First PCbuild

C

crazyboy515

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
135
CPU- Q9400 from Dell.com total is $203.48 from that deal. it is also out of stock, but im patient since the price of it is fairly low.
MOBO:GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 (thanks for the advice!)-$114.99 w/ $15 Rebate-$99
RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 4GB ( 2 X 2GB ) PC2-8500 1066MHz 240-pin DDR2 $56.06 w/$20 Rebate- $36.06
GPU and HDD Combo from Newegg.-XFX 260 GTX CORE 216/Seagate 7200RPM 640GB-$226.99 w/30 Rebate-$199.99
Drive:LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM -$22.99
Case:Nzxt Apollo-Black- $69.99 w/ $20.00 Rebate=$49.99
O/S: have my own
PSU: Segma, -$79.99 w/$30-$49.99 Rebate

CPU is from Dell.com so TAX is included CA 8.75% $202.43
Ram is from Amazon- $56.06
Everything else is from NEWEGG +Shipping and TAX-$574.14

TAX:$54.22which kills
Shipping:$7.92 only one item is not free shipping


Total:$833.63
Will include my $50 Amazon Gift Card-$783.63

After Rebate:$668.63

I want to keep it under $680 A/R

Thanks

This is my first build. comments? what should i change? thx
 
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Please answer the questions in the sticky thread, titled:

Asking for Build Help?: ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST

If you're not using SLI, ditch the SLI board.
 
get a 22x sata dvd burner
i suggest a western digital 640gb either the aaks or aals
 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? gaming and photoshopping
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? $850yes
3) Where do you live?CA (i have to pay tax for multiple sites. )
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case,cd drive,gpu,memory,hdd
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? none
6) Will you be overclocking?yea,but later in the future.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?have a 20" 1650x1050 dell
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?planning to purchase by today noon(2/29/09) or tmrw.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? SLI
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?yes.


THE cpu i would buy off Dell.com since they have a deal.
 
I concur with Enginurd's statement: You do not need SLI for 1650x1080 resolution. Great quote on SLI:
Markyip1 said:
Just some info on SLI / Crossfire: It's absolutely not worth considering if a) you're gaming at a resolution under 1920x1200 (as you'll see no performance benefit over a single card,) and b) if you plan to buy one card now and another later. SLI / Crossfire as an upgrade path is usually a very poor idea, as by the time you're ready to get that second card, a new single card solution will likely be available that will outperform two of your older cards in tandem. Furthermore, there really is no cost benefit to the SLI Upgrade Route, as any additional cost in getting the new card can be easily mitigated in most situations by selling the original. By avoiding an SLI / Crossfire solution when it will not be of benefit, you gain a cooler running, simpler to maintain system and more importantly, access to a much better (and broader) selection of motherboards.
Click to expand...

So I recommend swapping out the motherboard for any of these mobos, depending on which one best fits your needs:
$85 - Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L Intel P43 Motherboard
$115 - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Intel P45 Motherboard
$120 - Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard
$135 - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the UD3L. If you need 8 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, and excellent overclocks, then get the UD3R. If you like the UD3R but want a second PCI-E x16 slot and x8/x8 Crossfire support, then get the UD3P. If you like the UD3P but want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup and don't need a second gigabit port, then get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the UD3P.

Don't bother with an IDE DVD drive. Go with a SATA DVD drive for cleaner airflow and easier cable management:
$25 - Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner

Which XFX GTX260 are you planning to get? Which OCZ RAM are you planning to get?
 
Danny Bui said:
I concur with Enginurd's statement: You do not need SLI for 1650x1080 resolution. Great quote on SLI:


So I recommend swapping out the motherboard for any of these mobos, depending on which one best fits your needs:
$85 - Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L Intel P43 Motherboard
$115 - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Intel P45 Motherboard
$120 - Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard
$135 - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the UD3L. If you need 8 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, and excellent overclocks, then get the UD3R. If you like the UD3R but want a second PCI-E x16 slot and x8/x8 Crossfire support, then get the UD3P. If you like the UD3P but want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup and don't need a second gigabit port, then get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the UD3P.

Don't bother with an IDE DVD drive. Go with a SATA DVD drive for cleaner airflow and easier cable management:
$25 - Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner

Which XFX GTX260 are you planning to get? Which OCZ RAM are you planning to get?
Click to expand...

RAM
a xfx 260gtx core.
i might plan to get sli in the future,but i doubt it will come close.
which motherboard u listed suggest me to get?
 
crazyboy515 said:

RAM
a xfx 260gtx core.
i might plan to get sli in the future,but i doubt it will come close.
which motherboard u listed suggest me to get?
Click to expand...
Which XFX GTX 260 Core 216 are you planning to get? There's a $200 and $275 version FYI. If $275 version, go with the siginificantly cheaper $200 XFX GTX 260 Core 216.

Again, read through the quote I posted. You do NOT need SLI now or in the future nor is SLI a good upgrade path. Oh and none of the mobos I listed support SLI FYI.

As for the motherboard, figure out what features you need. Thats what question 9 was for out of the list of questions. Since SLI is off the table, figure out what other features you NEED or want from a motherboard.
 
Danny Bui said:
Which XFX GTX 260 Core 216 are you planning to get? There's a $200 and $275 version FYI. If $275 version, go with the siginificantly cheaper $200 XFX GTX 260 Core 216.

Again, read through the quote I posted. You do NOT need SLI now or in the future nor is SLI a good upgrade path. Oh and none of the mobos I listed support SLI FYI.

As for the motherboard, figure out what features you need. Thats what question 9 was for out of the list of questions. Since SLI is off the table, figure out what other features you NEED or want from a motherboard.
Click to expand...

thank you, i will look into this

it is the $199 one on amazon w/rebate
 
crazyboy515 said:
thank you, i will look into this

it is the $199 one on amazon w/rebate
Click to expand...

Ahh since you're buying from Amazon.com, I recommend ditching that Seagate drive then and going with the WD6400AAKS from Amazon.com for $69 w/ free shipping + no tax for CA residents:
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1238361914&sr=8-1

It's only $4 more than the Seagate drive once you factor in tax charged by Newegg but the Western Digital drive is slightly faster, comes with the same length warranty, and doesn't have that minor chance of a fucked up firmware like the Seagate drive has. So definitely get the WD6400AAKS drive from Amazon.com
 
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Danny Bui said:
Ahh since you're buying from Amazon.com, I recommend ditching that Seagate drive then and going with the WD6400AAKS from Amazon.com for $69 w/ free shipping + no tax for CA residents:
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1238361914&sr=8-1

It's only $4 more than the Seagate drive once you factor in tax charged by Newegg but the Western Digital drive is slightly faster, comes with the same length warranty, and doesn't have that minor chance of a fucked up firmware like the Seagate drive has. So definitely get the WD6400AAKS drive from Amazon.com
Click to expand...

no i am buying from amazon and newegg. (damn CA Tax!) i am getting the power supply . i meant buying the video card from newegg. and theres a combo with the seagate and 260gtx. $30 off combo saving and $30 rebate
 
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Trying to beat the sales tax increase? ... as if LA, CA sales tax wasn't enough, hehe.
 
ok im going to purchase it later on. what kind of power supply should iget? the 260gtx recommands a 625w. the power supply i listed (CORSAIR 650w TX Series) price raised does a 500-600w works fine?
 
btw should i go with the xfx 260gtx core or a evga 260gtx superclocked? the xfx has 216 stream prossesor and the evga only has 192. and the evga on is is 5 bucks cheaper too
 
crazyboy515 said:
ok im going to purchase it later on. what kind of power supply should iget? the 260gtx recommands a 625w. the power supply i listed (CORSAIR 650w TX Series) price raised does a 500-600w works fine?
Click to expand...
A quality 500W to 600W PSU will be enough. The 650TX is a good quality PSU and will be enough for the GTX260.

crazyboy515 said:
btw should i go with the xfx 260gtx core or a evga 260gtx superclocked? the xfx has 216 stream prossesor and the evga only has 192. and the evga on is is 5 bucks cheaper too
Click to expand...

There's a very small performance difference between the XFX and eVGA card. So just go with the card supported by the company you like most.
 
Danny Bui said:
A quality 500W to 600W PSU will be enough. The 650TX is a good quality PSU and will be enough for the GTX260.



There's a very small performance difference between the XFX and eVGA card. So just go with the card supported by the company you like most.
Click to expand...

is a segma shark 635w psu a good brand/psu? LINK
 
Danny Bui said:
No. If you look at the Ripple & Noise rating for that PSU (on the PSU label), that 70mV rating far exceeds the 50mV max setting for those ratings. So that's a big warning sign right there of the PSU's quality. And here's the HardOCP review of it:
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTUyNSwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0
Click to expand...

thanks for the warning. how about the bfg gs550 550w ? LINK
if u suggest something else please link me. could be tiger direct or amazon, newegg... TAX. and it has to be $60 or under thanks
 
crazyboy515 said:
thanks for the warning. how about the bfg gs550 550w ? LINK
if u suggest something else please link me. could be tiger direct or amazon, newegg... TAX. and it has to be $60 or under thanks
Click to expand...

The GS-550 isn't that good either. It's rated at peak and at 25C. Not recommended for anything other for an office rig IMO.

$60 for a PSU that can power that kind of system with room for upgrades? No dice. Ok, please list out all your planned parts (except for the PSU) with their corresponding prices and where you're getting them from. I'm fairly sure that you have room in your budget for a $75 PSU thats actually capable of powering your system like this:
$70 - BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU
 
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Danny Bui said:
The GS-550 isn't that good either. It's rated at peak and at 25C. Not recommended for anything other for an office rig IMO.

$60 for a PSU that can power that kind of system with room for upgrades? No dice. Ok, please list out all your planned parts (except for the PSU) with their corresponding prices and where you're getting them from. I'm fairly sure that you have room in your budget for a $75 PSU thats actually capable of powering your system like this:
$70 - BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU
Click to expand...

CPU- Q9400 from Dell.com total is $203.48 from that deal. it is also out of stock, but im patient since the price of it is fairly low.
MOBO:GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 (thanks for the advice!)-$114.99 w/ $15 Rebate-$99
RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 4GB ( 2 X 2GB ) PC2-8500 1066MHz 240-pin DDR2 $56.06 w/$20 Rebate- $36.06
GPU and HDD Combo from Newegg.-XFX 260 GTX CORE 216/Seagate 7200RPM 640GB-$226.99 w/30 Rebate-$199.99
Drive:LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM -$22.99
Case:Nzxt Apollo-Black- $69.99 w/ $20.00 Rebate=$49.99
O/S: have my own
PSU: Segma, -$79.99 w/$30-$49.99 Rebate INCLUDED ,but will change since you said it sucks which i agree after reading the reviews.

CPU is from Dell.com so TAX is included CA 8.75% $202.43
Ram is from Amazon- $56.06
Everything else is from NEWEGG +Shipping and TAX-$574.14

TAX:$54.22which kills
Shipping:$7.92 only one item is not free shipping


Total:$833.63
Will include my $50 Amazon Gift Card-$783.63

After Rebate:$668.63

I want to keep it under $680 A/R

Thanks
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Hmmm, ok. Just an FYi, that Q9400 won't go back in stock at Dell.com for a long time as it was a sales price. In addition, even if it does come back in stock, there's an extremely good chance that it will not be available at that ~$200 price point.

Also, definitely swap out that crappy Sigma PSU for the BFG LS-550 PSU I linked to above from amazon.com.
 
Danny Bui said:
Hmmm, ok. Just an FYi, that Q9400 won't go back in stock at Dell.com for a long time as it was a sales price. In addition, even if it does come back in stock, there's an extremely good chance that it will not be available at that ~$200 price point.

Also, definitely swap out that crappy Sigma PSU for the BFG LS-550 PSU I linked to above from amazon.com.
Click to expand...

so is everything ok ? do i need to change anything beside the psu? and btw on the dell site if i place an order, (paying $202) wont they just ship it once they have it in stock?
 
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