Apt burned down - building new PC

[RVM]

Normally I keep up with tech well enough that I would not have to ask for advice when building a new system. However, last year my apartment burned down (1 week before my renter's insurance kicked in, go figure) and I lost everything. I was then laid off. So, I have been without a computer for over a year.

I'm ready to build a new system and since I don't have a lot of computer access to research everything I've missed out on (I haven't followed tech for about 24 months) I was hoping I might be able to pester some of you folks.

First thing I'm buying is a monitor. I cleaned all the soot and grime out of my last machine and lo! it works! It's old though, circa 2002, so obviously I'm not keeping it. I had a Dell 2005FPW hooked up to it but it melted in the fire. I figure I can get a monitor first, hook it up to the old machine and start reading and ordering parts for a new box.

So here I am. I am down with overclocking, and I have a good grasp of terminology. I've gone as far as setting up watercooled systems in the past, having even done some soldering work to some slot CPUs and mainboards to accomplish my OCing goals. This time, I only want to push as hard as air will let me. I'd love parts that OC readily, allowing me to really get the most bang for my buck.

I need to keep total core cost to <$750, sans display and peripherals. The machine is to be used primarily for gaming, but I'd like the monitor to function well for writing papers (hopefully starting graduate school in a year or two) too, so good color reproduction is a must. I loved my Dell 2005FPW, if that gives an idea of what I'm expecting. I also would prefer to buy a Dell display because with my 2005FPW they let me go through 9 (yes, NINE) exchanges, all next-day air shipping paid, to get one with no dead pixels and minimal bleeding. Their service is fantastic.

I usually buy from newegg, but since I'm in CA I gotta pay tax, so if anyone knows an equivalent site to buy from where I can avoid tax, that's another ~8&#37; I can put to the machine instead of to the politicians. If not I'll just drive to Frys since their prices are comparable and I'll have to pay shipping and tax online from newegg anyway.

Except for the monitor, which I am buying this weekend, I probably won't actually be placing an order for awhile as I am waiting for a bit of money to come in, so hopefully prices will have fallen a bit due to the holiday season here in the US.

This is what I have picked out so far, and I've used the system builder sticky more or less. I'd love input, so thanks in advance to everyone!

OS
I have a copy of Win7 on the way (wife just got a Dell laptop for law school and they're sending a free copy of Win7 home) but if it sucks I'm sticking with XP Pro.

Display
Dell UltraSharp 2209WA ~$300 (but I know I can get it cheaper if I hassle them or wait for a coupon)

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo Wolfdale 3.0ghz, 6mb L2 cache ~$168 This is a 32-bit CPU yes? Is a 64-bit CPU worthwhile? I stopped following tech about the time 64-bit CPUs starting coming out.

HSF
No idea what to get here. If the CPU comes with a stock HSF unit I will probably just use it.

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 P45 ~$135
I've used Gigabyte in the past and have been very happy with them, so this was an easy choice.

RAM
Not sure what to get here. If I can get the CPU to 4.0ghz and really push the FSB I imagine I'll need solid RAM to handle it. Any suggestions?

GPU
Again, not sure here. I've been using ATi, but I'm not a fanboi. I'll use whatever is best. Is Crossfire worth it with what I'm building?

PSU
I am not going to be running a bunch of peripherals, and I plan on a SSD, so not sure how much power I need.

CASE
I have an old Lian Li aluminum case from 2001 that I absolutely love. Unfortunately, it's been through a lot and I think it's time to toss it. I don't like flashy cases, with funky colors and lots of plastic. A simple aluminum case is all I need. A mid-tower should be plenty. What's good?

HDD
Solid State Drives are new to me. I don't need a lot of storage and I hate hdd trashing so I was thinking SSD would be the way to go. Besides, I can pick up a big platter later if I run out of capacity. Anyway, not sure what to buy here either.

Optical Drive
Something basic is good. This isn't going to be a multimedia machine, and if it turns into one I can get another drive later if it proves necessary.

I used to always keep a 3.5" drive in my system, but not this time. This will be the first computer I've ever build that doesn't have one. Kinda scary eh?


Thanks in advance to anyone who chimes in. I appreciate any advice!

 

[Hyperlite]

Welcome to AT, and glad to hear things are coming around!

OS
I have a copy of Win7 on the way (wife just got a Dell laptop for law school and they're sending a free copy of Win7 home) but if it sucks I'm sticking with XP Pro. windows 7 is solid. You'll like it.

Display
Dell UltraSharp 2209WA ~$300 (but I know I can get it cheaper if I hassle them or wait for a coupon) awful steep for a 22" lcd, but hey, gotta respect the pixel policy!

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo Wolfdale 3.0ghz, 6mb L2 cache ~$168 This is a 32-bit CPU yes? Is a 64-bit CPU worthwhile? I stopped following tech about the time 64-bit CPUs starting coming out. That is a 64bit proc. Honestly, you're probably better off going with a quad core i5. Socket 1156 gives you a better upgrade path.

HSF
No idea what to get here. If the CPU comes with a stock HSF unit I will probably just use it.
stick with stock unless you plan on doing some serious overclocking
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 P45 ~$135
I've used Gigabyte in the past and have been very happy with them, so this was an easy choice.
going with my i5 suggestion, Gigabyte UD2
RAM
Not sure what to get here. If I can get the CPU to 4.0ghz and really push the FSB I imagine I'll need solid RAM to handle it. Any suggestions? any solid DDR3, GSKILL Ripjaw 1366 for example

GPU
Again, not sure here. I've been using ATi, but I'm not a fanboi. I'll use whatever is best. Is Crossfire worth it with what I'm building? ATi is still going strong maybe a 48xx series card? you may want more power than that. I think on your budget you should stick with a single card solution.

PSU
I am not going to be running a bunch of peripherals, and I plan on a SSD, so not sure how much power I need. any ~500w Antec/OCZ/Enermax/PCP&C etc will do

CASE
I have an old Lian Li aluminum case from 2001 that I absolutely love. Unfortunately, it's been through a lot and I think it's time to toss it. I don't like flashy cases, with funky colors and lots of plastic. A simple aluminum case is all I need. A mid-tower should be plenty. What's good? Antec P180? Antec Sonata?

HDD
Solid State Drives are new to me. I don't need a lot of storage and I hate hdd trashing so I was thinking SSD would be the way to go. Besides, I can pick up a big platter later if I run out of capacity. Anyway, not sure what to buy here either. SSD prices are finally coming into the mainstream. you won't regret it

Optical Drive
Something basic is good. This isn't going to be a multimedia machine, and if it turns into one I can get another drive later if it proves necessary. yeah..hard to mess this one up.

I used to always keep a 3.5" drive in my system, but not this time. This will be the first computer I've ever build that doesn't have one. Kinda scary eh?


Thanks in advance to anyone who chimes in. I appreciate any advice!

And just lurk around here, you'll learn lots! Also, newegg customer reviews can be very helpful.

 

[RVM]

Thanks for the input Hyperlite! Are you a wakeboarder?

Ok, so is the i5-750 Lynnfield @ 2.66ghz superior to the Wolfdale 3.0ghz? The Lynnfield is a quad core and the Wolfdale is dual core correct? They're both 64-bit? So I'll need a 64-bit OS to take full advantage of them?

Pair that with the Gigabyte micro-ATX P55M-UD2? Only two expansion slots? Well, I guess the slots aren't all that necessary anymore. This board wouldn't support using two GPUs would it? Are there any limitations to use a micro-ATX board as opposed to standard ATX sizing?

How fast should I get the RAM? Is 1333 enough? I see it's available up to 2000.

I'm so far behind!

Thanks!

 

[AznAnarchy99]

If you have a Microcenter in your area i5s are going for $149. They can hit 4.0ghz with good air.

 

[RVM]

The closest one isn't worth the drive.

If you have a Microcenter in your area i5s are going for $149. They can hit 4.0ghz with good air.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

In my recent research I have come to certain judgements based on empirical evidence. You can take it or leave it, but you may not end up with a system as nice as mine ........ So, good luck and I hope this helps you find your way.

The best monitors within reasonable price (less than $1,000) seem to be Dell, so stick with that. As far as PSU, for your budget, get an Antec True Power New 750. For the heatsink, the only stand-out is the Thermalright IFX-14, but the Prolimatech Megahalems and Noctua NH-U12P or NH-U9B are great, too. The Noctuas are nice because they come with realllllly high-end fan(s) and have mounting hardware that fits rock solid. IC Diamond 7 seems to be the best thermal compound, but it doesn't make much difference temperature wise, it's mainly supposed to give consistent performance over the life. I figure it's cheap insurance. Here's a link for that: http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/ic-diamond-7-carat-thermal-compound-15-gram-p-16605.html I also recommend NOT ordering HDDs from Newegg. Their shipping practices are bad. ZipZoomfly.com is much much better about it and has very similar prices and free shipping. Both charge CA tax. Seagate is awful these days. Mushkin RAM is really good RAM and not as pricey as the Corsair or Kingston brands. I think most people will give their opinion on CPU, Video cards, and Motherboards, so I'll leave those alone, but one last thought: I've noticed MOST of the "good" DVD-burners on newegg (Samsung, Pioneer, HP, LiteOn, Plextor) look like they are just relabeled from the same OEM. I'm sticking with my BenQ IDE drives until I see something different. I wouldn't mind, but all the reviews are lacking and with something so simple to install and operate, I don't think it's a case of the idiot reviewers.

Oh, and you are going to like Win7. Even my friend who strips all the Visual Effects from XP loves Win7.

 

[RVM]

Thanks! I agree with you on most points. Dell has been making great monitors for much lower than their competitors, even when using the same panels. The kicker is that Dell has the best replacement policy and customer service of anyone out there. That's really important for me, since the display is one of the most important parts of a system, and I am extremely intolerant of dead/stuck pixels and backlight bleeding.

Mushkin has been making excellent RAM for a long time, along with Corsair and Kingston. Do you have any experience with the G.Skill RAM?

I think you're right on the DVD burners. The same was true for CD burners quite awhile ago.

Thank you for your input!

In my recent research I have come to certain judgements based on empirical evidence. You can take it or leave it, but you may not end up with a system as nice as mine ........ So, good luck and I hope this helps you find your way.

The best monitors within reasonable price (less than $1,000) seem to be Dell, so stick with that. As far as PSU, for your budget, get an Antec True Power New 750. For the heatsink, the only stand-out is the Thermalright IFX-14, but the Prolimatech Megahalems and Noctua NH-U12P or NH-U9B are great, too. The Noctuas are nice because they come with realllllly high-end fan(s) and have mounting hardware that fits rock solid. IC Diamond 7 seems to be the best thermal compound, but it doesn't make much difference temperature wise, it's mainly supposed to give consistent performance over the life. I figure it's cheap insurance. Here's a link for that: http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/ic-diamond-7-carat-thermal-compound-15-gram-p-16605.html I also recommend NOT ordering HDDs from Newegg. Their shipping practices are bad. ZipZoomfly.com is much much better about it and has very similar prices and free shipping. Both charge CA tax. Seagate is awful these days. Mushkin RAM is really good RAM and not as pricey as the Corsair or Kingston brands. I think most people will give their opinion on CPU, Video cards, and Motherboards, so I'll leave those alone, but one last thought: I've noticed MOST of the "good" DVD-burners on newegg (Samsung, Pioneer, HP, LiteOn, Plextor) look like they are just relabeled from the same OEM. I'm sticking with my BenQ IDE drives until I see something different. I wouldn't mind, but all the reviews are lacking and with something so simple to install and operate, I don't think it's a case of the idiot reviewers.

Oh, and you are going to like Win7. Even my friend who strips all the Visual Effects from XP loves Win7.

 

[soccerballtux]

Since your apt. can't take much heat, I'd avoid the Intel Nehalems, they run toasty.

 

[RVM]

Alright, after a lot more reading, this is what I've come up with so far:

OS
Would it be worthwhile to run Win7 64 or stick with 32?

CPU
i5-750 Lynnfield

Mobo
Gigabyte P-55M-UD4
I selected this over the UD2 because it offers a second PCI-E slot at x8 instead of the UD2's x4. Is this a reasonable consideration for GPU upgrades in the future? I wasn't able to tell that there were many other differences between the boards. Will having a uATX mobo require a uATX case?

RAM
G.Skill Ripjaw 2x2gb DDR3 1333 CAS 7

HDD
I am thinking about not buying any drives and using my original WD Raptors in RAID 0 (as they've always been run) until SSD is a bit cheaper and the tech has matured a bit more. This will give me a few dollars to play around with elsewhere. I could put the money into an i7-860 and 1600 RAM instead. Not sure about this one at all though.

CASE
I am really digging the NZXT Panzerbox, but it's an ATX case. Will uATX fit it?

 

[RVM]

hahaha That apt is long gone. This one is great. I've got a huge copper heatsink on the roof with 550 gallons of artic silver smeared all over the place. Since I couldn't find a proper fan I bolted the skids of a helicopter down on top of the heatsink and just keep it running 24/7. My place stays nice and cool. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Since your apt. can't take much heat, I'd avoid the Intel Nehalems, they run toasty.

 

[wwswimming]

sorry to hear it.

you're acting quite sane for someone who just lost everything !

 

[Hyperlite]

hahaha That apt is long gone. This one is great. I've got a huge copper heatsink on the roof with 550 gallons of artic silver smeared all over the place. Since I couldn't find a proper fan I bolted the skids of a helicopter down on top of the heatsink and just keep it running 24/7. My place stays nice and cool. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

hahahaha nice. For the OS...with 4GB (and possibly more in the future) of ram, you're going to want to go with Win7 64.

Yes, i do wakeboard...well, i haven't been in...jeez, over i year i guess...joy's of life and being stuck at college!

everything on that last list you made sounds solid. Nothing wrong with some RAID0 raptor action!

 

[RVM]

Since I plan on oc'ing would there be any benefit to using 1600 RAM over 1333? Or is the 1600 for use with the i7 CPUs? I am missing a lot of tech knowledge for this stuff. Not sure what goes with what.

I need to find a uATX case I don't think the mobo I picked will fit. Or I could just go with a full ATX version of the board...


bleh decisions decisions!

hahahaha nice. For the OS...with 4GB (and possibly more in the future) of ram, you're going to want to go with Win7 64.

Yes, i do wakeboard...well, i haven't been in...jeez, over i year i guess...joy's of life and being stuck at college!

everything on that last list you made sounds solid. Nothing wrong with some RAID0 raptor action!

 

[dmw16]

Alright, after a lot more reading, this is what I've come up with so far:

OS
Would it be worthwhile to run Win7 64 or stick with 32?

CPU
i5-750 Lynnfield

Mobo
Gigabyte P-55M-UD4
I selected this over the UD2 because it offers a second PCI-E slot at x8 instead of the UD2's x4. Is this a reasonable consideration for GPU upgrades in the future? I wasn't able to tell that there were many other differences between the boards. Will having a uATX mobo require a uATX case?

RAM
G.Skill Ripjaw 2x2gb DDR3 1333 CAS 7

HDD
I am thinking about not buying any drives and using my original WD Raptors in RAID 0 (as they've always been run) until SSD is a bit cheaper and the tech has matured a bit more. This will give me a few dollars to play around with elsewhere. I could put the money into an i7-860 and 1600 RAM instead. Not sure about this one at all though.

CASE
I am really digging the NZXT Panzerbox, but it's an ATX case. Will uATX fit it?

All in all this looks good. I did have a few comments tho...

HDD - I'd avoid RAID0 unless you are very mindful of backing up your data. Personally if you want to invest in fast storage I think SSD is the only way to go. Unless you want to shell out the money for an SSD I'd just pick up a 1TB drive and be done with it.

GPU - I think that the 48XX series is a great value right now. The 5850 and 5870 are the top dogs right now in the price vs performance category, but are still a little bit much for your budget. The 4870 on the other hand can be had pretty cheaply (I sold mine on ebay and it went for $98). So given your budget I'd troll the FS/T section of Anandtech and eBay for a 4870. There will be good deals especially with people upgrading to the 5850 and 5870.

 

[RVM]

Well, these are original Raptor drives from around 2002 I think. When SATA first came out. It was a big deal that my Abit board had two SATA ports. They've been running in RAID 0 for about 7 years with never a hiccup. In fact I have never had a hdd failure when running striped. Of course, I am knocking on wood now because I know the odds of that. Especially if I continue continue using my 7 year old drives...

I might be able to squeeEEeze a bit more from my budget... Still gotta decide on a case, and finalize the mobo and GPU too. If I am lucky I may be able to get my parts early next week.

All in all this looks good. I did have a few comments tho...

HDD - I'd avoid RAID0 unless you are very mindful of backing up your data. Personally if you want to invest in fast storage I think SSD is the only way to go. Unless you want to shell out the money for an SSD I'd just pick up a 1TB drive and be done with it.

GPU - I think that the 48XX series is a great value right now. The 5850 and 5870 are the top dogs right now in the price vs performance category, but are still a little bit much for your budget. The 4870 on the other hand can be had pretty cheaply (I sold mine on ebay and it went for $98). So given your budget I'd troll the FS/T section of Anandtech and eBay for a 4870. There will be good deals especially with people upgrading to the 5850 and 5870.

 

[engiNURD]

Order what you can from Amazon.

 

[RVM]

Really? Why? I'm not sure if I trust them like I do newegg or Frys...

Order what you can from Amazon.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

Really? Why? I'm not sure if I trust them like I do newegg or Frys...

Amazon.com is great IF it's being sold by Amazon.com. No tax in CA, yet everything I've bought has shipped from... I think it was Hayward.

 

[RVM]

Alright, this is where I'm at now.

Case - $120
NZXT Panzerbox. This case is filled with winsauce.

CPU - $200
Intel i5-750

Motherboard - $110
Gigabyte P55M-UD2. I decided on this because I don't think I'm going to be worrying about running dual GPUs anytime soon. It seems like plenty of people are getting plenty of performance from single card setups. Will I have any fitting issues with the larger Radeon cards?

RAM - $95
G.SKILL Ripjaws 2x2gb DDR3 1333 C2 sticks. If I intend to OC, should I get faster sticks? I haven't been able to find much out regarding this. I definitely don't mind spending more cash for some PC2000 sticks because I don't want RAM speed to be the limiter when I OC.

GPU - No idea
It seems some of the 4xxx series cards are faster than some of the 5xxx cards, and the price ranges on the 4xxx cards are all over the place. I have no idea which tech fits what I need to do. Blargh.

PSU - $70
Antec BP550 550w modular PSU. I love that it's modular!

So that's where I'm at. Any opinions? There are about $80 worth of mail in rebates too, so that saves quite a bit.

Thanks for all the input!

 

[RVM]

Sweet thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind for sure.

Amazon.com is great IF it's being sold by Amazon.com. No tax in CA, yet everything I've bought has shipped from... I think it was Hayward.

 

[RVM]

How important is having a DX11 card vs. a DX10.1?

 

[RVM]

Oy! I've done it. I have finalized my purchase.

I'm going to reuse my old case and WD Raptors for now. I should be getting some cash around Christmas so I'm going to get a new case and a SSD drive then (if the SSD tech and price is reasonable).

I'll be picking everything up tomorrow.

My goal was a relatively "futureproof" (I hate that term) budget gaming machine. What do ya'll think?

CPU
Intel i5-750

Motherboard
Gigabyte P55M-UD4 (I chose this for the 8x/8x support, because I think a second 5770 would prove a great upgrade path, especially since it scales very well in crossfire)

RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws CL7 1600 2x2gb

PSU
Antec TruePower 750w. Mostly modular, lots of connections, plenty of power for upgrades and I got a great deal on it.

GPU
XFX Radeon 5770.

HDD
2x original WD Raptors which made it through a fire from only about 3' away. I think the case did a great job of protecting them.

Case
Lian-Li PC60 that also survived a massive fire which started about 3' from the case. The front plastic cover melted but the case itself is still in ok shape, all things considered. Definitely workable until I can get a replacement (probably the PC62, which is almost identical).

Total
With tax I'm paying $801.43 US. $51.43 over my budget but the wife ok'd it because I couldn't avoid the taxes.

 

[soccerballtux]

Definitely go with 7-64b.
Good setup, for futureproof I'd go with 6 or 12GB RAM; though you don't really need it, it's awesome to have.

 

[crimson117]

CPU
Intel i5-750

Great choice! I run a E8400 wolfdale at 3.6ghz, and it''s very fast, but if I built today I'd have to choose an i5 or i7.

PSU
Antec TruePower 750w. Mostly modular, lots of connections, plenty of power for upgrades and I got a great deal on it.

I'm not in love with Antec's TruePower series... I probably would have gone Corsair 650HX with your build (even though I've had one 750TX die on me, the RMA was super easy, and the 750TX's death didn't fry my hard drive like my Antec 550's death did). Though it's a bit more expensive.

GPU
XFX Radeon 5770.

I was going to vote against this choice, until I realized just how loud 4870's / 4890's get, and how 5770 in CF is a good performer, especially once the 5770's come down in price. So: good choice!

HDD
2x original WD Raptors which made it through a fire from only about 3' away. I think the case did a great job of protecting them.

These will definitely hold you over until Intel gets its act straight

Case
Lian-Li PC60 that also survived a massive fire which started about 3' from the case. The front plastic cover melted but the case itself is still in ok shape, all things considered. Definitely workable until I can get a replacement (probably the PC62, which is almost identical).

When you do replace it, I offer you mixed feelings on the Sonata III (which I use). It's fine once it's set up, but during the build it's rather cramped to work inside. You can't remove the power supply without either removing your motherboard or removing your CPU heatsink/fan (hooray for two evils to choose from!). Also, its bundled PSU died on me and took a hard drive with it, but you'd be using your own PSU.

 

[RVM]

What did you dislike about the TruePower?

Thank you for your input!

Great choice! I run a E8400 wolfdale at 3.6ghz, and it''s very fast, but if I built today I'd have to choose an i5 or i7.

I'm not in love with Antec's TruePower series... I probably would have gone Corsair 650HX with your build (even though I've had one 750TX die on me, the RMA was super easy, and the 750TX's death didn't fry my hard drive like my Antec 550's death did). Though it's a bit more expensive.


I was going to vote against this choice, until I realized just how loud 4870's / 4890's get, and how 5770 in CF is a good performer, especially once the 5770's come down in price. So: good choice!

These will definitely hold you over until Intel gets its act straight

When you do replace it, I offer you mixed feelings on the Sonata III (which I use). It's fine once it's set up, but during the build it's rather cramped to work inside. You can't remove the power supply without either removing your motherboard or removing your CPU heatsink/fan (hooray for two evils to choose from!). Also, its bundled PSU died on me and took a hard drive with it, but you'd be using your own PSU.