Custom Gaming Rig Question(s)?

Alright, this is the 5th set of questions, and probably more to come! (lol)



So, basically I'll be purchasing a custom computer (ordering parts from newegg.com and tigerdirect.com) this January for around $900.



So far (recommendations may change this) the setup is:



CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor - Retail



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as



MOBO: BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX 128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

140W Phenom and loaded for OC



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as



HDrive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as



GPU: EVGA GeForce 9800 GT Superclocked Video Card - 512MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV



http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/





PSU: Corsair TX650W 650-Watt Power Supply - ATX, 120mm Fan, SLI-Ready, SATA-Ready



http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/



RAM: OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as





CD/DVD-RW Drive: ASUS Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD卤R DVD Burner with LightScribe - Retail



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as



Case: NZXT Nemesis Elite Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as



Fan Controller: BGears ZUB-XP-FCP.B internal fan control panel - Retail



could not insert link, found on newegg (max links = 10 per questions)



Basic specs:

3.5%26quot; Drive Bay

Regulates the rotation speed of up to three fans

Knobs are red illuminated

Reacts to sound activity

Sensitivity and illumination adjustable

Illumination can also be turned off



4 Fan capability





----------------



OS: Vista Home Premium



3 120mm Red LED Lights



Possible Cold Cathodes



PCI Fan



I will be upgrading to a better HSF for the CPU.



-----------------------



Now for my questions.



1: Is everything compatible and going to work with vista - each other?



2: Any recommendations for part changes? (Within the same price range)



3: Is the PCI Slot Fan really worth it? (only $5, if it's not going to make a dramatic change I wont waste my money yet and invest in something different later on)



4: How do you install LED Lights if I were to invest in them? Such as :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as



5: Will I need to purchase any extra cables? (only running 1 SATA and SATA II device, cd/dvd and HDD)



5: Do I need anything else to get this thing up and running?



6: What exactly happens between the first glance at the bios on first start up and the OS Installation. Aside from setting your personal preferences, is the manual going to explain to me how to configure the HDD and CD-DVD drive so I can install my OS (Vista)?



7: Acceptable to downgrade to this MOBO: - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as - (until I can afford a better one)?



Note:

- I'm not going to OClock much, if at all (probably not at all)

-Gaming system is for basic MMORPGs with lousy graphics (Dark ages of camelot, Warhammer, etc)

-I doubt that I will be upgrading to dual pci-e GPUs anytime soon





That's about it, please help me out with some answers and possible suggestions. Thanks for your time, it's greatly appreciated!



(I'm sure I forgot something) lolCustom Gaming Rig Question(s)?
Holy **** mate you have question and I like it!



Now for my answers:



1: Is everything compatible and going to work with vista - each other?



Yes everything is compatible except there is no point to get 4gb ram if you are going to be buying a Vista 32bit. You will need to get a 64bit windows running to use the full 4gb otherwise it is a waste



2: Any recommendations for part changes? (Within the same price range)



I am not sure why you are going for AMD honestly since right now Intel has the market. And if you are looking a gaming machine you should know that the Memory and Processor has to be money well spent on. You might need to spend a 100dollars+ on the mainboard and processor but here is what propose



Quad core - Go all the way man: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealD



And this memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as



Honestly I would rather go for DDR3 memory but you will need to find a DDR3 mobo.



Everything else is fine :)





3: Is the PCI Slot Fan really worth it? (only $5, if it's not going to make a dramatic change I wont waste my money yet and invest in something different later on)



No not worth it, I had it, and doesnt change much



4: How do you install LED Lights if I were to invest in them? Such as :



Very easy...just stick it on the side of the bottom case or on the top, I defo recommend one. Cheers



5: Will I need to purchase any extra cables? (only running 1 SATA and SATA II device, cd/dvd and HDD)



The motherboard usually comes with all the components, but just in case buy another Sata cable and one power cable extension. Oh yes, sometimes the thermal paste doesnt come with the CPU so buy some extra, it costs like 2 dollars max



5: Do I need anything else to get this thing up and running?



No you seem to have everything. Do you have a monitor. Make sure you invest in a bloody good one, cause its pointless to have a **** one. I have a Samsung 2232BW and its lovely has hell, defo recommend it for gaming. Maker sure you buy yourself a Saitek, Razer or Logitech gaming keyboard and a Logitech or Razer gaming mouse. Defo shows a difference.



6: What exactly happens between the first glance at the bios on first start up and the OS Installation. Aside from setting your personal preferences, is the manual going to explain to me how to configure the HDD and CD-DVD drive so I can install my OS (Vista)?



You don't need to configure them. They should be picked up automatically. from your bios. Just make sure your HDD is plugged into Sata1 on mobo and CD/DVD into Sata2 slot. And make sure your jumper setting on the HDD are set to Primary or Master. You wont see the bios unless you choose to go into it when starting it up



7: Acceptable to downgrade to this MOBO: - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as - (until I can afford a better one)?



mmm, well, no comment since I proposed you a whole new line. **** I just noticed the games you plan on playing. Not sure why you guna buy a 9800GT then, if you find a 8800GT 1GB or 512mb version thatll be enough or http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/



Cheers



ARCustom Gaming Rig Question(s)?
Changes I would make

AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 2.7GH AM2+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as



Since the architecture is that of the Phenom just with 2 cores disabled it uses less power, also since its a AM2+ socket it can use Hypertransport 3.0 instead of 2.0 (larger bandwidth). It's faster clock for clock than the previous series of x2 and this one at stock benchmarks a little better than the 6000+. Since it's a BE it has a unlocked multiplier which is great for OC but you mentioned that you didn't want that, still it's there if you want to.



Grab this PSU instead

OCZ StealthXStream 700W

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as



$5 more but you get a $35 rebate and also saves you on shipping costs if you get it all from newegg.



Also since you a got a board that will run Crossfire but not SLi, grab a HD 4830, it benchmarks pretty much the same as the 9800GT.

HIS Hightech Radeon HD 4830

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asCustom Gaming Rig Question(s)?
everything looks great tbh and you should not have any problems with them. the LED light looks like it just pluggs into a 4pin molex on your PSU.



also i would not use a 650watt PSU for that machine - consider a 500watt.



please do not use the stock hsf that comes with the cpu unless you get an oem in which case there wont be one. upgrade to something better im not familiar with amd coolers but try something with copper piping if you are not going for the extreme huge sideways whatnots like the silent knight.



i dont see any problems with that other mobo too.



you say youy are not going to OC much and only basic games then why the extreme build? you might wanna save some money and get the 3.0Ghz cpu and 500watt psu.



that is a sweeeeeet case though i like the lcd screen. after reading your q i think i might buy one of those from newegg as my case atm is basicly an office case. not really for gaming - ive sorta screwed in fans in places you wouldnt imagine!



so yeah thats a good case fan wise i like the one on the side.

but the hard drive bays look a lil dodge - you might wanna look into how they are fitted etc.



also i have that cd drive and the lightscribe is soo f***ing problematic i havent been able to get it to work once. i would not buy that one again!

i was really excited about this new lightscribe too but its just annoying.



ok dude good luck with it

happy computing!