I have about 1500$ CAN saved up

[alimoalem]

i wouldn't go with the antec truepower trio. it is a good psu but there's better for the money. there's the enermax liberty ($110-10 = $100AR), FSP Fortron Source 500w ($85-10 = $75AR), seasonic s12 500w ($120), and corsair's 520HX for $130 if you're willing to spend more. ewiz.com has a 500w made by enhance for $60-something iirc. it's good too. all of these should be better than the truepower.

2gb DDR2-800 OCZ should be expensive. find something in the $200 range

HDD: i would go with the western digital equivalent for quietness and heat. the seagate's advantage is that it's a faster drive, but not by too much

make sure you buy the E6400 (you wrote E4600 )

 

[Molondo]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
i wouldn't go with the antec truepower trio. it is a good psu but there's better for the money. there's the enermax liberty ($110-10 = $100AR), FSP Fortron Source 500w ($85-10 = $75AR), seasonic s12 500w ($120), and corsair's 520HX for $130 if you're willing to spend more. ewiz.com has a 500w made by enhance for $60-something iirc. it's good too. all of these should be better than the truepower.

2gb DDR2-800 OCZ should be expensive. find something in the $200 range

HDD: i would go with the western digital equivalent for quietness and heat. the seagate's advantage is that it's a faster drive, but not by too much

make sure you buy the E6400 (you wrote E4600 )

Hi, i have found an equivalent HDD
Western Digital 320GB Caviar SE16 7200rpm SATA II w/ 16MB Cache $119.95
Its cheaper too. When it comes to quality, not sure.
Text

PSU i took up your advice and found a Enermax Liberty
Enermax Liberty Modular Power Supply, 500W $129.95
Text

About The ram, I can't find cheaper ram thou. Have you any ideas about it? Thanks for the input so far

And oops

 

[n7]

Corsair HX520 - $119.33
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...84&vpn=CMPSU-520HX&manufacture=CORSAIR
Slightly better than the Liberty, quieter, & longer warranty.

C2D E4300 - $209.15
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...155&vpn=BX80557E4300&manufacture=INTEL
E6400 is highly unlikely to overclock much father than an E4300, & the E4300 costs a lot less, not to mention is easier to overclock due to its 9x multi.

Asus P5N-E SLI - $148.88
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...D8982&vpn=P5N-E%20SLI&manufacture=ASUS
or
Asus P5B-E - $182.52
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...509&vpn=P5B-E%20GREEN&manufacture=ASUS
Both are very good motherboards for OCing, & should have fewer issues than the S3/DS3.

OCZ XTC 2x1 GB DDR2-800 4-4-4 - $257.67 less $35 MIR ($222.67)
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...3804&vpn=OCZ2P800R22GK&manufacture=OCZ
With an E4300, DDR2-800 gets you at least a 3600 MHz OC if your CPU can do it.

Seagate 320 GB SATA - $98.99
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...59&vpn=ST3320620AS&manufacture=SEAGATE

eVGA 8800 GTS 640 MB - $477.00
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...42&vpn=640-P2-N821-AR&manufacture=EVGA
or
Sapphire X1950 XT 256 MB - $297.00
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...D5251&vpn=100186L&manufacture=SAPPHIRE
or
Asus X1950 Pro - $201.96
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...=EAX1950PRO/HTDP/256M&manufacture=ASUS

Liteon SH-16A7S DVDRW SATA - $42.66
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...899&vpn=SH-16A7S-06&manufacture=LITEON

Noctua NH-U12F - $48.15
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...0AC0330&vpn=NH-U12F&manufacture=Noctua
Superb cheaper cooler considering its not massive or hugely heavy.

Now you just have to add your own case of preference.


Total with P5N-E SLI + 8800 GTS = $1401.83 + shipping & GST (& case of your choice) - $35 MIR

You can switch out to the cheaper video card if you need to go well below the $1500 budget.

The components i have selected with get you an excellent overclock, yet w/o going too crazy on spending.
And they are all high quality parts; stuff i'd get myself.

Good luck!

Oh, & IMO, i wouldn't wait unless you can't buy now.
Only thing i might say is if your budget is tight, just get the X1950 Pro/XT for now, & grab a DX10 card later when games actually are using them, & they're cheaper.

 

[Molondo]

Originally posted by: n7
Corsair HX520 - $119.33
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...84&vpn=CMPSU-520HX&manufacture=CORSAIR
Slightly better than the Liberty, quieter, & longer warranty.

C2D E4300 - $209.15
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...155&vpn=BX80557E4300&manufacture=INTEL
E6400 is highly unlikely to overclock much father than an E4300, & the E4300 costs a lot less, not to mention is easier to overclock due to its 9x multi.

Asus P5N-E SLI - $148.88
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...D8982&vpn=P5N-E%20SLI&manufacture=ASUS
or
Asus P5B-E - $182.52
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...509&vpn=P5B-E%20GREEN&manufacture=ASUS
Both are very good motherboards for OCing, & should have fewer issues than the S3/DS3.

OCZ XTC 2x1 GB DDR2-800 4-4-4 - $257.67 less $35 MIR ($222.67)
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...3804&vpn=OCZ2P800R22GK&manufacture=OCZ
With an E4300, DDR2-800 gets you at least a 3600 MHz OC if your CPU can do it.

Seagate 320 GB SATA - $98.99
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...59&vpn=ST3320620AS&manufacture=SEAGATE

eVGA 8800 GTS 640 MB - $477.00
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...42&vpn=640-P2-N821-AR&manufacture=EVGA
or
Sapphire X1950 XT 256 MB - $297.00
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...D5251&vpn=100186L&manufacture=SAPPHIRE
or
Asus X1950 Pro - $201.96
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...=EAX1950PRO/HTDP/256M&manufacture=ASUS

Liteon SH-16A7S DVDRW SATA - $42.66
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...899&vpn=SH-16A7S-06&manufacture=LITEON

Noctua NH-U12F - $48.15
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...0AC0330&vpn=NH-U12F&manufacture=Noctua
Superb cheaper cooler considering its not massive or hugely heavy.

Now you just have to add your own case of preference.


Total with P5N-E SLI + 8800 GTS = $1401.83 + shipping & GST (& case of your choice) - $35 MIR

You can switch out to the cheaper video card if you need to go well below the $1500 budget.

The components i have selected with get you an excellent overclock, yet w/o going too crazy on spending.
And they are all high quality parts; stuff i'd get myself.

Good luck!

Oh, & IMO, i wouldn't wait unless you can't buy now.
Only thing i might say is if your budget is tight, just get the X1950 Pro/XT for now, & grab a DX10 card later when games actually are using them, & they're cheaper.

Wow thank you. Im missing a dvd drive and a case im at $1369 after taxes and SH. Im quite impressed.
Well i got this list so far:

Asus P5N-E SLI - $148.88

Intel Core?2 Duo Processor E4300 1.8GHz w/ 2MB Cache $219.95
I decided to go with 4300 if its true what you say about OCing, il get it at this store since it is cheaper. (don't have to order)

eVGA 8800 GTS 640 MB - $477.00
I will stick to 8800 for now.

OCZ XTC 2x1 GB DDR2-800 4-4-4 - $257.67 less $35 MIR ($222.67)

Western Digital 320GB Caviar SE16 7200rpm SATA II w/ 16MB Cache $119.95

Corsair HX520 - $119.33

Noctua NH-U12F - $48.15 http://www.directcanada.com/products/?s...0AC0330&vpn=NH-U12F&manufacture=Noctua
OR
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro LGA775 2500RPM 45CFM $26.45

I am looking to order in about 2 days! im quite excited. Its my first build

 

[alimoalem]

i would go with the E6300. i searched the site you're planning on getting the E4300 from and it's only $10 more. the E4300 lacks Virtualization Technology (VT) while the E6x00's have it. it has no mainstream use as of now and probably will not for the next 1, maybe 2 years, but after 2 years i think it would come in use. seeing how you want to keep this rig for around 5 years, i think the $10 is a valid investment. plus, you get an extra 60MHz if you wanna have some tangible gains right now (i know, i know, you won't notice it but oh well)

about the HDD, n7's seagate link is $20 cheaper than the WD link you have. if the seagate and WD are the same price, i would recommend going with the Western Digital due to cooling and noise, but if the seagate is cheaper, go with the seagate.

for cooling, i would go with the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7. i've heard good things about it. i haven't heard of the Noctua before though

about my earlier post, i forgot you were talking Canadian dollars so i may have misguided you greatly my apologies

 

[Molondo]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
i would go with the E6300. i searched the site you're planning on getting the E4300 from and it's only $10 more. the E4300 lacks Virtualization Technology (VT) while the E6x00's have it. it has no mainstream use as of now and probably will not for the next 1, maybe 2 years, but after 2 years i think it would come in use. seeing how you want to keep this rig for around 5 years, i think the $10 is a valid investment. plus, you get an extra 60MHz if you wanna have some tangible gains right now (i know, i know, you won't notice it but oh well)

about the HDD, n7's seagate link is $20 cheaper than the WD link you have. if the seagate and WD are the same price, i would recommend going with the Western Digital due to cooling and noise, but if the seagate is cheaper, go with the seagate.

for cooling, i would go with the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7. i've heard good things about it. i haven't heard of the Noctua before though

about my earlier post, i forgot you were talking Canadian dollars so i may have misguided you greatly my apologies

Hey, no worries.
I shall go with WD For its cooling and noise, i suppose you can say i won't miss the 20$ terribly

I am not familiar with VT. Mind if you quickly bring me up to date?

The CPU department im a little torn right now between E4300, E6300, and E6400.


BTW, your sig is great.

 

[alimoalem]

i used wikipedia and some other sites and this is the best site i found: link

i don't really get it much but i think it's beneficial for server use and security...maybe not for the average joe, i'm not sure.

thanks for the sig comment. they're not just meant for rig specs

o yea, i would drop the E6400 from consideration. it is clocked higher but the extreme overclock is not that much higher than that of the E6300. you're not going for an extreme overclock, either, just a moderate one, so you'd essentially be paying for a higher multiplier and faster stock speed (which won't matter anyway).

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
i would go with the E6300. i searched the site you're planning on getting the E4300 from and it's only $10 more. the E4300 lacks Virtualization Technology (VT) while the E6x00's have it. it has no mainstream use as of now and probably will not for the next 1, maybe 2 years, but after 2 years i think it would come in use. seeing how you want to keep this rig for around 5 years, i think the $10 is a valid investment. plus, you get an extra 60MHz if you wanna have some tangible gains right now (i know, i know, you won't notice it but oh well)

about the HDD, n7's seagate link is $20 cheaper than the WD link you have. if the seagate and WD are the same price, i would recommend going with the Western Digital due to cooling and noise, but if the seagate is cheaper, go with the seagate.

for cooling, i would go with the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7. i've heard good things about it. i haven't heard of the Noctua before though

about my earlier post, i forgot you were talking Canadian dollars so i may have misguided you greatly my apologies

Sorry, but I disagree strongly, & for good reason.

E6300 needs good [i.e. more expensive] RAM for OCing.
E4300 doesn't. Any DDR2-800 will do just fine.
Unless the OP wants to spend more on RAM, the E6300 is absolutely not an ideal CPU on a budget overclocking system.
VT is great & all, but unless OP needs it, it means nothing.

Also, while the AC Freezer 7 is very good for its price, it's not great IMO, nevermind the fact it's louder than the higher end coolers like the Noctua i mentioned.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article285-page5.html

It's pretty good considering the price, but i'd rather suggest something better & quieter.
http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&number=2&artpage=2180&articID=519
http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&number=11&artpage=2191&articID=519

 

[gerwen]

Originally posted by: alimoalem

o yea, i would drop the E6400 from consideration. it is clocked higher but the extreme overclock is not that much higher than that of the E6300. you're not going for an extreme overclock, either, just a moderate one, so you'd essentially be paying for a higher multiplier and faster stock speed (which won't matter anyway).

I disagree too. Because of the x7 multi of the 6300, you're limited to 2.8GHz with ddr2-800 ram. The E6400 is limited to 3.2GHz, and the E4300 is limited to 3600. 3.2GHz seems to be the sweet spot for these chips as an oc target before you have to start raising the voltage considerably to get more out of them. The 6300 falls out of the running because of its lower multiplier.

The reason i chose ddr2-800 as the limiting factor? It's tough to find overclocking ram up here at a good price. I tried. Instead i grabbed the cheapest ddr2-800 i could find and aimed for 3.2GHz with the E6400.



Virtualization. I have no idea how much of a difference there would be between a E4300 and a E6400 running a virtual machine. I will tell you that I'm joe everybody, and i do use virtual machines.

They're great. Download Virtual PC from microsoft (either 2004 version, or 2007 Beta). It's free. Want to try out linux? Install it in a virtual machine. Not sure about the source of that program you downloaded? Check it out in a virtual machine first. My biggest use for it though, is for my kids.

On XP, if they had limited rights, i was always having to go to the computer for them to do tasks that they should be able to do, and fix broken programs and such. If i gave them admin rights, the machine would be bogged down with malware in a week.

Now i give them a virtual machine. It's perfect. They run in a sandbox that doesn't affect my machine. They have admin rights, and can't compromise my security. If they load down their virtual machine with malware and other crap, I can simply delete their machine, and give them a fresh install. It works great for anything short of 3d games. (which my kids don't play on the computer, they have a console for that)

 

[Molondo]

Originally posted by: gerwen

Originally posted by: alimoalem

o yea, i would drop the E6400 from consideration. it is clocked higher but the extreme overclock is not that much higher than that of the E6300. you're not going for an extreme overclock, either, just a moderate one, so you'd essentially be paying for a higher multiplier and faster stock speed (which won't matter anyway).

I disagree too. Because of the x7 multi of the 6300, you're limited to 2.8GHz with ddr2-800 ram. The E6400 is limited to 3.2GHz, and the E4300 is limited to 3600. 3.2GHz seems to be the sweet spot for these chips as an oc target before you have to start raising the voltage considerably to get more out of them. The 6300 falls out of the running because of its lower multiplier.

The reason i chose ddr2-800 as the limiting factor? It's tough to find overclocking ram up here at a good price. I tried. Instead i grabbed the cheapest ddr2-800 i could find and aimed for 3.2GHz with the E6400.



Virtualization. I have no idea how much of a difference there would be between a E4300 and a E6400 running a virtual machine. I will tell you that I'm joe everybody, and i do use virtual machines.

They're great. Download Virtual PC from microsoft (either 2004 version, or 2007 Beta). It's free. Want to try out linux? Install it in a virtual machine. Not sure about the source of that program you downloaded? Check it out in a virtual machine first. My biggest use for it though, is for my kids.

On XP, if they had limited rights, i was always having to go to the computer for them to do tasks that they should be able to do, and fix broken programs and such. If i gave them admin rights, the machine would be bogged down with malware in a week.

Now i give them a virtual machine. It's perfect. They run in a sandbox that doesn't affect my machine. They have admin rights, and can't compromise my security. If they load down their virtual machine with malware and other crap, I can simply delete their machine, and give them a fresh install. It works great for anything short of 3d games. (which my kids don't play on the computer, they have a console for that)

I have been expossed to Virtual machines as of late in class. It was great for testing things.

Going from 1.8Ghz to 3.2Ghz is a HUGE jump. How will it impact the Cpu and heating? Is the stress gonna kill the cpu after couple years? I do plan on holding on to this Rig for couple years

Thanks so far to everyone!

PS: If i do decide to go with E4300, what is my alternative for ram if its not DDR800?
Cheers!

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: Molondo

Originally posted by: gerwen

Originally posted by: alimoalem

o yea, i would drop the E6400 from consideration. it is clocked higher but the extreme overclock is not that much higher than that of the E6300. you're not going for an extreme overclock, either, just a moderate one, so you'd essentially be paying for a higher multiplier and faster stock speed (which won't matter anyway).

I disagree too. Because of the x7 multi of the 6300, you're limited to 2.8GHz with ddr2-800 ram. The E6400 is limited to 3.2GHz, and the E4300 is limited to 3600. 3.2GHz seems to be the sweet spot for these chips as an oc target before you have to start raising the voltage considerably to get more out of them. The 6300 falls out of the running because of its lower multiplier.

The reason i chose ddr2-800 as the limiting factor? It's tough to find overclocking ram up here at a good price. I tried. Instead i grabbed the cheapest ddr2-800 i could find and aimed for 3.2GHz with the E6400.



Virtualization. I have no idea how much of a difference there would be between a E4300 and a E6400 running a virtual machine. I will tell you that I'm joe everybody, and i do use virtual machines.

They're great. Download Virtual PC from microsoft (either 2004 version, or 2007 Beta). It's free. Want to try out linux? Install it in a virtual machine. Not sure about the source of that program you downloaded? Check it out in a virtual machine first. My biggest use for it though, is for my kids.

On XP, if they had limited rights, i was always having to go to the computer for them to do tasks that they should be able to do, and fix broken programs and such. If i gave them admin rights, the machine would be bogged down with malware in a week.

Now i give them a virtual machine. It's perfect. They run in a sandbox that doesn't affect my machine. They have admin rights, and can't compromise my security. If they load down their virtual machine with malware and other crap, I can simply delete their machine, and give them a fresh install. It works great for anything short of 3d games. (which my kids don't play on the computer, they have a console for that)

I have been expossed to Virtual machines as of late in class. It was great for testing things.

Going from 1.8Ghz to 3.2Ghz is a HUGE jump. How will it impact the Cpu and heating? Is the stress gonna kill the cpu after couple years? I do plan on holding on to this Rig for couple years

Thanks so far to everyone!

PS: If i do decide to go with E4300, what is my alternative for ram if its not DDR800?
Cheers!

you'll want DDR2 ram, not DDR (probably a typo, but i'm saying this just in case it wasn't). i would settle with either DDR2-667 or DDR2-800. seeing as how the price difference is small (if a difference even exists) i would go with DDR2-800. but you aren't limited to these overclocks the people listed. you can always use dividers so your CPU can be clocked even higher. it's not like you'll notice any difference if you have your ram set at 667 compared to 800 if your CPUs are at the same speed

 

[Molondo]

Originally posted by: alimoalem


you'll want DDR2 ram, not DDR (probably a typo, but i'm saying this just in case it wasn't). i would settle with either DDR2-667 or DDR2-800. seeing as how the price difference is small (if a difference even exists) i would go with DDR2-800. but you aren't limited to these overclocks the people listed. you can always use dividers so your CPU can be clocked even higher. it's not like you'll notice any difference if you have your ram set at 667 compared to 800 if your CPUs are at the same speed

Hi
I began to order parts. I have only ordered the video card and the ram, oh yes and the CPU fan.
8800GTS
OCZ DDR2-800 2gb
noctua

So, i guess that would make the CPU choice easier. Probably will got with 6400 .

 

[gerwen]

Originally posted by: alimoalem

you'll want DDR2 ram, not DDR (probably a typo, but i'm saying this just in case it wasn't). i would settle with either DDR2-667 or DDR2-800. seeing as how the price difference is small (if a difference even exists) i would go with DDR2-800. but you aren't limited to these overclocks the people listed. you can always use dividers so your CPU can be clocked even higher. it's not like you'll notice any difference if you have your ram set at 667 compared to 800 if your CPUs are at the same speed

Agreed, but the dividers are only available on the 680i motherboards, which run $300 and up. The motherboards we've been recommending are the 965P mobos, which are in the $150+ range.

Originally posted by: Molondo

Going from 1.8Ghz to 3.2Ghz is a HUGE jump. How will it impact the Cpu and heating? Is the stress gonna kill the cpu after couple years? I do plan on holding on to this Rig for couple years

I have my E6400 running at 3.2GHz with less than stock voltage, and my load temps are in the low 40's. I'm fairly confident that the processor isn't being stressed much more than a stock setup, and maybe less because of the lower volts and improved cooling. I would think as long as your case cooling and processor cooling is adequate, an non-extreme overclock of 3.2GHz on a E6400 won't shorten its life to lower than its useful lifespan (next upgrade).

 

[Molondo]

Hi, I think i have made a decision, will got with 6400 and asus p5n sli.
thanks to gerwen, alimoalemm and n7 for coming back and giving your input. If you guys are in the calgary, alberta sometimes, Pm me, ill buy you a beer!

Thanks to others as well