Another comp build... suggestions?

[crazjayz]

So my friend emailed me with his idea for a comp. Here's the link: https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=4034271&WishListTitle=intel

Anyway, just post your suggestions for parts. Budget is $1500max. Thanks guys!

- crazjayz

 

[Bbq]

Skip the Antec Trio PSU. www.buy.com has the Corsair HX 520 for under $100 shipped.

 

[tisb0b]

what does your friend plan to do with his comp because his part selections make no sense?

 

[crazjayz]

Some gaming, but mostly cpu-intensive stuff like video encoding and ripping. Aside from that, what choices did he make that seem strange?

 

[tisb0b]

Some gaming, but mostly cpu-intensive stuff like video encoding and ripping. Aside from that, what choices did he make that seem strange?

Going with a e6600, raptor, kingston DDR800 and then after all that getting a 7300GT when a 8800GTS could be fit into that budget.

 

[crazjayz]

Going with a e6600, raptor, kingston DDR800 and then after all that getting a 7300GT when a 8800GTS could be fit into that budget.

Gotcha. Ok, I made a note of that when I first saw it, but he said that he was just going for the casual gaming so I didn't say much. I'll let him know of your opinions, and this goes for everyone. Thanks guys.

 

[crazjayz]

Does anyone have anything to say about the motherboard? Good? Bad? Okay?

 

[filthysanchez]

i'd go with those G.Skill 2gb kits that are popular now, over the kingston.
it's like 50 bucks less.

 

[engiNURD]

I'd go with a different board, like the DS3, P5B-E, P5N-E SLI, or S3 if he wants to save some money. He could fit another HDD in there, too. I'd go for something like this instead:

$316 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz
$140 - Asus P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI
$210 - G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
$170 - Sapphire 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB ($190 - $20MIR)
$190 - WD Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000RPM SATA150 16MB Cache ($220 - $30MIR)
$110 - Samsung SpinPoint T Series HD400LJ 400GB 7200RPM SATA300 8MB Cache
$36 - Lite-On 16X DVD±R DVD Burner 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA (Replaceable White Front Panel) SH-16A7S-06
$90 - Corsair CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W ($100 - $10MIR)
$50 - nMEDIAPC HTPC 300BA Black Aluminum/Plastic/Steel ATX Slim Tower Computer Case
==========
$1372 + tax and shipping - MIRs = ~$1500

 

[schusterjo1]

Thermaltake Soprano VB1000BNS Black Chassis: 0.8 mm SECC, Front Door: Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $74.99

ABIT AB9 Pro LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $145.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail $316.00

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $123.00

BFG Tech BFGR88768GTXE GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail $599.00

Antec True Power Trio TP3-650 ATX12V 650W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, C-tick, CCC, CB - Retail $129.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $89.99

SAMSUNG Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE DVD Burner With LightScribe Technology - OEM $31.99

Total $1510

I would stay with the Video card 8800GTX and build around that if I had $1500 to spend.
2G ram is not needed at first, remember ram is the cheapest to upgrade. So 1 G is fine then upgrade to 2G later in order to put $100 toward something that will add power to the system such as the video card. (heck the video card has 768Mb anyways) If i was going to save money anywhere on this I would save $120 and go with a E6400 then just overclock it to 2.8-3.0Ghz. any more then that you would probably need to get an aftermarket heatsink but could get up to around 3.4 and be stable with a E6400. I would only recommend 3.0-3.1Ghz though. You may also save $50 or so on the hard drive and get a smaller one.

But start with video card and build from there with $1500 unless you need something specif that will keep you from doing that.

 

[engiNURD]

Some gaming, but mostly cpu-intensive stuff like video encoding and ripping.

...he said that he was just going for the casual gaming...

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $123.00

BFG Tech BFGR88768GTXE GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail $599.00

I would stay with the Video card 8800GTX and build around that if I had $1500 to spend.
2G ram is not needed at first, remember ram is the cheapest to upgrade. So 1 G is fine then upgrade to 2G later in order to put $100 toward something that will add power to the system such as the video card. (heck the video card has 768Mb anyways) ... You may also save $50 or so on the hard drive and get a smaller one.

But start with video card and build from there with $1500 unless you need something specif that will keep you from doing that.

He's not building a gaming system, he's building a system that can handle CPU-intensive apps. 2GB of ram would help more than an 8800GTX, especially if he only casually games; which a midrange ~$200 would actually be overkill, but he had the budget for it, so I suggested it. If he really doesnt want to game, he can stick with the 7300GT or even the 7600GT for ~$20 more AR. I dont think he wants a smaller drive if he's doing video encoding.

 

[Pegesus]

$316 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz
$140 - Asus P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI
$210 - G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
$170 - Sapphire 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB ($190 - $20MIR)
$190 - WD Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000RPM SATA150 16MB Cache ($220 - $30MIR)
$110 - Samsung SpinPoint T Series HD400LJ 400GB 7200RPM SATA300 8MB Cache
$36 - Lite-On 16X DVD±R DVD Burner 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA (Replaceable White Front Panel) SH-16A7S-06
$90 - Corsair CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W ($100 - $10MIR)
$50 - nMEDIAPC HTPC 300BA Black Aluminum/Plastic/Steel ATX Slim Tower Computer Case
==========
$1372 + tax and shipping - MIRs = ~$1500

This is a very solid build for the price for what the OP is looking for. Really couldn't offer any suggestions other that what is above.

 

[wolveen]

I'd go with a different board, like the DS3, P5B-E, P5N-E SLI, or S3 if he wants to save some money. He could fit another HDD in there, too. I'd go for something like this instead:

$316 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz
$140 - Asus P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI
$210 - G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
$170 - Sapphire 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB ($190 - $20MIR)
$190 - WD Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000RPM SATA150 16MB Cache ($220 - $30MIR)
$110 - Samsung SpinPoint T Series HD400LJ 400GB 7200RPM SATA300 8MB Cache
$36 - Lite-On 16X DVD±R DVD Burner 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA (Replaceable White Front Panel) SH-16A7S-06
$90 - Corsair CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W ($100 - $10MIR)
$50 - nMEDIAPC HTPC 300BA Black Aluminum/Plastic/Steel ATX Slim Tower Computer Case
==========
$1372 + tax and shipping - MIRs = ~$1500

I would go with Nvidia Graphics because of the Mobo , but I have never ran an ATi, any possible problems with using ATi with nForce650i? Especially if he would want to go SLI (errr Crossfire) later on?

 

[engiNURD]

There are no problems running an ATI card on an nVIDIA chipset board (nor vice versa). If he wanted to go SLI later on (upgrade to SLI), I would advice against it, because its just not worth it. There will always be a better single card solution that would be more cost effective than upgrading to SLI, and you could always sell your old card to help offset the cost of the new card. SLI isnt really needed unless he has a 22" or larger LCD screen.

He's a casual gamer, so I assumed he wouldn't need a dual card setup. I would have normally suggested the P5B-E (since the DS3 is the same price as it), but the P5N-E SLI is a bit cheaper with almost the same feature set. I was actually looking for a 650i Ultra board, but I guess they're not out yet.

nVIDIA can't compete with the X1950Pro at its current price. nVIDIA's performance counterpart to the pro would be the 7950GT, which costs a bit more, but still manageable with his budget. So it would be a great alternative if he wants to stick with nVIDIA and wants a better performing card. Though, if he wants to stick with the 7300GT, go with the one listed below:

$110 vs $170 - http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=385&card2=466
$200 vs $170 - http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=445&card2=466

$75 - Gigabyte GV-NX73T256P-RH GeForce 7300GT (OC: 450Mhz) 256MB ($85 - $10MIR)
$110 - eVGA 256-P2-N615 Geforce 7600GT 256MB ($130 - $20MIR)
$156 - eVGA 256-P2-N624-AR GeForce 7900GS 256MB ($176 - $20MIR)
$170 - Sapphire 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB ($190 - $20MIR)
$200 - eVGA 256-P2-N636-AR GeForce 7950GT 256MB ($215 - $15MIR)

I just noticed he chose the fanless 7300GT... was he goin for a silent system? If so, stick with the Asus, hehe. Theres also some fanless 7600GT cards as well... here's one:
$123 - Gigabyte GV-NX76T256D-RH GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 Silent Pipe II ($153 - $30MIR)

Other things to consider for silent systems: Samsung HDDs are quiet; Raptors are loud; 120mm fans are quiet; 80mm and smaller are rather loud; Seasonic PSUs are quiet; Antec makes nice quiet cases;