Help with my build

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bubba660

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Joined
Mar 31, 2008
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Ok, so I had been planning on buying a DELL XPS 630 up until yesterday. I added all the upgrades that I would want to go with on my 630, then realised that I was looking at ~$1800 without a monitor! So, I have opted to go with building.
I made a rough list today of what I thought would be good to go with for building my system.
Things that I am looking for in this system include:
- Something that will last me
- Gaming preformance
- Looking to spend ~$1000-$1300 (Including OS, Monitor, Case, Mouse, Keyboard)

Motherboard/CPU - XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard CPU Bundle - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor 2.40GHz OEM
RAM - 3GB Corsair Value PC4200 DDR2 533MHz
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM
Video Card - EVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB
DVD Drive - Lite-On PLDS 52x CD-RW/16x
Power Supply - OCZ GameXStream 700W

That is just a rough outline of the pieces that I came up with, but there are just so many different options out there that I become a little confused when confronted by it all.
Please let me know if you see anything that I should change or look into. This would be my first time building a computer and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)
 
If you ever intend on overclocking, get faster ram so the overclock isnt limited by the ram while still running 1:1 with the FSB.
ie for a 3.6GHz overclock, you will need the CPU at x9 and FSB at 400MHz min. The ram speed will be 800MHz.
3.2GHz clock will need DDR2- 710 speed memory.

Rather than getting 3GB ram using 4 sticks, get 2 x 2GB.
This will give you less trouble.

If you can afford the new Western digital 640GB drives, they are very fast.
I have an 8800GT and would but the newer GTS if I were to purchase now.
It can give up to 10% faster framerate for way less than 10% extra cost of the whole PC.
 
What are you planning to use your computer for?
What size monitor you plan to get? What resolution will you game at?
Are you going to overclock?

You shouldve bought the xps630 the day it came out. It had a nice deal with sli 8800gt...
 
Thanks for the quick responses.
At this point I do not ever see myself overclocking. I would use the computer primarily for gaming, and on a 22" maybe a 24" monitor.
 
Unless your intent is to game at 1920 x 1200 then... you don't need that 680i SLI board. A P35 intel chipset mobo will do. 2 x 2gig DDR2 800 rams is cheap and ideal for your setup. Also, a Corsair 550VX PS will be good.
 
heres something to look at...

rough estimates:
$250- Q6600
$240- 8800gts G92 512mb
$100- 64bit OS
$30- Optical Drive
$80- 2x2gb DDR2 800mhz RAM
$70- 320gb harddrive
$85- Corsair 550vx
$90-$160- P35 Motherboard
= $945 to $1015

*no case, monitor, keyboard, mouse because those are for you to choose.

sorry I didn't use actual links, but I'm busy with my ps3 :D
 
Cool thanks for the responses - gotta head out in a few but I will start reading reviews on what has been listed. Im sure I will be back with more questions :)

Thanks again.
 
Not a good bundle. No need for SLI whatsoever if you plan on getting a 22" monitor. In additon, the 650i chipset runs hotter and is a bit less reliable than the Intel P35 chipset.


Here are some other recommended motherboards:
Abit IP35-E Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
MSI P35 Neo2-FR Intel P35 Motherboard - $112
DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL Intel P35 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $122
DFI LanParty DK P35-T2RS Intel P35 Motherboard - $140
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $151
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $170
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $170
Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS4 Intel X38 Motherboard - $207

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports or legacy ports, then the IP35-E is a good choice. If you like the IP35-E but need legacy ports, check out the DS3L. If you need 5 SATA ports, 2 eSATA ports, and a second PCI-E x16 port, then get the Neo2-Fr. If you want heavy overclocking abilities and six SATA ports, check out the Blood Iron. If you like the BloodIron but want significantly better overclock stability, go for the LanParty. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports and high overclocks, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you want the DS3R but need Firewire and a second PCI-E x16 port, then go for the DS3P. If you want something that can overclock pretty damn high along with eSATA ports and firewire connections, than the IP35 Pro. Note that the IP35-Pro seems to have problems with the Wolfdales CPUs

Also, I recommend ditching that OCZ GameXStream PSU. It's based off the FSP Episilon PSU design which has out of spec ripple, or voltage fluctuations, at high loads that can damage or kill your system. Granted, you may not reach such high loads but why pay for PSU that can kill your system?

So I recommend these other, better quality PSUs instead:
Corsair 650TX 650W PSU - $120
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU - $139
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad 750W PSU - $150
 
UPDATE:

Ok, I have drawn up something new:

CPU: Intel C2Q Q6600
MoBo: GIGABYTE P35-DS3L
RAM: A-DATA 4x 1GB DDR2
CPU Heatsink: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
GPU: EVGA 8800GT 512MB
PSU: Cooler Master Real Power Pro 750W
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM
CD/DVD: Samsung 20x DVD/RW
Case: Cooler Master 690
OS: Vista (32 bit vs 64 bit?)

Could I maybe get by with 2 GB of RAM for a while?

*Does everything look compatible with each other?

Thanks again.
 
Do not buy 1GB sticks of RAM. Get a 4GB, 2x2GB kit. Less stress on the MCH.

750 watts is massive overkill for that setup. The Corsair 520HX or 550VX would be plenty.

The Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro really isn't enough with a quad. Swap it out for either the ZeroTherm Nirvana NV120 or Xigmatech RIFLE 120mm HSF.

The RC690 is really expensive lately. I'd look for another case to cover the cost of the above.
 
You should get two sticks of ram to take advantage of dual channel. Something like the Corsair 520 or 550 would be plenty. I am actually in the process of a new build and purchased the ZeroTherm Nirvana, it is apparently up to par with the Thermalright 120
 
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