help me with a new build

D

dlaxman31

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 29, 2007
Messages
315
Okay I just picked up the Retail Edge Q6600, motherboard DG33TL and Vista the other day. Now I'm trying to piece together a new rig. This will be my first computer being built, last one I had was a Dell that I had made 3-4 years ago.

Currently use my system for internet, music (ton of music 62gb), watching TV, and slight gaming. This isn't going to be a gaming rig since I haven't been doing gaming lately. But I would like to try playing some COD4, and a few other similar titles. If possible since I'm paying of college loans cheaper is always better for price points but I want quality parts.

Heres what I'm thinking so far.

Case: Antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021&Tpk=Antec+900

Monitor: Stock 17" from Dell - from older system

Motherboard: Intel DG33TL - Already have

Processor: Intel Q6600 - Already have

Heatsink+Fan: Might use the stock one ?

Memory: Kingston 2GB DDR2 667 (PC2 5300)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134192

Video card: VGA GeForce 8600GTS 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130286

Power Supply: COOLER MASTER 600W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171013

Primary hard drive: Seagate Barracuda 250GB SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262

DVD drives: My stock DVD-rom and Pioneer DVD burner from old machine

Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy 2 - from old system


Thanks
 
Swap the 8600 for an 8800 GT or Radeon 3870 if you can afford it. Although, at 1280x1024 the 8600 may be enough if you're willing to drop settings.
 
The HD3850 is only $160 at bestbuy.

silent-circuit said:
Swap the 8600 for an 8800 GT or Radeon 3870 if you can afford it. Although, at 1280x1024 the 8600 may be enough if you're willing to drop settings.
Click to expand...

Sup stranger... been avoiding genhard lately? :p I miss all the typing you used to save me, lol.
 
theres a reason why it's called dual-channel memory.
Get 2x1gb instead..

600w is overkill. Better quality over wattage.
and you really don't want a psu with THAT much bad reviews.
This one should sufficiently power your system, and for cheaper.

HD 3850 will be MUCH better than the 8600gts, and at that low of an resolution, 256 is sufficient.
 
JamesL said:
theres a reason why it's called dual-channel memory.
Get 2x1gb instead..
Click to expand...

so 2x1gbs is better then a single 2 gb?

600w is overkill. Better quality over wattage.
and you really don't want a psu with THAT much bad reviews.
This one should sufficiently power your system, and for cheaper.

HD 3850 will be MUCH better than the 8600gts, and at that low of an resolution, 256 is sufficient.
Click to expand...

thanks for the comments ill take a look at that then.
 
Since you can't OC with that mobo, stick with the stock HSF.

enginurd said:
The HD3850 is only $160 at bestbuy.
Click to expand...

Here's a link:
$160 - VisionTek - ATI RADEON HD3850 256MB

For 2GB:
$48 - A-DATA 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 ADQVE1A16K

For 4GB:
$110 - G.Skill 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ

or two of these...
$37 - STT DDR2-800 2GB (128x8) S-RIGID Memory (Super Talent, single stick)

PSU Suggestions:
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showpost.php?p=1590883&postcount=193
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103
PSU FAQ: http://www.jonnyguru.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1036
 
Okay I'm back now and with a possible updated system.
Again looking at under $600-800 if possible.

I'm thinking of going with the Antec 900 case, with 2 gb of memory right now. Gonna do two IDE DVD rom drives, and one 320 sata hard drive. Video card I'm still stuck on right now.

Considering I upgrade the monitor this summer what options should I look for in a good screen

What my planned goal in the long run is to have 4 opitcal drives running at the same time to be able to burn two DVDs at the same moment. Also playing some games COD4, and Battlefield would be nice also.


What do you guys think of my current thoughts
 
First off, I think that you only need two optical drives -- the ones you're planning on reusing. I can't see any reason why you need to be burning two DVDs at the same time.

As for a video card, your choice will depend on what monitor you plan on getting. (Here's a guide on what to look for when buying an LCD monitor. For example, the Acer AL2216Wbd is a good 22 inch widescreen monitor available for around $230.) The HD 3850 will play games fine on your current monitor, but you may want to look at the HD 3870, the 8800GT, or the 512MB 8800GTS if you're considering a 20-24 inch monitor.
 
tiraides said:
First off, I think that you only need two optical drives -- the ones you're planning on reusing. I can't see any reason why you need to be burning two DVDs at the same time.

As for a video card, your choice will depend on what monitor you plan on getting. (Here's a guide on what to look for when buying an LCD monitor. For example, the Acer AL2216Wbd is a good 22 inch widescreen monitor available for around $230.) The HD 3850 will play games fine on your current monitor, but you may want to look at the HD 3870, the 8800GT, or the 512MB 8800GTS if you're considering a 20-24 inch monitor.
Click to expand...

so say for instance I get a 20 inch screen or something around that size could I use a cheaper graphics card to still get a good image. Am I only bumping up my graphics card quality because of the screen
 
dlaxman31 said:
so say for instance I get a 20 inch screen or something around that size could I use a cheaper graphics card to still get a good image. Am I only bumping up my graphics card quality because of the screen
Click to expand...

Yes with a but to the cheaper graphics card. Yes to the bump up.

The bigger in size monitor you go, the more you have to spend on a video card if you want good performance at that monitor's resolution. While a cheaper card could play games on a larger monitor, you will have to turn down many, if not all of the settings in order to so. Even then the card would still struggle. Also it depends on what your definition of a good image is. My definition of a good image is at least medium settings at 1280x1024. For some, its low settings at 1024x768. And for some, its high settings at 1920x1200.
 
Danny Bui said:
Yes with a but to the cheaper graphics card. Yes to the bump up.

The bigger in size monitor you go, the more you have to spend on a video card if you want good performance at that monitor's resolution. While a cheaper card could play games on a larger monitor, you will have to turn down many, if not all of the settings in order to so. Even then the card would still struggle. Also it depends on what your definition of a good image is. My definition of a good image is at least medium settings at 1280x1024. For some, its low settings at 1024x768. And for some, its high settings at 1920x1200.
Click to expand...

okay consider where I'm coming from right now. I have a GeForce 5200X AGP card, and have no games on the computer currently. I have played SWAT 3 and that put my system to the max with all the extra settings with the native resolution being the 1280x1024. I do enjoy a larger screen but I think I'll be keeping my 17 for a while since that suits my needs fairly well for right now.

So considering that situation can I bump down on a card say that is good for a resolution of 1280x1024 that will allow me to still run decent games with the shading and pixel stuff. (not into games as you can see). Or should I just upgrade to something better now in hopes of my screen being upgraded also.
 
dlaxman31 said:
So considering that situation should I bump down on a card say that is good for a resolution of 1280x1024 that will allow me to still run decent games with the shading and pixel stuff. (not into games as you can see). Or should I just upgrade to something better now in hopes of my screen being upgraded also.
Click to expand...

I think thats what you really meant.

Anyway, at 1280x1024, the x1950GT should be enough for your needs as long as you keep some settings down:
Sapphire 100199L Radeon X1950GT 256MB PCI-E Video Card - $110

However, if you think the possibility of you getting a bigger monitor (a 19" or 20") is very likely and you want to play games at max settings, I recommend going with a better card like the HD 3850:
VisionTek Radeon HD 3850 256MB PCI-E Video Card - $170
 
Okay so I stopped by CompUSA today and they have cases going for pretty cheap today. They wanted the Coolmaster 690 for 72.00, should I pick it up!!! I looked on newegg and they have one packaged with a powersupply for 150 but I figure that might be a good deal considering the fact I need a power supply too.


also on the video card aspect, will an ATI radeon 2800 pro work for the time being
 
There's no such card as the 2800Pro. Did you mean 2400Pro or 2600Pro? Even at 1280x1024, those cards are pretty damn weak, at least for COD4. The older Battlefield 2 and below might run well with. Possibly B2142. Though how cheap can you get it for?

Also, ignore that Coolermaster RC-690 and PSU combo: the PSU sucks. Generally, the PSU that comes with most cases/PSU combos absolutely sucks in terms of quality and power output. The only exception to this are Antec cases.

Anyway, thats a good price for the Coolermaster RC-690 at CompUSA. Especially since if you bought the case online, you'd have to pay around $18 for shipping, at least from newegg anyway. So I recommend picking it up.

As for power supplies, I recommend any of the power supplies below. The more you spend, the power and quality you get:
XClio Goodpower 500W PSU - $50
Corsair 450VX 450W PSU - $72
Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $83
Corsair 520HX 520W PSU - $109
 
Danny Bui said:
There's no such card as the 2800Pro. Did you mean 2400Pro or 2600Pro? Even at 1280x1024, those cards are pretty damn weak, at least for COD4. The older Battlefield 2 and below might run well with. Possibly B2142. Though how cheap can you get it for?

Also, ignore that Coolermaster RC-690 and PSU combo: the PSU sucks. Generally, the PSU that comes with most cases/PSU combos absolutely sucks in terms of quality and power output. The only exception to this are Antec cases.
Click to expand...

I won't even think of getting the cards then. I think I'll wait and do the video card as probably the last purchase. Thanks for the comments on the case. I think I'll try and pick it up next week when I get some cash and heck who knows maybe the price will go down.:):)
 
Be careful, they might run out of stock. I went back to the compUSA closing near me a year or so ago to get a 2nd CM Stacker, and they were all out -- not a surprise tho, when they're marked down to $85 from $160+, lol!
 
enginurd said:
Be careful, they might run out of stock. I went back to the compUSA closing near me a year or so ago to get a 2nd CM Stacker, and they were all out -- not a surprise tho, when they're marked down to $85 from $160+, lol!
Click to expand...

they had two huge bulk stacks of them. Especially one right at the front door and more in teh back of the store probably close to 40-50 towers. I think I'm gonna try and take a look tomorrow maybe and see what they have left. Might end up just picking it up anyways.
 
Hey, it's SirKronan from the Retail Edge thread ... lol. Thanks for telling me about this post. Mind if I offer a couple of suggestions regarding your proposed build? I hope not... haha

Case: Antec 900

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021&Tpk=Antec%2b900

I agree. For the money this is a well-build case. It's quiet and pushes a LOT of air. The front ports work great, too. (Remember not to plug in the headphones because of problems that others are having with their Intel Retail Edge boards this year!) It's a good case, and I'm happy I have it. Looks nice, and has plenty of room for me. 8800GT or GTS should fit just fine, if you ever need something that powerful. The only thing I had a hard time with was the 3.5 in., and the instruction manual sucks. It leaves out some information that would be useful. Other than that, you'll be happy, especially with the nice look.

Power supply: SeaSonic 500W

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151040

SeaSonic consistently produces fantastic power supplies. This one has enough power for a single 3850/70 or even an 8800GT, more than likely, since you don't need SLI. They have won a lot of awards, and they are famous for producing quiet PSU's too. They have decent support and warrantees as well. Right now it's $30 instant savings off, making it $69.99 with free shipping!

Video card: Radeon 3850
Go with the X1950 for $119 like Danny Bui says or snag the VisionTek Radeon 3850 if you ever get the chance. It's a substantial upgrade from the 8600/2600 AND supports DX10 which the 1960 does not. It's also more efficient. At load it consumes around 100 watts, which is less than some video cards eat up at IDLE!! Best Buy had the 3850 on sale for $143.99, but it appears to be out of stock. This gives you incredible bang for your buck. If you can survive on the decent integrated graphics on the Intel board (good dual display and Aero support) until BBY gets it in stock, the 3850 is an amazing deal even at BBY's regular price of $159. If you're an employee, maybe you can use your discount. If your store doesn't have it, try Customer fulfill??

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8636657&type=product&id=1194053242019

Listen to what Tom's Hardware says about this card: (and looking at benchmarks and pricing, I agree, and they reviewed it at the $170 price!)

"The Radeon 3850 brings us something we've been begging for ever since the DirectX 10 cards were introduced: a sub-$200 card with performance comparable to the high-end products. The Radeon 3850 delivers Geforce 8800 GTS 320mb performance for more than $100 less.
If you're looking to get the best possible performance for the dollar, this card hits the sweet spot."
Also:
"First and foremost, it poses as the card that allows you to play decently at the lowest price, since the previous most powerful mainstream card, the 8600 GTS is highly surpassed (65% in 1280 x 1024, 74% in 1600 x 1200) and for a price barely more expensive. If you only have a $150 to put in a card dedicated to games and video decoding, this card proves to be perfect, and NVIDIA doesn't have anything on offer to match it..."

RAM: G.Skill 2x1GB Set
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098
For RAM I would recommend you go with something 800MHz at CAS 5, supported. The above set has 1111 reviews at the moment, and still carries a 5-egg average rating. Also, it's won the customer choice award from Newegg.com, and it's $40 instant savings + free shipping to boot! This is the RAM I used for my Dad's computer, which is using the board from the Retail Edge package. It posted just fine. You will probably be fine with 4GB, especially if you're sticking with 32-bit OS. To buy 2x2GB would be a waste of money and a waste of potential bandwidth.

(Can you tell that I like instant savings better than mail-in-rebates yet? I work in Retail like you do, and how many customers actually send in the rebate? Out of those, how many fill it out right? And how many times does the company screw up, even if the customer has done everything right??? Hence, most of what I recommend to you will boast an instant savings instead of MIR.)

I would definitely recommend against using the stock fan/heatsink combo, simply because for a small amount of money you can provide better cooling and with less noise. The improved cooling could extend the life of your processor, whether you overclock or not, and quieter builds are generally preferable. I've built several systems using the stock HSF that comes with the Intel processor. While they do provide sufficient cooling, even inexpensive aftermarket models make a lot less noise. In those builds I've done with the stock HSF the Intel fan is the noisiest component in the case (excepting my 7600GT at full load - such a tiny, noisy fan!!)

Check these deals out:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103031
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134&Tpk=Arctic%2bcooling%2bfreezer%2b7

Cooler Master's usually good about mail-in-rebates. If you're not going to send it in, just get the Arctic Freezer 7 Pro. It's amazing, and that's what I'm using in my build. It's on-par with a lot of 120mm HSFs, but smaller, lighter, and it puts out about half the noise of the Intel stock HSF, at load, and it's quieter at idle too. Also, it's every bit as easy to install as the stock cooler! I can't say that about all aftermarket HSFs.

Here's a quote from a review that sums it up quite well:
"The Freezer 7 Pro is certainly a good product by Arctic Cooling. Although it is not something extreme, its excellent price and noteworthy performance make it a very affordable high performance cooler for use on the warm Intel cores. Also, when PWM is enabled, the Freezer 7 Pro becomes inaudible when the system is idle. However, even at full speed the Freezer 7 Pro is not going to become annoying. Finally, the mounting of the Freezer 7 Pro is very easy and almost identical to that of the stock cooler, making the Freezer 7 Pro more appealing to less experienced users. The only negative parts of the cooler probably are the somewhat large size (although the size shouldn’t be a problem inside any normal ATX case), and that the cooler cannot perform with the motherboard placed vertically. This makes the cooler useless for mounting inside HTPC cases, although I doubt that it would even fit due to the size anyway. I believe that the Freezer 7 Pro deserves our Heavenly Hardware Silver Award for providing a very good value/performance ratio for every kind of user."

Link to full review:



Anyways, you'll be happy with the processor, and the motherboard is quite good for Intel. It has 6 SATA ports, decent firewire and USB, and it's stability and reliability are slightly above average and plenty robust for the user who doesn't intend to do serious gaming or overclocking. Setup is easy, too. Just a word to the wise, when installing Windows, install the included installation disk from Intel FIRST. I had to install Vista a second time on the build for my dad, and the second time I forgot to run the Intel disk first. The first Vista install was a breeze, and all the apps went on in a jiffy. There were times when I was running 3 or 4 installs at a time with ZERO lockups and errors. The system continued to be responsive the whole entire time. I personally screwed the install when I tried to force some non-vista drivers for the Kensington wireless mouse/keyboard combo to work so I could customize the buttons. Windows would no longer accept input from ANY mouse or keyboard, and Kensington doesn't provide drivers for Vista yet for a supposed "high-end" product they STILL MAKE!!! Shame on Kensington - last product I ever buy from them (or sell in my store...). The second time installing Vista I forgot to run the install, and the system booted noticeably slower, multitasking was not nearly as responsive nor stable, and I had to restart a couple of failed software and driver installations. Just a word to the wise... I don't know what magical powers that Intel CD has that are better than the stock Vista drivers, but it seemed to work wonders. Immediately after installing them the 2nd time around things noticeably improved, and the system still runs stable to date. On 24/7 most of the time, too, because they're using it as a Media Center PC.

Hope this helps you out some. Any questions feel free to ask!
 
Newegg reviews are a joke. Never put any stock in them, as three quarters of the people posting there have no idea what they're talking about. (Yes, this is a generalization. No, I don't care.) Never refer to them as if they mean anything if you want to be taken seriously.

The 900 makes cable routing near to impossible, and the looks (as with all cases) are subjective, so not much point going in to detail there. Over all I can't say I'm a proponent, but I also tend to go for quiet before moving a lot of air.

The Freezer 7 Pro is a mediocre heatsink, but yes, it's worlds better than the stock. I'd recommend a Scythe Ninja over it any day, however, if you're willing to spend a bit more there.

Oh -- the Coolermaster RC690 is on sale for $5 AR at ClubIT right now, $15 for shipping. So it'd be $20 total AR. I'd jump on that -- I'm thinking about buying one just as a spare case.
 
silent-circuit said:
I'm thinking about buying one just as a spare case.
Click to expand...

So was I until I got yelled at for the other 3 spare cases I have, lol. All were from the CompUSA closeout sale about a year ago:

Antec SLK1650B w/ 350W SP2.0, $15
Antec Sonata II w/ 450W SP2.0, $25
Cooler Master Centurion 5 w/ 380W PSU, $15

I typically use these when one of the main systems get replaced. For instance, the Sonata II will be home for my old s754 3200+, K8N-E Dlx, 1GB DDR400, and x1950GT AGP once I get a chance.

squares said:
Go with pc6400's.. Crucial Ballistix are nice.
Click to expand...

No need for Ballistix with a Q6600. The main reason people buy Ballistix is for their overclock ability. However, with a Q6600, you most likely won't reach over 3.6Ghz, so there's really no need to go above DDR2-800. Also, you won't notice the difference between CL4 and CL5, unless you're running benchmarks (and even then, its negligible), so don't pay a huge price premium for lower latency.
 
these threads always end up with people completely over-emphasizing the wrong things based on their own wants.

Hell, I don't even understand why the OP has a Q6600 to start with, based on what his stated usage is.
 
Ethug said:
Hell, I don't even understand why the OP has a Q6600 to start with, based on what his stated usage is.
Click to expand...

You need not understand why he already has a chip, and just accept that he has it and offer whatever advice you can. But if you really want to understand why he has it, just ask him. If you don't agree, o wellz... if you do, great.
 
That's why I put in the link (that didn't work for some reason) to a better review for that Arctic Freezer 7 Pro. I think for the money it's a fine heatsink, and more than sufficient for what dlaxman31 is going to do with his new build. For approx. $25 he'll be in better shape than the stock HSF without going overkill. Here's the link again to a good review with actual charts and testing:
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/Arctic%20Cooling%20Freezer%207%20Pro/



Do you put any stock in Tom's hardware, or are they all hype? I don't really know, but they seem to do some good testing and reviews most of the time.

And how about quiet and moving a lot of air? Have you ever personally used and listened to the 900? At least to my ears compared to other cases it is quiet. 120mm fans in general are quiet. And the 200mm fan on top is almost silent until you put it on high. The case moves a lot of air, but I agree that the looks probably aren't for everyone. And you can't beat that deal on the Coolermaster right now!!!

The one thing I like to analyze with Newegg's reviews is the overall failure and DOA rate. People who complain often have the loudest voice. Often those who are satisfied say nothing at all. I'm not putting weight in the technical aspects of the reviews, just the overwhelming positive feedback that G.Skill RAM has had from almost all of it's over 1000 customers on Newegg. If that doesn't tell you anything at all, you are ignoring at least a valuable statistical resource. Failure rates and product reliability are important to me when I research a product. I'll look for the technical reviews from someone more in-depth and experienced, but you can't have too much information when building a new system, especially if you want to select components that will provide a long life of reliability. The price is also outstanding, and G.Skill takes customer service very seriously. They actually respond to customer issues on newegg's site. Plus I use that ram MYSELF. (Nice looking heatsinks...) And no mail in rebate. It will run great in dlaxman31's Intel board.

By the way, we both got our quad cores at an exceptional price because of a special purchase program with Intel where we work. They are partners with our retail chains and offer purchase packages to employees who take special training courses, just FYI.
 
SirKronan said:
That's why I put in the link (that didn't work for some reason) to a better review for that Arctic Freezer 7 Pro. I think for the money it's a fine heatsink, and more than sufficient for what dlaxman31 is going to do with his new build. For approx. $25 he'll be in better shape than the stock HSF without going overkill. Here's the link again to a good review with actual charts and testing:
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/Arctic%20Cooling%20Freezer%207%20Pro/
Click to expand...

The Arctic Freezer 7 Pro is better than the stock HSF, yes... and it's good if the OP doesn't plan on overclocking the processor (with the board he has, he can't, so overclocking's a moot point)... but, the $40-$50 CPU coolers that we normally recommend cool the Q6600 much better than the Arctic Freezer 7 Pro. But you're right; the OP doesn't really need any of those coolers, especially with the case he plans on getting. (Truthfully, the OP doesn't really need the Arctic Freezer 7 Pro either.)

SirKronan said:
Do you put any stock in Tom's hardware, or are they all hype? I don't really know, but they seem to do some good testing and reviews most of the time.
Click to expand...

Tom's is a four-letter word around here, but it's due to some bad reviews that they've made in the past. They do have some features that are great, like their CPU/GPU comparison charts, but we trust the reviews here more.

SirKronan said:
The one thing I like to analyze with Newegg's reviews is the overall failure and DOA rate. People who complain often have the loudest voice. Often those who are satisfied say nothing at all. I'm not putting weight in the technical aspects of the reviews, just the overwhelming positive feedback that G.Skill RAM has had from almost all of it's over 1000 customers on Newegg. If that doesn't tell you anything at all, you are ignoring at least a valuable statistical resource. Failure rates and product reliability are important to me when I research a product. I'll look for the technical reviews from someone more in-depth and experienced, but you can't have too much information when building a new system, especially if you want to select components that will provide a long life of reliability.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, but accurate, descriptive reviews on what went wrong with items (on NewEgg) are normally found in (an average of) one out of every 20 reviews. (Part of the reason why G.Skill RAM has had so many positive reviews is from word-of-mouth and countless recommendations from forums like this one. That, and the positive customer service testimonies... not that I've had to talk to them....)

SirKronan said:
And how about quiet and moving a lot of air? Have you ever personally used and listened to the 900? At least to my ears compared to other cases it is quiet. 120mm fans in general are quiet. And the 200mm fan on top is almost silent until you put it on high. The case moves a lot of air, but I agree that the looks probably aren't for everyone. And you can't beat that deal on the Coolermaster right now!!!
Click to expand...

We all know that the Antec 900 uses 120mm fans (and the 200mm fan on top). In fact, we often recommend cases that only use 120mm fans for that reason. The Cooler Master deal is great, but the OP will have to deal with the hassle of paying the full price up front and then waiting for the rebate check -- and a lot of us here don't have the patience to do that. If you want good cases at low(er than NewEgg) prices, check out SVC.

Your suggestions are good ones, and I agree with them for the most part. The only other suggestion (for the OP) that I have to add is to possibly consider bumping up your hard drive to 320GB or larger... you can often find 320GB drives for $5-$10 more than the 250GB drives.
 
As for the hard drives, I agree. As for the mail in rebates... don't we all hate them? lolz. Looks like dlaxman31 has some good info to go on here. Be interested to see what you end up with, man...
 
enginurd said:
You need not understand why he already has a chip, and just accept that he has it and offer whatever advice you can. But if you really want to understand why he has it, just ask him. If you don't agree, o wellz... if you do, great.
Click to expand...


As stated earlier by Sir we got the chips through an extreme discount with Intel from the location we work. So I'm sorta "stuck" with that. As in being stuck with a quad core is a bad thing.



SirKronan said:
As for the hard drives, I agree. As for the mail in rebates... don't we all hate them? lolz. Looks like dlaxman31 has some good info to go on here. Be interested to see what you end up with, man...
Click to expand...

I agree all the great info. I think I'm going to try the stock HS for now. See what my computer building body recommends. Also I'm going to try the ATI graphics card and yes with the discount we get from BB I think I'll get it cheaper then I can find online :D Which is always a good thing. Again thanks for all the info guys..



BTW I went to CompUSA and picked up the CoolerMaster 690 case today for a pretty nice discount. Yes not as nice as the discount I could have gotten at ClubIT.com but still atleast I have it in my hands now. I plan to have a worklog in the next few weeks or so.



But for right now:
Coolermaster 690 case
Intel Q6600 Quad
Intel DT33L motherboard
Soundblaster Augidy
Generic DVD rom drive
LG DVD- rom/burner drive
------ waiting on the 320 gb HD and video card -----
 
dlaxman31 said:
As stated earlier by Sir we got the chips through an extreme discount with Intel from the location we work. So I'm sorta "stuck" with that. As in being stuck with a quad core is a bad thing.
Click to expand...

I assume you mean the Intel Retail Edge program. Though, I thought this year's CPU was the Q6700? Anyhow, yah, nice chip to be stuck with.
 
enginurd said:
I assume you mean the Intel Retail Edge program. Though, I thought this year's CPU was the Q6700? Anyhow, yah, nice chip to be stuck with.
Click to expand...

yes the Intel Retail Edge program is correct but I didn't get enough points to get the Q6700. Ended up with the 6600. Kind of a bummer but oh well.


Side note: Opened the Coolermaster 690 box today and man oh man is that case sweet. I can't wait to put everything inside of it and start playing with my new machine!
 
Don't worry. The Q6600 is still a fantastic processor with lots of OC potential. Keep us updated and post pics! That's a great deal on that case at CompUSA...
 
Okay this weekend or early next week I plan to start the build. I'll be adding pictures hopefully ASAP. I picked up the hard drive the other day. I'm waiting to get paid this weekend to get the memory and power supply, and maybe another optical drive. I might hold off on this.

Thinking of getting this power supply. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8545158&st=Antec+Power+supply&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1188560188623
My computer building buddy says its pretty good and will work out really well

Also here is the memory:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...emory&lp=4&type=product&cp=1&id=1166236338366
I can get this memory for more then 1/2 off so thats why it caught my eye


Again here is what I have so far.
Intel Q6600 CPU
Intel DTG33L motherboard
1x320 Seagate SATA hard drive
Coolermaster CM690 case
(picking up the following)
Antec EarthWatts 500 PSU
PNY - 2-Pack 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
DVD-burner (maybe!?) <-- I might just use the ones on the older computer and get a spare later.



So now that I'm so close to finishing it up what do you guys think
 
Are you getting that Earthwatts half-off too? If not, don't bother. The Earthwatts line of PSUs are pretty good but for $100 you can get a much much better power supply in terms of power output. Again, I recommend these PSUs:
Corsair 450VX 450W PSU - $76
Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $95
Corsair 520HX 520W PSU - $109

Remember that wattage doesn't mean as much these days. What matters most is where those watts are being delivered. For current rigs, it's all about how much amps are on the +12V rail since most PC parts draw their power from there. The more amps you have, the more upgrades (hard drives, video cards, PCI cards, etc) you can add. You determine the amperage on the +12V rails by first finding out what's the total combined or max wattage set aside for the +12V rails/section alone. So for example, the Corsair 450VX has 396W total on the +12V rail. Divide that total wattage for the +12V by 12 and you get how much amps the PSU has on the +12V rail. In this case, 396W divided by 12 is 33A. So the Corsair 450VX PSU has 33A on the +12V Rail. And that's plenty of power for your current system.

For comparison, the Earthwatts 500W has 34A on the +12V rail and costs $100 at BB. The Corsair 550VX has 41A and costs $100 at zipzoomfly.com. Which one do you think you should get? Choice should be obvious. Though if you're getting the Earthwatts half-off too like with the RAM, then pick it up.

Also, that RAM isn't worth it either. 2GB of DDR2 667 or PC2-5300 RAM is NOT worth $100. Especially since you can get 4GB of DDR2 800 or PC2-6400 RAM is only $100:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $100
 
I agree with Danny. Also, if your old burner is still good, use it instead of dropping money right now, since it sounds like you're on a tight budget, lol.
 
Danny Bui said:
Are you getting that Earthwatts half-off too? If not, don't bother. The Earthwatts line of PSUs are pretty good but for $100 you can get a much much better power supply in terms of power output. Again, I recommend these PSUs:
Corsair 450VX 450W PSU - $76
Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $95
Corsair 520HX 520W PSU - $109

Remember that wattage doesn't mean as much these days. What matters most is where those watts are being delivered. For current rigs, it's all about how much amps are on the +12V rail since most PC parts draw their power from there. The more amps you have, the more upgrades (hard drives, video cards, PCI cards, etc) you can add. You determine the amperage on the +12V rails by first finding out what's the total combined or max wattage set aside for the +12V rails/section alone. So for example, the Corsair 450VX has 396W total on the +12V rail. Divide that total wattage for the +12V by 12 and you get how much amps the PSU has on the +12V rail. In this case, 396W divided by 12 is 33A. So the Corsair 450VX PSU has 33A on the +12V Rail. And that's plenty of power for your current system.

For comparison, the Earthwatts 500W has 34A on the +12V rail and costs $100 at BB. The Corsair 550VX has 41A and costs $100 at zipzoomfly.com. Which one do you think you should get? Choice should be obvious. Though if you're getting the Earthwatts half-off too like with the RAM, then pick it up.

Also, that RAM isn't worth it either. 2GB of DDR2 667 or PC2-5300 RAM is NOT worth $100. Especially since you can get 4GB of DDR2 800 or PC2-6400 RAM is only $100:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $100
Click to expand...

what if I could get it for more then 1/2 off. Say around $40 or so. Man I love discounts. I think I'm going to try and just get the Earthwatts now and upgrade later. I just wanna get this damn thing up and running. Also I can get the memory for around $45 too. So I think for the time being I might go with what I've chosen. Thanks for the info though on the specs for the power supply.

Birthday coming up soon so maybe I'll be able to upgrade some stuff. :)
 
Heh, for $40 I'd get the Earthwatts. :p

I'd avoid the PNY PC2-5300 sticks, though. They're the same price online for higher speed sticks.
 
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