need a quick double check before i pull the trigger

[GradoLabs]

hi

1) What will you be doing with this PC?
medium - heavy gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Roughly $750, yes
3) Where do you live?
California
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?
This will be my first build so i'll need everything, the best bang for buck i can get. the build will revolve around the Thermaltake lanbox lite
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
nothing but a mouse/ keyboard/ and monitor, and a copy of Windows XP 64bit
6) Will you be overclocking?
maybe a little if i wanna play crysis, but probably not
7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?
i have a cheap asus 19 inch widescreen
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Now
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support?
nothing in particular, as long the computer wont be obsolete in the next 2 years

I've spent the last week deciding on what i want and here are the parts. If you could make any suggestions on freeing up the cost or any parts that would work better with one another, that would be great. Everything will be purchased on ebay (using the 25% cash back live offer) or newegg.

Thermaltake LANBOX Lite- $65 after rebate
EVGA 260 GTX - roughly $175 after cash back
Intel Core 2 Quad- roughly $150 after cash back
Crosair XMS2 2x2gb- $20 after rebate
Western Digital 500gb 7200 RPM-$46 after cash back (microsoft live)
Crosair CMPSU 520hx- $75 after cash back
Foxconn M7VMX-K LGA- $43.99 <-- the only part im a bit sketchy about
3 60 mm fans (to replace the stock case ones)- $18
Arctic Silver 5- $5.99
RosewillAnti-Static Strap- $3.49
Zalman CNPS7700-Cu- $30
(no need for a cd drive since ill be installing xp 64bit via usb)
and is it necessary to replace the 90mm intake fan for a better one?

also, would it be wise to buy now? or should i wait a while till the prices of video cards and processors drop.

thank you so much!

 

[tiraides]

Which components are you buying from where? And what are the BEFORE rebate/cash back prices for everything? I have a feeling that, once you factor in shipping and taxes, your above build will burst your budget. And it will be weeks before you see the money from the rebates and the cash back deals....

The GTX 260 is overkill for gaming on your 19 inch monitor. (And Crysis is designed to torture video cards, so you may as well get used to playing it at medium/low settings.) Unless you're getting a 22-24 inch monitor within the next six months, don't even bother with it. The Radeon HD4850 is more than enough for your needs.

We also need some specifics here... which Core 2 Quad? Which speed of DDR2 RAM?

Overclocking is generally not a good idea in SFF setups due to the limited available space. I recommend leaving everything at stock speeds/settings -- 60mm fans aren't enough for cooling down a hot quad core and a mid-range/high-end GPU under load.

 

[lt_shiro]

I would suggest getting WD 640GB Hard Drives, much better value.

 

[GradoLabs]

thanks for the reply tiraides. I dont plan on playing crysis on very high, but from what ive read, the gtx260 out performs the HD4850 so ive been leaning towns nivida

Newegg

-Thermaltake LANBOX Lite -$79.99
-CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - $54.99
-Foxconn M7VMX-K LGA 775 - $53.99
-3 x VANTEC TF6025 60mm Case Fan - $19.35
-Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static - $3.49
-Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - $5.99

total with tax and shipping (not including rebates) 267.11

Amazon
-Western Digital 500GB 3.5" OEM Hard Drive WD5000AAKS - 58 shipped (already purchased)

Ebay
-Corsair HX Series CMPSU-520HX 520W PSUI - 65 shipped (already purchased)


This leaves me around $360 (budget of 750) for the processor,video card, and a better heatsink.

-Intel Quad Q6600 Kentsfield (i might be able to get a 6600 SACR(Go) for $150)
-Zalman CNPS7700-Cu (i can probably get a refurbished one for around 15-20 off ebay)

and finally, im left with $190 to get a evga gtx260. if im not lucky on ebay, im willing to spend a bit extra to get the one on new egg for 220

 

[lillimon04]

Get a e8400, there better with gaming than the quads. And like 125-140 from a user on here or another forum. I would go with a hd4830 and the dfi mobo.
Lan box
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133045
WD 640gb
hddhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
Asus 4830
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121289
Corsair 520hx
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184
DFI LP JR P45-T2RS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136055
All that before rebates and shipping(proably be 20-30 depending where you live) is 589.94. After rebates its 509.94. Or you can get the psu from the cash back thing to save more money.
Then buy a e8400 from a user ( 649.94 tops total after rebates and before shipping) then add all your extra stuff the total after rebates is around 710 before shipping. So the total before rebates and shipping would be around 820-835. And with that mobo you can oc the hell out of the e8400 and you can go crossfire down the road.

 

[lowteckh]

Not the fcking duo vs quad again for gaming. Just drop that crap already people.

You also possibly have the worst configuration suggestion I've seen this week -
First you argue that the e84 is better than a quad for gaming, then somehow manage to downgrade the video card selection from a GTX260 to a 4830 but raised the motherboard selection to one of the most expensive ones available - the DFI.

GJ, similar prices, inferior systems.

 

[matrix563]

go with a cheap vid card to start till u can get a better one

 

[Blazestorm]

You also possibly have the worst configuration suggestion I've seen this week -
First you argue that the e84 is better than a quad for gaming, then somehow manage to downgrade the video card selection from a GTX260 to a 4830 but raised the motherboard selection to one of the most expensive ones available - the DFI. .

The only reason it'd be better is because a.) it's a higher clock speed and newer revision. b.) most games aren't optimized for quad-core, barely any are optimized for dual-core. c.) it's cheaper.

I got a Q6600 because I do HD Video editing and rendering and Vegas 8 uses all 4 cores at 100% when rendering out video

 

[lowteckh]

I don't think in stock speeds

Pricing a system based on speculation on used prices from F/S section isn't a good way at all to price a system.

And crossfiring "down the road" just doesn't agree with me. Yea, down the road.. what road? The road where new GPUs come out that'll crush a 2x4830? Futureproofing is laughable, but futureproofing with the intention of purchasing additional inferior hardware at a later date is.. what's after laughable?

 

[zero2dash]

And crossfiring "down the road" just doesn't agree with me. Yea, down the road.. what road? The road where new GPUs come out that'll crush a 2x4830? Futureproofing is laughable, but futureproofing with the intention of purchasing additional inferior hardware at a later date is.. what's after laughable?

I...love...you.

I couldn't have said it better. CF/SLi is a "diminishing return" idea that really oughta go away. I'll admit that I've thought for about 2 seconds about CF on my P45 boards and then I ask myself 'why'.

If you're not going to CF/SLi from the minute you put the system together (and therefore you order 2 video cards) - don't even bother thinking about it down the road, for all the reasons lowteckh said. By the time you finally do it, a single card solution will be out that destroys your dual cards, at a cheaper price.

 

[lillimon04]

Ok first he didnt say he did any video editing or photoshop or anything like that so whats the point in getting a quad? I dont see whats wrong with saying buy a cpu from f/s section, he wants to buy it now and theres a e8400 for sale for 125shipped. Just trying to save this guy some money to fit his budget. Then I would rather have a nice motherboard then a better video card, and he is only gaming on a 19 inch montior which his res is proably 1280 x 1024 which makes having a gtx 260 an overkill and then he has to wait 60 days for the cashback. Even if he did buy a new monitor he could buy another 4830 and be could agian, there just as fast as the 4850 if you overclock them a little.
So what ever, trying to get this guy a nice system for his needs and budget that has headroom and speed. Didnt know people were gonna attack me.

 

[tiraides]

Okay, I better step in here....

If you can, return the Western Digital 500GB hard drive. As mentioned earlier, the WD6400AAKS is much faster (near Raptor fast) and has more storage capacity for only a bit more. But if you don't want to go that route, fine... but I have a few other changes you should make.

Hold off on getting the additional case fans -- wait a moment... why are you getting three 60mm fans? The front of the LANBOX Lite uses a 92mm fan (which is already provided). Speaking of omissions, you don't necessarily need the anti-static wriststrap. If you ground yourself properly beforehand, you shouldn't run into any risks.

Swap out the Arctic Silver 5 for a TIM that doesn't have a curing time. Two such choices are the Arctic Cooling MX-2 and the Tuniq TX-2.

You're comparing an orange to a tangerine, as the GTX 260 has as its equivalent the HD4870. The HD4850's equivalent is the 9800GTX+, and the HD4850 is considered by many to be the better deal (if not the better card). With your limited funds, it would be easier for you to obtain an HD4850 than to try to get either the GTX 260 or the HD4870.

The Corsair RAM is fine, but swap it out for either G.Skill or A-DATA instead. They'll perform just as well, but they'll also free up some money that could be used towards other components.

Again, I recommend against overclocking your machine. You have to account for not only the processor but also the heat coming from the video card... and regardless of what you have in your case, you're going to be generating a lot of heat.

Here's a simple answer to the E8400 versus Q6600 debate: Get whichever one you could find for less. I also recommend getting the retail package, as retail processors are backed by a three-year warranty (versus the 90-day warranty found on OEM processors.)

 

[lowteckh]

@ lillimon04, by your argument of O/C 4830 = 4850, I could use that and say an O/Ced 4850 = 48What0. I hate it when people go by the argument of O/Ced inferior hardware = stock superior hardware; if you're going to be arguing using the basis of O/Cing, then compare them together - O/C vs O/C. Hey! My O/Ced Q6600 is better than a QX9650! Yea ok... and my O/Ced QX9650 is what over your O/Ced Q6600?

Your poor selection of hardware combination is what prompted me to speak up (high end hardware coupled with crippled hardware, then proposing "upgrading" later). It's OP's money you know, you don't mess with money : \. And using F/S prices, like I said - they are hella variable. If you're budgeting you use market prices. Imagine if your accounting statement/budget sheet is all based on speculation.

 

[lillimon04]

lowteckh you got a good point. I just didnt like seeing all that good hardware on a motherboard like that. You can always skimp ( if thats the word Im looking for, it just doesnt sound right to me) the video card, but not the motherboard. But I think he is set on the gtx 260 and that mobo.

 

[Envie]

Hey all!
Just a comment, probally not needed but here because I can. If you switch to a retail chipset you could also use the stock HSF, and drop the Arctic Ice as well. Seeing how you don't plan on over-clocking and all...