Custom PC

[Statman]

This is long overdue for me. I need all the feedback I can get. Thanks in advance


From Newegg:

ASUS M3A78-T AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

ASUS M3A78-T ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813131331
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
$149.99


AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HD995ZXAGHBOX

AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor
Item #:N82E16819103291
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
$184.99


G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820231166
Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$94.99
$89.99


ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T

ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T
Item #:N82E16827135156
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$39.99
$34.99


Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Item #:N82E16822148288
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$149.98
$139.98


Rosewill RD550N-2DC-SL-SLV 550W ATX Form Factor 12V V2.2 / SSI standard EPS 12V SLI Ready Active PFC Active PFC Power Supply - SLI Ready
Rosewill RD550N-2DC-SL-SLV 550W Active PFC Power Supply - SLI Ready
Item #:N82E16817182090
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
$79.99
$64.99


COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black Computer Case
Item #:N82E16811119115
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$44.99
$39.99


MSI Rainbow6 Vegas2 Bundled Game Gift
MSI Rainbow6 Vegas2 Bundled Game Gift
Item #: N82E16800127001
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

MSI N95GT-MD512Z GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

MSI GeForce 9500 GT N95GT-MD512Z Video Card
Item #: N82E16814127386
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$39.99 Combo
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$119.98
$79.99

Grand Total: $784.9

comments ?

 

[harobikes333]

you can get a

WD 640Gig for less than 80 dollars

I just got mine in the mail and installed. Works great so far.

 

[Statman]

Thanks harobikes333

 

[DSF]

A Q6600 still beats a 9950. There's no real reason to go with AMD at the high end right now. Then you can lower the RAM to DDR2-800 and save some cash.

Most Rosewill PSUs aren't particularly good, and you don't need one that big for that setup anyway. That's not exactly a high-power graphics card.

What are you planning to use the computer for? It's tough to say whether it's a good build or not without knowing its intended uses.

 

[JWade]

check out the hotdeals forum, you can get some better parts cheaper, for example a 9600GT for 69.99 after rebate (neegg, zotac brand), 2x2gb ram kit from fry's with free shippeg for $20 after rebate

 

[Denithor]

Is this intended as a gaming rig? If so, that 9500GT you've picked out is useless for most modern games. You'd be better served with a fast dual-core (save $100) and a stronger video card (spend that $100 here instead) such as a 4870 or GTX 260.

For the case & powersupply, take a look at the Antec Sonata III (comes with a 500W Earthwatts unit--strong & quiet). Cost will be about the same as your selected case & PS.

Don't go with 1066 RAM -- 800 or 1000 is cheaper and just as good. There's a G.Skill 4GB kit at newegg for like $60 that's perfect for most uses.

And I gotta say it -- at the high end, Intel rules things these days. Faster, cooler, lower power consumption and cheaper for the performance. Look at something like the Q9400 with an Asus P5Q Pro motherboard, that'll give you better performance at stock speeds versus the Phenom setup and also overclock much better (if you're into that).

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Is this intended as a gaming rig? If so, that 9500GT you've picked out is useless for most modern games.

"Useless"... really... "useless"?

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: Denithor
Is this intended as a gaming rig? If so, that 9500GT you've picked out is useless for most modern games.

"Useless"... really... "useless"?

Useless...yep, that pretty much sums it up. When it cannot even handle fairly recent games at 12x10 I'd call it useless.

The 4670 slaughters the 9500GT and costs about $80 (or less with rebates).

And if this box will be used for any serious gaming you will want at least a 4850.

 

[Roguestar]

4670 is a better suggestion than the 9500GT, it's good for almost everything except crysis up to 1680*1050.

Seconding the recommendation to go for a faster dual core if gaming, no point in wasting money and cores.

 

[s44]

No point in getting a 790GX mobo with a separate vidcard, either.

 

[Roguestar]

^ I had hoped the 790G motherboard would go if the OP switched to a Q6600 .

 

[sao123]

intel C2D E8400 - $165
Asus P5Q Pro - $120 (after $15 MIR)
Gskill 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR2-800 - $48
EVGA GTX 260 - $230 (after $40 MIR) or upgrade to the core 216 for $280 (after $20 MIR)
Seagate 7200.11 - $70
XCLIO Greatpower 500W modular Power supply - $75
Samsung 22x DVD+-R Lightscribe SATA - $27
Case of your choice ??


$735 or $785
with plenty of later upgrade path:

C2D -> C2Q
Will do Raid 0/1/5/10 (8 SATA ports)
Supports up to 16GB ram
Potentially a good overclocker.

 

[Denithor]

sao123's suggestions are good but I would recommend 4870 1GB ($280AR) instead of the GTX 260-216 (better performance at the same price).

But if you're a light to moderate gamer, just go for a 4670 or 4850 and you should be just fine.

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: Denithor
sao123's suggestions are good but I would recommend 4870 1GB ($280AR) instead of the GTX 260-216 (better performance at the same price).

But if you're a light to moderate gamer, just go for a 4670 or 4850 and you should be just fine.

meh, every review ive seen so far such as this one has the 2 pretty much dead even.

My decision is based on the one benefit of the EVGA vs most ther vendors.
Lifetime Warranty for the original owner.

the MSI only has a 3 year warranty.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally post by AnandTech 4870 1GB Review
the core 216 might also have been anticipating the eventual availability of the Radeon 4870 1GB. In which case, the core 216 falls short.

Well, it isn't just that the GTX 260 falls a little short. The fact is that the extra RAM really does make a significant difference in many high quality high resolution situations when playing current games. We didn't expect the gains we see here, and combined with the original stellar performance of the Radeon HD 4870, we have to say that we are impressed.

Anyway, we mentioned that the GTX 260 core 216 doesn't quite keep up now that the 4870 has twice as much RAM.

The Radeon HD 4870 1GB is a better buy than both the GTX 260 and core 216 variant.

If you don't need the best of the best (or you aren't willing or able to spend the money for it), the 4870 1GB is a very strong solution.

So, what's the bottom line? This is currently the card to get.

 

[Statman]

1st ...thanks to every one who has replied so far

2nd to answer some questions:

I dont play many games at all...at current on my rig I play CS ( counter strike) and DOD (day of defeat) ( both classic one not the source edition) and I play rise of nations. Also the segate Hard drives are actually 2 for that price where I plan to run them as a mirror...I want to try the new starcraft game when it comes out next year and will upgrade my video card at that time but the thing that made me want to get this particular video card was that it has an HDMI port to hook up to my TV etc. I dont plan to use SLI/cross fire etc also I wanted to go with a nvida card because of driver issues I have heard about with ATI (having to keep upgrading them all the time).
As far as the AMD and Intel story goes, well it was just a matter of choice, but after reading what DSF wrote im starting to look @ intels now with the P5 asus mother boards. I had thought of intel for a while mainly for a hackintosh computer.

The main purpose of this computer is to do all the normal things on a computer ( email, web, dvd (rip) ) and be powerful enough to game and run the next windows version (windows 7 i think its called) with out having to worry about much needed upgrades.
I would rather have a very powerful and robust motherboard and decent amount of ram and a low end video card then a decent every thing. When I build my p3 1ghz I got an Asus p3v4x Mother board. So far it runs perfectly fine but I want to be able to do all the new things that people do with computers ( rip DVD's, play movies ). I like to stick with the Asus Brand for mother boards since even my parents computer ( also a p3 1ghz ) has the same board as I do (p3v4x) and they have never given me problem has enough PCI slots to fit in a modem ( back when I had dial up) to a TV tuner card ( for when I did not have a Tivo) and any other upgrades as far as PCI cards go. The one thing I look for on motherboards is expandability !

my ideal new board would have allow 4 sticks of ram (max 16 gig would be nice) multiple pci (express etc) slots ...as far as built in things ...well just the norm except I dont want integrated video , but do want external SATA and fire wire.

I will give you the stats of my current machine ( feel free to laugh but this thing got me though college and then some)
p3 1ghz
1 gig of ram
120 gig HD (primary)
160 gig HD ( backup)
SB live xgamer sound card ( yes I only use desktop speakers with headphones and mic when I game)
Winfast PVR TV tuner card ( not use at all any more since my TV sits right next to me and I use my series 3 Tivo)
Linksys network card
pci usb2.0 and Firewire card ( made by belkin or something) ...I use firewire because I have a 2nd gen Ipod that uses it..the USB 2.0 is for my flash drives used while I was in school etc
EVGA Nvidia Geforce 6200 A-LE (256 megs of ram)
Sony DVD+-RW burner with light scribe
Samsung 2232BW LC monitor ( 22 inch wide screen)

BTW...love the mac pro comment people have in their footer... Id buy one but they are way to expensive