Pre-Buy/Build Advice

[sorrowfox]

after having my dell confirmed dead and some RL shiznit combined with turkey day shiznit, I finally had time to hop online and hunt.

E6400 C2D
Kingston 2GB 667MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL5 DIMM (2x 1g)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB Hard Drive
Antec Performance One P180 Mid-Tower Case

OCZ Technology OCZ PowerStream OCZ520ADJSLI 520W Power Supply
I've read that some distrust OCZ PSU's and others seem ok with'em?

stuck between Mobo's
MSI P965 Neo-F Motherboard
Or the gigabyte S3.

GPU maybe the X1950 pro.

I don't plan on ever going dual GPU, and if I ever had the urge to OC, it would be mild. Any recomendations would be appreciated. My budget is of right now much prefered under $1500.

 

[Guest]

If you can have up to $1500, get the 8800GTS. Get the C2D 6300, and the S3 mobo.

 

[sorrowfox]

I've switched out the OCZ PSU for the Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX EPS12V PS/2 Modular Power Supply, and settled on the Gigabyte board.
Sticking with E6400.

Question though, if I go with the 8800GTS, is there a specific brand to look for? PNY, eVGA etc? Same if I stick with the X1950.. And will that PSU handle it?

 

[NoLiMiT]

eVGA has the step up program, and I do not hear very many good comments about the Asus GPU........

 

[skyguy]

All 8800 boards are built to spec so they're all the same except for coolers and what bonuses they'll include in your purchase.....some give t-shirts (lame), some give games (yay). EVGA gives Dark Messiah and has a step-up program.


BTW, your PSU and mobo is a good choice.

If you start reading up on overclocking, you'll get that 6400 running ALOT higher than stock.....that chip (and the 6300) have huge headroom, you'll be able to easily hit 3.0 ghz without it breaking a sweat, and probably at less than stock vCore

Good luck!

 

[sorrowfox]

I remember reading in a few places that the E6400 with its extra multiplyer over the 6300, can OC pretty far while staying stable with it's original heat sink. So, thats why I'm sticking with it. Even if I don't OC, it's a good option =)

Man, some times I hate when they have extras.. I just want the card lol, any OEMs? though the shirts you can wear while painting....

 

[skyguy]

Yes, the 6400 has a higher multiplier and is faster at stock. Both OC very well on stock HSF though. An aftermarket HSF is preferred obviously, but not necessary. If you don't plan to OC at all (a crying shame though!!!), go with the 6400. If you plan on OC'ing, either is a great choice, they are both excellent performers. I went with the 6300/S3 combination, and used the extra $$ from the 6400 instead to get a Zalman 9500

Both those little chips run like a cheetah, I think they'll soon become folk legends in OC'ing geekdome

 

[sorrowfox]

Heres a question for you. I can't fight it, I wanna OC it alittle lol. Some where I remember reading that the RAM speed is important, the difference between 667 and 533 for timings or some thing? while I'm asking I'm checking the prices and so far I have not spotted much difference on that end.

 

[skyguy]

Correct on both accounts: RAM speed makes a big difference (generally speaking) on how far you can OC. There is also little price difference between the two.

667 RAM is advisable for overclocking, 800 if you can afford it. In your case, 667 should do just fine if you're not gonna push an OC to the max. Regardless, a decent mobo and RAM on a 6300/6400 will OC great and give you the tingles all over

RAM choice is highly variable. It depends on MANY factors. In the end though, it mostly depends on your budget, and what product is preferred in that budget for your intended use/OC limit. There are a number of 667 RAM product to suit any budget.

My suggestion would be to state your budget and see what people think. I know if you search the memory forum you'll probably find an answer to your situation, you're not unique.....ALOT of people are looking for 667 RAM suggestions on various budgets to OC.

A 6300/6400 with an S3 just needs some decent 667 RAM to run like a cheetah on an OC

 

[gondo]

I'd go with an Abit board for various reasons. After 10 years of using and selling them I find they are the best. Screw up the BIOS to no post, hit a key and power on the clear the bios. Their website actually works for downloading drivers and they actually put out 64bit, beta drivers etc... The uGuru rocks. Best electronic over the web 3 year warranty in the business. I find Gigabyte boards onreliable. Asus always get viewed as the best although I hate their BIOS menus and also their website is frequently down making downloading drivers impossible.

CPU is a good choice on the Intel duo core.

RAM, get DDR800 dual channel kit. Get 2GB to be prepared for VISTA. Also any name brand will do, get the cheapest name brand such as OCZ, Corsair, etc... It has lifetime warranty and is more stable. Corsair is viewed as best although I am an OCZ fan. Just get the cheapest stuff and don't worry too much about timings.

Case, anything you like the look of. P180 is a good case, how about the 900 series from Antec. I like having the PSU on the bottom. Ever consider the Antec Neo Series? 5 year warranty on Antec power supplies. They are pretty good quality, modular, and are redily available.

I only use Seagate Harddrives unless going with a Raptor. Get multiple 300GB drives for RAID or a single 400GB+. Its nice to have 2 harddrives in case 1 crashes you have a second to back you up. Its odd but the hard drives are alaways thing on the PC to crap out on you. Seagate has a 5 year warranty. Also get the SATA 2 3GB/S not the SATA1. Make sure your motherboard supports SATA 2.

Video card get the best you can afford. Cheap out on the CPU and go for a better video card.

I'd go SATA for the DVD-RW. Looks like a plextor slot load is all that's available. When spending this type of cash on a nice system and case why put an IDE cable in there? Spend the extra $50 and get a good SATA DVD-RW.

That's my 2 cents after 30 years of building and selling systems.

 

[skyguy]

Excellent points Gondo. Abit have great mobos too. And RAM, as he said: 2 gigs and whatever's the cheapest, don't worry about timings......C2D doesn't care too much about timings unless you're anal about that sort of thing. Corsair and OCZ work great, Corsair is overpriced right now though.

The SATA optical drives are more expensive, so depends on your budget.

Seagate hard drives all the way, unless you're getting a WD Raptor. 2 Seagates in RAID 0 will give it a run for its money though, and ALOT cheaper.

 

[sorrowfox]

while watching TV a thought popped into my head, will the 8800GTS even fit in my Antec p180 case?

 

[Xazax310]

I believe it wont i heard some ppl having problems fitting it into P180 but then again you could always MOD your case a bit...

Aslo is it possible to get DDR2 800? Cosiar has 1GB modules going for 130$ and that would be the best and give you the most headroom for OCing.

 

[ethel]

It's the GTX that is very long (11"). The GTS is the same size as the X1900XT (9.5").