Partial Build - Looking for some feedback

C

Coffee Warlord

n00b
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
9
Coworker pointed me over here, saying he had gotten some great feedback from folks. Long story short, motherboard on my rapidly aging computer died a horrible and painful death last night. Thus, it be time to put together a new rig, or at least part of one. Anyway, it's been a good long while since I was up to date on hardware, so the aforementioned coworker suggested I hop over here.

Little rundown first...gaming rig, primarily. I'm not an overclocker, nor am I big on the resource/speed hog FPS's (lot of slower paced strategy sims). Basically wanting to put together something fairly substantial that will cause me few headaches, be a good bang for my buck, and will last for a awhile. Anyway, if you folks could give what I've got cooked up a once-over and note anything silly/stupid/wasteful/could-be-done-better, it'd be much appreciated.

And yes, you'll note the lack of graphics card. Still quite happy with the 8800, so it's coming over for the time being.

Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q9400
ECS BLACK SERIES P45T-AD3 LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
(combo processor + board - $309.98)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.189797

CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9 $67.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145218

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler $24.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

All said and done, we're at $568.95, which I'm comfortable with. Cheaper would be better, but I can live with being in this ballpark.

Thanks in advance, folks.
 
You come to the right place man. We are guaranteed to lower the cost of the build you just put together and it will deliver bang for your buck.
 
Now, here's the Big Question (tm) right away...is it worth the extra cash to bother with the quad core & DDR3?
 
If you plan on keeping your computer for a while then a Quad Core build will be more long term as more games/programs utilize multi-cores. As far as DDR3, I will get DDR3 ram if I put together a Core i7 Quad build.

Coffee Warlord said:
Now, here's the Big Question (tm) right away...is it worth the extra cash to bother with the quad core & DDR3?
Click to expand...
 
First of all, lets start by answering the questions in this thread.

Then, a few suggestions:

1. When going with a C2Q, I don't see any reason to go with DDR3. A Q9400 + Good P45/P43 motherboard + DDR2 800/1000 would be more than enough. You won't notice any real-world difference between the DDR2 and DDR3 except in benchmarks.

2. Take a look at these motherboards:
$130 - ASUS P5Q Pro
$130 - Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
$120 - Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
$80 - Gigabyte EP43-UD3L

3. This 4GB G.Skill DDR2 800 kit for $48.

4. You need a different PSU because that OCZ isn't as good as others. The PC Power & Cooling 750W is currently available for $70 after rebate and is an excellent unit. Also, take a look at the Corsair 650TX or BFG LS-550. If you need a modular PSU, the Corsair 620HX and SeaSonic M12 SS-600HM 600W are good units.

5. The Western Digital 640GB Caviar Black is only $5 more than the WD Blue AAKS you selected. Well worth it.
 
Coffee Warlord said:
Now, here's the Big Question (tm) right away...is it worth the extra cash to bother with the quad core & DDR3?
Click to expand...

HardwareGuru pretty much hit the nail with his quad-core answer. AS for DDR3 RAM, current Intel C2D/C2Q based setups do not benefit from DDR3 RAM. So there is very little reason to go with DDR3 RAM with an Intel setup unless you're going for the Core i7 setup. As for AMD however, that's a bit trickier. If you want to save every ounce of cash possible, stick with DDR2 RAM. If you want a bit higher chance of future AMD CPUs working with your mobo, then yes, get DDR3 RAM.

Oh and wanted to point this out: Do not go with the OCZ ModXStream Pro. There are significantly better quality PSUs in the price range such as the BFG LS-550 PSU that HardwareGuru linked to.
 
By the way, what was the specs of your setup before it died? What size monitor do you have?
 
PC_User said:
First of all, lets start by answering the questions in this thread.
Click to expand...

I admit, I was being lazy. I threw in the ones that I figured were relevant. :) The ones I ommitted...

3) Where do you live?
Chicago.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU, RAM, motherboard, power supply, HD, and almost certainly a non-stock CPU fan.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
The only things that are coming with, off the top of my head are the graphics card (8800 GT PCIE 2.0 x16), the case (http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1314&ID=1453), and a cheap but effective IDE DVD drive.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Simple and boring 20" LCD. I don't go nuts on uber resolutions.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
I don't need a lot. SLI support would be nice, but totally not necessary. Non-suck audio wouldn't hurt either, but I do have a standalone creative sound card that can come for the ride. Much of anything else aside from gigabit ethernet is unnecessary for the box.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
XP's coming along for the ride, but that said, assuming Windows 7 doesn't suck, that'll come into play eventually. Vista will never touch a machine I have at home or in the office.
 
Last edited:
HardwareGuru said:
By the way, what was the specs of your setup before it died? What size monitor do you have?
Click to expand...

Be ready to tell me it was a blessing that this sucker died.

Without actually having the machine in front of me...

AMD64 1.8ghz, socket 939. 2 gigs DDR, the aforementioned 8800 GT. 430W Thermaltake power supply, 80GB SATA HD.
 
Danny Bui said:
Well, there's a possible reason why your system died: Shitty PSU.
Click to expand...

Finding out if that is indeed the case this evening, when I get the always fun chore of gutting the machine and confirming the diagnosis. Preparing for the worst (and I was kind of looking for an excuse to do a major overhaul anyway), however.
 
Oh totally forgot to add: Both of HardwareGuru's setups are fairly solid.
 
My goodness, Athlon 64 3000+ you have the same build as mine. Well...I have a socket 754 Athlon 64 3000+ . Upgrade to a Quad Core system and you will notice an enormous boost in performance. I went from a single core Athlon 64 3000+ to a Q6600 and the performance increase is major. You will be quite happy with your new upgrade.


Coffee Warlord said:
Be ready to tell me it was a blessing that this sucker died.

Without actually having the machine in front of me...

AMD64 1.8ghz, socket 939. 2 gigs DDR, the aforementioned 8800 GT. 430W Thermaltake power supply, 80GB SATA HD.
Click to expand...
 
HardwareGuru said:
My goodness, Athlon 64 3000+ you have the same build as mine. Well...I have a socket 754 Athlon 64 3000+ . Upgrade to a Quad Core system and you will notice an enormous boost in performance. I went from a single core Athlon 64 3000+ to a Q6600 and the performance increase is major. You will be quite happy with your new upgrade.
Click to expand...

Being able to play good old Football Manager while not having to watch grass grow would be a rather drastic improvement. :)
 
Go for the Quad upgrade man. Looking at where you are coming from, you're not the type to upgrade that often. So, a Quad build will last you for quite a while. That 8800GT video card must have been choking on that single core Athlon cpu hehe. It will be happy paired a Quad CPU. How ironic, I have an 8800GT paired with my Q6600 right now.

Take your pic. Either choice you go with, you can't go wrong. I personally would go with the Phenom Quad myself.

CPU/MOBO - AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0ghz + GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 both for $270
RAM/HDD combo - OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB + WD6401AALS 640gig both for $120 ($10 MIR on ram)
PSU - BFG LS-550 for $68.49 w/free shipping
HEATSINK - XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm for $40 w/free shipping

Total: $498.49

CPU/MOBO – Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Yorkfield 2.66ghz + GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R both for $290 ($15 MIR on mobo)
RAM/HDD combo - OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB + WD6401AALS 640gig both for $120 ($10 MIR on ram)
PSU - BFG LS-550 for $68.49 w/free shipping
HEATSINK - XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm for $40 w/free shipping

Total: $518.49
 
knothead34 said:
i would go with combo two posted above thats a nice machine.
Click to expand...

you'll have to be more specific, lol... HG posted like 4 builds up there. ... and for the price, that intel build isn't looking good compared to the other options.
 
Whelp, after cutting the hell outta my hands testing the old machine (note: this case blows for swapping power supplies)...time to upgrade a very screwed machine.

The AMD quad core build won. My streak of non-intel machines continues. :)

Much appreciated, folks!
 
As an amusing side...best freakin' computer I've ever had, here. Old AMD 1.2ghz I dug out of the garage, having sat there through an entire Chicago winter, having survived me swapping parts out of it left and right to test things, having survived 3 moves...

I found the original HD for it, plugged it in, bam. Like it never left. It'll keep me online while I wait for the new box, at least. :)
 
Yup, I love my Athlon 64 3000+ cpu and MSI board combo I bought at CompUSA before. It has been running solid ever since. No issues whatsoever. Your Phenom II 940 Deneb build upgrade is going to scream. You should see at least 2,463.98% performance gain.
 
Quick little update/thanks.

Took me a bit of fighting and wrangling, but my spiffy new build is up, running, and rocking (and downloading a bajillion patches, applications, etc etc etc). Thanks again for the help folks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top