~$800 budget computer

S

Sinten

n00b
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
9
It's been about 4 years since I've touched or upgraded my computer. 6800 GT/1gb of ram/a64 3200 just isn't cutting it anymore :).

Video:
Evga 8800GT http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318

Processor:
E8400 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

Mobo:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059

Ram:
2x2gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

PSU:
CORSAIR 550VX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Case:
XION Onyx XON-303 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208021

total: $819.94 + shipping
$35 worth of MIR but i don't count those because you can get screwed on them...

any pointers or suggestions on pieces that may not be the most cost-efficient parts, or future hardware coming out that may completely dwarf what's here for little more cost? (i know hardware gets outdated quicker than anything). I haven't kept up with going ons and with my last build, i foolishly went with AGP and socket 754, and both became antiques rather quickly and left no room for upgrading later without completely replacing my system. So any rumors of new intel socket types or some new type of VGA interface? I've looked around and not seen anything but my last mistake really hurt me and I don't want to make it again :).

thanks.
 
looks like a solid build. the cm690 is a good choice if your looking for a cheap cooling case since it can hold up to 7 120mm fans. if you want modular power supply theres the corsair hx520. as far as i know theres no rumors but i may be wrong,
 
Build's pretty much perfect to me.

Well, maybe I don't like the case, but that's a personal thing past a few general issues like cooling and space. Oh, and that PSU is cheaper at Buy.com.
 
Any reason you chose that RAM? I didnt look carefully but this other set of G Skill DDR2-800 is $10 cheaper.

Dont quote me but the 550 might be overkill. The 450VX is $20 less. Better double check in the PSU forum though.

You could also save a little by going with the E8200 but the pricing on the new chips is still a little iffy.
 
RAM deals abound, you should be able to save about $30 with rebates if you shop around. My P35 doesn't mind 4 x 1GB sticks of DDR2-6400 RAM @ 378 MHz, so you might want to think about going with 1GB sticks if they are cheaper. For about $50 more, you can go Quad and be more future-proof. Also, I would recommend a good heatsink - the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme is about the best you can buy, coupled with a Scythe or Noctuna pressure fan. This will probably let you O/C a Q6600 to about 3.6GHz depending on your chip. A new hard drive would probably also be a big boost in performance - check storagereview.com for their recommendations and testing.
 
Looks pretty solid to me. Though you can get that PSU cheaper at buy.com or zipzoomfly.com.

There won't be a another socket change until late this year when Nehalem comes out. Since Nehalem CPUs now have an integrated memory controler like AMD CPUs, most likely there will be a new socket and chipset. In addition, Nehalem will use DDR3 RAM, not DDR2 RAM. But all of that isn't coming out till late this year.
 
I didn't really choose the ram for any specific purpose besides that it fulfilled what I need, I will most likely look on the hot deals forum for a cheaper solution (I just missed a great one at fry's, http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5439699, sold out :( ).

The case may seem iffy as well as it isn't a well known brand like lian li or silverstone and such, but one of my coworkers uses it and I've worked with it before and it cools his rig pretty well and works quietly. I'm open to any personal case suggestions, as I'm not too limited on that and my budget is flexible to a degree. I just want something that offers efficient cooling at a quiet level that can still satisfy the cooling requirements of my setup.

I normally buy off of newegg even if cheaper prices are offered elsewhere just because they've treated me so well over the past years with RMA's, shipping and customer service. I'll happily spend some extra change for the experiences I've dealt with in the past with them. But I have seen some better deals on the websites you guys listed and may ultimately go with one of their offers.

I also do not do anything demanding with my PC besides gaming applications, so I'm not sure if I can justify purchasing a quad-core that may be more limited in overclocking potential and usefulness for my specific purposes.

Thanks for all of the feedback. :)
 
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