Build on $750

[joethesupercow]

Hey guys, this will be my second build but I didn't get any advice on my first and thus didn't quite get the most bang for my buck. This PC will mostly just be for everyday surfing and listening to music but I'd like to squeeze as much gaming power as possible out of it. The catch is I'm running on a budget of about $750. Here's what I've got so far:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115004

Abit AB9 Pro Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127004

XFX GeForce 7900 GS
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2682785&CatId=1560

GeIL 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144027

I haven't quite decided on a hard drive or case but I may just use the one from my previous build. The plan so far is to OC the processor and perhaps the RAM and GPU as much as heat will allow. I need the machine to last for about 1 1/2-2 years.

-Advice on any parts that may work better together would be appreciated especially in the areas of RAM and Mobo.

Thanks a lot everyone!

 

[Guest]

If it were me, Id go with a Gigabyte DS3, but Id just prefer giga-byte.

Maybe get a 1gb stick for now, then upgrade next X-Mas!

XFX is the way to go for Geforce GPUs.

 

[sarsoft]

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115004

*Correction* Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 2M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor

CPU: Is a very good choice. $220.00
Motherboard: New chipset nVidia 650i and SLI. ASUS P5N-E SLI $144.99 +s/h.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131142

Video Card: eVGA 256-P2-N636-AR GeForce 7950GT $215.99 +s/h with $15 mail in rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130074
It is faster then 7900GS

Ram: No changes here. $117.99 +s/h

Total: $698.97 +s/h $15-20 with $15 mail in rebate.

 

[desidude006]

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) + $6.13 $124.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz $181.00
pqi TURBO 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 + $4.99 $112.99
RAIDMAX xB ATX-528B Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case + $15.99 $19.99
FSP Group (Fortron Source) 400W Power Supply + $7.64 $41.50
HITACHI Deskstar T7K250 HDT722525DLA380 (0A31636) 250GB + $5.94 $74.99
BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE GeForce 7600GT 256MB + $5.64 $143.99 - 65.00 = $78.99
NEC 3550A Dual 16x DVD+RW/-RW/CD-RW (48x/32x/48x),16x DVD $29.99
___________________________________
$775.77 total with s/h
$710.77 w/ rebates
Motherboard- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128017
Processor- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005
Ram- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141210
Case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811156053
Psu- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953
Harddrive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140
Graphics Card- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143049
Optical Drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152076

 

[halbhh]

for what it's worth, with such a frugal budget, that 6400 cpu is a powerhouse and you won't be able to use all that power soon, so there is a place you could save money. Consider, I ran a AMD X2 4200 for a long time, with 1 Gig, and massive multitasking and basically never maxed it out more than 1 second at a time. I know because I kept a cpu monitor running all the time that I could glance at to see. If you buy a cheaper cpu like a 6300 or an AMD X2 on AM2, you won't be stuck with it. those motherboards allow upgrade to quad-core drop-ins, which themselves will eventually be inexpensive (like 18 months from now, when you might actually want it).