Recomendations or corrections for build

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svhsbaseball63

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Nov 29, 2008
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I am looking to build a computer in the 600-700 dollar price range.
I plan on using it for gaming (not the most die hard game enthusiast), but i would still like to be able to run most games on a decent setting; along with the ability to run autocad smoothly.

I will not need a disk drive, i plan on salvaging one i already have.

So far this is what i have come up with, i am open to any and all recommendations.

Case/psu
APEVIA X-ALIEN MX-ALIEN-BK/500 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case ATX 500W
99$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144206

Cpu
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
189$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

Video card
EVGA 512-P3-N971-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
119$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130397

Mobo
ASUS P5N-D LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
135$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131232

Hd
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
60$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

Memory
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5
55$ (25$ after rebate so my go ahead and get 8gb)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184


Beings the grand total to somewhere around 650$
Im up for any recommended changes thanks for the help
 
Rather than go through and say what's wrong with your PC, here's a better build:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU - $190
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard - $130
Corsair TWIN2X4096-6400C5 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $55
Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $70
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $67
Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $50
eVGA 512-P3-N971-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB PCI-E Video Card - $120
----
Total: $672 plus tax and shipping

Key differences:
- SIGNIFICANTLY better quality PSU.
- SIGNIFICANTLY better hard drive in terms of speed, storage and overall value
- SIGNIFICANTLY better quality motherboard

But for any future builds you may do, I will expand on the key mistake you made: Never use an Apevia PSU or the PSU bundled with an Apevia case. That will be sentencing your hardware to death. Simply put: Apevia makes shitty over-rated (in terms of both power and reputation) PSUs that are more than likely to damage your hardware in the long run. Here's my proof:
Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL
Apevia Warlock Power 900W
XQPack's Included 420W PSU
Aspire Beast 680W Power Supply

So whatever you do, never use an Apevia PSU with a system you want running.
 
Also, mail-in rebates don't offer instant discounts... so unless you plan on doing some major Photoshopping or video editing, or you plan on running a lot of VMs all at one, I recommend that you stick with 4GB.
 
Thanks a ton, i was pretty clueless on the whole power supply thanks for clearing that up
and yes i think i may forgo the extra 4gb of ram

Thanks guys for clearing those things up. any other ideas are still welcome
 
An alternative choice for a new case and power supply:

$50 - Antec Earthwatts EA500 500W PSU
$60 - Antec Solo ATX mid-tower case

Both items have free ground shipping. Danny's choices, however, are a bit better (particularly the PSU).
 
Nowadays, having a lot of power from the 12V rail -- which is where today's components get much of their power from. For most people, we recommend power supplies that are 80 Plus certified, have Active PFC, and generates at least 30A (or 360W) from their combined 12V rails. While you don't always need a 600+ watt power supply, we try to recommend more powerful PSUs in anticipation of people's future needs (like, whether or not they go with an SLI or a CrossFire setup).

(Caveat: This is obviously a gross oversimplification. Sites like jonnyguru.com could give you a better or more accurate answer.)
 
Since your priority is gaming, I'm going to suggest a Dual Core CPU with a better GFX card:

e8400 + P5Q Pro Combo - $245 - $15MIR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.138376

Danny's BFG PSU (The price is lower than what Danny posted) - $42 w/ FS: http://www.buy.com/prod/bfg-tech-55...-eps12v-power-supply/q/loc/101/207955009.html

Danny's Case - $50 + shipping:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152

Powercolor 4870 - $209 - $15 MIR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131117

Gskill DDR2 800 - $45 w/ FS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

The only HDD recommended here - $70: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Totals to: roughly $661

With this you get a significant boost with your games because of the much better video card. The powercolor card is a really great value, although I will say that Powercolor doesn't have the bullet proof reputation of other manufacturers like vistiontek, evga, bfg and gigabyte.
 
InnocentNoobie said:
http://www.buy.com/prod/bfg-tech-550w-atx12v-powerI%20rec-supply-bfg-tech-550w-eps12v-power-supply/q/loc/101/207955009.html[/url]
Click to expand...

Umm, we posted the same link to the BFG PSU. I just didn't factor in the MIR that dropped the BFG from $67 to $42. Tiraides can tell you why I know MIR should not be counted :)
 
Danny Bui said:
Umm, we posted the same link to the BFG PSU. I just didn't factor in the MIR that dropped the BFG from $67 to $42. Tiraides can tell you why I know MIR should not be counted :)
Click to expand...

The first reason is that the mail-in rebate amount isn't instant savings; and you'll have to wait for weeks after the purchase before you even see the "savings." This distorts the actual value of the item, especially for those who are looking for parts on a fixed budget. They may be able to buy a $40 power supply, but they may not have enough wiggle room for a $70 PSU. (Bad analogy? Maybe, but I've dealt with a few cases where this was the issue.)

The other key reason is that there's no 100% guarantee that you'll receive the rebate amount -- even if you do everything correctly on your end. With the recent news about one of the companies that handle MIRs going bankrupt, the risk has become even more pronounced.

My only point is that you shouldn't put MIRs in the same category as sale prices, free shipping, and/or bundle deals.
 
Danny Bui said:
Umm, we posted the same link to the BFG PSU. I just didn't factor in the MIR that dropped the BFG from $67 to $42. Tiraides can tell you why I know MIR should not be counted :)
Click to expand...

My bad. I thought those were instant rebates because it said "Total Price = $42."
 
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