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Durrthock
02-06-2007, 06:21 PM
I'm planning on building a computer sometime later this year.
I'm going to start saving money for it now.
I was just wondering what would be a good Idea for Specs on it since you seem to always put things together in your mind.
I will probably have A bit over $1000 so some things from now would be good.
I was thinking about an Amd x2 5200+ for the processor the price range isn't set and will probably be a bit more.

Ideas
Thoughts?

sirkillalot617
02-06-2007, 06:24 PM
ati x2 5200 I know amd bought ati but they havent started making ati proccesors yet:D

Durrthock
02-06-2007, 06:26 PM
Lol I meant AMD

sirkillalot617
02-06-2007, 06:36 PM
alright some helpfull information if your building it later on i wouldnt plan to much as new technologys will probebly come out that u will want

Durrthock
02-06-2007, 06:41 PM
I want to build a computer with nows specs that will work well later on because I'm never gonna have like 4grand to spend.

Durrthock
02-06-2007, 08:47 PM
I guess what im saying is that I want specs that can max out games to come without a $600 dollar graphics card price. All these R600 and 8800 Cards Are WAY too much Really whats the diffrence between 100fps and 8000fps in fear I mean really I have a 6800 and it worked well but with new games on the horizon
I have to compete So I just want help picking out something that will beat the crap out of my system.

MY specs are
Intel P4 3.2ghz Ht tech
Nvidia 6800 (no gt or oc)
500gb hard drive
1gb of ram x2 512 ddr2
Sound blaster audigy 2

Ask about anything else

Silenced_Coyote
02-06-2007, 10:24 PM
Would overclocking be an option, mainly for the CPU?

By the way, Intel is suppose to be cutting their prices of their Core 2 Duo line. I think they will do it next quarter.

You can get the 8800GTS for about $400 now.

Durrthock
02-06-2007, 10:27 PM
yeah I could over clock

I was hoping at $1100-$1200 dollars total so the 8800gts might not be out of the question.

Silenced_Coyote
02-06-2007, 11:02 PM
I think it can turn out nicely with a $1100-$1200 budget. Since you aren't buying it anytime soon, keep an eye out for killer deals. I look at these sites for bargains:
www.bensbargains.net
www.slickdeals.net
www.techbargains.com

Also, a place that doesn't charge tax and has a low shipping fee is nice. For me, that place is Amazon.com. Of course, their selection isn't like Newegg. But for popular high end stuff like the video card, it is nice not paying tax. I bought my 8800GTS and EVGA 680i from TigerDirect through Amazon.com. Worked out great because Amazon charged me half the shipping fee that TigerDirect did if I shopped on TD's website.

Then you got the bigger savings from instant rebates and mail-in rebates. It all adds up and you might be amazed how much you saved in the end. Also, enter contests. I won an Antec 500W PSU. Saved myself over $200 (estimate from rebates and price hunting alone, not sure how much I saved from taxes).

Durrthock
02-06-2007, 11:12 PM
Whats a cheap case big enough to fit an 8800gts

Indybird
02-07-2007, 12:11 AM
Would overclocking be an option, mainly for the CPU?

By the way, Intel is suppose to be cutting their prices of their Core 2 Duo line. I think they will do it next quarter.

You can get the 8800GTS for about $400 now.

You can actually get a 8800GTS for as low as $369.99 (on newegg of course)

klingelton
02-07-2007, 12:32 PM
nice to know that intel will be cutting those prices finally (a little too late for me!) I'm gonna stick with AMD though for the time being, just got more faith in them.

the 8800 should be forwards compatible since i read somewhere (can't remember where since i read so much tat on the internet) that the 8800 is actually a dx10 card, so the new games under vista should be playable, IF vista gets the driver problems sorted properly.

There's new tech all the time, wait a while until the new tech comes out, should be able to build a pretty spanking gaming rig for that sort of moolah

Durrthock
02-07-2007, 11:38 PM
I just need to find a good
Case
Psu
And Mobo
I was thinking these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071
and either an e6300 or 6400 depending on how much i spend on other things

Silenced_Coyote
02-08-2007, 03:48 PM
You can actually get a 8800GTS for as low as $369.99 (on newegg of course)

After taxes and rebates, it is close to $400 for me.


nice to know that intel will be cutting those prices finally (a little too late for me!) I'm gonna stick with AMD though for the time being, just got more faith in them.

the 8800 should be forwards compatible since i read somewhere (can't remember where since i read so much tat on the internet) that the 8800 is actually a dx10 card, so the new games under vista should be playable, IF vista gets the driver problems sorted properly.

There's new tech all the time, wait a while until the new tech comes out, should be able to build a pretty spanking gaming rig for that sort of moolah

Of course the 8800s are DX10 cards. I thought everyone knew that by now. There are no rumors or speculations. It is a fact. A beta driver has been released that supports DX10 for 8800s.


I just need to find a good
Case
Psu
And Mobo
I was thinking these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071
and either an e6300 or 6400 depending on how much i spend on other things

The Corsair RAM and EVGA 8800GTS looks like good choices to me. Since you are going to be overclocking, the only difference between the E6300 and the E6400 is the multiplier.

agnat
02-08-2007, 04:38 PM
Another good place to look and I have had very good luck with them, is Tiger Direct. They have specials all the time and their barebones kits are good bargains that matchs CPU's to mobos and RAM in some cases. http://www.tigerdirect.com
Hope this helps

Durrthock
02-08-2007, 08:00 PM
I guess I'm asking what the most powerful computer you can build for $1200 is

tofunater529
02-09-2007, 12:03 AM
just a suggestion for a case, for 55 bucks kingwin makes a pretty good sized all aluminum case that will not only hold a g80, but will also keep it cool and show it off. For around a hundred though you can pick up a lexa nzxt, which will do all of the above, but even better.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811170024
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811146018

Silenced_Coyote
02-09-2007, 01:58 AM
I guess I'm asking what the most powerful computer you can build for $1200 is

I will try to create the best bang for the buck parts list I can this weekend. I should have done it sooner buy I keep on getting distracted by Yahoo! Chess :p

So you need to buy every part right? You won't be salvaging anything from the old PC? What about miscellaneous stuff like keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, etc.? Should I include tax and shipping in the budget too?

Durrthock
02-09-2007, 04:29 PM
No I cant salvage things from other computers but I do have a g15 keyboard G5 mouse Of speakers and a dual monitor setup 22" and 19". So just a computer and I really want an 8800 :) Thanks for all your help +rep

Only include tax if its some giant amount I can probably go over for tax and shipping.

Durrthock
02-09-2007, 11:23 PM
just a suggestion for a case, for 55 bucks kingwin makes a pretty good sized all aluminum case that will not only hold a g80, but will also keep it cool and show it off. For around a hundred though you can pick up a lexa nzxt, which will do all of the above, but even better.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811146018

If you could somehow put that case into the budget that would be sweet.
But if you cant its no problem I would rather have a powerful computer than a fancy case.

On and silenced if you want a gmail account private message me.

Redundant
02-10-2007, 12:26 PM
Something you can do to help you with budgeting a new computer is to make an Excel sheet. It'll add it up for instantly so you don't make math mistakes and can help you not from forgetting any necessary computer parts.

Excel pwns. lol

Silenced_Coyote
02-10-2007, 04:20 PM
Here is my first list. I will be updating it when I find lower prices or better deals (i.e. maybe another manufacturer lowered their price). I will be including rebates in this list. Because rebates have a rather short time period, this list will probably have to be updated every month (which I will try, but not guarantee).

Also, I will try to include tax and S&H. Can PM me your state and zip code. If you don't want to tell me, we can figure out another way. Just let me know.

Of course, this is your PC and these are just my recommendations. If you don't like a brand or particular part, feel free to tell me and I'll keep on the lookout for a deal on it.

MIR = Mail-in Rebate (I don't feel like typing it out each time. lol)
IR = Instant Rebate

PC Components List:

Antec P180 Silver .................................. $129.99 - $25 MIR (Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811129154))

Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB HD ....... $79.99 - $5 IR (Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822144701))

EVGA 8800GTS ...................................... $389.99 - $30 MIR (Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130071) or Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/640MB-E-geforce-8800-Pci-e-D%2Bd%2Bhd/dp/B000KFWFHG/sr=8-2/qid=1171137075/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-2147390-4555131?ie=UTF8&s=electronics))

Patriot DDR2-800 2GB ............................. $251.99 - $40 MIR (Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820220174))

EVGA 122-CK-NF68-TR ........................... $224.99 - $15 MIR (Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813188010))

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 ........................... $174.99 (Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115013))

OCZ GameXStream 600W PSU .................. $99.99 (Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-OCZ600GXSSLI-Ocz-600W-Gamexstream/dp/B000KMH704/sr=1-10/qid=1171135489/ref=sr_1_10/104-2147390-4555131?ie=UTF8&s=electronics))

Samsung 18x Internal Sata Burner ............ $46.99 (Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151141))

Total = $1398.92
Total with Savings = $1283.92

I know that I am over your budget. But since you aren't buying your PC until later this year, this gives us time for the prices to drop and to "fine tune" this list. I would like to get the total as close to your budget as possible because I don't want you to rely too much on rebates. Still turn them in and fight for it if you don't get the check. But just in case you lose, I don't want you to pay way over your budget.

I'm sorry, I wish I could have come up with a better selection right off the bat. I hope I can lower that total price...

Note:
I am not sure if the Antec P180 case will hold a 8800GTS. I'm pretty sure it will. But if someone could verify it, I would feel much better.

I know I could save around $16 by getting an IDE burner, but I have that Samsung Sata one and I like the small cable. :p But I might switch it out later on. We'll see...

There are actually 2 versions of the EVGA 680i motherboard. One ending in -TR and one in -AR. A guy on Newegg said that the -TR comes with fewer cables and a 2 year warranty, hence the lower price. I think the -AR has a lifetime warranty. Can someone verify this? If not, I'll try to look into it.

I could select a lower wattage PSU for this. A 500W will power this up. But I feel more comfortable with a 600W.

For where I live, tax and S&H came out to 135.37. Just to give you an idea.

Durrthock
02-10-2007, 05:03 PM
What kind of tax is it because I live in Nh and we only have income tax and only federal at that.

two comments though
cheaper ram would probably be okay
and and switch the e4300 for a 6300 its a higher multiplier for almost nothing more.

oh and +130 for vista so that is too expensive lemmie see here

And a soundcard

Durrthock
02-10-2007, 05:26 PM
Quick note I don't pay taxes for newegg only in CA and NJ
Yea so no taxes.
And what does MIR stand for

Durrthock
02-10-2007, 06:10 PM
How about this for a mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16829102006
I dont need sli

Durrthock
02-10-2007, 06:11 PM
Other Things
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817128006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820227139
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128017
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811133145
psu
case
ram
sound card

Silenced_Coyote
02-10-2007, 07:18 PM
Quick note I don't pay taxes for newegg only in CA and NJ
Yea so no taxes.
And what does MIR stand for

That is awesome! Yeah, I live in California. Out of all the states, CA is one of them... Makes things easier. MIR stand for Mail-in Rebate. I had that writtin down in that long post right above the components list. IR is Instant Rebate


How about this for a mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16829102006
I dont need sli

Wasn't sure about the SLI. Good to know that you don't need it. That motherboard is fine. Or this one from Asus (P5N-E SLI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131142)). Both are good. I just prefer an Nvidia chipset.


Other Things
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817128006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820227139
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128017
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811133145
psu
case
ram
sound card

Case and RAM are good. Not sure how good that Hiper PSU is.

I don't know if you know this, but Vista does sound differently. The audio stack is changed; it by passes hardware acceleration (sound cards). Creative is working on a solution called Alchemy. It is still in beta and it only supports a few cards. I am pretty sure that the whole X-fi line is supported.

Oh, the Core 2 Duo E4300 has the higher multiplier than the E6300. The E4300 is also less money. But it doesn't support virtualization. I think it is missing one other feature too. But I'm not sure.

Durrthock
02-10-2007, 07:32 PM
Thanks for all your help but I still need to find a few things

Durrthock
02-10-2007, 07:35 PM
found this on another forum
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811119068

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail $316.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16819115003

Motherboard: BIOSTAR TForce965PT LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813138037

Memory (RAM): G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16820231098

Video Card (GPU): EVGA
EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
($359.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814130071

Power Supply (PSU): FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.2, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail $53.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16817104954

Hard Drive (HDD): Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16822148140

Optical Drive: LG Electronics
LG Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE Super-Multi DVD Burner - OEM $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16827136108

Durrthock
02-10-2007, 07:37 PM
might not be just perfect though

But if i threw in a better psu that sound card and mabie I could ask for Vista for my birthday (Like 10 days before I plan On ordering.)
Ill get a better computer for probably just on budget at the time.

Silenced_Coyote
02-10-2007, 11:11 PM
Well, I guess you figured out what you want. Only my recommendation of the EVGA 8800GTS made the cut...:( lol

Anyways, I hope you get it fired up soon!

Durrthock
02-11-2007, 12:08 AM
Well I'm not all done.
I found that on another forum

Silenced_Coyote
02-11-2007, 03:16 PM
What do you mean you are not all done?

Durrthock
02-11-2007, 06:55 PM
I just had an Idea
What If I put most of those parts into my dell xps that would give me even more power.
It got a 480watt psu
the case is freakin huge
500gig hd and a crap load of fans dual drives. Might just work
With all the stuff I would have to buy it would cost $1090 dollars as opposed to like $1330. As long As I could power all the fans And the front led some how It would be awesome.

Thoughts
Ideas

Silenced_Coyote
02-11-2007, 07:14 PM
I would switch out the 480 watt PSU, especially if you overclock.

But other than that, it is a good idea because you wouldn't have to spend money on a case and hard drives.

Durrthock
02-11-2007, 08:39 PM
how much power would it actually require

Moofaa
02-11-2007, 10:23 PM
That OCZ psu Silenced_Coyote had listed before should be good enough. Unless you are planning to go SLI you might need more I think. Avoid cheap PSU's at all costs. I hear OCZ is a good brand, and I like the HIPER I just bought and installed a couple days ago.

Durrthock
02-12-2007, 05:17 PM
I think 480watts will be good enough.

Silenced_Coyote
02-12-2007, 06:41 PM
I personally feel more confortable with a good overhead amount.

You can use this to get an estimate to how much power you need:
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

It is great because you can figure out how overclocking will affect your power draw. The bad thing is that it doesn't have the 8800GTS on the list. I'm also not sure how accurate their capacitor aging calculations are. But for me, I would like to keep my PSU as long as possible. I don't want to be near my PSU's limit and then find out that that limit is shrinking and I will have to replace my PSU so soon.

Durrthock
02-17-2007, 02:27 PM
Well I was having a different Idea.
I'm thinking of a build with an e 6400 so save a lot of money.
And after I read up on dx10 I have to get a dx10 gpu so basically I want to build a rig that will keep games maxed out for awhile and looking good there after.
Because I'm using a 6800 and that can get oblivion on high so i want a computer that will do stuff like that 2 years from now.
So Any Ideas

Silenced_Coyote
02-17-2007, 03:43 PM
I guess you can wait and see what happens with the graphics market. AMD's DX10 GPU will come out. I heard rumors that Nvidia is just waiting for that time so they can release their own products to steal some of the spotlight back. But I think these will be the midrange to low-end cards. There are rumors floating around that Nvidia will release the 89xx, which includes the 8950GX2 (SLI on one card). But in my opinion, the 7950GX2 wasn't that great.

Article (http://www.tweaktown.com/news/7055/geforce_8900gtx_and_8950gx2_pricing_and_informatio n/index.html)

Durrthock
02-17-2007, 05:43 PM
You use an 8800gts don't you. And why do people think the 8900 is going to come out so soon i mean the 8800 just came out.

Silenced_Coyote
02-17-2007, 07:35 PM
Yes, I do have an 8800GTS in my system.

Well, the article never said exactly when Nividia will release those cards. Just look at it as rumors for now or as a roadmap.

xRyokenx
02-18-2007, 12:35 AM
Here's the case I have (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119047), if it's any help. It was about $50, looks nice, is sturdy, and most of all, is CoolerMaster.

-Anthony

Durrthock
02-18-2007, 10:45 PM
I'm actually going back to the x5200 they just dropped like $100

Silenced_Coyote
02-19-2007, 01:52 AM
So what motherboard will you pair it up with now?

Durrthock
02-19-2007, 04:24 PM
Not sure yet but I have time. I'm figuring that the x5200 while not as fast an a 6600 will be good against to a 6300 or 4300

Silenced_Coyote
02-19-2007, 08:17 PM
The Intel E6300 and E6400 can overclock very high, past a stock E6600 easily. Even though it is 2MB less cache, it doesn't make much of a difference on average.

EDIT:
Adding some articles. You can just jump to the benchmarks to see how well they do overclocked. Note: the E6300/E6400 weren't even OC'ed past 3 GHz, which they can achieve. Not sure how far the E4300 can go though.

Core 2 Duo E4300 (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2903&p=1)

E6300/E6400 (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2802&p=1)

Durrthock
02-19-2007, 09:41 PM
Over clocked intels vs Stock amd obviously Intel and most of the wins are like by 4 or something. Besides the 5200 has 2x the cashe