Hey everyone!
I'm building a new computer for my brother and myself and I would love some input.
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. Gaming (AoC right now), Music, Internet
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread $800-$900, was hoping for lower but doesn't look like that's going to happen and can go higher even, if recommended.
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. US
4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture. None
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. Keyboard, Monitor
6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. Yes, been reading a lot of forums
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Most likely overclocking, but I've never done it before.
8. WHEN do you plan to build it? Soon, sometime this week or the next
Here is the setup thus far. My brother is getting a different case than I am, but other than that our setup will be the same. For the prices, I just rang up the price for the system with the first case.
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
$29.99
-$3.00 Instant
$26.99
My case:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$52.99
-$8.00 Instant
$44.99
His case:
COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$44.99
-$5.00 Instant
$39.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3320613AS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$69.99
ECS N8800GTS-512MX GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$209.99
$50.00 Mail-in Rebate
Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
$29.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply - Retail
$104.99
-$5.00 Instant
$99.99
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail
$6.99
CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX - Retail
$126.00
-$17.00 Instant
$109.00
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail
$119.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
$194.99
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
$36.99
Subtotal: $949.90
Rebates: $90.00
Total: $859.90
1. Does this setup look totally awesome to you? If not, what do you suggest? I don't plan on getting any large monitors any time soon, so SLI from what I hear, is not worth it. Also, DDR3 is not worth it on a budget from what I hear. Dual core is better for gaming and as far as everything else goes, I pretty much chose what I saw being recommended consistently across forums. If there is a conflict of parts, let me know.
2. Do you think a sound card is worth it? I have nice $100 speakers (klipsch ProMedia 2.0), and I hear a sound card takes of some of the load of the CPU. Is this true and if so should I shoot for the nice $90 one or will the $30 be more than enough? I'm not looking to create any sort of surround sound stage, I just want to know what the obvious choice is. (if any)
3. I keep hearing new nVidia cards are come out soon and people should wait. There would be at least a $100 gap between the $160 8800GTS and the newer cards, right? So, since the 8800GTS is so cheap, is it worth it to wait and get the newer ones? Or is the only reason to wait for my price range so that the other cards drop in price? (In which case the card already has IMO)
4. The motherboard I wasn't so sure on, but I chose what was recommended. What is the difference between the GA-EP35-DS3R and the GA-EP35-DS3L? and should I get the R? Does the motherboard offer any better performance at a higher price, or do more expensive motherboards just allow for newer technology? (i.e. SLI, DDR3, etc)
5. If you have any comments about anything regarding the system, or overclocking with what I have, I'd love to hear. Also, if anything seems unbalanced.
Thanks
I'm building a new computer for my brother and myself and I would love some input.
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. Gaming (AoC right now), Music, Internet
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread $800-$900, was hoping for lower but doesn't look like that's going to happen and can go higher even, if recommended.
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. US
4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture. None
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. Keyboard, Monitor
6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. Yes, been reading a lot of forums
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Most likely overclocking, but I've never done it before.
8. WHEN do you plan to build it? Soon, sometime this week or the next
Here is the setup thus far. My brother is getting a different case than I am, but other than that our setup will be the same. For the prices, I just rang up the price for the system with the first case.
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
$29.99
-$3.00 Instant
$26.99
My case:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$52.99
-$8.00 Instant
$44.99
His case:
COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$44.99
-$5.00 Instant
$39.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3320613AS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$69.99
ECS N8800GTS-512MX GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$209.99
$50.00 Mail-in Rebate
Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
$29.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply - Retail
$104.99
-$5.00 Instant
$99.99
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail
$6.99
CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX - Retail
$126.00
-$17.00 Instant
$109.00
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail
$119.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
$194.99
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
$36.99
Subtotal: $949.90
Rebates: $90.00
Total: $859.90
1. Does this setup look totally awesome to you? If not, what do you suggest? I don't plan on getting any large monitors any time soon, so SLI from what I hear, is not worth it. Also, DDR3 is not worth it on a budget from what I hear. Dual core is better for gaming and as far as everything else goes, I pretty much chose what I saw being recommended consistently across forums. If there is a conflict of parts, let me know.
2. Do you think a sound card is worth it? I have nice $100 speakers (klipsch ProMedia 2.0), and I hear a sound card takes of some of the load of the CPU. Is this true and if so should I shoot for the nice $90 one or will the $30 be more than enough? I'm not looking to create any sort of surround sound stage, I just want to know what the obvious choice is. (if any)
3. I keep hearing new nVidia cards are come out soon and people should wait. There would be at least a $100 gap between the $160 8800GTS and the newer cards, right? So, since the 8800GTS is so cheap, is it worth it to wait and get the newer ones? Or is the only reason to wait for my price range so that the other cards drop in price? (In which case the card already has IMO)
4. The motherboard I wasn't so sure on, but I chose what was recommended. What is the difference between the GA-EP35-DS3R and the GA-EP35-DS3L? and should I get the R? Does the motherboard offer any better performance at a higher price, or do more expensive motherboards just allow for newer technology? (i.e. SLI, DDR3, etc)
5. If you have any comments about anything regarding the system, or overclocking with what I have, I'd love to hear. Also, if anything seems unbalanced.
Thanks