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Official 2008 "I Need A New PC" Thread
- Thread starter Kosma
- Start date
aznpxdd said:
Thanks a lot. This is my first build and I'm satisfied with the current stability (everything has worked dope for a month now) that I am going to overclock the CPU soon. I took a look at the BIOS to try and do it from a guide on MaximumPC but my BIOS was different and I couldn't exactly figure out what I was doing. I think I'll have to find something specific to my Gigabyte motherboard and go from there.
Appreciate the link, I'll check it out when I get home from work.
Epix said:
Unless you really want SLi, I'd go with P35. Newegg is actually having a sale on the Abit IP35 Pro right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...C-IGNEFL040808-_-Motherboard-_-L0E-_-13127030
Yeah it has a pretty hefty rebate, but most people say Abit are good with their rebates.
I'm very close to buying this setup. Prices are in CND Dollars. The company that builds them is called NCIX.
Processors
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box $269.99
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard $103
RAM
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory x2 - $209
Video Card
GeForce 8800GTS 512MB OEM 650MHZ 512MB GDDR3 1.94GHZ PCI-E DVI-I *Systems Only - 1YR NCIX Warranty* - $249
Case
Antec Sonata III Black ATX 16IN Mid Tower Quiet Case 3X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5IN 500W 120MM Fan $129
Hard drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive $115
DVD Writer
Samsung SH-S203B Black SATA DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 18X/12X INT DVD Writer OEM W/ Vista SW $35
Operating System
Microsoft Windows XP Professional OEM $167
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Audio 24BIT Sound Card 7.1 PCI-E X1 OEM $55
LCD Monitor
Samsung 226BW 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor Glossy Black Finish 1680X1050 3000:1 2MS VGA DVI-D HDCP $319
Keyboard
Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard Black Silver Programmable Backlit Keys USB $71
Mouse
Logitech MX518 GAMING-GRADE Optical Mouse 1600-DPI USB SILVER-BLACK $42.79
TOTAL - $1,770.06
Extra Savings: Your price will be $1,690.06 after $80.00 mail in rebate.
I'd appreciate any feedback from gaffers in the know. I'm not looking for a hardcore gaming rig, but something that will play most newer games at decent settings. I'm also planning on running this into my TV through HDMI, though if I'm not happy with how that looks (or feels, playing with k/m from a couch), I will use the LCD monitor it comes with.
No plan to O/C, at least not for a couple years.
Processors
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box $269.99
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard $103
RAM
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory x2 - $209
Video Card
GeForce 8800GTS 512MB OEM 650MHZ 512MB GDDR3 1.94GHZ PCI-E DVI-I *Systems Only - 1YR NCIX Warranty* - $249
Case
Antec Sonata III Black ATX 16IN Mid Tower Quiet Case 3X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5IN 500W 120MM Fan $129
Hard drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive $115
DVD Writer
Samsung SH-S203B Black SATA DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 18X/12X INT DVD Writer OEM W/ Vista SW $35
Operating System
Microsoft Windows XP Professional OEM $167
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Audio 24BIT Sound Card 7.1 PCI-E X1 OEM $55
LCD Monitor
Samsung 226BW 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor Glossy Black Finish 1680X1050 3000:1 2MS VGA DVI-D HDCP $319
Keyboard
Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard Black Silver Programmable Backlit Keys USB $71
Mouse
Logitech MX518 GAMING-GRADE Optical Mouse 1600-DPI USB SILVER-BLACK $42.79
TOTAL - $1,770.06
Extra Savings: Your price will be $1,690.06 after $80.00 mail in rebate.
I'd appreciate any feedback from gaffers in the know. I'm not looking for a hardcore gaming rig, but something that will play most newer games at decent settings. I'm also planning on running this into my TV through HDMI, though if I'm not happy with how that looks (or feels, playing with k/m from a couch), I will use the LCD monitor it comes with.
No plan to O/C, at least not for a couple years.
RickA238 said:
But not high enough to justify OCing the proc (even though it was pretty stable on air). And with processors and GPU's that can run Crysis well coming down in price, I don't see a huge reward in OCing a brand new build unless you just want to have a little bit of fun with the experience.
mambadragon
Banned
aznpxdd said:
I got my IP35 Pro rebate but it took 4 months. Antec took about the same time.
mambadragon
Banned
railGUN said:
This monitor has been replaced. Check out the 2232BW or 2252BW if you want Samsung.
You could also save some money by not including the sound card if you'd like.
Edit: Why are you paying so much for RAM? You shouldn't spend much more than $60 US for 2GB
VictimOfGrief
Banned
Mr. Hyde said:
Why yes I am.
I've been running Xp for a while now and it's time to jump up to DX10 and Vista's security features.
XP was great but ultimately for the RAM and the security features, Vista Ultimate 64-bit awaits.
it's what I run at work and I love it.
godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
AMD fanboy here, so please bash me all you want:
So since everybody on the internet believes that the Phenom processors are shit, I decided to get the best possible Phenom setup out there and see how it goes. I do not care too much about gaming, but I was in need of a new PC, so here it is.
CPU: Phenom 9850 Black edition (2.5 GHz Quad core)
MOBO: ASUS MVP32 Deluxe (FX90 chipset)
GPU: ATI Radeon 3870 X2 1GB of memory (2x512MB)
RAM: 4GB Corsair DHX (2x2GB)
PSU: Corsair 750TX (750W)
CASE: Antec Nine Hundred
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master (cant remember the name)
HDD and DVD Drives dont matter as I'll used previous ones I have laying around.
I'll post my impressions after I finish building it. I am really busy so most likely I wont put it together until after Saturday. This is the complete Spider platform, so I guess I should get decent framerates, I hope so, until now no review has been promising, but I hope that its because nobody has actually put the whole "Spider" together. I will post my results for information purposes only as I am not really concerned with gaming in my PC, but if they are good, more people should look into the Spider platform its very cost friendly (got everything for less than $1300. Also, I'll try Vista Ultimate 64 and 32 bits, to see if there is any difference with games. Wish me luck.
So since everybody on the internet believes that the Phenom processors are shit, I decided to get the best possible Phenom setup out there and see how it goes. I do not care too much about gaming, but I was in need of a new PC, so here it is.
CPU: Phenom 9850 Black edition (2.5 GHz Quad core)
MOBO: ASUS MVP32 Deluxe (FX90 chipset)
GPU: ATI Radeon 3870 X2 1GB of memory (2x512MB)
RAM: 4GB Corsair DHX (2x2GB)
PSU: Corsair 750TX (750W)
CASE: Antec Nine Hundred
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master (cant remember the name)
HDD and DVD Drives dont matter as I'll used previous ones I have laying around.
I'll post my impressions after I finish building it. I am really busy so most likely I wont put it together until after Saturday. This is the complete Spider platform, so I guess I should get decent framerates, I hope so, until now no review has been promising, but I hope that its because nobody has actually put the whole "Spider" together. I will post my results for information purposes only as I am not really concerned with gaming in my PC, but if they are good, more people should look into the Spider platform its very cost friendly (got everything for less than $1300. Also, I'll try Vista Ultimate 64 and 32 bits, to see if there is any difference with games. Wish me luck.
godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
railGUN said:
Wow, they are overcharging you for the RAM, I got 4 Gigs of it (Same brand and model) for $130 in NewEgg.
godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
k, then I would say go for it.railGUN said:
VictimOfGrief
Banned
and to think I just paid $70 bucks for my 4GB of DDR2 800. :lol Man.
railGUN said:
If you are going to get a soundcard, its either Auzentech Prelude or bust right now. Xtreme Audio doesn't even do hardware EAX, its not a "true" X-Fi like the rest with VRam. Your CPU and ram seems pretty overpriced, the Q6600 has been onsale for sub $200 for awhile now. As for ram...I got my 8gb PC6400 for ~$120 (no rebate or anything), so you should look around a little more.
godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
What ram was it? Supposedly I have to do another rebate that will lower my price to $80, but since Corsair only allows one rebate per household, I am not claiming it until I see what kind of rebate I got with my PSU. I am getting abother 4GB and installing Vista 64, I will get screwed with drivers, but is a price I am willing to pay.VictimOfGrief said:
godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
This gives me hope. I have only 4Gigs, but I'll get another pair soon if I feel it slow. How much ram do you have?aznpxdd said:
VictimOfGrief
Banned
godhandiscen said:
Off NewEgg--- ADATA Paired 2x2GB DDR2 800 sticks.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188
LIAN LI PC-A05B Black Computer Case $99.99
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W Power Supply $89.99 w/ $15.00 rebate
Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-115DBK $29.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $79.99
ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink $41.99
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard $89.99
A-DATA 4GB(2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory $69.99
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD $99.99
ATARI Gift - The Witcher PC GameMSI N9600GT 512M OC GeForce 9600GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $164.99 w/ $20.00 rebate
And a Q6600 from micro center for $199.99
The total will be a little less than $1,000.00
A good price? I am going to try conning my boss into buying my old 1.6ghz PC for $350-400 dollars.
And is it really difficult to piece this together? I've installed new pc parts and have taught myself how to configure all the software manually back in the windows 95 days due to one of my older pcs being built by a friend without giving me any drivers.
I was thinking of buying the 8800GTS G92, but I am not sure if it will fit in the case or not.
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W Power Supply $89.99 w/ $15.00 rebate
Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-115DBK $29.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $79.99
ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink $41.99
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard $89.99
A-DATA 4GB(2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory $69.99
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD $99.99
ATARI Gift - The Witcher PC GameMSI N9600GT 512M OC GeForce 9600GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $164.99 w/ $20.00 rebate
And a Q6600 from micro center for $199.99
The total will be a little less than $1,000.00
A good price? I am going to try conning my boss into buying my old 1.6ghz PC for $350-400 dollars.
And is it really difficult to piece this together? I've installed new pc parts and have taught myself how to configure all the software manually back in the windows 95 days due to one of my older pcs being built by a friend without giving me any drivers.
I was thinking of buying the 8800GTS G92, but I am not sure if it will fit in the case or not.
VictimOfGrief
Banned
Mr. Hyde said:
Excellent build there sir.
And no, building a system from scratch is easy. Put on some tunes, take your time, make sure you're grounded with a wrist strap or something and just install each piece one at a time. Note the order you put stuff in--- in case the thing doesn't boot and then start taking one piece out at a time.
The biggest concern and really be cautious about this is the motherboard risers that fit in the case. If you happen to put in "extra" risers because you think "oh, that's good, they'll support the board!" Think again. They will most likely cause a short in the board and cause it not to power up. I remember making that mistake on my 2nd PC I built. :lol
Anyways, awesome setup and you should enjoy!
My parts are getting here tomorrow I believe and I'll post up impressions. The system I'm building is going to blow the living hell out of my older P4 system. :lolHyde you should look at some of the more expensive hard drives, 500-750gb seems to be the sweet spot at the moment for price per gigabyte
edit: also I'm not so sure how much of use the cpu cooler will be unless you want to overclock it. And if you're looking for a quieter system I'd wait and look at what makes the most sound before making any upgrades, with my E8400 and stock cooler -- which I think is the same as the Q6600s -- in an Antec p182 the loudest part is actually the case fans, and this is generally regarded as a pretty quiet case, so that is where I'll upgrade next.
edit: also I'm not so sure how much of use the cpu cooler will be unless you want to overclock it. And if you're looking for a quieter system I'd wait and look at what makes the most sound before making any upgrades, with my E8400 and stock cooler -- which I think is the same as the Q6600s -- in an Antec p182 the loudest part is actually the case fans, and this is generally regarded as a pretty quiet case, so that is where I'll upgrade next.
Victim, I'll be going from a 1.6ghz & a radeon 9600, so I share your excitement about it. I might call up my father to help me install the motherboard if I feel nervous about that. He has spent his whole life working with electronics in the military, so it would relieve my nerves a bit.
Thanks on the HD tip, trh. A 500gb of the same model is only $20.00 more. And I was thinking of clocking it to 3.0ghz since I hear it's really easy to get that speed out of it without risk.
I hope it's not too loud, but I'll tinker with it if so.
Thanks on the HD tip, trh. A 500gb of the same model is only $20.00 more. And I was thinking of clocking it to 3.0ghz since I hear it's really easy to get that speed out of it without risk.
I hope it's not too loud, but I'll tinker with it if so.
If you're going to OC, you better upgrade the stock Intel Heatsink, its a piece of shit. I'm using the Tuniq Tower 120 on my e8400 right now, and it runs at a cool 30c underload at the lowest fan speed, highly recommend it. Just for kicks, you can see the difference between the two.
That is a beast! Do you think it's better than the zalman 9500? I want to put the Q6600 at 3.0ghz after a week of making sure everything is running good.
Also, you seem to have the case I am going to get. Would a 8800GTS fit in there? I am still deciding between the 9600gt and that card.
Edit: Apparently people can fit two 8800GTS' in that case with no problem.
Now I have to decide between the zalman and the tuniq. Is the tuniq's fan loud like they say?
Also, you seem to have the case I am going to get. Would a 8800GTS fit in there? I am still deciding between the 9600gt and that card.
Edit: Apparently people can fit two 8800GTS' in that case with no problem.
Now I have to decide between the zalman and the tuniq. Is the tuniq's fan loud like they say?
8800GTS would fit in that case no problem. I posted the insides of my case in this thread before I think, but here it is again for you to take a look. That's a 8800GT with Accelero S1 + Scythe 120mm fan.
As for the noise of Tuniq Tower, its really quiet on the lowest fan settings. It comes with a fan controller that goes in the back of the case so you can control the noise.
As for the noise of Tuniq Tower, its really quiet on the lowest fan settings. It comes with a fan controller that goes in the back of the case so you can control the noise.
VictimOfGrief
Banned
IDE Hard Drives?!?!? ^^^^ Sata man.
aznpxdd said:8800GTS would fit in that case no problem. I posted the insides of my case in this thread before I think, but here it is again for you to take a look. That's a 8800GT with Accelero S1 + Scythe 120mm fan.
As for the noise of Tuniq Tower, its really quiet on the lowest fan settings. It comes with a fan controller that goes in the back of the case so you can control the noise.
Why the hell is your case upside down?
Khalid-S said:No one really wanna help this guy?
Shoot I spent right around $1200 and I will fully be able to run Crysis on this beast.
I'll post what I just got again:
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB)
ASRock Penryn1600SLI-110dB LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 600W Power Supply
ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
And 2 of these:
ZOTAC ZT-88TES3P-FCP GeForce 8800GT 512MB - Single Slot SLI
SlaughterX
Banned
Ok, so I have 3GBs of 800MHz DDR2 RAM, and 1GB of video RAM from my two 880GTs. However the Windows Experience Index is only giving my computer a 4.8 on the memory (everything else is 5.8 or 5.9).
A friend of mine is only using 2GBs of 800MHz DDR2 RAM (and 640MB video RAM), but he has score of 5.9
So something is obviously wrong here... He said I might not be running it in dual channel mode, is it possile to run all of my RAM in DC, or am I going to have to remove the two 512 sticks? Also would it make any sense in upgrading to 4GBs of RAM? I am considering buying this.
A friend of mine is only using 2GBs of 800MHz DDR2 RAM (and 640MB video RAM), but he has score of 5.9
So something is obviously wrong here... He said I might not be running it in dual channel mode, is it possile to run all of my RAM in DC, or am I going to have to remove the two 512 sticks? Also would it make any sense in upgrading to 4GBs of RAM? I am considering buying this.
Are you running vista/xp 32? I believe that they will only read 3-3.5 gigs of ram, including the video. But I am not entirely sure on your problem.
Is this thermal compound the best one to use on the processor and heatsink?
Is this thermal compound the best one to use on the processor and heatsink?
Khalid-S said:No one really wanna help this guy?
Check out the maximumpc "build a gaming rig for $1500" article. I used it to steer myself in the proper direction, then took the parts list to my local Microcenter and worked with a guy there to tweak it as good as possible. It's a great place to start, as it also gives you a pictorial step by step on building the thing.
It was freaking easy, and gives you the basics and tell you what to look for, so you can customize to your own needs.
Khalid-S said:No one really wanna help this guy?
You're actually budgeting too much if you're trying to be frugal. Check out a couple of the other specced machines on this page and the last, it's all within or under that price range.
Here's one that I price checked.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=10522216&postcount=773
aznpxdd said:
Did you ever try to run your accelero passive? Any luck? I was thinking of grabbing one.
SRG01 said:
Some cases are built that way. I wish mine was, it really is the correct way to orient a motherboard.
eznark said:
Are you using a third-party CPU cooler? My guess is no.
Also, how's your ambient/room temps?