$1000 budget - Intel rig

[oddyager]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for: The only two games that will be installed and played are Oblivion and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Call of Duty 4... maybe...). Aside from those two it'll be general tasks like word/spreadsheets/powerpoints.

2. What YOUR budget is: I would say $1000 for the parts I need.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from: USA. More than likely all from newegg.com and fans coolers from other sites.

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. Couldn't care less who makes it as long as its reliable.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are: Yes. The Thermaltake Tsunami case. There's a 320GB HD that stores ALL of my data/docs that will be the secondary HD of this new build. DVD drives also will migrate over.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads: Yes.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds: I plan to do some OC'ing but probaly won't invest as much time as I did when I built the DFI lanParty Ultra-D kit/Athlon 3000 Venice core which took a considerable amount of time to do.

8. WHEN do you plan to build it? Maybe in a month or so.


So this is currently what I have spec-ed at the moment:

NewEgg Wish List


What are your thoughts?

 

[modoheo]

Looks great except I'm not a fan of big heatsinks on RAM since they too often get in the way of CPU cooler installation - speaking of which, if you want to overclock, you should get an aftermarket cooler like the xigmatek:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835233003

Your overclocking efforts will be much less time-consuming and much more fruitful with the Wolfdale than they likely were with the Venice CPU.

 

[oddyager]

Originally posted by: modoheo
Looks great except I'm not a fan of big heatsinks on RAM since they too often get in the way of CPU cooler installation - speaking of which, if you want to overclock, you should get an aftermarket cooler like the xigmatek:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835233003

Your overclocking efforts will be much less time-consuming and much more fruitful with the Wolfdale than they likely were with the Venice CPU.

Thanks. I was considering the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme for cooling the E8400 but that's something else to think about, too.

The Venice was a fun thing to OC back then for me, but only because of the flexibility the DFI board gave me. I took it from 1.8 Ghz to 2.7 Ghz and it ran quite stable for me.

 

[oddyager]

*BUMP*

Is the motherboard overkill? I probably will not be dual carding the board.

 

[DaveSimmons]

PCPower "silencer" branding is a lie from the recent reviews I've seen. How about a nice Seasonic S12 instead?

That's a nice motherboard if there is a good chance you'll be adding a second 4850, otherwise it's $50-100 more than you need to pay.

 

[oddyager]

I modified the wish list. This will leave me roughly $200 or so in the budget which I can put towards a full retail version of Vista 64-bit (ugh the Home Premium is still $220+) or can be used to upgrade other pieces. I guess if I ever want to make use of the 4 Gb on the board I will need to jump to a 64 bit platform...

 

[modoheo]

I don't know of any reason to get Vista 64 retail version - the OEM installs just the same and only runs 100-110 bucks:
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116204

The PSU you chose is probably fine, though I haven't read any reviews of it. For that price I agree with Dave, I'd go with a SeaSonic or Corsair unit (consistent good quality and long track record).

 

[oddyager]

Originally posted by: modoheo
I don't know of any reason to get Vista 64 retail version - the OEM installs just the same and only runs 100-110 bucks:
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116204

The PSU you chose is probably fine, though I haven't read any reviews of it. For that price I agree with Dave, I'd go with a SeaSonic or Corsair unit (consistent good quality and long track record).

That's true on the OEM disc but its tied to the motherboard, no? I guess I'll have to ask myself if there's any chance this board will get upgraded and replaced. I ended up removing the 4850 card and just stick with the 8800GT since it was purchased pretty recently and the difference bwteen that and the 4850 doesn't justify the cost.

EDIT: Actually having said that if I go with OEM then I should pick a motherboard for the long haul?

 

[modoheo]

Technically, I don't think it's tied to the motherboard. As long as you don't use the version on mutiple computers at once, you should be fine.

There's probably no such thing as a "motherboard for the long haul" right now, since the new Nehalem Intel CPU's will be out in the next 6-12 months and will require a new mobo (new socket).

 

[roguerower]

The rig I just built came in at EXACTLY 1k:

Corsair 550w 80+ PSU
CM 590 Case
Asus P5Q Deluxe mobo
E8400
ATI 4850
4gb G.skill DDR2800
WD 640 Caviar
Asus SATA DVD
AC 7 Pro

I know u said that you will be keeping certain items but just wanted you to get a full feel of what mine came out to. The money saved from the Case/Optical drive is your fund for your OS.