HELP - Conroe Gaming System $2000 Limit

[vsamaco]

I am making an Conroe based gaming system to replace my 3 year old P4. My current budget is up to $2000 with shipping cost. I don't need a monitor/keyboard/mouse/sound card. Though, the only issue is that I don't want to waste money on the latest and greatest. I plan to have this new machine for atleast 3 years, but I do intend to do upgrades on memory and graphic card. Here is what I have picked out so far...

CPU: Intel E6600 (~$350)
I am totally set for conroe, sorry amd. Would I need to replace the stock cooler, in order to overclock this? From what I read, E6700 isn't worth the extra jump...

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 (~$280?)
Seen many suggestions for this board, since it would support the next intel chip. What are the other advantages for this particular mobo over others such as ASUS? Where can you order this mobo?

Video Card: eVGA Geforce 7900 GT Signature Series ($350)
I have been more an nvidia person. It was only my previous card that I actually broke $200, but its definitely showing its age after 3 years. I saw that this card was very close to GTX but for less, though wonder if performance is compares. I see those $400+ depreciate in value very quickly. Also it seems that upgrading one card has more performance boost than sli... ATI's card seem to be mostly dual slot, not sure if that would be an issue with GA mobo. I don't currently play games are that graphic intensive (playing cs:s @ 800x600), so a 7900GTX or x1900xtx may not be necessary at moment, if I'm planning to upgrade in maybe 2 years at $300 price point.

Memory: OCZ Gold 2GB ddr2-800 ($202)
Not really picky with memory, so feel free to make better suggestions...

Hard drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320gb ($105)
Saw some pretty good reviews being its perpendicular hd. I plan to install just OS and programs that benefits being on same drive, while stashing the other items like media onto larger disc. But I was also eyeing 74gb raptor drives too. If it not really a significant performance booster with raptor, I'm perfectly happy with this seagate.

PSU: Antec Smartpower 2.0 SP-500 atx12v 500W ($70)
Is the wattage too low? How much of a difference would spending more on psu make and is it necessary?

DVDRW: LiteOn 16x DVD+/-R SHM-165H6S ($42)
Not real picky with dvd drive. Too bad its no DL, but I rarely copy media on my CDRW.

Case: ThermalTake Tsunami VA3000SWA Silver ($106)
Light weight. 120mm fan. Any issues fitting GA mobo inside or assembly?


Total: $1505 w/o shipping

So I still have some room left, but the question would it still be a good investment given my expected use of the system? I am quite surprised I can get all this for this price to begin with. Are there any other major components that I need to consider?

From what I learned with my current computer. I want to get quality parts, produce minimal noise, and want to get the best bang for the buck.

And whats the deal with release date for the Conroe? Seen posts that it may come out a head of schedule, while people say it won't be in stores till next year... I understand it does take time to get it to the stores, but is the Conroe release date not yet definite? I'll definitely wait until it does come out, but hearing rumors that it won't be in stores till next year worries me...

 

[Rall]

It looks like a nice system! I got a 7900 gtx for 400.oo of ebay!
When I just built a computer I purchased a 10,000 79 gig hard drive. My computer flies with this. ASUS is a awsome company. That is what I have for a mobbo and have had no problems what so ever, also very easy to overclock.


I wish you the best of luck building you pc.
Oh yeah as far as conroe not hitting the store untill next year??? That is the first time I heard that!

 

[vsamaco]

No doubt you can get deals on video cards on ebay, but I'm worried about unknown if you going to spend that much. I assume there are certain things you can look out for but would you necessarily have warranty. Also would you would have options if something goes wrong...

 

[Hazik]

All the conroes are suppose to be really good for overclocking low power consumption and they stay cool so i would see if you need a fan after trying the stock

Gigabytes board is looking like the best for conroe it had quad everything and asus doesnt

Signature seriers all they did was highly overclock it and raise the price get a 1900XT for 10-20 more or the 1800XT 512 for 30 less

Memorys fine

There will be a huge diffrence with the raptor unless you raid the 320GB

500W is enough it isnt necessary to buy a 600W+ and modulars always nice

Get a lan li pc60+ or the thermaltake armor

Good luck!

 

[vsamaco]

Hrmm which specific lian li is the pc60? Are they the ones with 2 120mm fans? (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112069). What's the big advantage of lianli over the tsunami? The armor series, is not very lightweight...

Doesn't the latest ati card support dx10? How does the 1800xt and 1900xt compare with these overclocked 7900gts? Hows the noise ratio for ati cards? Spending that extra 20 for 1900xt still be a good buy for performance?

 

[Hazik]

Hrmm which specific lian li is the pc60? Are they the ones with 2 120mm fans? (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112069). What's the big advantage of lianli over the tsunami? The armor series, is not very lightweight...

Doesn't the latest ati card support dx10? How does the 1800xt and 1900xt compare with these overclocked 7900gts? Spending that extra 20 for 1900xt still be a good buy for performance?

I edited my post abit more to help lan lis have much better airflow and design
all card support DX10 but will not be able to use all dx10 features but dx10 games will not come out for years..1800xt and 7900gt will perform the same in some games but with games like oblivion that demand high pixelshaders the 1800XT will smoke the 7900gt and the signature seires come highly overclocked so i wouldnt think they would be that good for overclocking but the regular 7900gt is great for overclocking but bolth the 1800Xt and the 1900XT should be able to outperform the 7900GT in any game and ati have the nifty AA+HDR and nivida dont
Lan Li

 

[Akifuddin]

Get the X1900XT 512MB instead. Uprade to E6700 if you want. Get the 150GB 10,000 RP Raptor Drive if you want to waste some money but get faster loading times. Change the power supply to an Antec TruePower II 550W Power Supply. For the case, I would get a Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Full-Tower Case for about $30 more since it has a $25.00 mail-in rebate on it @ NewEgg. Nice system.

 

[vsamaco]

I was also looking at this review on 7900gts -> http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/geforce_7900_gt_roundup/page14.asp The signature series seems to either top/match gtx model. And I would expect the gtx model to perform better than 1900xt or 1800xt, based on this recent review.

 

[Hazik]

I was also looking at this review on 7900gts -> http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/geforce_7900_gt_roundup/page14.asp The signature series seems to either top/match gtx model. And I would expect the gtx model to perform better than 1900xt or 1800xt, based on this recent review.

They dont even got the 1900XT the 1900XT will eat the 7900GTX

 

[vsamaco]

Get the X1900XT 512MB instead. Uprade to E6700 if you want. Get the 150GB 10,000 RP Raptor Drive if you want to waste some money but get faster loading times. Change the power supply to an Antec TruePower II 550W Power Supply. For the case, I would get a Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Full-Tower Case for about $30 more since it has a $25.00 mail-in rebate on it @ NewEgg. Nice system.

Since ati does crossfire, would it not make sense to get an sli board and have spend more money else where? I probably won't do crossfire or sli given the games on the market. The x1900xt is instock Whats the room for overclocking this card?

Given the size of vista and programs that need every bit of performance, isn't 150gb raptor drive too much? My current system stands at 33gb that contains xp, sensitive programs, and I think I slacked a little lately. The rest of the data will be stored on larger, cheaper hard drives I currently have or purchase in the future. Or maybe my propose plan is flawed... I wish to have some RAID setup, but raptor raids aren't very good buys to do it with...

I know preference may conflict with what work or is a good deal, just the weight of the armor doesn't appeal to me.

 

[jamesgig]

get the aluminum armor

 

[Akifuddin]

Like I said, replace the 7900GT with the X1900XT 512MB, then replace the E6600 with the E6700. I would get 2 gigs of DDR2-1066 rAM too since you got lots of money leftover. Get the 74 GB Raptor instead for faster loading times and 150GB if you want or just 2 74GBs in RAID 0 which would be even faster. Replace the power supply with the OCZ 700W Power Supply from Newegg, they have a $40.00 mail-in rebate with it! It's $135 with the rebate. I know it's overkill but I think it's worth it, especially with a $40.00 mail-in rebate. Good luck! :idea: :arrow:

 

[vsamaco]

Like I said, replace the 7900GT with the X1900XT 512MB, then replace the E6600 with the E6700. I would get 2 gigs of DDR2-1066 rAM too since you got lots of money leftover. Get the 74 GB Raptor instead for faster loading times and 150GB if you want or just 2 74GBs in RAID 0 which would be even faster. Replace the power supply with the OCZ 700W Power Supply from Newegg, they have a $40.00 mail-in rebate with it! It's $135 with the rebate. I know it's overkill but I think it's worth it, especially with a $40.00 mail-in rebate. Good luck! :idea: :arrow:

What constitute the need for a more powerful PSU? What components/setup require PSU of this wattage?

How come I don't see many recommendations for ddr2-1066ram? Doesn't 1066r ram have higher latency times too? A corsair 2gb (2x1gb) kit of 1066 ram is almost double the price of ddr2-800. The prices of ram will undoubtly go down over time and it would seem a waste to spend this much on ram. I'd probably prefer spending an extra 200 on 74gb raptor raid now... How much of a risk is it for ordering a raptor drive on ebay?

I am trying to match the quality/price of components with each other. I mean I don't want to have crappy and good components mix, but as the same time, a good and overkill mix isn't that entirely great. Feel free to provide suggestions for upgrading ram and psu, and I'll reconsider.

Is there any advantage in pre-ordering cpu now? Seeing that many say that stocks will be limited... What sites can you pre-order the e6600?

I will post an updated list of my components soon...

 

[newtist]

conroes wont be available for a long time!!!! at least a month or two...just because its coming out in like 2/3 weeks doesnt mean that all of u on here who want conroe will get it...i used to be like all of u saying "o i choose conroe for my build!!" and those of u who stilll exist...that build will have to wait a little while. im sorry to dissapoint everyone, but these things will be like needles in a haystack...good luck finding one anytime soon!!

 

[vsamaco]

conroes wont be available for a long time!!!! at least a month or two...just because its coming out in like 2/3 weeks doesnt mean that all of u on here who want conroe will get it...i used to be like all of u saying "o i choose conroe for my build!!" and those of u who stilll exist...that build will have to wait a little while. im sorry to dissapoint everyone, but these things will be like needles in a haystack...good luck finding one anytime soon!!

This may be a bad example, but what was the turnaround time for releasing the amd am2's?

 

[Fagaru]

hmm very nice...im with u on all that BUT the video card, at this moment u can get a sapphire x1900xt on newegg.com for 325 dollars, now thats a bragin it beats the crap out of that 7900gt u put in and more... cuz that 7900gt isnt as good as the 7900gtx and in my opinion the x1900xt is better than the 7900gtx

 

[Fagaru]

Like I said, replace the 7900GT with the X1900XT 512MB, then replace the E6600 with the E6700. I would get 2 gigs of DDR2-1066 rAM too since you got lots of money leftover. Get the 74 GB Raptor instead for faster loading times and 150GB if you want or just 2 74GBs in RAID 0 which would be even faster. Replace the power supply with the OCZ 700W Power Supply from Newegg, they have a $40.00 mail-in rebate with it! It's $135 with the rebate. I know it's overkill but I think it's worth it, especially with a $40.00 mail-in rebate. Good luck! :idea: :arrow:

holla COW that was stupid, ok sure get an x1900xt, but why the heck will u spend 400 on ram!?! are u an idiot! and the powersupply he put in is fine...he aint sli'ing, and then he can just get a zalman cooler for his E6600 and oc it...thats what i goota say

 

[vsamaco]

Here my updated list

CPU: Intel E6600 ($350)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 (~$260)
Video Card: Sapphire ATI x1900xt 512mb ($355)
Memory: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800 ($202)
Hard Drive: WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM x2($340)
PSU: Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail ($100)
DVDRW: LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/LightScribe and 5X DVD-RAM Write Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHM-165H6S - Retail ($42)
Case: Lian Li PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($100)

Total: $1749 w/o shipping (What a typical shipping cost?)

The only thing thats missing from this list is a replacement for stock cpu fan. Is there a zalman fan for conroe yet? Estimating the cost around +$40.

I am pretty much set on everything except for the harddrive. I want some sort of raid configuration, though is it worth it on 74gb raptor drives? The case may change to thermaltake armor aluminum (since I like audio ports at top).

Thanks you guys for the input!

 

[Hazik]

Here my updated list

CPU: Intel E6600 ($350)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 (~$260)
Video Card: Sapphire ATI x1900xt 512mb ($355)
Memory: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800 ($202)
Hard Drive: WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM x2($340)
PSU: Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail ($100)
DVDRW: LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/LightScribe and 5X DVD-RAM Write Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHM-165H6S - Retail ($42)
Case: Lian Li PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($100)

Total: $1749 w/o shipping (What a typical shipping cost?)

The only thing thats missing from this list is a replacement for stock cpu fan. Is there a zalman fan for conroe yet? Estimating the cost around +$40.

I am pretty much set on everything except for the harddrive. I want some sort of raid configuration, though is it worth it on 74gb raptor drives? The case may change to thermaltake armor aluminum (since I like audio ports at top).

Thanks you guys for the input!

System will last you for years :twisted:
The stock fan should be just fine and quiet even for overclocking so see after you get it
The hard drive should be more then fast enough you should be worried more about space then speed since its a 10k rpm drive

 

[vsamaco]

System will last you for years :twisted:
The stock fan should be just fine and quiet even for overclocking so see after you get it
The hard drive should be more then fast enough you should be worried more about space then speed since its a 10k rpm drive

Well my plan is just to have OS and necessary programs on primary hard drive. My current system c: drive is about 36gb. I plan to put in a 7200rpm hard drive with larger capacity for my media.

 

[Heyyou27]

They dont even got the 1900XT the 1900XT will eat the 7900GTX

Actually the 7900GTX will usually perform the same or better than the X1900XT while consuming less power, but with the price difference the X1900XT is the obvious choice.

 

[kukito]

Is there any advantage in pre-ordering cpu now? Seeing that many say that stocks will be limited... What sites can you pre-order the e6600?

I will post an updated list of my components soon...

Buy.com is accepting pre-orders, although I'll wait until it can be preordered at newegg or zipzoomfly. Intel introduced the Core Duo during the last week of 2005. Apple had them available in the first week of January for the iMacs. Newegg had them within a month of introduction. Demand for Core 2 will be much higher, since it is a desktop part, but if anybody can meet that demand, it's Intel. I would think mid August would be the earliest you could get your hands on one, but that's just speculation on my part.

Everybody keeps talking about how the big OEMs will be getting most of the initial production of C2D but Intel has been making overtures lately to smaller vendors and "the channel". Considering how important it is for Intel to regain "street cred" in its battle against AMD, I would imagine they would make an extra effort to ensure that the channel is well supplied.

 

[vsamaco]

which rebate?

I didn't factor in the rebates for the prices, tho I'll definite take advantage of them... Given I do have to wait for the rebates :?

 

[vsamaco]

I was looking over the Lian Li cases, and noticed all the different versions of pc-60's.

The one that I found a very good review was the pc-60aplusII for $125. This has x2 120mm and x2 80mm fans. Yet there is only 9 reviews.

Then there are many reviews for the pc-60usb for $99. This has x4 80mm fan but doesn't have front audio/firewire. Wondering why the high number of reviews for this cheaper model, if reviews did matter.

Also I am confused with this model, pc-60plusII W for $113. Usually its extra for window option, but whats missing/different on this model versus the non window? Or is having a window for this model bad?

If I could get over the 16.5kg for thermaltake armor or $180 aluminum only, I'd take it...