Another Build and Question Thread

[MorikTheRogue]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

-Everything (Gaming ->starcraft 2, mostly mid range gaming <--, Music, Photoshop, Misc. )

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

-As cheap as possible of course. Around 700 american dollars is ideal.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

-United States -> newegg.com

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.

-No Preference

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

-Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, I have a copy of Vista to put on it

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

-Yes but I have a few question of my own.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

-Default speeds

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?

-Withing the next couple weeks.

Build Thus Far:

Processor:
Core 2 Duo E7200$119.99

Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX$104.99

Case:
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP$74.99

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM$74.99

Video Card:
EVGA 512-P3-N975-AR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB$124.99

Power Supply:
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V$99.99

RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800$59.99

CD/DVD Disk Drive:
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM$26.99

CPU Cooler:
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler$26.99

Thermal Grease:
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound$5.99

Total Price - $719.90

Questions:
*If I do not plan on overclocking, do I really need the CPU Cooler and Thermal Grease? Does the CPU come with Thermal Grease?

*Is there any thing I can cut out to make the price less?

*Will the Cooler and Video Card fit inside the Mid Sized case with ease?

 

[disports]

The CPU Cooler isn't needed if you're not overclocking. The CPU doesn't come with thermal grease so you'll need it.

 

[vj8usa]

That's a retail processor. The retail cooler has its own strips of thermal compound, so you won't need additional grease. As stated earlier, you'll only need that aftermarket cooler if you want to OC a lot (the stock cooler will let you OC, but not as much).

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: smithrwon
The CPU Cooler isn't needed if you're not overclocking. The CPU doesn't come with thermal grease so you'll need it.

Incorrect. If it comes with the stock cooler (which it does, since it's the retail version) thermal compound is already applied.

 

[aclim]

With that board and processor you picked you should OC if you are comfortable doing it. It is nice and easy with that board. That is a nice "budget" build. The only thing that will kinda hold you back is the GPU. Everything you got is nice tho.

 

[MorikTheRogue]

I might OC a little, but I am not planning on it at this point. What would be a more complementary GPU? I might just forget the CPU cooler and distribute that money toward a better GPU.

 

[disports]

I thought I could be wrong. I forgot to fix what I said. My bads!

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: MorikTheRogue
I might OC a little, but I am not planning on it at this point. What would be a more complementary GPU? I might just forget the CPU cooler and distribute that money toward a better GPU.

Don't overspend for your needs 😉.

If you're not in the business of playing Crysis at largeXhuge resolution, you can even save on the card a little and still get a great graphics experience at mediumXreasonable.

Check out the Radeon HD4670; it's less than $80 at the moment and if you want you can check out the review of it on the main site - it's a pretty damn good little card.