Quad core Winter break upgrade (Would love advice!)

[ivandurago]

Starting on Black Friday and continuing till a week or two after New Years I will looking for used parts/great deals for a build I will complete before Spring semester. I would love to hop on the i7 bandwagon, but being a poor college student I am relying on xmas/bday money and cash from parting out my current system (Who knows, maybe Santa will be incredibly kind this year .) I am hoping to pick up parts primarily our Sale/Trade board from people parting out for i7. I want to build a quad core system with a single graphics card solution possibly on a x38/48 board for possible xfire later in the future, and would like to pick up 8gbs of DDR2/3 depending on cpu/mobo.


I am keeping my Lian Li v1000b, DVD drive, and HDD's and will need to purchase, along with the items listed above, a new power supply unit and audio system. I am building this system primarily for gaming on a 22” and 20.1” lcds, hopefully later in 2009 I will sell the Dell 20.1” and get a 24”. I also will use it for graphic design work, and general art/school issues. I like to have as many applications as I can running at once to make multi tasking, 3360x1050 makes it even easier I rip/dl all my audio at 320 kbps+ so I would really like to get a 5.1 audio system and sound card that makes it worth it!

Its hard to say exactly how much I can spend/ how much I will get for current system, as well as my price estimations being based on quick current ebay calculations, however I am thinking something around $800-900 I might be able to pull off. I would like to get as much advice as I can before I purchase regarding CPU/mobo/ram combo's that will offer me the best potential overclocks on air, as well as advice from audiophiles on sound cards/speakers. For the CPU I will get either the q6600/9450/9550 depending on pricing and am leaning towards the HD 4870 for video, but can always be swayed, and am sure I will get the Corsair 750w PSU. I basically want to build all used (or close), as cheaply as I can, and compromise as little performance/sound as possible.


Current plan'ish/more overview then for brand: (prices are sorta assuming used products/ what I want to pay)
All choices are open to debate, so please don't feel like these is concrete, I'd love opinions:

Q6600 - $130 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115018
ASUS P5E x38 - $140 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131219
Visiontek 4870 - $150 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102797
Corsair XMS 8gb DDR2 - $100 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145215
Corsair 750w PSU - $80 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
Logitech Z-5500 - $160 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120
Thermalright 120 - $35 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109125


That is the majority of my list, and although the prices are not exact I feel I could get all those items near those ranges. I would love a critique of the components/companies/build, and since I have wanting this upgrade for the last couple years I would love to get as much input as I can in the next month and a half before I buy! I imagine it is worth mentioning that I would like to play Fallout 3/ Warhammer/ Crysis/new games maxed or very close to it at 1680x1050.


Should I save money on the mobo and dump more into the cpu/vid? Do I want 1200 speeds on my DDR2 ram or will 1066 be enough for pushing a q6600 to ~3.4-3.6? Do I want to get 4gbs of DDR3 instead? Are there better 5.1 systems out there in the ~$200 range? I welcome any and all opinions, but just don't tell me to change that PSU, I have been reading so many great reviews about it for so long, I want one! Thanks for any help you can offer, and as we get a little ways into to December I would love to get offers from people if you are selling anything I have listed!

edit:
I was also going to ask, if you guys didn't mind, give me an opinion of the value of my current rig. I tried to estimate it out, but I could easily be off in either direction. I was going to sell it to one of my roommates for a cheap/fair price, maybe like 75% of what you guys think it is worth. Here is what I came up with:
AMD 3800+x2 (@2.4) - $40, MSI K8N Neo4 - $50, 8600 GT - $40, 2gbs Corsair XMS DDR - $35, OCZ modstream 450w - $35. Something like ~$200 for all of them?

 

[Rydawg5143]

Pricing inquiries are only aloud in GenMay section.

 

[lowteckh]

Spellcheck poliza to the rescue! Vroom vroom Whoosh.
----- > Allowed.

 

[-=Antimatter=-]

Wall of text hits you for 6850 dmg. You die.

I would suggest getting a p45 motherboard over x38. There are some DDR21000 and even 1066 kits that are cheaper than the corsair you linked.

 

[lowteckh]

OP is prolly all iffy about x8x8 for the P45s vs the x16x16 for the X series. When he does ask.. let me refer him to an article from Tweaktown - google p45 vs x48.

 

[Flea77]

A few opinions for you....

1) The Q6600, excellent choice
2) Asus P5e, nice board, done several builds with it, seems great
3) 4870, personally I am an NV guy but have heard good things about this card
4) Corsair XMS, I have had several problems with this ram over the last six months, have switched to Kingston HyperX when the build mattered.
5) Never used a Corsair PS, prefer Antec as I have hundreds of machines out there with them and very few failures.
6) Like the Z-5500
7) Nice choice for HS but right now my favorite is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Hope this helps.

Allan

 

[ivandurago]

Pricing inquiries are only aloud in GenMay section.

Sorry I didn't know this, and I can remove that last paragraph if need be. However it also has very little to overall with my questions and advice I was seeking for my build in this thread.

Spellcheck poliza to the rescue! Vroom vroom Whoosh.
----- > Allowed.

*confused*

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, and please keep them up, I am definitely keeping everything said here in mind!

 

[Dangman]

Should I save money on the mobo and dump more into the cpu/vid? Do I want 1200 speeds on my DDR2 ram or will 1066 be enough for pushing a q6600 to ~3.4-3.6? Do I want to get 4gbs of DDR3 instead? Are there better 5.1 systems out there in the ~$200 range?

No, DDR2 800 RAM is actually enough to OC the Q6600 to 3.6Ghz, No, and No

Also, you can get 8GB of RAM for $90 right now with zero rebates:
2 x G.Skill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $90 ($45 each)

If you can't find the TRUE120 for $35, get this HSF instead:
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $32 & Retention Bracket - $8.50

The Xigmatek cools just as well as the TRUE120 but costs much less.

Also, here's another list of motherboards to look at:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $85
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $110
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard - $130
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Motherboard - $149
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2R Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-EX48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you need 8 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, and excellent overclocks, then get the UD3R. If you like the UD3R but want a second PCI-E x16 slot and x8/x8 Crossfire support, then get the UD3P. If you like the UD3P but want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup and don't need a second gigabit port, then get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the I45 or UD3P. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn, need x16/x16 Crossfire, and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus, DFI, or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

 

[cnick79]

No, DDR2 800 RAM is actually enough to OC the Q6600 to 3.6Ghz, No, and No

Also, you can get 8GB of RAM for $90 right now with zero rebates:
2 x G.Skill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $90 ($45 each)

If you can't find the TRUE120 for $35, get this HSF instead:
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $32 & Retention Bracket - $8.50

The Xigmatek cools just as well as the TRUE120 but costs much less.

Also, here's another list of motherboards to look at:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $85
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $110
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard - $130
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Motherboard - $149
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2R Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-EX48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you need 8 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, and excellent overclocks, then get the UD3R. If you like the UD3R but want a second PCI-E x16 slot and x8/x8 Crossfire support, then get the UD3P. If you like the UD3P but want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup and don't need a second gigabit port, then get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the I45 or UD3P. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn, need x16/x16 Crossfire, and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus, DFI, or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

This post looks familiar. Where have I seen it before? Stick his advice, that's what I did.

 

[ivandurago]

Okay, lets say I can get a Q9450 (clocks to 3.75 on air) w/ an xfx 780i for ~$300...
Am I insane for not taking this?
I cannot decide, and I feel like I am might be waiting to long... eek!

 

[Dangman]

Okay, lets say I can get a Q9450 (clocks to 3.75 on air) w/ a evga 780i for ~$300...
Am I insane for not taking this?
I cannot decide, and I feel like I am might be waiting to long... eek!

In general I'm very very wary of Nvidia motherboards. Too many horror stories about them. But in this case, it is a good deal. Can't think of any deals right now where you can get a Q9450 or equivalent with a semi-decent motherboard.

 

[ivandurago]

In general I'm very very wary of Nvidia motherboards. Too many horror stories about them. But in this case, it is a good deal. Can't think of any deals right now where you can get a Q9450 or equivalent with a semi-decent motherboard.

See, that is what I am thinking. It is a really solid deal, but I have never heard anything good about the 7xxi boards and if for some reason I got one I would pick up an evga...
*sigh*
I don't know what to do, its still early in the season and I imagine more people will be selling their systems for i7 in the near future, however I really like the Q9xxx series and the price is really nice on this deal. However, I did see a Q9550/shitty mobo combo the other day for ~$240 new...

I'll talk it over with my roommates tomorrow as they will probably be the ones buying my PC, and see if the price might come down ~$20 on that deal as I am close to broke at the moment

edit: eh, nm. I am seeing those Q9550's up tonight for mid/low 200's, so I may as well wait a while longer and get a mobo I would like..

 

[HSADJADI]

that mobo wasnt that bad...ECS gets bad rep unfairly. But I would deftnately jump on Q9550's. Goes great with any X38 board. Best bang for the buck in my eyes.Frys has that 230 combo

 

[wsun]

I'm in the same situation.. :/

Word of advice, though, use the Live 25% off discount to your advantage. I snagged an Auzentech Prelude for 70$ BNIB through this, amongst many other things that would have cost me a fortune.. paying for shipping is never fun either, so eBay might be a good place to start.

Gun for tax-free sites (i'm taxed on the egg - Jersey sucks, yes), dealspl.us and slickdeals routinely (only time it really helped was when i snagged an 8800GT for 100$ along with an Antec Sonata 3+PSU for 70$).

You find the best deals in the most unexpected, unheard of places.. be patient, and be on the hunt! You'll expand your choices more and budget money to where it needs to be for a quality build..

 

[ivandurago]

Word of advice, though, use the Live 25% off discount to your advantage.

I definitely need to check into that, I haven't used the service yet, but I think I understand how it works. It would be nice if I could buy parts off [H] though, I would just feel a lot more comfortable w/ quality and honesty.

Thanks for all the opinions so far, and I would love to hear more!

 

[sequoia]

+1 for Live 25%

Definitely be patient if you want to safe some cash. It took me a while to build my rig, but the satisfaction is worth it. I did a lot of research here, and was very particular on which are the best components to use without spending a boat load of cash.

Good Luck!

I'm in the same situation.. :/

Word of advice, though, use the Live 25% off discount to your advantage. I snagged an Auzentech Prelude for 70$ BNIB through this, amongst many other things that would have cost me a fortune.. paying for shipping is never fun either, so eBay might be a good place to start.

Gun for tax-free sites (i'm taxed on the egg - Jersey sucks, yes), dealspl.us and slickdeals routinely (only time it really helped was when i snagged an 8800GT for 100$ along with an Antec Sonata 3+PSU for 70$).

You find the best deals in the most unexpected, unheard of places.. be patient, and be on the hunt! You'll expand your choices more and budget money to where it needs to be for a quality build..

 

[ivandurago]

I cannot believe how cheap parts are getting with the i7 release.
I might be able to pick up DDR3 and a Q9450 or 9550 within my budget now
I have been compulsively browsing ebay and the F/S forums for the last couple months, and cannot wait to order in a month!

From everything I have read, I am going to see close to no huge improvements going from a Q9450 to a i7 920 chip in gaming, and although I possibly could afford a cheap i7 system, I feel that if I am going to be primarily gaming on a 22" or 24" I would be better off dumping the excess $ I save from an upgrade into a better video card. Is this correct? However I usually only get an opportunity to upgrade once every four years or so, so an i7 system might be a good idea.

I don't know, I would still love to get more opinions on the best gaming performance I can gain for ~$900 and the best route I can take to make this system last as long as possible.

 

[Dangman]

I cannot believe how cheap parts are getting with the i7 release.
I might be able to pick up DDR3 and a Q9450 or 9550 within my budget now

Do not bother with DDR3 RAM and Core 2 Duo CPUs. DDR3 RAM has ZERO performance increases with current C2D based systems. Simply put, C2D based systems do not take advantage of DDR3 RAM at all. So basically it's a waste of money going with DDR3 RAM over DDR2 RAM with C2D based systems.

For $900, I don't think you'll be able to fit in a Core i7 build. You're spending close to $650 alone on the CPU, motherboard, and DDR3 RAM with a Core i7 build. So your best bet is a C2D based system.

 

[tiraides]

For gaming, yes, a better video card matters more than a fast processor. The GTX 260 (with 216 shader cores) and the HD4870 (1GB model) are good choices for gaming on a 22-24 inch monitor (though if you want high visual settings on a 24 inch monitor, you should consider either the GTX 280 or the HD4870X2).

As Danny mentioned earlier, you won't be able to build a Core i7-based system (with DDR3 RAM) for less than $900. Or rather, not if you want to get a high-end video card as well (which you'll need for the monitor resolutions that you're considering).

 

[ivandurago]

Thanks Danny Bui and Tiraides for the advice, really is helping me out.

At the moment I could pick up a DFI-T2R x48 board for ~$160 or an ASUS P5E3 Premium for around $190. Any advice? I know you told me I don't need DDR3 mem Danny Bui, and the P5E3 supports only it, where as the DFI board supports DDR2 800...

Any advice? Is that a solid DFI board? Seems like a pretty alright price.

I don't know... I cannot decide if I should just hold off until xmas to pick up anything, or pick up solid deals on the way. A mobo seems like a big jump as the rest of my system will be built around it.

 

[Dangman]

Thanks Danny Bui and Tiraides for the advice, really is helping me out.

At the moment I could pick up a DFI-T2R x48 board for ~$160 or an ASUS P5E3 Premium for around $190. Any advice? I know you told me I don't need DDR3 mem Danny Bui, and the P5E3 supports only it, where as the DFI board supports DDR2 800...

Any advice? Is that a solid DFI board? Seems like a pretty alright price.

The DFI is a solid mobo but not as good of an overclocker compared to the P45 motherboards Asus P5Q Pro and Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P. If you don't need full 16x16 Crossfire, I'd recommend going with those P45 motherboards over the X38/X48 motherboards.

 

[tiraides]

When are you getting the new monitor? Are you looking for a 22 or a 24 inch monitor? (Which would you rather prefer?)

Answering those questions will help us determine which (northbridge) chipset and which video card(s) you should be looking at.

 

[ivandurago]

The DFI is a solid mobo but not as good of an overclocker compared to the P45 motherboards Asus P5Q Pro and Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P. If you don't need full 16x16 Crossfire, I'd recommend going with those P45 motherboards over the X38/X48 motherboards.

I would like to have the availability to use 2x16 crossfire lanes in case I get a 24" lcd and want 2x 4870 (1gb or 512).

When are you getting the new monitor? Are you looking for a 22 or a 24 inch monitor? (Which would you rather prefer?)

Answering those questions will help us determine which (northbridge) chipset and which video card(s) you should be looking at.

I currently have a 20.1" Dell LCD and a 22" Acer LCD, and may possibly buy a midline 24" LCD to replace my 20.1" Dell, sell the Dell, and run the 24" my 22" Acer. However if I do this then I will have a 1680x1050 and a 1920x1200 running together, and I am not sure if that will cause issues with Ultramon, for dual screen desktops.

Blarg, so many mobo choices I want a stable mobo that will not crash and I to be able to push a Q9xxx as high as I can for stable day to day OC'ing, maybe something like a 3.4 consistent OC. Keep the proc as low/medium temps as possible, while enhancing performance.

 

[ivandurago]

Okay, I need your opinions on the evga 790i ultra board. I have read a lot of reviews about it online, and it seems to cover every side of the spectrum, from complete piece of trash to an incredibly stable oc'er ><

I could pick up a Q9650 (clocked to 4ghz on this setup), 790i Ultra and 4gbs (2x2gb) of DDR3 OCZ for ~$500, but I am nervous about jumping on that. I know it is a great deal, but I could try and save money w/ a Q9450 and 8gbs of DDR2...

Damn, I have no idea what to do haha, would love your advice!

 

[HardwareGuru]

I would do this:

CPU/Mobo - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550(2.83ghz) + Asus P5Q Pro P45 chipset mobo both for $390
Video Card - EVGA Geforce GTX 260(216) for $240 w/free shipping
Monitor - BenQ G2400WD for $290 w/free shipping from NewEgg

 

[ivandurago]

I would do this:

CPU/Mobo - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550(2.83ghz) + Asus P5Q Pro P45 chipset mobo both for $390
Video Card - EVGA Geforce GTX 260(216) for $240 w/free shipping
Monitor - BenQ G2400WD for $290 w/free shipping from NewEgg

Well the thing is, I would prefer to pick up used stuff from the F/S forum, to conserve on spending, and too help out the board.
I could get the Q9650/790i/4gbs DDR3 for ~$500 or
I could get a Q9550/Asus P5Q/ 4gbs DDR2 for ~$375 right now.

I would like to find out which you guys would advise getting, if any?
Thanks again for all the help.

 

[tiraides]

Well the thing is, I would prefer to pick up used stuff from the F/S forum, to conserve on spending, and too help out the board.
I could get the Q9650/790i/4gbs DDR3 for ~$500 or
I could get a Q9550/Asus P5Q/ 4gbs DDR2 for ~$375 right now.

I would like to find out which you guys would advise getting, if any?
Thanks again for all the help.

Out of those two choices, I recommend the Q9550/Asus P5Q/DDR2 combination. But I have a couple of questions:

1. Is the board a "plain" P5Q? (You should look for the P5Q Pro or the P5Q Deluxe.)
2. Which speed is the DDR2 RAM kit? (At a minimum, you want speeds of at least DDR2 800.)

NVIDIA's chipsets aren't as stable as Intel's. Though the EVGA FTW series boards are the exception to the rule, they still aren't 100% reliable. DDR3 RAM offers no performance benefit over DDR2 RAM when it comes to the Core 2 platform. It's practically a waste of money -- assuming you buy it for "future-proofing," you may not be able to use it in a year's (or so) time.

You may want to go with a high-end card, like either the GTX 280 or the HD4870X2, with your dual monitor setup. However, you should only grab one of those cards if you plan on buying the 24 inch monitor within the next six to eight months. (Wait any longer, and there may be a card out that's better -- and possibly cheaper -- than those cards.)

 

[ivandurago]

Out of those two choices, I recommend the Q9550/Asus P5Q/DDR2 combination. But I have a couple of questions:

1. Is the board a "plain" P5Q? (You should look for the P5Q Pro or the P5Q Deluxe.)
2. Which speed is the DDR2 RAM kit? (At a minimum, you want speeds of at least DDR2 800.)

NVIDIA's chipsets aren't as stable as Intel's. Though the EVGA FTW series boards are the exception to the rule, they still aren't 100% reliable. DDR3 RAM offers no performance benefit over DDR2 RAM when it comes to the Core 2 platform. It's practically a waste of money -- assuming you buy it for "future-proofing," you may not be able to use it in a year's (or so) time.

You may want to go with a high-end card, like either the GTX 280 or the HD4870X2, with your dual monitor setup. However, you should only grab one of those cards if you plan on buying the 24 inch monitor within the next six to eight months. (Wait any longer, and there may be a card out that's better -- and possibly cheaper -- than those cards.)

1. It is a Asus P5Q Deluxe I believe.
2. I believe the ram is 1066 speed gskill

I know I shouldn't expect much/any more from DDR2 to DDR3 and the choice to choose one or the other isn't based on future proofing. I rarely can future proof my systems as I a college student paying his own out of state tuition >< I just want to spend ~$900 for a CPU/mobo/ram/vid/psu/speakers. The reason I was considering the Q9650/ddr3 is that it has been OC'd stable to 4.0GHz for a short time, and the person I am getting it from has been very helpul w/ info relating to the evga 790i Ultra mobo. Either of the item sets are in my budget, and would leave me ~$200-250 for a vid card (probably the HD4870 1gb, depending on prices vs. the GTX 260 216.)

I don't know what to do haha. Basically it comes down to trying to build the fastest possible system I can with a Q9xxx and 4-8gbs of ram, that will last me as long as possible. I still run a 939 socket 3800+, 2gbs of Corsair, and a 8600gt and that has lasted me years.

If you really think the Q9650/ddr3/790i ultra will not outlast/perform the Q9550/P5Q/ddr2, then there is no sense at all getting the Q9650...

 

[tiraides]

The second build would be similar performance-wise to the first one. While the first one may be faster at stock speeds -- regardless, either choice would be a vast improvement over your current rig -- you could easily overclock the second build to match it. So yeah, there's really no reason to go for the Q9650, the DDR3 RAM, or the 790i motherboard... especially if one of your requirements is stability while being overclocked. (I just don't trust the NVIDIA SLI chipsets as a whole.)

 

[ivandurago]

The second build would be similar performance-wise to the first one. While the first one may be faster at stock speeds -- regardless, either choice would be a vast improvement over your current rig -- you could easily overclock the second build to match it. So yeah, there's really no reason to go for the Q9650, the DDR3 RAM, or the 790i motherboard... especially if one of your requirements is stability while being overclocked. (I just don't trust the NVIDIA SLI chipsets as a whole.)

Yeah, thats how I have been feeling. A year ago when I was thinking about upgrading I was reading about evga's 780i/790i nvdia platforms and their stability issues, and then am still hearing about them today ><
Maybe I should just make a WTB post on the F/S thread...
Again, I really appreciate all the help you all have offered and would always appreciate more input.

Well, I made listing, browsing tech forums everyday is making me upgrade sooner than I had planned Tell me if I did anything wrong or you have any advice regarding the build I outlined! http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1369918

 

[tiraides]

You're trying to get EVERYTHING used?!? How much do you have to spend on everything?

Considering some of the prices -- I mean, you could now buy 4GB of DDR2 RAM for under $50 -- you may want to get as many items as you can now from online retailers.

 

[ivandurago]

Yeah, I would probably be okay with getting DDR2 ram off newegg.
Its not entirely a $$ issue, I do not *need* a PC upgrade, it is just something I would like. I am a vegan who almost only shops for clothing/ect used, so it would feel sorta weird for me buy a bunch of brand new products made over seas when I possibly can get them used

I can spend basically as much as I want, however the cheaper the better. Since an i7 system isn't really going to benefit me all that much more the c2d, I may as well keep the budget low and save the rest of the $ for school/gf
I would expect to spend ~$800 for everything if I can get Q9550+, 8gbs DDR2, an x48/P5Q board, HD 4870 1gb, corsair 750w, and a nice audio card/speaker setup. I don't want to spend more than 1k, and will gladly spend under, especially as the cheaper everything is, the better chance of me getting a 24" monitor.

 

[tiraides]

I have some issues with your strategy. It's very time consuming, there's no guarantee that you'll get everything that you want, and it increases the possibility that you'll receive something that's DOA.

You could build a decent setup for under $1000 with new parts and have it last for years (with proper maintenance and upkeep).

... But that's all that I'll say on the matter.

 

[ivandurago]

I have some issues with your strategy. It's very time consuming, there's no guarantee that you'll get everything that you want, and it increases the possibility that you'll receive something that's DOA.

You could build a decent setup for under $1000 with new parts and have it last for years (with proper maintenance and upkeep).

... But that's all that I'll say on the matter.

Yeah I definitely understand that opinion.
I know it may be a bit more time consuming, but I think for my own morals/sanity it is the route I will have to take.
Plus, if there is a plethora of used mid/high range gear getting posted here under list prices, why not pick it up? If worst comes to worst, and I am unable to get the gear I would like I can always pick it up on newegg.

I hope my chance of DOA gear isn't increased on this forum, I was kinda hoping for the opposite effect. I was hoping the people here understood/respected/enjoyed PC's and as such they would only sell gear that has been properly taken care of (if only to uphold their heat #'s.)

Do other people think that purchasing primarily used from the F/S forum is a poor idea?

 

[Dangman]

Do other people think that purchasing primarily used from the F/S forum is a poor idea?

I bought my motherboard and 7900GS video card used on the F/S forum and those parts worked just fine. Saved roughly $40 that way. With that said, if you're fine with the time consumption as well increased chance of DOAs (remember that enthusiasts/sellers are human too so mistakes and problems will happen), I'd say go ahead and buy used. BUT make sure that whoever you bought it from is more than willing to help you out should any problem occur with the hardware. If you ever need to RMA a used part (mainly the mobo and video card), you will need to contact the original seller for help with that.

 

[ivandurago]

Damn...
I was actually expecting to receive more feedback regarding buying a Q9xxx and DDR2
><

Am I doing something wrong?

 

[mekanikal]

A few opinions for you....

1) The Q6600, excellent choice
2) Asus P5e, nice board, done several builds with it, seems great
3) 4870, personally I am an NV guy but have heard good things about this card
4) Corsair XMS, I have had several problems with this ram over the last six months, have switched to Kingston HyperX when the build mattered.
5) Never used a Corsair PS, prefer Antec as I have hundreds of machines out there with them and very few failures.
6) Like the Z-5500
7) Nice choice for HS but right now my favorite is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Hope this helps.

Allan

i was curious why you picked that heatsink i am thinking of using this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003 in my build and im on a tight budget and the one your pointing out is cheaper

 

[engiNURD]

7) Nice choice for HS but right now my favorite is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

i was curious why you picked that heatsink i am thinking of using this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003 in my build and im on a tight budget and the one your pointing out is cheaper

The AC F7Pro is fine for dual cores if you want to reach around 3.4Ghz max. Its a bit lacking for a Q6600, unless you want to run the quadcore at around 3Ghz -- and even then, it'll run somewhat hot. The Xigmatek HDT-S1283 is much better at cooling, especially for quads that output much more heat than the dual cores. The Xigmatek performs on par with the Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme, which goes for $50+ without a fan! Stick with the Xigmatek if you're getting a quad.

Damn...
I was actually expecting to receive more feedback regarding buying a Q9xxx and DDR2
><

Am I doing something wrong?

I'm confused as to what you're asking in regards to feedback. You want more opinions on the performance of a Q9000 series chip and DDR2? or you wanted more offers from the FS/T forum?

 

[ivandurago]

I'm confused as to what you're asking in regards to feedback. You want more opinions on the performance of a Q9000 series chip and DDR2? or you wanted more offers from the FS/T forum?

I was just expecting more Pm's than I have been receiving. I assumed more people would be dumping their Q9xxx/Q6xxxx's / DDR2 after the i7 launch, and was hoping for more response.

 

[Dangman]

I was just expecting more Pm's than I have been receiving. I assumed more people would be dumping their Q9xxx/Q6xxxx's / DDR2 after the i7 launch, and was hoping for more response.

Well the economy is playing a huge role in preventing many enthusiasts from upgrading just for the sake of upgrading. In addition, for most games out there, current C2Q and C2D CPUs are more than enough even though Core i7s are a bit faster. But Core i7s systems are more expensive to build. So to many enthusiasts, upgrading to the Core i7s will not be cost-effective for them.

So it all boils down to money: Some don't have the cash to switch to Core i7 and some don't think it'll be cost-effective for them to upgrade.