Do you see problems w/ this build or ways I can save money?

[i_hate_flying]

Hi!

I'm just about ready to order my parts from Newegg, but the total cost isn't exactly what I was hoping for I'm considering this a final check for "compatibility" and ways to save money. If you have suggestions on unnecessary parts I can axe or necessary ones I can add, as well as alternative parts I should consider, please let me know. PS: I plan to overclock, but not the GPU.

-E6400 220$
-eVGA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard 239.99$
-OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU 149.99$ (after rebate - 124.99$)
-SUPER TALENT 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) 277.99$ (after rebate - 257.99$) (too much money???)
-eVGA 8800GTX 599.99$
-Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi FATAL1TY (with front I/O Console 182.99 (after rebate 132.99$) (save money by getting the XtremeGamer model for 69.99$???)
-2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 94.99$
-LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/LightScribe SHM-165H6S 36.99$ (maybe the LG 18x?)
-ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink 47.99$ (was recommended to me, don't know much about heatsink fans.
-Case??? (max 150$)

Total = 2095.91
I don't really have a budget, but I don't want to spend more than 2000$ on the computer, and I was hoping for about 1800$.

 

[skyguy]

Ok, so you gotta cut at least a couple hundred bucks........here we go:

-CPU, PSU, RAM, hard drive are all good buys
-case.....Look at a Lian-Li PC7 Plus. Great and affordable. If you want even cheaper, then look at a Coolermaster Centurion or something in that range
-Zalman cooler is great, but you can save a bit of money with an Arctic Freezer. But this will only save you $20, so it's chump change. You need to save $$$ on bigger items...........so............


Advice:
Ditch the sound card. The onboard will do just fine. And ditch that mobo, just get a Gigabtye 965P-DS3.

The only other option would be to downgrade the 8800GTX to a GTS.

Honestly, I'd ditch the sound card and get a different mobo......then you'll be on budget. You can always get a sound card later if you're unhappy with the onboard........this lets you hit your budget NOW, and you have options for later. And just get a good 965 chipset that will let you overclock well. Most people don't need SLI and you may seriously be wasting your money on that mobo.

Try to keep the GTX if you can. MUCH better to lose the soundcard and downgrade the mobo

 

[Crapola]

I agree with skyguy, ditch the mobo, it might be too much for you, unless you're going to do some extreme OC...

The sound card, if you can tell the difference in sound systems..., maybe..

8800 GTS is good advice....

The power supply is great, but you could get a lower rated supply for cheaper... and it should still work fine...

The case... if it's going to sit under your desk, you could get the one skyguy recommended..., I have one and it's great...(Centurion 5)...

8O

 

[4745454b]

Why not the 6300?
I'm also not sold on the ram. You don't need DDR2-800, DDR2-677 will still allow for some nice overclocking. (you only need DDR2-533 for stock.) I also suggest dropping the soundcard.
Unless you have really good speakers and a good ear that can hear the tinest details, then you don't need the soundcard. Besides, its way easier to put a soundcard in later then upgrade your motherboard.
I assume thats $95 EACH for the harddrive. If this is the case, then just buy one. Again, adding another drive later isn't very difficult.

I don't know exactly what all these changes add up to, but I'm sure its more then $200. You also get to keep your GTX.

 

[Qeldroma]

"then look at a Coolermaster Centurion"

That case WILL NOT fit an 8800GTX. I dont even think it will fit a 8800GTS. I just built a computer for my in laws and that case is pretty small.

 

[i_hate_flying]

Look at a Lian-Li PC7 Plus. Great and affordable. If you want even cheaper, then look at a Coolermaster Centurion or something in that range

I'll check out the Lian-Li, but I heard the Coolermaster won't fit 8800GTXs.

Zalman cooler is great, but you can save a bit of money with an Arctic Freezer. But this will only save you $20, so it's chump change.

I like saving 20$ so I'll look into the Arctic Freezer. Which model were you thinking of?

Ditch the sound card. The onboard will do just fine. And ditch that mobo, just get a Gigabtye 965P-DS3.

I neglected to mention that I'm an audiophile so the sound card is something that should stay. Just not sure if I need the front panel I/O box so I might go with a different model. I'm getting some ridiculous speakers for it later.

Is there a consensus about the Gigabyte 965P-DS3 mobo? I've been thinking about all the earlier adopter issues people have been having with nForce 680i and I don't want any of them.

 

[i_hate_flying]

I agree with skyguy, ditch the mobo, it might be too much for you, unless you're going to do some extreme OC...

Could you please elaborate on what you mean by extreme OCing? I mean, should I at least be able to hit in the 3-3.4Ghz on the 965 mobo with the Zalman or Arctic Freezer? As I've mentioned before, I really don't want to have any early adopter issues people have been having with the nForce 680i's. As much as I like computers and desire to know more about them, I do not have time to spend dealing with mobo issues, unless it's a simple bios update [/quote]

The power supply is great, but you could get a lower rated supply for cheaper... and it should still work fine...

Personally, I'd like to go for 600W, but when I calculated everything on that power consumption website, it came out to 468W without an OC and 511W with. I don't know if I calculated the OC properly as I've never performed one. Don't know if that is too close for comfort.

 

[i_hate_flying]

Why not the 6300?
I'm also not sold on the ram. You don't need DDR2-800, DDR2-677 will still allow for some nice overclocking. (you only need DDR2-533 for stock.)

Again, I'm inexperienced with overclocking and so I don't know what kind of OC I can expect with this ram and without it. As I've mentioned previously, I'd like to hit in the 3-3.4Ghz range.

I also suggest dropping the soundcard.
Unless you have really good speakers and a good ear that can hear the tinest details, then you don't need the soundcard. Besides, its way easier to put a soundcard in later then upgrade your motherboard.

I can hear the details and I am getting some great speakers soon. Just wondering about the model, if I should go with the less expensive or not.

I assume thats $95 EACH for the harddrive. If this is the case, then just buy one. Again, adding another drive later isn't very difficult.

Very true, and this is something I am considering. I probably don't need to have two drives, but I wanted to play around with RAID 0 and RAID 1. Ideally, I would want four drives, two in RAID 0 and two in 1. I'm sick of the amount of time it takes me to find and backup files to my external hard drives. I'm thinking I should invest in RAID or find good backup software. I'd also like to experience the performance advantage of RAID 0 striping to see if there is any.

 

[69camaroSS]

Go with Gigabtye 965P-DS3. Overclocks very well.

Don't need that EVGA!!! Problems already with it. Great card makers but still working on their Mobos.

XFI sound card is good, but you don't need the extreme gamer edition. 7.1 surround is 7.1 surround, plus it takes pressure off you processor.

Use the stock cooler until you get some more experience and need to upgrade your cooler. It is still good for some nice overclocking.

 

[69camaroSS]

Could you please elaborate on what you mean by extreme OCing? I mean, should I at least be able to hit in the 3-3.4Ghz on the 965 mobo with the Zalman or Arctic Freezer?

With a stock cooler and a good case+cheep fans you could hit those specs.

 

[skyguy]

If you want 3-3.4 ghz, then get 800 RAM, especially if you're not too experienced in overclocking. Trying to get 667 to hit those speeds would take alot of tweaking and maybe some luck. 800 will hit those speeds.

3-3.4 on stock HSF is possible, but not highly recommended.....aftermarket is better. But in the meantime, just keep the stock HSF, do some lighter OC'ing and learn. Then get a new cooler and push the OC higher.

With a 6300 you can hit 2.6 ghz no problem. Even easier with a 6400. 3.0 isn't that bad either, but takes some more knowledge and comfort with OC'ing......or else someone that can help you out to hit those higher numbers.

 

[i_hate_flying]

Go with Gigabtye 965P-DS3. Overclocks very well.

So the recommended memory for overclocking to go along with that mobo is 800? Now that I'm not going with the 680i chipset, perhaps I should go for a E6600 instead? There's a difference of 89$...

 

[i_hate_flying]

If you want 3-3.4 ghz, then get 800 RAM, especially if you're not too experienced in overclocking. Trying to get 667 to hit those speeds would take alot of tweaking and maybe some luck. 800 will hit those speeds.

Duly noted.

3-3.4 on stock HSF is possible, but not highly recommended.....aftermarket is better. But in the meantime, just keep the stock HSF, do some lighter OC'ing and learn. Then get a new cooler and push the OC higher.

Just to clarify, a stock part is what comes with the product or made by the manufacturer of that product, and aftermarket is what you might buy new on Newegg to replace the stock part?

With a 6300 you can hit 2.6 ghz no problem. Even easier with a 6400. 3.0 isn't that bad either, but takes some more knowledge and comfort with OC'ing......or else someone that can help you out to hit those higher numbers.

Well my goal is to perform at or above the level of the X6800 processor without the cost so I'll need at least a 3Ghz overclock.

I'm going to check out that 965 mobo and add up the costs of my new setup and post it.

 

[skyguy]

Yes, stock HSF is the one supplied with the CPU, in the box.

Check my sig, I have 3.0 no sweat with that mobo and some decent RAM. I added aftermarket air cooling though cuz I just reused it from my last build.........plus I'm paranoid LOL.

If you want to hit 6800 speeds (3.0), then a 680i chipset and 6600 is overkill and will cost quite a bit more money. A 6300, Gigabyte 965P-DS3 (or S3, won't matter) and some GOOD 800 RAM......you'll hit 3.0. You can get a cheap aftermarket HSF though.....Arctic Freezer....around $25

 

[i_hate_flying]

I had a look at that Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 mobo. Is this notice under its specifications something I should be concerned with?

Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets.

The RAM I'm looking at is:
SUPER TALENT 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model T800UX2GC4
With Timings: 4-4-3-8

They have another product:
SUPER TALENT 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model T800UX2GC5
With Timings: 5-5-5-15

:?:

 

[i_hate_flying]

Check my sig, I have 3.0 no sweat with that mobo and some decent RAM. I added aftermarket air cooling though cuz I just reused it from my last build.........plus I'm paranoid LOL.

Perhaps I should build exactly what you have and just throw in a 8800GTX!

 

[skyguy]

HAHA, there ya go! Just get a case that will fit it I'm tight for space, and need a regular ATX case, so I'm going with a GTS instead, it'll do what I need for quite some time......

 

[i_hate_flying]

Yeah, I guess I'm looking for "tried and true" rather than "latest and greatest" this being my first build and all. I just want to have as few problems as possible because I don't have much time to be fixing it or phoning tech support. Like you said, once I get some more experience, I'll be more bold and can take more risks. Should I still go with the Super Talent RAM or get the OCZ Platinum (revision version)?

-E6400 220$
-GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 134.99$
-OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W Power Supply 149.99$ (after 25$ rebate - 124.99$)
-OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory 239.99$
-eVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card 599.99$
-Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Platinum Sound Card 178.99$ (after 50$ rebate - 128.99$)
-Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (in RAID?) - 94.99$
-LG Black 18X DVD±R Super-Multi DVD Burner IDE With 12X DVD-RAM Write - OEM 30.99$
-What was the Arctic Freezer model equivalent to the Zalman 9500 you recommended? 40$ approx.
-Case (still looking at these!) 100$

Total cost: 1790$ !!!

I could even go with the E6600 for a total of 1880$!

 

[skyguy]

Here's the HSF:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835186134

I'd still lose the soundcard if I were you. Then you could get the 6600 and a sexy Lian-Li case

 

[i_hate_flying]

I will check out those Lian-Li cases and consider the sound card again.

So you recommend the OCZ memory over the Super Talent?

And finally, do you think a 700W PSU is too much for this?

 

[Crapola]

Even the 600W PS should be enough...

If you go with a E6600, you can go with a 667 memory as well, depends on how much you want to OC... (333*9) will get you to 3.0 GHz...

8O

 

[i_hate_flying]

Even the 600W PS should be enough...

If you go with a E6600, you can go with a 667 memory as well, depends on how much you want to OC... (333*9) will get you to 3.0 GHz...

I want to OC like a :twisted: !

 

[Crapola]

Nice.... remember, the thing that eats most of your power is the graphics cards, and since you won't be SLIing the 8800, you should still be fine with the 600W PS....

8O

 

[NotAPimecone]

You mentioned wanting to play around with RAID, specifically the idea of 4 drives, 2 in RAID0 and 2 in RAID1. You won't be able to do this with the DS3.

The DS3 has 6 SATA ports, 4 on ICH8 and 2 on an add-on chip. The add-on ones support RAID 0 or 1, but the ICH8 ones do not support RAID at all. I think rev 2.0 of the DS3 uses ICH8R instead of just ICH8, which would give you more RAID options, but I haven't seen it anywhere except Gigabyte's product descriptions.

If you still want more RAID than the DS3 offers, look into 965 boards that use ICH8R.

 

[purdueguy]

Read these 2 articles on Tom's site.

E6400 overclocking and 8800 needs fastest CPU.

Considering that the R600 will be here in a month, I think getting the 8800GTX at this point is a waste. But, that's just me.

To balance your system, I'd go with the 8800GTS. The GTX is too much muscle for the E6400 (even overclocked). And OC'ing the E6400 to 3.3 GHz + will probably require a liquid cooling system. Or maybe you will get lucky and get an E6400 that will OC this high with an aftermarket cooler. Luck of the draw.

As far as PSU is concerned, I'd get the Hiper 580W. Plenty of amps and enough wattage. Though, if you feel better with the Thermaltake, then by all means, get it.

If you want a sound card, I'd get this one. Can't beat the $100 mail-in-rebate.

Oh, another bonus for waiting for the R600. The C2D's are suppose to drop in price on January 7th. If this is the case, you'll be able to pick up an E6600 for just above the cost of an E6400 today. Not much time to wait.

The fan/heatsink for the C2D is the Arctic Freezer Pro 7. Though, the CoolerMaster version from what I've read is a little better and I believe is the same price. But either one will be better than the one supplied with the processor. Might be better to get an OEM part to save a few more bucks.

The case I plan on getting is the Lian Li B-20B. Since you are in Norway and can order from Newegg, can you order from pagecomputers? They have the best price on this case. I think it's 20 bucks less then what Newegg wants.

I'd go with the Corsair Memory. Better timings and 4 bucks cheaper.

Hard drive is the one I would recommend.

Motherboard. I'd get the ASUS P5B-E but it doesn't have Firewire if you need that. Though, the -DS3 is still a nice board and almost 20 bucks less.