                                                 Total                950

[Drew-Intel]

everything that you listed should be compatible with one another. the RAM and motherboard may not like each other, but a quick check of the specs for the specific motherboard you're getting should resolve that.

* i'd recommend an HD4870 over the video card that you currently have listed.

* why go with a PATA burner? get SATA; easier cable to deal with.

* you getting a different CPU cooler in the hope of overclocking? what's wrong with the stock heatsink and fan?

* most onboard sound solutions nowadays are pretty nice. you could save money by dropping the sound card.

[asandwhich]

i forgot there was a fan on the cpu . i would prefer a better sound card because of what i deal with. the graphics card will probably change but i don't exactly know how to compare nvidia to ati. i currently have a 9400 gts and a 6100 but i used to have an old ati. both were good but the ati was alot older. know any comparison sites? 

[asandwhich]

if you don't know any sites, which would be better, the one i selected, or a  radeon hd 4870 with 1 gig of ram.

[Drew-Intel · Accepted solution]

i would recommend checking out the tom's hardware graphic charts. they do a pretty good job of covering the array of cards on the market.

[Starflyer59]

Since you are going with a AMD based MB and processor I would also recommend that you go with a ATI videocard just so everything will play nice together.

The ATI4870 is one sweet videocard if your budget will allow it.

[asandwhich]

lmost forgot, what version would you recommend? (saphire, pny, evga, diamond etc)

[Drew-Intel]

in terms of which manufacturer to go with, i'd evaluate:

1) the goodies (are there any free games or swag that comes with the card)

2) the warranty (some offer lifetime warranties while some offer single-year warranties)

3) the clockspeed (some mfr's will have factory overclocked cards, so that's something to pay attention to)

can't really recommend one brand to beat them all out, though.

[Starflyer59]

I really like the XFX cards. Excellent Warranty and top quality.

[Drew-Intel]

on second though, i'll throw out some opinions ..

* EVGA - they do only NVIDIA-based cards, iirc, but they have a great warranty. you can overclock their cards, and they still stand by their warranty. the step-up program can also be a real useful option from time to time, as well.

* Saphire - i have a early HD4850 from them, and it runs pretty well. it had a single-slot cooler, so it ended up overheating a lot. with a better cooler, iv'e yet to see any problems.

* XFX - i've used them for builds for friends, and their cards have stood up well. had to RMA a card once, and the process was painless.