Alright I've been sifting through Newegg (for everything but memory) and Crucial (for nothing but memory) and I have come up with a build that's a little less than $500 (not including shipping and whatnot). I was wondering what you all think of it. If you can make recommendations for parts of equal or better quality for equal or lesser cost, by all means, let me know! :D
($106.98) Motherboard and GPU: ECS Motherboard and a 1GB PCIe GPU ~Newegg
($219.99) CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad {775 slot} ~Newegg
OR
($139.99) Intel Core 2 Duo ~Newegg
I don't know what the difference between the two are, other than that the Core 2 Duo has 2 processors and the Core 2 Quad has 4 processors... If someone can tell me which I should get, please do so.
($35.99) PSU: Sunbeam 680W PSU ~Newegg
($39.99) HDD: Western Digital 160GB SATA 3GB/s HDD ~Newegg
($55.99) RAM: 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR2 800 ~Crucial
TOTAL: $461.83 ($381.83 with Core 2 Duo instead of Core 2 Quad) (no shipping & handling fees included in these totals)
I have a monitor, speakers, mouse, and keyboard already, so I don't need those. If I left anything out, please respond with a recommendation (in the very least a comment saying so...)
I'll be installing XP Home Edition on it for now until Windows 7 comes out (hopefully it won't cost too much when it does).
ID:278140
 Jul 10 2009, 9:50 am (Edited on Jul 10 2009, 12:15 pm)
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Jul 10 2009, 11:27 am
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Stupot
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You might also want to consider getting a case to place your computer in.
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Yeah I'll worry about that after all the parts are finalized. That way, I don't have to keep changing the case to suit the parts that are going inside of it.
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Fans? Look into a cooling system.
Fans are rather obsolete now, and don't work as well as cooling systems generally do. | |
I think that 680W PSU I have listed will do everything I need it to do (by that I mean it has molex connectors, SATA connectors, a PCIe power connector, 20+4 pin connector. it even has a FLOPPY connector! o.o). I was kind of hoping you guys could give me a good cooling fan recommendation for the CPUs I have listed. Thermal paste as well. I have a couple DVD ROM drives and CD ROM drives laying around in my room which I could use.
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Visit http://www.slickdeals.net periodically, they tend to have awesome deals on computer hardware if you wait for them.
4GB (2x2GB) Crucial Ballistix 800MHz DDR2 $46 (w/ code EMCLVML29) | |
They're until they expire. They're just deals that people have reported to the website - how long each deal lasts and whether or not it has any limitations depends on the deal.
Slickdeals.net is just a website where a bunch of people get together and inform each other of good deals. | |
Oh. Well it appears that that deal has expired since it went back up to $55.99. I will replace my listed RAM with that one regardless since they are the same price, makes it so every item is from Newegg, and they're better sticks of RAM. Thanks anyways ;p
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I'm not saying you should base your list on what you see there now, I'm saying if you keep watching that site there are constantly good deals for hardware popping up. You just need to visit it regularly and keep on the lookout, knowing what you're looking for.
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Okay here's my updated list. I had to sacrifice the GPU for a lesser one, but it won't make much of a difference when I play my games. But on the bright side, I now have a case (that comes with a PSU, too! :D).
($104.98) Motherboard & Case & PSU: Here. Same motherboard as original post only now it's a combo deal with a case that comes with a PSU and a vent system. ($219.99) CPU: Here. Core 2 Quad 2.83Ghz OR ($167.99) CPU: Here. Core 2 Duo 3.0Ghz ($39.99) GPU: Here. Sapphire 512MB 128bit GDDR2 ($39.99) HDD: Here. Same as original post's HDD. ($55.99) RAM: Here. 2x 2GB sticks if Crucial Ballistix DDR2 Total: $463.83 (w/ Core 2 Quad) $411.83 (w/ Core 2 Duo) And then if I need it, I still have that 680W PSU lined up. ($35.99) PSU: Here. Same as original post's. Total (w/ PSU) $499.82 (w/ Core 2 Quad) $447.82 (w/ Core 2 Duo) | |
Both the processors listed there already come with fan and heatsink.
Unless you plan on doing some serious overclocking, you do NOT need to spend money on any sort of other fans or cooling options. | |
Oh, thanks for letting me know.
I've also changed the video card and decided to just get the Core 2 Duo. Video Card | |
I would steer away from the ECS Intel boards, Gigabyte is about a million times better. Also, there's a cheaper and better rated RAM available.
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147110 PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170014 Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075 Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143161 (If you see this before the deal expires: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102719) RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122 Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128388 Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041 If you live near a microcenter, you can get this a heck of a lot cheaper, in store only (http://www.microcenter.com/ single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0299412) Optical: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151176 Ships for $500.17 without the optical (currently out of stock). | |
Vic Rattlehead wrote:
Fans? Look into a cooling system. Obsolete? HDT is more than enough for just about anyone. Hell, if you're not overclocking, stock fans are perfectly fine (if you don't mind the plastic pins). | |
Wow thanks! I just knocked it down to a price of $463.48!
Case: Here. PSU: Here. HDD: Here. This HDD has more space and a better GB to Cost ratio. I don't need 1TB of space... GPU: Here. RAM: Here. This has a -$10 thing going on right now, and I'm never getting G.Skill RAM sticks ever again since they're not as good as Crucial or Corsair. I speak from personal experience. Motherboard: Here. Only $5 more for a more reliable board :) CPU: Here. Don't need Core 2 Quad either. I'm sticking with Core 2 Duo 3.0Ghz I have a CD ROM drive and a DVD ROM drive laying around that I can use, so no need for any of those right now. I have a wireless optical mouse, a zBoard, speakers that have a subwoofer, and a couple monitors, so I don't need any of the aforementioned either. Grand Newegg Total: $473.48 ($463.48 with the -$10 promo) EDIT By the way, I don't plan on overclocking at all. | |
Case: Antec 300
Power Supply: OCZ StealthXtreme 400W Motherboard: GA-G31M-ES2L Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Video Card: HD 4830 512MB Memory: Kingston 4GB DDR2 800 Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F1 750GB Optical Drive: LG DVD Burner Rosewill sucks at making cases. Never get a case + power supply combo because they usually suck. A 680 watt power supply at 35 dollars probably sucks. NEVER skimp on the power supply. [That other power supply, 480W for 15 dollars, is extremely weak. It only has 16A on the 12V rail, which runs your graphics card and CPU.] This is a gaming configuration, going for the best graphic card and CPU combination you can get for the money. Make sure you get an operating system. Tell me if you want anything changed. It's $505 with shipping. | |
Sorry for the long delay...
I don't know what the differences are between these two PSUs, but I like the 500W one since it's cheaper and provides more power. It also looks cool too as an added benefit :) Yours: OCZ StealXtreme 400W Mine: Rosewill Stallion Series 500W Would the 2.8Ghz Core 2 Duo be significantly slower than the 3.0Ghz Core 2 Duo? If not, I'll go with that E7400. Also, can you tell me which video card would be better to get? I was already looking at that Sapphire 4830 one, and then this PNY 9800GT EE card. The PNY one is slimmer and doesn't take up two slots like that Sapphire one does. It's also energy efficient! :D And as far as I know, PNY is also a good brand. As for your issue with Rosewill cases. What's wrong with them? I was going to get this one here As for the motherboard. I'm kind of adamant on getting the updated version of the one you posted, unless there's a really good specific reason why not to, other than the fact that there's $7 difference... (updated version: here) I'm also very adamant on getting my posted Crucial Ballistix RAM. I don't have any problems with Kingston. Just G.Skill brand RAM. It's just that Crucial is the only brand I know I can trust. Again, I'm not saying Kingston is bad. Not to mention the fact that it's BALLISTIX <3 ^-^ And last but not least, the HDD. The one you posted does have a slightly better GB to dollar ratio, but that's only by about 0.7. I also don't need 750GB of space. EDIT Ha, I just noticed. That video card you showed can't operate under a 400W PSU. It says on Newegg that it needs at least 450W to operate optimally, so I guess it would have to be my PSU or neither if I go with your video card suggestion. EDIT2 Just found this PSU here. Same price as my aforementioned Rosewill 500W one, but I'm not sure if it's any better. | |
Okay I believe I have my finalized build...
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel Motherboard: GIGABYTE Intel G41 CPU: Core 2 Duo 2.8Ghz RAM: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR2 Video Card: PNY GeForce 9800 GT EE 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PSU: Rosewill Stallion Series 500W HDD: Western Digital 7200 RPM 32MB cache 500GB SATA 3GB/s Total Price: $514.78 (not including shipping) | |