New PC Advice

Elviswind · 09-27-2008, 05:58 PM

I've been planning a new PC build over the summer and just want to have some other eyeballs look it over. Nothing flashy here . . . just want to play some of the newer games that my seven-year-old computer can't handle. Being an engineer and having upgraded nearly all the components in my current system, I think I'm competent enough to put together my own system, but there's just so much information out there between the magazines and websites, that I'm not confident that I've picked the best components for the money and compatibility of the system overall.

Trying to keep this definitely under $1000 and under $800 if at all possible so I can save some money to purchase a decent consumer grade 24" LCD in a few months.

Thanks!

Prices are those listed before any sales or rebates.

PapaZ · 09-27-2008, 07:32 PM

I like it! I'm not a gamer so I'd probably not go with that video card and you might want to read the customer reviews on the memory.

Been looking to upgrade my system and didn't know where to start. Looks like you've done some research.

Legmann · 09-27-2008, 08:22 PM

Looks good. One thought about the 250gb HD. From the link provided, you might want to look at other Seagate drives they offer. I saw some pretty good prices on 750gb and 1tb drives.

Elviswind · 09-27-2008, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaZ

I like it! I'm not a gamer so I'd probably not go with that video card and you might want to read the customer reviews on the memory.

Been looking to upgrade my system and didn't know where to start. Looks like you've done some research.

Thanks for the comments . . . the memory, IMHO, is about the toughest component to pick since once you review your MB manufacturer's approved vendor list there isn't a whole lot to differentiate all the top choices. I guess it's got more than a few people that've had problems with it . . . what's your opinion and what other vendors have you had good luck with?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legmann

Looks good. One thought about the 250gb HD. From the link provided, you might want to look at other Seagate drives they offer. I saw some pretty good prices on 750gb and 1tb drives.

I've never had big HDD's . . . usually just use multiple drives. I guess I'm a little nervous about the longevity of all these new huge drives. Thoughts?

Legmann · 09-27-2008, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elviswind

I've never had big HDD's . . . usually just use multiple drives. I guess I'm a little nervous about the longevity of all these new huge drives. Thoughts?

It used to be 250gb was a lot, but nowdays a few movies, albums, games, videos, etc, can fill it pretty quick.

Hal-9000 · 09-27-2008, 11:11 PM

2 gigs Corsair for 57 bucks ??????

I have OCZ gold edition...2 gigs was 189 dollars up here in the land of igloos

Hal-9000 · 09-27-2008, 11:12 PM

your friggin case is about the same price than your mobo + ram together

tnharris33 · 09-28-2008, 02:54 AM

that psu needs mmore oomph at least 600W - and thats alot to pay for a case

Purplepony · 09-28-2008, 07:11 AM

I was thinking the same about the case, personally I wouldn't go that much on a Video card either.

JoeyB · 09-28-2008, 07:33 AM

Let me add to the chorus against the case. You know, if you are really trying to save some money, that's a lot to fork over for what amounts to vanity.

Also, I'd consider the bigger HD as well...but I have 'only' 80 gigs. Prior to this computer, I had one with 20. When I first got online in 1999, I was using a computer that was nearly a decade old at the time...everything in it was an UPGRADE over what it came with, yet it still only had 2 gigs (yes, much larger than the original HD on that one), 32 MB ram (which was a massive upgrade, believe it or not), could only display 256 colors (originally, it was not capable of color at all, this computer was made for word processing basically), and my father had to actually modify the case, drill a hole in it, install a jack, and specially mount a 32.6 modem. Most of that work he did in the mid 90's, years before I used it to go online, so really it was pretty cutting edge when he did it. Nonetheless, that computer was NOT made for getting online, but it still worked...

Anyway...it was 2001 or so when I got the 20 gig HD, and I thought to myself "10 times the storage! I'll never run out"...which I did.

A couple of years after that I got this computer and I thought "going from 20 to EIGHTY gigs...awesome, I'll never run out"...I often have less than a gig of free space on this thing.

Frankly...if I got a new computer, I'd probably only be able to afford a bargain system and 250 gigs would rock. But now, I know damn well I'll run out of space.

Based on all of this: go for the biggest HD you can afford...put it in a cheap tower, and be happy.

Cavey · 09-29-2008, 02:05 AM

The case is expensive, as you have heard. Take a look at some others and their prices. You will pay more for a heavier case that will basically absorb the sound. I tend to buy a great case, full tower, so I can upgrade with any ATX footprint MB I want at a later date.
Take a look at http://www.xoxide.com/allcases.html for an example, there are others as well.
You have a choice of micro, mid or full tower. If you intend to add anything in the future to the vacant PCI slots, you may want to opt for another MB. with more expansion possibilities.
That MB tho, can host a multitude of HDD's, so adding up to 6 SATA HDD's is a definite plus!
As for the rest of the components, I tend to read as many consumer reviews as I can before purchasing new hardware.
All in all, it sounds like a hard working machine!
take a look at tomshardware.com as well ... reviews are very useful tools!

tnharris33 · 09-29-2008, 02:50 AM

Cooler Master cm690 - unless you want tri sli then this is the case for ou

Dimension (W / H / D) (W)213 X (H)482 x (D)524.5 mm
Weight 9.8 kg
Material Chassis: SECC, Bezel: Metal mesh+ABS
Motherboards ATX, Micro-ATX
5.25" Drive Bay 5 Exposed (without the use of exposed 3.5 inch Drive Bay),
4 Exposed (with the use of 3.5 inch Drive Bay)
3.5" Drive Bay 5 Hidden,
1 Exposed (converted from one 5.25 inch Drive Bay)
I/O Panel USB 2.0x2, IEEE 1394 x1, MIC x1, eSATA x 1,
SPK x1 (support HD Audio)
Cooling System Front :120 mm Blue LED fan x 1, 1200 rpm, 21 dBA,
Rear : 120 mm standard fan, 1200 rpm, 21 dBA,
Top : 120 or 140 mm fan x 2 (optional),
Bottom : 120 mm fan x 1 (optional),
Left: 120mm fan x 2 (one is optional)-up to 140mm fans
Expansion Slots 7
Power Supply Standard ATX PS2/ EPS 12V (optional)
Certification nVIDIA SLI

PapaZ · 09-29-2008, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnharris33

Cooler Master cm690 - unless you want tri sli then this is the case for ou

Dimension (W / H / D) (W)213 X (H)482 x (D)524.5 mm
Weight 9.8 kg
Material Chassis: SECC, Bezel: Metal mesh+ABS
Motherboards ATX, Micro-ATX
5.25" Drive Bay 5 Exposed (without the use of exposed 3.5 inch Drive Bay),
4 Exposed (with the use of 3.5 inch Drive Bay)
3.5" Drive Bay 5 Hidden,
1 Exposed (converted from one 5.25 inch Drive Bay)
I/O Panel USB 2.0x2, IEEE 1394 x1, MIC x1, eSATA x 1,
SPK x1 (support HD Audio)
Cooling System Front :120 mm Blue LED fan x 1, 1200 rpm, 21 dBA,
Rear : 120 mm standard fan, 1200 rpm, 21 dBA,
Top : 120 or 140 mm fan x 2 (optional),
Bottom : 120 mm fan x 1 (optional),
Left: 120mm fan x 2 (one is optional)-up to 140mm fans
Expansion Slots 7
Power Supply Standard ATX PS2/ EPS 12V (optional)
Certification nVIDIA SLI

This case has some nice features but I'm not sure I, personally, would want these "front" USB / Speaker ports on top of the box. Seems like dust, dirt, and kool-aid (hey, I've got grandkids!) might end up in them.

Hal-9000 · 10-04-2008, 02:35 AM

The case was my hardest choice and I still got fooked

Like Papa mentioned the topside USB ports were out for me.Also any case that had a locking door to gain access to the optical drives (give me a break

)

It was important for me to have a case with front audio out ports for headphones, mic.Turns out the soundcard I chose,
Soundblaster Audigy 4, will never allow a hookup to the front audio connectors.Nice of the asshole salesguy to let me know
that before they assembled my hand-picked system

It sounds funny but the case can be one of your more important choices...airflow, fan capacity, connectivity...

Hal-9000 · 10-04-2008, 02:44 AM

Oh and a lot of people stress on how fancy the case looks or " will it go with the decor of my room? "

most end up here near the floor.Looks are secondary to functionality IMO

09-27-2008, 05:58 PM	#1
Elviswind Low price! good prestige! Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4,322 Thanks: 36 Thanked 199 Times in 48 Posts	New PC Advice I've been planning a new PC build over the summer and just want to have some other eyeballs look it over. Nothing flashy here . . . just want to play some of the newer games that my seven-year-old computer can't handle. Being an engineer and having upgraded nearly all the components in my current system, I think I'm competent enough to put together my own system, but there's just so much information out there between the magazines and websites, that I'm not confident that I've picked the best components for the money and compatibility of the system overall. Trying to keep this definitely under $1000 and under $800 if at all possible so I can save some money to purchase a decent consumer grade 24" LCD in a few months. Thanks! GIGABYTE GZ-FA2CA-AJB Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case $159.99 GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard $104.99 EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 $169.99 PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $89.99 Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor $169.99 CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory $57.00 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $59.99 SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F $23.99 Prices are those listed before any sales or rebates. __________________

09-27-2008, 07:32 PM	#2
PapaZ Gravitationaly Challenged Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Down In The Dumps Posts: 13,469 Thanks: 191 Thanked 37 Times in 11 Posts	I like it! I'm not a gamer so I'd probably not go with that video card and you might want to read the customer reviews on the memory. Been looking to upgrade my system and didn't know where to start. Looks like you've done some research. __________________ Today Is Yesterday's Tomorrow

09-27-2008, 08:22 PM	#3
Legmann Let it snow! Yeah, right. Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 33,540 Thanks: 297 Thanked 742 Times in 374 Posts	Looks good. One thought about the 250gb HD. From the link provided, you might want to look at other Seagate drives they offer. I saw some pretty good prices on 750gb and 1tb drives. __________________

09-28-2008, 02:54 AM	#8
tnharris33 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 744 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	that psu needs mmore oomph at least 600W - and thats alot to pay for a case __________________ Free will is an illusion - An omnipotent Being knows EVERYTHING, including the future, so he knows what we are going to do next.

09-28-2008, 07:33 AM	#10
JoeyB Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: In a castle dark, or a fortress strong, with chains upon my feet. Posts: 728 Thanks: 38 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Let me add to the chorus against the case. You know, if you are really trying to save some money, that's a lot to fork over for what amounts to vanity. Also, I'd consider the bigger HD as well...but I have 'only' 80 gigs. Prior to this computer, I had one with 20. When I first got online in 1999, I was using a computer that was nearly a decade old at the time...everything in it was an UPGRADE over what it came with, yet it still only had 2 gigs (yes, much larger than the original HD on that one), 32 MB ram (which was a massive upgrade, believe it or not), could only display 256 colors (originally, it was not capable of color at all, this computer was made for word processing basically), and my father had to actually modify the case, drill a hole in it, install a jack, and specially mount a 32.6 modem. Most of that work he did in the mid 90's, years before I used it to go online, so really it was pretty cutting edge when he did it. Nonetheless, that computer was NOT made for getting online, but it still worked... Anyway...it was 2001 or so when I got the 20 gig HD, and I thought to myself "10 times the storage! I'll never run out"...which I did. A couple of years after that I got this computer and I thought "going from 20 to EIGHTY gigs...awesome, I'll never run out"...I often have less than a gig of free space on this thing. Frankly...if I got a new computer, I'd probably only be able to afford a bargain system and 250 gigs would rock. But now, I know damn well I'll run out of space. Based on all of this: go for the biggest HD you can afford...put it in a cheap tower, and be happy. __________________ Behold my signature. I can't take it anymore, Felix, I'm cracking up. Everything you do irritates me. And when you're not here, the things I know you're gonna do when you come in irritate me. You leave me little notes on my pillow. Told you 158 times I can't stand little notes on my pillow. "We're all out of cornflakes. F.U." Took me three hours to figure out F.U. was 'Felix Unger'.

09-29-2008, 02:05 AM	#11
Cavey Makin Jess say my name Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Midwest, US Posts: 2,687 Thanks: 10 Thanked 11 Times in 4 Posts	The case is expensive, as you have heard. Take a look at some others and their prices. You will pay more for a heavier case that will basically absorb the sound. I tend to buy a great case, full tower, so I can upgrade with any ATX footprint MB I want at a later date. Take a look at http://www.xoxide.com/allcases.html for an example, there are others as well. You have a choice of micro, mid or full tower. If you intend to add anything in the future to the vacant PCI slots, you may want to opt for another MB. with more expansion possibilities. That MB tho, can host a multitude of HDD's, so adding up to 6 SATA HDD's is a definite plus! As for the rest of the components, I tend to read as many consumer reviews as I can before purchasing new hardware. All in all, it sounds like a hard working machine! take a look at tomshardware.com as well ... reviews are very useful tools! __________________ Unless you live under such a huge shelter that you can’t see past the great naïve for the oncoming headlights, Nothing surprises me anymore! - Cavey

09-29-2008, 02:50 AM	#12
tnharris33 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 744 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Cooler Master cm690 - unless you want tri sli then this is the case for ou Dimension (W / H / D) (W)213 X (H)482 x (D)524.5 mm Weight 9.8 kg Material Chassis: SECC, Bezel: Metal mesh+ABS Motherboards ATX, Micro-ATX 5.25" Drive Bay 5 Exposed (without the use of exposed 3.5 inch Drive Bay), 4 Exposed (with the use of 3.5 inch Drive Bay) 3.5" Drive Bay 5 Hidden, 1 Exposed (converted from one 5.25 inch Drive Bay) I/O Panel USB 2.0x2, IEEE 1394 x1, MIC x1, eSATA x 1, SPK x1 (support HD Audio) Cooling System Front :120 mm Blue LED fan x 1, 1200 rpm, 21 dBA, Rear : 120 mm standard fan, 1200 rpm, 21 dBA, Top : 120 or 140 mm fan x 2 (optional), Bottom : 120 mm fan x 1 (optional), Left: 120mm fan x 2 (one is optional)-up to 140mm fans Expansion Slots 7 Power Supply Standard ATX PS2/ EPS 12V (optional) Certification nVIDIA SLI __________________ Free will is an illusion - An omnipotent Being knows EVERYTHING, including the future, so he knows what we are going to do next.

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