I have $1.5-2k budgeted to upgrading my rig

[Doomr0k]

Hey-

The last computer I built was in 2004 and while it has performed well I think it's life has been lived and I am looking to build a new system from scratch and give my current system to my fiance (she's a gamer as well) but really need help as so much has changed I feel like a complete newb looking at everything..

Here's the low down:
I have a budget of around 1.5-2k but I would like to save as much as possible.
I want to setup two drives raid 0 because I do a lot of video editing and want to maximize my hard drive performance.
I'd like it to be able to perform well in the games now and coming out so I can get a good life out of my new build.

I looked around but I am pretty lost, any help is super appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Nickel020]

A Core 2 Duo and a Geforce 8800 GTS/GTX should be the way to go for you.

I would read up on the latest CPU/GPU reviews here on AT to get an idea of current hardware.

Also check out the other threads of people upgrading.

 

[Roguestar]

There are some good suggestions in other "building a new PC - help" type threads in this subforum. AT and Tom's Hardware recently did articles on building and selecting components.

Basic suggestions to give you an idea of where to look:
Core 2 Duo CPU
Asus/Gigabyte motherboard (965P or 680i depending on budget and SLi (roffle SLi)).
8800 series graphics card
WD Raptor RAID for your video editing
WD Caviar for storage
Zalman/Tuniq/Scythe/Thermaltake for HSF
RAM from the thread "Core 2 Duo/DDR2 memory guide" in the CPU forum (search for memory guide, first result)

 

[catalysts17az]

i agree with what every one has too say other than the vid card. if you go with a 7900Gs you will save alot of money, while D 10 cards come down and get better drivers (that is a good thing). The 7900Gs is no slouch neither. and i would go with the Tuniq Tower as mentioned by Roguestar, invest in a good case, the 680i throws of some serious heat. (thermaltake has some great cases)

 

[Roguestar]

If he's going to wait for D3D10 cards then the X1950Pro 256 is a better suggestion, it can be had for $170 and does better than the 7900GS.

 

[Doomr0k]

I've been pretty swamped with work so I haven't been able to check back here for a while, based on your suggestions this is what I came up with. I don't mean to ask stupid questions, but what could I do with this to get similar performance with cutting costs a bit to see what I can get out of the money I am going to spend.

Also, would all of these things work together...? Thanks :]

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$114.99 -$7.00 Instant $107.99

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card
$289.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
$313.00 $313.00

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA1005 - Retail
$294.99

Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD5000YS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD5000YS
$159.99

Western Digital Raptor WD360ADFD 36.7GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
$104.99 $209.98 for two

Thermaltake CL-P0114 120mm CPU Cooler with Heatsink - Retail
$46.99

Tuniq IC-TQ2-US-SVBK Silver/ Black SECC Chassis/ Aluminum front panel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$69.99


$1,492.92

 

[gamephile]

With that amount of money to throw at a build don't forget to consider upgrading your display or purchasing a second one, especially if you spend lots of time video editing. The Dell E228WFP is a decent deal right now, 1680x1050 resolution for $296, and that's just one option among many.

 

[engiNURD]

You don't need such expensive, highspeed ram with an E6600. Go for some cheaper DDR2-800 sticks if you're overclocking (Patriot DDR2-800 2GB eXtreme Performance LLK, $165AR @ the egg). If you're not OC'ing, then go for some DDR2-533 sticks instead.

 

[soydios]

As engiNURD said, you don't really need DDR2-1000. DDR2-533 is the absolute lowest you can go (1:1 FSB), but DDR2-800 is a good spot (2:3 FSBRAM). Faster RAM will yield a little bit better performance, but beyond DDR2-800, it'll be only tenths of a percentage point improvement in real-world applications.

 

[Pwnbroker]

The pc in my sig cost me around 1800 and it runs very well. It's quiet, and it runs any new game at decent rates. Plus the case is all aluminum and looks very nice. If you want to go a little higher with the video card, I've heard the Geforce 8800 GS or GTS is just a little bit more than the 7950 GT KO I bought plus it's a DX10 card.

Edit: the case is a Thermaltake Tsunami Dream and has rubber grommets for hard drive installation, which reduces hard drive vibrations

The loudest thing on my pc is the DVD drive

Also, you may want to consider a higher cpu as the 3800 gets a 4.8 on the Vista WEI test. Everything else is a 5.9

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: Doomr0k
I've been pretty swamped with work so I haven't been able to check back here for a while, based on your suggestions this is what I came up with. I don't mean to ask stupid questions, but what could I do with this to get similar performance with cutting costs a bit to see what I can get out of the money I am going to spend.

Also, would all of these things work together...? Thanks :]

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$114.99 -$7.00 Instant $107.99

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card
$289.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
$313.00 $313.00

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA1005 - Retail
$294.99

Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD5000YS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD5000YS
$159.99

Western Digital Raptor WD360ADFD 36.7GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
$104.99 $209.98 for two

Thermaltake CL-P0114 120mm CPU Cooler with Heatsink - Retail
$46.99

Tuniq IC-TQ2-US-SVBK Silver/ Black SECC Chassis/ Aluminum front panel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$69.99


$1,492.92

As others have said the ram is a waste, you can get a nice DDR2-800 2gb kit for under $200 and it will perform just as well

And ditch the 36gb raptors, they are the oldest/slowest/loudest version of raptor. RaidO is pretty overrated, I would suggest getting one of the newest 150gb raptors, but if you set on Raid0 get two of the new 74gb version

And I don't see a power supply listed? Don't skimp on power supply.

 

[bX510]

I think you should watch out for raid 0. Especially when your video editing. Once 1 drive dies, its gg to your creations.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: bX510
I think you should watch out for raid 0. Especially when your video editing. Once 1 drive dies, its gg to your creations.

Just copy stuff to storage drive (s) after editing. OR schedule some backup program to move whole video editing folder to storage drive at night or something.

 

[Doomr0k]

I was under the impression that Raid0 drastically increased the speed of accessing files on the hard disk in a way that it would be a noticeable difference, is this not really the case? I forgot about the power supply, thank you for reminding me! I also added a sound card, something else I forgot about. I will likely pick up a wide screen monitor to go with it in the future but for now I have slightly smaller dual screens... here is my revised list.


You mentioned, 1:1 and 2:3 FSBRAM - how much of a difference will this be?

Here is my revised list of things to buy:


Tuniq IC-TQ2-US-SVBK Silver/ Black SECC Chassis/ Aluminum front panel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$69.99

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-965P-S3
$107.99

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
$289.99

Thermaltake W0101RU ATX 12V 2.0 Version 550W Power Supply - Retail
$95.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E6600
$313.00

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR533D2N4K2/2G - Retail
$135.49

Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD5000YS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD5000YS
$159.99

Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
$159.99

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
$89.99

Thermaltake CL-P0114 120mm CPU Cooler with Heatsink - Retail
$46.99


$1,449.41

 

[magreen]

If you're happy not overclocking (as evidenced by your choice of DDR2 533 RAM) then you can ditch the CPU cooler. The stock Intel cooler will do you just fine.

 

[Pwnbroker]

Let me demonstrate the speed of Raid 0. The system in my sig I built. One of the hard drives was DOA, so I RMAed it. While waiting on the replacement, I went ahead and installed OS, installed BF2, and played it. Loading maps generally took about 2-2 1/2 minutes with one hard drive. After I got the replacement drive, the time it took to load maps was cut in half. Now it loads in about 1-1 1/2 minutes. It does speed things up.