Zoopy

Looks a lot better.

Buckets

If you're going to run Vista, ditch the sound card, upgrade the CPU to an e6600 or better and definitely throw a little extra cash at the 64 bit version of Vista home Premium.

That still looks loads better than the one you were going to get from Velocity.

*EDIT* I absolutely love that case and the PSU looks good to me!

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The artist formerly known as "pecker"

micr0c0sm

Its real easy to build a computer tbh.
You picked good hardware with a good price/performance + lasting parts (in 18/24 months pickup another 8800gts for less than 100$ and double your fps ftw!).

For an extra 20$ i think you can get a 320gb wd.

I wouldn't get vista or the creative card, but thats just me.

Cool case I would go with lian-li but only because I like a light all aluminum case and those have good build quality.

Smart move going with all retail too btw, those warranties are worth the extra ~80$ total.

Almost exactly what I would get right now. You will like this rig a lot.


just fyi: you would be paying velocity micro for:
a) excellent tech support and easy replacements
b) preinstalled and tested OS and basic software
c) building the computer with a great cabling job

I would build it myself but after reading the HardOCP reviews I recomment velocity micro wholeheartedly.

loyalguard

Micro-

Awesome idea about adding a 2nd 8800 down the road!

Thanks again all. Ok, I am dropping the sound card and just going with the integrated.

But.....There is still the XP vs. Vista argument. So far in this thread it is split on whether I should go XP or Vista. If I was going to go pre-built I was just going to go with Vista since I would count on the integrator's burn-in to make sure I had updated drivers and no compatability issues. However, since I a now leaning towards building it myself this is more of an area of concern for me. The last thing I want is to finally get this rig together and then struggle with drivers. I have read some of the other Vista threads here (and elsewhere) and the consensus seems to be wait. I realize I have a DX10 capable card but I am not overly concerned about underutilizing (yet). I also wont' mind plonking down extra dough for Vista later if and when it becomes necessary to upgrade....so, I think I am going to go XP for now.

You guys have been a ton of help! Any further thoughts?

Grunt 70

XP FTW....I think you won't be disappointed. It's a known quantity while Vista is still working out the kinks...Let the early adopters find all the bugs. I don't think your gaming activities will suffer because of it...and by the way...did you know Vista is outdone by XP in terms of some FPS benchmarks. Don't have the linky to prove it but I've read it several places.


Step 1---build your computer
Step 2 --install BF2 and patches
Step 3 --install PRM
Step 4--find your mates from the 1st on the Battlefield...

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|TG-22nd|Grunt



"When force is necessary, it must be applied boldly, decisively, and completely. But one must know the limitations of force; one must know when to blend force with maneuver" - Leon Trotsky

=Sarc=

There shouldn't be much problem with drivers for Vista. This will be a rig with new parts that are common enough to have Vista drivers immediately.

nVidia drivers - Check. They aren't feature complete for tweaking but they work fine.
X-Fi drivers - Check. They're not MS certified but they work. However, you could run into driver problems regardless of OS just because Creative drivers aren't very good.
motherboard drivers - Check. Most of the stuff you get is software for monitoring temps and such.

Don't be afraid of driver issues unless you have really old hardware you want to add from your old PC. I've been using Vista since late January with very few issues. It was mostly bad video drivers at first that made 2142 unplayable. Now, they're quite solid with several versions since Vista's release.

There are a few advantages of going with Vista now. You don't have to reformat when you do want to move from XP to Vista. Memory is managed better so exiting from games is pretty fast. Apps start up faster with the new caching system.

I really don't see the big problem with building a Vista rig now. I must hate reinstalling everything when doing a format.

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Team Element - It's who you game with.

loyalguard

Thanks to everyone for your help and input. Quick summary: I was going to buy from Velocity Micro who appear to be one of the top Custom PC companies out there, but with encouragement from my fellow TG'ers and price comparisons, I have decided to build it myself. For $200 less than it would have cost me to buy from the builder I get a better system in terms of CPU (C2D 2.4 vs 2.13, GPU (8800 vs 8600), PSU (650w vs. 500w), and RAM (2GB XMS vs 1 GB valueline)...a chance to hard to pass up.

Here is the order I placed with Newegg this morning, grand total before shipping $1382:


Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
PSU: Antec True Power Trio TP3-650 ATX12V 650W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails - Retail
MOBO: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail
GPU: EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card -
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KSRTL 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Retail
Optical: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S -
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with SP2 - Retail

I decided to go with XP in the end. Since this is my very first build, I want as few potential hiccups as possible. I know I may end up spending more for a Vista later, but I am hoping to be good to go with this for 12-18 months. I still may need your help later with the build and tweaking (I doubt I will OC though yet, babysteps!)

I'll keep you updated and thanks again!

=Sarc=

Are those promotions for a free upgrade to Vista still going on? Getting the Vista upgrade now then install it several months later would work out nicely.

Since you are buying from overseas, it might be a good idea to check the warranties and how it applies to your location. Also, eVGA has changed their RMA policy so that the owner has to pay shipping back. I'm pretty sure there are other companies out there that will pay shipping for you or do cross-shipping. Although, eVGA has that step-up program.

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JO Guides & Tutorials
Team Element - It's who you game with.

JAMerica

I would still consider adding an X-Fi with the money you saved.

Either the Extreme Music or Extreme Gamer (~$100). On board sound won't support EAX in BF2 and others. I'm no audophile, but the difference between the intel hda on board and X-Fi knocked my socks off. Especially with (and even with a cheap one) headset.

Hambergler

Friends don't let friends game with integrated sound!!!!!!!!

Congrats on the new rig! It is so much nicer now that your building it yourself.

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Twisted_Firestarter

Unless they are running Vista...

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Twisted Firestarter
a.k.a |TG| Harkonian

Hambergler

Are you talking about the drivers?

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loyalguard

Sound card may be an aftermarket addition, depending on how things go. I have never really be too concerend with sound quality or increasing my audio perception because I am usually constantly bombarded by the spounds of my kids yelling or my wife screaming for me to get off the computer anyway.

=Sarc=

Which are available. So I don't know what Twisted is hinting at. Maybe that the Creative drivers aren't feature complete. Maybe that Audigy cards don't get EAX. X-Fi cards get EAX though with ALchemy.

__________________
JO Guides & Tutorials
Team Element - It's who you game with.

JAMerica

I've just been reading that EAX effects are available under vista with the X-Fi for BF2/2142 as these support openAL. For older games, and Armed Assault, you need ALchemy.

I can't really confirm this, since I don't have vista (and won't for some time).

Although I agree, if openAL & Vista can make my on-board Intel HDA sound as good or better than an X-Fi in xp, I'd be happy.

In any case, there is just no comparison if you are using XP.