~$600 Machine for my Girlfreind

D

diggƒreak

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 8, 2006
Messages
173
Newegg Wishlist

Current Build:
MSI G31M3-F Intel G31 Micro ATX Motherboard Trust it?
EVGA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB
Intel Core 2 E7300 Wolfdale
OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 Combo -$7 with 7300. Supposedly requires overvolt for 1066, dont mind.
Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM
Logitech 104 Normal Keys/Mouse
Acer X223Wbd 22" Anyone seen this monitor?
SAMSUNG 22X DVD+R
ASUS 802.11b/g
NSK4480 with EarthWatts 380W Can this power a 9800GT?
She's now interested in a transparent case. Are there any out there that support large fans, and don't require buying tons of extras in order to be usable?

If anything, she has some decent speakers :D

Price Shipped as of 10/18
Without KB/Monitor: 590.82
With KB/Monitor: 786.97

Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
I'm a little confused, you said about $600 but that wishlist is $700. Does she game at all? If not, I'd look into one of the new nVidia Intel board - they have a decent IGP that could even play some games in a pinch but would be more than enough for Vista Aero or anything like that. To say if that's a good build we need to know more about what's she's doing with the machine - if it's just internet and word, I'd say you could even drop the CPU down. If she does photos or video work, I'd swap the chip out for a Q6600. Case seems decent, although sometimes you could find a better deal on a nicer one (I got a Sonata III with the 500watt Earthpower for $100 shipped).
 
With the keyboard/mouse combo and the monitor, the entire build comes closer to around $800. But do you have an unused OS license available?

But I digress... your build looks fine, but I do have a few suggestions:

- You could save some money, without losing much performance, by switching the E8500 out for either the E7200 or E7300. The reason why I mention this is because NewEgg has a couple of bundle deals available where you could buy the G.Skill RAM kit along with one of those two processors at a reduced cost. Unless your girlfriend is a serious gamer or a heavy multitasker, I doubt she'll notice any difference performance-wise -- a Core 2 Duo system, regardless of the processor used, will be noticeably better than whatever she was using before.

- Shop around: Don't rely on only NewEgg for your purchases. For example, you could pick up the Antec NSK3480/EA380 bundle at Buy.com for $84.24 with free ground shipping. Once you factor in shipping costs, you could save yourself up to $40 off the NewEgg price.

- What's the purpose of this build? If this is going to be a simple multitasking machine, then you could leave the video card as it is. For gaming, however, the 9600GT may struggle with some of today's games. (I suggest either the 8800GT/9800GT or the HD4850 for that task.)

If you don't have an OS license available, you have a few options. At NewEgg, an OEM copy of Vista Home Premium is about $100. However, if you could find a retail store near you, Microcenter has Vista Home Premium for around $80. If you (or your girlfriend) are a college student, you could pick up an Upgrade copy of Vista Ultimate for around $65. (Several people have confirmed that you do not need a previous copy of Windows, making this an excellent deal.)
 
Well I'm not considering the price of the monitor/KB that's there, I didn't want to say $800 lest someone copy/paste their latest $800 build. (exactly, ninja'd)

She does do some Photoshop work, I'm getting her into Video Editing and Gaming (she'll be playing TF2 with me :) )

I'm wondering if a similar system can be built for less, or if I'm skimping on the motherboard etc.

I'm going to try and shop around, I used newegg to organize the build and get a good average price.

Oh and don't worry about the OS license, I have an unused license for Vista
 
You did pretty well. I suggest "downgrading" the processor and getting the case/PSU combo from Buy.com so you could free up some money for other things.

If you're trying to have this rig function as a gaming build, you should get a better video card. TF2's graphics requirements are pretty generous, but for some of the newer games, you would be better off with one of the aforementioned cards. (Problem is that they'll cost at least $140.)

You and your girlfriend may also appreciate a larger capacity HDD -- you could double your storage capacity for only $15 more -- for Photoshop and video editing.
 
I just realized this thread might be hard to follow. I've been updating the original wishlist with the new conifg, haha.

Thanks for the advice so far, it's brought me to a better system for a lower price.

Speaking of cases, we were just talking on IM and she said it would be really cool if we could build a transparent case (I'm going to teach her how to build this time).

How difficult is this? I looked at the sunbeam offering on newegg and it seemed as though you need to fill five fan holes with something before even using the case. I have a feeling it will be a bit more expensive, but the ultimate budget is $850, so that leaves $160 right now for the clear case, fans/grills, PSU, lighting, etc.

Any suggestions? :)
 
if your going to spend 140 on e7300, may as well cough up 25 more and get an e8400.. if thats too much, get a e7200.
 
diggƒreak: It would be for all of us if you posted all of the parts you're currently considering in your first post. While updating your NewEgg wish list is fine, many people here aren't willing to take the time to constantly view it.

Though cases are a matter of personal taste, if nothing else, make sure that the case you end up choosing has spots for 120mm case fans. (You'll need at least two: one for the front of the case, and one for the rear.)

Rydawg5143: The only reason I mentioned the E7300 is because of the bundle deal. (I still think the E7200 is the better choice, as they both reach the same OC threshold.)

lowteckh: Would you give your woman THAT case?
 
Yeah, if I gave my GF that case, she would probably punch me in the face and then grab her crotch and yell, "DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A PUSSY TO YOU?!?" I would say, "Yeah" as my nose bled. Then she would say, "WELL SCREW YOU!" Then I would say, "Yeah" as we make sweet love.
 
tiraides said:
It would be for all of us if you posted all of the parts you're currently considering in your first post. While updating your NewEgg wish list is fine, many people here aren't willing to take the time to constantly view it.
Click to expand...

fixd ;)

My main concern currently is whether or not the EarthWatts 380W can handle a 9800GT.
Other concerns noted in original post.
 
diggƒreak;1033185714 said:
fixd ;)

My main concern currently is whether or not the EarthWatts 380W can handle a 9800GT.
Other concerns noted in original post.
Click to expand...

So what you do is type in: "9800GT power consumption" in google and you click on a few of the review site links. For example:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...0-gt-roundup-evga-asus-gigabyte-palit-19.html

As you can see from that link, a 9800GT will make a comparable system consume around 270W at full load. Now, you have to checkout the system they used in that test and see if your parts will consume more power than theirs. They're using some really high end parts and OC'ing them, so it looks like you'll be below their benchmark. ;) For thoroughness, you'd want to check out other reviews, too... like [H]ardOCP's and Anandtech. I just used HWC cuz they were like the 3rd link on my google search, hehe.

Now, as far as the 380W is concerned... it has 324W available on the +12V rail(s) ALONE. I think you'll be fine. :p
 
Nice find with that review, exactly the chart I was looking for ;)

Yet again proves that the only thing excessive PSU wattage is good for is increasing the electric bill.
 
enginurd said:
As you can see from that link, a 9800GT will make a comparable system consume around 270W at full load.
Click to expand...

That's actually power consumption from the wall. Actual DC draw from the PSU is around 220W assuming 80-82% efficiency at that load. As it turns out, this amount of DC draw falls right in the peak efficiency range of the 380W Earthwatts, so it would be perfect for this build.
diggƒreak;1033185996 said:
Yet again proves that the only thing excessive PSU wattage is good for is increasing the electric bill.
Click to expand...

Excessive power usage is more due to efficiency than the wattage rating of a PSU. A PSU with 200W worth of components hooked up will output 200W regardless of its maximum rating. The difference is that peak efficiency for most PSUs is around the 60% load mark, so if you buy a 1000W PSU and load it to 200W, chances are you won't be getting the best use out of it. Most quality PSUs are usually 80% efficient or better across the board though, so the only major difference is the extra cost for a more powerful unit (which obviously isn't needed).
 
I agree, you should choose an 80+ rated PSU that will provide more than enough power within the unit's range.

Zero82z said:
That's actually power consumption from the wall. Actual DC draw from the PSU is around 220W assuming 80-82% efficiency at that load. As it turns out, this amount of DC draw falls right in the peak efficiency range of the 380W Earthwatts, so it would be perfect for this build. ...
Click to expand...

Indeed. I didn't bother to do more analysis since the vidcard only pulls from the +12V rail and that rail alone can handle 324W (which is more than the whole HWC system was pulling). :D /me lazy
 
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