Price vs Performance, ordering new build tonight/tomorrow

[steeb0z]

This PC will be primarily used for gaming, and a little bit of everything else. My budget was initially 800-1000 max. Shipping and CA state taxes forced it quite a bit higher though. I have an entire computer at my old place but thats out of state and to ship them would take more money than I feel is worth. I was planning on building a new one anyway. I plan to OC as an alternative to save money on higher processors.

So far I have the following (US)

e2160
abit ip35-e
a-data (or gskill) 2gb ddr2 6400
400gb samsung
lite-on dvdrw
hiper 585 watt psu
tuniq 120
plantronics 350s

the problems lie in the case and video card and monitor. I was considering either a 50$ rosewill, centurion 5, or the p180. The video card I had in mind originally was a x1950xt but it has been out of stock for a little while. I keep feeling that if I am building a new system I would be best suited for the 8800gts and anything lower would need upgrading sooner than I would like. For the monitor Im looking into a 19" below 200. Everything including tax and shipping is coming out to about 1300~1400. This is far more than I intended to spend but I cant see anywhere that I can cut costs without ending up disappointed with in a few months. Is there anyway I can cut the pricing down? Ive considered getting the heavy stuff in town to avoid shipping, or from buy.com with free shipping but it doesnt really help.

It seems the only area I have real room to flex is going to be t he VC and possibly case or psu. Would the sonata 3 and psu be sufficient for all this? I dont feel too confident about buying a cheaper card (1950pro or lower) to tide me over till new games come along because then id still be spending a few hundred to catch up. I also have no idea what to expect as far as performance because the pc I left behind is an xp 3200+ / 9800 pro

 

[SerpentRoyal]

I have a new Antec Solo for $50 if you're local to S Cal. Solo is the same as P150 minus a PSU.

 

[ethugholla]

Hmm, interesting build.

As for the case, I say go for the Centurion 5.

I'm not sure what your PSU is, but I highly doubt you'll need that much power. I can't even find a page with details on it. Personally, I would recommend that new Corsair 450 watt PSU. It is most likely cheaper, and is definitely high-quality.

While its true that DX10 is certainly the future of gaming, most games do not take advantage of it at the moment, and probably won't for a while. Gabe Newell of Valve has even said that games won't catch up to DX10 for a long time. Performance-wise, going with a DX9 video card such as the x1950xt is not a bad idea.

As for a cheap, decent monitor, try looking at the Acer line of widescreens.


Could you also include the prices of all your components? I don't see how this costs you 1300 dollars.

 

[steeb0z]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817128002
This is the PSU, I wrote it incorrectly above, sorry. I wasnt entirely thorough with my list before, here

ABIT IP35-E, $120
E2160, $85
GSKILL 2x1GB DDR2 6400, $80
Centurion 5 ATX case, $50
Enermax Liberty 500w, $110
Samsung 400GB HD, $85
LiteOn DVDRW, $28
EVGA 8800GTS, $280
Plantronics .350, $18
Zalman 9500 LED, $50

About 900 minus a monitor. 1100 or so then, with tax I am guessing to be near 100, and another 50-60 for shipping. Would a Q6600+1950pro be a better buy than a e2160/zalman9500/8800gts? They are within 10$ of eachother. I could always go with the 2160 and 1950pro but I am worried about performance in games to come. The most immediate game I intend to play are TF2/HL2/COD4/ETQW and hopefully UT3/Crysis. The 1950 worries me for everything past source engine games

I'd go with the XT but its sold out on NE. Everywhere else the price doesnt seem worth it

 

[LightningRider]

Personally I'd go with the Q6600, you will have better performance for the other things you do on the computer as well. As for games obviously the 8800GTS is better. Perhaps you should get an EVGA 8600GT (slower than the X1950Pro I know) and then upgrade using EVGA's step up program (you pay the difference between the two cards) to upgrade to an 8800GTS or GTX when the games actually come out. The games you mentioned are not even out yet, so there is no rush and even the 8600GT will play most games out there relatively well. This way you have a much better processor for gaming and for everything else you do. Some of those games you mentioned will be using quad cores by the way.

Anyways, my 2c.

 

[lxskllr]

I think your build looks solid, I'd keep it pretty close to what you have listed there. The only change I really see is the Zalman. If you're going to go for a high overclock, the Zalmans don't give the best performance. They're better known for being quiet. I liked your tuniq better.

My only suggestion would be to try getting the parts slowly as they go on sale. Avoid using CA retailers, and you may be able to save significant money.

 

[ethugholla]

I think you're forgetting what you started out your build as: budget. That, to me, means spending less than 900 dollars. Unfortunately, since you have to get a monitor, that changes things.

MOBO:

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L, $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128059

PROCESSOR:

E2160, $85
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...&prodlist=pricegrabber

MEMORY:

OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400, $55 AR
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5283407

-or-

HP 4GB DDR2 PC2-5300, ~ 80 dollars for 4gb, 40 dollars for 2gb
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ght_key=y&keyword1=4gb

CASE:

Centurion 5 ATX case, $50

-or-

Enlight 7250AK9 Black Steel, $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811116010

PSU:

Corsair CMPSU-450VX 450W, $66 (with Google Check-Out)
http://www.buy.com/retail/prod...egory=Comp&dcaid=15890

HD:

Samsung 400GB HD, $85

DVD:

LiteOn DVDRW, $28

VIDEO CARD:

EVGA 8800GTS, $280

HEADSET:

Plantronics .350, $18

HSF / Heatsink:

Thermalright Ultima-90 ($50)
http://www.jab-tech.com/product.php?productid=3852



This build is for budget. You could probably swap out the 8800 as many are saying, and put in an 8600. Or even a 1950xt.

Good luck

 

[jawknee530]

I would go with ethugholla's suggestions

 

[sgrinavi]

Did you consider the E6750? at $199 I don't think you can beat it in the bang for the buck department.

I disagree with dropping down to an 8600 for game play; BUT I would be hard pressed to pay full price for an 8800 GTS with the new generation is right around the corner; watch the prices on the 8800 series drop when the 9800 is released in November.

How about a used card to tide you over? 7800 & 7900 GTX's will kick the crap out of any 8xxx series under the 8800 GTS. I just did a search over at futuremarks website, using a 3.0 -3.3 C2D on a 8600gts, 7800GT, 7900 GS, 7800gtx, 7900gtx, 7950GT and a 8800gts the scores were:

8600 GTS 6418
7800 GT 7777
7800 GTX 8844
7900 GS 9001
7900 GTX 11135
7950 GT 11242
8800 GTS 13989



SM 2.0 Score (Marks)
8600 GTS 2729
7800 GT 3279
7800 GTX 3866
7900 GS 3797
7900 GTX 5077
7950 GT 5171
8800 GTS 6611



SM 3.0 Score (Marks)
8600 GTS 2374
7800 GT 3151
7800 GTX 3716
7900 GS 3948
7900 GTX 4789
7950 GT 4850
8800 GTS 6961



CPU Score (Marks)
8600 GTS 2661
7800 GT 2629
7800 GTX 2565
7900 GS 2575
7900 GTX 2874
7950 GT 2845
8800 GTS 2806



Graphics Tests
1 - Return to Proxycon (FPS)
8600 GTS 21.32
7800 GT 26.243
7800 GTX 30.875
7900 GS 26.408
7900 GTX 40.696
7950 GT 41.499
8800 GTS 53.972



2 - Firefly Forest (FPS)
8600 GTS 24.167
7800 GT 28.402
7800 GTX 33.563
7900 GS 36.87
7900 GTX 43.922
7950 GT 44.688
8800 GTS 56.204



CPU Tests
CPU1 - Red Valley (FPS)
8600 GTS 0.843
7800 GT 0.848
7800 GTX 0.821
7900 GS 0.817
7900 GTX 0.912
7950 GT 0.917
8800 GTS 0.896



CPU2 - Red Valley (FPS)
8600 GTS 1.345
7800 GT 1.305
7800 GTX 1.282
7900 GS 1.299
7900 GTX 1.448
7950 GT 1.412
8800 GTS 1.407



HDR Tests
1 - Canyon Flight (SM 3.0) (FPS)
8600 GTS 20.962
7800 GT 27.091
7800 GTX 32.838
7900 GS 34.696
7900 GTX 42.566
7950 GT 43.26
8800 GTS 69.974


2 - Deep Freeze (SM 3.0) (FPS)
8600 GTS 26.51
7800 GT 35.921
7800 GTX 41.484
7900 GS 44.266
7900 GTX 53.205
7950 GT 53.733
8800 GTS 69.243


Even a 7800GT card will beat it....

 

[steeb0z]

Ethug, I agree on the budget being the 1st concern...but I'd prefer to order from one site, and many of the things Id be saving on now dont seem like saves at all if it means planning upgrades in 2 months. Thanks for the suggestions, but your build amounts to 817 without monitor, shipping, and state tax. Seems to me I have to break budget because most of the price cuts dont really seem worthwhile in the long run. I hate paying 280 for a vc but if it will last as long as my 9800 did (220$ at time of purchase) Id just get it. I wont even be able to afford the 8900, but how much do you think the 8800 will drop? Any guesses? If its only 20 dollars or so I might as well just buy it now and forget about it

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817104954 hows this? Or maybe the 500w model. Ive considered just srapping the hsf and 2160 in favor for a faster cpu but Id pay around 30-40 more and then it doesnt sound so good.

Gigabyte DS3L, $100
E2160, $85
GSKILL 2x1GB DDR2 6400, $80
Rosewill ATX case, $50
Fortron 450, $56
Samsung 400GB HD, $85
LiteOn DVDRW, $28
EVGA 8800GTS, $280
Plantronics .350, $18
HannsG 19" LCD, $170
AC Freezer 7 Pro, $22
KB, $6
Mouse, $36
3 Casefans, $36 (silverstones...? how are the yates compared to the sunons or panaflos ?)
Ceramique, $5

I guess I answered my own question about room for savings :/ if I need a monitor or gpu it kills the price

I was changing it yesterday and there were 90 in rebates, now none of my cart seems to have any...but including a kb mouse and casefans it comes out to