The $600 build. Flaws?

I

infection

n00b
Joined
May 16, 2008
Messages
25
First of all, I 99% of the time will only be gaming on this.

Secondly, the only game I played is WoW. Haven't played Fps games in forever and I'm quite happy with WoW and have been playing it for 3 years now.

My old system has 2 GB ram, a 6600gt, and a amd proc, which plays WoW fine, but does not play WoW incredible. My wife recently started playing, and with this extra cash we have, I figured I'd make a better system than what I have and give her my old one. I play a LOT more than her, so I figured I'd get one that could run WoW better.

Any suggestions on things I went wrong with here?

Thanks for any help.


XION II XON-101 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W Power Supply - Retail
69.99

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Retail 109.99

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
149.99

APEVIA ATX-CW500WP4 500W ATX Power Supply 115/ 230 V UL, CSA, TUV, CE - Retail 39.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail 134.99

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail 24.99

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail 44.99

LITE-ON Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-16D2P-04 - OEM 16.99 (I absolutely do not use this except to install games, just put it in here anyway. I don't burn cd's or play stuff off cd's)
 
Get the GA-EP35-DS3L for $20 less.

320MB/640MB 8800GTS cards are not highly recommended since they use an older core design which runs hotter, slower, and lacks features like HD video decoding. You would be better off with an 8800GS, 9600GT, 8800GT, or a 512MB 8800GTS.

Don't buy a cheap, generic power supply. The case you chose comes with a 450W power supply, so buying an additional crappy 500W PSU doesn't sound like a good plan. You could probably get by on the included 450W power supply for a while, but be ready to replace it when it fails and hope that it doesn't take other parts with it.

The Freezer 64 Pro is not compatible with LGA775 sockets, you would need the Freezer 7 Pro. The stock cooler that comes with your retail boxed E7200 might be good enough even for a mild overclock.
 
Look for a power supply from one of the following brands: Antec (preferably the EarthWatts models), PC Power & Cooling, Corsair, Seasonic, Silverstone, Thermaltake (ToughPower models only), and Enermax. Shop around, as NewEgg often carries higher prices on power supplies than other places. And be prepared to spend a little more on a power supply; you generally get what you pay for quality-wise.

Check out the following for additional PSU suggestions:

Hardware Secrets - Why 99% of All Power Supply Reviews Are Wrong
JonnyGURU's Power Supply FAQ
JonnyGURU - PSU Recommendations for High-End Gaming PCs
JonnyGURU - Recommended Sub-$150, High Efficiency PSUs
 
So how about OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V CB, CE, CSA, UL, FCC - Retail 79.99

MSI N9600GT-T2D512 GeForce 9600GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail 152.99

I switched out for the Ga-ep35 as well along with making the cooler the 7 Pro.

Total cost right now is at $616

I'm trying to base my purchase on the reviews and price at the same time, so its hard juggling some of these. I'm obviously going to go over my 600 at this point, but really want to lock down something good on the things i'm going to overspend on. (video, ram, and now power supply :) Oh, and I'm not counting rebates since you sometimes fail to get those.

Any thoughts on these new changes?
 
The OCZ ---XStream models are bad choices, as they are known to produce out-of-spec fluctuations, aka ripple, at high loads that could kill your system. Stick with the PC Power & Cooling line if you want an OCZ-based power supply.

Ignore NewEgg reviews for the most part, as they are often made by people who have no (full) idea of what they're talking about. Stick to hardware sites like the [H] if you want a more accurate assessment.
 
You're gonna buy solely from newegg, drop theXion case get the Antec Sonata III case for $130. It comes with a decent Antec Earthwatts 500W PSU. You'll save about $30 that way.

Also, drop the DS3L motherboard and go for the newer version of that motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90

That's $20 off right there. And like dhc014 has said, that Freezer 64 is NOT compatible with Intel CPUs. So pick up this HSF instead:
Xigmatek HDT-S963 92mm Rifle HSF - $25
 
a solid 600 watts is way overkill.

If you get a decent brand, 450 will do you fine if you don't plan on OCing heavy or using SLI.

Get a cheaper CPU if you can stand it, 2MB cache core2 would do fine if you OCed it a little. I'd get a 9600 GT for a videocard, and to top it off, go with 4 gigs of ram, you won't regret it.
 
For the same price as the XION case/PSU combo and the Apevia PSU, you can buy the Sonata III from Buy.com.

For the same price as the 320MB 8800GTS you could buy the 9600GT, which is a much better card capable of playing games (including WoW) on a 20 inch widescreen LCD.

Also, consider a SATA DVD-ROM drive. Though it offers no difference performance-wise, the smaller, thinner SATA cables are easier to manage in the case than the larger, wider IDE cables. (When you factor in shipping as well, the SATA drive costs about the same as the IDE drive.)

Totaling it all out...

$110 - Antec Sonata III w/ EarthWatts 500W PSU (Buy.com - free shipping)
$90 - Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L (NewEgg)
$132 - Intel C2D E7200 (NewEgg - free shipping)
$45 - G.Skill 2x1GB DDR2 800 kit (NewEgg - free shipping)
$25 - Xigmatek HDT-S963 (NewEgg - $10 mail-in rebate)
$150 - EVGA 9600GT (NewEgg - free shipping & $10 mail-in rebate)
$17 - Lite-On DH-16D2S-04 SATA DVD-ROM drive (NewEgg)
=====
$569 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

Shipping might bump the total a little above $600, but not by much (if at all).
 
thanks for the responses guys. going to review over this and try to finalize my choices on monday.

this always turns out more complicated than it seems at first... lol
 
D'oh! I forgot about the hard drive?

Do you need one? Do you want a large(r) one?

And which monitor do you have/are you getting?
 
Oh, I have a baracuda 7200 160GB HD already with windows xp on it. No use buying another.
 
I read a review on the Antec case.

This part has me worried.

"If you are a fan of the original Sonata, you sure will love this case and the the upgrades will definitely make this case a great choice for those who need a case with a good quality power supply but don't expect it to run your quad core with 8800GTX SLI (or HD 2900 XT crossfire as the power supply does not come with 8 pin PCI-E)."

Will I be dead in the water from trying to run this current setup with this power supply?
 
You're fine -- quad core+8800GTX SLI is a far cry from dual core + single 9600GT, it will be more than adequate for your needs. And regarding the PCI-e plugs, no big deal either, IIRC the 9600 needs simply a single 6 pin, which the Sonta/it's PSU has (actually it has 2).

Take 95% of Newegg's "reviews" with a grain of salt as they say - most are total bull.
 
Kush is right, don't worry about it. You're not running a quad-core and 8800GTX SLI so no need to worry about your power needs. The Antec Earthwatts 500W is more than enough power for your rig.
 
Hey guys, first time poster. Just wanted to say I've been following this thread because I was in the same situation as infection, looking to build a PC with my tax refund. I went ahead and purchased the solution you guys provided. Great job!
 
I'm curious as why the EP35 is recommended over the P35. From what I heard, the EP35 is horrid for overclocking as any voltage changes will be set back to stock voltage after you reboot because of the energy saver function.
 
I haven't heard of anyone here having problems with the EP35 boards. (Then again, I haven't done a fully in-depth search. IIRC, you can disable some of the energy saver functions in the BIOS.) The EP35 boards are currently being priced the same as the P35 boards originally were -- but the P35 boards are now $20-$30 more.
 
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