About to push the button..

[Soujiroh]

I'm building a new rig for college. It'll be used mostly for school, gaming, movies, etc. I'm on a tight budget of $1000+ or - $100 (includes monitor in price). I'm also looking foward to OC'ing the CPU, ram, and videocard, but also new to OCing. Quietness is a plus in this build..

The components are as follow:

AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3000+* 939pins $126.00 after shipping @ewiz

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 ULTRA-D nForce4 Ultra Athlon 64 $124.00 @ZZF

Thermalright XP-90 @SVC $30.00 after shipping

Panaflo 92mm $10

NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A OEM $41.99 @Newegg

Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 $61.74 (quietness is a plus. Wonder if this psu is quiet, but not looking to spend a fortune on a seasonic)

Components I'm still debating and questionable about are:

Ram: Looking for OCZ value vx, but can't seem to find any under $90

Videocard: 6600gt $150
any recommendations on which one to get?

Case: I'm looking for a good aluminum case that'll reduce heat and has good air flow. The following are the cases I found that I thought were decent(The case has to be black and also needs to have a side panel window): $100

Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $120.00 after shipping
or
Kingwin KT-424-BK-WM
or
Lian-Li PC-7BPlus Windowed Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Case with clear side-window

Shipping kills because of these heavy aluminum cases...

Monitor: Likely going to go with a CRT until I save up enough money for an LCD. Any recommendations? at least 19 inches $100-150
I was looking at this from tigerdirect
ThiinkVision /19-Inch /1600 x 1200 0.26mm / Pure Flat Black CRT Monitor Off-Lease
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications...16&SRCCODE=SHOPPINGDF&CMP=OTC-SHOPPING
Any comments or better suggestions on this cheap 19inch crt?

After adding everything up, my total was about $900, which is good because I need the extra money for college.

All comments, opinions, etc. are welcome! Thanks!!

 

[mwmorph]

6600gt is behind the curev for gaming. get a 6800 at least.
ram, jsut go plain generic ram 1gb. no difference since you run a amd64
personally, i prefer the Trinity case(420w psu), but whatever floats your boat. Antec Sonata is very quiet too and comes with a quiet 380w psu, which should be enough unless you look forward to oc..

 

[Soujiroh]

I've been reading about the dfi mobo and it seems to be picky about ram. Most users recommend OCZ value vx but I just can't seem to find them. As for the 6600gt, I'll probably just get it and upgrade later when the 6800gt drops in price.

 

[mwmorph]

ocv value vx has beetaken off the ocz site recently. it is no longer in productino so prices will noly go up

 

[Soujiroh]

Thats the reason why I can't find those OCZ Value VX rams. Guess I'll have to go to dfi street and look up to see if other cheap value rams are compatible with the dfi mobo. Thanks for looking that up!

Another question, should I wait until the last week of August to order all my parts for the new rig or should I just order them now? I'm trying to save money, but not too sure if I can get these components for the price I see them as of this week.

Suggestions on the question above?

 

[Operandi]

Instead of buying a middle or the road 500 watt PSU (which you clearly don't need) why not get a top of the line 350 watt PSU (far more realistic). This 380 watt Seasonic will still give you plenty of head room.

As for the quietness you should consider a Zalman VF-700 for whatever graphics card you choose and replace the active cooling with a passive Zalman on the northbridge of the MB.

 

[Soujiroh]

Is the OCZ psu I chose that bad compared to other best bang for the buck psu? I thought it was a nice decent psu when I compared it to other psu! I'll look into other psu that are around the same price and make a decision.

 

[Operandi]

For cases; if you must have a side window I like this SilverStone a bit more then the Lian Li.

 

[Soujiroh]

Yea, that silverstone case looks nice, but i'm looking to get a black case instead because of the NEC3540a being black and all. I was looking at PSU and this might be the one: FSP Group 500W Prescott 24/20/6pin 12CM ATX Power Supply $70.00
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-FS500A&c=pw

In terms of quietness, how quiet is this psu compared to the ocz i listed above? I also know that seasonics are the quietest of all the psu, but there price tag is just too high for me at this time. Thanks!

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Soujiroh
Is the OCZ psu I chose that bad compared to other best bang for the buck psu? I thought it was a nice decent psu when I compared it to other psu! I'll look into other psu that are around the same price and make a decision.

You have an Antec listed above, not an OCZ. Regardless you're spending $60+ on a 500 watt PSU that will never see even 50% of it's capacity used, it doesn?t make any sense.

Know how much power you need and pick the best PSU your budget can allow for, 350 watts is plenty for your system.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Soujiroh
Yea, that silverstone case looks nice, but i'm looking to get a black case instead because of the NEC3540a being black and all. I was looking at PSU and this might be the one: FSP Group 500W Prescott 24/20/6pin 12CM ATX Power Supply $70.00
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-FS500A&c=pw

In terms of quietness, how quiet is this psu compared to the ocz i listed above? I also know that seasonics are the quietest of all the psu, but there price tag is just too high for me at this time. Thanks!

I think that case comes in black but it doesn?t seem to be on Newegg. Try looking around I'm sure you can beat Neweggs price anyway.

Forton makes great PSUs but no particularly quiet ones in my opinion. But again you choose another 500watt PSU, do you realize your system won't even draw 200watts DC?, the Seasonic is only $6 more.

 

[Soujiroh]

Any other suggestions before I push the button? Should I wait 2 weeks or should I just order now? I know that I'll likely only save about $40-50 if I wait, which I don't really care about. Any suggestions or comments about my questions above are welcome! Thanks!

 

[djnsmith7]

I recommend the ATI X800XL (Great Card, I have it) & 1 GB of Corsair Value RAM. I'd say everything else looks pretty cool.

It's funny that you have your case requirements listed because I'll be putting my Raidmax Case & 420W PS up for sale in about a week or two (upgraded to an acrylic case). I'll be selling it for a very reasonable price. Let's just say, a college person's price range.

 

[pibb]

Originally posted by: Soujiroh


Thermalright XP-90 @SVC $30.00 after shipping

Panaflo 92mm $10

Your ordering the XP30 with the fan included, there is a 24.99 w/ just the heatsink @ SVC. Also make sure you buy the 75cent 3pin adapter for the panaflo, it comes with a bare wire if your getting it from SVC.

 

[DanDaMan315]

Go for the XP-120, it'll be quieter, preform better, and help cool the memory, cuz it hangs over the memory.

It's completely compatible so don't worry.

 

[l Xes l]

i wouldn't put value ram on that board.. this is the best ram the for price.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227211

and why get 19' CRT when u r gonna blow $150 on them?.. u can get 17" LCD screen's below $200 now.. 17" LCD viewing area is equal to size of 19" CRT monitor...

 

[chrisrod01]

For the motherboard I would get this its like 40 cheaper http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130491 and if your looking for like a lian li case black and with a window i recommend this onei have and its great and it cost 130 http://coolerguys.com/840556060673.html

I also have your 6600gt for around 164 at http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...Code=190183&Category_Code=nvidia-PCI-E

 

[Soujiroh]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

As for the monitor selection, I couldn't find any good 17 inch LCD with good response time and dvi. Instead of spending $200+, I went with a cheap 19 inch CRT for about $85-90 after a $30 rebate from Tigerdirect. As for the suggestion on the mobo, I think I'm going to stick with the dfi, but still pondering about the memory. I don't want to be spending too much on ram, but will take the suggestion by Krnxpride83 into consideration if I cannot find anything cheaper that is as good. As for the HSF, I'll look into the xp-120 and compare it with the xp-90 to see if it is worth the extra money.

What are your comments on ordering a refurb 6600gt from newegg? I was thinking about taking a chance by going with one because it would save me some money. I was also looking into the refurb lcd monitors. Anyone think the refurb lcds will have dead pixels and have that light effect(forgot the term but i think it was called bleed in) when monitor is turned off?

I'm hoping that the components I select will create a nice and quiet computer.

I'm heading off to work so if anyone else has any more suggestions about this build, please comment or input some good knowledge into this really tight college budget build!

(I just ordered the NEC3540a for $41.99 from newegg yesterday and should be expecting it tomorrow. Couldn't resist the price on such a good dvd drive)

Thanks!!!

 

[l Xes l]

max difference u will be between xp120 and xp90 is about 2-3c...
if u dont have spare graphics card i wouldn't risk getting a refurb card.. i've seen many people having to RMA the refurb cards.... good thing is that u can keep RMA'ing them untill u get a good working one... the bad side is.. this might take a long time and enough headaches ...

 

[Topweasel]

Originally posted by: Operandi

Originally posted by: Soujiroh
Is the OCZ psu I chose that bad compared to other best bang for the buck psu? I thought it was a nice decent psu when I compared it to other psu! I'll look into other psu that are around the same price and make a decision.

You have an Antec listed above, not an OCZ. Regardless you're spending $60+ on a 500 watt PSU that will never see even 50% of it's capacity used, it doesn?t make any sense.

Know how much power you need and pick the best PSU your budget can allow for, 350 watts is plenty for your system.

Who cares If it won't be fully used at $60 a PSU of that quality and power is a bargain. Now He will have a case and PSU that will last him several upgrades and rebuilds.

OP Get the Antec. Great PSU you will llove it and wonder how you got it so cheap.

 

[Overkiller]

Originally posted by: Soujiroh
I've been reading about the dfi mobo and it seems to be picky about ram. Most users recommend OCZ value vx but I just can't seem to find them. As for the 6600gt, I'll probably just get it and upgrade later when the 6800gt drops in price.

Just as an fyi. I have not looked at prices but think about what you are saying...I am of the motto " buy the best " and not worry about it for 2-3 years. I paid $450 for a 9700 pro and, heck, I still have it [ although it will be replaced with a 7800GTX in 6 months ].

I had 2 other friends that bought 9500 pro's for only about $170 less than mine (and that's being generous) and then they bought 9800 pro's for around $250 later on. So we essentially have the same setup except mine was high end much longer than theirs and I paid less for it...just my .02 cents on " upgrading " and how it usually ends up being too expensive of a proposition. Just get the best you feel comfortable you can afford now and forget " well i'll just get the slightly better card in year". there would be no point to doing that because by then the 6800gt will begin to feel, well. old.

otherwise nice looking system and i'll keep my mouth shut

 

[Overkiller]

one other thing. I would get some good Corsair or OCZ memory and overcock that 3000 to 3800 speeds

They all generally overclock well i've found.

 

[fuentefan]

Originally posted by: chrisrod01
For the motherboard I would get this its like 40 cheaper http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130491 and if your looking for like a lian li case black and with a window i recommend this onei have and its great and it cost 130 http://coolerguys.com/840556060673.html

I also have your 6600gt for around 164 at http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...Code=190183&Category_Code=nvidia-PCI-E

I just finished a build with the Lian-Li PC7. Its a very beautiful case. I highly recommend it!

Lian-Li

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I wuold get the TruePower 2.0 480. TPs are quieter with teh 120mm fan. Yea....

Otherwise it's looking VERY good.

You're getting the E6 stepping Venice right? if not, make sure you do get that one because ewiz carries them

 

[CARunner]

I just built a computer much the same for college... read about what I put in it in the link below.

Dont forget about the OS.... at my school the edu discount is $99 for windows xp pro if you trade in any older version of windows. You can get xp home... $82 is the lowest Ive found not counting ebay which is sketch.

Linux is free, but doesnt run lots of games. Its also safer to use, less virus prone. Im going to partition and run both windows and linux over xmas when I have time to set it up.

This is my computer

I actually didnt order all of those parts exactly. I figure I will just use the integrated video for a few months until vid card prices drop even further and I can get a 7800. I got the MSI RS480 pro mobo ($93) with a 3800+ dual core X2 ($380). I got the 36 gig raptor ($105)and 250 gig IDE seagate from tigerdirect ($85 after rebate). The X-Qpack is key because its quiet and comes with a supposedly great power supply, all for only 100 dollars. It has plenty of space for most everything too. It can accomodate a full size ATX power supply if you really want to swap out the included one which is really uncessary. The x-qpack is also pretty small, making it easily mobile for my next few years of life, since Ill be moving all over the place from school to internships to jobs etc.

All of that is less than 1200 and will last a long long time I think. You could change that slightly by getting a cheaper processor to save even more. And ditch the raptor too. The good thing about it is that until I buy a better video card I wont be able to waste time at school playing video games and spend more time with the ladies and homework instead. Yay.

I put a LOT of research and time into selecting parts that would last a long time, be QUIET and be easy to upgrade. The SFF build seems like the most cost effective thing to do. Go X-QPack!!!!!111one

Also, my budget is around $1700... but its easy to change stuff to your build for a lot less money. The only con is that uATX boards arent as easy to overclock, at least for now. They are so cheap though that its worth it. Hopefully they will come out with a better one.

Heres what I recommend:
AMD 64 3200+ $190
1 gig value ram $85
MSI RS480 pro mobo w/ integrated graphics and sound: $95
Dell LCD $200
Windows Home: $85
250 gig seagate 7200.8 IDE: $85
Case/PS: Aspire X-QPack $100
Miscellaneous wires and crap: $30
CD/DVD drive: $42
Mouse/Keyboard: $80

Buy from places that dont charge for tax or shipping and that comes out to less than $1000. Only downside is that there is no vid card, but I think the integrated graphics will play most games just at not such great settings. You can buy a vid card eventually when you find the deal of a lifetime.