New Build, 1300$

T

TridenT_Boy3555

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Messages
359
Need tower and monitor.(No OS)
Was thinking
8800GT
2x2GB DDR2 800
500GB 7200RPM HDD
Cooler Master CM 690 maybe.(Too big and heavy really)
Not really sure what else to get.
I game for the most part.
 
yeh, good choice...

what mobo, cpu are you getting?

obviously, i will sugest the antec 900, but that might limit PSU choice as well as cable management and space...

be careful with buying stuff at the moment, wait till January/February next year and you will be able to get one of the new 45nm penryn intel CPU's. I would wait to see what mobo's do as well as not every single mobo at the moment will definately support the new processors...
 
Yeah, I'm not getting Penryn though. It's going to be expensive and the freaking DDR3 ram is like DDR2 about a year ago.(200$ for 2GB)
 
Wolfdale and Yorkfield (desktop variants of Penryn) don't need DDR3. They're compatible with P35 and X38 boards that use DDR2, as well as DDR3... you have a choice. Go with DDR2 since DDR3 has no advantage over DDR2 just yet.

What features do you need in a motherboard? raid, firewire, legacy ports, overclock ability?
What else do you do with this system besides game?
What games do you play and at what resolution/settings?
 
Well, I do plan on OCing quiet far if I can. Was thinking of getting maybe a E4500 and OCing the heck out of it but wasn't sure if it'd work with P35 or X38 motherboards.

I'd like to play games at 1680x1050 or greater. I'd really not do much else besides game, watch movies and yeah... Not much else really.
 
I don't have time to post a build right now, since I'm sleepy, but just look around at other threads here in GenHard to get an idea of what board and cpu to get. The E4500 is a great choice and will work on P35/X38 boards, but don't bother with X38 -- too expensive for not much in return.

How often do you upgrade?

If you plan on keeping this rig for a while, go for something like... (quickly, off the top of my head)

$280 - 8800GT
$275 - Q6600 G0
$175 - Abit IP35 Pro
$115 - 4GB G.Skill PQ
$100 - WD5000AAKS
$105 - Corsair HX520W
$70 - CM RC-690
$70 - Ultra120 extreme + S-Flex fan
=======
$1190 + tax and shipping - any MIRs
 
Ahh... thought it said NO monitor, lol, but it says NO OS. Mah bad. Thats still doable...

$280 - 8800GT
$275 - Q6600 G0
$86 - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
$50 - 2GB DDR2-800
$60 - 320GB Seagate @ Frys.com
$75 - Corsair VX450W ($10 MIR)
$70 - CM RC-690 ($40 MIR)
$70 - Ultra120 extreme + S-Flex fan
=======
$966 + tax and shipping - any MIRs

$230 - Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen
=======
$1196 + tax and shipping - any MIRs

EDIT: I just re-read your thread. Drop down to the E4500 for $120 from mwave, along with that DS3L board, and pickup your Q9450 later next year. Keep the Ultra120, since it'll help with the Yorkfield chip. Pickup that HDD deal before its over.
 
Still need a Power Supply and a good CD/DVD burner, SATA only.(No fatty cables!! I can't take it anymore!)
 
TridenT_Boy3555 said:
Still need a Power Supply and a good CD/DVD burner, SATA only.(No fatty cables!! I can't take it anymore!)
Click to expand...


Hey Fatty's need love to... They just have to Pay (or be Slave Drives) :)

That seems like a solid build, one I'm thinking about as well. Regarding OP's power supply. Wouldn't he want >550Watt due to later technology upgrades?
 
fellows said:
Hey Fatty's need love to... They just have to Pay (or be Slave Drives) :)

That seems like a solid build, one I'm thinking about as well. Regarding OP's power supply. Wouldn't he want >550Watt due to later technology upgrades?
Click to expand...

Enginurd knows what he's doing... but you can purchase a Corsair 550VX for $90 (plus shipping) at Buy.com. The OP can save some money by swapping out the Cooler Master RC-690 with the Elite 330 and by getting two Yate Loon 120mm fans for the case.

You can also buy a Lite-On DVD burner for $27 at ZipZoomFly (and yes, it is a SATA drive...).
 
$75 - INTEL Pentium Dual-Core 1.8GHz FSB800MHz 1M LGA775 BX80557E2160 CPU Retail (ZZF)
$22 - COOLER MASTER Hyper TX - Universal RR-CCH-L9U1-GP CPU Cooler Retail ($20MIR) (ZZF)
$39 - STT DDR2-800 2GB/128x8 S-RIGID Memory (Ewiz)
$39 - STT DDR2-800 2GB/128x8 S-RIGID Memory (Ewiz)
$106 - GIGABYTE GA-N650SLI-DS4L LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (newegg)
$270 - CHAINTECH GSE88GT GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail (newegg)
$270 - CHAINTECH GSE88GT GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail (newegg)
$160 - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (newegg)
$50 - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Mid Tower Case Retail ($30MIR) (ZZF)
$90 - CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W Active Power Supply Retail ($15MIR) (ZZF)
$32 SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM (newegg)
$$$ - Monitor

-----------------------------------
$1121 (-$65MIR) + S&H
-----------------------------------
 
Well I wanted to maybe get a 24" but for that budget it seems impossible :( Also 24" displays are not good for me because of my vision and their terribly small pixel pitch. Guess I should get a 22" :( (Kill me TN panels!!!)
 
Abu Som3a's build is pretty good. However, I;m not too sure if the 650i chipset will support the Yorkfield Penryns, especially considering that the 680i chipset has trouble with that. And Unfortunately, the GT is sold out
 
Will this work?

Acer AL2216Wbd 22" widescreen monitor - $224
Cooler Master Elite330 case - $30
Two Yate Loon D12SL-12 fans (for Elite330) - $6 (2 @ $3 each)
Corsair 550VX PSU - $91
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L motherboard - $86
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU - $275
Thermalright Ultima 90 CPU cooler - $46
Panaflo 92mm case fan (for Ultima 90) - $3
G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 memory - $110
Western Digital Caviar SE 500GB SATA/300 HDD - $104
Samsung SH-S203B DVD±RW burner - $29
PNY GeForce 8800GT video card - $290

Total - $1294 (not including shipping/taxes)

If you're concerned about shipping costs, you could drop the processor down to a C2D E6750 ($190). And, as I was posting this, the PNY 8800GT was still in stock.
 
Abu's build is a great gaming system, but leaves no room for a 24" monitor with a $1300 budget (which would justifiy the 8800GT SLI). Though, I'd go with a 680i SLI LT board over a 650i SLI, simply for quadcore OC'ing (for when you upgrade to the Q9450).

tiraides build is basically my list upgraded, making it a better build. ;) To save money for tax/shipping, drop down to the E4500 or E2160, to keep the cost down, since you plan on getting a new CPU within a few months.
 
$75 - INTEL Pentium Dual-Core 1.8GHz FSB800MHz 1M LGA775 BX80557E2160 CPU Retail (ZZF)
$22 - COOLER MASTER Hyper TX - Universal RR-CCH-L9U1-GP CPU Cooler Retail ($20MIR) (ZZF) (optional)
$35 - STT DDR2-800 2GB/128x8 S-RIGID Memory (Ewiz)
$35 - STT DDR2-800 2GB/128x8 S-RIGID Memory (Ewiz)
$110 - FOXCONN P35A Core 2 Quad Socket 775 1333MHz PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) ATX Motherboard Retail ($50MIR) (ZZF)
$220 - HD3870
$220 - HD3870
$166 - WD 750gb wd7500aaks stat2 16mb 7200rpm hdd (bare drive) (mwave)
 OR $105 - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (newegg)
$50 - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Mid Tower Case Retail ($30MIR) (ZZF)
$90 - CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W Active Power Supply Retail ($15MIR) (ZZF) (is it adequate?)
$32 SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM (newegg)
$$$ - Monitor
 
Danny Bui said:
I;m not too sure if the 650i chipset will support the Yorkfield Penryns, especially considering that the 680i chipset has trouble with that. And Unfortunately, the GT is sold out
Click to expand...
enginurd said:
Abu's build is a great gaming system, but leaves no room for a 24" monitor with a $1300 budget (which would justifiy the 8800GT SLI). Though, I'd go with a 680i SLI LT board over a 650i SLI, simply for quadcore OC'ing.
...drop down to the E4500 or E2160, to keep the cost down, since you plan on getting a new CPU within a few months.
Click to expand...
My new updated build should easily fit a 24".
Also, the P35 will support the Q9XXX proc's when he buys them later on.
I'm just questioning if it worth the drop from 8800 to 3870...He can stick with the first build but with a 680i, then later on replace the E2160 with a used and cheap Q6XXX...

I've been 'out of the loop' for a while and I'm just getting the components out of deal sites, so I may be wrong at some areas.
 
Abu Som3a said:
My new updated build should easily fit a 24".
Also, the P35 will support the Q9XXX proc's when he buys them later on.
I'm just questioning if it worth the drop from 8800 to 3870...He can stick with the first build but with a 680i, then later on replace the E2160 with a used and cheap Q6XXX...

I've been 'out of the loop' for a while and I'm just getting the components out of deal sites, so I may be wrong at some areas.
Click to expand...

Well I know that the P35 chipset will support the Penryn CPUs. Just not sure about the 650i chipset in your earlier build. But thats all moot now due to your new build.

Anyway from what I can see, the HD 3870 performs pretty close to the 8800GT but once AA is turned on, the 8800GT will outperform it. I would've recommended the HD 3870 a few weeks back but now that the prices has gone so high, almost to 8800GT range, not so much. Maybe two 3850's instead? Two HD 3850s in Crossfire do perform as well as a GTX if the the game supports Crossfire. As far as I can see, the HD 3850s are still at MSRP price of $179.

In case anyone is curious, from scouring the net, I've found that the following games do see an improvement with Crossfire:

Crossfire games:
Bioshock
Company of Heroes: Opposing Front
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Oblivion
Prey
Team Fortress 2
Unreal Tournament 3
 
OfficeMax (B&M only) currently has the Soyo 24" DYLM24D6 LCD on sale for $300 (reg. $400). Sale started Dec. 2 and ends Dec. 8

It uses a MVA panel, so the picture you get is nice. The only thing you have to be wary of is that you might have to return it once or twice before you get a good one. I'm on my 3rd and this one seems to be a keeper.

More information can be found about this LCD in the official thread. - Link

OfficeMax has a 14 day return policy in which you get a full refund and they don't charge a restocking fee. So you should at least give it a run through.

- Soyo 24" DYLM24D6 official website
 
Hm... I guess I didnt catch myself earlier, but the 680i won't support the Yorkfields anymore. So, stick with a P35 or X38 board.

I'm not sure the higher price of a crossfire board is worth it, despite the lower cost of the 3850 cards. The cheapest P35 board (DS3L) is less than 40% the cost of the cheapest X38 board (Abit QuadGT). :mad: I wonder how Crossfire is on the P35 (16x + 4x)...
 
enginurd said:
I'm not sure the higher price of a crossfire board is worth it, despite the lower cost of the 3850 cards. The cheapest P35 board (DS3L) is less than 40% the cost of the cheapest X38 board (Abit QuadGT). :mad: I wonder how Crossfire is on the P35 (16x + 4x)...
Click to expand...
8800GTX performance, as Danny Bui mentioned
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=10 (P35 used)

But the 512MB buffer in the 3870 should reduce the 4X bottleneck...
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2007/10/12/crossfire_comparison_intel_x38_versus_p35/3

Remember that on X38, the 3870 CF=8800GT SLI
http://en.expreview.com/?p=53&page=4

I'm getting lost here, LOL. Dunno what to suggest...
 
Abu Som3a said:
I'm getting lost here, LOL. Dunno what to suggest...
Click to expand...

Instead of a second 3870, how about a monitor? (The OP said that he needed one....)

TridenT_Boy3555: Does your $1300 limit also have to cover taxes and shipping?
 
Thanks for the links. ;)

single GTX w/ P35 board = 450 + 86 = $536
3850 crossfire w/ x38 board = 160 + 160 + 220 = $540

tiraides said:
Instead of a second 3870, how about a monitor? (The OP said that he needed one....)
Click to expand...

He (Abu) left some room in his last build for a monitor... he just didnt total it out so it was obvious. It comes to $994 (with the cheaper HDD), leaving $300 left if that budget didn't include shipping/taxes -- even less if it did.

If the budget does include shipping/taxes, go with tiraides' build
 
TridenT_Boy3555 said:
The 1300$ includes, SHIPPING(I do not get taxes), MONITOR(21.6"+) AND TOWER.
Click to expand...

We didn't know that... most of our builds are priced before shipping comes into play. (Truthfully, it's because a shipping estimate from where we live is often different than the actual costs from where you live.) Having said that, pick up an E4500 ($121.50), the Acer AL2216Wbd monitor ($215 -- 22 inch widescreen, 1680 x 1050 native resolution), and go with either my recommendations in post #16 (you would simply be replacing the Q6600 with the E4500) or Abu Som3a's in post #18 (except, in addition to using the E4500 instead of the E2160, you only purchase one HD3870 -- available for $250 right now at ClubIT -- and get the WD 500GB hard drive instead of the 750GB drive). My option allows you to upgrade your processor to the new Penryn chipsets, while Abu Som3a gives you the option to use CrossFire for greater graphics performance.

As for shipping costs, I'd probably anticipate them being at least $70, and that they possibly could creep near $100, depending on where you buy everything at. (Keep in mind that you are buying an entire rig, including the case and a monitor. Weight will play a role towards your final shipping costs.)
 
I'm also building a new comp....but I plan on waiting till January b/c:

1. 8800GT is the best! ($/performance) BUT availability and more importantly (at least to the value consumer) the quality will be vastly improved: 3 phase power, quality components, better cooling solutions, better bios, better nvidia support, yadda yadda....currently gigabyte 8800gt is $269+s+h in stock! Same with Palit. You will notice that these brands are what's available currently and maybe even surprised that they are in many considerations better than their competition.

2. 680i LT is a great board (compared to reg. 680i, I've read that it's essentially a 2nd gen chip but without all the B&Ws) BUT it would be nice to get a quality board from gigabyte as compared to the numerous complaints about bad boards, etc with XFX and eVGA. (not sure if gigabyte is going to release a LT version...but it would be nice) OR you may want to spring for the newer 7XX series.

3. After x-mas/new year deals...it's a funny thing in marketing, but after you have spent every cent for xmas crap, a week later it's even cheaper!!!
 
drzaus said:
I'm also building a new comp....but I plan on waiting till January b/c:

1. 8800GT is the best! ($/performance) BUT availability and more importantly (at least to the value consumer) the quality will be vastly improved: 3 phase power, quality components, better cooling solutions, better bios, better nvidia support, yadda yadda....currently gigabyte 8800gt is $269+s+h in stock! Same with Palit. You will notice that these brands are what's available currently and maybe even surprised that they are in many considerations better than their competition.

2. 680i LT is a great board (compared to reg. 680i, I've read that it's essentially a 2nd gen chip but without all the B&Ws) BUT it would be nice to get a quality board from gigabyte as compared to the numerous complaints about bad boards, etc with XFX and eVGA. (not sure if gigabyte is going to release a LT version...but it would be nice) OR you may want to spring for the newer 7XX series.

3. After x-mas/new year deals...it's a funny thing in marketing, but after you have spent every cent for xmas crap, a week later it's even cheaper!!!
Click to expand...

1) eVGA is preferred simply because of its step-up program -- especially with newer cards coming out soon (updated GT, updated GTS, updated GTX, etc).
2) the updated eVGA boards have less problems than their competitors (NF67-A1/T1, NF68-A1/T1).
3) true for some things, but not everything. the best deals are found throughout the year rather than in a single season -- but we all know you don't build a system throughout the year.
 
To simply add an interesting review I came across on some of the newer 8800GT cards. In particular look at the conclusions(pg12) about the Palit card...the cooling scheme seems to be catching on with gigabyte and who knows who else....which points to better designed cards:D and possibly better OCing/stability....

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?id=2428&cid=3&pg=11

thanks on commenting on the 680i LT boards...I figured they would get better with time, I guess I'm in luck.
 
Just for comparison with my CF and SLI builds, here's a single card configuration

$275 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping Kentsfield 2.40GHz 8MB L2 LGA 775 Processor Retail BX80562Q6600 SLACR (ClubIT)
OR $75 - INTEL Pentium Dual-Core 1.8GHz FSB800MHz 1M LGA775 BX80557E2160 CPU Retail (ZZF) (upgrade to Yorkfield later on)
$30 - COOLER MASTER GeminII RR-CCH-ANU2-GP CPU Cooler Retail ($15MIR) (ZZF) (fans???)
$35 - STT DDR2-800 2GB/128x8 S-RIGID Memory (Ewiz)
$86 - GIGABYTE ga-p35-ds3l intel p35 chipset atx form factor (mwave)
$270 - Geforce 8800GT 512 MB DDR3 PCI-E Graphics card
$105 - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (newegg)
$50 - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Mid Tower Case Retail ($30MIR) (ZZF)
$90 - CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W Active Power Supply Retail ($15MIR) (ZZF)
$32 SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM (newegg)
$300 - Soyo 24" DYLM24D6 LCD (if still available)

BTW, shipping on most parts is free or minimal.

Only one 2GB stick is present. He can buy another when he receives the rebates.
A single 8800GT will be adequate for most current games at 19x12, but the OP should upgrade when the 9-series gets released.
A quad-core, especially when overclocked, will have a very long life span, so it is a worthy purchase. For the short term, however, we have to admit that it is overkill. I also don't think Q9450 will overclock much more than Q6600, simply due to FSB limitations.
 
drzaus said:
I'm also building a new comp....but I plan on waiting till January b/c:

1. 8800GT is the best! ($/performance) BUT availability and more importantly (at least to the value consumer) the quality will be vastly improved: 3 phase power, quality components, better cooling solutions, better bios, better nvidia support, yadda yadda....currently gigabyte 8800gt is $269+s+h in stock! Same with Palit. You will notice that these brands are what's available currently and maybe even surprised that they are in many considerations better than their competition.

2. 680i LT is a great board (compared to reg. 680i, I've read that it's essentially a 2nd gen chip but without all the B&Ws) BUT it would be nice to get a quality board from gigabyte as compared to the numerous complaints about bad boards, etc with XFX and eVGA. (not sure if gigabyte is going to release a LT version...but it would be nice) OR you may want to spring for the newer 7XX series.

3. After x-mas/new year deals...it's a funny thing in marketing, but after you have spent every cent for xmas crap, a week later it's even cheaper!!!
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. My build is definitely Jan/08:
E8400
Gigabyte DS3R
4-4-4-12 memory (2gb)
antec sonata 3
hd3850 OR 8800GT 512mb (i'm a casual gamer)

I already have a 226BW. I would suggest the person stick with samsung. Acer is not very good.

1) I have heard the GT may have a better cooler. Maybe by Jan we'll see them...if at least see GT's available!
3) I hope you're right! I only see GPU prices maybe falling a bit. The ATI card is not worth what they're asking for right now (same price as the GT).
 
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