Check for any incompatibilites or better pricing please

S

ShnikeJSB

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 22, 2005
Messages
223
[FONT=&quot]OK, so I priced this rig out, looking online for the best possible deals I could find at at least semi-reputable online places. Please give your opinion on any inconsistencies, any incompatibilities, or any better deals/suggestions you may have. Obviously, the CPU wouldn't be bought until the price drop on the 22nd. Everything else would most likely be purchased pretty soon. We were shooting for a $3,000 limit, but slightly bumped over it. No speakers needed.

It is going to be used as pretty much what any college guy uses it for -- mainly gaming, with lots of DVD copying and watching, music, your typical papers, a little video encoding and editing, the Adobe suite, the Net, and more -- and can be doing any number of those things simultaneously, LOL! Thanks for the help guys![/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CPU:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core (2.4GHz, 8mb cache), to be overclocked to 3.2+GHz - $530.00[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CPU Cooler:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Zalman CNPS9700 LED - $67.59[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Case:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Antec Nine Hundred (comes with 4 fans) - $108.79[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]PSU:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad 750W - $229.42[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Monitor:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Acer AL2416WD 24in Wide-Screen Flat Panel LCD Monitor (Silver) Retail (1920x1200) - $569.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Motherboard:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] ASUS Striker Extreme (nVidia 680i) - $319.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RAM:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-1066 (PC2-8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - $250.98[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Video Card(s):[/FONT][FONT=&quot] EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB PCI-Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail - $536.12[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hard Drive(s):[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache SATA-II ST3320620AS in RAID 0 - $170.00[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DVD Burner(s): [/FONT][FONT=&quot]2x Lite-On Lite-On LH-20A1S-12 20X SATA - $42.49 x 2 = $84.98[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Mouse: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Logitech G5 Laser Mouse - $45.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Keyboard:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Logitech G15 Gaming Backlit - $71.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Floppy + Card Reader:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Mitsumi FA404M USB 2.0 Internal Flash Media Reader + Floppy drive 7-in-1 - $25.90[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Windows:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2 OEM- $144.98[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Extras: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Arctic Silver 5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]GRAND TOTAL SHIPPED: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]$[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]3,156.72

[/FONT]
 
If you really want an Asus motherboard, i would go with This, instead of the striker. pretty much the same board, minus the SupremeFX sound card slot, and some of the extras, that are unneeded anyway, and use the extra money to get some more ram. Also, with that monitor, I would suggest dropping to the 8800GTS, as the monitors Native resolution wont really need the GTX, the GTS would run it perfectly. If you want to run DX10 game when they release, drop the Windows XP and get Vista, its the only way your going to be playing DX10 games. Oh, and unless your planning on overclocking, get some cheaper ram.

Everything else looks good, and my suggestions are just what i would do instead. Oh, and one last thing, the size of your monitor might be a problem. Most colleges desks are tiny, and that 24" as nice as it would be to have, might not be the best choice, since you wont really have room to put anything your working on.
 
Thank you for the suggestions. I appreciate it! :D

Now, I'm not stuck on an Asus motherboard, I don't really have any brand loyalty. Is there another board you would recommend? The EVGA here perhaps?

Also, I wasn't exactly sure what you were trying to say about the monitor? It is 1920x1200, and considering the demands of upcoming games such as Crysis, I figured it would be a good fit to the 8800GTX. That, and I like TSSAA... ;) I forgot to mention, this is not for a dorm room, so the desk size is not a problem.
 
As a fellow college student, I have to ask: Who did you rob? :)

Thats a quite a bit of money to drop on a PC when you're a college student. Why not use all that money for booze? LOL!

Anyway man, I suggest that you go with the Tuniq Tower 120. It's a better CPU cooler and its cheaper at that site I linked to. It's only $55.
 
Danny Bui said:
As a fellow college student, I have to ask: Who did you rob? :)
Click to expand...

This is actually for my friend, and his uncle recently died and left him with $120,000.

I know...

Danny Bui said:
Anyway man, I suggest that you go with the Tuniq Tower 120. It's a better CPU cooler and its cheaper at that site I linked to. It's only $55.
Click to expand...

I actually looked and looked for the Tuniq, but never found anywhere with it in stock! That is awesome! Thank you for that link!!!
 
The only suggestion i'd have is the PSU, while its a very high end unit, it seems that the future of psu's is moving to 1 big fat rail instead of quad rails.
 
ShnikeJSB said:
This is actually for my friend, and his uncle recently died and left him with $120,000.

I know...
Click to expand...

Oh. NVM then. Man am I an ass. Sorry to hear that about your friend.

Anyway man, switch out that Zalman for the Tuniq I recommended.

EDIT: Yeah FrozenCPU is one of the few places with the Tuniq in stock at a decent price.
 
Oh, it's cool. You couldn't have known. :)

I hear nothing but good things about the PCP&C 750 Quad, which I thought DID have only 1 12v rail? The "quad" name comes from the fact that it has 4 PCI-E connectors.
 
What i meant about the monitor is that the GTS is more than enough to run a 20", and probably a 24", though, since space isnt an issue, nevermind.
As for the EVGA board, it is a good board, though, beware that all of the reference design boards HAVE to be updated(meaning bios, and make sure you get the latest chipset drivers from nvidia) before they will work properly.
Also, more RAM and Vista, like i said before, are the only other changes i would make.. I personally like the Zalman coolers, but the Tuniq is great as well.
 
OK, so here's an updated list, incorporating suggestions:

[FONT=&quot]CPU:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core (2.4GHz, 8mb cache), to be overclocked to 3.2+GHz - $530.00[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CPU Cooler:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Tuniq Tower 120 Ultra Silent CPU Cooler (T-120) - $62.90[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Case:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Antec Nine Hundred (comes with 4 fans) - $108.79[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]PSU:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad 750W - $229.42[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Monitor:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Acer AL2416WD 24in Wide-Screen Flat Panel LCD Monitor (Silver) Retail (1920x1200) - $569.99[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Motherboard:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail - $232.31[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RAM:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-1066 (PC2-8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - $250.98[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Video Card(s):[/FONT][FONT=&quot] EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB PCI-Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail - $536.12[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hard Drive(s):[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache SATA-II ST3320620AS in RAID 0 - $170.00[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DVD Burner(s): [/FONT][FONT=&quot]2x Lite-On Lite-On LH-20A1S-12 20X SATA - $42.49 x 2 = $84.98[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Mouse: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Logitech G5 Laser Mouse - $45.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Keyboard:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Logitech G15 Gaming Backlit - $71.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Floppy + Card Reader:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Mitsumi FA404M USB 2.0 Internal Flash Media Reader + Floppy drive 7-in-1 - $25.90[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Windows:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2 OEM- $144.98[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Extras: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Arctic Silver 5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]GRAND TOTAL SHIPPED: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]$[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]3,064.35[/FONT]
 
Narisatu said:
What i meant about the monitor is that the GTS is more than enough to run a 20", and probably a 24", though, since space isnt an issue, nevermind.
As for the EVGA board, it is a good board, though, beware that all of the reference design boards HAVE to be updated(meaning bios, and make sure you get the latest chipset drivers from nvidia) before they will work properly.
Also, more RAM and Vista, like i said before, are the only other changes i would make.. I personally like the Zalman coolers, but the Tuniq is great as well.
Click to expand...

I understand where you were coming from with the monitor. :)

The EVGA board I linked to is the A1 (2nd revision), and supposedly handles the Quads better. So, I figure the BIOS is updated enough already for everything to run correctly. I'd still update it if there IS an update, though :D

I am advising he stays away from Vista until the bugs are ironed out of it and the nVidia drivers (AKA, probably when Crysis comes out). And if he DID get Vista, the 64-bit Ultimate would probably be it, and it is MUCH too buggy/incompatible right now.

Think I should tell him to go for 2x of those Reaper packages for a total of 4x1GB modules? I know 2x2GB is expensive and slow, but is there any detrimental effects by having 4x1GB modules (especially if overclocking)?
 
just out of curiosity, why the 64 bit edition? most games probably wont be being released in 64 bit editions, i have yet to hear of crysis or allan wake being released as 64 bit, as for the waiting for Vista, dont get 4gb ram unless your running vista, XP doesnt like more than 3gb. Also, the driver issues, to my knowledge are pretty much dealing with SLI, and if your not doing that, you should be fine. Also, unless he runs something that isnt compatible with Vista, there really isnt much of a reason not to go with it, though, thats my opinion. I like it. (i know, i know.. im odd..) oh, and if you do get 4 gigs, go with 4 1 gig sticks, unless your going to splurge on the really expensive 2gb sticks, to get decent speeds out of them. there isnt anything detrimental effects going with 4 sticks over 2
 
$3K and only an Antec Nine Hundred and 2GB of ram? I would have expected a TJ09 Silverstone case and 4GB of ram for that kind of money, along with SLI and a raptor.

3.2Ghz? Stock is 9 * 266 = 2.4Ghz (DDR2-533), so you plan on pushing the FSB to 355Mhz. That would mean your uber fast 533Mhz (DDR2-1066) ram will be running at only 355Mhz (DDR2-710). What a waste. Since the Q6600 has trouble reaching past 3.2Ghz anyhow, stick to some DDR2-800 ram instead, or cheaper ram at least.

$320 - G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL6D-4GBMQ
$325 - G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-667 F2-5300CL4D-4GBPQ

$190 - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-1000 BL2KIT12864AA1005
$160 - Buffalo Firestix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 FSX800D2C-K2G
$140 - Geil 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 GX22GB6400UDCA=
$130 - G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
 
I thought that 32-bit Vista was the same as 32-bit XP, in that it can only see 4GB - graphics card RAM and such, meaning around 3GB total. Which is why I said 64-bit Vista if he were to get 4GB RAM.

I don't think, a Raptor is worth it at all. The two 320GB 7200.10's in RAID-0 are faster than a single Raptor, with over 4 times the capacity, and only 80% the price, minus the extra heat and loudness. DEFINITELY not worth it to me (or him). So the hard drives are fine.

What is wrong with the Antec Nine Hundred? It has enough room, and it has good cooling. Better cooling than the TJ09, actually.

Good point about the RAM, though. What RAM would have the lowest latencies in 4x1GB then? How do you feel about this Geil RAM? No reviews yet. Must be newer. But it has 3-3-3-8 latencies at DDR2-800 = $245.

Thanks guys, this is a big decision. :D
 
I was jus sayin, for $3k, you'd expect more luxuries than necessities. In other words, raptors aren't necessities, nor are TJ09's and 4GB of ram, lol. Cases are personal choices. The build quality of Silverstone and Lian-Li is much better, imo, than Antec's -- this coming from a guy who's owned several of each (TJ06, SST-LC03V, PC-60, PC-7, P160, Sonata I & II, 3700AMB, S.Lanboy, 2600BQE, etc). Don't get me wrong, the Nine Hundred is a great case... I just expected a more solid feel to it for its price. Go check it out at Fry's or CompUSA, you'll see what I mean when you compare it to a Silverstone or Lian-Li. BTW, it goes on sale at fry's for like $80AR sometimes.

I agree, RAID0 is much more cost effective. In the raptor's defense, RAID0 can't beat the seek time of the Raptor and theres also that "double your chance of failure" afterthought that seems to linger. I actually have a raptor (got a great deal on it, even with today's prices), and several 320GB .10's... though, I found the raptor to be quicker at boot time than the .10's in RAID0. However, my needs are disk-to-disk performance, so I split up the array. The Raptor isn't much louder than the .10 when the .10 is seeking. Though, if I actually had to pay full price (or even the current price) for the raptor, I'd pass and go for the .10 320gb drives instead, too, lol. Again... the raptor is a luxury.

Right, you'd need 64-bit Windows to take advantage of 4GB of ram. Again, I was just expecting to see 4GB with such a high budget, that's all. Those GeiL's look good. Apparently, they use Micron IC's, too! Though, with current prices of RAM, they seem a bit overpriced. Would you honestly notice that lower latency in everyday use? I doubt it. So basically, the lower timings are a luxury, not a necessity.

If I had $3K, I'd actually split it into two systems (eg. $800 laptop + $2200 desktop; or $2200 desktop now, use the $800 on upgrades throughout the next year or so). Video cards drop in value so fast, I'd never spend more than $250 for one again, lol, but thats just me. I like putting money into things that tend to last long, like monitors :D
 
I don't think build-quality is a huge concern for a case. I'm sure the Antec is fine. Plus, the airflow, price, and smaller size matter more anyways. Good suggestions either way, though.

So, if I were to tell him to get Vista, should I go for the 64-bit version, and hope for the best? Or the 32-bit version and just live with the RAM limitations? I would think 64-bit would be a better long-term investment.

Yeah, the Geil's seem a bit overpriced, but those low latencies look very nice... I am STILL hung up on what RAM to get. I think better RAM NOW would be better in case he upgrades to a better processor later.

So hard to pick perfect parts... I'm SOOOO close to the perfect config I can taste it!
 
ShnikeJSB said:
So, if I were to tell him to get Vista, should I go for the 64-bit version, and hope for the best? Or the 32-bit version and just live with the RAM limitations? I would think 64-bit would be a better long-term investment.
Click to expand...

Well unless your friend is doing some major or HEAVY video or graphics editing, then I say go for 32bit. There aren't too many games out there that take advantage of 64bit nor rarely use more than 2GB of RAM. 3GB of RAM should be enough. Plus some programs won't work in 64bit.

Yeah, the Geil's seem a bit overpriced, but those low latencies look very nice... I am STILL hung up on what RAM to get. I think better RAM NOW would be better in case he upgrades to a better processor later.
Click to expand...

You honestly won't notice the performance difference. I say you go with any of the RAM enginurd suggested. They're solid choices and I believe most of them have micro ICs, making them fantastic overclockers.
 
OK, this looks like it could be the final config. I really REALLY thank you guys for helping me out with this build. Seems like this is the best when all points of view are taken into consideration:

[FONT=&quot]CPU:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core (2.4GHz, 8mb cache), to be overclocked to 3.2+GHz - $530.00[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CPU Cooler:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Tuniq Tower 120 Ultra Silent CPU Cooler (T-120) - $62.90[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Case:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Antec Nine Hundred (comes with 4 fans) - $108.79[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]PSU:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad 750W - $229.42[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Monitor:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Acer AL2416WD 24in Wide-Screen Flat Panel LCD Monitor (Silver) Retail (1920x1200) - $569.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Motherboard:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail - $232.31[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]RAM:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 2x GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) Kits - [/FONT][FONT=&quot]GX22GB6400UDCA [/FONT][FONT=&quot] - [/FONT][FONT=&quot](4GB total) – Retail - $286.27[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Video Card(s):[/FONT][FONT=&quot] EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB PCI-Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail - $536.12[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hard Drive(s):[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache SATA-II ST3320620AS in RAID 0 - $170.00[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DVD Burner(s): [/FONT][FONT=&quot]2x Lite-On Lite-On LH-20A1S-12 20X SATA - $42.49 x 2 = $84.98[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Mouse: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Logitech G5 Laser Mouse - $45.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Keyboard:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Logitech G15 Gaming Backlit - $71.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Floppy + Card Reader:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Mitsumi FA404M USB 2.0 Internal Flash Media Reader + Floppy drive 7-in-1 - $25.90[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Windows:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit OEM (66R00765) - $188.46[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Extras: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Arctic Silver 5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]GRAND TOTAL SHIPPED: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]$[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]3,143.12[/FONT]
 
Can't find THAT in stock anywhere either... :(

And the Ultra 120 Extreme sounds even BETTER. But it isn't even OUT yet.
 
Microsoft fixed the problem of only seeing 3 gb system memory while supporting 4 in Vista, so it doesnt matter if you get 32 bit or 64 bit, all 4 gb of system memory will be seen and utilized.
 
That's good to know. I think I'll tell him to get Vista Ultimate 32-bit then. Thanks :)
 
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