Buidling a computer and need some advice.

U

uhusocip

n00b
Joined
Oct 18, 2009
Messages
19
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I plan on using the PC mostly for web browsing, gaming, music and movies. I do plan on using it for school work such as word processing, and learning C++.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I plan on spending around 850 so tax and shipping should bring it to around 900.
3) Where do you live?
I live in Central Texas.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
I plan on building the computer from scratch. (I will add the list of parts at the end of the post)
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I dont plan on reusing any parts from my old computer.
6) Will you be overclocking?
I do not plan on overclocking
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I have a 42'' tv that I currently use as a monitor.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I plan on purchasing all the computer components towards the middle of November.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
One able to support the parts I have currently picked out.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
I plan on installing Windows 7 RTM which I got from a friend.

As for the list I have at the moment:
*Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
*Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
*EVGA 512-P3-1150-TR GeForce GTS 250 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI
*CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300)
*GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
*Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W
*Thermaltake CL-P0464 DuOrb 80mm
*BFG Tech BFGR650WGSPSU 650W ATX 12V 2.2
*SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA

I am new to building computers and some of these parts might not be the best choice, which is why I am asking you to help me find the best bang for my buck.
TIA
 
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Wrong forum, try general hardware (although building a socket 775 system right now is a bad idea, to say the least).
 
yeah ask a mod to move your thread over to general hardware. Also answer the stickied build questions there.

And yes a new socket 775 system is a poor choice. The PSU you chose isn't that good either.

Basically, you're looking at a total rebuild.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
If you really into games, getting better video card. It seems like you're missing ram.
 
Could y'all give me some suggestions as to what alternative parts I should consider buying. I plan on buying the computer around mid november.
 
Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTION FIRST" so that we can help you better.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
This build is about flexibility, an upgrade path, and a budget.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.265478 this is a combo, but it's a solid buy seperately.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 solid well built case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004 a quality PSU you can keep for your next build and after rebate is a great bargain
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231180 Picked a mid speed memory, Danny will likely have a better pick.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150436 solid gamers card. No idea how hardcore you need this, but the 4870 will serve you well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395 good fast drive. No idea of your storage needs, so adjust as you need.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 DVD drive. No personal experience with it, but comes well reviewed
http://www.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingItem.aspx?ItemList=N82E16823109031 I have one of these bad boys and think this setup is the bee's knees. Obviously it a personal decision but should be budgeted for.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166022 Pretty generic wireless adapter. Seems well reviewed at the least. Eh, not much more I can say.

That build comes to 791.86 in the cart. Add shipping to you and you should be around 825 or so? give or take. There is around $30 in rebates. This leaves you some room to adjust HDD size, and any other odds and ends you need like case fans, coolers, headsets, speakers etc. The build also has flexibility for you to add Crossfire down the road depending how heavy you game. The case and PSU will be good to re use down the road for another build. It won't do anything best in class, but she'll do most anything you need very competently. You'll have some upgrade room with new CPU's and memory as they become available. If you game heavy I would likely try to squeeze an ATI 5870 in there if you could use the horsepower, if you need more storage up the drive space or add more drives as you need. I am sure Danny and some of the other guys will have some great ideas for you to. a quick line about what games you play, and at what resolution would help a lot also.
 
 
lt_shiro has a great point. If you have the wiggle room, and don't need a killer vid card the i5 is a great buy right now. And will serve you well, with room to pop in an i7 down the road.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I plan on using the PC for gaming more than anything so I would want to have a pretty good graphics card. My computer is set at 1920x1080 at the moment. I play games such as CoD, L4D, Fallout and Oblivion. Trying to think of other games I play is actually kind of hard right now haha. I want to be able to run alot of high action games smoothly at the resolution I have set.
 
You should opt get an NVIDIA GTX 260 core 216,
Since your doing alot of college work,you can use the nvidia cuda for gpu parallel processing and do some cuda programming for the fun of it.
 
uhusocip said:
Thanks for the advice guys. I plan on using the PC for gaming more than anything so I would want to have a pretty good graphics card. My computer is set at 1920x1080 at the moment. I play games such as CoD, L4D, Fallout and Oblivion. Trying to think of other games I play is actually kind of hard right now haha. I want to be able to run alot of high action games smoothly at the resolution I have set.
Click to expand...

In that case I would likely stay with the phenom, and spend the extra money on the 5850 instead of the 4870. It'll manhandle anything in it's price range and perform much better at your resolution than the 4870 will. That should put you right to your budget, and after rebates you may have enough left over for a new game. ;) Good Luck, and add some pics when it's done.
 
For that high res and those games, I'd go for at least an HD5850, but more ideally the HD5870.
 
Hey guys, I finally got all the parts for the PC in and I put it together last night. I had a case fan that was DOA but Iam going to head to Fry's and replace it. I installed win7 and got it running but there was a problem that kept occuring. After running the computer for about 10-15 minutes, it would randomly shut off and all the fans would start blowing really loud. I also noticed that the heatsink fan wasnt working up to par. Now everything is plugged in correctly and I am guessing its just the heatsink not working. Any suggestions?
 
I used Prime95 and Speedfan along with Core Temp to monitor the temp. I was about to get 2 stress test out before the computer shut off. Following results:

Stress test 1
temp1: 35 C
temp2: 51 C
temp3: 45 C
core: 49 C (low: 37 C) (high:50 C)

Stress test 2
temp1: 35 C
temp2: 52 C
temp3: 47 C
core: 51 C (low: 37) (high 51)

Any ideas? I stopped by Fry's on the way home from school and picked up a replacement fan for the front of the case. I contemplated getting another heatsink just incase, but I need to make sure that it actually is the problem.
 
Was that blend test or SmallFFTs? Sorry, I meant to mention use SmallFFTs. Anyhow, it sounds like something is overheating, but its not the CPU. What were your chipset temps?

You can run FurMark to stress the GPU, also use a tool to monitor those temps as well.

If all temps look fine, run memtest overnight.
 
I came out with the following results with FurMark:

Min: 30 FPS
Avg: 35 FPS
Max: 95 FPS

I have a Sapphire Radeon 5850.

As for the SmallFFTs test, the results are:

Temp 1: 41 C
Temp 2: 54 C
Temp 3: 52 C
Core: 53 C

During the cooldown though, the computer shut off.
Though frustrating, I expected something to go wrong haha. Any ideas will greatly be appreciated.
I just want to be able to play borderlands :(
 
uhusocip said:
Hey guys, I finally got all the parts for the PC in and I put it together last night. I had a case fan that was DOA but Iam going to head to Fry's and replace it. I installed win7 and got it running but there was a problem that kept occuring. After running the computer for about 10-15 minutes, it would randomly shut off and all the fans would start blowing really loud. I also noticed that the heatsink fan wasnt working up to par. Now everything is plugged in correctly and I am guessing its just the heatsink not working. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

So what did you end up with for parts? Granted it sounds like a heat issue, but depending what you have could make the diagnosis a bit easier. Good to hear you got a new box though. Wish I had the dough for the 5850 :rolleyes: Maybe down the road. Once my wife has recovered from this build. :p
 
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I ended up getting the Phenom II x4, 4gb of G Skill DDR3, Antec 300 mini case, Gigabyte motherboard, Corsair 550w PSU, Radeon 5850 (I consider myself lucky to get my hands on possibly the last one on newegg), with a fresh install of win7 64-bit, along with a few other goodies.

Now for the problem, since about 4 p.m the computer has been running smoothly. No crashes whatsoever. A few problems with the graphics card freezing, but I am sure its the drivers so I am going to update them right now. Resolution seems a bit iffy along with the color on a HDMI cable but I plan on fixing that as soon as I am sure that the pc is stable.

Thanks for everything guys, I'll definitely see you guys around the forum. :)
 
yeah, some pics would be a nice way to pay back for all the thoughtful advice.
 
I finally got around to getting pictures. Been busy with work and school
Anyways, the computer has been running GREAT. The 5850 has been having some hiccups every now and then though. But nothing too bad thankfully.
kIknY.jpg

02UMd.jpg

kNFJR.jpg

nWcGZ.jpg

TP7tp.jpg

9D9Ef.jpg


I plan on moving the computer to this location, its my brothers room (he no longer lives here) which is across the house and I am kinda concerned about the wireless connection so I am going to figure out what I am going to do with that soon. I bought a 23'' Acer monitor since the hdmi connection to my tv gives me a fuzzy screen and I havent found a way to fix it despite help.
qhcw7.jpg


Other than that, I really apperciate all the help and advice.
Thank you all! :)
 
Nice pics. Looks like a nice build. Glad it worked out for you.

Just checking out your pics again. I have that exact same Creative speaker setup. Grabbed it at the local best buy some years ago. Been workhorses for me. ;)
 
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I think those speakers came out in 2003 and I got them for about 70 or so dollars at Fry's. They are still kicking! Great speakers though.
 
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