Sunrise089
Senior member
I'm helping my friend build and price a PC. This PC isn't for me, so it has no relation to the PC in my sig. Friend has good job so budget isn't that tight, but the goal is good performance that won't require constant upgrades to stay usable for about $1500. Friend doesn't need a display, mouse, speakers, or OS. Also, we all know PC's are never future proof, so need to point that out.
Friend will be using the PC a lot, like most of us. He will be doing the normal routine of web browsing and office tasks, plus some decent gaming. Understandibly if performance isn't a big deal a $750 PC might manage, but friend does want to game and would like the PC to be pretty competitive for some time, assuming he kept the GPU up to date. The PC will be overclocked.
I'm not going to take the time to list individual links to prices for all of these parts, just the price I've seen then offered at as of yesterday (shipped). I simply ask that if you see a part that seems like a poor idea or is clearly worse than a cheaper or equally priced item to please point it out.
_______________
Processor:
Core 2 Duo E6600 ($320)
Motherboard:
Asus P5W DH Deluxe ($225)
Memory:
2x1gig OCZ Platinum Revision 2 ($220)
Video Card:
Asus X1950pro ($180)
Hard Drive:
Western Digital 320gig 16meg cache ($95)
Optical Drive:
NEC something or other ($30)
Case:
Antec P180 ($135)
Power Supply:
FSP AX-500a ($91)
Keyboard:
Logitech G15 ($72)
Additional case fans (already includes 3x120mm):
2xScythe 120mm ~1200RPM fans ($30)
CPU Heatsink:
Scythe Infinity ($65)
_______________
The main questions I have are these (this would all be a lot easier with an updated AT buyer's guide, but the guides are over three months old):
Motherboard....still a good choice? Seems like a good overclocker with an E6600 and it seems to offer a nice features and stability.
Also - does the heatsink fit well???
Memory....seems like a good deal for the performance, if this is the memory I think it is. Suspect it will hit DDR2-1000, which is partly why I've chosen the ASUS motherboard, due to the need for higher memory voltages.
Case....I know the P180 is a tough case for PS fitment, does anyone know if this FSP unit will reach the MB?
___________________
Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
___________________
Louis, thank you for sharing your advice. I'd happily move to a seasonic PS (or an overrated PCPC) if the price were close. The Fortron unit I've selected is quite a bit more affordable yet is IMHO pretty high quality for its price - certainly better than the popular Antec PSUs often chosen. The P180 is certainly heavy, but as a desktop probably won't be moved very much, if ever. Many people seem very happy with its construction, but irregardless it is mainly being chosen for its looks. I'm strongly of the opinion that while a Raptor or equivalent hard drive would be nice, such as part is rarely justified until a top-end GPU is already included in the build. Otherwise, there are better uses for $100+. I'd also slightly favor the Seagate over the WD if the prices were closer, but with a $15 price difference (TigerDirect charges tax in FL), I don't feel it's worth the difference. Finally, I think we can all agree that the Scythe and Tuniq are both great coolers, but I'll take the Scythe's slightly larger cooling area even if it is a bit harder to install. I take it from your lack of comments about the other part choices that you feel the motherboard and memory combo seems like acceptable choices. Thanks again for your advice.
____________
EDIT: Changed the memory to OCZ chips. For another $40 I could jump to Super Talent memory running D9s, but at DDR2-800 the timings are basically the same (I'm thinking OCZ bins an inferior type of memory for quicker timings, and Super Talent is just using rank and file D9s???), and the OCZ will probably OC to DDR2-1000 versus DDR2-1066 for the Super Talent, and I don't really see the performance difference being worth $40. Sadly, it does pain me to think of the voltage able to be supplied by the selected motheboard is going to be put to waste, but I digress.....
Friend will be using the PC a lot, like most of us. He will be doing the normal routine of web browsing and office tasks, plus some decent gaming. Understandibly if performance isn't a big deal a $750 PC might manage, but friend does want to game and would like the PC to be pretty competitive for some time, assuming he kept the GPU up to date. The PC will be overclocked.
I'm not going to take the time to list individual links to prices for all of these parts, just the price I've seen then offered at as of yesterday (shipped). I simply ask that if you see a part that seems like a poor idea or is clearly worse than a cheaper or equally priced item to please point it out.
_______________
Processor:
Core 2 Duo E6600 ($320)
Motherboard:
Asus P5W DH Deluxe ($225)
Memory:
2x1gig OCZ Platinum Revision 2 ($220)
Video Card:
Asus X1950pro ($180)
Hard Drive:
Western Digital 320gig 16meg cache ($95)
Optical Drive:
NEC something or other ($30)
Case:
Antec P180 ($135)
Power Supply:
FSP AX-500a ($91)
Keyboard:
Logitech G15 ($72)
Additional case fans (already includes 3x120mm):
2xScythe 120mm ~1200RPM fans ($30)
CPU Heatsink:
Scythe Infinity ($65)
_______________
The main questions I have are these (this would all be a lot easier with an updated AT buyer's guide, but the guides are over three months old):
Motherboard....still a good choice? Seems like a good overclocker with an E6600 and it seems to offer a nice features and stability.
Also - does the heatsink fit well???
Memory....seems like a good deal for the performance, if this is the memory I think it is. Suspect it will hit DDR2-1000, which is partly why I've chosen the ASUS motherboard, due to the need for higher memory voltages.
Case....I know the P180 is a tough case for PS fitment, does anyone know if this FSP unit will reach the MB?
___________________
Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
___________________
Louis, thank you for sharing your advice. I'd happily move to a seasonic PS (or an overrated PCPC) if the price were close. The Fortron unit I've selected is quite a bit more affordable yet is IMHO pretty high quality for its price - certainly better than the popular Antec PSUs often chosen. The P180 is certainly heavy, but as a desktop probably won't be moved very much, if ever. Many people seem very happy with its construction, but irregardless it is mainly being chosen for its looks. I'm strongly of the opinion that while a Raptor or equivalent hard drive would be nice, such as part is rarely justified until a top-end GPU is already included in the build. Otherwise, there are better uses for $100+. I'd also slightly favor the Seagate over the WD if the prices were closer, but with a $15 price difference (TigerDirect charges tax in FL), I don't feel it's worth the difference. Finally, I think we can all agree that the Scythe and Tuniq are both great coolers, but I'll take the Scythe's slightly larger cooling area even if it is a bit harder to install. I take it from your lack of comments about the other part choices that you feel the motherboard and memory combo seems like acceptable choices. Thanks again for your advice.
____________
EDIT: Changed the memory to OCZ chips. For another $40 I could jump to Super Talent memory running D9s, but at DDR2-800 the timings are basically the same (I'm thinking OCZ bins an inferior type of memory for quicker timings, and Super Talent is just using rank and file D9s???), and the OCZ will probably OC to DDR2-1000 versus DDR2-1066 for the Super Talent, and I don't really see the performance difference being worth $40. Sadly, it does pain me to think of the voltage able to be supplied by the selected motheboard is going to be put to waste, but I digress.....
