My Conroe Rig

[Jeffrey903]

I currently have an AMD 3500+ system which is almost 2 years old (it almost makes me cry to know that I paid $400 for my CPU and it's now $100 and will drop even futher tomorrow). Switching to Conroe means that I need to replace almost every part (cpu, mobo, ram, gfx card, harddrives), so it's not worth it to destroy my current computer and just makes sense to build a new one.

Here is what I am currently looking at building:
ABIT AW8D - $170
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
eVGA 256-P2-N554-AX Geforce 7600GT - $140
Rosewill RP550S-2MK ATX 2.01 550W - $80
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 - $160
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler - $30
Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB - $95 each (I'm going to set up 4 of them in a RAID 5 configuration)
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black - $125
Sony Black 16x DVD+/-R 8x DL Burner - $35
Samsung Black 16x DVD+/-R LightScribe Burner - $40
NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy - $7

I've been tracking the prices on these items for a few days (since NewEgg prices can change daily), and I know what my target price should be for each part. I'm going to probably spend roughly $1,500 on this system (assuming the processor is about $350). Also, I already have the monitor, speakers, keyboard, and mouse.

Let me know what you think and/or if I made some huge mistake in the selection of my parts.

Also, when is Conroe supposed to be onsale (not a pre-order)? I thought that it was supposed to be out today, but I can't find it anywhere.

One last thing. If anyone has any better ideas for a case, please let me know. Please take into consideration that I am going to have four harddrives. I'd prefer something smaller (and not the Thermaltake Tsunami because I already have that and want a change).

Thanks for the input

 

[emilyek]

My suggestions:

1 burner, but if you want 2, then get a pair of them-- that's my motto anyway

Change that PSU to something reliable like fortron, seasonic, antec. Rosewill is bargain basement stuff.

7600GT is ok, but x1800xt or 7900gt would be much better

 

[Jeffrey903]

Originally posted by: emilyek
My suggestions:

1 burner, but if you want 2, then get a pair of them-- that's my motto anyway

Change that PSU to something reliable like fortron, seasonic, antec. Rosewill is bargain basement stuff.

7600GT is ok, but x1800xt or 7900gt would be much better

Thanks for that. The reason I choose the burners that I did was because I wanted a dual layer burner and was interested in lightscribe. Unfortunately (as far as I know), there aren't any drives that can do both. If that was the case, I would've gotten one of those and a DVD/CD-RW drive. They aren't really much more expensive.

Do you have any suggestions for a specific PSU? How many watts do you think I'll need? I definately want a modular PSU, also.

The reason I choose the graphics card was because I don't do any intense gaming, and the one I choose seemed to be really powerful considering the price. I didn't want to spend $250 - $500 on a gfx card.

Thanks for your advice though.

 

[Crescent13]

Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe $229.99
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 ~$350
Graphic Card: MSI 7900GT $259.99
Enermax Liberty 500W

No way in hell do you need a raid 5 array. You'd be better off getting the parts listed above and 1 320GB HDD.

EDIT: Case

 

[Jeffrey903]

Do I really need the ASUS motherboard? What benefit does it provide over the Abit that justifies the $60 price jump? I'll consider getting a better graphics card, although the one you linked to seems to have complaints in the reviews in the recent months.

Also, I think I do need the hard drives. I'm currently using about 550GB of space in my computer (some of which I probably could clear out, but not the majority of it). And I definately either want some sort of backup (so either RAID 1, 5, or 0+1, and 5 requires less harddrives). If I go with 3-320GB harddrives, I only get 640GB of space, and that is only about 600GB when formatted. I don't want to only have about 50-100GB of free space on my computer, so I figured I would get the 4 harddrives, use RAID 5, and have about 900GB of usable harddrive space.

And thanks for the PSU and case suggestions, I'll look into them.

 

[Crescent13]

Originally posted by: Jeffrey903
Do I really need the ASUS motherboard? What benefit does it provide over the Abit that justifies the $60 price jump? I'll consider getting a better graphics card, although the one you linked to seems to have complaints in the reviews in the recent months.

Also, I think I do need the hard drives. I'm currently using about 550GB of space in my computer (some of which I probably could clear out, but not the majority of it). And I definately either want some sort of backup (so either RAID 1, 5, or 0+1, and 5 requires less harddrives). If I go with 3-320GB harddrives, I only get 640GB of space, and that is only about 600GB when formatted. I don't want to only have about 50-100GB of free space on my computer, so I figured I would get the 4 harddrives, use RAID 5, and have about 900GB of usable harddrive space.

And thanks for the PSU and case suggestions, I'll look into them.

:shocked:

wtf do you have in there anyway?!?!?!?

EDIT: Read some more reviews, just go with the abit. But I'd defenitly consider a better graphic card to not bottleneck the CPU, and I'd definetly force myself to get a better PSU to not risk frying all that new conroe goodness.

 

[Jeffrey903]

I'll definately upgrade the PSU, and try and find a better graphics card (although I don't do much gaming).

I have a bunch of home movies, my computer stores all of the music for everyone on my local network, and I have (a lot of) TV shows.

Edit - Do you know when I'll be able to order a Conroe (not pre-order)? I thought that was supposed to be today, but I guess not. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Dahak]

You can get away with 1 dvd burner, as the samsung one you selected will do everything plus lightscribe. But in my opition, I find lightscribe a gimmick, media too pricey and takes 2-3 times longer to burn the lightscribe image that it does the dvd.

 

[Jeffrey903]

I completely missed that the Samsung drive had dual layer support. I'll replace the Sony with a DVD/CD-RW drive.

 

[imported_fx]

1. Why need 2 DVD Burners? One is enough..
2. Rosewill is POS PSUs, Get Forton PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104934
3. That Amor full tower is little pricey.. Get Armor JR instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133017
4. Floppy Disk is ancient stuff, don't you think? If you actually need it then for go it.
5. Out of curiousity, why 4x320GB Hard Drives?
6. You can preorder E6600 from TanksGuys: http://www.tankguys.biz/intel-core-e6600-conroe-p-1671.html

Conroe is suppose to be on sale on Wednesday or Thursday..

 

[OSX]

Originally posted by: Jeffrey903
I currently have an AMD 3500+ system which is almost 2 years old (it almost makes me cry to know that I paid $400 for my CPU and it's now $100 and will drop even futher tomorrow). Switching to Conroe means that I need to replace almost every part (cpu, mobo, ram, gfx card, harddrives), so it's not worth it to destroy my current computer and just makes sense to build a new one.

Here is what I am currently looking at building:
ABIT AW8D - $170
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
eVGA 256-P2-N554-AX Geforce 7600GT - $140
Rosewill RP550S-2MK ATX 2.01 550W - $80
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 - $160
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler - $30
Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB - $95 each (I'm going to set up 4 of them in a RAID 5 configuration)
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black - $125
Sony Black 16x DVD+/-R 8x DL Burner - $35
Samsung Black 16x DVD+/-R LightScribe Burner - $40
NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy - $7

I've been tracking the prices on these items for a few days (since NewEgg prices can change daily), and I know what my target price should be for each part. I'm going to probably spend roughly $1,500 on this system (assuming the processor is about $350). Also, I already have the monitor, speakers, keyboard, and mouse.

Let me know what you think and/or if I made some huge mistake in the selection of my parts.

Also, when is Conroe supposed to be onsale (not a pre-order)? I thought that it was supposed to be out today, but I can't find it anywhere.

One last thing. If anyone has any better ideas for a case, please let me know. Please take into consideration that I am going to have four harddrives. I'd prefer something smaller (and not the Thermaltake Tsunami because I already have that and want a change).

Thanks for the input

Ditch the floppy, drop down to an E6400 and get a 7900GT.

 

[Smartazz]

At least get a 7900GT, when is conroe scheduled to become widely availble anyway?

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Smartazz
At least get a 7900GT, when is conroe scheduled to become widely availble anyway?

It should be available for order ("in stock") on the 27th.

 

[Jeffrey903]

Don't I need a floppy if I want/need to do a BIOS update in the future?

I'll get a better graphics card. Here are three that I am considering getting:
eVGA 256-P2-N583-AR Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit - $240
XFX PV-T71G-UCF7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit - $250
XFX PV-T71G-UDE7 GeForce 7900 GT EXTREME (520MHz) 256MB 256-bit - $260

Is there any reason I should or shouldn't get any of them? Also, is the $250 one better than the $240 one (I don't think so). I know the $260 one is definately the best.

Also, I realized, am I going to have a problem with 4 SATA harddrives and power? I don't think that many PSUs (if any) have 4 power ports for SATA harddrives. Crescent13 suggested this Enermax. Should I get this one?

Here is what I think I am down to:
ABIT AW8D - $170
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Graphics Card - $240 - $260
Still Need to Choose a PSU - ~$100
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 - $160
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler - $30
Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB - $95 each (I'm going to set up 4 of them in a RAID 5 configuration)
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black - $125 (might switch to Armor Jr, but same price)
LITE-ON Black DVD-ROM/CD-RW - $25
Samsung Black 16x DVD+/-R LightScribe Burner - $40
NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy - $7

fx - about the Armor Jr, I might get it just for the smaller size and weight, but it actually is the same price as the full Armor (at least right now if you count the mail in rebate)

Also, is there a real performance difference between the E6400 and the E6600? Is it worth it for me to drop down to save some cash?

Thanks again everyone for your help.

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: Crescent13
Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe $229.99
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 ~$350
Graphic Card: MSI 7900GT $259.99
Enermax Liberty 500W

No way in hell do you need a raid 5 array. You'd be better off getting the parts listed above and 1 320GB HDD.

EDIT: Case

He could at least get 2 320GB hard drives and run in mirror mode so if one fails not all is lost..

 

[Howard]

You sure the AW8D supports Core 2 Duo? Not all 975X boards do, you know.

If you're just playing games, an E6300 (after OCing, depending on game/video card(s)) will do just fine.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: Smartazz
At least get a 7900GT, when is conroe scheduled to become widely availble anyway?

It should be available for order ("in stock") on the 27th.

Isn't that the date it'll be available for companies like dell to use?

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: Howard
You sure the AW8D supports Core 2 Duo? Not all 975X boards do, you know.

If you're just playing games, an E6300 (after OCing, depending on game/video card(s)) will do just fine.

It would be nice to see a list of conroe motherboards, the abit says core 2 duo on the motherboard description.

 

[Jeffrey903]

Newegg claims that the AW8D works with Conroe, but it's not listed on the Abit website. I already have e-mailed Abit asking them and obviously will have to find another motherboard if it is not compatible. I think I'll go with the E6400 because it's signficantly expensive and I don't think it will be much worse than the E6600. That alone could save me $100.

Does anyone have any recommendations for the 3 graphics cards that I'm deciding on? Thanks
eVGA 256-P2-N583-AR Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit - $240
XFX PV-T71G-UCF7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit - $250
XFX PV-T71G-UDE7 GeForce 7900 GT EXTREME (520MHz) 256MB 256-bit - $260

 

[Howard]

http://www.cpu3d.com/motherboards/abit_aw8d_i975x_motherboard.html

Does the AW8D support the Conroes? Well, unfortunately ... no. According to Abit, a new motherboard with a PWM refresh is required for these new Conroe pocessors.

Maybe a new revision will do it... but for now, how about the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3?

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Jeffrey903
Don't I need a floppy if I want/need to do a BIOS update in the future?

I'll get a better graphics card. Here are three that I am considering getting:
eVGA 256-P2-N583-AR Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit - $240
XFX PV-T71G-UCF7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit - $250
XFX PV-T71G-UDE7 GeForce 7900 GT EXTREME (520MHz) 256MB 256-bit - $260

Is there any reason I should or shouldn't get any of them? Also, is the $250 one better than the $240 one (I don't think so). I know the $260 one is definately the best.

Also, I realized, am I going to have a problem with 4 SATA harddrives and power? I don't think that many PSUs (if any) have 4 power ports for SATA harddrives. Crescent13 suggested this Enermax. Should I get this one?

Here is what I think I am down to:
ABIT AW8D - $170
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Graphics Card - $240 - $260
Still Need to Choose a PSU - ~$100
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 - $160
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler - $30
Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB - $95 each (I'm going to set up 4 of them in a RAID 5 configuration)
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black - $125 (might switch to Armor Jr, but same price)
LITE-ON Black DVD-ROM/CD-RW - $25
Samsung Black 16x DVD+/-R LightScribe Burner - $40
NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy - $7

fx - about the Armor Jr, I might get it just for the smaller size and weight, but it actually is the same price as the full Armor (at least right now if you count the mail in rebate)

Also, is there a real performance difference between the E6400 and the E6600? Is it worth it for me to drop down to save some cash?

Thanks again everyone for your help.

Whats wrong with your current system that you feel the need to upgrade?, it looks plenty fast to me.

As to your choices in hardware....

Thermaltake cases have never impressed me. Lian Li has a reputation for producing some of the best boxes out there and they've earned every bit of it, I would suggest you give them a look.

Seasonic would be my choice for the PSU, though Enermax is good as well. As far as power goes the 380 watt S12 would be plenty.

I'm also partial to Zalman and Thermalright, but AC should work as well.

 

[bluesky]

Maybe a new revision will do it... but for now, how about the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3?

All Intel 975 boards in Newegg are showing they support C2D now.
Whether it's by bios or by hardware revision is not clear.

 

[w00t]

It's an Okay Build

Check out the Seasonic S12 Series Power Supplies there build for stablity and quietness
I really don't think you should spend all that money on Hard Drives your system could be substantially better without
as for Graphics card either a 7900GT, X1800XT, or X1900XT would get my pick
You should be able to get away with one DVD-RW Drive

 

[Jeffrey903]

I realized something for the case. I am probably going to be transporting this around to and from college, so it might be a good idea not to have a huge case.

What does everyone think about the Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW case? It's small has enough room for everything I need, plus it looks nice (with the cheap part being a bonus).

For the PSU, does anyone have any problems with an Antec? I really want to have modular cabling (especially with a small case), and the Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 has enough power and great reviews.

For the CPU, I'll go with either the E6400 or the E6600. I still haven't decided yet.

I'm going to have to choose a new motherboard, and it has to have RAID5 and Conroe support (and I'd prefer not to have to pay $300 for it).

I'll keep the same RAM, CPU cooler, DVD burner, DVD-ROM/CD-RW, and floppy drive.

For the harddrives, I currently have a 400GB WD SATA II drive in my current computer that I can probably pull and put in the new one. Thus I will only have to buy 3 harddrives instead of 4.

I still need help choosing one of these three graphics cards:
eVGA 256-P2-N583-AR Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit - $240
XFX PV-T71G-UCF7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit - $250
XFX PV-T71G-UDE7 GeForce 7900 GT EXTREME (520MHz) 256MB 256-bit - $260

Let me know what you think of these changes. Thanks.

 

[obeseotron]

Regarding the RAID:

1. Make sure you keep the floppy drive, you'll need it to install XP on a RAID.
2. Onboard RAID5 is slower than a single drive, not the best place to load the OS and Apps.
3. Moving a RAID array is troublesome, if not impossible, unless you have somewhere to put all that data in the interim, you'll have a hell of a time migrating when you upgrade.
4. 4 Port PCI SATA controllers that support software RAID5 (onboard RAID5 is also software) are pretty cheap, easier to move between systems, and you'll never get close to the 133MB/s speed limit.