Decisions made I think, take one last peek and give me your input please

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maddog2099

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Scroll to last post for my decisions, I plan on ordering tomorrow or Sunday. I would like to know if any of my choices coflict with one another, or are just bad choices.


First off I'd like to say hello and thank anybody in advance who may supply me with some knowledge. I am new here, but have browsed a little today and CAG seems to have a lot of knowledgable people.

I am building/rebuilding my old computer. Only things reused will probably be the case and cd/dvd drives. It was last built in 2003, and has sat in a closet for the last 3 years with a bad power supply. I didn't use it much anyway as I have a laptop issued by the company I work for. Now that I have a little free time again I'd like to rebuild it for general use and some gaming. I want machine able to game well, but it doesn't have to be an extreme system. I don't get that much time to play and when I do I have been playing on a laptop that I have to turn all settings down to minimal and even at that some games just can't be played.

I have a little outline of what I have looked at and what I am interested in:
My budget is pretty minimal, and I'll have to buy a little at a time while looking for deals and rebates

Case -Already have a case that has 7 open bays, accepts any motherboard(the case was bought for a huge gigabit motherboard) and has plenty of usb ports, fans...

Power Supply - Would a 500w be a sufficient size, and what brands are better to look at?

Motherboard - This is where I'm kind of lost. I did a lot of research with my first build back in 03, but I just don't have that kind of time anymore. Cost is the issue here, I'd basically like to get something that'll support the necessary components to play games such as Splinter Cell:double agent, Gears of War, Crysis(maybe I've heard it's a hog), Timeshift, while being as budget friendly as possible. I really need some recommendations here.

Processor - Again a little lost here, don't know what is better anymore Pentium, Celeron, AMD... Lost.

Memory - I found some memory for a good deal, and was wondering if you all thought it was a deal. It's only good until 04-02-08 so I have to act fast if I want it. 2GB DDR2 PC2-6400 DUAL CHANNEL GOLD GX XTC C4 OCZ for $20 after rebate
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5436039#detailed

VIdeo Card - Would something like this be sufficient for my needs based upon the games I listed above. I don't need to play with the settings cranked, but also don't want to play with them at minimal. http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=204450333#prodInfoSec
Is this card anygood? Are ATI cards anygood? All I see people recommend is Geforce cards. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2568900&CatId=1558


Hard Drive - Is there anything that I need to look for specifically to be able to play games without lots of lag, that pertains to the HD
Again Thanks to anybody who replies.
 
Power supply - Yes 500 watts should be enough, although I wouldn't go with any less. You might also want to check how much amps the supply has for the +12v rail. You can usually find that in the specifications, it looks something like +12v 18A. 18 or more amps should be enough.

Motherboard - I'm not completely sure what you want, but make sure any motherboard you get supports DDR2 RAM (like you listed), has a 16x PCI Express slot, supports both SATA and IDE (for your drives), and has the correct socket for your processor (LGA 775 for most of Intels line). I would just do a newegg power search for those features and find a cheap board with good ratings. Abit and Asus are my favorite manufacturers.

Processor - Intel really offers the best higher-end processors right now. I would go with either a dual core or quad core processor. Just buy whatever is in your range. I recommend the Q6600, which should run you a little over $200. Otherwise you can go for the most expensive dual core you can afford.

Memory - The memory you listed looks great. I would go for it.

Video Card - That video card is decent. I'm sure you could run any game out there (I can with an X850 pro, which is a little worse I think) but you won't be able to run Crysis at high or anything. Most people (and me) recommend the 8800 gt which would cost a little under $200 and would probably net about 2.5 times the frames you would get with the card you listed. For video card and processor benchmarks I usually use http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html

Hard Drive - Most modern high capacity drives will work well. Also maybe try to get one with a 32 mb buffer. You can check out hard drive speeds at http://www.storagereview.com/
 
Hey, Thanks for the reply. I've been doing some more research on my own a little too. I have also been doing some thinking about what my budget will be. I have most of my extra spending money sitting in paypal right now so I am probably going to look for a dealer that accepts paypal just for ease of transactions. I know Tiger Direct does and I was doing some looking on there today.
Does anybody know any good reputible dealers besides tiger direct that accept paypal?

What does everybody think of the new AMD quad core processors? They are a little cheaper than the Intel's, and some of the reviews I saw say that they are a true quad core as opposed to the Intel. What exactly does that mean "True Quad Core"? I also did a little research on the Video card and I think if my budget allows I am going to get the XFX 8800 GT Alpha Dog

Thanks
 
if anything i would only go with amd dual core. intel blew them out of the water on the quad core. amd's just came out and I have not been hearing good things...
 
If you're going to spend a lot of money on a dual core that comes close to getting a quad core in terms of price, I'd suggest the quad core. We've seen that speeds are generally topping out at 2.2GHz average per core, and instead of boosting the speeds, adding more cores. It makes sense... so the more cores the better.

Also, I'd suggest a GeForce 8800 GT. The PNY XLR8 model of that card goes for 250 at newegg.com. It's kind of the new mid-range card, while the 8600 series is the low end.

It's just amazing how cheap parts are now... I spent $1300 in January 2005 for a GeForce 6800 GT setup (the video card alone was $480) and now you can get a system that kicks the shit out of my PC for about $500.
 
Newegg accepts paypal.

As far as processors are concerned, I'm still of the opinion that dual core is a better deal than quad core for gaming. As you add more cores, you get diminishing returns, especially when software isn't optimized for that many cores. I'd go with clockspeed over number of cores. Newegg sell the 3.0 GHz E8400 for $199 OEM. I wouldn't spend more than that on a processor. If you're a real cheapass like me, you'd get an Allendale (E4500 or E4600) for the low $100s and overclock the hell out of it.

Sharky Extreme puts out good guides that you can use for ideas when putting together systems: http://www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/EGBG/article.php/10721_3731911__1
 
First and foremost, what's your budget ceiling? Without that clearly defined, it becomes very difficult to begin the unfortunate practice of compromise. You've done an excellent job of outlining your system requirements but I need a number. Once I have that, I'll provide you with my list of suggestions. All the equipment people have listed are solid recommendations but if it doesn't fit the budget it doesn't help you.
 
Well as far as budget goes, It looks like right now I am sitting at about $800 out the door. Maybe able to go a little higher up to $100 if it's really worth it. That's the high end of my budget, the low end would be about $650 out the door.

I already have a large ATX case.
I just need:
Motherboard
CPU
Video Card
Fans/Heatsinks
Hard Drive
Power Supply

Is the overall oppinion that the quad cores aren't worth the money?
 
For the PSU check out Corsair, they make some of the most decent ones out there.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001

That's the one I bought for my build last summer. Very solid and comes highly recommended by all the people on the internet who love power supplies. Really.

[quote name='maddog2099']

Is the overall oppinion that the quad cores aren't worth the money?[/quote]

Quad core with an $800 budget is not worth it. Nothing really supports it yet and if you do get one you'll want some super components to go with it to really make the high price worth it.
 
I'm spending about $800 on a brand new computer (no old components) and even I am planning to get a quad core. Just spend your money about like this:
Motherboard - $80 (cheapest board with the features you need and good reviews)
CPU - $230 (I recommend Intel Q6600)
Video Card - $170 (most likely 8800gt such as http://www.buy.com/retail/Product.asp?sku=206208722)
Hard drive - $130 (can get about 750gb for that much, such as http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152100, but you will require cables if you purchase an OEM drive)
Power Supply - $50 (500+ watt Thermalright/Antec/Corsair should serve you well)
Total: $660

Then you have $140 to either keep or spend on heat sinks/fans.
 
I'd recommend the E8400 over the Q6600. It's based on 45 nm technology, has lower power consumption and higher performance in games at stock speeds (though the difference is negligible). Plus, they overclock like crazy: 4 GHz and above.

Unless you are hard core into video encoding, don't bother with quad core; games don't really take great advantage of dual core, much less quad core.
 
I think you should probably stick with dual core. there aren't many (any?) games that support 4 cores and they're lower clock speed compared to dual core processors that you can get for the same price.
 
If you get a quad core now in an $800 system, you'll just be bottlenecking your system. As previously stated, it's not something that is being used to its fullest potential right now. You might as well wait down the line when other components can take advantage of it. Also by then, the prices will have dropped.
 
If you want to do SLi one day, you'll want at least a 750W Corsair in my opinion.

This page is good for picking out power supplies.
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html

For video card, keep an eye out for 8800GTS and 8800GTX price drops.

Motherboard, I'd look at getting a 680i nvidia chipset. I've always bought MSI motherboards. This one comes with an audio card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130080. Maybe a 650i if you need cheaper? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188017

For CPU, I hear the E4500 overclocks like a champ and is $120. A e8400 is great and I've overclocked mine to 3.8GHz, BUT for the money E4500 is a good purchase. Heck, the fact that people are discussing whether an overclocked E4500 is better than a stock E8400 is a good sign... http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1275521.
 
Most likely won't go SLI. I just don't have enough time to game that I would drop another 200 on an additional vid card.

This Memory http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10005297

Or This http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=85025-5

I am a little concerned about mounting with the cpu fan/heatsink I have selected. It looks like there's room, but I'm not sure. Listed below
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=371268

I think I am going to expand my budget by a little to include the Asus Striker 2 formula motherboard since it takes advantage of the 45nm technology, and Newegg has open box ones for $100 less than reg price http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131255R

I think I am going to order this card today. http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007128
Does anybody have a similar setup and can tell me if the OCZ ram will fit? This is the only thing right now holding me back. I'm ready to pull the trigger on most of my parts.


I am having troubles finding a good PSU, I need it to vent out he rear of the tower as I really don't want to have to cut a hole in the top of the case, and I really can't afford to purchase another case right now. Also, I'd like to find sometihing less than $70 if possible.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103940
Decent? I have always heard that Antec is a pretty good brand.

I think I'll pick up the E8400 Hopefully Newegg gets it back in stock soon. Otherwise I may have to pay a little more.

The hardrive I was looking at went up almost $50 overnight. So I'll have to start looking again and just jump when I see a good deal. Just found what looks like a good deal, I think I'll order it today with my Vid card as they are from the same site. http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007193
 
When it comes to power supplies, my recommendation would be not to skimp on that. My ex learned that a long time ago when he fried his computer buying a crappy one and was so shocked when it sizzled in a bright blue flash and took his computer with it. I used to be a hardcore Enermax fan... until I got a bad batch and had to go through 3 and they were all dying within a few weeks. Now I'm a Thermaltake girl.

What kind of fans, watercooling, or any kind of cooling are you going to put in there? If you don't have a vent off the top, it might not matter. It'll always help, but it might not be required for you to have to cut one out if it's nice and cool in there.

As for a heatsink, I'm in love with Zalman's. Ok, they might slice up your hand to no tomorrow when you're installing them, but they really are nice and the prices in them have dropped a lot. With any other fans, just take note of how much air they pump out and their noise level (if you don't want a turbine sounding computer like mine).
 
[quote name='psionicjinx']When it comes to power supplies, my recommendation would be not to skimp on that. My ex learned that a long time ago when he fried his computer buying a crappy one and was so shocked when it sizzled in a bright blue flash and took his computer with it. I used to be a hardcore Enermax fan... until I got a bad batch and had to go through 3 and they were all dying within a few weeks. Now I'm a Thermaltake girl.

What kind of fans, watercooling, or any kind of cooling are you going to put in there? If you don't have a vent off the top, it might not matter. It'll always help, but it might not be required for you to have to cut one out if it's nice and cool in there.

As for a heatsink, I'm in love with Zalman's. Ok, they might slice up your hand to no tomorrow when you're installing them, but they really are nice and the prices in them have dropped a lot. With any other fans, just take note of how much air they pump out and their noise level (if you don't want a turbine sounding computer like mine).[/quote]

I second this. Many people skimp on the PSU, but they are all different, have different power outputs, and quality greatly varies.

Here is a good link on choosing a quality PSU:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1045259
 
SLI is bullshit.

Also, do NOT underestimate your case... make sure you get one with good cooling. Read reviews on Newegg and look at the pictures of the fan grills, or just get a case and cut the damn grills off with a saw or something.
 
When it comes to power supplies, my recommendation would be not to skimp on that. My ex learned that a long time ago when he fried his computer buying a crappy one and was so shocked when it sizzled in a bright blue flash and took his computer with it. I used to be a hardcore Enermax fan... until I got a bad batch and had to go through 3 and they were all dying within a few weeks. Now I'm a Thermaltake girl.

What kind of fans, watercooling, or any kind of cooling are you going to put in there? If you don't have a vent off the top, it might not matter. It'll always help, but it might not be required for you to have to cut one out if it's nice and cool in there.

As for a heatsink, I'm in love with Zalman's. Ok, they might slice up your hand to no tomorrow when you're installing them, but they really are nice and the prices in them have dropped a lot. With any other fans, just take note of how much air they pump out and their noise level (if you don't want a turbine sounding computer like mine).
 
[quote name='psionicjinx']When it comes to power supplies, my recommendation would be not to skimp on that. My ex learned that a long time ago when he fried his computer buying a crappy one and was so shocked when it sizzled in a bright blue flash and took his computer with it. I used to be a hardcore Enermax fan... until I got a bad batch and had to go through 3 and they were all dying within a few weeks. Now I'm a Thermaltake girl.

What kind of fans, watercooling, or any kind of cooling are you going to put in there? If you don't have a vent off the top, it might not matter. It'll always help, but it might not be required for you to have to cut one out if it's nice and cool in there.

As for a heatsink, I'm in love with Zalman's. Ok, they might slice up your hand to no tomorrow when you're installing them, but they really are nice and the prices in them have dropped a lot. With any other fans, just take note of how much air they pump out and their noise level (if you don't want a turbine sounding computer like mine).[/quote]

I second this. Many people skimp on the PSU, but they are all different, have different power outputs, and quality greatly varies.

Here is a good link on choosing a quality PSU:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1045259
 
SLI is bullshit.

Also, do NOT underestimate your case... make sure you get one with good cooling. Read reviews on Newegg and look at the pictures of the fan grills, or just get a case and cut the damn grills off with a saw or something.
 
Ok, Thanks to everybodies help I think I have made my decisions. I will post it up here now, and probably won't order until Sunday or Monday so if anybody sees any major conflicts with my choices, or has an idea for a substitution that is similar priced let me know.

Qty.Product DescriptionSavingsTotal Price
14-150-252-03.jpg

XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814150252 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy Select An Optional Extended Warranty Plan 1 Year Extended Service Net Replacement Plan -- $39.992 Year Extended Service Net Replacement Plan -- $69.99 -$20.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate $219.99 $199.99
17-139-005-12.jpg

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16817139005 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy Select An Optional Extended Warranty Plan 1 Year Extended Service Net Replacement Plan -- $29.992 Year Extended Service Net Replacement Plan -- $39.99 -$40.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate $159.99 $119.99
35-100-009-01.JPG

Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound - OEM Item #: N82E16835100009 Return Policy: Consumable Items Return Policy $4.99
20-145-590-01.jpg

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail Item #: N82E16820145590 Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy $25.00 Mail-in Rebate $53.00
13-130-159-03.jpg

MSI P7N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813130159 Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy Select An Optional Extended Warranty Plan 1 Year Extended Service Net Replacement Plan -- $29.992 Year Extended Service Net Replacement Plan -- $39.99 $20.00 Mail-in Rebate $164.99
35-150-053-02.jpg

MASSCOOL FD08025B1M3/4 80mm Case Fan - Retail Item #: N82E16835150053 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy Select An Optional Extended Warranty Plan 1 Year Extended Service Net Replacement Plan -- $9.992 Year Extended Service Net Replacement Plan -- $19.99 -$0.70 Sale
$10.36 $7.56 ($1.89 each)
22-148-288-01.jpg
35-233-002-03.jpg


-$10.00 Instant
-$3.99 Combo
$123.98 $109.99
19-115-031-02.jpg
35-200-037-01.jpg


-$30.01 Combo
$179.98 $149.97 Subtotal:$810.48
 
If you want I could sell you the rest of my Artic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound, maybe $1 plus actual shipping cost on Paypal? The tube Newegg sends is enough to build at least twenty computers, and the shipping on it is crazy.
I can't imagine you NEED hard drive cooling, but hey why not. If the noise bothers you at all, rip it out.

Good chip to overclock.

If you want to read about the motherboard or you have problems this forum is good: http://forum.msi.com.tw/index.php.
 
I don't think I'll need the HDD cooler either, but it's free so I figure I'll get it and see how much difference it makes. I'll take the thermal paste off your hands, pm me your paypal address.
 
Looks like nice choices overall. Yeah I would skip the hard drive cooler if it wasn't free (I don't think I've ever heard of a hard drive over heating). If it were me I would get a cheaper motherboard and power supply, but they do look really good and it sounds like you will get what you pay for. Good luck building your new computer.
 
I went with the PSU that is a little better so that in the future I can upgrade further without buying a PSU each time. This one should last me a little while.

Same reasoning behind the Mobo, it has the last Nvidia chipset released (750) There are only a few Mobos with the new 780 chipset so this is a good price, and won't be useless in 6 months if I want to upgrade the CPU.
 
That's one "interesting" looking Rosewill CPU heatsink fan. I looked a review on it and it seems to work well, but I am not sure about its noise level.

The one downside to it seems that the fans are built in... difficult to replace if they fail or do not perform to your liking...
 
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