9 replies to this topic

[foxhound100]

So after working all summer I've decided to put a chunk of the cash towards a new desktop pc. This is the initial build I have looked into, any constructive criticism would be nice especially if it reduces cost without reducing performance.

PNY XLR8 GeForce 9800 GTX Video Card - 512MB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV

EVGA nforce 780i SLI Motherboard - A1 Version, NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, Dual Gigabit LAN, S/PDIF, USB 2.0, Firewire, Serial ATA, RAID

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Processor HH80562PH0678MK - 2.66GHz, 8MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB, Kentsfield, Quad-Core, OEM, Socket 775, Processor

Ultra Black Aluminus ATX Full-Tower Case

Hanns-G HG-216DPB 21.6" Widescreen LCD Monitor - 5ms, 1680x1050 (WSXGA+), 1000:1 Ratio, HDMI, VGA, Speakers, Black

Philips SPD2413BM Super-All-Write OEM DVD Burner - 20x DVD�R, 8x DVD+R DL, 8x DVD�RW, 48x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, 16x DVD ROM, Black

I was unsure what I should get for a psu, and I'll probably get 2 120mm case fans and of course a cpu fan but those are cheapies compared to the rest.
Same goes for memory but I was thinking of installing 4 gigs just unsure of what exactly to get.
Any input would be great thanks!

Edit: o yea I also forgot about speakers... and whether or not I should get a sound card. I usually just use a USB headset, but for movies I would like decent sound quality. Also forgot about a hardrive as well, not sure what to get there either.

Edit: Forgot to say this is my 1st attempt at building a pc so as far as cables and such I don't know if I'm going to have to buy the necessary cables or if they will come with...

Edited by foxhound100, 09 August 2008 - 04:11 PM.

[Scroll_Lock88]

How much are you looking to spend? And does this include EVERYTHING, like keyboard, mouse, etc.?

[foxhound100]

under 1500, I have keyboards I can use but I'll probably pick up a wireless mouse as well. other than that is there anything I forgot?

Edit: For what I put up allready is around 900, 1500 is really the max I'm willing to go with it but I'd rather not spend that much.

Edited by foxhound100, 09 August 2008 - 08:24 PM.

[Scroll_Lock88]

DVD Burner
500 GB Western Digital Harddrive
Acer 22" LCD Monitor
2 GB DDR 2 Memory
MSI P7N Platinum SLI 750I Motherboard
Core 2 Quad 9300 CPU
Corsair 750 Watt Power Supply
ATI Radeon 4850
Antec 300
Does not include Input Devices, etc. Soundcard not needed onboard will be good enough for what you are doing.


Total price of about 1070$


Reason why I chose what I chose? Start part by part.

DVD Burner, nothing different, a DVD burner is a DVD Burner, nothing to say here.

Harddrive, I like these drives as they spool down to a lower RPM when they arent under heavy use conserving power and noise. Obviously not alot but they still are speedy enough for everything you are doing.

Monitor, I absolutely loathe Hanns-G monitors. Service sucks, support is lackluster, and I have experienced high failure rates with them. Not saying you will but I have never had a problem with Acer.

2 GB memory, I didnt choose any high performance ram, since I highly doubt you will be overclocking. Can upgrade to 4 if you are going to use Windows Vista, but remember it has to be 64 bit otherwise you still run into limitations like windows XP 32 bit.

Motherboard, as stated above you dont need stuff you arent going to use. From what I see you posted you are looking for a midrange PC that will do what you want without hassle and for the best $$$$. Don't go for the uber expensive equipment, not going to use the features they provide. This one is a solid board, using it in the rig I am running right now without problems.

CPU, for almost the same price as the processor you linked, you can get a die shrink, a full warranty under intel, + heatsink fan. Alot better deal.

Power supply, Corsair has won a special place in my heart for gaming rigs I make nowadays. Excellent build quality, 80 Plus certified, and the corsair name, warranty, and customer service.

Videocard, some people may disagree, but this is a mid range gaming rig, no doubt about it. This card will definitely do what you need to do and do end of story. Yes you can go with the GTX280 omgwtfbbq from nvidia if you want to spend more money but I would recommend this card. Plays CS everything maxed without a problem, and will play any of the games down the road with relatively no problems.

Case, Antec 300, my current case for midrange builds like this one. Good build quality, somewhat decent inside, not the greatest, but we arent looking at 100$ + cases here.


And there you have it, my list for what I recommend you get.

[foxhound100]

Yea I saw your view on hans in someones monitor thread, but I liked it because it takes an HDMI input as well making it so I could use my xbox360 with it, I've been getting sick of the low res that I get with my old tvs especially because of the small text that comes with it :(.

Thanks very much for your help, as long as I can run any game that comes in the future ex: spore, fallout 3 etc. and beyond then it will do exactly what I need. I'm planning to use this as a dual monitor setup, I already have the second one but this new one is meant to act as a primary.

As for the video card I happen to like Nvidia but if this one performs as well as the 9800 then i'll go for it, but I'm thinking about going for a high performance video card. I don't really know the difference b/w the performance of ATI/Nvidia cards since I've only used Nvidia in the past. From the specs they look extremely similar but maybe there is something I don't see.

[DarkShadow]

maybe swap that dvd drive for a Lite-On, They're top notch imo.

[Armitage]

from some of the reviews ive seen and the benches, the 4000 series is standing up to the 9000 series, i know the 4870 outdoes the 9800 from that Anandtech review wonder dropped some time ago, and my brother has the 4870 and it plays everything and plays it very well. its counterpart the 280 is way over priced especially for not having that munch of a performance gain. personally ive always thought ati cards had stable drivers, even in vista compared to nvidia, but just my 2 cents.

[Kill_JOy]

I'd go with a Sony monitor. They are expensive but the quality is worth the price.

Edited by Kill_JOy, 15 August 2008 - 06:04 AM.

[Kill_JOy]

maybe swap that dvd drive for a Lite-On, They're top notch imo.

Yes. When I built my machine (goin on 2 years now), I got 2 Lite-On dvd burners. One is set as master the other slave. They really are excellent devices.

You won't need the cdr/rw cause the dvd devices will handle those functions.

As far as sound goes: I highly recommend going with Logitech 5.1 surround speakers. They are cheap and sound great (especially for movies).

[Scroll_Lock88]

I'd go with a Sony monitor. They are expensive but the quality is worth the price.

If you want high quality display, look no farther than the high end Dell flat panels. Nothing compares, except for Apple cinema displays but those are atrociously expensive.