Looking to build system, thoughts / changes?

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Punkrulz

[H]ard|Gawd
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Nov 11, 2001
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Hey guys,

I personally want to build the following system. I want to run it by you guys first, because you guys know a bit more about it and will be able to score better products for lesser money. The main reason I'm posting here right now though is not for myself, but for my friend. He's interested in a gaming rig, but he wants it to be cheaper than the $1200 price tag I have mine customized to.

Here it goes:

Case: Antec P180 - Click Here - $115
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield - Click Here - $275.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L (P35 Chipset) - Click Here - $100
Memory: OCZ Platinum 2gb DDR2 1066 - Click Here - $109.99
Power Supply: Corsair HX620 - No Link - No Price
Video Card: EVGA Geforce 8800GTS (G92) w/ Crysis - Click here - $340
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 320GB - Click Here - $85

I have the following questions:

  1. I know the case can be replaced. What is the cheapest yet nice case you guys know of? Doesn't have to be great.
  2. What air cooling do you guys recommend? I'm going water, so that's why I need to ask.
  3. Any changes you guys can think of, to improve the system, that may also be cheaper?
  4. If my buddy was to step down on Processor, Video Card, or anything else, where can he step down? Hard drive will also not be in his quote.
  5. Any motherboards better out there for the Q6600 that would be cheaper?
  6. Where should I purchase that power supply, I don't believe Newegg carries it.
  7. I believe that we can change the power supply to something else, it won't need to be modular to my friend. What would you recommend that's of decent quality, but cheaper?

I greatly appreciate the input here guys, please feel free to ask any questions that need to be asked for you to be able to better assess the computer.

Thanks!
 
Cheaper is hard for me to recommend but go with a good pair of PC2-800 memory (DDR2-6400) as you can OC them to 1066 speeds. You'll save about 30 to 40 bucks there. As for case, the P180 is nice, but you can probably go with this one:

Cooler Master RC-690 - I don't know if it is a solid case from experience, but most cooler master cases are of good quality and the PSU is located at the bottom of the case, which promotes better airflow throughout the case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
 
Before we get to your questions, note that 1066mhz RAM is a waste of money when paired with a Q6600. All you need is PC-6400 / 800mhz RAM, even if your friend is looking for a sky-high OC. The supposed performance gained from the extra mhz will not be realized with the Q6600, so there's no reason to pay a premium for it. Enginurd has a great cut and paste that explains the math behind this. If he doesn't post it here, take a look around some of the other gen hard threads and you'll see it in no time :)

Punkrulz said:
Hey guys,

  1. I know the case can be replaced. What is the cheapest yet nice case you guys know of? Doesn't have to be great.
  2. What air cooling do you guys recommend? I'm going water, so that's why I need to ask.
  3. Any changes you guys can think of, to improve the system, that may also be cheaper?
  4. If my buddy was to step down on Processor, Video Card, or anything else, where can he step down? Hard drive will also not be in his quote.
  5. Any motherboards better out there for the Q6600 that would be cheaper?
  6. Where should I purchase that power supply, I don't believe Newegg carries it.
  7. I believe that we can change the power supply to something else, it won't need to be modular to my friend. What would you recommend that's of decent quality, but cheaper?

I greatly appreciate the input here guys, please feel free to ask any questions that need to be asked for you to be able to better assess the computer.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

1. Cases are subjective. The Antec 900 and P180 models are very popular, offering a lot of features and room for what many believe to be a very fair price.

2. If you're friend is looking to for a high OC, currently the Zerotherm Nirvana offers the best performance for the price. If he want's something a little smaller and quieter, consider the Zerotherm Butterfly or the Thermalright Optima 90.

3. See RAM comment above. Also, what is the resolution of the monitor your friend plans to use? The GTS may be overkill if he's gaming at 1280x1024 or below. An 8800 GT 512meg will suite lower resolutions quite nicely.

4. See above. Also, if your friend is strickly gaming, the E8400 will be a better choice. The quad, however, should be your only consideration if your friend does any video editing / encoding, image manipulation work, or any other cpu intensive task.

5. You've already got a great motherboard selected.

6. Don't know at the moment.

7. The Corsair HX series is very popular for a good reason -- they're excellent PSUs. Note, however, that you can likely do just as well with the 520 watt model.

Good luck on the rig.
 
Thanks for the posts guys.

Yeah I'm the one who thinks that I'm going to be sticking with the P180, he wants to use his older case that already houses his computer, but I think he should go with something new that he can get for $25-$50.

As per the processor, me personally I wasn't thinking about going higher than 1280x1024, but I also wasn't sure about that. I do want to upgrade my 17" LCD monitor at some point which is old... but never thought about that. Can everyone else agree that the 8800GT will be better for 1280x1024 and below, so we don't need that extra umph?

The Q6600... I personally will not be doing video editing and encoding, I'm just horrible with that... should I stick to the E6400 also? Will games ever benefit from the extra processing power of the Q6600?

If I don't see Enginurd post I'll get a hold of him somehow... I'll make sure to get that memory!
 
If you're not going to be doing that, then get the 45-nm E8400 (not the E6400.) It'll OC to higher frequencies with much less effort (and less $$ spent on cooling,) and it has the benefits of the Penryn die-shrink improvements (such as the larger cache and SSE4.)
 
Markyip1 said:
Enginurd has a great cut and paste that explains the math behind this.
Click to expand...

Close substitute:
Stated FSB/4 = Actual FSB
Multiplier x Actual FSB = CPU Speed
2 x Actual FSB = RAM Speed

Q6600:
Multi x FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9 x 266Mhz, DDR2 533 RAM = 2.4Ghz <== Stock Speeds
9 x 333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.0Ghz <== Good OC
9 x 400Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 3.6Ghz <== Excellent OC, About the Max

Anyway, the 8800GT is more than enough for 1280x1024 gaming. The HD 3850 is actually enough for that but since you have the cash, go for the 8800GT.

To answer a few more questions:

1. Like Markyip1 has said, cases are a subjective item. Go with what you like. Though here are a few recommendations for your friend:
Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $35
Cooler Master Centurion 532 ATX Case - $45
Cooler Master Centurion 534 ATX Case - $50
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $65

3. Cheaper set of DDR2 800 RAM:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $90

6 & 7:
Buying link for the Corsair 620HX:
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU - $139

Though your system will be fine with the 520W version:
Corsair 520HX 520W PSU - $106

If you don't care about modularity, drop down to this PSU instead then:
Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $89
 
These guys have you covered. ;)

Though you won't be making full use of a quadcore right now, how often do you upgrade your CPU? If you plan on keeping the CPU for several years to come, I'd suggest sticking with the Q6600, as future games/apps will improve mutli-core support.

jbzx86 said:
Cheaper is hard for me to recommend but go with a good pair of PC2-800 memory (DDR2-6400) as you can OC them to 1066 speeds.
Click to expand...

:confused: PC2-800?!? DDR2-6400?!?! From that last sentence about reaching 1066 speeds, I assume you mean DDR2-800 and PC2-6400?? Because PC2-800 means DDR2-100, and DDR2-6400 means PC2-51200... and those don't exist. :p ;)
 
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