$800 + $X = New System

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
I just came into an unexpected $800 due to overpaid property taxes. Yahoo! I haven't owned my own computer for some time due to my having an XBox. Since I got this $800, I'm willing to spend that and a little more to put together a system I will be happy with for the next 3 years at least. Happiness is relative so lets just say the best I can buy for $1000.

I own 2 hard drives so I do not need to purchase them. I also have a monitor.

I was hoping that the wealth of knowledge of these boards could contribute some suggestions to what I should pick up. I don't want to wait until the Quad Cores become popular. I'd like to buy my PC before this weekend is over.


-----------------------------
Processor
That said, I'm looking for a Core 2 Duo processor with 2 GB DDR2 RAM.

The processor I'm likely to purchase is:

$313 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115003


I could be convinced to pick this one up if I want to save money but the $313 is a lot nicer for more than just the speed.

$221 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115004


Before I move on, the Processor has a 1066MHz FSB but the Memory Standard for the Mobo I'm looking at and others is usually 800Mhz. Does this mean I should get 800Mhz RAM?

-----------------------------
Mobo
As for a motherboard, I might get this:

$120 - ASUS P5B LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131030

I'm open to other suggestions. I'm not set on this board yet. I just figured that it is Quad Core ready in case I decide to upgrade one day.

------------------------------
Memory (RAM)
For RAM, who is the recognized preferred? Corsair or Patriot? I've always known Corsair to rule the world but it sounds like Patriot is great these days.

If I go 1066 Mhz:

Corsair:

$305 - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-8500C5 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145033

Patriot:
$309 - Patriot eXtreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC22G8500ELK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820220161


If I go 800 Mhz:
Corsair:

$185 - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145034

Patriot:

$189 -
Patriot eXtreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC22G6400LLK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820220144


-----------------------------------

I havent yet picked out a cas/power supply. I'm used to having a pretty big case with lots of room. For a power supply, 500 watts will be more than enough I hope.

Any suggestions are welcome. I also need a good DVD Burner and possibly a sound card.

I think that wraps it up. I have all the rest.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
Video card I think I'm getting is one of the following:

$209 - SAPPHIRE 100196L Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814102075

$199 - DIAMOND X1950PRO512PCIE Radeon X1950PRO GDDR3 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814103022

$219 - POWERCOLOR X1950PROXTR512M Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 VIVO Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814131030


Not a huge difference between any of these cards. The most notable difference is that the diamond's core clock is 575 MHz, the Sapphire is 580MHz, and the PC is 600MHz. I'll likely go for the Sapphire because I don't have to worry about a rebate :) .
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
Looking around, I've read that I might need specific cables on the power supply for the core 2 duo and need 30 amps for the video card I want. Any suggestions would be great. I can't figure out which stat I need to look for for that. Would it be the current for the +3.3V line?
 
S

sjandrewbsme

Senior member
Jan 1, 2007
304
0
0
It's pulling 30A on the DC rails at like 12VDC - not 120VAC at the supply end. The smaller the voltage the larger the current (given a constant power - where power in watts = volts times amps). So - it's not pulling anywhere near 30A at the outlet - I think most residential circuits are on 15A breakers.
 
A

alimoalem

Diamond Member
Sep 22, 2005
4,025
0
0
it looks like you've done your research in terms of cpu and motherboards, which is always good.

okay, one question that needs to get out of the way now: will you be overclocking? if so, what kind of an overclock are you looking for?

DO NOT get 1066 ram. get DDR2-667 or DDR2-800. here's some DDR2-800 that i would recommend (listed in order of price):

OCZ DDR2-800 CAS 5 - $176-20Rebate = $156
G.SKILL DDR2-800 CAS 5 - $165
Corsair DDR2-800 CAS 5 - $206-40Rebate = $166 (the one you listed went up in price)
OCZ DDR2-800 CAS 4 - $200-25Rebate =$175

DO NOT get the x1950pro. for $60 more, you'll get more than twice the graphics performance: EVGA 8800GTS 320MB - $280. it's a DX10 card, too. there are a couple factory overclocked ones on newegg for $10-20 more.

i think you'll be overclocking cause of the ram you're looking at. if so, go with the C2D E4300. it's 1.8GHz but it overclocks like mad and has a 9x multiplier (iirc) while the e6400 has an 8x multiplier, so you'll still reach whatever overclock you were planning on getting with the E6400.

with the E4300, Asus P5B, 8800GTS, and the $156 OCZ ram, you're at $725. that gives you a nice cushion for your case, psu, etc.

for the PSU, i would go with either the Enermax Liberty 500w for $105AR or the Enhance 5150GH 500w for $69. with either of them, you'll have ~$200 to spend on the rest of the stuff, and have a hell of a system
 
A

alimoalem

Diamond Member
Sep 22, 2005
4,025
0
0
Originally posted by: Joeygates
I'm thinking of getting:

$59 - Eagle Tech ET-PSVO700 ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817193013
Click to expand...

i wouldn't go with this, personally. i've never heard of the company so it may not reliable. also, it has 20A on both of its 12V rails and lists that it can draw 40A total from both of them combined, which i highly doubt. the enermax liberty i linked in my previous post has 22A on each rail but has a combined output of 32A.

also, the better companies rate their power supplies at higher temps than the unbranded ones, use better parts (usually), and list their power supply's continuous power output, not peak power output.

i just looked. the PSU you listed does NOT have PFC, which is pretty standard these days. i'd stay away from it. plus, you'll only need a good 450-500w psu for your rig
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
Right. I'm still figuring out the power supply. Thanks. I'll look at th one you suggested. All I wanted was 500 watt but this was inexepensive.

I likely won't be overclocking.

The Corsair ram you listed actually went down in price if you consider the rebate. If you consider the rebate from today, it was $185 or something like that. Thanks for mentioning it though because now that its $165 that will be the one I get.

I appreciate all your help so far. I think I will buy tomorrow.

Btw, do you recommend a 64 bit OS? Also, do you recommend Vista?
 
N

NOTuserfriendly

Member
Jan 7, 2007
29
0
0
whatever you do DON'T GET ALL THE OTHER PARTS from brand names then get a crappy PSU
thats the worst thing you can do
if u get a crappy PSU its going to ruin all the other stuff
never go lower then 100$ in a PSu or you will regret it later
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
Actually, I just realized, you linked different RAM but I can't see what is different about it other than the price. My link did go up. Thanks for pointing that out!!
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
Originally posted by: NOTuserfriendly
whatever you do DON'T GET ALL THE OTHER PARTS from brand names then get a crappy PSU
thats the worst thing you can do
if u get a crappy PSU its going to ruin all the other stuff
never go lower then 100$ in a PSu or you will regret it later
Click to expand...

Heh, I know I shouldn't use a no name brand. I just wasn't sure if the brand name was considered no-name :) . As for the price thing, eh, Im not sure if I agree with you on that. I had a very nice thermaltake last forever on my last computer. Its still living on after like 2 years to the person I sold it to. I've never really paid more than $60 for a PS.
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
Alimoalem,

Do you think its worth sticking with the $313 processor I listed? I chose that over the $221 one I listed not just for the speed increase but the 4MB cache as well. People seemed to think that was a great benefit in comparison to the lower end one. What do you think? I don't intend to overclock these as I don't really have the knowledge about OCing.
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
I'm having trouble determining what makes a power supply capable of generating 30 amps for my video card. Would you mind explaining or linking me to something that might?

Also, I read something earlier about needing a specific feature on a power supply to support a core 2 duo processor. Any idea what that might be? I cant remember where I Read it.
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
I should have clarified. I'm looking for a 500+ Watt one that can handle PCI Express and 30 amps to the video card. Almost but not there. Thanks anyway.
 
A

alimoalem

Diamond Member
Sep 22, 2005
4,025
0
0
Originally posted by: Joeygates
Alimoalem,

Do you think its worth sticking with the $313 processor I listed? I chose that over the $221 one I listed not just for the speed increase but the 4MB cache as well. People seemed to think that was a great benefit in comparison to the lower end one. What do you think? I don't intend to overclock these as I don't really have the knowledge about OCing.
Click to expand...

the E6420 and E6320 are coming out soon, which are basically the E6400 and 6300, just with 4mb cache. i read it in Anand's CPU section (the CPU tab at the top of the page) a couple weeks ago. Core2Duo's really shine when it comes to overclocking, otherwise they're close to AMD's X2s and Opterons (maybe 15-20% faster). with your budget, i can't see an E6600 as doable, especially with an 8800GTS. if you're willing to go a little over your budget it's fine, but i would personally either go with the E4300, E6400, or wait for the E6420 if you want the 4mb.

about the Corsair RAM, the one you linked is CAS 4 while the one i linked is CAS 5 (the lower the better...). whether it's worth $20 is up to you (you'll see maybe 1-2% difference in benchmarks).

i'm not too familiar with 64-bit OS's so i can't help you there. post in the software forum to see if there are still a lot of bugs

NOTuserfriendly has a point about not skimping but yea, you don't need to spend $100. the fortron 450w for $50 is a perfect example, so is the enhance i linked. thermaltakes and ultra-x's can be had for very cheap (after rebates) and aren't bad; they certainly aren't unbranded.

about power supplies, i'm not sure what you mean what makes a power supply capable of generating 30 amps for the video card. i really doubt the 8800GTS needs 30 amps...most companies inflate the needed specs so those with garbage PSU's don't say "but my power supply says it can handle XX amps" when in reality in can handle much less. also, i haven't heard anything about core 2 duos needing special power supplies. any new decent one you buy should be fine. i have heard newer video cards needing 24pin power supplies as opposed to 20 pin ones, though

on a last note, i wouldn't go crazy on the CPU. i would get the E4300 now for $169 and upgrade later if needed. i really doubt you'll be needing to upgrade the E4300 anytime soon and doing a mild overclock (up to 2.5GHz...faster than a stock E6600) is not hard. just read up on the guides on this forum and you should be fine
 
tcG

tcG

Golden Member
Jul 31, 2006
1,202
18
81
RAM decision... ouch. I guess it doesn't matter much since you're not overclocking though.
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
What RAM would you have suggested? The first ones I mentioned went up to 1066 but Alimolalem suggested one of the ones that went to 800 with slightly worse timings.

I might eventually overclock, but I'll never push the system hard enough where I would need more than the stock cooling. Its not really very worth it to me. Some manufacturers used to void your warranty if you OC'ed and something broke. Is that still the way things are?
 
J

Joeygates

Member
Mar 4, 2007
78
0
0
I actually saw that one. The video card they chose was poor and they included HD's, a sound card, and even things like mice and keyboards so it was somewhat off the mark. Thanks anyway. I still appreciate the input.
 
N

NOTuserfriendly

Member
Jan 7, 2007
29
0
0
Originally posted by: Joeygates
Originally posted by: NOTuserfriendly
whatever you do DON'T GET ALL THE OTHER PARTS from brand names then get a crappy PSU
thats the worst thing you can do
if u get a crappy PSU its going to ruin all the other stuff
never go lower then 100$ in a PSu or you will regret it later
Click to expand...

Heh, I know I shouldn't use a no name brand. I just wasn't sure if the brand name was considered no-name :) . As for the price thing, eh, Im not sure if I agree with you on that. I had a very nice thermaltake last forever on my last computer. Its still living on after like 2 years to the person I sold it to. I've never really paid more than $60 for a PS.
Click to expand...

well.. i always use good PSU and no offense but thermaltake is crappy brand
but it always depends on price... and how much u want to spend
it would suck for you if your PSU died
OR ** EXPLODED** lol jk
still u have a nice build
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom