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Building a New Computer After Five (Nearly Six) Years

Phris

Phris

Member
After nearly five years of amazing service from this old box, I believe it's time to upgrade. My current specs:

Pentium 4 1.7GHz Williamette (400MHz FSB) (Yes, this computer is from when the Pentium 4 was new, as was Windows XP.)
512MB of mismatched DDR2100 RAM
128MB ATI All-In-Wonder 9600
40GB PATA HD of unknown RPM
Dell OEM Creative SB Live! Value card
All wrapped up in the innards of a Dell Dimension 4400.

Since I need to keep this computer running as well, I have to buy almost all-new parts, excluding everything outside the case (monitors, mouse, keyboard, that kinda thing).

1. Power supply: 500W Antec Earthwatts (Purchased)
2. Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 (Purchased)
3. Motherboard: IP35-E (Purchased)
4. CPU: Something Core 2 Duo. E8400 if at all possible.
5. Heatsink/fan for the CPU: Stock? Dunno. Can't spend too much here and I don't know what will fit.
6. Memory: 2x1GB DDR800 Crucial Ballistix (Purchased)
7. Primary hard drive: 200GB Maxtor Basics PATA HD (Purchased)
8. Primary optical drive: SATA* DVD burner, lightscribe would be nice for no good reason?
9. Video card: 8800GT? eVGA, possibly.
10. Floppy disk drive: Whatever is on sale when I order the rest.
Roughly 75% of the computer's time is devoted to basic web browsing and such, while the other 25% is mostly Photoshop and Indesign, so I need some sort of power. I'd like to start some more gaming as well, but this current computer isn't all that inclined towards anything like that. Overclocking might be nice, but I need stability and responsiveness above all else (I tend to run my computer 24/7, so it needs to be less noisy than a leaf blower).

BUDGET: $700. (Earned another couple hundred bucks in a job over winter break, so I can actually afford things now.) I have ~$500 left for the CPU/GPU/cooler. The DVD drive is going to be paid for elsewhere, I just need to pick one out.
NEEDED BY: February or so, hopefully. I've only waited ~3-4 months to find Penryn. I figured I could wait, and now the waiting is over.

If I'm missing something here, please don't hesitate to ask.

*Update
 
Originally posted by: Phris
After nearly five years of amazing service from this old box, I believe it's time to upgrade.
Click to expand...

I believe you're right!

Originally posted by: Phris
NEEDED BY: February or so
Click to expand...

Then start asking sometime around the end of January. Why I say this is that there's going to be some new chipsets and new CPUs out between now and then. Dual core Celerons will show up in January, plus the lowest speed grade chips will be bumped out and upper ones will filter down. What's recommended now may not be your choice by February. Also, some new chipsets from Nvidia and Intel.
 
Alright. I'd rather not put a Celeron in it, however, just because I really don't like the moniker that comes attached.

Does anyone think that the price drops around January, once the new 45nm chips come out, will be more than this sale, currently?
 
Originally posted by: Phris
Does anyone think that the price drops around January, once the new 45nm chips come out, will be more than this sale, currently?
Click to expand...
I don't know. From my own experience, I do know is that I'm through buying parts in Nov/Dec leading up to Christmas, my last two or three builds were put together over the holidays and it always seems like I should have waited until March/April for lower cost and new technology. Buying 2GB of DDR2-800 at the end of Dec 2006 (and watching it drop in price by 80% within a matter of months) was maybe the worst computer mistake I've ever made.
 
Are you near a Fry's?

Does your budget include selling your current PC? Because if you part it out, there may still be some value in it.

There have been deals for free power supplies and nearly free memory for months. You need to check the hot deals forum here or at fatwallet at least twice a day (or set alerts) and wait for some deals like this. Combined with a Fry's CPU/MB combo, you may end up with a couple hundred to spend on a video card which will land you with an 8800GT and you will be a new man.
 
Phris, prices may not drop that much by February (and its possible ddr2 prices might go up a little) but if you go Intel you will probably be able to get a Penryn chip instead of current core 2 (which may or may not make that much of a difference now but sse4 and others will make it a better chip in the long run), also a few new gpu's should be out and ddr3 may have dropped a bit in price.
 
That PSU will work with the IP35-E but may not be enough to power a higher end system. It all depends on how much power you are going to actually need.
 
Bump for timeliness. It's only been about three months since I started researching/buying parts and it's time to finish this off.
 
Originally posted by: SludgeFactoryI don't know. From my own experience, I do know is that I'm through buying parts in Nov/Dec leading up to Christmas, my last two or three builds were put together over the holidays and it always seems like I should have waited until March/April for lower cost and new technology. Buying 2GB of DDR2-800 at the end of Dec 2006 (and watching it drop in price by 80% within a matter of months) was maybe the worst computer mistake I've ever made.
Click to expand...

This may sound silly, but try doing what I do. Research the hell out of hardware, build an awesome PC that will last 3+ years, and don't read another word about hardware until it's time to upgrade or build a new computer.

Ignorance really is bliss. I have no idea how much prices will drop and what new overclocking records the new 45nm chips will bring, and I won't be reading to find out. =p

Besides, there's always the "could have waited" thing. Computer prices will always drop, and new technology will always come out. There's no time like the present, or the very near future.
 
That's why I'm buying nearly the best I can now, so I can completely drop out of the market and maybe enjoy, oh, 5FPS in Crysis for a few years?

And the "very near future" is why Penryn was worth waiting for, since it wasn't far off and now is quite close...
 
Looks like you purchased an IDE hard drive. Make sure you get a SATA optical drive as that board you also purchased has only one IDE connector.
 
Ok i assume you have made up your mind to go with Intel but Jan 23 would see the realease of the 780 chipset for AMD motherboards and from what i understand there south bridge is improved a bit. My bro is exactly in your ship - P4 for about 5-6 years and he's going for a sub $500 AMD rig (lite-mid gaming, mostly surf/CAD) 5200+ brisbane dual core (no OC) +770/780 chipset single gpu, keeping it nice and cool then upgrade a couple of years time to B3 stepping phenom when the need arises (or price/ratio top class hehe) Good luck by the way!

P.s Anyone know of reviews for the Biostar T770 mobo by any chance?? Is Asus M3A 770 > Biostar 770?

 
Problem is, when I list (Purchased) up on the first post, I mean that I actually have these parts sitting on the floor more-or-less in boxes. So AMD isn't really an option for a low-budget high-ish-end computer.

It's kinda sad, really...some of this stuff has been sitting there for well over a month now. I do hope these fancy new processors outperform my Pentium 4 by a HUGE amount. Of course, there's nothing quite like the performance of my "portable." 12MHz of RAW POWER. Can a Core 2 Duo match that? I doubt it.
 
Okay, Wolfdale comes out tomorrow, and hopefully I can catch it from Newegg.

The question is, should I run stock cooling or buy something better? I don't really plan to OC.
 
Originally posted by: Phris
Okay, Wolfdale comes out tomorrow, and hopefully I can catch it from Newegg.

The question is, should I run stock cooling or buy something better? I don't really plan to OC.
Click to expand...

Stick with the stock cooler. If you decide down the road that you want to go for an aggressive overclock, or that the stock cooler is too loud, then worry about replacing it.
 
So I installed everything exactly as the directions showed, and it doesn't POST. First time's a charm, eh?
 
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