building a new computer

Ashmus

Ashmus

Unicorns are kickass!
Since my 10 year old computer blew up last night I need to build a new one, but I dont know anything about SLI and how it works...do I need 2 of the exact same card? any suggestions for under 300 for both?
 
For under 300 for graphics, you're better off getting a single 8800 GT 512 card, or a single radeon HD3870. Those can both be had for under 300 dollars. For motherboard, go with any intel chipset: X38, X48, P35; any of those from the manufacturers asus, msi, or gigabyte will do well. 2GB of ddr2 800 ram from Corsair, OCZ, gSkill, patriot, mushkin will suffice. On the cheap, intel's e6750 is a great cpu. Moving up, the E6850 or newly released E8400 or E8500 will be even better. Pick up a Western Digital hard drive, i think the sku is wd3200aaks. They're around 75 bucks and run 320GB in size, WD hard drives are my favorite. The case you choose is strictly personal preference. Hunt around Newegg.com, tigerdirect.com, or xoxide.com (my personal favorite). As for power supply, probably the single most important component, go with cooler master, silverstone, seasonic, or corsair; 600 watts or higher is definitely recommended. It doesn't mean you'll be pulling 600 watts or more the entire time, it just means you have the headroom to get wild with the system if you choose. Cujo, got anything to add?
 
wow thanks furax, that xoxide site is quite nice.

PS. I wish they made cases that were sleek looking, not like something out of area 51 with crazy lights everywhere. I feel like slapping on a Mugen sticker to see if I can achieve 5 more HP
 
or a single radeon HD3870
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102713

If you are going to go with that path, I would recommend getting that card through Sapphire (they modify Radeon cards). Back when I was a senior in high school, I got a 128mb card from them that was about $150, it wasn't top of their line, but it was the highest rated through newegg (much like this one is). Out of the Box i put it into my slightly modified HP desktop and was running within the range of my other friends who had $250-500 geForce cards (in several cases better). Now I am not much of a fanboy either way, but in the time I have had my card (my Sapphire) almost everyone who went out and bought a high end card around the time I did, mine was the last one to burn out, and I could run almost any app on the highest settings w/o any real problems, again on a shitty HP based system.
 
Ashmus said:
wow thanks furax, that xoxide site is quite nice.
PS. I wish they made cases that were sleek looking, not like something out of area 51 with crazy lights everywhere. I feel like slapping on a Mugen sticker to see if I can achieve 5 more HP
Click to expand...

Yeah, if you're looking for sleek looking cases, there are a few i recommend:
 
Furax pretty much hit the nail on the head. As far as Graphics card, you can get an 8800GTS 512 for a decent price, and they perform really well.

For CPU I'd get the E8400, as it performs better than the E6850 clock for clock. Although the E8400 runs fairly cool, I'd get an aftermarket Heatsink anyway, as the ones that come with the CPU are pretty cheap. A Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120, or a Sunbean Tuniq Tower 120 are two of the best.

Corsair makes excellent Power Supplys, anything over 600w will be good for you. My personal favorite, would be a Power Supply with modular cables. It makes tidying up the case a lot easier, as you don't have extra cables to hide that you aren't using.

Also, as you can tell from my PC post, I really like the Coolermaster cases. If I would have water cooled my PC, I would have picked the Cosmos case, but it might be a little much for your needs. The Stacker 830 is really nice imo, and might be perfect for what you need. All the Coolermaster cases are really well built, and are a joy to work in. If you haven't already, take a look over at the thread I made to have a closer look at the case. It really is a sleek case, all the lights on it were added by me, so yours wouldn't be Area 51'ish :tounge-3:

Here's a shot of what the E8400 can do on air. This is my 24/7 4Ghz. speed, but I also have it stable @4.2Ghz, all within Intel's recommended voltages. It's also running cooler than my E6850 was @3.85Ghz.
E84004ghz.png
 
im trying hard to stay under 1000 including tax and shipping so here goes my first attempt. Lemme know if you would do something differently or a place I could go cheaper or would benefit way more by dropping an extra couple bills, or, possibly the case...it wont actually work.
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Take 1:

Case: Coolermaster Elite MATX case: $39.99 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3486544&CatId=32

or the Cosmos case, but that will bump it up to $176.99

Motherboard, Processor, Ram: XFX nForce 680i LT SLi motherboard, Intel Core 2 Quad, 2.4ghz, OCZ 4gig memory Bundle: $399.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...tails.asp?EdpNo=3601833&Sku=MCM-680ILT-Q6600B

Optical: Plextor DvD burner $39.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2978631&CatId=89

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 250g 7200rpm: $74.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3255389&Sku=TSD-250AS7

Power: Ultra modular power supply: $39.97
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2240326&CatId=1079

Network adapter: D-link Gigabit Network adapter (I chose this cause I have a D-link router and I really liked the service and support they give): $49.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1271191&CatId=587

Heatsink: Thermaltake CPU cooler $19.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2932375&CatId=2545

Tools: Tech kit 107 piece with antistatic and screws: $29.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2782423&CatId=1801

Graphics Card: My Old one till I can afford a new good one $0

Monitor: Same Story $0

Keyboard and mouse: Ditto $0

Total $772.87 with tax so there is still wiggle room

So thats it, as this is my first attempt at any type of build, please give advice or tell me anything essential that im missing, thanks!
 
I would really recommend you get the E8400 instead of that quad core, it will run a lot faster. Also that board is crap, will only give you problems, stick with Gigabyte or an Asus. I'd also steer away from those Ultra Power Supplys. As Furax said, it's one of the more important pieces to look at when building a PC. If anything were to go first in a PC, it would be the PSU. So make sure you get a good one.

The Heat Sink you chose is not for a socket775, and for $30 more you can get something that would walk circles around that one. And you wouldn't need a network card with a good board like the one I list below, as it has an ethernet port built into it.

if you get the Coolermaster Cosmos, you won't be unhappy, I promise.

CPU E8400 $230 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3574211&Sku=CP1-DUO-E8400

Motherboard Asus P5E X38 $230 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131219

Memory Crucial 2x 1GB $65 (Highly recommend these, nice low latency ram) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565

Power Supply Corsair 520w Modular $125 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001

Heat Sink Tuniq Tower 120 $45 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001
 
I also have a spare EVGA 8800GTS 640mb laying around, if you want to buy it off of me. Let me know if you're interested and we can set something up. It's pretty much brand new, I used it in a different system for a couple months.
 
Cujo is right. While you might think you'll be saving money going with a CPU/Mobo/RAM bundle, you're way better off getting quality individual components. Also, that case is MicroATX, and your motherboard is standard ATX, which will not fit into that case. Following Cujo's recommendations, and throwing in some specifics:
The memory, cpu cooler, and power supply cujo recommended are much better than what the bundle offered. Remember that Windows XP runs fantastic with 2GB of memory. Hell, it can't even recognize a full 4GB in 32-bit mode.
Ultra doesn't manufacture their own power supplies, they contract OEM power supply manufacturing companies. I wouldn't trust their products. Not sure why you went with a Seagate HDD, the Western Digital HDD has 70 more GB, better average seek times for reading and writing, and costs the same (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074). Shop around. You'll often find deals at other online vendors, and you'll always have the manufacturer warranty to fall back on!
 
Have you seen some of the new thermaltake cases furax? just /joygasm i like the liquid cooled one with the out of the way wiring area
 
I'd stick with the Asus Board I picked out. That other board has no way to change the memory voltage, plus the Asus has more tunability, and I know 100% it supports 45nm processors. You'll still be within your $1000 range.
 
Tarnak said:
Have you seen some of the new thermaltake cases furax? just /joygasm i like the liquid cooled one with the out of the way wiring area
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I'm not a fan of thermaltake stuff, especially their water cooling. If your'e going the way of water cooling, you have to make sure you get quality stuff, otherwise it will function just as well as a good Heatsink.
 
Oh! A sub-1000 price range? Yeah, then bump that mobo up to an asus or gigabyte board based on the X38 chipset. Lots of flexibility, customization, and durability. Asus boards in particular can very reliable.
 
I meant more for the looks i wouldnt trust their liquid cooling i like my current case as it has a ton of airflow but i kinda want one that hides the wiring :x
 
well, after my computer blew up, Murphy's law struck me again last night and my basement flooded. This morning insurance came, they looked around (for like 2 seconds) and came to the conclusion that they couldn't cover anything. So, im gonna have to start saving money all over again.

I guess when it rains it pours.

P.S. Don't get encompass insurance because they are crooks.
 
Whoa Ash, sorry to hear about that. Insurance companies are such bullshit artists. :arg:

Hope everything turns out okay.



Ashmus said:
well, after my computer blew up, Murphy's law struck me again last night and my basement flooded. This morning insurance came, they looked around (for like 2 seconds) and came to the conclusion that they couldn't cover anything. So, im gonna have to start saving money all over again.

I guess when it rains it pours.

P.S. Don't get encompass insurance because they are crooks.
Click to expand...
 
Ashmus said:
well, after my computer blew up, Murphy's law struck me again last night and my basement flooded. This morning insurance came, they looked around (for like 2 seconds) and came to the conclusion that they couldn't cover anything. So, im gonna have to start saving money all over again.

I guess when it rains it pours.

P.S. Don't get encompass insurance because they are crooks.
Click to expand...

God damn! Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Get pictures of all of the damage and find a lawyer. Sounds like they're blowing you off.
 
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