1500 system

B

Biff Hardbody

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 18, 2004
Messages
251
I've been doing research for the past few months and by the end of this week I'll have 1500 bucks to by new rig. The thing is,I'm still open to advice, soI'm not going to post specifics, but a general idea. If you think somethings wrong/right and want to let me know,please do so. I already have the monitor, I'm not crazy about my KB/Mouse, and speaker. They are good enough to get by with, but I would like to upgrade them if possible. But, the actual hardware is my first and main concern.

For that I am thinking-

Quad core 6600
Abit P35 MB
2-4 gigs of ram
650 PSU
300 gig sata hd
Lian Li case
8800 GTS (640 mb)

This pc is primarily for gaming, so thats what I want to spend my 1500 bucks on. Any help is appreciated.
 
Looks a bit like my build I have on paper. Nothing wrong with Q6600 but I may swing for a E6750 to save a little cash, go quad down the road as games better use it. Have that mobo as an option as well.
 
I think a 500gb 7200.10 Barracuda drive is not much more expensive than a 320gb one, especially if you grab one on sale like I did for $99. It happens pretty often. Got mine from Fry's.

Other than that, your system looks pretty good. Which power supply are you planning on buying? Also, how big is your monitor? What resolution?
 
Hey guys, thanks for the responses. Great info about the processor and hard drive. I'll look into it. Heres my current build...

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600-$278
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115017

Motherboard: ABIT IP35 Pro- $180 (160 with rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813127030

CPU Cooler: TUNIQ TOWER 120 CPU COOLER- $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835154001

Ram: Undecided. I do know I want 4 gigs. I am unsure of whether to get four one gig modules, or two two gig. I have 3 candidates right now. I trust corsair as they have always done right by me, and tend to stay from Crucial because they failed me often. What do you guys think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820145034

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820145184

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820220227

Gpu: Evga 8800 GTS- $395 (365 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130080

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320 gb- $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822148140

Psu: Corsair modular 520- $100
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-520w-sli-c.../203270716.html

DVD: Undecided- $30

Case: Lian Li
Still undecided on which. Lian Li was hella easy to work with, but I want something with better cooling then the previous one I had. I figure I'll spend 200+ for it.

Estimate with shipping: 1600 before rebates. Gotta cut some costs.
 
Usually, it's better to use 2 sticks of ram if you can, it's easier on the mobo and easier for overclocking. Patriot is a respectable line of RAM, so you might be ok with that $200 set, very nice price on it.

Counting that ram and a $200 case, I only calculate $1513 before MIR's. If you shop around a bit I'm sure you could find a GTS for ~$350, I think ClubIT.com sometimes has good sales.
 
OK, finalized my system.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600-$278
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

Motherboard: ABIT IP35 Pro- $180 (160 with rebate)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127030

CPU Cooler: TUNIQ TOWER 120 CPU COOLER- $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001

Ram: mushkin 4GB(2 x 2GB)- $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146692

Gpu: Evga 8800 GTS- $395 (365 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130080

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320 gb- $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148140

Psu: Corsair modular 520- $120
http://www.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingIte...N82E16817139001

DVD: Sony- $31
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118003

Case: LIAN LI PC-60BPLUSII- $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112116

Total (with shipping): 1,512.84

I'll explain some changes. I went with the mushkin because its at a lower voltage then the patriot. I also think the lian li is perfect for me. I may replace the sidefan, we'll see.

Thank you all.
 
I'd recommend these G.Skill PQ sticks instead:
$190 - G.Skill 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ

I'd also recommend the PC-7 instead of the PC-60 if you want a quiet case. The 80mm fans on the 60 can get loud.

If you plan on OC'ing that Q6600, get it from Clubit.com, because they guarantee the G0 stepping.
 
Enginurd, thank you very much.

Why would you recommend the ram? Just the price? is the mushkin any better/more stable? I notice it runs at 1.8 compared to the 1.8-1.9 of the other ram. I've heard that makes it "better".
 
Because I've used them in a build, and they're nicely priced. They can both run at 1.8v, so they'll both be pretty stable. If you like Mushkin, go for it. You're paying more for the name I guess.
 
You build looks pretty similar to mine. I would go with the G.Skill sticks at Newegg, they are $169 right now. Been using them for the last day or so and they run fine. I wouldn't spend extra on the other ram. For optical drive I went with the Samsung SH-S203B. It's cheap, its sata and its pretty fast. Only thing I didn't like was that it comes OEM so no burning software or cables. I'd also pick up my Q6600 from ClubIT since they guarantee G0 stepping quads.
 
Thanks guys, I'm going to go with the gskill. Sounds great.

That optical drive looks great, ty!

Whats the deal with GO stepping quads? I don't understand, I'm sorry.
 
Your board will come with the needed cables.

The G0 stepping is the newer version of the chip. The older version is B3. The G0 runs cooler and requires less voltage. This translates to better OC'ing potential when heard by enthusiasts. But even if you don't OC, its still better to have the G0 since it runs cooler and requires less voltage.
 
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