Hey everybody - here's the skinny.
Four days ago, I bought a Dell Dimension E521 from Wal*Mart. It's a decent computer - AMD X2 4000+, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, etc etc etc.
So I bought a Radeon X1950PRO from Newegg, and was heartbroken when I went to install it. (Yes, I know, I bought a Dell, I'm an idiot, etc.) No PCI-E power coming from the PSU, and no IDE power available for conversion. SATA power only.
So instead of fooling around with getting a new hacked PSU, or getting a different card and taking a restocking loss on the X1950PRO, I'm going to do things the other way around: I'm going to build my own damn PC and take this thing back to Wal*Mart from whence it came! (Cue cheers.)
SO: It boils down to this. Thanks to my... additional purchases, I have already purchased (and/or currently have) the following to-be-reused parts:
KEYBOARD - Saitek Eclipse II
MOUSE - Logitech G3
MONITOR (OLD, but useable, 1280x1024 LCD)
VIDEO CARD - Radeon X1950PRO PCI-E
SPEAKERS (SuperCrappy, but I'm OK with that)
1. I'll be using the computer for a little bit of everything, but a lot of gaming. EQ2 is my mainstay - my wife's PC (also an E521) plays relatively fine with a X1650XT. I don't want to duplicate that, however.
2. When I take this beast back to WM, I'll get roughly $900 for it. That's my budget. It's fairly strict, as I've already spent a good deal on some of the aforementioned goodies (read KB, Mouse, Vid Card.)
3. I'll be buying these right here in the US of A. I prefer Newegg or ZZF, but am open to considering thinking about other reliable and reputable retailers. I prefer not to shop fly-by-night companies, even if their prices are too good to be true.
4. I'm not a fanboy - I prefer bang for the buck - but with that said, it almost seems like Core 2 Duo is THE way to go these days, and I don't mind that at all.
5. I will be reusing a good number of my parts, listed above.
6. My wife can vouch - I've done a substantial amount of research. I will feel an amazing void once this computer is finally built and I have to go back to a day-to-day existence.
7. I do not plan on overclocking. That said, I'm not terribly opposed to it either. I don't have a strong feeling either way, but if the system is acceptably fast at default speeds, it'll likely stay at default speeds. I'm not much of a risk taker.
NOW - with that out of the way, here is what I'm planning on purchasing from Newegg:
CASE: Antec Solo - $90 - I realize cases are a very personal choice, and I think the P180B is a nice compromise between what I want and what I need. I looked at the cheaper cases, but just don't feel like I'm getting as much quality.
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - $130
Again, I'm pretty set on this one. I feel 520W will be way more than enough to do anything I want to do, and the modular cables will help keep the case clean.
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - $100
I think this is a good choice - it's basically the GA-P35-DS3R with 4 less SATA ports for $30 cheaper. I do not plan on adding more than 1 DVD drive and 2 HD's, so I think it's still a great fit.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz - $195
The most expensive part of this portion of the build. I think 2.33GHz will be plenty of speed, offer a fair overclock if I ever choose to go down that road, and be a great all-around performer.
RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - $85
Newegg has this for $85 - $10 more than my prior choice - but it also has a $30 MIR, bringing final cost down to $55. For 2GB. Of Ram. Timings are reportedly 5-5-5-12, if that matters. It'll leave two slots open so I can upgrade later if I would like.
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 7200RPM SATA3.0Gb/s - $75
Another great deal, I think. 320GB should be sufficient for my first drive. I could even partition it if I chose, but for $80, I don't see how I could go wrong.
DVD-RW: SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - $32
It's an OEM drive, but I'm OK with that.
Vista: 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - $112
I'm set on this one.
ODDS AND ENDS:
MITSUMI 13-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader: $9.99
So far, my total is running $897.24 including shipping.
Any comments? Am I doing it wrong? Will anything blatantly NOT work with something else? I have it all in my cart, and I'm ready to pull the trigger.
Thanks for any input!
EDIT: Apparently, it's Newegg-Changing-Prices-Day - the E6550 is now 199, so I did replace it with the E2160. Also upped the price on the RAM by $5, hee.
EDIT: Replaced CPU with E6750. Replaced HD with WD Caviar. Added AS5 and Card Reader. Replaced 32-bit Vista with 64-bit Vista.
EDIT: Replaced G.Skill memory with Corsair. Removed AS5 - will be using stock HSF. Replaced P180B with Solo.
Four days ago, I bought a Dell Dimension E521 from Wal*Mart. It's a decent computer - AMD X2 4000+, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, etc etc etc.
So I bought a Radeon X1950PRO from Newegg, and was heartbroken when I went to install it. (Yes, I know, I bought a Dell, I'm an idiot, etc.) No PCI-E power coming from the PSU, and no IDE power available for conversion. SATA power only.
So instead of fooling around with getting a new hacked PSU, or getting a different card and taking a restocking loss on the X1950PRO, I'm going to do things the other way around: I'm going to build my own damn PC and take this thing back to Wal*Mart from whence it came! (Cue cheers.)
SO: It boils down to this. Thanks to my... additional purchases, I have already purchased (and/or currently have) the following to-be-reused parts:
KEYBOARD - Saitek Eclipse II
MOUSE - Logitech G3
MONITOR (OLD, but useable, 1280x1024 LCD)
VIDEO CARD - Radeon X1950PRO PCI-E
SPEAKERS (SuperCrappy, but I'm OK with that)
1. I'll be using the computer for a little bit of everything, but a lot of gaming. EQ2 is my mainstay - my wife's PC (also an E521) plays relatively fine with a X1650XT. I don't want to duplicate that, however.
2. When I take this beast back to WM, I'll get roughly $900 for it. That's my budget. It's fairly strict, as I've already spent a good deal on some of the aforementioned goodies (read KB, Mouse, Vid Card.)
3. I'll be buying these right here in the US of A. I prefer Newegg or ZZF, but am open to considering thinking about other reliable and reputable retailers. I prefer not to shop fly-by-night companies, even if their prices are too good to be true.
4. I'm not a fanboy - I prefer bang for the buck - but with that said, it almost seems like Core 2 Duo is THE way to go these days, and I don't mind that at all.
5. I will be reusing a good number of my parts, listed above.
6. My wife can vouch - I've done a substantial amount of research. I will feel an amazing void once this computer is finally built and I have to go back to a day-to-day existence.
7. I do not plan on overclocking. That said, I'm not terribly opposed to it either. I don't have a strong feeling either way, but if the system is acceptably fast at default speeds, it'll likely stay at default speeds. I'm not much of a risk taker.
NOW - with that out of the way, here is what I'm planning on purchasing from Newegg:
CASE: Antec Solo - $90 - I realize cases are a very personal choice, and I think the P180B is a nice compromise between what I want and what I need. I looked at the cheaper cases, but just don't feel like I'm getting as much quality.
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - $130
Again, I'm pretty set on this one. I feel 520W will be way more than enough to do anything I want to do, and the modular cables will help keep the case clean.
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - $100
I think this is a good choice - it's basically the GA-P35-DS3R with 4 less SATA ports for $30 cheaper. I do not plan on adding more than 1 DVD drive and 2 HD's, so I think it's still a great fit.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz - $195
The most expensive part of this portion of the build. I think 2.33GHz will be plenty of speed, offer a fair overclock if I ever choose to go down that road, and be a great all-around performer.
RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - $85
Newegg has this for $85 - $10 more than my prior choice - but it also has a $30 MIR, bringing final cost down to $55. For 2GB. Of Ram. Timings are reportedly 5-5-5-12, if that matters. It'll leave two slots open so I can upgrade later if I would like.
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 7200RPM SATA3.0Gb/s - $75
Another great deal, I think. 320GB should be sufficient for my first drive. I could even partition it if I chose, but for $80, I don't see how I could go wrong.
DVD-RW: SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - $32
It's an OEM drive, but I'm OK with that.
Vista: 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - $112
I'm set on this one.
ODDS AND ENDS:
MITSUMI 13-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader: $9.99
So far, my total is running $897.24 including shipping.
Any comments? Am I doing it wrong? Will anything blatantly NOT work with something else? I have it all in my cart, and I'm ready to pull the trigger.
Thanks for any input!
EDIT: Apparently, it's Newegg-Changing-Prices-Day - the E6550 is now 199, so I did replace it with the E2160. Also upped the price on the RAM by $5, hee.
EDIT: Replaced CPU with E6750. Replaced HD with WD Caviar. Added AS5 and Card Reader. Replaced 32-bit Vista with 64-bit Vista.
EDIT: Replaced G.Skill memory with Corsair. Removed AS5 - will be using stock HSF. Replaced P180B with Solo.