New build, $500-$600

S

scoob19

n00b
Joined
Jun 26, 2006
Messages
32
Hi, I hate to post another build thread, but I've been out of the loop as far as hardware goes for a long time. The last thing I built was probably 5 years ago when I did do some gaming, but now I primarly use it for photoshop, flash, various other adobe products, etc..

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
photoshop, flash, various other adobe products

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
hoping to keep it around $500

3) Where do you live?
Pittsburgh, PA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
I need everything pretty much, except monitor and OS.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Not reusing anything

6) Will you be overclocking?
Mildy perhaps, I'm not too worried about it.

7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?
19" CRT right now, but probably a 22" in the next month or two

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
No Raid or crossfire, id like firewire support.

I've been reading some other threads to get an idea of what is out there right now, and ive seen some particular things have been recommended. Prices are from pricewatch at the moment.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 CPU - $118
MB: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
RAM G.Skill F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 1000 RAM - $45
[BGPU:[/B] unsure, i probably don't need too much power here but id like to know what my options are
HDD: WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $70
DVD: Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner - $25
PSU: Antec EA650 PSU - $60
CASE: not sure what is considered a decent case right now

The above stuff puts me around $425, so i could maybe go up to 600 or 650 if i needed to for the other stuf (video and case). Thanks alot in advance.
 
- Slap a Q6600 in there for ~$50 more for multithreaded stuff
- Add a 8800GS or 9600GSO as a good budget but still powerful card for ~$50AR
- Case is personal decision, but in this case Antec 300 may fit the budget
 
I recommend this setup(FS = Free shipping):
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU - $190 FS
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $85
G.Skill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $45 FS
MSI N8400GS-TD256 GeForce 8400 GS 256MB PCI-E video card - $33 FS
Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $70 FS
Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner - $25 FS
Antec Earthwatts 650W PSU - $60 FS
Coolermaster Centurion 534 RC-534-SKN2-GP ATX Case - $50 FS
----
Total: $558 plus tax and shipping.

The quad-core CPU plus 4GB of RAM should help out a lot with Photoshop and other adobe products. The 8400GS is a cheap card and should be more than enough for just an Adobe product rig. However if you cannot go above $500, drop the Q6600 down to the E7300.
 
Isn't CS4 supporting CUDA or whatever GPU acceleration, and only the 9 series and above support it?
 
lowteckh said:
Isn't CS4 supporting CUDA or whatever GPU acceleration, and only the 9 series and above support it?
Click to expand...

IIRC, CS4 does support CUDA which allows for accelerated video encoding. I'm pretty sure CUDA is supported on even the low-end 8 series so the 8400GS is a still a choice.
 
Excellent, thank you.

- Add a 8800GS or 9600GSO as a good budget but still powerful card for ~$50AR
Click to expand...
It seems the 9600GSO is more like $80 AR

A few more follow up questions:

1) You recommend the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L P43 over the GA-EP45-UD3R P45 board. Is this just because it will save some cash and I won't use all the features on the UD3R board? the DS3L doesn't seem to have a firewire port, which I would like.

2) I forgot about a HSF, any recommendations for that considering I may overclock a little, but nothing crazy.

3) Lets say I wanted to spend a little more, maybe $100 on a graphics card, which one would you recommend?

4) Stupid question, but I should be running the 64-bit version of XP correct?
 
Actually, the 9600GSO is $78 upfront:
XFX PVT96OSDFH 9600GSO 768MB PCI-E Video Card - $78

1) Mainly to save cash and because I totally missed the fact that you wanted firewire. Go with the UD3R if you want firewire. You can also get an add-on Firewire card if you want to save about $20 or so:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...scription=Firewire add-on&bop=And&Order=PRICE

2) Cheap but decent HSF:
Xigmatek HDT-S963 92mm Rifle HSF - $25

3) For $100, I recommend the 9600GT:
PNY 9600GT 512MB Video Card - $100

But for another $15 and with free shipping and 10 to 15% extra performance in video games, I recommend the 9800GT:
eVGA 512-P3-N971-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB PCI-E Video Card - $115

However are you gaming at all? I don't see the need to spend $100 on a video card from what you've told us so far

4) Actually we recommend Vista Home Premium 64bit around here because A) it's cheaper than XP Pro 64bit and B) has slightly greater device and driver support.
 
Thanks Danny,

1) Regarding the firewire, I have this external drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822154253

I've been using firewire400 to connect the drive, but I just found the eSATA cables for it. I've never used eSATA, do modern motherboards come with eSATA? or do I get a seperate eSATA card for this.

2) ill get that HSF

3) I used to be a gamer, I guess one of the reasons that I don't anymore is because my computer got old. Ill never be a big gamer again, but the more I think about it I might spend a little more to get a halfway decent card. I'm not worried about playing games at super high resolutions, but I might pick up that 9800GT to give myself the option to play some games.

4) After doing some reading, Vista 64 does seem like the way to go.

For the backplate, does it come with instructions? I wasn't aware of these (im more than a little behind the times), and I'm having a little trouble imaging how these are installed. And just to make sure im understanding what it does, it makes the HSF more secure and protects the MB, is that right?

It appears that I will expand my budget a little bit, and thats ok. Id rather spend an extra few dollars to get some stuff that will last. Thanks again for all the help guys.
 
1) Any system an an internal SATA port will support eSATA with a proper adapter bracket. The UD3R comes with the eSATA PCI bracket, but the DS3L does not.

Many modern boards come with eSATA ports on the back I/O plate, too.

eSATA (3gb/s = 300MB/s) is MUCH faster than Firewire400 (400mb/s = 50MB/s) and USB2.0 (480mb/s = 60MB/s), combined -- of course, actual results will vary.

2) Yes, the backplate comes with instructions. The metal plate goes on the underside of the mobo, and the springloaded screws screw in from the topside of the mobo. It prevents the board from warping, and yes, its a more secure mount for the bigger HSFs.
 
Thats because the DDR2-1000 was $99 yesterday. :p No, there is no compelling reason except for lower voltage on the lower speed, but you should be fine with either kit. If its still the same price, go with the faster RAM, but its not like its needed for a Q6600. In fact, the DDR2-800 will take that chip to its max OC, and have optimal reliability with your mobo, since its rated for 1.8v. ;)
 
That makes sense. One more question I think and Ill leave you alone, i see the DDR2-800 is rated for 1.8-1.9v and the DDR2-1000 is rated for 2.0-2.1v. From looking at the mobo specs, how do I determine which voltage will have optimal reliability with the mobo I choose. I may be leaning towards the UD3R, and I trust you with the RAM recommendations, I'm just trying to learn how to determine which RAM is better for a certain mobo.
 
The JEDEC standard for DDR2 RAM is 1.8v. Most manufacturers will adhere to these official specs. Many higher rated sticks should still include a standard table entry (DDR2-800 @ 5-5-5-15, 1.8v) for compatibility. DDR2-800 is the highest official speed of DDR2, IIRC; everything higher is "OC'd.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top