Building this for a friend.. what are your thoughts?

[Vasant56]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
General use with moderate gaming

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
$750CDN

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

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.
None, really.

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

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

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

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Once you guys approve it


Hi Guys,
My friend asked me to build a computer for him. He wants to keep it under $750 CDN and wants it to be used for general purposes and the occasional game. As such, I specced out what I could with the budget I had. I want to run these specs by you guys before I build it though.. could I get your input?

CPU
$150.00
Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Socket LGA775, 2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache, 45nm (Retail Box) (BX80571E7300)
http://canadacomputers.com/ind...&pid=019646&cid=CPU.84

OR
$184.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Socket LGA775, 3 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB, 6MB L2 Cache, 45nm (Retail Box) (BX80570E8400)
http://canadacomputers.com/ind...&pid=017075&cid=CPU.84

OR
$200
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad-Core Socket LGA775, 2.40 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 8MB L2 Cache, 65nm (Retail Box) (BX80562Q6600)
http://canadacomputers.com/ind...&pid=012505&cid=CPU.84

MOBO
$69.99
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Socket 775 Intel P35 + ICH9 Dual-Channel DDR2 1066/800/667/533Mhz GigaLAN 8-Channel Audio Support 1333Mhz FSB
http://www.canadacomputers.com...&pid=018459&cid=MB.157

GRAPHICS
$91.07
EVGA E-GEFORCE 8600GT 540MHZ 256MB 1.4GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out DIRECTX10 Video Card
http://ncix.com/products/index...e=eVGA#CustomerReviews

HARD DRIVE
$71.99
Western Digtial Cavier Green (WD5000AACS) 500GB SATAII 7200RPM 16MB Buffer (OEM)
http://www.canadacomputers.com...=019585&cid=HD.443.877

RAM
$106.99
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 G PC2-6400 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.canadacomputers.com...014664&cid=RAM.346.307

DVD
$28.49
LG GH22NS30 Black SATA DVD-Writer 22xDVD+R/-R 8xDVD+RW/6xDVD-RW 16xDVD+R DL 12xDVD-R DL 48x CD-R 32xCD-RW OEM
http://www.canadacomputers.com...&pid=019434&cid=CR.184

CASE
$122.99
Antec Sonata III Quiet Super Mid Tower w/ 500W PSU Metallic Charcoal Color (Canada Computers Exclusive)
http://www.canadacomputers.com...&pid=016276&cid=CS.664



Could I get your input on this.. which cpu do you think is best suited for his needs? Is the performance increase in the different cpus worth the additional cost.. and is the video card a good buy for the basic/moderate gamer given the budget?

Cheers!
Vasant

 

[DSF]

Might help to be a little bit more specific about his gaming interests. An 8600GT will play old games just fine. It will run new games, but it may not run them particularly well. What kinds of games does he play?

I would definitely take the E7300 over the E8400 if it frees up more room in the budget for the video card.

 

[mpilchfamily]

If its mild gaming then he may be better off with an OEM system from Dell or HP.

 

[jdkick]

Since "general purposes" is identified as the primary use I would also be tempted to go with a boxed system. Maybe swing by a retail store and check out the current deals on HP systems with an open PCIe x16 slot, drop in a video card and call it a day.

If your friend insists on a custom build and wants to game a bit then head over to NCIX. You can snag the same 4GB Corsair kit for $67AR and they have a few 512MB 9800GTs on for < $120AR at the moment. As DSF mentioned, if you need go with a lesser CPU to stay on budget then so be it. I'd rather have an E7300 w/ a 9800GT then an E8400 w/ a 8600GT.

 

[geokilla]

Buy from NCIX or Direct Canada. Less tax, and currently it's cheap shipping I believe.

Click the weekly sales to get the best bang for buck. Last night, they still had the EVGA 9800GT for $99.99 AR.

 

[Roguestar]

Dual core for "general purpose" and gaming. The ATI 4670 is cheaper than the 8600GT and will do just as well if not better. As mentioned by previous posters, definitely save on the CPU to spend on the GPU if gaming is in any way a priority.