Build Advice

[unknown]

I'm looking to get a new computer. Looking into ordering from AVA Direct, customized off of this.

While I do some computer gaming, it's not something I consider a top priority. I have no plans or interest in overclocking. I'm hoping for it to run as quiet and cool.

I'm primarily looking for suggestions for the case, psu, and gpu however I will welcome any other suggestions. I am also looking for a good 17-19" monitor.

Currently I'm considering the following components.

• MICROSTAR, P35 Neo2-FR, LGA775, Intel P35, 1333MHz FSB, DDR2-1066 8GB/4, PCIe x16 CF /2, SATA 3.0 Gbit/s RAID 5 /5, HDA, GbLAN, ATX, Retail
• INTEL, Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 Quad-Core (SLACR G0 stepping), 2.4GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 8MB (2 x 4MB) L2 Cache, 65nm, 95W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail
• CORSAIR, 2GB (2 x 1GB) XMS2 Pro PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz CL5 (5-5-5-12) 1.9V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC, Platinum
• SEAGATE, 320GB Barracuda 7200.10, SATA II 300MB/s, 7200-RPM, 16MB cache
• RAID, No RAID, Independent HDD Drives
• SAMSUNG, Super-WriteMaster™ SH-S203N Black 20x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, w/ Software, OEM
• LINKSKEY, LKA-CR15BW Black/White 52-in-1 Card Reader/Writer Drive, 3.5" Bay, Internal USB
• CREATIVE, Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Xtreme Audio, 7.1 channels, 24-bit 96KHz, PCI
• MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 32-bit, OEM
• MICROSOFT, Office Basic Edition 2007, OEM, No Media
• WARRANTY, Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty)

 

[SFaznSpEEdSTeR]

Judging from the website, I would suggest actually buying parts by yourself...Just show around newegg...

You can get an Abit X38 for $130AR on newegg, Core 2 Quad Q6600 on Frys awhile ago for $180, Samsung F1 750GB HD for $112, Memory is up to you, but the memory in your configuration of Tigerdirect is aroun $20AR, Vista Home Premium can be had for $110, DVD Burner for about $30 on newegg, You can get a SB X-Fi Xtremegamer for about $50-60...+ a few hrs to build the entire thing...

Don't forget the CPU cooler...I would recommend a PNY 8800GT 512MB on Amazon for $150AR, a good PSU would be a Corsair for about $130AR, I believe.

 

[Sgt Rock]

I would direct you to the rules:

2) NO "I can build it myself for $$$ less!" posts. NO "I priced checked at Newegg/ZipZoomFly/ClubIT/etc and can build it for $$$$ less!" threads. These posts will be deleted and your account will be permanently banned.

Please make sure you follow them for the benefit of all users on this forum.

Thanks

Judging from the website, I would suggest actually buying parts by yourself...Just show around newegg...

You can get an Abit X38 for $130AR on newegg, Core 2 Quad Q6600 on Frys awhile ago for $180, Samsung F1 750GB HD for $112, Memory is up to you, but the memory in your configuration of Tigerdirect is aroun $20AR, Vista Home Premium can be had for $110, DVD Burner for about $30 on newegg, You can get a SB X-Fi Xtremegamer for about $50-60...+ a few hrs to build the entire thing...

Don't forget the CPU cooler...I would recommend a PNY 8800GT 512MB on Amazon for $150AR, a good PSU would be a Corsair for about $130AR, I believe.

 

[michael.pa2]

The Antec P180 is a good case price wise for cooling and low noise.The Corsair HX620 would be my choice for the PSU. For a good midrange GPU,probably the 8800GT.The monitor I would purchase separately at a good retail store,cheaper that way.

 

[Impulse]

Yea, the P180 is nice and priced reasonably there, though an Al Lian-Li might make shipping cheaper, I dunno... The P180 is steel and pretty beefy. Heh, they've got quite the case selection, even some oldies like the CM Wave Master.

An HX520 would probably be enough if you're going with a single 8800GT and you're not gonna OC that Q6600 to an extreme (meaning you'd go 3.2-3.4GHz). Just go with the cheapest 8800GT in that list, it really doesn't make a difference, from what I saw some of the cheaper ones are clocked faster than the costlier ones anyway.

For gaming on a 17-19" LCD even a 9800GT would be more than enough but I didn't see any listed... As for the monitor, yea, better off buying locally. I've seen 22" Samsung 226BW's on clearance at Office Depot and such for around $260 (in Puerto Rico, probably less over there), easily the same or less than what a 19" will run ya there.

 

[tdktank59]

I would direct you to the rules:

2) NO "I can build it myself for $$$ less!" posts. NO "I priced checked at Newegg/ZipZoomFly/ClubIT/etc and can build it for $$$$ less!" threads. These posts will be deleted and your account will be permanently banned.

Please make sure you follow them for the benefit of all users on this forum.

Thanks

I dont see how that fits that...

He was saying that the OP could get them for less and set them up for less hiself... He was not trying to say hey i can build it for less...


TO Op.

I suggest getting a E8400 cpu if possible there is no benefit to the quads at this time. The E8400 will give you awesome performance for the price mark. I dont know where they sit in relationship of price but it should be close if i recall correctly.

 

[Impulse]

It's not like the E8400 is gonna give him any better performance in the vast majority of games which are GPU-bound anyway... Might as well have the extra cores for multi-tasking or any other CPU-intensive chores you might do outside of gaming, games are headed that way anyway.

 

[AndonSage]

I'm primarily looking for suggestions for the case, psu, and gpu however I will welcome any other suggestions. I am also looking for a good 17-19" monitor.

I agree with what michael.pa2 suggested (Antec P180, Corsair HX620, and 8800GT). That's a good case, the power supply is also good and will give you room in the future for upgrading if you want, and the 8800GT is a good card, although you're better off with one that uses an after-market cooler (cards with the reference cooler have a tendency to run hot). You could also get a 9600GT for less power consumption and better cooling.

You should consider the G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz RAM and go with 64-bit Vista. You'll get twice the memory for the same price, and G.Skill is good memory. Even if you stick with 32-bit Vista, you'll still have more memory.

Find out from Joe or Misha if they are carrying the new 320GB WD Caviar SE 16 drives, and if so get one of them, as they are faster than the Seagates.

Creative doesn't have a very good rep with their sound cards and Vista. I'd go with the on-board sound, or if you really want a sound card, get an Auzentech.

If you want to save money, consider using OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office. OpenOffice apps can read/write MS Office files if you need compatibility. I used to always get MS Office, but I've been happy with OpenOffice since I found out about it.

As others have mentioned, you can save money by purchasing a monitor elsewhere. Check out the Displays forum here on [H] for suggestions.

 

[SFaznSpEEdSTeR]

I would direct you to the rules:

2) NO "I can build it myself for $$$ less!" posts. NO "I priced checked at Newegg/ZipZoomFly/ClubIT/etc and can build it for $$$$ less!" threads. These posts will be deleted and your account will be permanently banned.

Please make sure you follow them for the benefit of all users on this forum.

Thanks

I know my rules...I don't need you to repeat them for me...

Like the other person said, I am merely showing him that if he actually takes a little time shopping around newegg/tigerdirect/clubit/zipzoomfly, he can save himself maybe a $150 or more + a few hours of labor just plugging in the right cables to the right connectors

I can suggest this build:
E8400/Q6600 for $200
Gigabyte DS3/4 around +/-$100
Corsair/Crucial 2GB DDR2-800 $20AR
any brand 8800GT +/-$145AR
You can choose whether case you want...wished you gotten in the $45AR Antec 900/P180 deal awhile ago
I suggest an Antec 380W PSU for maybe $30AR...(correct me please) It will power your system fine...
Samsung S206B/B for about $30
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB HD $80

Calculate the price yourself and see how much more value you get by buying parts part by part...However...you will have sleepless nights waiting for the parts while getting an orgy over your new build

 

[unknown]

After looking into the build more I've come up with the configuration below, which is based off the Core™2 DDR2 Performance Series System build at AVA.

Was wondering if there would be any issues with the configuration or if there are any changes I should make.

• COOLERMASTER, Centurion 5 Black/Blue Mid-Tower Computer Case w/ Window, ATX, 380W PSU
• CORSAIR, CMPSU-520HX HX Series Modular Power Supply, 520W, 80 PLUS®,24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, Triple +12V, Multi-GPU Ready
• GIGABYTE, GA-P35-DS3L, LGA775, Intel P35, 1333MHz FSB, DDR2-1066 8GB /4, PCIe x16, SATA 3Gb/s /4, HDA, GbLAN, ATX, Retail
• INTEL, Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 Quad-Core (SLACR G0 stepping), 2.4GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 8MB (2 x 4MB) L2 Cache, 65nm, 95W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail
• ARCTIC COOLING, Freezer 7 Pro Quiet CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink, Socket 775, Ceramic Bearing, Retail
• G.SKILL, 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz CL5 (5-5-5-15) SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
• eVGA, e-GeForce 9600GT KO 700MHz, 512MB GDDR3 1900MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, DVI /2, HDTV/S-Video Out, Retail
• WESTERN DIGITAL, 320GB WD Caviar® SE16 (WD3200AAKS), SATA 300MB/s, 7200 RPM, 16MB cache
• RAID, No RAID, Independent HDD Drives
• SAMSUNG, Super-WriteMaster™ SH-S203N Black 20x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, w/ Software, OEM
• MITSUMI, Black Internal 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive
• MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64-bit, OEM
• MICROSOFT, Office Basic Edition 2007 V2, OEM, No Media
• WARRANTY, Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty)
  $1387.06

 

[Impulse]

Nice solid mid-tower case, plenty of PSU for your needs, and good components all around... Looks like a fine system to me. I'd go w/a larger HDD myself (probably WD's 640GB) but that's personal preference, and something you can easily amend down the road if you find you need more space for media storage.

I don't think you're paying as much of a premium vs a self-built system as I would've thought, though some of that depends on what they're charing you for Office, heh... Might wanna consider some of the free options mentioned above unless you have a specific need for any part of Office though.

 

[Dangman]

Build looks good to me. Exactly the kind of parts I'd use in a personal build.

 

[AndonSage]

Was wondering if there would be any issues with the configuration or if there are any changes I should make.

Sorry I've been away a few days, but anyway that build looks good to me, even if you insist on going with MS Office