Building a new Computer, Tips needed

[Astrof]

Hey all,
This is one of those "I wants to build a new computer and need help pl0x" threads,

My budget is $600, I'm recycling my old harddrives, optical drives, and monitor, so all I really need is a processor, motherboard, videocard, ram, case and psu.

For proc I'm thinking of getting an e6750 ($189 from microcenter)
For mobo I'm not sure what to get, but people told me to get a p35 mobo.
On RAM I totally don't know what kind of RAM to get, I'm leaning towards ddr2 800 ram, but once again I'm not sure, though I think 2GB of RAM should be enough for now.
On Graphics I'm planning on getting a nvidia 8600 GT, though I am planning on spending only $100 on a vcard.
For a case I want a case with a transparent side with plenty of cooling, though I don't want to spend over $130 on case and psu combined.

So that comes to:
$189 proc
~$100 mobo
~$100 graphics
~$100 RAM
~100 case+psu

 

[ethugholla]

Depending on what you want to do with your machine, I would allocate the money more towards the video card. Asking for roughly 100 dollars for a case and PSU is a bit hard to do, simply because it is better to invest around 70 dollars for a good PSU.

Processor - Intel E4400 -- http://www.clubit.com/product_...itemno=CA1938430&nav=2 -- $115
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/...s&Item=N82E16813128012 -- $115
GFX - Sapphire Radeon X1950XT --http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102067 -- $167
RAM - G.SKILL 2GB DDR2 800 PC6400 -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231098 -- $89
Case - Antec Sonata III -- http://www.techpalooza.com/sho....aspx?productid=984553 -- $112

Case and PSU is a bit of a cop out, I think, but they've both earned steady reviews. The Intel E4400 is highly overclockable, and yields good results. The mobo makes the OC easier and faster. RAM is high quality brand, and cheap. The GFX card beats out a lot of DX10 cards. While it is only a DX9 card, it pretty much wipes the floor with all other cards, except for the 8800 and HD2900.

Good luck with your rig.

 

[Cutthroat]

Don't do case + PSU, the PSU is almost always crap. Cases are really a personal preference just look around to see what you like, but get one without a PSU and buy a quality PSU separately.

 

[Astrof]

What's a good quality PSU? How much wattage is enough?

 

[ethugholla]

The PSU in the Sonata III is actually very good. It's 500W, which should be enough to run your system...But if you want to go the other route, and get a separate case and PSU...

PSU - Corsair 450VX 450W -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139003 -- $80
Case - CoolerMaster Centurion 5 -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811119077 -- $50

This time the case has a clear side panel, and the PSU should be good. It's cheaper than its sister PSUs the Corsair 520 / 620 PSU and hopefully has the samequality. It hasn't been reviewed yet, but I would assume its perfectly fine and top of the line.

 

[Astrof]

Is the NZXT Apollo Black case ok? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811146025
For PSU, what makes a good PSU? Like, what's needed to make it good, and what differentiates a good one from a bad one

 

[Astrof]

for PSU is http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371007 an ok one?
how about http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817182017 ?

 

[ethugholla]

Both are good.

That Earthwatts one comes with the Sonata that I first recommended, so if you want that PSU, you might as well just go for that deal.

The Rosewill is fine as well.

As for the case, it looks fine.

 

[Astrof]

kk cool thanks!

 

[drakore]

Get the corsair 520HX.. you can find it on sale and use google checkout at buy.com i believe... it will work out 10$ cheaper than the 450W. It is an amazing psu.

 

[drakore]

Oh and on another note, don't get that Gskill ram... uhhh i think the crucial ballistix is still pretty cheap at mwave.com

 

[Astrof]

kk cool thx, i'll look into it.

 

[Astrof]

Hey I have a question,
what processor is good? Like, with overclocking, which processor is the best for under $200? (i heard the e4300 OCs to 3.3+GHZ, but its L2 cache is lower than say the e4200, e6550 and e6750)

 

[Astrof]

also, i looked at cases from xoxide, and they show this psu: Sunbeam 580watt http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817709011
is it an ok psu?

 

[ethugholla]

Are you looking at the PSUs that have already been recommended?

Did you look at your budget?



Take into account what you have. All I'm trying to say is that you have a budget of 600 dollars. That is not enough to go high-end (i.e. looking at E6x50), particularly when you're looking for good performance at a cheap price. The E4300/4400 are both good. The 4400 will get you higher speeds, and is on occasion, cheaper than the 4300.

Spend the 100 dollars on the processor and overclock it. You will get the speeds without paying the price.


As to the PSU... quit trying to dodge the bullet and get a high-quality PSU. Your computer and its performance will thank you.