Building a Core 2 Quad System, feedback needed

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jasonxc

Member
Nov 7, 2002
172
0
71
I'm gathering the parts to build a Core 2 Quad system once the price drops on July 22. I have a preliminary list of components that I'm thinking about buying (the ones with the asterisks are parts I've already purchased). My price range is $900-$950 - the lower the better. I'm looking for good gaming/app performance, fast boot up times, fast file transfer speeds, 2-3 years of "future-proofness", and very importantly, reliability. Extra hard drive space isn't an issue at the moment, as I have two 500GB external drives. I would like at least 100GB in the desktop though. I would not mind upgrading the video card at some point. Below are the components I'm considering, with most of the prices from Newegg. I've used a laptop (Inspiron 700m) exclusively for the past few years, so I'm not sure if these components are compatible & go well together. If you could give me some feedback about any of these parts (good or bad) or provide me with some recommendations, I would greatly appreciate it :) Thanks for looking!


*Case
Antec P180B (w/P182 upgrades)
$108.24 - $50 Rebate = $58.24

*PSU
Corsair 520W SLI Certified Modular ATX Power Supply (CMPSU-520HX)
$94.99 - $20 Rebate - $10 Rebate = $64.99

Motherboard
MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI Motherboard
$144.99 + $6.61 shipping = $151.60

Processor
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
$266

*RAM
Crucial Ballistix 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 (PC6400) Cas 4
$104.99 - $45 Rebate = $59.99

Hard Drive
Western Digital Raptor X 150GB
$199.99 - $30 Rebate = $169.99

Video Card
MSI Geforce 8600 GT
$114.99 + $6.33 shipping - $10 Rebate = $111.32

DVD Burner
LG 20X DVD-R Super Multi DVD Burner Black (GSA-H55NK)
~$30.49 + $5.84 shipping = 36.33

*Accessories
Yateloon Fans (2 extra)
$9.98

Total: $928.44
 
Y

Yanagi

Golden Member
Jun 8, 2004
1,678
0
0
Better yet, a cheap 250 GB drive and you have instantly saved 100 bucks.

Also I would have a look at the Gigabyte P35-DSR3, Im not sure how it is in the states but it should be a bit cheaper than the MB you listed there.

With the 100 or so dollars you have now saved you should be good to go upgrading that graphics card to a 8800GTS 320/640MB.

Thats my 2 cents
 
eggrolls

eggrolls

Senior member
Oct 11, 2006
268
1
76
might want to invest in some kind of cooling... quad cores run pretty hot even at stock.

if you think the 8600gt is enough for your games, then stick with it and upgrade later. otherwise, the 8800gts is a better choice.

and that ram may or may not do its rated speed and timings at default voltage (4-4-4-12, 800 MHz @ 1.8v). you may need to lower the speed and timings for it to be stable... or increase the voltage.
 
E

ethugholla

Member
Jul 8, 2007
53
0
0
Where did you find that PSU for 64.99? I'm looking to use that same in my new rig, but found the lowest price at 79.99
 
J

jasonxc

Member
Nov 7, 2002
172
0
71
Thanks for the suggestion guys. I will go with a P35 motherboard as you guys recommended (probably the Gigabyte DS3R). After looking at reviews & benchmarks, I'm starting to think the 8600 may not be sufficient. I think I'll get the 8800gts 320MB. I may go with a cheaper hard drive if the performance gain is barely noticeable - what is the fastest 250GB hard drive out there?

For the low prices I get on my components, I constantly browse the Slickdeals and Fatwallet Hot Deals forums for good deals. Here are some links to the two forums:
http://www.fatwallet.com/c/18
http://forums.slickdeals.net/f...ac2358e6367056d3de&f=9
 
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