mid-range build

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se4b4ss

Gawd
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Dec 29, 2000
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I am going to build a mid-range, all-around machine for gaming, video editing, Photoshop, Office apps, Internet. Below are the components I came up with after reading this forum for a few days.

Does anybody have any general hints/tips/suggestions regarding the system?

I'd also like to hear advice on how to drop the price a bit without compromising performance.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115005
$181.99

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128017
$115.99

OCZ Gold 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820227126
$117.99

XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817189005
$49.99

BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814143049
$143.99

Western Digital Caviar RE WD1600YS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822136062
$64.99

LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHW-160P6S-04 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827106013
$29.99
 
I just put a system together almost exactly like this.
You'll really like it.
I dont think you could shave any money off though, in fact for about 10 bucks more you could get a 250 GB WD SATA II.

The great advantage to the Gigabyte MB is you can take that e6300 up a bunch.
The 7600 is a nice GPU, I can run games surprisingly well with mine. Check out eVGA, sometimes they have a 20 dollar off MIR, mine did.
 
For photoshop especially, I'd go with at least 2GB of ram. Theres a g.skill 2gb ddr2-800 kit on the egg for about $210.

I also agree on the 250gb instead of 160gb... you'll get a better price/gb. zzf has the wd2500ks for $84 shipped to ca, yielding a $0.336/gb pricepoint. Much better than the ~$0.45/gb pricepoint of the ~$75 160GB (with tax and shipping).
 
You guys are driving up the price. I need to go down some to get the green light from the wife. :)

I should point out I'm a casual PS user and never OC.

Thanks again,
Steve
 
How about the MB? Are there any cheaper alternatives with the same features?
 
I saw this at on the NewEgg specs sheet for the MB:

This product does not support Win9X/ME
Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets.
Click to expand...

And the RAM specs say:

Timing 5-5-5-12
Voltage 2.0V
Click to expand...

Is that an issue?
 
Purchases are trade offs between price and performance.

I would use a motherboard with video. That saves $140.

250GB WD hard drive is the best priced WD hard drive.

2GB memory uses up the rest of the $140 savings.
 
Yes, OCZ Gold is an issue. OCZ vanilla and platinum sticks are fine, its just the GOLD sticks that have problems with c2d and am2.

You can't game with onboard video. So it seems you have a $700 budget... 2GB isnt far off, but since you can't afford the extra gig, go for this:

$182 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz
$100 - Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express
$105 - CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2667 VS1GBKIT667D2
$115 - BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE Geforce 7600GT 256MB ($145 - $30MIR)
$70 - WD Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200RPM SATA300 8MB Cache
$50 - XClio GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W
$33 - LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/ LightScribe Black SHM-165H6S
======
$655 + tax and shipping

If you could swing the extra gig, get this kit:
$210 - G.SKILL 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ

The foxconn can OC just as good as the DS3 and P5B Deluxe, but you won't be overclocking, so that doesnt matter. What matters is its price! It saves you another $15, just like the RAM did... so this suggestion basically lowered your price $30, lol. I guess every dollar counts, even when you're spending $700. If you want an even cheaper board, go for the Asrock 775DUAL-VSTA -- its only $56 and performs good enough. That's another $44 in savings, bringing the total to $74!

If you really wanna save money, get the Dell w/ 3800+ X2 CPU for only $400... search these forums, and you'll find the deal.
 
enginurd said:
Yes, OCZ Gold is an issue. OCZ vanilla and platinum sticks are fine, its just the GOLD sticks that have problems with c2d and am2.

$100 - Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express
$105 - CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2667 VS1GBKIT667D2
Click to expand...

Thanks for the excellent response. BTW, no way I am going with onboard video. I should also say that historically I don't use much disk space. I'm using 75GB on my HD right now...

The RAM you recommend is DDR2 667 but the Foxconn MB states DDR2 800. Is that a problem?
 
se4b4ss said:
Thanks for the excellent response. BTW, no way I am going with onboard video. I should also say that historically I don't use much disk space. I'm using 75GB on my HD right now...

The RAM you recommend is DDR2 667 but the Foxconn MB states DDR2 800. Is that a problem?
Click to expand...

No, it won't be a problem. Since you won't be overclocking, you'll be running at stock speeds, which is 1066Mhz for the CPU, translating to DDR2-533 speed. Though it lists only DDR2-800 on the egg's site, the manufacturer site lists DDR2-667 and DDR2-800. A review by TechReport reveals what is possible through the BIOS:

http://techreport.com/reviews/2006q3/foxconn-gigabyte-p965/index.x?pg=4
Despite sporting one less BIOS chip, the P9657AA still offers an adequate array of memory timing and overclocking options. Front-side bus speeds are available up to 600MHz, and users can bump the CPU voltage by as much as 0.3V. Unfortunately, there's no provision to run the board's memory at an effective 1067MHz with a stock front-side bus; memory speed options are limited to DDR2-533, 667, and 800.
Click to expand...
That basically means theres no upwards divider for the RAM, but it will run at DDR2-533/667/800 speeds just fine.
 
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