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Digital Limit

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Sep 6, 2006
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Newegg.com - Computers, Computer Parts and Electronics
Shopping Cart

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM
Item #: N82E16827152058
Remove item from Cart Remove Save Save Move To Wish List
$29.25 $29.25


Internal Hard Drives
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3320620AS
Item #: N82E16822148140
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$94.99 $94.99


AMD-compatible Motherboards
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultr
Item #: N82E16813136152
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$115.99 $115.99


Video Cards
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 eVGA 256-P2-N549-TR Geforce 7600GS 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: 256-P2-N549-TR
Item #: N82E16814130029
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$116.99 $116.99


Power Supplies
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: NEOHE 550
Item #: N82E16817103941
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$118.99 $118.99


Card Readers
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Atech Flash XM-28U BLACK 28-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader - Retail
Model #: XM-28U BLACK
Item #: N82E16820176005
** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. what's this?
Remove item from Cart Remove Save Save Move To Wish List
$39.99 $39.99


Processors
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2.2GHz Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4400CDBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA4400CDBOX
Item #: N82E16819103546
** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. what's this?
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$235.00 $235.00


Memory (Gaming System Memory)
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 pqi TURBO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model PQI3200-2048DB - Retail
Model #: PQI3200-2048DB
Item #: N82E16820141227
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$209.99 $209.99

Total(before tax): $961.19

There it is. I am not very computer savvy, so all of these purchases were lined up solely based on the rating each item recieved on Newegg, alongside each item's pricetag, of course. Just recently my computer died, so waiting until Vista is released to drop this cash isn't really an option. I need a computer for college and this one is going to be it. I don't plan to game much, but I'd like my computer to run as smooth and as quietly as it possibly can. That's why I'm snatching the passive-cooling card, the quietest power supply I could find, and am sticking all of this in a case built for 120mm fans (already purchased).

All I can ask is that all reccomendations come with a Newegg link, as that's where I'll be purchasing everything from.

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

-Michael
 
if you are not too savvy I wouldn't build one or if you must, have someone there who's knowledgable. it "can" be an undertaking. the sata drive might throw ya right off the bat installing windows not to mention other bios settings, maybe not...

the DFI is a good board but a way overkill for your needs unless you want to overclock, which you don't. I own one and would buy something without a fan. it has so many options it may make your head spin. saying you dont game much makes these choices unsuitable although ok. and neweggs opinions should be taken with a grain of salt anyway, just as in here =) ..you could get a system for well under $700 IMO for your said needs


for now? 1 gig ram will certainly do ya, diff PSU (lower W and cheaper although its good for a beefier system), diff mobo for sure. gluk
 
I'm looking to get the most power for the cash that I have, with easy upgrades for possible Christmas presents and the like. With that, cutting some one gigabyte of ram might not be a terrible idea. As for complications with building it and setting it up, that's not a factor. I have a few savvy friends that are more than willing to aid me in its construction and installation once it arrives. As for the board, I have an buttload of USB devices, so the more ports I can snatch the better. I'll manage, no matter how complicated it is. And yes, I already bought a pci-e expansion, and that's full as well. A few more would fit me nicely. Lastly, I could probably go cheaper for my needs, but at some point I'll wish I had bought something we cut, so we might as well not cut anything at all :cool:

Though, I might want to change over to Intel and switch it up to AM2, no?

I've heard good things, and it'd then be easier to upgrade.

Thoughts?
 
SATA isn't a problem, there'd be a couple of steps if you were doing RAID, but since you aren't it isn't a problem.

The mobo is overkill, and it's socket 939. Socket AM2 is nearly as cheap, literally only a couple of bucks, and at least has some potential for upgrade whereas 939 is a dead end. You could get a Core 2 Duo system that has much more upgrade potential. But I digress...

Take a look at cheaper motherboards, many have a decent track record. Here are a couple of options for mobo/cpu/ram:

Socket 939:
Biostar Tforce 6100 mATX, $80 , or...
Foxconn 6150 board, mATX, $57
4600+ X2, $236
ram you had is fine
Old tech, 4600+>4400+, not much upgrade path, not significantly cheaper.
$503-526


Socket AM2:
ECS nForce4 ATX, $60
4600+ X2, $248
2x1gb G.Skill, $200
Better upgrade path, DDR2 gives slight boost.
$508

Core 2 Duo, Socket 775:
ECS nForce 570 ATX, $78
Core 2 Duo E6400, 2.13ghz, $230
2x1gb G.Skill, $200
Best CPU of the bunch, best upgrade path, killer overclocker if you get into that.
$508

E6300 (1.86ghz) > 4600+ (2.4ghz) - both stock speed
E6300, E6400 overclocking

Edit: silent video cards
 
Here's an updated list:

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM
Item #: N82E16827152058
Remove item from Cart Remove Save Save Move To Wish List
$29.25 $29.25


Internal Hard Drives
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3320620AS
Item #: N82E16822148140
Remove item from Cart Remove Save Save Move To Wish List
$94.99 $94.99


AMD-compatible Motherboards
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 ECS NFORCE4M-A (V1.1) Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 4X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: NFORCE4M-A (V1.1)
Item #: N82E16813135019
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$59.99 $59.99


Video Cards
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 ASUS EN7600GS SILENT/HTD/512M Geforce 7600GS 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: EN7600GS SILENT/512M
Item #: N82E16814121007
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$136.99 $136.99


Power Supplies
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: NEOHE 550
Item #: N82E16817103941
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$118.99 $118.99


Card Readers
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Atech Flash XM-28U BLACK 28-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader - Retail
Model #: XM-28U BLACK
Item #: N82E16820176005
** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. what's this?
Remove item from Cart Remove Save Save Move To Wish List
$39.99 $39.99


Memory (Standard System Memory)
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
2 G.SKILL 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) System Memory Model F2-6400PHU1-1GBNR - Retail
Model #: F2-6400PHU1-1GBNR
Item #: N82E16820231085
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$109.99 $219.98


Processors
Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4600CUBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA4600CUBOX
Item #: N82E16819103751
** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. what's this?
Remove item from Cart Remove Save Save Move To Wish List
$253.00 $253.00

Total(before tax): $953.18

I made a few changes :D

First of all, I did some future proofing and opted for AM2 this time around. I also upgraded my videocard twenty dollars as per the reccomendation for an ASUS-built silent card. Beyond that, I scrambled to find some DDR2 800 that wasn't three hundred dollars, and stumbled upon the 1GB stick shown above. Note that I'm getting two of them, hence the price doubling. Does this look adequate? I'm rather satisfied with it, unless I missed something.
 
Other than not understanding why you'd go with C2D - more bang for the buck - it looks good. ;)

I reread the above comments and agree that your PSU is overkill also, something as inexpensive as this would work, used several myself and they're very quiet and reliable, in the class of my Seasonic 430w.

Rosewill 450w w/ 120mm fan, $40

Ballistix memory I linked is probably a better performer if you ever overclock.
 
Don't buy that rosewill PSU, it's garbage. You wouldn't want me to come kick your computer over while it's running, so don't use rosewill.

If you want upgradeability, do not skimp on the psu. Get a quality unit that will last a long time and give you some flexibility for more powerful videocards, etc. If you need to get a cheap psu in the short-term, you should be looking for units by FSP Group or Sparkle.

Higher quality psu's = less ripple in the power = longer component lifespan. Also, most brands overrate their PSU's, while FSP tends to underrate.
 
Keep the 2gig of ram. Return to the 7600gt with 256meg of ram, having 512 meg on 128bit bus is useless. You wont really notice a difference between the X2 4200 at $187 and that X2 4600 at $253. The 4400 is also useless. You would only notice a small difference in speed in some things like video encoding, not in gaming. Even then, its not enough to make you cut flips through flaming hoops.

X2 4200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103547

Moving to the NeoHE 500 instead of the 550 will save you $20 as well. You dont need a 550. Most people have been somehow convinced they need WAY more power than they actually do.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817103940


you SHOULD be getting a core 2 6300/6400.
 
[LYL]Homer said:
Other than not understanding why you'd go with C2D - more bang for the buck - it looks good. ;)

I reread the above comments and agree that your PSU is overkill also, something as inexpensive as this would work, used several myself and they're very quiet and reliable, in the class of my Seasonic 430w.

Rosewill 450w w/ 120mm fan, $40

Ballistix memory I linked is probably a better performer if you ever overclock.
Click to expand...

As much as I'd like that memory, I'd have to go to the trouble of using another site.

I'd rather not complicate things and simply stick with Newegg. Tried and true.
 
Tutelary said:
Keep the 2gig of ram. Return to the 7600gt with 256meg of ram, having 512 meg on 128bit bus is useless. You wont really notice a difference between the X2 4200 at $187 and that X2 4600 at $253. The 4400 is also useless. You would only notice a small difference in speed in some things like video encoding, not in gaming. Even then, its not enough to make you cut flips through flaming hoops.

X2 4200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103547

Moving to the NeoHE 500 instead of the 550 will save you $20 as well. You dont need a 550. Most people have been somehow convinced they need WAY more power than they actually do.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817103940
Click to expand...

Um, yeah.... 939? I'm running AM2 now.

Thanks, though :)
 
On another note, a friend of mine mentioned these things:

shark7: 1. get a brand-name motherboard
shark7: 2. don't spend so much on your power supply (unless you're gonna be doing overclocking or something)
shark7: 3. get a brand-name memory (and if necessary downgrade from ddr800)

Given I'm going to be upgrading at some point the future, thoughts?

Also, when watching DVDs the sound peaks at a pretty quiet level: could that be hardware related?

Thanks again for everyone's help.
 
Getting a name brand/trusted power supply is just as important as a good motherboard. I wouldnt downgrade from the ddr2 800 on an am2 setup.
 
Read this review to see why you should go with Core2Duo instead of an A64X2:
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2802

Priced off of NewEgg:
$190 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 2MB L2 Cache
$125 - GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express
$190 - G.SKILL 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-667 - F2-5400PHU2-2GBLA
$165 - GIGABYTE GV-NX76T256D-RH Geforce 7600GT 256MB SilentPipeII
$70 - Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W
$95 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
$30 - NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A
$12 - SABRENT CRW-UINB 52-in-1 USB 2.0 Black 3.5" Internal Card Reader
========
$877 before tax/shipping, $955 shipped to CA

Theres not much performance difference between DDR2-667 and 800 with a core2duo at stock speeds. You should be able to reach at least 2.3Ghz (333*7) with DDR2-667 and stock cooling, should you feel the need to OC. Though you don't game much, $50 for much better performance from the GT over the GS is worth it, imho.
 
Final list, possibly:

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
1 NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM
Item #: N82E16827152058
$29.25


Internal Hard Drives
1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3320620AS
Item #: N82E16822148140
$94.99


Video Cards
1 ASUS EN7600GS SILENT/HTD/512M Geforce 7600GS 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: EN7600GS SILENT/512M
Item #: N82E16814121007
$136.99


Power Supplies
1 Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: NEOHE 550
Item #: N82E16817103941
$118.99


Card Readers
1 Atech Flash XM-28U BLACK 28-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader - Retail
Model #: XM-28U BLACK
Item #: N82E16820176005
$39.99


Memory (Standard System Memory)
2 G.SKILL 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) System Memory Model F2-6400PHU1-1GBNR - Retail
Model #: F2-6400PHU1-1GBNR
Item #: N82E16820231085
$229.98


Intel-compatible Motherboards
1 GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-965P-S3
Item #: N82E16813128017
$116.99


Processors
1 Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E6300
Item #: N82E16819115005
$190.00

Subtotal: $957.18

Shipping: $19.62

Total: $976.80
 
Hey Michael,

You can shave off a little by going with a cheaper PSU. Find a 450 or 500W for ~$70 (like http://www.overcool.com/Exec/product.asp?userid=04394181730774&item_id=34788, this is what I have and it works great).

Dump the flash card (since it's not party of the "system" you can mooch this later or buy one at the school store).

For HSF, I would go with the Scythe Ninja Plus (http://www.xoxide.com/scythe-scnj-1000-ninja-cooler.html). it's cheap and super quiet (or totally silent if you want to run it without a fan).

The Gigabit S3 mobo is pretty good (check out http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=114156). but you could get even better with the Asus P5B Deluxe, Gigabit DS3, or Gigabit DQ6.
P5B: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=114908
DS3: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110460
DQ6: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=114600

If you still have money left, might as well upgrade the CPU to an e6400 or e6600. The e6400 gets you a higher multiplier (8 instead of 7) for higher oc's. The e6600 gets you a higher multiplier (9 instead of 7) and double the L2 cache (4mb instead of 2).

If you go with the scythe ninja and use the fan, you should expect to hit 400fsb pretty easily on any of the above boards. So, e6300 will be 2.8ghz, e6400 will be 3.2ghz, and e6600 will be 3.6ghz. The larger L2 cache on the e6600 gives about 5-10% higher benchmark scores (over a 2mb L2 c2d at the same clock).

The rest of the parts you listed are very good finds price/performance wise, keep them for sure.

Mike
 
First of all, I'd like to post a quote from another forum:

Rhenna said:
DFI boards are pretty good, IMO. (I'm running two at the moment, including the Ultra-D.) But, I've no quarrel with anyone embracing an Intel Conroe at this point.

*If* you went with an Athlon64 X2, the larger L2 cache on the Toledo won't net you very much in terms of gaming, so I would save a few bucks and go with a San Diego. If I was working on your "build" I would probably set you up with a 4200+.

G.Skill memory has worked-out pretty good for me. I have a low-latency pair of 1Gb DIMMs that will get my 1.8GHz 3000+ to 2.4GHz and still have some pretty remarkable timings. (On a $75 DFI mobo, incidentally.) Never had a problem with either of the two rigs I'm running this brand of RAM with.

I don't think much of your video card choice. The memory on that particular card is clocked at only 540MHz. (The reference memory frequency for the 7600GS is 800MHz.) The 512Mb of video memory will do absolutely nothing for your gaming experience at these core/memory frequencies. Quite frankly, the whole Conroe vs. Athlon64, (either S939 or AM2) is meaningless if this is going to be the class of graphics card on this rig. You would be better served by buying something like a $76.00 A64 3200+, (which would totally saturate the 7600GS quite nicely), and call it a day.

A somewhat better choice if you want something quiet would be:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125025

At 560MHz core, 1400MHz memory, this bad agent will push some polygons around far better than the Asus. You would probably need something like a fairly slow-turning 120mm fan on the rear of the case to provide some decent airflow without making too much noise.

As Mr. Bored said recently, you're better off investing the bulk of your budget in your graphics card rather than an upscale CPU/motherboard if gaming is the primary use of this PC. With your choice of the Antec PSU, you certainly have the amperage for a more aggressive video card.
Click to expand...

There, now you won't miss any tips, Brian.

Moving on to your comments nano (hey, Mike), I'd first like to talk about the PSU. That seems to be the first thing everyone tells me to change, but the big draw is that all of the comments I've read about it claim that it's incredibly quiet. Relative to that, the $70 model has numerous comments about it being rather loud. I want to ensure that my computer will not be obnoxious, so this is the route I'm taking. Given you own a cheaper model and know it works well, could you also comment on its volume?

As for the motherboard and the processor, I'm very happy with my decision. I could spend a bit more and get a better model, but I don't want to cut anything as I'd like to have my purchasing for this year complete. I can always upgrade it later if all else fails. Though, admitedly, I'd like the 4mb of L2 cache. Then again, who wouldn't? I'm limited by my demand for quality card readers, my craving for the quiet, and the little wallet that could.

Lastly, the Ninja looks awesome; Brian - Buy that.
 
why did you bother with this huge post about the videocard when he already said he will do very little gaming? contrary to popular belief around here, some people dont game, or game so infrequently that they dont need huge videocards.

That being said, OP: you're still spending too much money on that 7600gs, save the $25 and get this one instead.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150170
having the 512meg on that other card on a 128bit bus does NOTHING for you, save the money.

Likewise, save yourself another $20 by getting the NeoHE 500watt (which is still too much juice for your system but oh well) instead of the 550.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103940

Thats a good $55-65 savings (counting shipping)
You can probably get a much cheaper flash reader thats just as good if you search newegg a bit, but I'm not going to fight it, the rest of your list is fine.
 
Seasonic PSU's are known to be quiet, and they are one of the best brands (seasonic makes the antec neo he).
 
Digital Limit said:
Can I simply get a bigger bus? :)

As for the PSU, I want it to be quiet. Any insight on that?
Click to expand...

Hah. well, you'd have to get a more powerful card. Honestly for what you're describing, I think the passive 7600gs is fine. Concentrate on school while in school :p .I know many a person who fubar'd their college careers on quake 1
:D

The guy above me answered the psu question. I didnt know seasonic made the NeoHE, very nice.
 
FYI the Rosewill PSU's have been pretty good to me. I've put about 2 dozen in systems ranging from Pentium D 930's to overclocked Opteron 165's. The series they make with 120mm fans are very quiet and have a nice heaviness to them, they aren't lightweight junk.

That said, I think there are tons of other quality choices for the OP's system in the $40-70 range. The $120 PSU is surely a nice unit, but it seems like overkill for the components listed. In comparison my media PC is uber-quiet with a $90 Seasonic S12-430 (or $100 at Newegg if you like paying more ) running an 4200+ X2 (@2.6ghz), 2gb ram, 7 hard drives, REV drive, and DVD.
 
I own two of these: Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W... got them for $15 AR during Fry's Anniv. sale. They're rather quiet. The outer fan only turns on when its too hot, and only then is the PSU audible. However, my room is never hot, so I've never heard it on for long (My A/C got unplugged for a couple hours on a hot day and it turned on. it's not that loud, but just audible.).

SPCR review of a SmartPower2.0:
Given the straight-through airflow design of this PSU, it is probably a good candidate for use in an Antec P180 case, where the thermal isolation of the PSU would ensure lower temperature at the intake, and thus keep the PSU running at idle-quiet levels even at high load. No other fan would be needed in the bottom chamber of the P180. However, extension cables would be needed for the 2x12V and main ATX connectors to use this PSU in a P180.
Click to expand...
Since you're using the P180, I'd go for this PSU to save money. You'll need a 24-pin extension.
 
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