Need advice on a new rig....

S

Sadude

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 20, 2003
Messages
227
K fellas, my current rig is basically an ancient AMD Barton setup with 1gig of ram 40gig HD a Radeon AGP GTO 8XX series video card etc... as you've already established I'm on a fossil of a machine. I've got about a week to price and order a machine. I want to stay between 1000 - 1500 dollars, it would be ideal to stay under 1500 don't want to push it and catch major wife aggro!

Anyway im reusing my case and monitor... I've got a good case with 2 extractors and 2 intakes on it plenty of room to work in it and in over all good quality. I'm also reusing my monitor which is the following: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001234
I've got a nice monitor but now I need a PC that's worth a damn to go along with it. I'll also be reusing my keyboard, mouse, and DVD Drive/ 3.5 drive off my current setup

K, so here's what I use my PC for on a daily basis.

I play World of Warcraft, Typical Internet usage, etc... I basically want a gaming machine, but not a high dollar one that will put me over my budget. Massive Storage space is not an issue for me. I don't plan on over clocking.
I'll need a:

1. Motherboard
2. CPU (I was an AMD guy, but i can do the Intel thing)
3. Memory (Preferably 4 gigs)
4. Good Cooling Fan/ heat sink! (It's important)
5. O/S I understand from reading the forums there is a Vista 64 for PC builders out that's rather cheap compared to the retail versions.
6. Video Card (This is important to me, but as stated before I don't want to go way over budget)
7. Good Descent sized Hard Drive (notice a lot of people recommending the 500gb Barracudas)
8. PSU

Note: I do have a Sound Blaster Audigy but from what I've been reading there is no Vista 65 Support for these cards. Is this correct? will on board sound be just as good or can I reuse my card?

I hope you fellas can help, I don't have much time. The opportunity to purchase a new rig just arised and I have to make some quick moves before that money is gone.
 
Motherboard:
$125 GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R
*more sata ports than your typical budget $90 P35 Motherboard

Processor:
$240 E8400 3.0GHz
$275 Q6600 2.4GHz G0 SLACR
*depends on you.

RAM:
$90 4GB (2x2GB) RAM DDR2 800MHz (G.Skill or A-Data)

HSF:
$36-Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF
$45-Tuniq Tower 120 HSF
$45-ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF
$49-Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF&Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan
$71-Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF&Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan
*because you dont plan on overclocking, you dont really need to waste much on a hsf

OS:
$100 Vista 64bit or XP 64bit
*up to you

Video Card:
$170 HD3850 512mb
$190 HD3870 512mb
$220 8800GT 512mb
$280 8800GTS 512mb
$450 HD3870x2 1GB (2x512mb)
*the hd3850 suits your needs but any of these cards can be in your budget despite fact the more expensive ones can handle more intensive games than wow

Harddrive:
$100 500GB Harddrive (seagate barracuda, samsung, western digital)
*plenty of room IMO

Power Supply:
$105 Corsair HX520
$130 Corsair HX620
*modular for easier cable management

Even if you choose the most expensive from what I put your still in your budget range. that means you could even get the best video card out there in your budget!! although you wont need it for wow.
 
This is awesome thanks for the help, if anyone else would like to chime in please feel free to do.

Also I really like XP and i plan to run 4gb of Memory... is there a reason to go with Vista 64 over XP 64.
 
Vista x64 is better supported, drivers-wise, than XP x64. When you also consider that the price of an OEM copy of Vista x64 is cheaper than a copy of XP Pro x32/86, the choice becomes even more appealing.
 
bump. Also what do the rest of you guys think of the proposed machine build "crh" was kind enough to suggest?
 
crhscoog said:
Motherboard:
$125 GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R
*more sata ports than your typical budget $90 P35 Motherboard

Processor:
$240 E8400 3.0GHz
$275 Q6600 2.4GHz G0 SLACR
*depends on you.

RAM:
$90 4GB (2x2GB) RAM DDR2 800MHz (G.Skill or A-Data)

HSF:
$36-Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF
$45-Tuniq Tower 120 HSF
$45-ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF
$49-Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF&Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan
$71-Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF&Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan
*because you dont plan on overclocking, you dont really need to waste much on a hsf

OS:
$100 Vista 64bit or XP 64bit
*up to you

Video Card:
$170 HD3850 512mb
$190 HD3870 512mb
$220 8800GT 512mb
$280 8800GTS 512mb
$450 HD3870x2 1GB (2x512mb)
*the hd3850 suits your needs but any of these cards can be in your budget despite fact the more expensive ones can handle more intensive games than wow

Harddrive:
$100 500GB Harddrive (seagate barracuda, samsung, western digital)
*plenty of room IMO

Power Supply:
$105 Corsair HX520
$130 Corsair HX620
*modular for easier cable management

Even if you choose the most expensive from what I put your still in your budget range. that means you could even get the best video card out there in your budget!! although you wont need it for wow.
Click to expand...

I think those are perfect options
I love the hx620 PS
If you shop around you can get either CPU for 200
I like the 8800gt but it might be overkill, but price/performance is still good for now.
Have fun!
 
This is great... this is why i've always loved these forums and continue to refer people here. I love you guys.

Normaly I do a lot of research on my own and put up a build for others to critique, but being that im on a time crunch I figured id ask for quick advice and you guys produced. Thanks for the help and patience
 
The differences between the two Vista Home versions are as follows...
  • Vista Home Basic is Vista in name only: It offers DirectX 10, Windows Defender, IE7, and the revamped Window Firewall. There's little difference, outside of DirectX 10, between XP Home/Pro and Vista Home Basic.
  • Vista Home Premium has those previously mentioned features, plus the Aero desktop interface, Media Center (with additional multimedia functions), and additional tools for multiple monitors, laptops, and tablets.
Since the Home Premium OEM disc is only $20 more than the Home Basic OEM disc -- and it would cost more to "upgrade" from Home Basic to Home Premium through the Vista Anytime Upgrade (IIRC, around $50) -- it's not going to kill you to get Vista Home Premium now.

Creative's been difficult with its Vista drivers... long story short, they will only officially support their X-Fi sound cards through Vista. But try the onboard sound from your new rig first; it may be good enough so that you don't need to buy a new sound card.

As for narrowing down the options that chrscoog provided you, for your monitor, you would want, at a minimum, the 512MB 8800GT. The 512MB 8800GTS and the HD3870x2 are better options, since you are using a 24" monitor, but because you don't really game, the 8800GT would suit your needs.

If you're not going to overclock, then you could get away with using the stock HSF that comes with your processor. The advantages that the aforementioned CPU coolers offer are better cooling and (based on the fan used) more silent operation.

Here's my build... based on chrscoog's suggestions:

$131 - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
$200 - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 retail package
$40 - Tuniq Tower 120 CPU cooler
$90 - G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 dual channel kit (free shipping)
$30 - Samsung SH-S203N SATA DVD burner (free shipping)
$105 - Samsung SpinPoint T 500GB SATA hard drive (free shipping)
$238 - EVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB ($10 MIR)
$89 - Corsair CMPSU-550VX 550W PSU (free shipping & $15 MIR)
$110 - Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM DVD (free shipping)
==========
$1033 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, and/or rebates)

A few other notes:
  • Subtract $20 from the total if you decide upon Vista Home Basic instead.
  • The VX550W would be just as effective as the HX620W with your rig, but the true appeal in the HX620W ($139 with free shipping & $20 MIR) is the fact that it's modular (whereas the VX550W isn't).
  • You are not going to find many reputable vendors selling the E8400 for under $200. The next cheapest (from one of our recommended retailers) would be Mwave at $239. (NewEgg also has it at that price, but it's constantly out of stock.) If you can't find the E8400 there, and you don't want a processor for over $200, consider the E6750 instead.
 
A few minor modifications on tiraides' build:
CPU: $200 - Q6600 from microcenter
HSF: $45(-$10MIR) - zerotherm nirvana from newegg (as sc once suggested)
PSU: Corsair 550VX from buy.com
 
Abu Som3a said:
A few minor modifications on tiraides' build:
CPU: $200 - Q6600 from microcenter
HSF: $45(-$10MIR) - zerotherm nirvana from newegg (as sc once suggested)
PSU: Corsair 550VX from buy.com
Click to expand...



Yeah I was thinking that Q6600 chip as well. Thanks guys keep em coming
 
Guys im having a little trouble with the Q6600. How can i tell the Q6600 2.4GHz G0 SLACR
model from the none-g0 SLACR models? It can't find it in the specs
 
Sadude said:
Guys im having a little trouble with the Q6600. How can i tell the Q6600 2.4GHz G0 SLACR
model from the none-g0 SLACR models? It can't find it in the specs
Click to expand...

Umm, all Q6600s with SLACR are G0 stepping.
 
If you might be playing any other games besides WoW, I'd strongly suggest an HD3870X2 for your 24" monitor.

Sadude said:
Well here's my Setup so far.. what do you guys think?
Remember im reusing my case. The CPU isnt on there because im getting the Q6600 from Clubit.com sine they gurantee it's a SLCAR Go-Stepping unit.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/WishList/TemporaryWishList.asp
Click to expand...

Your wishlist link doesnt work. Please list out your parts instead. Thanks.
 
It should work now
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.asp?ID=8513108

if not here is my parts list
Intel Q6600 w/go stepping
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel
EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W Power Supply - Retail
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA-300 Hard Drive - OEM
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N - OEM
Sound Card: Decided to get a new Vista friendly one: Creative 70SB046A00000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
HSF ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing / Transparent CPU Cooler - Retail
 
Nope, your wish list still didn't work properly. In the future, it's best to list everything out the way that chrscoog or I did with our lists -- use the "Reply with Quote" link to see how we did it.

And here's the deal that Abu Som3a mentioned earlier with the VX550W:

$83 - Corsair CMPSU-550VX 550W (non-modular) power supply (free shipping & $23 mail-in rebate)
 
The system looks fine. Just remember to get the power supply from elsewhere, as you'll benefit from free shipping (and a lower price compared to NewEgg).
 
It's almost the exact same build as mine. I had a little extra money at the time so I went with an eVGA 8800GTX.

I like my Gigabyte MoBo. Rock solid and I've been able to OC to 3.6. I lost the lottery on my G0 (1.3125 vid), so mine takes a lot of voltage to get to 3.6 and be stable. Day to day, I'm 3.42 and I'm good with that.

I have the same memory as well (or pretty close to it). I've got the Cas 4 version which works well @ DDR2 1000 (5-5-5-15).

Your rig should run fine. Take the advice others have provided. I joined here in June of last year and these guys really helped me with my build and then subsequent OC.
 
As tiraides mentioned earlier, try the onboard HD Audio first, before buying a soundcard. Onboard audio has been much improved, especially with that gigabyte board.
 
enginurd said:
As tiraides mentioned earlier, try the onboard HD Audio first, before buying a soundcard. Onboard audio has been much improved, especially with that gigabyte board.
Click to expand...

Definitely better than boards of old. I haven't bought a sound card yet as the RealTek works for me. The onboard does analog and digital out.
 
I guess if i go with the onboard sound that's about $135 less dollars right there and buy my PSU somewhere else, i can probably upgrade my video card... what do you fellas think?
 
Sadude said:
I guess if i go with the onboard sound that's about $135 less dollars right there and buy my PSU somewhere else, i can probably upgrade my video card... what do you fellas think?
Click to expand...

If you go that route, the only other graphics card worth pursuing at this time would be the HD3870x2.
 
tiraides said:
If you go that route, the only other graphics card worth pursuing at this time would be the HD3870x2.
Click to expand...

And it would be well worth it with a 24" monitor. You'll just need to start playin some FPS games, lol
 
enginurd said:
And it would be well worth it with a 24" monitor. You'll just need to start playin some FPS games, lol
Click to expand...

I used to play a lot of CS and DoD. Also CS:S and DOD;S I just got sick of them... but with a new machine i'll pick up FPS games again.
 
Hey guys I just wanted to say thank you! I got all my parts and put the machine together throught out the week as time permited. It posted right away and this thing flies! I had to mod the Antec 900 a little bit for wire management, but it's looking good in the hood! :) THANKS!
 
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