My build , please comment

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anandtechuser07

Member
Nov 3, 2007
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What do you think? $1280 seems a little for my own build. I might as well buy a Dell XPS 420. Alternatively, where can I cut some costs? I'm largely interested in gaming, Photoshop with 4GB RAM, and VMWare running Linux. Prices are from Newegg.

I'm driving a Dell 2407.


Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$139.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$69.99

EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
$239.99

SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT ATX12V / EPS12V 550W Power Supply
$120.99

G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ
$89.99

ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
$149.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600
$276.99

Microsoft Windows XP Professional 64Bit SP2C
$139.99

ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
$54.99

TOTAL: 1282.91
 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
The power supply recommendation is a good one.

For what you're doing, since you want to cut the cost down, I would choose a less expensive CPU, a less expensive motherboard (unless you need the Wifi I guess) and a less expensive CPU cooler. The P182 is a great case, but there are less expensive options that are very solid. I believe MicroCenter has the Coolermaster 690 for $20 after rebate right now.
 
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imported_wired247

Golden Member
Jan 18, 2008
1,184
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If you want to cut costs, go with an e8400 and drop the cpu cooler.

The power supply is indeed a good recommendation.

And $150 is more than I'd want to spend for a P35 motherboard.

Everything else looks fine, imo
 
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TestedAcorn

Golden Member
Mar 14, 2007
1,228
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It's about the same as everyone else's computers nowadays. Everyone has a Q6600/e8400 and an 8800gt. As for cases it's like either a p180, p182, antec 900, cm690 or something along those lines. Mobo's are basically going to be something from Gigabyte or Asus (p5k), maybe a ds3l/ds3r, maybe an abit ip35 pro/ ip35-e. As for CPU coolers, it's mostly ACF7 pro, Thermalright ultra 120/extreme, tuniq tower, and Zalman 9500/9700 (lots of people have bad experiences with these) . Hard drives are w/e you like them to be. Memory is generally ddr2 800 G.Skill memory (best bet especially for oc) And for power supplies you should really invest in a modular psu ( I would recommend a 500-550 watt seasonic one). The cables are SOOO much easier to manage. If you're going to OC your video card, get a nice vga cooler such as a Thermaltake DuOrb. Finally, for an OS make sure you get a 64-bit version to support that 4 gigs of RAM you're getting. Which i see you have.
 
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imported_wired247

Golden Member
Jan 18, 2008
1,184
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Originally posted by: anandtechuser07
Originally posted by: wired247
If you want to cut costs, go with an e8400 and drop the cpu cooler.
Click to expand...

Are you saying I should just use the CPU cooler that comes with the CPU?
Click to expand...


It depends on what clock speed you want to run at.

I'm at 3.6GHz with no problems on the stock cooler, granted I am using arctic silver 5. (stable at about 1.28V, CPU usually hovers around the mid 50C's unless I am crunching big numbers like prime95, then my max temp that I've seen was 63C)


I am not sure I would want to overclock much more with the stock cooler, just to keep a margin of safety in case dust starts to rob cooling performance.


Also, quads are different, and produce much more heat. just keep that in mind...

And remember that ALL INTEL CPUs have a warranty on the stock cooler, if you are not overclocking at all this just goes to show there's no reason to get a fancy cooler except possibly for noise considerations.
 
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Roguestar

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2006
6,045
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Originally posted by: wired247
If you want to cut costs, go with an e8400 and drop the cpu cooler.

The power supply is indeed a good recommendation.

And $150 is more than I'd want to spend for a P35 motherboard.

Everything else looks fine, imo
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
I agree with these recommendations. Dropping the CPU down for something cheap you'll actually use more of is a good idea.
I'd say save some cash on the motherboard, look at a Gigabyte P35 DS3L or DS3R instead of the $150 one.
 
accguy9009

accguy9009

Senior member
Oct 21, 2007
504
10
81
Originally posted by: wired247
Originally posted by: accguy9009
I would get this board

http://www.clubit.com/product_...l.cfm?itemno=CA4830813
Click to expand...

'

that website hurts my face =S
Click to expand...

I know my motherboard and CPU arrived nicely via CubIT/ FEDEX for about $ 17.00 less than the Egg had it for. I like the Egg, I am just not married to them.:D

Check out Clubit at resellerratings.com Lifetime Rating: 9.74 / 10. Yeah, I can do business with them. :thumbsup:


http://www.resellerratings.com/store/ClubIT
 
J

jdkick

Senior member
Feb 8, 2006
601
1
81
Hmm. A comparably configured XPS 420 would run you ~$1400 (just configured one online).

With a little shopping around, you should be able to get your build pretty close to $1000. You can easily spend less on the case/power supply and still get decent components. And yeah, unless you really want to OC, drop the Zalman cooler and save another $55.
 
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engiNURD

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2004
3,975
0
76
The P182 is on sale for $110 - $50MIR btw, at newegg. If you miss out on that deal, you can go even lower than the CM RC-690... with the CM Centurion 532/534 or Elite 330 -- all typically $35-$40 + shipping.

If you don't need all the features of the P5K-E, drop it down to something that fits your needs. What features do you need in a motherboard? Firewire? RAID? 3 PCI slots? legacy ports? Some low cost boards that OC great are the IP35-E, P35-DS3L, and P35 Neo2-FR.

As far as the PSU goes, you can get the Corsair VX 550W for around $70AR... just shop around.

As mentioned above, you don't need an aftermarket cooler unless you plan on OC'ing. Even if you do want to OC, ditch the Zalman... it performs worse than other coolers with better prices. The ZEROtherm Nirvana is on sale for $40AR at the egg. If you want something cheaper, the Scythe Ninja Plus Rev.B is also good for only $35.

If you don't need a quadcore, drop down to a dual core. This will help you determine whether or not the quadcore is for you...
http://www23.tomshardware.com/...2&model2=871&chart=418

Again, the best way to save money is to shop around. You could also wait for deals if you're not in a hurry. I just picked up an OCZ SLI 4GB DDR2-800 RAM kit for only $55AR ($80 shipped before rebate). There's some A-Data DDR2-800 2GBx2 sticks at Fry's for only $70 w/ free shipping, but I think they're out of stock by now. Fry's also has good HDD deals on Seagates or Maxtors (rebadged 'cuda.10s), typically $60-$65 for 320GB.
 
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anandtechuser07

Member
Nov 3, 2007
105
0
0
OP here. Regarding the power supply, I think I read somewhere that having more rails is better. I honestly don't know what that means.


The high-end Seasonic has 4 rails. It is $120.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817151027



The CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX has 1 rail. It is about $80-100.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139004



The Antec earthwatts EA500, which I've read good things about, has 2 rails. It is $80.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371007


Can someone explain what's the impact of having 4 rails instead of some other number? I may overclock a bit. I will have up to 4 hard drives. I will have an 8800GT but will want to buy a higher-end card in a year.


 
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crimson117

Platinum Member
Aug 25, 2001
2,094
0
76
I recommend against Windows XP-64. Either get XP-32, or just get Vista 64-bit. The small ram improvement you'd get in Windows XP-64 is not worth the compatibility problems you may run into.
 
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