help me with a new build

Danny Bui said:
If you can get the Earthwatts for $40 without having to fill in some stupid rebate but with a straight up discount, totally worth it.

However, I concur with Enginurd about the RAM. You can get faster RAM for around the same price:
Super Talent T8UB2GC5 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $35
A-Data ADQVE1A16K 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $43
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $45
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I'll admit I haven't researched Ram that much at all, but are those brands you mentioned any good at all. I know Crucial, Kingston, and thats about it.
 
So long as you aren't OCing it or trying to run lower/tighter than advertised timings, RAM is RAM. Brand matters very little aside from warranty, and so long as it isn't "enthusiast" type RAM running at higher than ~2.0 volts there's very little to worry about there -- if it's DOA you send it back to NewEgg or wherever, if it isn't you're fine.

AData is a kind of middle of the road brand, and I'm not sure about Super Talent, but G.Skill is generally good stuff. G.Skill, GEIL, Corsair, OCZ, Mushkin, PQI, Kingston, Crucial... all good stuff, but again, if you aren't OCing there's really no reason to worry about brand at all.
 
All the brands Danny listed are good, in my experience. A-Data is one of the largest manufacturers of memory, but only recently have they started to sell their own branded DRAM. They usually comply with JEDEC specs (for DDR2-800, timings of 5-5-5-15 and voltage of 1.8v), so compatibility is ensured. Super Talent and G.Skill are known for being good but cheap. As silent-circuit mentioned, brand doesnt matter much if you're not pushing these sticks to their extreme limits. Most, if not all, brands have a lifetime warranty.
 
enginurd said:
All the brands Danny listed are good, in my experience. A-Data is one of the largest manufacturers of memory, but only recently have they started to sell their own branded DRAM. They usually comply with JEDEC specs (for DDR2-800, timings of 5-5-5-15 and voltage of 1.8v), so compatibility is ensured. Super Talent and G.Skill are known for being good but cheap. As silent-circuit mentioned, brand doesnt matter much if you're not pushing these sticks to their extreme limits. Most, if not all, brands have a lifetime warranty.
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silent-circuit said:
So long as you aren't OCing it or trying to run lower/tighter than advertised timings, RAM is RAM. Brand matters very little aside from warranty, and so long as it isn't "enthusiast" type RAM running at higher than ~2.0 volts there's very little to worry about there -- if it's DOA you send it back to NewEgg or wherever, if it isn't you're fine.

AData is a kind of middle of the road brand, and I'm not sure about Super Talent, but G.Skill is generally good stuff. G.Skill, GEIL, Corsair, OCZ, Mushkin, PQI, Kingston, Crucial... all good stuff, but again, if you aren't OCing there's really no reason to worry about brand at all.
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Thanks good stuff to know.
 
Don't get the PNY if you can help it, my friend. I work at BBY, too, and I buy a lot of stuff there, but not PNY memory (or graphics cards). Also, that RAM is slower than memory you can get online for the same price, but with better warranty support.
These two would be a good bet:

G.Skill 2x1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

At 44.99 w/free shipping it's amazing ram at an amazing price. I am using it right this very moment on the same exact motherboard you have!! It should post and fly with your Intel motherboard. If you ever get a different motherboard to do some overclocking, it overclocks quite well, and G.Skill really stands behind their customers with warranty and tech support.

If you want to save even more dollars go with this:

A-Data 2x1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211066

42.99 with free shipping, and if you send in the rebate?? $28!! This is great ram, too, and A-Data is still better than PNY on tech support. I personally own 4GB of A-Data ram rated at the same 800MHz and it works very well. It's low voltage (1.8) RAM, and I've got mine running over 900+ MHz with a slight boost to 1.9v. No errors in testing. I've also experienced their service first hand. I've sent two emails inquiring about performance/cooling issues - one, I wanted to know if I could replace the factory heatsinks with some of my own without voiding their warranty - second, I wanted to know if attaching an aftermarket fan would void the warranty. Both emails were answered within 24 hours, and they were very helpful.
 
SirKronan said:
...
A-Data 2x1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211066

...I've sent two emails inquiring about performance/cooling issues - one, I wanted to know if I could replace the factory heatsinks with some of my own without voiding their warranty - second, I wanted to know if attaching an aftermarket fan would void the warranty. Both emails were answered within 24 hours, and they were very helpful.
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What were their responses to those questions?
 
I'm going to check a few more B&M stores to check to see what they have for memory and such. Honestly as bad as this sounds. I might wait even longer till I get some more money. Figure the computer I have no is working well enough for right now. I figure once I get the new bad boy up and running I'll want to do a lot more stuff to it.


Side topic: Anyone know if Nero 7 works with Vista?
 
Okay so I made some baby steps today in completing the project. I picked up some RAM. I hope everyone agrees with my purchase.

Memory:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 Memory


Next will be the power supply. I'll probably hold off on that and look a little more. But I couldn't pass up the deal. If you guys could help. With my severely tight budget; (Grad classes paid for, books upcoming, bills and of course food and beer ;) ). If you can find a good power supply cheap but good that doesn't include MIR.


Thanks again for everyones help.
 
Nice choice on the RAM. I would have gone for the A-Data for the same price but also has a $15 MIR; so even if the rebate doesnt come through, it was the same price. I have both the A-Data and those G.Skill kits, and they both work great. I've actually used those G.Skill kits in about over a dozen builds with no problems.

Any PSU thats good but cheap will cost at least $50. If you find anything less, it will most likely have a MIR. The lowest I'd recommend for a gaming system is the XClio Goodpower 500W, which is usually $50 at the egg.

PSU FAQ: http://www.jonnyguru.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1036

PSU Suggestions:
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showpost.php?p=1590883&postcount=193
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103
 
enginurd said:
Nice choice on the RAM. I would have gone for the A-Data for the same price but also has a $15 MIR; so even if the rebate doesnt come through, it was the same price. I have both the A-Data and those G.Skill kits, and they both work great. I've actually used those G.Skill kits in about over a dozen builds with no problems.

Any PSU thats good but cheap will cost at least $50. If you find anything less, it will most likely have a MIR. The lowest I'd recommend for a gaming system is the XClio Goodpower 500W, which is usually $50 at the egg.

PSU FAQ: http://www.jonnyguru.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1036

PSU Suggestions:
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showpost.php?p=1590883&postcount=193
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103
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Thanks for the help. Maybe I'll get both like you a little later when I have some more cash :D:D
 
enginurd said:
What were their responses to those questions?
Click to expand...

They said that removing the factory heatsinks would void the warranty. I was going to put some pretty blue light sensitive ones in there... oh well. The factory red ones are actually nice, just everything else is kinda blue in my case, at least the LEDs. About the fan, they said that would be fine, even if you clip it right to the memory. I kinda knew what the answers would be, I just wanted to see if they had real people who responded to customers more than anything...

dlaxman31, great choice on ram. Great price, great company. Haven't had G.Skill sticks die on me yet. They're probably overclock a tad more than the A.Data ones, but like enginurd said, both make quality ram sticks.

The G.Skill comes in a dead sexy box though, with a cool decal to put on your windows. Just FYI.

P.S. don't forget to post pics....
 
Save yourself allot of trouble, Ebay the DG33TL and get anything not made by Intel. That board has some of the worst reviews out there.
 
The Mangler said:
Save yourself allot of trouble, Ebay the DG33TL and get anything not made by Intel. That board has some of the worst reviews out there.
Click to expand...

That board does have its glitches, namely the audio headers. Regardless of which computer case, seems many have been plagued by the problem related to connecting the audio headers to the front inputs - when plugging in headphones it seems to short out the boards. I remember reading somewhere that one forum poster traced the problem back to an error in the instruction manual vs. the board's actual configuration. This problem has happened to enough boards that I recommend against using the front audio input headers at all costs. (cost being you have to plug headphones into the back now... awww shucks.)

I did, however, use this very board to build a system for my dad with another core 2 duo allendale processor. 2GB G.Skill RAM, 8600 GT, couple of hard drives and windows vista home premium. Everything works like a charm. For your basic home/HTPC/office computer it actually isn't a bad motherboard. Excellent raid support, lots of ports and headers for a board that small. One con other than the audio short problems: only one PCI slot ....

I disagree with the blanket statement that all intel boards are bad, and I will add that there are a couple of great intel chipsets out there, even for overclocking (P35 anyone?) - but this board isn't one of them.
 
SirKronan said:
That board does have its glitches, namely the audio headers. Regardless of which computer case, seems many have been plagued by the problem related to connecting the audio headers to the front inputs - when plugging in headphones it seems to short out the boards. I remember reading somewhere that one forum poster traced the problem back to an error in the instruction manual vs. the board's actual configuration. This problem has happened to enough boards that I recommend against using the front audio input headers at all costs. (cost being you have to plug headphones into the back now... awww shucks.)

I did, however, use this very board to build a system for my dad with another core 2 duo allendale processor. 2GB G.Skill RAM, 8600 GT, couple of hard drives and windows vista home premium. Everything works like a charm. For your basic home/HTPC/office computer it actually isn't a bad motherboard. Excellent raid support, lots of ports and headers for a board that small. One con other than the audio short problems: only one PCI slot ....

I disagree with the blanket statement that all intel boards are bad, and I will add that there are a couple of great intel chipsets out there, even for overclocking (P35 anyone?) - but this board isn't one of them.
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yes indeed bummer about the one PCI slot. So I can't do SLI video or Crossfire. If I wanted to do that I'd obviously upgrade the board from the get go. I practically got the board for free and now I'm just waiting on the Power Supply. Waiting to get some extra cash and for the Corsair HX to go down in price again. But time will tell.
 
dlaxman31 said:
yes indeed bummer about the one PCI slot. So I can't do SLI video or Crossfire. If I wanted to do that I'd obviously upgrade the board from the get go. I practically got the board for free and now I'm just waiting on the Power Supply. Waiting to get some extra cash and for the Corsair HX to go down in price again. But time will tell.
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See hot deals section for a deal on the 500w Earthwatts by Antec for like $39 after rebate. Or do you already have the PSU?? (I don't know what it would be for you at BBY.)
 
SirKronan said:
See hot deals section for a deal on the 500w Earthwatts by Antec for like $39 after rebate. Or do you already have the PSU?? (I don't know what it would be for you at BBY.)
Click to expand...

I did see that but I heard that PSU isn't all that great, what do you think. You obviously know what I'm trying to do here and such. Curious as to what more I should look for. I missed the Corsair PSU the other week that was mad cheap and decided to opt for the G.Skill Memory instead. Tell me what you think?!!?

and btw.. i can get the PSU at BBY for like 60 something.
 
I'd take the Corsair over the Antec... though as I understand the Earthwatts line is built by Seasonic, same as the Corsair.

To be fair, it's well known I think Antec PSUs (and indeed, everything they make/rebrand save the cases themselves) are a blight upon this earth and I'd never recommend one to anyone.
 
dlaxman31 said:
I did see that but I heard that PSU isn't all that great, what do you think. ...
Click to expand...

Thats an 80+ Seasonic built PSU w/ 34A on the +12V rails. So uh, where did you read that it isn't all that great? lol.

Here, read this review: http://jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=35

Basically, Antec shot themselves in the foot with the old TruPower2.0 and SmartPower2.0 lines of PSUs by selling undercooled units that failed in high heat conditions (fuhjyyu caps + inadequate cooling by antec FTL!). They've since corrected themselves.

Though, I must agree with the Antec hater up there that the Corsair is better, despite both being made by Seasonic. :p The Corsair 520W is modular!!
 
Recent Antec psu's I have purchased have been great. I would go for the modular corsair though. Especially if you can snag it for a good deal. Seasonic has been making fantastic PSU's these days. Some took AnandTech's top honors in PSU comparisons. I like modular cabling though. Makes for better cooling and a clean case. I was just pointing out a good bargain at $39 from hot deals. Didn't mean to bring out all the antec-haters... :p
 
enginurd said:
Thats an 80+ Seasonic built PSU w/ 34A on the +12V rails. So uh, where did you read that it isn't all that great? lol.

Here, read this review: http://jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=35

Basically, Antec shot themselves in the foot with the old TruPower2.0 and SmartPower2.0 lines of PSUs by selling undercooled units that failed in high heat conditions (fuhjyyu caps + inadequate cooling by antec FTL!). They've since corrected themselves.

Though, I must agree with the Antec hater up there that the Corsair is better, despite both being made by Seasonic. :p The Corsair 520W is modular!!
Click to expand...


Okay everyone talks about the efficiency rating and also the Amps on the +12v rails. I mean I thought 34 rails was pretty good. I don't plan to do anything CRAZY with this system yet.
ALso whats the big deal abotu Modular. Yes you can pick your own cables but is it worth that much more in cash?!


Again my system is coming from a college grad student currently trying to get a system better then his 4 year old Dell. This will be my first build and if you wanna see the parts I currently have check back to page 1 or check the sig.
 
Higher efficiency means the PSU runs cooler (less power lost as heat) and draws fewer watts at the wall to produce the same DC output (lower power bill, save trees, etc). So it's good.

Modular, I feel that's overrated. If your case doesn't suck and you have some skill with cable management, you can hide the unused cables and avoid airflow issues.
 
Yah... what silent said (about efficiency).

dlaxman31 said:
... ALso whats the big deal abotu Modular. Yes you can pick your own cables but is it worth that much more in cash?!...
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Only you can decide if its worth the price premium, since you're the one buying it. If you can't afford it, then don't bother. Modular cables aren't a necessity, IMO... they're a luxury.

The $40 deal on the EA500 at newegg is a great one, IMO, especially if you're on a low budget. Did you read the review? its one of the best PSUs out there in its power range.
 
after reading the whole article I will be purchasing this product probably on Friday morning. Getting paid tomorrow night and will have enough cash to get this bad boy.


Thank you again for all of your comments. Now come the pictures of the build. I can't wait :eek:
 
dlaxman31 said:
after reading the whole article I will be purchasing this product probably on Friday morning. Getting paid tomorrow night and will have enough cash to get this bad boy.


Thank you again for all of your comments. Now come the pictures of the build. I can't wait :eek:
Click to expand...

Sweet. Can't wait to see what you come up with. Modular cabling is a nice luxury, but like others say, it's not a necessity. That Earth Watts PSU is quite nice. You'll be happy with it. It would run a single 8800GT with now problems whatsoever, along with a couple of hard drives, 4GB of ram, and probably 2 opticals just fine. I think you'll be happy with it. It's efficient and quiet too.
 
Purchased the Antec Earthwatts 500 PSU today, should get the order sometime Monday Tuesdayish. Maybe I'll have the bad boy up and running before the Super Bowl!

Boy that'd be nice.
 
Yeah, I hope so too. Let us know how it turns out. That's a good PSU, especially for 40 bucks!!! It would run an 8800GT without breaking a sweat.
 
SirKronan said:
Yeah, I hope so too. Let us know how it turns out. That's a good PSU, especially for 40 bucks!!! It would run an 8800GT without breaking a sweat.
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thats a good thing cause I'm gonna have that as my next upgrade, either the 3870/50 or the 8800 GT. Not sure which one. But that will be a few months from that upgrade.
 
dlaxman31 said:
thats a good thing cause I'm gonna have that as my next upgrade, either the 3870/50 or the 8800 GT. Not sure which one. But that will be a few months from that upgrade.
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The new 3870 X2 ATI card with dual GPU's is going to sell for around $400, and I hear it'll beat an Ultra at that price. We should see all mid-range GPUs (3870/50's & 8800GT's) drop substantially soon (I hope... I want that second GT for SLI!!!) :D
 
enginurd said:
But not all games benefit from Crossfire/SLI. :(
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It's 2 GPU's in one slot/card configuration. It's kinda like crossfire, but when you build both GPUs into a single card you overcome some of the normal crossfire/SLI limitations. In preliminary benchmarks it's outperforming the 8800 Ultras, whether the games are scalable with multi-GPUs or not. I'll try to find some links.
 
enginurd said:
But not all games benefit from Crossfire/SLI. :(
Click to expand...

"In the introduction we said that if the HD 3870 X2 performed better than the 8800Ultra then, considering price points, its release would effectively be as impressive as the launch of the 8800GT. Well, what we’ve seen today is a clear indication that the R680-based video card is definitely superior to the 8800Ultra, which maintains a street price of well over $600. MSRP of the HD 3870 X2 is set at $449 –a bargain considering the HD 3870, essentially half of the X2, goes for about $230. Now, given AMD’s recent history of availability woes, we don’t expect very many of these cards to be available for $449. Then again, a trip to the major e-tailers doesn’t exactly produce too many results for 8800GT’s at MSRP. All of these things considered, it is hard to gage whether or not the HD 3870 X2 will be successful in the marketplace."

Here's a link to the review:
http://www.fpslabs.com/reviews/video/amd-radeon-hd-3870-x2-review

Sorry for off topic post, just wanted to answer enginurd.
 
great link and some food for thought, when looking at graphics cards and such. What does SLI/Crossfire benefit in game play?

If I remember correctly doesn't it just split the screen in half? Would I need extra cables and such for my screen? I'm looking for a graphics card later.. probably after I graduate (may) and then go from there. I'd of course also like a bigger screen (17inch now) so I'd like something larger, maybe a 19 or 22.
 
dlaxman31 said:
great link and some food for thought, when looking at graphics cards and such. What does SLI/Crossfire benefit in game play?

If I remember correctly doesn't it just split the screen in half? Would I need extra cables and such for my screen? I'm looking for a graphics card later.. probably after I graduate (may) and then go from there. I'd of course also like a bigger screen (17inch now) so I'd like something larger, maybe a 19 or 22.
Click to expand...

You're thinking of the different rendering modes. There's AFR, weighted sharing (or something like that), SSR... I can't recall them all or what they're referred to as. End result is, you share the rendering load between two cards and get a performance boost.

How great a boost varies widely -- anywhere from around 70% to 30%. Very rarely is it actually "twice as fast" as a single card, but that's not the point. SLI and CrossfireX are only really worthwhile on extremely high resolution (1920x1200+) screens where a single card just isn't enough to maintain high settings and reasonable framerates.

If you're only looking at 20" and 22" displays, which tend to be 1600x1200 for standard aspect or 1650x1080 for widescreen, you really don't need to worry about SLI or CrossfireX, as they probably aren't worthwhile for you. A single card should do just fine at that resolution.

It's worth noting that SLI and CrossfireX require compatible motherboards with a couple of exceptions. There's the Geforce 7950GX2 from Nvidia for a past example. Upcoming cards like the Radeon HD 3870X2 and Nvidia's 9800GX2 won't require SLI or Crossfire capable boards because they are CrossfireX and SLI "on a card", respectively.
 
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