Please comment on my in progress gaming build

[mwelling12]

Hey everyone,

I've been meaning to get an upgrade for my old dinosaur of a system for a long time now. My original wish list date still says October of 2005! So anyway, I'm looking to make the purchase before the end of September, as I just qualified for a Newegg Preferred Account, and I want to take advantage of the no payments for 1 year option.

I'm looking for comments on my build. I haven't built a system for myself in 3 years+, so I'm looking to make sure I have compatibility between all my parts and also to make sure I have gotten the best value out of my money (shooting for ~ $1700 budget before shipping). This system will be used primarily for gaming, but also for general internet surfing and word processing every once in a while. I want a gaming system that can play everything out there at max now, and hopefully for the next year or so. Any suggestions or information would be GREATLY appreciated before I pull the trigger.

I will want to overclock the CPU to about 3.4ghz...



My Wishlist:

https://secure.newegg.com/Wish...Detail.aspx?ID=1706337


Thanks guys!

 

[disports]

link doesn't work for me!

 

[mwelling12]

Sorry, fixed the link. Thanks for letting me know, looking forward to your assessment!

 

[disports]

CPU is great, either that or E8400, $20 difference, up to you.
PSU is fine, it might be overkill, even 650TX should be fine.
HD is good.
I can't say much about the monitor, but I'm hoping you read the LCD sticky in the video cards and graphics forum.
MOBO is fine for decent overlocking from what I've heard, or could go with the GA-EP45 or Asus P5Q Pro (although the one you have and the other Gigabyte are both fine and cheaper)
HSF: I would suggest you get a different HSF from that Zalman one. I do have that one also, but for the price, there are so many better options from the Tuniq Tower 120 to the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 to Sunbeam Core Contact Cooler or the OCZ Vendetta 2.
The Ram is fine although you could probably also get the DDR2-800 version although i think it's only a $5-6 difference.
I'm pretty sure there are other better case fans that the ones you've chosen such as the Yate Loons D12SL-12 @ jab-tech.com
For the video card, either what you've chosen or the ATI 4870 is fine I believe.

Overclocking to 3.4 GHz should be a breeze from the E8500 (3.16GHz). You could do a lot more overclocking.

 

[Anodos]

Regarding the Newegg Preffered account, be sure to read the fine print. My understanding is that as long as you pay in full before your end date, you're fine, but if you haven't then "finance charges will apply from the transaction date(s)." And 21.99% is a hefty rate.

 

[Roguestar]

Link doesn't work again.

 

[betasub]

Components for the build should be listed in the post so it's easier to comment on them individually or as combos.

 

[disports]

i believe his parts were (link worked for me after he fixed it):

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
HSF: ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1282-AR GeForce GTX 280 SuperClocked Edition 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
DVD Drive: LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech Black SATA Model GH20NS15 - OEM
Monitor: Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support - Retail
Mouse: Logitech G5 2-Tone 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail
Keyboard: Microsoft Digital Media Pro BX1-00005 2-Tone USB + PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard - Retail
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Case Fan (2): APEVIA CF12S 120mm Case Fan - Retail
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

 

[Roguestar]

Thanks, smith.

CPU: Drop down to E8400.
Motherboard: good.
PSU: good.
Heatsink: Unfortunately overpriced for what you're getting now. I have one, and while it's nice and performs decently, it is quite outperformed by newer sinks and cheaper ones. Look into the Xigmatec Rifle 120mm.
RAM: good, assuming Newegg's price offer is still on.
GPU: I'd probably get a 4870 instead, and I'd certainly not pay for a factory overclocked card when you can do that yourself for free.
Peripherals: fine.
Hard drive: good.
Case: fine.

 

[mwelling12]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

Questions about the suggestions:

1. Why should I drop down from the E8500 to the E8400, when the price difference is only $20? Shouldn't I get the faster CPU if I can?

2. Will the GPU I chose fit well into the Antec Nine Hundred? I'd like to stick with Nvidia, because I'm planning on playing a lot of Crysis, and I've heard that Nvidia runs Crysis much better.

3. Someone mentioned going with DDR2-800 instead of the DDR2-1000? Same question as 1: Shouldn't I go with the faster RAM if I can, for just a few bucks more?

4. Can anyone suggest the best after market HSF for around $40-$50? I'll look into the suggestions that were made already.

5. Does anyone have any opinions on the monitor I chose?


Thanks again, guys, I really appreciate it! And thank you to smith, for listing my components in the thread (I changed the PSU, as someone suggested 650W as enough power):


CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
HSF: ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1282-AR GeForce GTX 280 SuperClocked Edition 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
DVD Drive: LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech Black SATA Model GH20NS15 - OEM
Monitor: Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support - Retail
Mouse: Logitech G5 2-Tone 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail
Keyboard: Microsoft Digital Media Pro BX1-00005 2-Tone USB + PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard - Retail
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Case Fan (2): APEVIA CF12S 120mm Case Fan - Retail
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

 

[disports]

1) Well some people will say it's not worth the extra $20 for the little bit of upgrade in performance from the E8400 to E8500 but honestly it's up to you.
2) I would think it would fit but it would be a really tight fit.
3) Pretty much same as #1, but also it's possible to overclock your ram. In addition, you're not planning on overclocking heavily anyways.
4) The HSF's I've named are pretty good. The differences are really like 1-2 degrees. You can't go wrong with any one of them. The HDT-S1283 is really good for it's low price.
5) Check out the reviews and if possible, try and see it in person.

No problem.

 

[mwelling12]

Thanks, smith. I was looking at the monitor in your sig, the LG W2452T and it looks like a good choice. Do you recommend it?

 

[Roguestar]

If you're going to look at a 650W PSU, check out the Corsair 620HX. It's just as good, and modular.

If you're not overclocking, all your RAM will run at DDR2-667 speeds anyway, so DDR2-1000 is even more of a waste.

Xigmatec rifle cooler already recommended.

NVidia doesn't have a particular advantage in Crysis. If you buy a graphics card for one game you might be disappointed later... (especially when you find out the last 40% of crysis is unfortunately crap)

 

[disports]

You're welcome. I absolutely love my monitor and it came with no dead pixels! Anyways, it is a little bit on the pricey side and the stand is flimsy as heck. The monitor shakes whenever I bump into my desk. I do recommend it, but there are also other great monitors at a slightly lower price (i.e. BenQ G2400WD or Samsung SyncMaster 245BW). I recommend you take a look at the LCD Thread sticky at the top of the Video Cards and Graphics forum. Take a good look at the monitors to see what you like.