q6600 budget build

Gaurav Duggal

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Oct 17, 2007
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I want to build my first quad core computer. I will play games like crysis but upto 1280x960 resolution. Maybe not even at high quality settings but it should be playable atleast at 1024x768. It should cost around $1000 (without operating system). I may overclock it a little but only with the stock cooler.
 

harpoon84

Golden Member
Jul 16, 2006
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What is the question?

Anyhow, the key component will be the GPU. I recommend the 8800GT, it has unrivaled price/performance, performs almost as well as the 8800GTX at half the price. ;)
 

996GT2

Diamond Member
Jun 23, 2005
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You want to know what parts to build your system with so that you can meet a $1000 budget?

Here is a list with approximate prices:
CPU: Q6600: $265
RAM: 2GB Crucial Ballistix: $50 AR
Mobo: Abit IP35: $130
Graphics: 8800GT: $270
HDD: 500GB SATA: $100
Power supply: Antec Earthwatts 500: $50AR? Or something equivalent like a Corsair VX450 for around $60

Add $50 for a case, $30 for an optical drive, and you still have about 50 bucks left over for misc. parts or shipping costs
 

trOver

Golden Member
Aug 18, 2006
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Originally posted by: 996GT2
You want to know what parts to build your system with so that you can meet a $1000 budget?

Here is a list with approximate prices:
CPU: Q6600: $265
RAM: 2GB Crucial Ballistix: $50 AR
Mobo: Abit IP35: $130
Graphics: 8800GT: $270
HDD: 500GB SATA: $100
Power supply: Antec Earthwatts 500: $50AR? Or something equivalent like a Corsair VX450 for around $60

Add $50 for a case, $30 for an optical drive, and you still have about 50 bucks left over for misc. parts or shipping costs

winnar
 

Gaurav Duggal

Member
Oct 17, 2007
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I am confused on which parts to choose,etc.



I will buy a graphics card next year. I think I can manage with my 7300GT till then. What about the monitor?


Also trOver isn't the IP35-E better value for money since I don't need RAID,etc? I may just buy a 160GB hard disk for $45 since I already have an 80GB one.


How much can I hope to overclock the CPU using the stock cooler.


Make the overall cost around $850 as I will save 150 bucks for the graphics card.
 

Denithor

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2004
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You don't really need a quad-core for gaming yet these days.

This would be a nice base for a gaming rig.
Abit IP35-E + e4600 + 2x1GB DDR2 for ~$260 after MIR
Seagate 250GB SATA hard drive for $70
CoolerMaster 600W power supply for $40 after MIR
DVDRW for $30
Case of your choice ~$50

Total: $450 after $60MIR.

Legionhardware has a good article on e4600 overclocking performance where they were able to get it to 3GHz on stock cooling without adjusting the voltage at all. They give detailed instructions on how they reached this point as well as what they did to push it to 3.3GHz.

For a gaming system, you really need to budget a higher percentage of money for your video card as these days the gpu has much more impact than the cpu (see the benchmarks in the above article). Plan to spend at least $200-300 for your video card if you want to be able to play at 1280x960. Get the 8800GT or wait for the Radeon 3870 or the G92-based 8800GTS-512 and you will be set.
 

Gaurav Duggal

Member
Oct 17, 2007
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I'd really like a Q6600 as I will use it for encoding videos/movies, simultaneously gaming. Plus I'd buy it cause it must last atleast 1.5 - 2yrs. 240GB HD space is enough for me (Its a lot compared to my present 80GB!). I live in Delhi, India where currently ASUS 8800Ultra sells for around $1000! I'd wait maybe 1-2 months for prices to settle down.
 

betasub

Platinum Member
Mar 22, 2006
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ASUS 8800U isn't a good item for making comparisons of local hardware prices (it's rare and expensive anywhere, so prices are unstable). Try giving the price of something a little more mainstream, for example the 8800GT, or the Q6600 you're shooting for.
 

akhilles

Senior member
Nov 6, 2007
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I'd go with 996GT2's suggestion. It has Q6600 which is what you want & 8800GT which is fine for gaming at your resolution. Next week there'll be 3 new ATI cards: HD 3850/60/70.
 

Gaurav Duggal

Member
Oct 17, 2007
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XFX 8800 Ultra Rs 41,500 (Rs 40,000 = $1,000)
Galaxy 8800 Ultra Rs 35,000
ATI HD2900XT Rs 26,500
Galaxy 8400GS Rs 2,800

Intel Q6600 Rs 10,400 (about $260)
I think this is fine but the graphics cards are very expensive.

This is what I shortlisted:

C2Q q6600 ($260)
Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2x1024MB) Directron $80
or
CRUCIAL BALLISTIX BL2KIT12864AA1065 2GB KIT (1GB x 2) MATCH PAIR PC28500 1066MHZ 5-5-5-15 240-PIN DDR2 DIMM W/HEAT SPREADER $96

IP-35E (around $90)

160GB HDD $40
I will wait for the new ATI grapics cards.

please tell me what are the characteristics of a RAM that will overclock nicely.
Any more suggestions for RAM??


 

Denithor

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2004
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Just buy a good brand DDR2-800 kit. There is absolutely no need for the 1066MHz memory to overclock a Q6600.

Stock:
9x266MHz = 2.4GHz
9x400MHz = 3.6GHz

If you plan to overclock above the rated speed for DDR2-800 you will need much improved cooling for your processor.

You can get a good DDR2-800 2x1GB kit for around $50 these days, spend the extra cash where it will help most: on the video card.