First build...

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samaeltt

n00b
Joined
Nov 25, 2007
Messages
9
I've got $1600USD to spend on my first custom-built computer to replace the Dell Dimension I got in 2004. I live APO so shipping is an ungodly ~$130USD on a full computer. I am a fairly active gamer (FPSes and MMOs) and also do a bit of photo/video editing, listening to music, and programming.

Here's what I've got selected:
DVD/CD: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-05 - OEM
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Display: Acer AL2016WBbd Black 20" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Video: EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE SB0570LPVP 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Low-Profile Sound Card - OEM
PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
Speakers: Logitech X-230 32 watts RMS 2.1 Black Speaker System - OEM
Input: Logitech 967561-0403 Black USB + PS/2 Cordless Standard Desktop EX110 Mouse Included - Retail
Memory: 2x G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
Mobo: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Processor: E8400 from Directron.com
Extra Case Fan: COOLER MASTER R4-S2S-12AK-GP 120mm Case Fan - Retail

Subtotal: $1,419.86 | Shipping: $173.21 | Total: $1,593.07

As you can see, I can't afford to upgrade something without downgrading something else.

Critique? Bad parts? Compatibility issues?

Thanks in advance,
samaeltt
 
personally i would get the q6600 instead of e6600 cause price range isnt significantly different. with a 20' i see no reason to get a sli mobo when ur only gaming at 20". a GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L $99.99 or GIGABYTE GA-P35-S3G LGA will do just fine. i would also stick with the onboard sound card because it is good enough. search diff sites like buy.com, zipzoomfly.com, clubit,com for better prices.
 
At which point should I consider SLI? I don't really know a whole lot of details on SLI and just kind of picked it on a whim (whoops). I've considered upgrading to a 22''...will the mobos you mentioned be fine for 22'' gaming?
 
well sli is using 2 of the same graphics at same time but it really only helps if u game at like the very large resolutions beyon 1680x1050. those motherboards are good ones that can oc pretty well. i would pick the GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L $99.99 though. yes they will be fine. gaming is dependent on the videocard for graphics quality mainly and the processor to run the game. what games do u play btw?
 
Your soundcard is low profile, so it wont fit in your case. Switch that with a full size sound card if you insist on getting one, but I agree with crhscoog, that onboard is good enought, although I'm by no means an expert on sound.

Also, there is no difference between the resolution between a 20 inch monitor, and a 22 inch monitor, so if you decide to upgrade to a 22 inch, it won't put any more load on any componets. Each pixel is just a bit bigger, so the image isn't quite as sharp as a 20" would be. There is still nothing wrong with a 22 inch monitor, so don't be worried about image quality.

Now if you got a 24 inch, the resolution goes up, and maybe SLI is a more reasonable choice.

Also, the 690 case is 60.00 with a 40.00 mail in rebate at Microcenter.com
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0265143

Shipping on the case is even a dollar cheaper than newegg. With the 40.00 you save, I would probably spend it on a better heatsink for your processor.

Also, are you getting 2 sets of the ram for a total of 4 gigs? If so, make sure you have an 64 bit operating system. Speaking of which, do you own a copy of windows you can install on your computer? If not, add that to the price of the build.
 
samaeltt said:
Video: EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE SB0570LPVP 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Low-Profile Sound Card - OEM
PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
Memory: 2x G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
Mobo: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Processor: E8400 from Directron.com
Extra Case Fan: COOLER MASTER R4-S2S-12AK-GP 120mm Case Fan - Retail
Click to expand...

SLI is only needed for high resolution 3D rendering. So, if you have or plan on getting a 1920x1080 LCD or higher, and want to game on it at native resolution, then keep SLI as an option. Otherwise, theres no need for it. SLI as an upgrade path isn't worth it unless, again, a large LCD is in the future plans. There should always be a better single card solution, and you could sell your old card to help offset the cost. For a 20" or 22" screen, you could drop down to an 8800GT instead. That should free up some room in your budget. Here's a review to look at:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3175&p=4

$230 - eVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB

Another way to shave some costs is to drop the case down to a Centurion 532, 534, or Elite 330 instead. EDIT: Go with the deal tel0004 pointed out on the same case you have in your list:
$60 - Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower ($40 MIR)

Ditch the sound card. Onboard HD Audio should be good enough, and if not, you can always add it in later. Onboard HD Audio is a lot better than it used to be.

The OCZ GXS 700W PSU is based on the FSP Epsilon unit, which is notorious for ripple on the +12v rails at high loads. While you may not put such a load on your system to invoke such ripple, there are better choices. Actually, you don't even need 700W. With a PSU, its about the quality of the power, and the amount of power available on the +12v rail(s), because thats where modern systems draw most of their power from. So, go for a Corsair 520W modular or Corsair 550W non-modular instead (but shop around for this, as newegg rarely has the best prices on good PSUs).

$90 - Corsair CMPSU-550VX 550W Active Power Supply Retail ***Free Shipping*** ($15 MIR)

As for RAM, if you want 4GB, you'll be best off with a 2x2GB config. IIRC, Microcenter & Fry's ship to APO's...
$90 - Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-800 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 ($40 MIR)
$70 - A-DATA 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-800 ADQVE1B16K

Since you don't need SLI, go with a P35 board instead. P35 runs cooler and is more reliable/stable (less potential problems) than the nForce alternatives. If you don't need anything fancy, the Abit IP35-E and Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L (if you need legacy ports) are your good-but-cheap options (they can OC great w/ better chipset cooling). If you need more (6) SATA ports, the DFI Blood Iron and MSI P35 Neo2-FR are good. If you need RAID, the GA-P35-DS3R is good and has 8 SATA ports. If you need Firewire, the Asus P5K fits the bill. If you want/need both RAID and Firewire, check out the Abit IP35 non-pro, if you can find it in stock (typically $120 - $25MIR). The higher end boards are the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P, DS4, Asus P5K-E, and the crowd favorite, Abit IP35 Pro. If you want to tweak a billion BIOS settings, go for a DFI P35 board.

Go for some Yate Loon fans instead. They should be under $5 each and push a ton of air while being pretty quiet.

Hopefully, that freed up enough space in your budget to move up to a Core2Quad Q6600, which would help with your video editing and overall future computing -- it will also last a lot longer. ;)
 
tel0004 said:
Also, the 690 case is 60.00 with a 40.00 mail in rebate at Microcenter.com
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0265143

Shipping on the case is even a dollar cheaper than newegg. With the 40.00 you save, I would probably spend it on a better heatsink for your processor.

Also, are you getting 2 sets of the ram for a total of 4 gigs? If so, make sure you have an 64 bit operating system. Speaking of which, do you own a copy of windows you can install on your computer? If not, add that to the price of the build.
Click to expand...

Don't use the above logic in regards to mail-in rebates. Assuming you get the CM 690 from Microcenter, you would still have to pay the entire cost up front (and it's not 100% guaranteed that you'll receive the rebate check).

Additionally, since you're considering 4GB of memory (BTW, go with the 2x2GB kit, as enginurd suggested), go with the 64-bit version of Vista Home Premium. Besides being cheaper than XP Pro x64 (the OEM version, that is), Vista x64 has better support driver-wise. (The only thing that I could see you having problems with Vista is the sound card... but you're going to use the onboard chip instead, right? ;) )
 
I concur with Tiraides and Enginurd. They have you covered.
 
@enginurd
A lot of stores seem to be overpricing the DFI Blood Iron P35-TR2L now, so you can actually find the DFI LanParty P35 Dark P35-TR2S for /less/. It's a higher end board with better cooling, better power filtering, and (I believe) more SATA connections, even. Seems like a worthy competitor to the Abit P35 Pro and Gigabyte P35-DS3R. $140 shipped, or thereabout.
 
Heh, I didn't notice that. Thanks for the heads up. Wow... I wouldn't pay $140 for the blood iron.
 
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