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Under $1000... Options Please

Forum Homebuilt Systems : General Homebuilt - Under $1000... Options Please

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I am think of this system for under $1000. I do a little gaming, alot of db work, and some graphics. I don't intend to overclock (for now). I have a monitor, so thats not in the estimate. Please... any comments would be helpful. Thx:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - $181.00

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - $124.99

Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC22G6400LLK - $279.99

XFX PVT73GUGF3 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - $149.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM- $79.99

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - $53.99

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $49.99

LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/LightScribe and 5X DVD-RAM Write Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHM-165H6S - $35.99

NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive - OEM- $6.25

Total (From Egghead): $957.18

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OS?

Reply to drummerdude

For now XP... Vista later on

Reply to alnino1

is it part of the budget?

Reply to drummerdude

No... not part of the budget

Reply to alnino1

theres quite a few threads like this, it seems like your gonna spend a lot on ram since you said

Quote :

I don't intend to overclock (for now)

if you dont intend to overclock much get the 667 stuff its cheaper, and you could spend more on a better gpu

Reply to drummerdude

Looks like you do plan to overclock. But if not, you could go for cheaper 533Mhz RAM (about $200, and it's synchronous with the FSB) and mobo (about $80).

Might consider going with the Seagate 320GB Sata 3.0GB/s PRT drive for $15 more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148140

You might as well go with an 18x Samsung burner, it's even a bit cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151136

I dunno, your build looks fine. Just some minor suggestions.

Reply to qwertycopter

Thank you... I think I am going to order it with the bigger Seagate HD and the Samsung burner that you suggested.

My current 5 year old system is cuurently "Checking the File System" now for 2 hours... it about gone. Thank god I have a laptop to browes with!

Thanks again

Reply to alnino1

Most of the Intel 965 based boards (the GA-965P-S3 included) require 1.8 volt DDR 2 RAM to work. The RAM you are planning to use isn't 1.8 volt so it probably won't work. I have used A-Data 1.8 volt DDR 2 in my 965 builds and have had no problems. You can save a little money by stepping down to DDR 2 667 if you like. Just make sure you get 1.8 volt RAM.

Reply to johng24601

Do you mean the ram I chose won't work for overclocking?
Is this the ram you recommend:

A-DATA 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300)

Reply to alnino1

I mean the RAM probably won't work at all or the system will be very unstable. A friend just built a 965 system and forgot to check the RAM voltage. He used Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 @ 2.2 volt. He keeps getting the Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD). You may be able to adjust the voltage settings in the BIOS but I would just use the 1.8 volt RAM that the board requires. Check the specs on the board, it says it only works with 1.8 volt DDR2. I have used A-Data successfully but any name brand 1.8 Volt DDR2 should work okay. I usually use NewEgg and read the reviews to help weed out any potential problems. You can also search for RAM by type, speed, manufacturer, capacity , voltage etc. For example here is a link to 2x1GB PC 5300 1.8 volt DDR2 667 RAM kits at Newegg.

New Egg DDR 5300 2GB Kits 1.8V

I hope this info helps. Good luck.

Reply to johng24601

thats not always true...check out this thread it has a lot of good stuff about ram link
to sumerize it

Quote :

Any pair of DIMMs that need 2.0+ Volts to work should be installed with 1 x DIMM first, as the PC will cold boot intially at 1.8 Volts.

Then jump into BIOS (don't let OS boot, don't install OS, it may suffer minor corruption), and set VDIMM to 2.0+ Volts (or whatever is called for, might be 2.4 Volts, might be 1.95 Volts).

Save & Exit BIOS / CMOS Utility

Wait until safe, then power off.

Unplug from mains power + unplug mainboard power connection (24 pins).

Install DIMM #2 in the slot specified by the mainboard manual to enable Dual-Channel mode (if available).

Then plug 24 pin ATX back in, close up case and plug back into mains power.

Cold boot PC

The VDIMM will still be at 2.0 Volts (or whatever was specified on the DIMMs and set in BIOS).

The reason is that when installing 2 x high-end DIMMs at once, on the first boot, it'll boot at 1.8 Volts to VDIMM, which might not be enough to power 2 x DIMMs calling for 2.0+ Volts each. However booting with 1 x 2.0+ Volt DIMM the first time with just 1.8 Volts VDIMM tends to work.

It is for this reason that so many people screw overclocks up, and have problems with high performance memory then just RMA it. They never try booting with just ONE DIMM at DEFAULT (which is wrong in this case) VOLTAGE.

Reply to drummerdude

Hello drummerdude,

I understand your point, in fact if you notice I did say that he/she may be able to adjust the voltage in the BIOS. But my point is, why bother, just get the RAM the board requires and avoid potential problems. I have heard of people not even being able to get into the BIOS screen with the wrong RAM to change the voltage settings (no POST screen at all). It is a crap shoot, it may or may not work.

In my experience you don't want to mess around with a flaky memory system, it can cause all kinds of problems. Sometimes the BIOS settings reset when you update the BIOS. Following the procedure you linked to you would then have to open up the case again, unplug the power supply, pull out the RAM and mess around with the settings again. And if you forget to do that the system may work for a while but you risk all kinds of file corruption. Once again why not just buy the RAM that works.

The original poster of this topic didn't appear to be an experienced builder (No offense intended I could be totally wrong) and I was just trying to save him/her some headaches. In fact it is why I signed up for the forums, I saw someone about to order something that probably wouldn't work and I thought I would try to help.

Reply to johng24601

Quote :

...In fact it is why I signed up for the forums, I saw someone about to order something that probably wouldn't work and I thought I would try to help.

search the forums and you find a lot of other people using the different ram at diff voltages on that same board and it worked fine for them. heres one for ex link
this thread here talks a lot about ram choices etc too. link 1

Reply to drummerdude

Quote :

...In fact it is why I signed up for the forums, I saw someone about to order something that probably wouldn't work and I thought I would try to help.

search the forums and you find a lot of other people using the different ram at diff voltages on that same board and it worked fine for them. heres one for ex link

I understand it may work but why not just get the stuff that will work. Especially for someone who may not have a ton of experience. I don't mean to be argumentative but you keep pointing out stuff that I already agreed to. Yes you can tweak the voltage, but as I said if you make a mistake or forget to check it after a BIOS update it can lead to trouble. The correct RAM doesn't cost more than the incorrect RAM. If they already had the wrong voltage RAM I would suggest trying what you linked to. But if you are ordering new parts, such as is the case here, it doesn't make sense to order stuff that may not work or is more difficult to make work, especially if there isn't any cost benefit. But yes, I agree with you, you may be able to make all different voltages of RAM work, but once again my point is, why bother when you can just order the correct stuff. If you respond please just answer that question first.

Reply to johng24601

Quote :

Sounds like what I purchased. Click for my complete system.

The thread talks about why I picked what I picked.

I went 6400 VS 6300 because the price difference wasn't that big and I'm new to overclocking. You will get mixed recomendations about which is worth it.

The RAM is supertalent rather than yours. More info into why I picked them is in the thread (it's about the IC).

My graphics card is a bit more expensive than yours, but the benchmarks had it performing much better.

I went for a SeaSonic power supply. Mine is much bigger than my current system needs, but I got it for the DX10 card I'll get in a year and a half. If you don't overclock then you probably don't need a SeaSonic. (My second consideration was the lower wattage version)

I was scared about overclocking as well (never done it). But everything I read makes it sound pretty easy now-a-days so I'm giving it a shot. If you do DB work then overclocking could be useful. So could RAID 1, depending upon what kind of DB work you do. RAID 1 is only $75 more.

Hope this helps.

Reply to johnboard21

Here is what I ended up getting from Newegg (I got it in two days!)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - $181.00

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - $124.99

Patriot Signature Series 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PSD22G667K - Retail

XFX PVT73GUGF3 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - $149.99

SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - $53.99

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $49.99

Seagate 320GB Sata 3.0GB/s PRT drive

NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive - OEM- $6.25

Built it, fired it up, installed software..... ITS FAST!!!!
Thank you to all who gave me info.... I had no clue... but this works fine!!!

Reply to alnino1

Just curious: How hot is it running without overclocking at idle and after a bit of 100% load?

Reply to johnboard21

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