Q and A Session! (system build ?'s)

T

threeDguru

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
Messages
196
Well I have been out of the computer building scene for awhile and was looking to build my next computer. Couple questions and maybe if some of you could point me in the right direction.



Heres The Questions



1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming/Photo Editing

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$1200 before shipping

3) Where do you live?

Texas

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.

N/A

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

WD Raptor 74gb 10k rpm

6) Will you be overclocking?

No

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

19" LCD Samsung 930b

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

Next week in next month (2-4 weeks)

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.

Nothing Fancy, Crossfire Compatible

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes
 
With $1200 budget, most would recommend an Intel Core i7 build. But, out of curiosity, what is your current setup?
 
HardwareGuru said:
With $1200 budget, most would recommend an Intel Core i7 build. But, out of curiosity, what is your current setup?
Click to expand...

Haha here we go

Intel Pentium 4 Prescott 3.0 ghz
Asus P4
Corsair XMS 1GB PC3200
Nvidia 6800 Ultra
WD Raptor 74gb
Sony DRU-720A DVD-RW

Old System built about 3 years ago, still plays games but is lacking finally.
 
My goodness, anything would be a major upgrade to that. Do you plan on upgrading your monitor? Or, are you fine with that Samsung 19"?
 
the 19" is perfectly fine no image ghosting or anything

EDIT** Maybe a larger monitor could be nice, say 22" or something
 
Last edited:
What would you recommend, like I said im not sure what to look for and im totally in the dark ages
 
CPU/MOBO - Intel Core i7 920 + Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P both for $515 ($20 MIR on mobo)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.193606

RAM - A-DATA 6GB DDR3 1600 for $84 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211377

PSU/VIDEO - Antec EA650 + EVGA Gefocre GTX 260 (216) both for $240 ($25 MIR on video card)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.194124

HDD - WD6401AALS 640GB for $75 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

OPTICAL - Samsung 22X Sata DVD Burner for $24 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151176

CASE - Antec 300 for $55 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

MONITOR - Acer X223Wbd 22" for $150 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145

Total: $1,143 before shipping & taxes

This is just 1 example. There is other builds that can be put together. But, I think this is pretty solid as is.
 
Go with HardwareGuru's build -- no need to overthink things there.

Keep your Samsung 930b to use as a second monitor for Photoshop.
 
Here's another pretty solid setup

VIDEO/CPU - Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB + Intel Core i7 920 both for $445
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.186986

MOBO - ASUS P6T SE X58 for $206 w/free shipping
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010451

RAM - A-DATA 6GB DDR3 1600 for $84 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211377

HDD - WD6401AALS 640GB for $75 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

OPTICAL - Samsung 22X Sata DVD Burner for $24 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151176

CASE - Antec 300 for $55 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

PSU - PC Power & Cooling 750watt for $100 w/free shipping $30 MIR)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10005611

MONITOR - Acer X223Wbd 22" for $150 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145

Total: $1,139.00 before shipping & taxes
 
HardwareGuru said:
RAM - A-DATA 6GB DDR3 1600 for $84 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211377

PSU/VIDEO - Antec EA650 + EVGA Gefocre GTX 260 (216) both for $240 ($25 MIR on video card)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.194124
Click to expand...

Thems some pretty good deals.

I was trying to one-up you but I dont think I can....

or maybe I can:

Foxconn X58 "Flaming Blade"
- $180
- Horrible name
​

Newegg Ci7 920 + EVGA GTX 260 combo
- $445
- 55nm GT200
- free COD:WAW
​

BFG LS 550W
- $80 before $20 MIR.​

_________
$704.96 (where HardwareGuru was $750... and I like my PSU better :p)

edit: actually I dont know about that motherboard, its layout is terrible and it only has room for 6GB ram (not that you'd need any more)...
 
Last edited:
The weakest point is the hard drive: Only 10% faster than the WD 640GB Black drive that was mentioned earlier yet costs $110 more. That extra 10% performance increase is not worth $110 IMO.

I would also recommend getting the GTX260 since its performance is similar to that of the HD4870 but it comes with better support and a lifetime warranty from one of the big three:
$170 - BFG Tech BFGEGTX260896OCE GeForce GTX 260 896MB PCI-E Video Card

I'd go with the Corsair 750TX since it's $10 cheaper and is of equal quality to the PC P&C Silencer 750:
$110 - Corsair 750TX 750W PSU
 
Danny Bui said:
The weakest point is the hard drive: Only 10% faster than the WD 640GB Black drive that was mentioned earlier yet costs $110 more. That extra 10% performance increase is not worth $110 IMO.

I would also recommend getting the GTX260 since its performance is similar to that of the HD4870 but it comes with better support and a lifetime warranty from one of the big three:
$170 - BFG Tech BFGEGTX260896OCE GeForce GTX 260 896MB PCI-E Video Card

I'd go with the Corsair 750TX since it's $10 cheaper and is of equal quality to the PC P&C Silencer 750:
$110 - Corsair 750TX 750W PSU
Click to expand...

+1

You also get allot more room with the WD640.
 
threeDguru said:
Noted, What about the motherboard any pros or cons or suggestions?
Click to expand...

For some reason, I'm getting the vibe that the MSI X58 Pro is a bit on the low-end. No actual proof but a nagging little thought.
 
threeDguru said:
So what would one recommend for a mobo?
Click to expand...

The ones that have already been suggested:

Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P
Asus P6T or P6T SE

No need to go to the higher models, since you don't need anything fancy.

I agree, ditch the raptor. If you want speed, get a couple OCZ Vertex 30GB SSDs when they're on sale for $90AR and throw them in RAID0... now thats pricey storage, but will blow away any mechanical hard disk array. ;)
http://www.alphaq.org/enginurd/hdd/new.html

Go with HG's first build. The A-Data RAM is fine. If you're uncomfortable with it, get the G.Skill instead.
 
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