Need Partial Build Advice

Z

ZDPhoenix

Gawd
Joined
Dec 7, 2008
Messages
787
1) What will you be doing with this PC?
[H]ard Fiance Will Get Annoyed At You Gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1,000 or less (preferably less)

3) Where do you live?
Chicagoland, NW Indiana

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, Case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU (Intel Please. AMD has been unstable for me), RAM (4 GB at least), Mobo, GPU (Thinking ATI 4850x2 2gig)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Enermax 1100, 1000 watt, Thermaltake Armor+ Case, My own Westgate HDD's.

6) Will you be overclocking?
No

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
30 inch

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This weekend buying, building monday/tuesday.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Nothing in particular.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes, but I want to get Vista Ultimate 64-Bit for more ram in the future.
 
Asus P5Q Pro combo deal with...
$275 - E8400
$375 - Q9550
$46 - Xigmatek HDT-S1283 CPU cooler & ACK-I7751 retention bracket ($10 mail-in rebate on CPU cooler)
$50 - G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 1000 RAM kit (free shipping)
$24 - Samsung SH-S223F SATA DVD burner (free shipping)
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$394 - Subtotal for E8400 system (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)
$494 - Subtotal for Q9550 system (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

You don't really need Vista Ultimate, so stick with the 64-bit version of Vista Home Premium. If you want a simple gaming system, you could cut some price corners by going with the E8400; but for a long-term system (that you plan on keeping for more than two years), you may want to get the Q9550 now. Since gaming (seems to be) the main priority for this rig, the emphasis should be more on the video card, since most of today's games are driven by that, than the processor (or, no Core i7 for now).

For a 30 inch monitor, if you want high or ultra-high visual settings, you may want to consider getting either the HD4870X2 or the GTX 295 instead of the HD4850X2. Regardless, with either build, you should be well under budget if you chose the HD4850X2 (and, possibly, a 64-bit OEM copy of Vista Home Premium, should you need/want it now).
 
How would the Qx6700 Compare to these two units? If I had one already, would it still be a good idea to upgrade to the Q9550?

I have the ability of getting one of those at no cost for this new rig.

I have absolutely NO plan to Overclock, so the CPU cooler doesn't seem needed to me (or am I wrong here?).

While the HD4870X2 is a killer card, the performance gain versus the 4850X2 just isnt enough for me to justify the 200 extra bucks.
 
The appeal of the QX6700 lies solely on its unlocked multiplier, which enables easier overclocking. If you have one already, I suggest overclocking it to around 3GHz -- otherwise, you'd be wasting your money. (Yes, even if it's free....) At stock speeds, however, the Q9550 is the better processor of the two.

You can omit the aftermarket CPU cooler if you have no plans on overclocking. However, overclocking a Core 2 processor is very easy to do, and, done correctly, would not shorten the processor's lifespan. Again, the QX6700 begs to be overclocked. (That said, the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 is one of the best Socket 775 coolers around.)
 
tiraides said:
The appeal of the QX6700 lies solely on its unlocked multiplier, which enables easier overclocking. If you have one already, I suggest overclocking it to around 3GHz -- otherwise, you'd be wasting your money. (Yes, even if it's free....) At stock speeds, however, the Q9550 is the better processor of the two.

You can omit the aftermarket CPU cooler if you have no plans on overclocking. However, overclocking a Core 2 processor is very easy to do, and, done correctly, would not shorten the processor's lifespan. Again, the QX6700 begs to be overclocked. (That said, the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 is one of the best Socket 775 coolers around.)
Click to expand...

I tried to OC the unit to 2.93 GHZ following a guide here and I had a much less stable system after and over the course of a few days. That scared me from going about do so again.
 
If you want to reduce the overall costs of this build, go with the QX6700. If you want a more powerful processor, go with the Q9550.

However, a Core i7 build, built around the Core i7 920, would outperform any Core 2 setup at stock speeds. Since you're reusing several parts already, with your $1000 budget, it's something you could consider. For example:

$454 - Core i7 920 and MSI X58 Pro combo deal (free shipping on processor)
$100 - G.Skill 3x2GB DDR3 1333 tri-channel RAM kit (free shipping)
$25 - Samsung SH-S223Q SATA DVD burner (free shipping)
$260 - Sapphire HD4850X2 (free shipping)
$100 - Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM (free shipping)
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$939 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)
 
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