Help with a 2 year refresh

[Slappy00]

Hi guys, I just missed the big C2D bonanza since I adopted an nforce4/oppy system 3 years ago (?). I was wondering if you guys could help me build a refresh. Details below:


1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

WoW, Fo3, NWN2, newer games as they come along (my video cards are on a 1-1.5 year refresh); intermittent *Photoshop, *Flash, *Dreamweaver (*usually all at once), occasional movie editing, occasional compiling (JAVA)


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

$1000-$2k shipped to 60712, 1.5k is a happy median for me.

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

Chicago/USA

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.


[*]Vista 64bit
[*]Mushkin for memory 4 gigs min and 6-8gigs preferred vista 64bit
[*]No off-brands for LCD (Acer is ok, but no Sceptre if you get my drift)
[*]22" but a good 24" LCD would be nice if i can afford it
[*]A quality aftermarket air CPU cooler;
[*]C2-Quad


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


[*]KB
[*]Mouse
[*]19" Sony LCD (16ms 6bit color )
[*](Optional) BFG 8800 GTS (G92) OC


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

The big i7 vs C2D debate rages on, but I like the stability/maturity of the C2D systems. I think that by the time I am ready to upgrade, i7 will be mature and I can upgrade for half the price as an early adopter... minus the headaches.

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

Overclocking within reason with a quality after-market heatsink. I was big on the oc ever since the celeron 300A days but I am getting older so I approach overclocking more moderately "maximum stable overclock" if you can understand that. I can go to Microcenter (in chicago) and pick certain lots/bins/steppings of CPUs if need be

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Within about a week ( i get vacation next week (15th)), before I blow all my money on xmas gifts.

 

[zerocool84]

Processor
Q8200 189.99
Inexpensive quad
E8400 164.99
Or if you want a faster clocked Dualcore

Mobo
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L 104.99 89.99AR
Great inexpensive board that overclocks well

RAM
4GB Mushkin 53.99
Mushkin ram as you asked for

GFX
EVGA GTX260 219.99
Or
HIS 4870 199.99 189.99AR
Which ever you want. Both perform great.

PSU
Corsair 650TX 109.99 79.99AR
Great PSU

HD
Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB 89.99
Fast HD

CPU Cooler
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 18.99
Good cooler and not expensive

OS
Vista Home Premium 64bit 99.99

LCD
Samsung T220HD 22" 299.99
LG L227WTG-PF 22" 309.99
I only like Samsung and LG and while you can get a cheaper 22" I like to have a good quality display to look at.

$1,234.62 shipped with the LG, Q8200, GTX260
$1,155.71 shipped with the Samsung, E8400, 4870

You can get higher quality stuff but I chose what's good and not extremely expensive. I would go with the Q8200, LG, and GTX260 with everything else. I'm sure other people will recommend better more expensive things but hey it's fast and under your budget shipped.

 

[Slappy00]

thanks for the reply zero I am leaning towards the Q6600 as I already have duel core plus its only about $100 more for another 2 cores.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Slappy00
thanks for the reply zero I am leaning towards the Q6600 as I already have duel core plus its only about $100 more for another 2 cores.

I was stupid for not including this Q8200
It's 45nm which I would go for.

 

[Slappy00]

thanks again zero, didnt know about the 45nm, also I think I am keeping my 19" until i can get a big brand 22" local at a discount (Im thinking Tiger direct as they are located here in IL).

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Slappy00
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

WoW, Fo3, NWN2, newer games as they come along (my video cards are on a 1-1.5 year refresh); intermittent *Photoshop, *Flash, *Dreamweaver (*usually all at once), occasional movie editing, occasional compiling (JAVA)

I would like to suggest looking at 24" monitors. Besides just being a hair bigger, they give you a higher resolution so that you can see more of your work on-screen at a time. Also, since you mentioned your current LCD is a 6 bit panel... pretty much all the 22" are TN panels, while you can still get better panels in 24" sizes if you do the research and are willing to pay a bit more.

 

[Slappy00]

While i see what you are getting at with the increased desktop space, 24" screens are kinda out of my price range now that I have been looking a bit more.

Also there has been speculation that the newer 45nm Quads are not as "overclockable" as the older 65nm parts due to different multipliers, any weight to this?

 

[krnmastersgt]

While the E8200 is 45nm and all, it's L2 cache makes it pale in comparison to the Q6600 unless heat is more of an issue for you. Most of the other recommendations from zerocool are nice, I'd go for a GTX 260 Core 216 since your budget more than permits it.

As for the overclocking with the 45nm quads, one major reason for not overclocking as high as their 65nm counterparts is that they have a lower max voltage you can feed them. Any of the 45nm quads (except the 8200) would be a good choice, or the Q6600 if you want a 65nm chip you can abuse since they're pretty hard chips. The way I see it, your budget allows for 24", maybe even 30" if you're lucky Or you could go for an lcd tv rated at 1080p (that's 1920x1200 iirc), your choice. The build suggested above is well below the max budget you set. Just my $.02

 

[jae]

LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech Black SATA Model GH20NS15 - OEM
$23.99

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
-$30.00 Instant
$139.99
$109.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$74.99

EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
-$45.00 Instant
$264.99
$219.99

PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
-$105.00 Instant
$35.00 Mail-in Rebate
$199.99
$94.99

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996587 - Retail
$54.99

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM
$99.99

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
-$8.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
$36.99
$28.99

-Combo Deal-
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3LR LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9550 - Retail
-$20.00 Combo
$424.98
$404.98

Subtotal: $1,112.90
Zip Code: 60077 Shipping: $17.95
Grand Total: $1,130.85

**Forgot where you stayed but remembered it being close to Skokie. If I were you I would get an extra hard drive as a scratch drive, thought you might have one laying around.

Also, as you can see you still have room in your budget for a 24" LCD; however the question is do you want a true 8-bit LCD or 6-bit?

 

[videogames101]

If you go with a HD4870, go visiontek over HIS, because visiontek has a lifetime warranty.

 

[4thSurvivor]

If you go with the GTX 260, I'd just like to point out that the $220, I believe is the 192 core, not the 216 core version, go with the 216 core version for the extra $20-30...EVGA's 216 I believe is $240 + $20 MIR so $220 AR

 

[jae]

Originally posted by: 4thSurvivor
If you go with the GTX 260, I'd just like to point out that the $220, I believe is the 192 core, not the 216 core version, go with the 216 core version for the extra $20-30...EVGA's 216 I believe is $240 + $20 MIR so $220 AR

I was in a rush and forgot to mention this and 4870 1GB. Also, you probably know the case is personal choice, just make sure it has good airflow.

 

[jae]

Originally posted by: 4thSurvivor
If you go with the GTX 260, I'd just like to point out that the $220, I believe is the 192 core, not the 216 core version, go with the 216 core version for the extra $20-30...EVGA's 216 I believe is $240 + $20 MIR so $220 AR

I was in a rush and forgot to mention this and 4870 1GB. Also, you probably know the case is personal choice, just make sure it has good airflow.

 

[Slappy00]

thanks for the help... I was gong to run down to microcenter and take a peek at thier CPUs ... any particular stepping I should be looking for for teh following CPUs:

Q6600
Q8200
Q9550

Oh and I want an 8 bit panel for sure... I do photoshop and need all the colors I can get. I have no problems with my 16ms panel so I dont need something crazy like 2ms but a 24" would be nice. Im still wary of buying Monitors over the net so I think Ill buy it locally.

The shipping address is lincolnwood (work) but I live near downtown chicago.

I liked Sapphire for ATI but I might go with a visiontech if it is more affordable.

 

[Slappy00]

apparently for the q6600 im looking for SLACR on the box for G0 stepping?
Q9550 is SLB8V for the E0 i believe?

 

[Slappy00]

Here is what I got thanks for all your help:

Q6600 G0 Stepping 179.99*
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P 149.99*
Antec 900 $79*
ATI Sapphire 4870 1GB $239
PC Power and Cooling 750w $124
Mushkin DDR2 pc1066 4x2gb $164
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders
Thermaltake V1 Max-Performance CPU Cooler

* Indicates will buy locally

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Slappy00
Here is what I got thanks for all your help:

Q6600 G0 Stepping 179.99*
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P 149.99*
Antec 900 $79*
ATI Sapphire 4870 1GB $239
PC Power and Cooling 750w $124
Mushkin DDR2 pc1066 4x2gb $164
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders
Thermaltake V1 Max-Performance CPU Cooler

* Indicates will buy locally

Nice build. Hope you get a nice overclock. Post up what you get when you do. You'll be happy with your comp for a few months