New Midgrade build.

G

Ghettobox

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 5, 2006
Messages
470
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mild Gaming. I play Lotro, Oblivion, HL2. Photoshop, video encoding, video editing 3D modeling is probably my new biggest need. Need a good all around build.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I'd like to keep it to $600 tops. Will be doing this in stages as funds permit. No taxes in NH, but will need to have stuff shipped.
3) Where do you live?
New Hampshire
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU, Mobo, GFX card, Memory, WLan card, KB/Mouse,HDD, Optical drive(s).
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Have a case I have been saving, My PSU will be my Antec earthwatts 500w, and maybe My 8800GTS gfx card if need be.
6) Will you be overclocking?
undecided
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Have a new 22" Asus to use with this build
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP and over the next couple weeks
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
I would prefer Esata, and firewire.But firewire at the least. Prefer single GFX card.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Several.


I really need a decent overall build with a lot of flexibility. The budget has some leeway in it, and I tend to keep systems for at least 2 years. I can reuse my 8800GTS but would rather get something new that is at least the equal of that card. I'm agnostic as to AMD/Intel or Nvidia/ATI, just looking to maximize my dollars. I do far more 3d modeling and video editing/encoding than I do gaming, so maybe I should look at a workstation card? Really just lost in the maze of builds available out there, and been out of the building loop for at least a year now. I'm also not above Open box/Refurb parts.
 
Core i5 750, G.Skill 4 to 8 GB DDR3 1600, P55 board and 1 TB Drive should fit into your budget.

What type of Keyboard and mouse are you looking for? gaming or wireless or just basic ones?
 
lt_shiro said:
Core i5 750, G.Skill 4 to 8 GB DDR3 1600, P55 board and 1 TB Drive should fit into your budget.

What type of Keyboard and mouse are you looking for? gaming or wireless or just basic ones?
Click to expand...


I have a preference for the Microsoft curved Keyboards, but will likely pick up that and the mouse locally as I find them on sale at the local Best buy/Walmart often enough. I should also clarify, I really can only reuse my 8800gts 320mb in a dire situation, and if I do I need to pick up another card in at least the 8600 range to replace it. I also dug through my parts and found a second PSU to use instead of the earthwatts(which will save me the headache of tearing down that whole case to undo the cable management), I also have a 500w Antec Truepower that I plan to use. It's modular, and since I won't run Crossfire or SLI in this build it should be sufficent for my needs.
 
Dump the TruePower PSU. If you've had it for a while, chance are that you have the TruePower 2.0 PSU, which suffers from poor design and can fail without any warning.
 
Ghettobox said:
I also dug through my parts and found a second PSU to use instead of the earthwatts(which will save me the headache of tearing down that whole case to undo the cable management), I also have a 500w Antec Truepower that I plan to use. It's modular, and since I won't run Crossfire or SLI in this build it should be sufficent for my needs.
Click to expand...

Which Trupower do you have? The Trupower I, Trupower 2.0, Truepower Trio, Truepower Quadro or Truepower New?

If 1 or 2.0, ditch it like Tiraides said and here's why:
The Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series were well known for their above average death rates due to a poor choice in caps and cooling design. In more specific terms, Antec/CWT specified/used caps (Fuhjyyu caps) that did not respond well to heat. Unfortunately, Antec made the decision to have the PSU fan only ramp at really high temps in an effort to keep the PSU quiet. However, just medium to high temps were enough to screw up the caps so really high temps were murderous. Over time, this degraded the quality and performance of those PSU series.

So I recommend replacing the PSU, especially if you hear a squeal, whine, or any odd noise coming from the PSU. However, do note that the Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series had a three year warranty. So if you do hear a squeal, whine, or any odd noise, that's enough grounds to RMA the PSU.
 
Danny Bui said:
Which Trupower do you have? The Trupower I, Trupower 2.0, Truepower Trio, Truepower Quadro or Truepower New?

If 1 or 2.0, ditch it like Tiraides said and here's why:
The Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series were well known for their above average death rates due to a poor choice in caps and cooling design. In more specific terms, Antec/CWT specified/used caps (Fuhjyyu caps) that did not respond well to heat. Unfortunately, Antec made the decision to have the PSU fan only ramp at really high temps in an effort to keep the PSU quiet. However, just medium to high temps were enough to screw up the caps so really high temps were murderous. Over time, this degraded the quality and performance of those PSU series.

So I recommend replacing the PSU, especially if you hear a squeal, whine, or any odd noise coming from the PSU. However, do note that the Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series had a three year warranty. So if you do hear a squeal, whine, or any odd noise, that's enough grounds to RMA the PSU.
Click to expand...

I'll have to get it back out of the parts closet to take a look at it to see what model it is exactly, it's around 1.5 years old I know that much.
 
Ok guys, thanks for the help so far. The PSU is a 2.0, so I will be adding that into my build also. I like the idea of the i5, but with the added expense I can't see it being a possibility right now. Can't go over my budget as I am a lowly working stiff with a large family to feed, so it's got to be pretty much on budget. Basically I am at the point where I have just the case to use, and the 8800GTS if I cant find something around that performance level cheaply ( I was leaning towards the ATI 4670 line).
 
Ghettobox said:
Ok guys, thanks for the help so far. The PSU is a 2.0, so I will be adding that into my build also. I like the idea of the i5, but with the added expense I can't see it being a possibility right now. Can't go over my budget as I am a lowly working stiff with a large family to feed, so it's got to be pretty much on budget. Basically I am at the point where I have just the case to use, and the 8800GTS if I cant find something around that performance level cheaply ( I was leaning towards the ATI 4670 line).
Click to expand...

The HD4670 isn't that much faster than the 8800GTS 320MB. Since the lower end 8800GS 320MB/9600GSO 384MB managed to do well against the HD4670, it means that your 8800GTS 320MB should be faster if not equal to the HD4670.

Are you sure you can't just use the Antec Earthwatts 500W?
 
I mean I could, but I'd also need a new PSU for that box then also. So either way I am buying another PSU as the old box will be left up and running. The other way is to just buy a cheap replacement for the GTS and then move that to my new box, which could save a couple dollars I suppose. A 8600 or above would handle anything that box would need in my opinion.
 
Ghettobox said:
I mean I could, but I'd also need a new PSU for that box then also. So either way I am buying another PSU as the old box will be left up and running. The other way is to just buy a cheap replacement for the GTS and then move that to my new box, which could save a couple dollars I suppose. A 8600 or above would handle anything that box would need in my opinion.
Click to expand...

nah, just get a new card altogether:

Prelim build:
$169 - AMD Phenom II X4 945 CPU
$80 - Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 Motherboard
$86 - G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$75 - Western Digital WD6401AALS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$50 - Corsair 400CX 400W PSU
$60 - Asus EN9600GSO/DI/512MD3/V2 GeForce 9600 GSO 512MB PCI-E 2.0 Video Card
----
Total: $520 plus tax and shipping

Use the remaining $80 towards a DVD burner, wifi card and KB/M

To free up another $20
 
Just a quick update. Picked up an Asus 785 chipset mATX mobo. Leaning towards a Athlon II x4 CPU, to free up some more money towards a GFX card. AM planning to spend around $150, I also re acquired the Earthwatts 500w from the old build, and replaced that PSU. As it stands now I have my case, mobo, and PSU and am in for a total of around $120 so far. Plan to get some Ram and various odds and ends at the FS/FT forum.

I'll be waiting on the 5770 release to see what's shaking out, any other suggestions to keep an eye out for? I need at least 8800GTS power levels for this machine, and would prefer to use a lot less watts doing it. If the 5770 isn't looking like my price range I am leaning towards a GTS250 which with rebates etc can be had for around $120 or so.
 
Ok guys. Just an update and need some more ideas.

Got the PSU settled. Did some For sale forum shopping and made out I think OK. Decided to pick up a Phenom II x4 805 (2.6ghz) for $100. Then latched on to 8GB (4 2GB sticks) of DDR2 1066 for another $100. Case cost me $20 or so, I will count the PSU as $20 I had to replace in the old build. Then took the advice here and pulled the trigger on the XFX 5750 1GB for a total of $148 with shipping.

So my specs so far are

Generic Rosewill case
Asus M4785-M mobo
Antec 500w earthwatts PSU
AMD phenom II x4 805
8GB Gskill DDR2 1066
XFX ATI radeon 5750

for a grand total of around $450 shipped.

Need a CPU cooler (thinking Xigmatek), HDD, DVD drive, Wireless card and 120mm case fan.

Any good fast 500gb HDD out there? Don't need blazing speed, but any amount helps. A reliable DVD burner is also needed.
 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

120mm case fans: Scythe "Slipstream" or Yate Loon D12SL-12. Yate Loons aren't sold at NewEgg, but they can be found at other places for around $4-$6 per fan.

Fast 500GB hard drive: Samsung SpinPoint F3 or Seagate Barracuda 7200.12

Reliable DVD burner: Samsung's a pretty good brand. Lite On also makes some decent optical drives, but they tend to run louder than the others.

Wireless card: Depends. If you don't have any demanding plans, nearly any wireless card that you choose would work with any router. For better "compatibility," though YMMV, it's often recommended that you choose a wireless card from the same brand as the router -- but that's not really necessary.
 
Another update. I keep updating this hoping it helps other people in the same boat with around the same budget/needs.

I have a plan for my Antec Earthwatts PSU, so I did some more research while out and about. I have been churning through the PSU forums lately looking for the one to buy. I placed an order for My CPU cooler (went with the xigmatek 92mm rifle) and also ordered a corsair cmpsu-400cx. It's rated at 400watts, which should be plenty for my build which is shaping up as such.

AMD phenom II 805 (90w)
8GB of DDR2 1066
XFX 5750 GPU
2 120mm case fans
1 80mm blowhole fan
1 WD green 500GB hardrive
1 Samsung DVD/RW
1 PCI wireless card
USB mouse/keyboard

Now by today's standards 400w isn't much. It should easily power this system which has been designed with low power use in mind. Am I off base with the PSU? Still got the Earthwatts if need be.
 
Yes, the CX 400W will power that system, but you typically want something with more headroom. More headroom means less load on the PSU; less load means cooler operation; less heat means longer life for the PSU. Now, when looking for something with more headroom, you'll especially want to pay attention to the +12V rail, since thats where your system will be drawing most of its power from. (eg. a 500W who's extra 100W was only available on the +3.3V and +5V rails would not be a good upgrade)
 
Maybe I messed up the power calculations. I came up with 248 watts or there abouts. Luckily the 400CX is 80+, and according to all the tests I have read will reach up to 85% once above 50% draw. Now I am nervous lol.
 
Great page to try Danny. I guesstimated for the video card as it doesn't list the 5750 yet for obvious reasons (went with a 38XX series), and it came up with the 400cx and then some. Thanks.
 
HD3870 power usage 20w Idle 84w load

HD5750 power usage 16w idle 86w load

Seems a wash to me? ;)
 
I guess I will just have to disagree shiro. The 4670 doesn't even use a PCIe connector off the power supply which means it's TDP is no more than 75watts. The power usage is basically the same with the 3870 as my 5750, so for the intent of choosing a PSU or estimating your wattage, I don't see how I could have picked better than an existing card that is within 2 watts of load. I hope you weren't confused and thought I was actually going to use a 3870, was simply using it to help pick a PSU.
 
Been slacking. Here's some pics.










Thanks for the help and the hand holding. Learned a ton from you guys. Hope to contribute back now. And thanks to the guys in the FS/FT thread that got me my Phenom II for Athlon II prices, and 8GB of RAM for around $10 more than 4gb plus shipping.
 
Thanks for the pics!

I was gonna suggest rotating the CPU HSF so that it blows air towards the rear exhaust, but I see you got the Xigmatek instead of the Hyper 212+, so I don't think you have a choice. Though, since your PSU is above it, you may want to face the HSF the other way, so it blows air towards the PSU's exhaust fan.
 
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