Need Help Building a New System

[karl yen]

Hello Everybody!

Im planning to Build a New system and need your help. Here is what i'm looking for. I have already selected few and need help on the others:

Case: Antec P182
PSU: Crosair 520HX
Motherboard: Should support Quad 6600 Proc, SLI etc
CPU: Quad 6600
Memory: Please suggest

Thanks
Karl Yen

 

[de8212]

you'll probably need to provide more info (budget, what you'll be using the pc for, etc) but I'll go out on a limb for a second.

I think "most" users here would say to forget sli. Just go with a P35 based board. If you have to do sli go with something like the evga 680i A1 revision.
Most offerings from Gigabyte/abit/intel are safe bets. Again, it just depends on budget and what features you require.

Memory - IMO crucial is a safe bet as is corsair. If you do not intend to overclock even value RAM is OK.

Hope this at least gets you started.

 

[karl yen]

Thanks for the Info. My Budget is around $800 (Excluding the Display). It will be a Gaming and Movie PC. I dont need an SLI right now, however thinking to upgrade in the near future. Awaiting your reply.

Thanks
Karl Yen

 

[Ozoneman]

How much ram do you want? Here is a really good deal on Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 which I'd recommend if you are planning 2 gig of ram. Only $40. I paid about $100 for the same ram about 2 months ago.

http://www.buy.com/prod/crucia...loc/101/202541818.html

Next question is, what do you want on your motherboard. Do you need firewire? What do you need? Your mobo will cost you about $100 to $180 depending on what features you want.

If you are going to game a lot, I'd suggest getting a good video card. Nvidia just came out with the 8800 GT which should fit within your budget and it will give you pretty good performance. They run about $250.

Power supply? Corsair is good, but you might consider the 620 if you can afford it. the 520 might be enough, but you want to make sure you have enough.

As I add this stuff up I can see already that you may need to budget more than $800 if you want a good gaming PC.

Q6600 - $270
Mobo - $150
Vid card - $250
P182 case - $150
Power supply - $110 to $140
Ram - $40

We're at about $1000 now, plus do you want a better Heatsink/fan for your cpu?

Well, here's a start. Try to decide how much you really can afford. Think about what features you want on your mobo and how much ram you will want.

 

[Lowfategg]

Yes I say the following.

Q6600 / X3210 (or core 2 duo depending what you are doing)
Motherboard get a 680i or 650i (I have the MSI P6N 650i SLI which works well)
Video card: Either 8800 GT/GTS or 8600 GTS depending on budget
Case: P182 case is nice but maybe get something cheaper and upgrade one of the other parts in system
Power: Anything that supports SLI (two x16 power plugs) and above 650W (remember it should be a brand name PSU no cheapy brands)
Ram: 2 GB DDR2 800 at lest

And I would get it off newegg.com

 

[karl yen]

Thanks for all the Help Guys.

I went hunting yesterday and found a case with PSU, its the "Ultra Gladiator ULT33181 ATX Mid-Tower Case - Black, Front USB, FireWire, Audio Ports, 500-Watt V-Series Power Supply" for $79.99 at tigerdirect. However the only concern i have is the PSU, is it sufficient if i'm planning to go for a SLI config later?

The Antec p182 is an Amazing Case, however i need to buy a PSU Separately which which increase the cost. What do you think about "PSU CoolerMaster eXtreme Power 600w ATX Power Supply", its $69.99. If i go with Antec p182 ($140) and CoolerMaster PSU($69.99) its going to cost me ($210) for the case and PSU, however if i buy the Ultra Gladiator ($79.99), then i can save $130. Is it a good save?

Thanks for the Buy.com deal with the Memory. I will be buying that. Yes i need 2GB 800MHz atleast. ($39.99)-With Google Checkout []
Proc will be Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz ($279.99) from Newegg.
Video Card: EVGA 8600GTS ($144.99) Newegg

What do you guys say about: MoBo: EVGA 122 680i LT ($159.99) from Newegg.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda SATA 250GB ($64.99) Newegg
DVD: LITEON SATA ($33.99) Newegg.
KB/MSE Kit: Logitech 920 wireless ($79.99) Newegg
Speakers: Logitech THX Z-5300e ($139.99) Newegg

How about getting all these on Thanksgiving Sale?

Thanks
Karl Yen

 

[Ozoneman]

If you are going to go sli later, you definitely what to get a very good power supply. I really think you need at least the Corsair 620.

Here is another case if you can't afford the P182. My son has this one and it is a nice case too. It's $90 after rebate and shipping is free now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...1&CMP=AFC-Bensbargains

One other thing, the 8600 GT/GTS are a little weak for the new games. I'd consider that 8800GT a lot. I'll probably replace my 8600GTS soon.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Don't bother with SLi. The only time anyone should get SLi is when they do high resolutions, and only do it using current top performing cards. As an upgrade option, it's horrible. You get better price/performance ratio selling the old card and buying a new mid-high end card.

Also, the hx520w is enough even if you do plan on SLi. 40A on a single +12v rail (they advertise as 3 separate rails, but they aren't actually physically separate) making for 480w on the +12, more than enough for dual 8800GTs

 

[Ozoneman]

I hope your are right about the PS. Watts aren't always the best thing to go on anyway. The quality of the PS is more important. I had a Shuttle SFF SN25P and that only had a PS rated at 350 watts. I was running a 7800gtx, 3 HDs, 1 optical drive, A64 4000+ and had no problem. The PS that Shuttle use are high quality and don't need a lot of watts. So I'll agree with you that a 520 may do but it needs to be a high quality 520 like the Corsair. However, it doesn't hurt to have more power than you need. =;c)

 

[darbius]

As far as the PS, I'm not sure how important noise is to you, but I have a Seasonic in my current desktop and that puppy is whisper-quiet. I've also read great things about the new Seasonic 500W and I will never doubt the quality of any first-party (not OEM'd) Seasonic PS. Good luck.

 

[tno]

Originally posted by: karl yen
I went hunting yesterday and found a case with PSU, its the "Ultra Gladiator ULT33181 ATX Mid-Tower Case - Black, Front USB, FireWire, Audio Ports, 500-Watt V-Series Power Supply" for $79.99 at tigerdirect. However the only concern i have is the PSU, is it sufficient if i'm planning to go for a SLI config later?

So we all kind've roll the dice when it comes to non-top tier case builders though Ultra has really made lots of progress in quality and the such. Like others have said, it's all about features. What are the features about the p182 that really draw you in? If it's the size and the separate cooling chambers, you can get similar capacity (drives and board/component space) from smaller cases and equivalent quiet cooling without the separate cooling chambers. I recommend the Antec Solo, a solid case that fits a lot of components in a small case with great cooling. Check Anand's case review archives, and silentpcreview.com which has lots of great reviews on smaller cases, with a focus on quiet cooling.

As far as power supply, amps, efficiency and watts are important figures, but pay attention to sales, power supplies can experience some impressive bargains.

Proc will be Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz ($279.99) from Newegg.
Video Card: EVGA 8600GTS ($144.99) Newegg

The quad will only get you impressive results if you're looking to do lots of encoding and have a need to do it as fast as can be. If you're watching movies (even HD) and doing some occasional encoding tasks, you can afford to have it take more time and get a faster stock proc (if you can afford the q then I'd grab the e6850, or save $100 and get the c2d sweet spot chip, the e6750). You'll be happier with the faster clock speed and easier overclocking potential of the e6750 than the ability to encode a movie in 12 minutes vs. 17 minutes.

The GTS is a pretty big underperformer for that cost. You should move your money into an 8800GT, but wait till it sits in the $200 range and not the high prices it's flying at right now. Whatever you do though, don't buy an 8600 class or an 8800gts unless it's a big bargan.

What do you guys say about: MoBo: EVGA 122 680i LT ($159.99) from Newegg.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda SATA 250GB ($64.99) Newegg
DVD: LITEON SATA ($33.99) Newegg.
KB/MSE Kit: Logitech 920 wireless ($79.99) Newegg
Speakers: Logitech THX Z-5300e ($139.99) Newegg

You spends your money where you want, I wouldn't splurge on the wireless keyboard or the speakers, probably aiming instead to spend more on a better display and a good head set. Whichever way you go, enjoy the build and let us know how it goes!

$0.02,

tno

 

[Ozoneman]

tno,

He may want to consider the quad since he will be using this system to game. I've read that the new games like Crysis will utilize multiple cores.

 

[tno]

Oz,
I hear you about the quad and future implementations, but clock speed will help you in all apps now and later. Quad'll help you in few programs now and in some programs later. Either way, it's a personal choice and I can see it either way. Regardless, the rig he's building will be perfect for a nice Penryn quad later.

tno