Support NeoGAF

[Mengy]

OK, so my 3 year old PC needs to be replaced, here is what I'm considering ordering:


AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5600CZBOX - $139.99
ASUS M2N AM2 NVIDIA nForce 430 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - $72.99
EVGA 512-P3-N802-A1 GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 - $289.99
Antec True Power Trio TP3-430 ATX12V 430W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails - $64.99
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit - $74.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $104.99
LG Electronics Black LG Super Multi 18x SATA DVD Burner GSA-H62NK, 10x DVD+/-R DL, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 12x DVD-RAM - $28.99
Sunbeam Freezing-Storm IC-FS-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $56.99

TOTAL - $833.92

So anyone see anything glaringly wrong or troubling with that build? I'm not too interested in overclocking or pushing it's limits, I just want a modern system that will last me a couple of years but not cost me a mint. Feel free to offer suggestions or advice, etc....

 

[YYZ]

inb4Intel

Get another power supply brand. Not sure which, but check out jonnyguru.com

 

[IcebergSlim3000]

OK, so my 3 year old PC needs to be replaced, here is what I'm considering ordering:


AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5600CZBOX - $139.99
ASUS M2N AM2 NVIDIA nForce 430 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - $72.99
EVGA 512-P3-N802-A1 GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 - $289.99
Antec True Power Trio TP3-430 ATX12V 430W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails - $64.99
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit - $74.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

$104.99
LG Electronics Black LG Super Multi 18x SATA DVD Burner GSA-H62NK, 10x DVD+/-R DL, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 12x DVD-RAM - $28.99
Sunbeam Freezing-Storm IC-FS-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $56.99

TOTAL - $833.92

So anyone see anything glaringly wrong or troubling with that build? I'm not too interested in overclocking or pushing it's limits, I just want a modern system that will last me a couple of years but not cost me a mint. Feel free to offer suggestions or advice, etc....

Im looking over your post wondering where the video game reference is.

 

[D3VI0US]

Im looking over your post wondering where the video game reference is.

Can it run Crysis?

 

[d[-_-]b]

Even if you're not planning to OC you should go with C2D E6750 it's cheap (incomparison to other processors that are C2D like E6600) and it's good even at stock speed, can last a good couple of years. Now that I read your post again, you're going with a 8800 but an amd proc?

 

[Mengy]

Im looking over your post wondering where the video game reference is.

Well it's for playing video games, not all games run on consoles even today! What can I say, I'm a PC gamer through and through.


OK, will this rig run Crysis?

 

[YYZ]

you may want to double the RAM. You will want to get a C2D.

 

[Mengy]

Now that I read your post again, you're going with a 8800 but an amd proc?

I was going to, what is wrong with the 8800 GT and an AMD cpu? It seems like everyone prefers Intel nowadays, is there a reason other than brand loyalty?

 

[d[-_-]b]

I was going to, what is wrong with the 8800 GT and an AMD cpu? It seems like everyone prefers Intel nowadays, is there a reason other than brand loyalty?

Nothing about brand loyalty, the C2D is just a better chip altogether.

 

[ghst]

I was going to, what is wrong with the 8800 GT and an AMD cpu? It seems like everyone prefers Intel nowadays, is there a reason other than brand loyalty?

No, you'll find there is little brand loyalty when it comes to rig building. It seems the majority PC gamers this time round have totally emigrated from AMD/ATI to Intel/Nvidia.

 

[Mengy]

Hmm, well here is the E6750 C2D:

E6750 C2D - $189.99

I see that it is less Ghz but it is also 65nm versus the AMD's 90nm, so I can see the heat and power advantage there. I could use faster DDR2 memory with the Intel too, but all of this is adding quite a bit of cost to my new PC. Is it all really worth the extra $$$ to go Intel over AMD?

 

[ghst]

Hmm, well here is the E6750 C2D:

E6750 C2D - $189.99

I see that it is less Ghz but it is also 65nm versus the AMD's 90nm, so I can see the heat and power advantage there. I could use faster DDR2 memory with the Intel too, but all of this is adding quite a bit of cost to my new PC. Is it all really worth the extra $$$ to go Intel over AMD?

Hell yes. Unless you have a burning desire to go Quad Core that's the only processor you need to think about buying right now. It overclocks like a dream too, if raw Ghz's are your deal.

 

[Teknopathetic]

The difference between the e6750 and the AMD 5600+ is pretty hefty.

Like REALLY hefty. Well worth spending the 50?60 bucks extra.

 

[teh_pwn]

Hmm, well here is the E6750 C2D:

E6750 C2D - $189.99

I see that it is less Ghz but it is also 65nm versus the AMD's 90nm, so I can see the heat and power advantage there. I could use faster DDR2 memory with the Intel too, but all of this is adding quite a bit of cost to my new PC. Is it all really worth the extra $$$ to go Intel over AMD?

Talking about a couple of components that determine performance doesn't mean much when there's several other factors. Just compare performance. Nothing else matters.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=922&model2=873&chart=435

I wish there were more relevant benchmarks, but it looks like the intel processor is 10-20% faster with most applications. Try to find some benches for games.

 

[JaY P.]

Hmm, well here is the E6750 C2D:

E6750 C2D - $189.99

I see that it is less Ghz but it is also 65nm versus the AMD's 90nm, so I can see the heat and power advantage there. I could use faster DDR2 memory with the Intel too, but all of this is adding quite a bit of cost to my new PC. Is it all really worth the extra $$$ to go Intel over AMD?

Yeah I agree with you on the Conroe core, my e6600 is the best cpu I've ever purchased dollar for dollar. The only thing that sucks about buying Intel is the fact that Intel mobo's cost more than AMD boards. But remember, it's always good to pay a little more for better components now than having to do incremental upgrades again later on. And we all know how much these little upgrades here and there can add up.

As for DDR2 you can get quality (ie: G. Skill, Corsair, Patriot) 2GB dimm sets for just over $100 nowadays.

Edit: BTW given your price, that is quite a decent rig you have so far.

 

[JaY P.]

The difference between the e6750 and the AMD 5600+ is pretty hefty.

Like REALLY hefty. Well worth spending the 50?60 bucks extra.

QFT

Intel is certainly the way to go right now. Better performance, less power consumption, and plenty of overhead for OC'ing if that's your thing.

 

[BolognaOni]

Well it's for playing video games, not all games run on consoles even today! What can I say, I'm a PC gamer through and through.


OK, will this rig run Crysis?

I just put together a E6750, GT8800 system a while ago, and yes, it does run Crysis, 1240x1024, with the settings up pretty high. Throw in a good MB, and it is really, really hard to beat that combination right now without spending a whole lot more... I've been a "loyal" AMD customer for my last few systems, but Intel is seriously driving them out of business right now they are so much better.

I also second the comment about getting a different PS. I have the antec supply that came with their latest Sonata case (was on sale, and I've had good luck with them in the past), and it has some nasty high frequency noise (PFC inductor, I assume, but can't confirm).

 

[Mengy]

Well after looking at Tom's for an hour, it looks like the E6400 Conroe is an exact match for the A64 X2 5600 performance wise, but the Intel is quite a bit more expensive. In fact, the E6750 seems to sell for cheaper than the E6400 and performs better, but is still considerably more than the X2 5600. I guess that's why everyone says it is such a "bargain".

So basically, you are all saying to just spend the extra money for a better Intel based PC?



So whats a good motherboard to go along with the E6750? I'm guessing the P35 chipset is the way to go for a budget, maybe something like this?

ASUS P5K SE LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - $104.99

 

[HAL_Laboratory]

It seems like everyone prefers Intel nowadays, is there a reason other than brand loyalty?

Preferring one product over another is brand loyalty now?

 

[YYZ]

Preferring one product over another is brand loyalty now?

It is if there is no logical reason. So in this case, if he "prefers" AMD then he is being loyal to AMD.

 

[Mr. Pointy]

Get the E6750, a P35 mobo and a good 600W PSU.

 

[Chris R]

I really don't see the point in not going for a C2D chip now. Nothing AMD has is even close(which sucks )

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I would definately switch the processor to intel. For the price your paying there's no reason to not go intel. E6750 is probably best chip for a price range you seem to be looking at, although it is about $50 higher than the amd chip you chose.

 

[J-Rzez]

Go with a E6600 or E6750, scrap the AMD. Maybe look into a OCZ powersupply. Great choice in the eVGA 8800gt, best maker and warranty in the biz.

What OS are you going with? If XP, 2gb of RAM will do, if Vista you need 4.

 

[Mengy]

I looked at the OCZ power supplies, and while the Antec seems to get great reviews, I see that the OCZ puts out better amps, which may be an issue with modern graphics cards soon. So I'm gonna switch to the OCZ for an extra $20.

So here is the build for Intel based:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor - $189.99
ASUS P5K SE LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - $104.99
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel - $101.99
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 600W Power Supply - $89.99
EVGA 512-P3-N802-A1 GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 - $289.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $104.99
LG Electronics Black LG Super Multi 18x SATA DVD Burner GSA-H62NK, 10x DVD+/-R DL, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 12x DVD-RAM - $28.99
Sunbeam Freezing-Storm IC-FS-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $56.99

TOTAL - $967.92

So I added $134 to it by going Intel. The motherboard is the only part I'm not sure I like yet, I'm going to do some more looking I think. Anyone have any good recommendations for a good P35 MB for a E6750?

 

[Last Hope]

Hmm, well here is the E6750 C2D:

E6750 C2D - $189.99

I see that it is less Ghz but it is also 65nm versus the AMD's 90nm, so I can see the heat and power advantage there. I could use faster DDR2 memory with the Intel too, but all of this is adding quite a bit of cost to my new PC. Is it all really worth the extra $$$ to go Intel over AMD?

I have that CPU in this system I can easily get 3.14GHz out of it on a hot day, with no voltage mods, stock cooling with 100% stability playing games all day. I have run it at 3.2GHz when it was a lot hoter than now but it did have some stability issues. It is excellent bang for your buck.

 

[Mamesj]

random question since everyone is talking about it here: for someone who has never overclocked before, does the e6750 take a long to time to overclock? Is there a good guide for it? it's going to be one of my projects for winter break...

 

[RandomXTX]

Why would anyone in their right mind be buying AMD these days? WTF?

look at everything they have and are about to release and it's not even up to par with Intel's lowest cores.

 

[J-Rzez]

I looked at the OCZ power supplies, and while the Antec seems to get great reviews, I see that the OCZ puts out better amps, which may be an issue with modern graphics cards soon. So I'm gonna switch to the OCZ for an extra $20.

So here is the build for Intel based:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor - $189.99
ASUS P5K SE LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - $104.99
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel - $101.99
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 600W Power Supply - $89.99
EVGA 512-P3-N802-A1 GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 - $289.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $104.99
LG Electronics Black LG Super Multi 18x SATA DVD Burner GSA-H62NK, 10x DVD+/-R DL, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 12x DVD-RAM - $28.99
Sunbeam Freezing-Storm IC-FS-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $56.99

TOTAL - $967.92

So I added $134 to it by going Intel. The motherboard is the only part I'm not sure I like yet, I'm going to do some more looking I think. Anyone have any good recommendations for a good P35 MB for a E6750?

Much better. As far as MOBO's, I actually rock a MSI Platinum and don't have any issues what so ever with it. My friend got a bum one and had to get it replaced, but that's not really all that uncommon with computer stuff. You'll get a competitively featured MOBO from MSI to ASUS for less money usually. Also, I heard a lot of good things about eVGA's own MOBO's as well. Their videocards are bulletproof and have that great warranty, I don't doubt their MOBO's are any different.

 

[Vieo]

I wouldn't recommend building a computer just yet. You should wait for USB 3.0, the new optical processors, and solid-state hard drives.

 

[Bidermaier]

i would wait for next gen cards so you can properly play games running in DX10. In the meantime get an ati HD3850

 

[open_mouth_]

just keep waiting for the next best thing because it's surely right around the corner!

 

[mambadragon]

Preferring one product over another is brand loyalty now?

I've always liked supporting the little guy and bought AMD, but with anyone building today it's stupid not to use Intel.

I looked at the OCZ power supplies, and while the Antec seems to get great reviews, I see that the OCZ puts out better amps, which may be an issue with modern graphics cards soon. So I'm gonna switch to the OCZ for an extra $20.

So here is the build for Intel based:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor - $189.99
ASUS P5K SE LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - $104.99
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel - $101.99
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 600W Power Supply - $89.99
EVGA 512-P3-N802-A1 GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 - $289.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $104.99
LG Electronics Black LG Super Multi 18x SATA DVD Burner GSA-H62NK, 10x DVD+/-R DL, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 12x DVD-RAM - $28.99
Sunbeam Freezing-Storm IC-FS-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $56.99

TOTAL - $967.92

So I added $134 to it by going Intel. The motherboard is the only part I'm not sure I like yet, I'm going to do some more looking I think. Anyone have any good recommendations for a good P35 MB for a E6750?

I'm sure the Asus is ok, but the Gigabyte ~$90 board is very popular and supposed to be very good. Also, why spend the money on the Crucial, get G.Skill!

And consider the E6550 if you really want to save cash.

 

[JudgeN]

I have an AMD 5600+ as well, does that mean i shouldn't get an 8800GT because of some complications? I r confused ; ;

 

[DOPing]

The motherboard is the only part I'm not sure I like yet, I'm going to do some more looking I think. Anyone have any good recommendations for a good P35 MB for a E6750?

MSI P35 Neo2-FR with heat pipes http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130098
But ASUS should be good also (but I'm not really sure about your model).