Another New Builder & Need advice please

M

mackry

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
117
Hey all. After almost 3 years with my current build (amd 64 3500+ 6800gt and 1gb ram) I'm going to upgrade. I still love my PC and it still plays most games, but these newer ones (CoD:4, UT3, Crysis, etc..) are killin' it! I've tried to read up on parts and put together this build:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX - Retail - $159.99
Mobo: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $134.99
Video Card: XFX PVT80GGHD4 GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported HDCP Video Card - Retail - $299.99
Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail - $65.99
HardDrive: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $49.99
Drive: SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM - $29.99
Case + PSU Combo: (I was recommended this combo, is it worth it for my build?)<br> COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro RS-650-ACAA-A1 ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply - Retail - Both $174.98
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM - $111.99

I don't plan on doing any overclocking, unless there's a way to save $100 somewhere. I was also looking at an Intel build with possibly whats below, but not sure of a motherboard for it:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail - $194.99

I'm trying to stay very close to the $1000 price range and below if possible. If anyone has any suggestions, recommendations, or advice on a different proc, mobo, mem, case/psu, or heck, a whole different build, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it.
 
AMD is good for non-OC'ers or people on really low budgets.

OC'ing is really easy with these new Core2 CPUs without sacrificing stability/reliability. Even a modest OC requires one simple change in the BIOS and can be done with stock cooling on the dual core chips.

I wouldn't get that PSU. There are much better choices for your money, and you don't need a 650W PSU. Check out the Corsair 520W from zipzoomfly, buy.com, or clubit.com (NOT from newegg).

$100 - Corsair CMPSU-520HX 520W PSU ($10MIR + $9MIR; $9 shipping)

PSU FAQ: http://www.jonnyguru.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1036

PSU Suggestions:
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showpost.php?p=1590883&postcount=193
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103

I suggest going with the Intel chip you selected, E6750, and a P35 based motherboard. With the RAM you chose, a simple OC to 3.2Ghz would be simple. To help keep the chip cool, get this HSF (Free after rebate):

$20 - Cooler Master RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 ($20MIR)
$30 - Cooler Master RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 ($20MIR + $9MIR)

If you don't need anything fancy, the Abit IP35-E is good. If you need legacy ports, the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L is good. If you need RAID, check out the P35-DS3R. If you need Firewire, the Asus P5K will work. If you need both RAID and Firewire, the Abit IP35 vanilla is nice. Anything higher just has better chipset cooling and another PCI-E 4.16x slot. The higher end boards include the Asus P5K-E, Gigabyte P35-DS4, and the crowd favorite, Abit IP35 Pro.

$91 - abit IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ($20 MIR)
$99 - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35
$130 - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35
$145 - abit IP35 LGA 775 Intel P35 ($25 MIR)
$133 - Asus P5K LGA 775 Intel P35 Express
$150 - Asus P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35
$170 - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 Rev. 2.0 LGA 775 Intel P35
$180 - abit IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ($20 MIR)
 
Awesome, thanks for the advice. Do you think a duo E6650 would suffice?
 
mackry said:
Awesome, thanks for the advice. Do you think a duo E6650 would suffice?
Click to expand...

The E6750 is much better. If you don't want to spend $190 on a CPU, drop down to the E4400 instead. The E4400 can reach around 3.4Ghz with that CPU cooler I mentioned above; while the E6750 can reach around 4Ghz, you'll need a better cooler than the TX2, lol... but you could reach the same 3.4Ghz with that TX2. The E6550 is hard to OC because of its low mutliplier, 7x.

/*------------- <cut n paste> -------------*/
Formulas for Intel platform @ 1:1 settings: (base FSB speed is SDR, or single data rate)
(CPU Multiplier) x [Base FSB speed] = CPU Clock speed
2 x [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed (DDR: double data rate)
4 x [Base FSB speed] = Effective FSB speed (QDR: quad data rate)

On Intel platforms, running the RAM higher than a 1:1 ratio with the CPU is, for the most part, useless, so don't bother trying to do so. If the BIOS does it for you, just let it. All you need is a 1:1 config, though. Here's some possible clock speeds (as always with OC'ing, your results will vary):

E4400: 10 × 200 = 2.0Ghz, DDR2-400 << STOCK speeds
E4400: 10 × 266 = 2.6Ghz, DDR2-533 << Easy OC
E4400: 10 × 333 = 3.3Ghz, DDR2-667 << Great OC

E6550: 7 × 333 = 2.3Ghz, DDR2-667 << STOCK speeds
E6550: 7 × 400 = 2.8Ghz, DDR2-800 << Easy OC
E6550: 7 × 465 = 3.2Ghz, DDR2-930 << Good OC
E6550: 7 × 500 = 3.5Ghz, DDR2-1000 << Great OC

E6750: 8 × 333 = 2.6Ghz, DDR2-667 << STOCK speeds
E6750: 8 × 400 = 3.2Ghz, DDR2-800 << Easy OC
E6750: 8 × 450 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-900 << Good OC
E6750: 8 × 500 = 4.0Ghz, DDR2-1000 << Great OC
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/
 
Okay, I've decided to go with the Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor and one of the boards below. I would like to OC it at least to 3.2. Which would you go for with my memory?

ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard (I like the wifi feature with this, but would be useless for me really)

As for the Case and PSU, is there any small slim sleek looking ones you know of that would fit the hardware? If not, this is where I would like to try and cut my price a little, at least the case. Any case recommendations would be awesome.

If not, would the PSU I picked originally work well? because the case and psu combo is only $139.98 (with $20 MIR). If you really recommend I not get that combo, would the CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W Power Supply do well? Then I would need to find a cheap case :)

Thanks
 
mackry said:
Okay, I've decided to go with the Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor and one of the boards below. I would like to OC it at least to 3.2. Which would you go for with my memory?

For a 3.2Ghz OC with the E6750, all you need is this cheap set of DDR2 800 RAM:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $66

But if you think you want to aim higher than that, get this RAM instead:
Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $98

I'd go with the Abit board since wifi is useless for you.

The case you originally chose is a pretty good choice. The PSU however is not. There are much better power supplies for that amount of money. That Corsair PSU you chose will do well. If you want modular cables, I recommend getting the 520HX instead:
Corsair HX520 520W PSU - $100

As for cheap cases, check out this case:
Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $40
Click to expand...
 
Okay, im going with the Abit IP35 Pro. I think I might go with that case also. Whats the difference between modular and non modular psus?
 
mackry said:
Okay, im going with the Abit IP35 Pro. I think I might go with that case also. Whats the difference between modular and non modular psus?
Click to expand...

With a modular PSU you only attach the cables you need so you get a tidier case and potentially better airflow, modular is king IMO.
 
Other cheap cases are the Centurion 532 and Centurion 534, both from Cooler Master as well. Check if they'll be cheaper from svc.com, since newegg is sometimes overpriced when shipping is factored into the cost.
 
Darth Bobo said:
With a modular PSU you only attach the cables you need so you get a tidier case and potentially better airflow, modular is king IMO.
Click to expand...

It's not that important, honestly. If you're careful about it even a PSU with a ton of cables (the PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750 Quad I'm using being a perfect example) can look just fine and have absolutely no negative effect on airflow. If you really like it that's all fine and good, but it's by no means an 'end all be all' sort of feature. I've had a modular PSU before -- I really wasn't that impressed.
 
Ok cool. So the CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W Power Supply do just fine?

Here is my final build: Tell me what you think.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail - $194.99
Mobo: ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - $179.99 ($20 MIR)
Video Card: EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $289.99 ($20 MIR)
Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail - $65.99
HardDrive: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $49.99
Drive: SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM - $29.99
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $49.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W Power Supply - Retail - $99.99 ($20 MIR)
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM - $111.99
CPU Heatsink: COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler - Retail - $20.99 ($20 MIR)

Total: $1,013.09 (including rebates) with $36 shipping. (Is shipping for all that really that cheap?)

so, thats the final build, and comments/ suggestions?

Thanks,
Ryan
 
mackry said:
Here is my final build: Tell me what you think.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX - Retail - $194.99
Mobo: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $179.99 ($20 MIR)
Click to expand...

I think you're gonna have one hell of a time putting that Intel CPU into that AMD Mobo. That 6000+ will fit OK, though. hehe. You've got your text and links mixed up. Your text says Asus M2N board, but links to the Abit IP35 Pro, which will take the E6750 CPU just fine, lol.

I'd switch to the Centurion 532 or 534 instead of the Centurion 5. Pickup an extra Yate Loon 120mm $4 fan from jab-tech.com, since the case only comes with one 120mm.

If you can afford it, go with a Seagate 7200.10 Barracuda drive instead... faster than the WD JS.
 
Haha, oops, thanks. It's fixed now. What's wrong with the Centurion 5? :(

Another question. Is Windows Vista worth it now? Hear it's pretty buggy and hard to find compatible software.

Also, do you think this rig will OC to about 3.2 ghz easy?
 
mackry said:
Haha, oops, thanks. It's fixed now. What's wrong with the Centurion 5? :(

Another question. Is Windows Vista worth it now? Hear it's pretty buggy and hard to find compatible software.

Also, do you think this rig will OC to about 3.2 ghz easy?
Click to expand...

The Centurion 5 uses an 80mm intake fan... not enough air and loud. The 532 and 534 use a 120mm intake fan instead -- much better for airflow and quietness.

Vista is great, from what I hear... and thats coming from not only people on this forum, but tech savvy people who actually use their computers for more than just web browsing and games, lol.

The E6750 will reach 3.2Ghz very easily -- and usually on stock voltage (or near stock).
 
Thanks I appreciate all your help enginurd and everyone else. This forum has been great!
 
You're welcome. Now hurry up and buy that PC and post up some pics!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top