Budget Build, Is this Ok?

[EBH]

Can't spend more than 1000$, feel free to offer up somthing if you feel it is more bang for the buck.

Here is what I have sofar which comes to $875.91 before tax, and shipping.

MOBO
Gigabyte GA-M59SLI-S5 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

VIDEO
2 of these for SLI
eVGA 128-P2-N441-LX Geforce 7300GT 128MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

CPU
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4200CUBOX - Retail

PSU
MODULAR and SLI
KINGWIN ABT-520CW ATX 12V 2.0V Modular 520W Power Supply - Retail

MEMORY
SLI and EPP
CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWIN2X1024-6400C4 - Retail
There was no SLI and EPP 2x1GB sets in that I could afford or that was in DDR2 675. I like Corsair memory.

HDD
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3808110AS 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

IDE drives
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Beige IDE Model ND-3550A - OEM
and
SAMSUNG Beige 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM
The reason for the floppy is that I use it for small documents, and things like killdisk when I reformat.

CABLES
ORION Pro Series 18" 2-Connectors Black Floppy Round Cable, Internal IDC 34, Booted Model 700-010-BK - Retail
and
ORION Pro Series Black 36" True ATA133/100/66/33 IDE Cable, 3-Head Model 700-092-BK - Retail

I havent decided if I am going to keep my Enlight case or not, I like Enlight so I will probably reuse my case.

As for sound I have a audigy platinum external, but I think creative is lame with their drivers.
Instead I will get a EMU 1820M later on, and reuse my audigy till I get the EMU.

I have a extra DVD ROM, and some fans to reuse as well.

I'm not a huge overclocker, at the most I will make a few tweeks in the bios. I prefer reliability over some high benchmark. Though I would love to try water cooling someday.

My current system is: (Yeh it's ghetto, and way out fo date. I bought this system back in 2000 a day before the XP chips came out)

CPU: amd Tbird 1.4 ghz
MOBO: ASUS A7M266 with Via chipset
MEM: 2x512 Corsair PC2100
PSU: Some genereic 400 watt peice of crap
HDD: 40GB Hitachi Deskstar ATA100
IDE DRIVES: 1 floppy, 1 CDRW, 1 DVDROM
VIDEO: Radion 9550 pro 128 mb 4x agp almost dead
SOUND: Audigy Plat Ex
CASE: Enlight ATX midTower with 3 80mm fans
NET: Intel ethernet 10\100
OS: Win2kpro

 

[Bobthelost]

Bad build.

1) cheaper AM2 motherboard (Think mATX) DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON SLI#

2)a single 7600GT

3) 2GB of the cheapest DDR2 you can find 667 is fine.

4) If you can't afford the above then get a single core CPU instead.

 

[HannibalX]

Do you have a good argument against SLI?

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

Takes up more power, probably a little faster than a 7600.

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: djmihow
Takes up more power, probably a little faster than a 7600.

More things to go wrong, price performance is crap and it needs a more expensive motherboard.

 

[Okasa]

sli does NOT = x2 performance of one card, i agree with lost bob. i mean what if u want an upgrade in the future even? i mean sli is a descent upgrade if the card price has come down more by then. so what are u going to do when both of ur pci-e16x slots are taken? o well i guess u have to throw them both out, if u only had one, you could oviously just buy a second and stick it in sli.

windows diet: startup -> feed ram browsing -> feed more ram upgrade to vista -> a feast
vista REQUIRES 1gb of ram, reccomends 2gb if it ever comes out u will need ram to spare.

i dont agree with the cpu thing tho really, i would get am2 just because then ur mobo isnt obsolete the day you buy it, 939 is dead

 

[Ika]

Pick up an X2 3800+ for the CPU instead. You could simply overclock to the performance of the 4200+, and it would save you some cash.

Your HD seems very small. You might want to go to something higher, like say 160 or even 250. It's not that much more.

Also, switching to AM2 is a better idea, simply for more support in the future.

As others have said, you don't need an expensive motherboard, and you definitely shouldn't get SLI if you're on any kind of budget. A 7600GT would be a much better choice.

Do you really need those cables?

 

[EBH]

hmm back to the drawing board

 

[EBH]

How is this? Total before tax and shipping $813.16.

NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Beige IDE Model ND-3550A - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3808110AS 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

MSI K9N Platinum Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

MSI NX7600GT-VT2D256EHD Geforce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

HIPRO HP-P600W/TOP-600P5 ATX V2.01 600W Power Supply - OEM

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800IAA5CU - Retail

SAMSUNG Beige 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM

 

[Juno]

why do you need a floppy drive?

you might need a better power supply such as seasonic rather than hippo.

 

[mancunian]

Just on the SLI point, it IS more things to go wrong but it IS more powerful than a single card.

That said, I don't run it and if I did, I certainly wouldn't be doing it with 2 x 7300GT cards.


If you're gonna do SLI, do it properly and run 2 x 7900 GTs or GTXs.

Otherwise, look at single card solutions only.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: EBH
HIPRO HP-P600W/TOP-600P5 ATX V2.01 600W Power Supply - OEM

600W is major major overkill for your system. You dont need over 400W, and probably not that much. Be more concerned with the quality of the brand than the number of watts.


Also, you already changed, but I just want to back that decision up, 1 7600GT > > > 2 7300GT's, no contest, plus much less of a hassle, and the option for 2 monitors eventually (SLI = 1 monitor max)

 

[EBH]

As I said above I need a floppy for small documents, bootdisks, and things like killdisk.

If I overclock a +3800 I think I might need some extra voltage yes? If you can find me an example of somthing under 500 watts runing a system comparable to this build then show me.
My current system is over 400 watts, and its weak as all getout on my Voltages.

As for the sli thing, have any of you run those cards in sli, or even attempted any form of sli? If not why are you saying don't do it?

Seasonic eh? I'll have a look.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: EBH
As I said above I need a floppy for small documents, bootdisks, and things like killdisk.

If I overclock a +3800 I think I might need some extra voltage yes? If you can find me an example of somthing under 500 watts runing a system comparable to this build then show me.
My current system is over 400 watts, and its weak as all getout on my Voltages.

As for the sli thing, have any of you run those cards in sli, or even attempted any form of sli? If not why are you saying don't do it?

Seasonic eh? I'll have a look.

I have an Opteron 170 Overclocked to 2667, with an X1900XTX, and all my rails are stable with 580W power supply. However as of 2 days ago, my X1900XTX was 2 7900 GT's in SLI, and the OC + 2 7900 GT's didnt come close to maxing out my 580W. A 7600GT doesnt even use the 6 pin PCIe connector, so it is not power hungry at all. Even overclocking you dont need more than 400W if your 3800+ hits 2.8 GHZ, check this power supply calculator: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp. Remember a good power supply rated at 400W is way better than a crappy one at 800W.

Id recommend getting a PS like this Enermax which is a known company. Ive never heard of hipro, and they arent on JonnyGuru's PS list, so I wouldnt go there. Its entirely likely a 460W enermax can sustain higher wattage than a no name 600W PS. Maybe Jonnyguru or someone else can chime in on Hipro, but I personally dont recommend going with a PS brand that isnt known and trusted.

The reason I got rid of the 2 7900GT's in SLI for a single card, was that I like to use 2 monitors and I like to game. However when using 2 monitors, I had to disable SLI. Constantly disabling and re-enabling SLI for dual monitor mode was quite annoying. Also, on most motherboards, SLI + aftermarket cooling on graphics cards leave virtually no PCI slots left over.

 

[EBH]

ooo that sounds nice

thanks for the tips

anyone want to offer up a build for me as a referance

 

[krotchy]

I made a wishlist for 826 Total including case

AM2 X2 3800+
Asus M2N-E
2 GB DDR2 RAM (I dont know best for this)
EVGA 7600GT
160GB Samsung Spinpoint Hard Drive
460W Enermax PS
Coolermaster Centurion 5 Case
NEC Floppy Drive
NEC DVD+-RW 16X

anyone know how to make a wishlist public?

 

[Juno]

geez. i don't know if ocz will work on asus m2n-e. asus boards are very picky about the memory brands. you might need to download qualifed vendors list off asus' website for the compatibility list of memory brands.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Juno
geez. i don't know if ocz will work on asus m2n-e. asus boards are very picky about the memory brands. you might need to download qualifed vendors list off asus' website for the compatibility list of memory brands.

It was included by newegg as a compatible upgrade. Ive never seen them offer an incompatible item as a compatible upgrade. DDR2 Is the only thing Im not entirely sure about in this build, since I know DDR much better.

 

[Juno]

Originally posted by: krotchy

Originally posted by: Juno
geez. i don't know if ocz will work on asus m2n-e. asus boards are very picky about the memory brands. you might need to download qualifed vendors list off asus' website for the compatibility list of memory brands.

It was included by newegg as a compatible upgrade. Ive never seen them offer an incompatible item as a compatible upgrade. DDR2 Is the only thing Im not entirely sure about in this build, since I know DDR much better.

no way jose! newegg is not like expert of all computer building systems. download qualifed vendors list (can be found in manual) off asus' website and you'll see the list of memory brands.

ftp://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socketAM2/M2N-E/e2630_m2n-e_manual.pdf

 

[EBH]

With the evga vid card I hear that the stock cooling isnt that great, is that true? If so what do you recomend as a replacement.

Why the samsung Spinpoint? Scratch that its hot swapable and thats a good enough reason yeh?

For the memory I was hping to get some xms2 brand, it seems to be compatable after a bios update from what I read, is there a problem with corsair?

What about this? CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) System Memory - Retail

$182.00 with $30 mail in rebate

 

[Juno]

if you want to spend a bit more, go for evga 7900gt ko.

otherwise, you can save bucks on x1800xt.

 

[w00t]

why do you need an SLi motherboard?
why are you getting two 7300GT's in SLi?
Get a 3800+ X2 this is a budget build
power supply is crap
if it's a budget build get some value ram by ocz or corsair get 2GB
Get a bigger HD with money you saved getting 3800+ X2
I'd go with a benQ DVD-RW
cables? your motherboard should already have cables already since it's retail
I suggest for the case get an Antec Sonata it comes with a good psu already

 

[Juno]

Originally posted by: w00t
why do you need an SLi motherboard?
why are you getting two 7300GT's in SLi?
Get a 3800+ X2 this is a budget build
power supply is crap
if it's a budget build get some value ram by ocz or corsair get 2GB
Get a bigger HD with money you saved getting 3800+ X2
I'd go with a benQ DVD-RW
cables? your motherboard should already have cables already since it's retail
I suggest for the case get an Antec Sonata it comes with a good psu already

obviously you didn't read op's latest post. he updated.

 

[dexvx]

SLI with low end cards is worthless...

1x 7600 > 2x 7300's, but they cost about the same
1x 7900 > 2x 7600's, ditto

On top of that, SLI uses more power as well AND you might get degraded performance in somegames.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: EBH
With the evga vid card I hear that the stock cooling isnt that great, is that true? If so what do you recomend as a replacement.

Why the samsung Spinpoint? Scratch that its hot swapable and thats a good enough reason yeh?

For the memory I was hping to get some xms2 brand, it seems to be compatable after a bios update from what I read, is there a problem with corsair?

To clear up my previous post (which was a bit hasty) heres some better explanations of my thinking.


I went with the spinpoint, because I have heard samsung HDD's are quiet, and 160 GB is a much better price/GB point than the 80 GB you had picked out. Personally I use Seagate 7200.10 320GB drives for storage, and highly recommend them. If you want the best price/performance/GB point, a 250 GB 7200.10 is about the best you will find IMO. That would be my best suggestion, and wont break the bank at 80 bucks. So overall id suggest a 7200.10 250GB if your willing to up your HD budget a little bit.

For memory, Corsair is good, I have nothing against it, In fact, I would stick with it. I really didnt spend to much time looking at the DDR2. Just make sure you get 2 GB.

I still stick with recommending the Asus M2N-E for your build, as SLI is completely unnecessary in your case. If your gong to do any gaming, a 7900GT is a good choice, and wont break the bank after rebates. If your not gaming alot, id go with a 7600GT, its very solid. A Gigabyte Silent Pipe II 7600GT is a good choice here, although a tiny bit more expensive than others, and it takes up 1 slot on each side of the card.

For power supply, I stand by the Enermax 460W I posted earlier.

The AM2 X2 3800+ Windsor is probably the best processor choice for you IMO, plus it OC's pretty well (and is easy to calculate OC's with the 10x multiplier). You definitely wont regret it.

As far as floppy/dvd go, NEC, Sony, Samsung, and Plextor are all good choices, so the NEC DVD+-RW you picked is a good choice.