New Computer Build, What Do ya'll think?

With that kind of budget, why not go Intel? The Phenom hasn't had the best feedback. I'm under the impression that it fell a bit short of its hype.
 
should go intel, but phenom can be fun I guess
go with the black edition though tbh
 
GJSNeptune said:
Did you get an error? It just took awhile to load for me.
Click to expand...

Yeah got an error. But the OP's second link works fine.

Anyway, OP, drop the Phenom and AMD motherboard. Unless you're an AMD fan, there is no other reason to go with an $2000 AMD setup at this point in time. You'll get much better performance out of an Intel build.

I recommend getting the E8400 (cheaper at zipzoomfly.com) and any Intel P35 motherboard that fits your needs. Here are a few mobo recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $127
DFI LanParty Dark P35-T2RS Intel P35 Motherboard - $135
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $151
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $168
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $175

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports or legacy ports, then the DS3L is a good choice. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports and high overclocks, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you want the DS3R but need Firewire, then go for the DS3P. If you want a mobo with a ton of overclocking options, go with the LanParty. If you want something that can overclock pretty damn high along with eSATA ports and firewire connections, than the IP35 Pro.

Oh and you can get the black version of that case for $50 less:
Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $150

And finally, drop the Zalman HSF. There are much better HSF out there for around that price range:
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
 
Danny Bui said:
Yeah got an error. But the OP's second link works fine.

needs. Here are a few mobo recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $127
DFI LanParty Dark P35-T2RS Intel P35 Motherboard - $135
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $151
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $168
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $175

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports or legacy ports, then the DS3L is a good choice. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports and high overclocks, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you want the DS3R but need Firewire, then go for the DS3P. If you want a mobo with a ton of overclocking options, go with the LanParty. If you want something that can overclock pretty damn high along with eSATA ports and firewire connections, than the IP35 Pro.

Oh and you can get the black version of that case for $50 less:
Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $150

And finally, drop the Zalman HSF. There are much better HSF out there for around that price range:
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
Click to expand...


im not the op :>
 
Danny Bui said:
Yeah got an error. But the OP's second link works fine.

Anyway, OP, drop the Phenom and AMD motherboard. Unless you're an AMD fan, there is no other reason to go with an $2000 AMD setup at this point in time. You'll get much better performance out of an Intel build.

I recommend getting the E8400 (cheaper at zipzoomfly.com) and any Intel P35 motherboard that fits your needs. Here are a few mobo recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $127
DFI LanParty Dark P35-T2RS Intel P35 Motherboard - $135
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $151
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $168
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $175

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports or legacy ports, then the DS3L is a good choice. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports and high overclocks, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you want the DS3R but need Firewire, then go for the DS3P. If you want a mobo with a ton of overclocking options, go with the LanParty. If you want something that can overclock pretty damn high along with eSATA ports and firewire connections, than the IP35 Pro.

Oh and you can get the black version of that case for $50 less:
Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $150

And finally, drop the Zalman HSF. There are much better HSF out there for around that price range:
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
Click to expand...


ahh well my original build was Intel, and a 8800 Ultra. But after some research the HD and the Ultra do about the same. And i try to stick to Intel/NVidia or AMD/ATI. But the majority of people in here are for Intel so is this purely fan boy? or Intel just better on the market? and about the mother board, still not sure, which would be best for gaming? COD4, Crisis, ect..

--Linkz
 
Linkz said:
ahh well my original build was Intel, and a 8800 Ultra. But after some research the HD and the Ultra do about the same. And i try to stick to Intel/NVidia or AMD/ATI. But the majority of people in here are for Intel so is this purely fan boy? or Intel just better on the market? and about the mother board, still not sure, which would be best for gaming? COD4, Crisis, ect..

--Linkz
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Look at benchmarks, intel performs phenomenally better :p I love amd and all, but if you're dropping $2 grand on a pc you should go with the best, which is intel at the moment. If it's any help at all, I just dropped only $600 for my pc and for the money I got an 8800gt, 4GB ram and a super cheap allendale. However If I wanted to drop an extra $400 (still would only be $1g) I could be riding on a 4-4.3GHz e8400 and 8800gt's in sli which would provide amazing performance, arguably better than your phenom setup. Since you're spending 2 grand there's no reason that my theoretical $1k pc should be faster.
 
Linkz said:
ahh well my original build was Intel, and a 8800 Ultra. But after some research the HD and the Ultra do about the same. And i try to stick to Intel/NVidia or AMD/ATI. But the majority of people in here are for Intel so is this purely fan boy? or Intel just better on the market? and about the mother board, still not sure, which would be best for gaming? COD4, Crisis, ect..

--Linkz
Click to expand...

Here are some performance comparisons:

Core2 Duo vs Athlon X2 6400+

AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition vs Core2 Quad 9600

The above reviews show that the Intel CPUs are faster at stock speeds. And that doesn't even account for the fact that the Core2 CPUs will clock (overclock) hundreds of MHz higher than the Athlon and Phenom CPUs with no extra voltage.
 
Hmm. Ok after reading all that, i'll switch to Intel for the processor, but for the card should i go back to the 8800 Ultra? I've always tried to pair Intel/nVidia and AMD/ATI. would it be wise to put the Intel processor with the ATI card?

--Linkz
 
Not the 8800Ultra. The 8800GTS 512MB (G92) or HD 3870 X2 are much better choices for the money.
 
Linkz said:
Hmm. Ok after reading all that, i'll switch to Intel for the processor, but for the card should i go back to the 8800 Ultra? I've always tried to pair Intel/nVidia and AMD/ATI. would it be wise to put the Intel processor with the ATI card?

--Linkz
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A vidcard will perform regardless of CPU/chipset brand. An ATI card won't perform better on an AMD system than on a similarly spec'd Intel system. Intel makes crossfire chipsets... why would you not trust an ATI card in an Intel system? Even if they didn't make crossfire chipsets, theres still no reason to believe one company's card will perform better just because of the CPU... vidcard performance is mainly GPU dependent. Making your GPU perform worse just because its being used with a competitor's CPU is illogical -- you'll lose a lot of potential customers this way.

Linkz said:
Do you think these are really much different? Looking at the specs and customer reviews it doesn't seem like much variation.
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The difference is the price, compared to the performance you get. All the ones Danny listed perform better for a lesser price -- you get better performance for your money.
 
Yes, I concur.

The P35 chipset runs cooler, OC's higher and is bit more stable than the 680i chipset. It doesn't have SLI capability BUT you don't need SLI since your monitor is only a 22". And you have an ATI card where SLI requires Nvidia cards.

Also, SLI is only worth it if you game at 1920x1200+ and if you're willing to get both Nvidia cards at the same time. So check out a mobo based on the P35 chipset instead. Check back to my first post here for P35 mobos recommendations.
 
Danny Bui said:
Yes, I concur.

The P35 chipset runs cooler, OC's higher and is bit more stable than the 680i chipset. It doesn't have SLI capability BUT you don't need SLI since your monitor is only a 22". And you have an ATI card where SLI requires Nvidia cards.

Also, SLI is only worth it if you game at 1920x1200+ and if you're willing to get both Nvidia cards at the same time. So check out a mobo based on the P35 chipset instead. Check back to my first post here for P35 mobos recommendations.
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but should i keep the 680i in case i get an Nvidia card, or a bigger monitor, no sense buying 2 mobos. and with all the cooling, does it matter if the P35 runs cooler? but then again i'm not disagreeing since i know little about hardware, haha thats why i'm here so experts can help. :D
 
Linkz said:
but should i keep the 680i in case i get an Nvidia card, or a bigger monitor, no sense buying 2 mobos. and with all the cooling, does it matter if the P35 runs cooler? but then again i'm not disagreeing since i know little about hardware, haha thats why i'm here so experts can help. :D
Click to expand...

What is the likelihood of you getting a 24" monitor or bigger within this year? I'm betting that by the time you get that bigger monitor, there'll already be a single and cheaper card out that can outperform two cards in SLI. So again, an SLI motherboard is not worth it.

Also note that I said that the 680i chipset is less stable than a P35 mobo. Something you may want to think about.

And yes it does matter if the P35 runs cooler. If it runs cooler, that means that there will be less of a chance of the motherboard overheating and dying on you. In addition it helps with overclocking as well.

Oh you do know that you're paying $50 more for just a silver paint job on that case? I linked to the black version of that case for $50 less in an earlier post.

Also, don't bother with that $50 card reader. Do you have a floppy drive lying around? If so just use that. And you can find external card readers for $20 and less if you look around on the net or newegg.
 
Danny Bui said:
What is the likelihood of you getting a 24" monitor or bigger within this year? I'm betting that by the time you get that bigger monitor, there'll already be a single and cheaper card out that can outperform two cards in SLI. So again, an SLI motherboard is not worth it.

Also note that I said that the 680i chipset is less stable than a P35 mobo. Something you may want to think about.

And yes it does matter if the P35 runs cooler. If it runs cooler, that means that there will be less of a chance of the motherboard overheating and dying on you. In addition it helps with overclocking as well.

Oh you do know that you're paying $50 more for just a silver paint job on that case? I linked to the black version of that case for $50 less in an earlier post.

Also, don't bother with that $50 card reader. Do you have a floppy drive lying around? If so just use that. And you can find external card readers for $20 and less if you look around on the net or newegg.
Click to expand...

pretty sure the silver case is aluminum while the black is steel.
 
I have a few issues with your current wish list....

1.) You're getting an OEM Q6600 from NewEgg. Get a retail Q6600 with the G0 stepping/revision, which runs at a lower voltage (meaning that it runs cooler and has a higher overclocking threshold) than the older B3 stepping/revision. Get it from ClubIT, which guarantees having the G0 stepping (NewEgg doesn't, so it's the luck of the draw). And OEM processors have a 90-day warranty whereas retail CPUs have a three-year warranty -- then again, overclocking the processor automatically voids the warranty.

2.) The 3870X2 you chose is out of stock at this moment. You may want to also consider getting a G92 8800GTS or (a used) 8800GTX. (A 512MB 8800GT would also work with the monitor you're planning on getting, but you would have to change a few settings on some of the games you plan on playing.)

SLI/CrossFire is only useful if you plan on gaming at high graphical settings on a 1920x1200 or higher resolution. You may want it if you were getting a 24 inch widescreen monitor, but you would probably need it if you chose a 27 inch (or larger) one instead. With your 22 inch Acer, you really don't need anything more than an 8800GT or (a single) HD3870.

3.) The ASUS DVD-ROM drive is also... a DVD-ROM? Are you kidding me? If for nothing more than the convenience factor, I would recommend getting a SATA DVD burner; you can find one for under $40. The Samsung SH-S203B is one of the best choices available, and is only $30 (plush shipping).

4.) Since you're getting some stuff from Jab-Tech... you might as well also purchase your case fans from there. Though they don't have any LEDs, the Yate Loon D12SL-12 or D12SM-12 fans would perform just as well but only cost $3.50 each.
 
tiraides said:
I have a few issues with your current wish list....

1.) You're getting an OEM Q6600 from NewEgg. Get a retail Q6600 with the G0 stepping/revision, which runs at a lower voltage (meaning that it runs cooler and has a higher overclocking threshold) than the older B3 stepping/revision. Get it from ClubIT, which guarantees having the G0 stepping (NewEgg doesn't, so it's the luck of the draw). And OEM processors have a 90-day warranty whereas retail CPUs have a three-year warranty -- then again, overclocking the processor automatically voids the warranty.

2.) The 3870X2 you chose is out of stock at this moment. You may want to also consider getting a G92 8800GTS or (a used) 8800GTX. (A 512MB 8800GT would also work with the monitor you're planning on getting, but you would have to change a few settings on some of the games you plan on playing.)

SLI/CrossFire is only useful if you plan on gaming at high graphical settings on a 1920x1200 or higher resolution. You may want it if you were getting a 24 inch widescreen monitor, but you would probably need it if you chose a 27 inch (or larger) one instead. With your 22 inch Acer, you really don't need anything more than an 8800GT or (a single) HD3870.

3.) The ASUS DVD-ROM drive is also... a DVD-ROM? Are you kidding me? If for nothing more than the convenience factor, I would recommend getting a SATA DVD burner; you can find one for under $40. The Samsung SH-S203B is one of the best choices available, and is only $30 (plush shipping).

4.) Since you're getting some stuff from Jab-Tech... you might as well also purchase your case fans from there. Though they don't have any LEDs, the Yate Loon D12SL-12 or D12SM-12 fans would perform just as well but only cost $3.50 each.
Click to expand...

The I'll switch the processor, since i doubt I'll be doing OCing, don't want to the processor to die quick. As for the fans, I'll stick to the new egg ones, since i can spare a couple bucks for the lights just cuz i like them. The DVD drive is changed. And for the card, i think I'll stick with the X2, simply because it is close to the Ultra but way cheaper.

--Linkz
 
Danny Bui said:
What is the likelihood of you getting a 24" monitor or bigger within this year? I'm betting that by the time you get that bigger monitor, there'll already be a single and cheaper card out that can outperform two cards in SLI. So again, an SLI motherboard is not worth it.

Also note that I said that the 680i chipset is less stable than a P35 mobo. Something you may want to think about.

And yes it does matter if the P35 runs cooler. If it runs cooler, that means that there will be less of a chance of the motherboard overheating and dying on you. In addition it helps with overclocking as well.

Oh you do know that you're paying $50 more for just a silver paint job on that case? I linked to the black version of that case for $50 less in an earlier post.

Also, don't bother with that $50 card reader. Do you have a floppy drive lying around? If so just use that. And you can find external card readers for $20 and less if you look around on the net or newegg.
Click to expand...

I have an external, plastic card reader, that I'll just keep. I don't my camera much, so that shouldn't matter. The mobo is changed. And for the case i think sabrewolf732 was right, the silver case is all aluminum.

And figure in that i'll get the Processor from here.
Ta-Da

So with all that, haha am I close to done?

--Linkz
 
I missed this in my earlier post, but instead of getting four 1GB sticks of RAM, pick up a 2x2GB kit. For example, the A-DATA 2x2GB kit is cheaper than getting two 2x1GB kits. (Yeah, I saw the MIR for the 2x1GB kit... but I suggest that you ignore them because you still have to pay the full amount up front. If you really want a nice post-MIR savings, you could pick up the Corsair XMS2 2x2GB kit -- it's $99.99 with a $40 mail-in rebate.)

It seems like your LEDs are now out of stock at NewEgg. Jab-Tech also has a nice selection of LEDs and fans for you to check out, in addition to what I've recommended earlier. And the 3870x2 that you've linked to is still out of stock.
 
tiraides said:
I missed this in my earlier post, but instead of getting four 1GB sticks of RAM, pick up a 2x2GB kit. For example, the A-DATA 2x2GB kit is cheaper than getting two 2x1GB kits. (Yeah, I saw the MIR for the 2x1GB kit... but I suggest that you ignore them because you still have to pay the full amount up front. If you really want a nice post-MIR savings, you could pick up the Corsair XMS2 2x2GB kit -- it's $99.99 with a $40 mail-in rebate.)

It seems like your LEDs are now out of stock at NewEgg. Jab-Tech also has a nice selection of LEDs and fans for you to check out, in addition to what I've recommended earlier. And the 3870x2 that you've linked to is still out of stock.
Click to expand...

Well gotta wait for some income tax papers, so probably gonna buy next week, and they'll have what i want in stock by then, if not, I'll switch then. And I'm looking now a the RAM.
 
Since XP can really only utilize 3 Gigs of RAM wouldn't i want 2 of the 2 X 1 gigs?
 
Linkz said:
Since XP can really only utilize 3 Gigs of RAM wouldn't i want 2 of the 2 X 1 gigs?
Click to expand...

Not really. It's harder to OC with four sticks of RAM than with two. Also, two sticks of RAM will be less of a burden on the MCH of the motherboard. And finally, two sticks of RAM will give you the option to add more RAM later on.
 
Danny Bui said:
Not really. It's harder to OC with four sticks of RAM than with two. Also, two sticks of RAM will be less of a burden on the MCH of the motherboard. And finally, two sticks of RAM will give you the option to add more RAM later on.
Click to expand...

alright, so should i just get 2X2 gigs or 4X2 gigs. Will 2 gigs be sufficient for good gaming?
 
Linkz said:
Well gotta wait for some income tax papers, so probably gonna buy next week, and they'll have what i want in stock by then, if not, I'll switch then. And I'm looking now a the RAM.
Click to expand...

Do you have $70 on you right now? Because you can pick up a 4GB set of DDR2 800 RAM for $70:
A-Data 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $70
 
Got a revised list? Sorry I didnt answer your AIM, I wasn't around.
 
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