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Advice on new intel build

T

Tzzird

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
5,890
I've been toying around with the idea of building a new system for the last couple of months. But the one thing holding me back was that I was saving up for a down payment on a new car. Well, I've bought that car already. So these last few days I've been putting together a newegg wishlist. When I showed my girlfriend my list and talked her through the components, she volunteered to buy me most of the parts as an early birthday gift (2+ months)!

The two components she didn't buy for me was a CPU and a PSU. I ended up going with a Corsair 520W from buy.com because of the cheaper price there, the great reviews on newegg and [H] forum recoomendations.

The CPU I will be purchasing on April 22nd when the prices are slashed. When quad prices come down to around $200, I will purchase one. But for now, having a motherboard that will support it is fine with me. I am looking at the cheaper core2 processors: 6320, 6420, or 6600. I will be overclocking. Would it be a waste of money to go for the more expensive two?

Newegg wishlist:

Gigabyte GA-965P-S3
EVGA 8800 GTS 320MB
G.Skill 2x1GB DDR2 800
Samsung Spinpoint 500GB 3.0 SATA
Sound Blaster Audigy SE
EDIMAX PCI Wireless Card
Zalman 9700 LED
Centurion 5 Case

This system will be running the 22inch monitor I have in my sig.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
if you're gonna go with the gigabyte, definitely spend a little more and get the ds3. unless your deadset on the centurion 5, the cm centurion 534 and cm mystique come with 120mm intakes stock and both are pretty cheap at svc.com. also i'm not sure how much of an improvement the audigy se would be over onboard; in that price range i usually see people recommending the chaintech av-710, might wanna ask in the audio forums about that. and there are better performing heatsinks out there than the zalman 9700, i.e. scythe ninja, tuniq tower, thermalright ultra 120.
 
Tzzird said:
Centurion 5 Case
Click to expand...

Is that the one with the side "columns" at the front? If it is, do not get this/cancell/return it.


It is basically garbage. The only problem (it's a big one, however) is that the entire front "looks good" part is held on at the top by a single little plastic clip that breaks really easily and has play in it and allows the cables from the top ports/buttons/lights to get crushed, repeatedly. Maybe if you put your stuff in it, are carefull and NEVER TOUCH IT AGAIN, you'll be ok, but maybe not.

My roomate has experienced random reboots from the shorts caused by the crushing issue on one of the two of his Centurion model cases (both the same one with the "columns"), and the other one (purchased before he realized the fatal flaw, and the horrible service regarding such a defect) has now broken off. CoolerMaster will not swap out the pair of the defectively designed models he has for one that is not poorly designed, they will just ship him replacement little-tiny plastic pieces, so they can break again or just cause some more short-related reboots.

Very dissapointing after the flawless use I am still getting from my CoolerMaster ATC-100 (~$300 retail, no PSU, in early '01). I will not buy a case from them, personally, again. Not when Antec makes good ones at the same pricepoint.

Oh, and I don't think the Audigy series is actively supported by Creative anymore. Game issues with the Audigy2 ZS my roomate has (and others on the World of Warcraft forums) have been "fixed" by lowering the accelleration slider by one notch. Wow, what a "fix".

If I were you, I would get a current/supported soundcard, or just live with the motherboard audio until you can afford one.

Just my $.02.
 
Get a P5B Deluxe and an E6300 or E6400 from the late 20 weeks from here on the forums. Can't go wrong with that setup and you will be able to OC like hell.
 
danny_discus said:
Get a P5B Deluxe and an E6300 or E6400 from the late 20 weeks from here on the forums. Can't go wrong with that setup and you will be able to OC like hell.
Click to expand...

The new DFI P965-S board looks to be the best overclocking 965 chipset board available if current testing holds true. I would suggest checking out the thread on xtremesystems for more info on the board from those who haven't had it in their hands already. I ordered one and will have it within the next few days but I'm not ordering a chip to put in it until the price cuts.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=139668
 
burningrave101 said:
The new DFI P965-S board looks to be the best overclocking 965 chipset board available if current testing holds true. I would suggest checking out the thread on xtremesystems for more info on the board from those who haven't had it in their hands already. I ordered one and will have it within the next few days but I'm not ordering a chip to put in it until the price cuts.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=139668
Click to expand...

That board is weak

Every P5B Deluxe I have owned has gone way above 500 FSB with ease. :D
 
I don't think you are wasting your money at all with an e6600. :) And yes, DS3 is the board if you are going with Gigabyte.
 
danny_discus said:
That board is weak

Every P5B Deluxe I have owned has gone way above 500 FSB with ease. :D
Click to expand...



*cough* bullshit. Every brand has a bad rep, depending on who you ask. Personally, I do not care for Asus, but you don't see me running around spewing rubbish about that brand.


The fact is, there are defective boards out there in EVERY SINGLE BRAND MADE.
 
TheRapture said:
Personally, I do not care for Asus, but you don't see me running around spewing rubbish about that brand.


The fact is, there are defective boards out there in EVERY SINGLE BRAND MADE.
Click to expand...

Here, here!

Personally, I will only build with an ASUS board, at this point. I have never had a problem with an ASUS board, ever. I have had problems with many other brands. I have built 5 or more systems around them, personally, the most of any single brand. It is probably just luck of the draw, combined with the way things worked out case-by-case, but it is still true.

It is also strictly personal preference, like my exclusive use of WD HDDs for the last decade, with never a failure. Ever. That includes the ancient 20GB that still hangs out in one of my external HD enclosures (I don't even know why). :D
 
LOL, everyone is so sensitive.

540 FSB is the best that I have seen on all reviews of other non-ASUS 965 chipsets, 540 FSB is the worst I have seen on six boards personally tested unmodded. Its just that someone said that the DFI is the best clocking 965 and I said it is weak because its not the best overclocking board out there. There is plenty of proof below to prove that. Also I am not spewing rubbish about other brands just backing my statement up, I am sure they are great boards but not the BEST clocking ones :p

Unmodded board:
http://valid.x86-secret.com/show_oc?id=187400

Look here at highest FSB reached:
http://valid.x86-secret.com/records.php
 
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