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New Build: Core2

K

kenham40

Gawd
Joined
Apr 3, 2001
Messages
943
I would like to build a workstation for my home based on a core2 processor. Can someone recommend a system (without monitor) for around or under a grand please (parts, not pre-built (i.e. dell, hp, etc..)). Thanks.
 
Newsboys2004 said:
building yourself is way to go.
Click to expand...

Right, which is why I said parts, NOT a pre-built system such as a Dell, HP, etc.. :) Glad we think alike.
 
I'm working on building a system with a friend, and as soon as he secures funds we're ordering it. The specs go like this:

Acer 19" widescreen monitor
Sonata II w/ PSU
Gigabyte DS3
E6300
2 GB DDR2 800 RAM from G.Skill
250 GB SATA HDD
7600 GT

It actually comes to around $1100 or $1050. If you ditch the monitor, you could easily go for a better graphics card, processor, or both.

The nice thing about this build is that the 6300 is a decent chip in its own right, but with luck we'll be able to overclock it to at least E6600 levels. Just how far we get will likely depend on whether or not I can convince him an aftermarket heatsink is useful.

Another nice thing is that it's got a relatively cheap GPU, so there will be no remorse for ditching it and getting a DX10 card upon their release.
 
Thanks for the reply! As ar as monitors go, I have 2 19" widescreen samsung LCDs. The rest of those specs look decent. Right now in my rig I have an ATI x850xt PE 256mb, so I would want to go higher than my current card.

LstOfTheBrunnenG said:
I'm working on building a system with a friend, and as soon as he secures funds we're ordering it. The specs go like this:

Acer 19" widescreen monitor
Sonata II w/ PSU
Gigabyte DS3
E6300
2 GB DDR2 800 RAM from G.Skill
250 GB SATA HDD
7600 GT

It actually comes to around $1100 or $1050. If you ditch the monitor, you could easily go for a better graphics card, processor, or both.

The nice thing about this build is that the 6300 is a decent chip in its own right, but with luck we'll be able to overclock it to at least E6600 levels. Just how far we get will likely depend on whether or not I can convince him an aftermarket heatsink is useful.

Another nice thing is that it's got a relatively cheap GPU, so there will be no remorse for ditching it and getting a DX10 card upon their release.
Click to expand...
 
What do you plan to use workstation for: example video editing or business applications.
That way we know to recommend stuff like a E6400 or E6600 because of bigger cache
 
I have the Antec Sonata II case and power supply and I have been really happy with it. I just had to remove that god awful black thing in the case:) I don't know what you call it, but it looked like it was suppossed to aid cooling somehow, but I don't see how.
 
It's a duct. My P180 came with one. While Antec certainly gets A+ for effort, it didn't quite line up like it was supposed to.
 
It will be used for both and also a little gaming (I do most of my gaming on my xbox 360, but sometimes there are pc only games). I won't be doing any HD video editing any time soon just DV.

LostStorm said:
What do you plan to use workstation for: example video editing or business applications.
That way we know to recommend stuff like a E6400 or E6600 because of bigger cache
Click to expand...
 
 
Gigabyte 965-DS3 Mobo - $149.99
Core 2 E6400 - $224
1GB Corsair PC6400 - $150
WD 250GB Sata 3.0GB - $77.99
Lite-ON 16xDVD+-/5X DVD-RAM - $32.99

Assuming you want a new video card now:
Gigabyte 7900GT - $269.99

Assuming your current PSU is too old (needs to be 24pin)
Antec Truepower2 550W - $89.99

Total: $974.95

Now, personally I'd skip the video for now, as the DX10 cards in coming in the next few months, take that money and get another 1GB of ram or a faster processor (E6600 is 319). Another option is getting a 2nd HD and using the built in RAID on the motherboard (note if you do that on this board you'll want a sata dvd drive, or funky stuff starts happening).

This is also assuming you have a keyboard and mouse you like, as well as liking your case. You can get a good case for under $100.

All of those prices are from newegg, and with some shopping you could find them even cheaper.
 
PLmatt91 said:
Why would you want to pay almost $100 for a PSU. RIP - OFF.
Click to expand...

LoL, Im sorry but that was a very naive statement. Your psu is the most important part of your computer. In fact, paying under 100 for a cheap psu is what I would consider stupid (unless ur not running a nice power hungry rig that is).
Anyways, I will 2nd most, if not all of steelgraves reply. They are all good parts but I will give you some other good alternatives.

I would get a OCZ powerstream 520w (if u want more power I would still go ocz gamerstream). These PSU's are just plain quality and are so consistant. Dont skimp on the psu. Also its only about $100 after a 30 dollar rebate at newegg.
Also, I would get 2 gigs of ram not 1gig. I can promise ur going to need 2 gigs real soon, and buying a new rig with 1 just wouldnt make sense. On that note, 1 of the best sticks u can buy is the Gskills ddr800 2GBHZ. With that 6400 (assuming u overclock) you are going to like hitting ddr1000 speeds at a 1:1 ratio w/4,4,4,12 (if not lower) timings. These sticks are just plain sick. Of course dropping 250 on ram is not for everyone, but regardless, at least get 2 gigs.
The HDD and DVD-rw are fine, if you have more money get a raptor though.
Other then that, you will do yourself a favor by listning to steelgrave and waiting for dx10 because its right around the corner. Anyways, good luck.
 
PLmatt91 said:
Why would you want to pay almost $100 for a PSU. RIP - OFF.
Click to expand...
Of course. We wouldn't want to deny him the pleasure of seeing his new machine become a smoldering pile of parts.
 
whatever you do, get the best quality ram...and get two gigs of it. Don't settle for less.
 
PLmatt91 said:
Why would you want to pay almost $100 for a PSU. RIP - OFF.
Click to expand...
While I do agree $100 is a bit much, the PSU is definitely not a component you want to skimp on. I realize I'm saying this while using a $5 PSU for my C2D computer (but that was only after a HotDeal Rebate from Ultra).
 
Steelgrave said:
Gigabyte 965-DS3 Mobo - $149.99
Core 2 E6400 - $224
1GB Corsair PC6400 - $150
WD 250GB Sata 3.0GB - $77.99
Lite-ON 16xDVD+-/5X DVD-RAM - $32.99
Gigabyte 7900GT - $269.99
Antec Truepower2 550W - $89.99

Total: $974.95

All of those prices are from newegg, and with some shopping you could find them even cheaper.
Click to expand...

Great recommendations, though if you could afford 2Gb's I'd go with that.
6400 - for the extra multiplier so hopefully you reach 400x8 = 3.2Ghz

See this:
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2839&p=5

basically the same recommendations. When you take off the display, KB/mouse & OS you're around $1000.
 
Steelgrave said:
LOL...noob... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Noob my ass. What if that shitted out on you, and there was no warranty and you didn't have about $100 to spend on a new one? I paid $30 for mine and it's working great. I rather spend $30 with no warranty or RMA ever than the $100. Noob.
 
PLmatt91 said:
Noob my ass. What if that shitted out on you, and there was no warranty and you didn't have about $100 to spend on a new one? I paid $30 for mine and it's working great. I rather spend $30 with no warranty or RMA ever than the $100. Noob.
Click to expand...

If you can't pull 70 extra dollars then I would say you have no business building a computer like that. You should be focusing on finances more. :rolleyes: The P/S is arguably the MOST important part of any system and if your P/S is of lesser quality it can cause you all sorts of headaches. And really... is 100 bucks really that much for piece of mind. I can see if the guy suggested a $500 PC power and cooling supply (worth every penny IMHO)... but he didn't. He suggested the cheapest power supply while staying with a quality unit. If you say the P/S doesn't matter... then you ARE a "n00b" My guess is that you are just feeling bad about your choice and trying to justify it.
 
Let's not get into insulting each other. I'm no moderator, but we need to be civil and on topic or we will run people off. I personally use the 450Watt power supply that came with my Antec Sonata II case and it is working out fine. It is an Antec Smart Power in case someone wants to know that.
 
Many people go overboard with PSU's. Having a good quality 430W++ is a definite. IE: don't go buy a cheap case for $50 and think a generic 350-400W PSU will work.

a medium quality PSU should do for most people. Now if you were overclocking a Pentium D 840 and have quad SLI, you might need go get one of those 600-1000W PSU's.

Moderation is the key to all things in life! :)

Suprisingly, I had been purring along with a junky 300W PSU for years with my 2.4C @ 3.6Ghz and ti4600 then a FX5900 (crap). When I upgraded to a 6800GT I got a Thermaltake 480W PSU, been happy with it for the past 2 years or so.
 
chrisf6969 said:
a medium quality PSU should do for most people.
Click to expand...

IMHO... Antec IS a medium quality P/S and the bare minimum in terms of acceptable P/S.
 
Poncho said:
IMHO... Antec IS a medium quality P/S and the bare minimum in terms of acceptable P/S.
Click to expand...

yeah I consider it "medium quality" also, not sure if its the BARE min.
 
Lyquist said:
I've heard good things about the Antec True Powers though.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong... I think Antec are fine, hell I run one myself at home and have for my last few builds. If I am building a standard system with a few hard drives, single video card, etc I'll use Antec without hesitation. But if I am building a DP system, File server with a lot of drives, etc then I am looking elsewhere.

Also... I think people consider wattage more than they should. What they really need to be looking at is the amps and the tolerances. I don't care if you have a 12,000 Watt PSU... if it's only got 10 amps on the 12volt rail it's trash. :D
 
Poncho is exactly right. People shouldnt go overboard with watts, thats not what we are recommending. Its getting quality at ur wattage that matters. A 400 watt quality psu will put out more consistant power then a 500 watt crap psu for instance. Just because they have a theorettical max of 500 doesnt mean they can or will sustain anything close to that.
 
PLmatt91 said:
Noob my ass. What if that shitted out on you, and there was no warranty and you didn't have about $100 to spend on a new one? I paid $30 for mine and it's working great. I rather spend $30 with no warranty or RMA ever than the $100. Noob.
Click to expand...
$30 for a power supply?

lololol

Is it made out of cardboard?

Please, if you're that cheap, go buy a used Packard Bell at a garage sale.
 
Poncho said:
IMHO... Antec IS a medium quality P/S and the bare minimum in terms of acceptable P/S.
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with Antec except they are usually bought in brick and mortar stores like Best Buy. The other day I was in Best Buy and saw a True Power supply by Antec that was $150! For that, you can get an amazing power supply (Seasonic, Corsair, Silverstone, etc)

Unless you're running a SLI/Crossfire system, 450-500watt power supply by one of the above companies is plenty.
 
DefBringer said:
$30 for a power supply?

lololol

Is it made out of cardboard?

Please, if you're that cheap, go buy a used Packard Bell at a garage sale.
Click to expand...

LOL.

I think the poster with the term "noobie" next to his name should go read the PSU section for awhile. If your gonna post ignorant rhetoric you should fully expect to be called on it in this forum (name calling aside).

If a $30 PSU works for you fine, but you have to realize the majority of members of this site wouldn't touch one of those if they were PAID $30. Besides most of the mice people use here cost more than that.
 
Im sorry, i never like paying alot for pc parts, and I hate when i buy something and next day it drops in price. But when it comes to psu sometimes you have to pay more for quality. I have 420 Watt Thermaltake (bought couple years ago for $50), that runs fine. But now , you going to have pay more to get quality or take a chance of frying you pc (turning it into a $1,500 paper weight)

My Recommendations
C2D E6300
G.Skill 2xGB ram
Evga 7900GS (you can always sli later if needed)
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DQ6
 
Poncho said:
IMHO... Antec IS a medium quality P/S and the bare minimum in terms of acceptable P/S.
Click to expand...

Yep I would agree also. It would be good enough for the original poster and fit into his "budget", which was why I suggested it.
 
DefBringer said:
$30 for a power supply?

lololol

Is it made out of cardboard?

Please, if you're that cheap, go buy a used Packard Bell at a garage sale.
Click to expand...
Mine was $5.00. It's an Ultra 500W....keep checking through the HotDeals forum.
 
I appreciate everyones help thus far but ask to keep the flaming each other outta here please, thanks. I don't want my thread closed because we can't keep tempers from flaring.
 
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