Solid 1000 dollar build?

[xunknown87x]

Hello all, I have decided to go through and buy the parts to build a computer. What do you guys think on my build. I wanted to stay at 1000 for aiming for a budget build that would last me a good 2 years, then overclcock it or upgrade. Also, I will be running duel monitor with my 20 inch ultrasharp dell as primary, then my samsung 4071 as a secondary. Do you think this computer could handing playing a high def/blue ray movie on my TV while running a game on decent settings in a window and being able to browse the web without much lag? Any suggestions would be welcomed too, thanks.

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 120.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail 110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139001

GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail 140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128082

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail 190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115029

EVGA 512-P3-N802-AR GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail 180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130319

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKB 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM 105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136111

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail 36 X 2 = 70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146565

LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe - Retail 33.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106072

= 950

Then I haven't really decided on an operating system. I hoping I could maybe get one from my dads work for free, but who knows.

 

[wildfire99]

For the same price as that E6750 why not get an E8400?

Do you really NEED RAID? The Gigabyte DS3L is $40 less.

The corsair PSU is nice, but pricey. For a budget build, maybe you can get something with more watts for the same price in case you move to a power-hungry video card later. Is the Corsair 650TX a better option for a non-SLI system?

The video card is single slot... what about a dual-slot solution for a quieter fan? Unless you're going to step-up, how about an 8800GTS for $199AR with a game? Of course, this MSI 8800GT is even cheaper at $180 with game, and is clocked faster than the eVGA and is very quiet.

Those 2GB crucial kits come with a $30 off combo offer on a 650W PSU, also.

This Lite-On is actually the newest model they have, your LH-20A1L-06 is a couple generations behind.

If you want Blu-Ray then yeah, you need the $120 reader. Also, what are you doing for audio?

With 4GB in the box, you want Vista 64 bit. I think $89.99 (home premium OEM) is pretty much the cheapest on that one, unless you go educational, but that's still what, $60?

 

[JamesL]

This would have been a great setup about 1-2 months ago. But accommodations should be made for price drops since then..
The e6750 used to be a great choice.. even after the e8400 came out, and lingered at around $230, but the q6600 can be had for around $200 now..
If you think it's worth it, the 640gb caviar is supposed to be really fast, and costs about $20 more than the 500gb model.
EP35c-DS3R was never really a good motherboard choice imo. The ddr3/ddr2 thing is just plain useless. You should be getting ddr3 memory so it's compatible with your newest motherboard/upgrade, not the other way around(you shouldn't be getting a ddr3 motherboard to use ddr3 memory)
The motherboard I have(ip35-e) is excellent, and has given me no problems whatsoever.. (should definitely jump on it if they're still giving out those $30 rebates).. the ds3l is another good choice if you don't need raid.
Like said, the 512mb gts and free game could be had for 199 AR.
It'll be a pretty solid system, and should handle all of the above with ease..

 

[tiraides]

You've posted your links wrong. You need to include the entire hyperlink, not just what you've copied from another person's post.

As an alternative to the Antec 900, consider the Cooler Master Centurion 590, which has the same cooling capabilities (and two 120mm fans slots instead of the 200cm fan on top) for less money. If you need extra cooling fans, pick up some Yate Loon 120mm fans -- they're available at many places for around $4-$6 per fan.

Here's an E8400 at a decent price ($215 shipped for a retail kit). Basically, don't spend more than $220 on an E8400 processor... it's a much better chip than the E6750, allowing you to overclock up to 4GB (YMMV) with air cooling. You may want to also consider the quad-core Q6600, which is available now for around $250.

If you can scrounge up the extra money, consider getting a better CPU cooler... one of the following would perform much better than the stock HSF, and would cool an overclocked processor.

Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $37
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $50
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Noctua NH-U12P HSF - $60
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14

The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme/Scythe S-FLEX combo and the Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 are the two popular choices.

If you want all of those extra features, get the GA-EP35-DS3R. You don't need DDR3 support for this build... not at this time. If you don't need any of those features, then the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L or the Abit IP35-E are good, cheap alternatives.

For the same price as one 2x1GB Crucial Ballistix kit, you could purchase an A-DATA 2x2GB kit, which could suit your needs just as well, yet generates less strain on the motherboard's MCH. If you plan on overclocking the E8400 (get that instead of the E6750, if you can find it in stock), I suggest buying a 4GB DDR2 1000 kit.

Since it's not guaranteed that you'll get the OS for free, factor the cost of one into your budget. Vista Home Premium is available for $100 shipped. Don't get Vista Home Basic, as even Windows XP Home has more features than Vista Home Basic. (Make sure that the OS is 64-bit, otherwise you'll only have access to around 3.2GB-3.5GB of RAM.)

I agree with JamesL: Get the 640GB drive over the 500GB drive.

Get the Lite-On DVD burner that wildfire99 recommended because it's cheaper, not because your choice is "outdated." (My "outdated" LH-20A1S still works fine for my needs....) As an alternative, consider the Samsung SH-S203B, which runs quieter than other DVD burners (though it lacks LightScribe... but that's not really a true loss...).

While the 8800GT would be enough for just gaming, for the multitasking you're planning to do (one question: At the same time? Why?), you may be better off with a quad-core and the 512MB 8800GTS.

Get the Corsair power supply from Buy.com. Buy.com has the Corsairs for less than NewEgg, and it offers free shipping and mail-in rebates (for most models). You could purchase the VX550, the TX650, or the HX520 for under $100 each (listed in the order of their before-rebate cost).

 

[xunknown87x]

Okay, I did some revisions

CASE
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 120.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
or
COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152

POWER SUPPLY
Corsair 520W SLI Certified Modular ATX Power Supply - CMPSU-520HX 100. 90 AMIR
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-520w-sli-certified-modular-atx-power-supply/q/loc/101/203270716.html

MOTHERBOARD
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Core 2 Quad Socket 775 1600 MHz ATX Motherboard Retail 125
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007760&prodlist=froogle

PROCESSOR + COOLER
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail 210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail 45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223

GRAPHICS CARD
MSI NX8800GTS 512M OC GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Witcher PC game w/ purchase, while supplies last 230. 200 after mail in rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127325
or
MSI NX8800GT 512M OC GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Witcher PC game w/ purchase 210. 180 after mail in rebate

HARD DRIVE
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM 90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

MEMORY
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail 80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
or
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail 100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

DVD DRIVE
LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache E-IDE/ATAPI 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM 30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106229

=
910 or 1000

 

[Ocellaris]

Looks great, though you may want to consider getting one of the coolers listed in tiraides post instead of the Zalman. The Zalman is not bad or anything, I just do not think its worth $45 unless you want something that looks nice

 

[tiraides]

Please answer the following questions...

• Is your $1000 budget firm (as in, you can spend one cent over $1000, even with shipping/taxes added in)?
• Do you plan on doing any overclocking? If so, how much?
• Are you really going to multitask as much as you've mentioned in your OP?
• Do you have an OS license you could use right now?
• What's the priority of this rig? Overclocking? Multitasking? Gaming? Under budget?

 

[HardwareGuru]

Pretty good setup. I agree with ocellaris. That Zalman 9500 heatsink is a good heatink. It was very good before but it has been surpassed by the heatsinks listed by tiraides. My brother has that Zalman on his AMD FX-57 CPU. I personally like how the Tuniq Tower 120 looks in the Antec 900 case.

 

[xunknown87x]

Please answer the following questions...

• Is your $1000 budget firm (as in, you can spend one cent over $1000, even with shipping/taxes added in)?
• Do you plan on doing any overclocking? If so, how much?
• Are you really going to multitask as much as you've mentioned in your OP?
• Do you have an OS license you could use right now?
• What's the priority of this rig? Overclocking? Multitasking? Gaming? Under budget?

Yes it can go above 1000 with tax and shipping, I was shooting for 900 before tax/shipping so it would make it around 1000 final.
I would like to start out not over clocking if possible. I don't know much about overclocking and the stress it puts on the rig.
I will not be multitasking 24/7 but if I were to, the situation above is the ideal multitasking that will be done (playing a blue ray movie (non dvd, its a file) on my TV, then having TF2 running in a window with surfing on my dell monitor)
I might have a OS laying around the house, but was hoping to hustle a free copy of vista from my dads work.
As far as priority, I just wanted to buy something around 1000 dollars that will consume some of my free time, and allowing me to save money by not going out as much. Kinda like an investment.

 

[xunknown87x]

Well, I'm mainly getting sick of using my laptop as my primary computer, its a pentium m 2ghz, 1 gig ram, geforce 6800, and i'm running the tv as second monitor, It be nice just actually having a real pc. My pc ill be replacing is a pentium 3 500mhz, 384 ram, 64 meg geforce 2, lol. So its long due for an upgrade.

I currently go to a community college and work full time, so I would like the computer to run as a solid rig till beginning of 2010. I highly doubt i will be taking this to college because its not very portible. So after college, I will continue to use this and maybe overclock it till I feel its time for a new upgrade.

 

[tiraides]

For your "ideal" mutlitasking, the 8800GTS would get the job done.

If you really plan on multitasking, you may also want to consider a quad-core processor. Right now, Frys.com has the Q6600 on sale for under $200.

Since you're not planning on overclocking (right away), the 4GB DDR2 800 kit would be enough. You could even get a decent overclock from the RAM kit (if/when you decide to do so).

I'm going to (again) recommend that you choose one of the CPU coolers that I've recommended earlier. Each one would perform better than the Zalman CPU cooler that you chose.

Many people here don't like the Antec 900 due to its poor cable management capabilities. (Though, IIRC, the Centurion 590 isn't much better.) But cases are a matter of personal taste, so I'll stop there.

 

[engiNURD]

I agree with tiraides. Definitely ditch that Zalman. Go for the Zerotherm nirvana instead.