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[n1ghtsn1p3r]

Here's the final partlist (hopefully). I probably will have to wait until Monday now to place the order. I'm still waiting for my paychecks and stuff to go through (LOL I bought about $30 of gas the other day, but they only charged $1 to my card , oh noez I'm probably going to get arrested ).

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
combo'd with
SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT 550W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
($230)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.146472

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
combo'd with
OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR10664GK - Retail
($252)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.150161

Tuniq Tower 120 Universal CPU Cooler 120mm Cooling Fan and Fan Controller/Heatsink - Retail
($50)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835154001

HIS Hightech H485QT512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported IceQ4 Turbo Video Card - Retail
($165)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814161244

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
($65)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822136073

LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM
($26)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16827106266

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
($60)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811129042

AS5
($6)

Verbatim 4.7GB 4X DVD+RW 30 Packs Disc - Retail
($20)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817130952


Subtotal: $874

Shipping: $43

Total: $917


I overshot my budget, mainly since I wanted to go ahead and get a new case instead of messing with my crappy generic one then having to transfer the parts over to the new one later, and also to get the DVD+RW media with it. Also, the slightly more expensive HSF and CPU/RAM upgrades didn't help keep the cost down either.

This post has been edited by n1ghtsn1p3r: Jan 5 2009, 05:09 PM

Reason for edit: Updated system specs again

[Clintonia]

Nice build for the money. That's why I like AMD

I suggest you get a bigger hard drive if you have the extra cash, because games now a days are on DVD9's, and once you get a few of them it takes up space. GTA IV,Prince of Persia(2008), Far Cry 2, Gears of War, Spiderman Web of Shadows, and Tomb Raider - Underworld take up 53 gigs all by themselves.

500gb hard drives are not too much. I have two of these in my computer right now. One of them is for games, and the other is partitioned off for music, movies, and OS's.

[n1ghtsn1p3r]

I'll keep the 80 gig for now until I get more games that really need the space, then I may get a bigger one and use the 80 gig one for Linux.

I'm thinking of using my current PC as a headless (no monitor, but is accessed through SSH) fileserver for storing stuff like apps and device drivers and some other stuff so I don't have to keep redownloading everything and not having to figure out which CD or thumbdrive certain files are on (I have a habit of not labeling disks). I also may put SRCDS on it (not to play on, of course, but to have it as a reference for server configs and stuff)


Edit: LOL now people are suggesting to drop the mobo and graphics card for something else (non-MicroATX mobo [DZ forums] and an 8xxx series card [friend at work]). LOL I'm so confused now.

I guess my total budget will be somewhere between $400-$500 (which is about the same as one of my paychecks).

[Stryker]

I highly suggest you don't get a Micro ATX case and motherboard. It is going to become a problem in the future if you wish to upgrade. I have a micro ATX and I can't even fit an 8800GT :/

EDIT: Although Clint is rarely correct , I agree that you will need a bigger hard drive even if you don't think you do.. 80GB's with the OS will come out as only 60GB and I hardly think you can live with 60GB. Also even if you don't wanna install a lot of games you will require a bigger hard drive or it will become VERY inconvenient.

Either,
Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822136075 or
Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500AAJS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822136113



This post has been edited by Stryker: Dec 11 2008, 06:17 PM

[n1ghtsn1p3r]

I have a 35GB windows partition on my laptop (60 total) and my desktop has a 60.

Although that 500GB is enticing for the cost-to-space ratio.

Although I'm considering switching the mobo to something with onboard graphics and full ATX and waiting on getting a dedicated card (at least until after I get paid again, even though I have way more than enough, I just don't want to spend a crapload all at once). These are some of the boards I was looking at though (all these are Nvidia 8xxx based, except for the last one; IDK about the ATI ones)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813135085

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813138113

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813130182

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813138081


The case and PSU might have to change depending on the cards and mobo. And I wonder if I can beef up the processor and other stuff if I'm going to hold back on a dedicated card.

Am I getting too crazy with this now?


Windowed cases look awesome, but adding the lights and giving the inside a clean look looks like a pain and expensive.

[Stryker]

In my opinion you do not need to make changes to the CPU, you can over clock that enough that you can save some money rather than getting a better one. Also you should never choose processor over a graphics card since I'm pretty sure you know that even if you had a 3.0GHZ processor and an on-board 8200, a system with a 2.6GHZ and a 9400GT would completely dominate.

This post has been edited by Stryker: Dec 11 2008, 10:10 PM

[n1ghtsn1p3r]

Aw no triple/quad core Phenom (like the 9950)? LOL I'm kidding

Remember I'm a n00b when it comes to hardware .

I think I do want to stick with the 500GB HDD posted above. I also want to try to at least be able to use my old PATA DVD-ROM drive (later on down the road I'm planning on getting a DVD burner) and my PCI Netgear WG311v3 wireless card out of my current PC, so you probably won't need to include those.

I am open to more complete build suggestions btw (maybe even with a couple of different alternatives for each category). I'm so used to AMD and Nvidia now (since I have used those for so long) that I'm kinda scared (I can't think of the right word) about using Intel and/or ATI (even though I have those in my laptop). Plus it would help if I knew what manufacturers of certain components to avoid and ones that are highly recommended.

I was only thinking of using the onboard temporarily though until I can get a dedicated card (8800 , like only for a couple of weeks until I get paid again. Like using the money to hold absolute obsolescence back just a little while longer. Is that smart, or am I just getting too excited and crazy about this because I'm finally about to ditch this ancient piece of crap I'm using now (and kinda throwing my budget out the window )?

Like this BFG Tech 8800. I was drooling over a similar card at Best Buy not long after it was released (the "overclocked" part was why), but a cheaper alternative is preferable.

I was kinda thinking about following your advice from Clinton's build thread (buy the mobo and cpu first, then add the gpu later).

[Stryker]

First of all an 8800GTS will munch up your power supply so will need an upgrade to 450W+ and GTX 260 will require over 500W. Also if you have the money to get an 8800GTS for 170.. just spend 20-30 more and get a friggin 4850. --;

P.S. if you plan on getting a mid-high range card you will definitely need more power and an ATX motherboard to support it. I personally recommend an ATI card with an ATI based chipset motherboard.
Also right now Nvidia is just not so hot anymore. I'd say that if you go with an ATI card it will be better than a Nvidia, especially since if you're getting an 8800GTS G92, it's just can't out perform the 4850 in any way except that it is nice to have a big cooler. Also the 4850 is newer and from cost to performance ratio, the 4850 is much higher than the 8800GTS. :/

edit again: I just checked and the 4850 is around 10$ cheaper than the 8800GTS you picked. Also it has a few combo deals with power supplies and RAM so I think you should take a look at that.


This post has been edited by Stryker: Dec 12 2008, 06:00 PM

[Power]

Ok night, when I suggested that build it was a pure lowest price I could get build, but still get performance that could play games like css and left 4 dead.

And people, when your making suggestions, realize that that build is worlds apart from the piece of crap he has now, and that he doesn't want to have to sell both his kidneys to pay for the damn thing. I could have suggest he get duel 280's with a thousand watt PSU, a 790 mobo, and 16 gigs of ddr3. But I realize he's on a budget and simply wants something that is nice step up from what he has, but without having to use his rent money to pay for it.

Ok, these are my new suggestions for you night.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3160815AS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $41.99

Kingston HyperX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - $30.99

ASRock A780GXE/128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $79.99

COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS-460-PMSR-A3 460W ATX12V V2.3 Power Supply - Retail - $32.99

Recertified: EVGA 320-P2-N811-RX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 - $79.99

P.S. Before any of you assholes complain about my suggestion being a 320 gts instead of a gt, look at the price, and then go fuck yourselves. However night, if you don't mind laying down an extra $40, an 8800gt is much better.

[Stryker]

Why would you get a
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3160815AS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $41.99
if you're thinking about getting more storage?
I say just pay 4 bucks more for a 250GB Western Digital.

Also Power I know you won't suggest him to buy all that shit you mentioned above because i know you're not stupid , even if he had a larger budget.

The power supply I can guarantee that it's good since I use the same one.
As for the GPU.. I wouldn't get that even for that price.
no complaints on the motherboard.

EDIT: I guess I was wrong about the 250GB it's actually 49.99 but it has free shipping so it sorta evens out.. Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500AAJS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

This post has been edited by Stryker: Dec 12 2008, 07:05 PM

[n1ghtsn1p3r]

k

Yeah I know . My curiosity took over when I saw the site (I've always heard people talk about buying stuff from there, but I never checked it out) and I was wondering how much further (I could push it.

Exactly

And as a reference, my current PC is (according to Everest):

Motherboard:
CPU Type AMD Athlon XP, 1800 MHz (13.5 x 133) 2200+
Motherboard Name ECS K7S5A (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 1 AMR, 2 SDR DIMM, 2 DDR DIMM, Audio)
Motherboard Chipset SiS 735
System Memory 256 MB (DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type AMI (08/11/03)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM2)
Communication Port Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 (64 MB)
3D Accelerator nVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420
Monitor AOC Spectrum 9Glr(A)/9Glrs(A) [19" CRT] (1220602648)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter Creative SB Live! 5.1 Sound Card
Audio Adapter SiS 7012 Audio Device

Storage:
IDE Controller SiS PCI IDE Controller
Storage Controller SCSI/RAID Host Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive IC35L060AVVA07-0 (60 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive ARTEC WSM-52X (52x/24x/52x CD-RW)
Optical Drive LITEON DVD-ROM LTD-165H (16x/48x DVD-ROM)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 53519 MB (26504 MB free)
Total Size 52.3 GB (25.9 GB free)

Input:
Keyboard HID Keyboard Device
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse HID-compliant mouse

Network:
Primary IP Address 192.168.1.103
Primary MAC Address 00-14-6C-73-7F-2A
Network Adapter NETGEAR WG311v3 802.11g Wireless PCI Adapter (192.168.1.103)
Network Adapter SiS 900-Based PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter
Modem Intel® 536EP Modem

Peripherals:
USB1 Controller SiS 7001 PCI-USB Open Host Controller
USB1 Controller SiS 7001 PCI-USB Open Host Controller
USB Device Lachesis Mouse
USB Device USB Composite Device
USB Device USB Human Interface Device

DMI:
DMI BIOS Vendor American Megatrends Inc.
DMI BIOS Version 07.00T
DMI System Manufacturer ECS
DMI System Product K7S5A
DMI System Version 1.0
DMI System Serial Number 00000000
DMI Motherboard Manufacturer ECS
DMI Motherboard Product K7S5A
DMI Motherboard Version 1.0
DMI Motherboard Serial Number 00000000
DMI Chassis Manufacturer ECS
DMI Chassis Version Version 1.00
DMI Chassis Serial Number 123456890
DMI Chassis Asset Tag 0123ABC
DMI Chassis Type Desktop Case
DMI Total / Free Memory Sockets 4 / 3

We got it from a custom-build computer store (no longer in business) sometime around 2002-2003 (my parents actually took in our old P-166 to get it fixed, and they ended up buying this one instead) Mine was actually the first one of that hardware package they built, except it had a GF3 (they later replaced it with the current card as "compensation" for some issues we had with it, but some other parts may have been different).

[Wheezy]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835185063
Unless you don't want to uber overclock then just get the retail box cpu instead for 10 bucks more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103299
4850e=45w stock so its a specially binned low power usage chip and its not much more than the 5000 in retail box form
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227124
cheap pc6400, whatev
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102715
3850 in hybrid xfire ftw
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813138105
this board worked great in my parents computer with the 4850e (didnt overclock with it though)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822152098
spinpoint F1 ftmfw in cheap sata drives
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811108073
decent case, the rear 80mm fan is terribly loud though, i used it on my parents build
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835200044
a fan, to remedy that problem
oh and get some artic silver v if you dont have it already

[Power]

Wheezy's build is the best so far, I change my recommendation to his. That is a great machine for $370.

You'd be hard pressed to build a better one.

[Wheezy]

I play the hardware what if game like daily, and recomend for tons of people including several of our forum members, so i have a bit of an advantage i suppose. But you made some good suggestions too looking through the thread briefly. I just picked the 4850e/780g/3850 combo as its such a cohesive platform, low watt chip, low watt chipset with good graphics built in, and if you plug the monitor into the motherboard video connection it will use the 3850 only when needed for 3d processing and turn it off the rest of the time. And the spinpoint hd is just a beast.

[n1ghtsn1p3r]

Wheezy's build is the best so far, I change my recommendation to his. That is a great machine for $370.

You'd be hard pressed to build a better one.

I agree

I'm wondering if I should go ahead and get Vista also. I calculated his build with the mobo/Vista Ultimate 64-bit combo and came up with $543.90

[Clintonia]

First of all, buying an OS if fail

Second, Vista is pure fail. Stick with XP while they still make drivers for it, its not a totally useless OS yet.

On top of that, Micro$hit has already admitted defeat on Vista and they are putting all their R&D towards Windows 7. Its only a matter of time before they start pulling vista from shelves and replacing them with Windows 7. Aside from the look (which is the only reason I boot into vista) vista has 0 advantages (that really matter) over XP. Vista uses all of your resources for no apparent reason.

Most of the people who will debate this either have a nice build and they dont noticed the performance decrease, or they dont know what kind of a performance loss their computer will take when they use Vista as opposed to XP.

[n1ghtsn1p3r]

Yeah I just asked Power about it and he said to wait for 7.

I'll just stuck with my modded XPs and TinyVista-like OSes and Linux for now


And I decided to go with Wheezy's

[Zee goggles!...]

1. Nightsniper, the links on the opening post to this thread failz, give good links please

2. Roflcopter Lawlz @ Wheezy The 3850 does NOT hybrid crossfire with the 780G chip Other than the fact I do own a 780g board!!! the following picture reveils all

Add another picture to prove my point


This post has been edited by Zee goggles! Dey do nothin: Dec 12 2008, 11:12 PM

[Stryker]

You misunderstood him, he thought he had posted a HD3450 but he posted a HD3850 since he thought by the price it was a HD3850. He went down the list and checked by price and thought it was a reasonable one and posted it and it turned out to be a HD3850. :/

@Night, before you order consider another motherboard since the 3850 won't be compatible with the current option.

This post has been edited by Stryker: Dec 12 2008, 11:19 PM

[Wheezy]

Whatever, a 3850 stomps out a 3450/3200 hybrid xfire anyways and the 780G chipset rocks for value.

And if you want Vista just get a BIOS with a SLIC table built in for any of the 18 or so OEMs and then get the OEM activation copy of Vista of your choice. I run Ultimate on my PCs.