Help me shave some cheddar off

[SlayerRules]

Seems like a good build, but I was hoping to get under $1000.00. I already have everything else not shown. Any suggestions on cuts without performance loss would be awesome! Basically want to play all the new games at high settings, hence the 8800 gts.

As per newegg:

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$107.99

EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card -
$389.99

Thermaltake Purepower W0129RU ATX12V 600 W Power Supply - Retail
$104.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model
$221.00

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-2GBHK
$199.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST3200822A-RK 200GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - Retail
$107.99

ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
$47.99

Antec 761345-75121-6 120mm Case Fan - Retail
x2 = $27.98

Subtotal: $1,207.92

 

[sjandrewbsme]

I would change to a 320MB version of the 8800 and use an E4300.

 

[bamacre]

PSU...
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-E56...81870f87e91a9fbeb9abf0866d056e80e1b30a

Drop down to an E6300, and get this ram (you can still OC mildly)...
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=40&threadid=2003479&enterthread=y

Hard drive...
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101220-12
(you want sata anyway because your motherboard only has one pata connection)

You can drop the aftermarket cpu cooler as well.

With this (value ram, retail HSF) you can still get the e6300 up to E6600 speeds, which is fast enough. For gaming, the video card performance is much more important than cpu performance anyway.

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: sjandrewbsme
I would change to a 320MB version of the 8800 and use an E4300.

Depends on what resolution he's gaming. If he's gaming at 1600x1200 (or 1680x1050 widescreen) or higher, then cutting other things would be more beneficial. The extra 320MB helps at higher resolutions.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Change the hard drive to this Seagate 250GB SATA drive for $75 - you don't really want an IDE drive and pay $32 more for 50GB less do you?

 

[fire400]

E4300
Artic Silver 5 = 180

Asus 975 mobo = 180

DDR800 = 200

160GB = under 65

600W PSU = 125

so far: 750

220 shipped: Radeon X1900XT --> OC passed XTX stock speeds to achieve very high end video card performance; either deal includes 3rd party cooling, FTW
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=45&threadid=2006746&enterthread=y
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=45&threadid=1998278&enterthread=y

so far: 970

p.s. severly OC the cpu on an Asus mobo and achieve crazy speeds on stock - gL

 

[engiNURD]

163 - C2D E4300
108 - GA-965P-S3
390 - 8800GTS 640mb
134 - 2x 1gb ddr2-667 STT
75 - 250gb seagate 7200.10
52 - 500W XClio
40 - Scythe Ninja
24 - Vantec SF12025L 120mm x2
=========
$986 + tax and shipping - $20MIR

Run that setup at 333 * 9 = 3.0Ghz.

Whatever build you go with, skip that Thermaltake PSU. Go for the Enhance someone mentioned earlier, the XClio I listed, or a Sunbeam NUUO 550W if you can find one (used to be $60 at the egg, but gone now).

 

[SlayerRules]

I thought about the 8800 320mb, but I'll be upgrading lcd monitor at a later date. My current lcd monitor is at 1280x1024.
After reviewing the 4300, it sounds like the 6400 (and 6300 as well) overclocks are more attainable.

 

[SlayerRules]

Gotcha, all looks good! Thank you.

Originally posted by: bamacre
PSU...
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-E56...81870f87e91a9fbeb9abf0866d056e80e1b30a

Drop down to an E6300, and get this ram (you can still OC mildly)...
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=40&threadid=2003479&enterthread=y

Hard drive...
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101220-12
(you want sata anyway because your motherboard only has one pata connection)

You can drop the aftermarket cpu cooler as well.

With this (value ram, retail HSF) you can still get the e6300 up to E6600 speeds, which is fast enough. For gaming, the video card performance is much more important than cpu performance anyway.

 

[SlayerRules]

I think we have a winner. Much appreciated.

Originally posted by: engiNURD
163 - C2D E4300
108 - GA-965P-S3
390 - 8800GTS 640mb
134 - 2x 1gb ddr2-667 STT
75 - 250gb seagate 7200.10
52 - 500W XClio
40 - Scythe Ninja
24 - Vantec SF12025L 120mm x2
=========
$986 + tax and shipping - $20MIR

Run that setup at 333 * 9 = 3.0Ghz.

Whatever build you go with, skip that Thermaltake PSU. Go for the Enhance someone mentioned earlier, the XClio I listed, or a Sunbeam NUUO 550W if you can find one (used to be $60 at the egg, but gone now).

 

[oynaz]

You can savely shave another 100 W of that PSU. Drop the aftermarket cooler as well, and considr an upgrade to a C2D 6300.

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: engiNURD
163 - C2D E4300
108 - GA-965P-S3
390 - 8800GTS 640mb
134 - 2x 1gb ddr2-667 STT
75 - 250gb seagate 7200.10
52 - 500W XClio
40 - Scythe Ninja
24 - Vantec SF12025L 120mm x2
=========
$986 + tax and shipping - $20MIR

Run that setup at 333 * 9 = 3.0Ghz.

Whatever build you go with, skip that Thermaltake PSU. Go for the Enhance someone mentioned earlier, the XClio I listed, or a Sunbeam NUUO 550W if you can find one (used to be $60 at the egg, but gone now).

agreed, but you can save some more getting an 8800GTS with a larger rebate (as low as $340 on newegg.com)

 

[engiNURD]

Originally posted by: oynaz
You can savely shave another 100 W of that PSU. Drop the aftermarket cooler as well, and considr an upgrade to a C2D 6300.

The E4300 has a higher multiplier, so its easier to OC. However, the headroom is limited in comparison. The E4300 is avg'ing ~2.9Ghz, while the E6300 avg's ~3.2Ghz.

//edit: If you need links, let me know. The CPU was at microcenter and the RAM was at ewiz. The rest was priced from the egg.