About to pull the trigger on a new rig

[xSkyDrAx]

So I am about to pull the trigger on a new budget gaming rig and I just want a few reviews of it just in case I'm missing anything or there's some compatibility issue I don't know about. Thanks!

Intel C2D E6300 - $183

Gigabyte GA 965P DS3 - $122

EVGA 8800 GTS 640MB - $389
gaming at 1650x1080

Xclio Stablepower 500W - $69
If there's a cheaper and better solution please let me know

A-Data 2x1GB DDR2 800 - $159
Just went for the cheapest. opinions?

And a 80 gig sata hd that doesn't need much review.

Just waiting for the green light and hoping this all comes at the beginning of my spring break.

 

[jpeyton]

DS3

XClio Stablepower 500W

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
DS3

XClio Stablepower 500W

What's the difference between the S3 and the DS3?

Edit: Also, how reliable is Xclio?

 

[xSkyDrAx]

So many views, no replies?

 

[n7]

Eh, i will never recommend the DS3 to anyone.

Too many horror stories & issues, mixed with great reviews.

P5N-E SLI or P5B-E.

Dunno about the Xclio...doesn't Enhance still have their nice units around that price? That'd be what i'd look into.

Assuming you want to OC, the E6300 needs decent RAM.
Buffalo Firestix not around anymore for cheap?

 

[xSkyDrAx]

looks like it's time to cancel that order again

Edit: I'm getting some mixed reviews about the P5N-5 sli's too. How do I compare this to the DS3?

 

[ForumMaster]

how about this FSP 485W PSU? sounds good, only $50.

motherboard seems like the best one for the price. if you're willing to spend more, I'd get an ASUS motherboard.

RAM is fine unless you're going to overclock.

what about cooling for the CPU? don't use the stock fan. get somethings quieter at least.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: n7
Eh, i will never recommend the DS3 to anyone.

Too many horror stories & issues, mixed with great reviews.

P5N-E SLI or P5B-E.

Dunno about the Xclio...doesn't Enhance still have their nice units around that price? That'd be what i'd look into.

Assuming you want to OC, the E6300 needs decent RAM.
Buffalo Firestix not around anymore for cheap?

XCLIO is a very solid brand!!

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Originally posted by: ForumMaster
how about this FSP 485W PSU? sounds good, only $50.

motherboard seems like the best one for the price. if you're willing to spend more, I'd get an ASUS motherboard.

RAM is fine unless you're going to overclock.

what about cooling for the CPU? don't use the stock fan. get somethings quieter at least.

How bad is the stock fan compared to something after market? Is it as bad as say a Prescott on stock?

 

[ForumMaster]

Originally posted by: xSkyDrAx

Originally posted by: ForumMaster
how about this FSP 485W PSU? sounds good, only $50.

motherboard seems like the best one for the price. if you're willing to spend more, I'd get an ASUS motherboard.

RAM is fine unless you're going to overclock.

what about cooling for the CPU? don't use the stock fan. get somethings quieter at least.

How bad is the stock fan compared to something after market? Is it as bad as say a Prescott on stock?

i admit that i don't know since i never bought a retail CPU but i am pretty certain that an aftermarket cooler will at least be quieter.

 

[Roguestar]

Go for the S3, it's cheaper and from what I've heard hasn't had nearly as many teething troubles as the DS3. I've had no bother with this at all, easy as pie, and I haven't seen as many threads complaining about this board as the DS3 .

 

[oynaz]

The Intel stock cooler on the C2D is very good. If you are not going to overclock, there is no reason to get anything else. It will even cool a light to medium overclock decently.

 

[craniumdesigns]

here's the mobo i'm getting. similiar setup, but not a big gamer... was recommended to me by some knowledgable folks on here

GIGABYTE GA-965G-DS3 LGA 775 Intel G965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard ($132.99)

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Well, pulled the trigger on the aforementioned setup. Hopefully all goes well and everything arrives on monday. Thanks for the input!

 

[engiNURD]

I believe the Stablepower is made by Enhance, so thats a good choice. I've built several DS3 systems, and I didn't have any problems with them at all. 2 of those systems are OC'd, and don't experience any cold boot issues. IMO, the DS3 is a solid board. The stock intel cooler is good for OC'ing an E6300 up to 2.6Ghz, according to the article here on AT. If you want to go past that, as most people do, go with a Scythe Ninja, Tuniq Tower, Zalman 9X00, or Ultra120. If those are over your budget, the AC Freezer 7Pro should be around $20, and is a damn fine cooler for such a price.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Well I'll keep the after market cooling solutions in mind but I would be fine with a low to mild, if any overclock at all unless the CPU speed is really holding me back.

 

[dkkruse]

Also reconsider the 80GB HD. Get something bigger, especially if you're loading games on it. Get a cheaper video card for now if you need to cut corners since the 8800 is not going to add a lot to current games.

 

[drum]

Originally posted by: n7
Eh, i will never recommend the DS3 to anyone.

Too many horror stories & issues, mixed with great reviews.

P5N-E SLI or P5B-E.

Dunno about the Xclio...doesn't Enhance still have their nice units around that price? That'd be what i'd look into.

Assuming you want to OC, the E6300 needs decent RAM.
Buffalo Firestix not around anymore for cheap?

add mine to the great review list :laugh: i haven't had any problems ( got the 3.3 rev with F10 bios)

 

[yh125d]

Get an e4300 instead, and you can get cheaper ram and have the same O/C

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Originally posted by: dkkruse
Also reconsider the 80GB HD. Get something bigger, especially if you're loading games on it. Get a cheaper video card for now if you need to cut corners since the 8800 is not going to add a lot to current games.

Already have an 320 gig from my previous system and the 8800 will add a lot to current games for me since I'm coming from a 9600 pro :Q

 

[myocardia]

You do realize that you're going to be extremely cpu-bound, unless you overclock, don't you? That card is cpu-bound until it has a >2.8 Ghz C2D; you'll be a Ghz short at stock speed.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Originally posted by: myocardia
You do realize that you're going to be extremely cpu-bound, unless you overclock, don't you? That card is cpu-bound until it has a >2.8 Ghz C2D; you'll be a Ghz short at stock speed.

While I don't mind OC'ing, i would prefer not to if I still got decent performance at stock speeds. I'd rather be cpu bound because it's a cheaper solution to OC than to upgrade to a faster video card should anything start to lag down the road. Looking at the OC'ing track record of the C2D, it shouldn't be much of a problem to get it close to those speeds but that's a good thing to know.