Homebuilt Questions and Suggestions ::
Last response: in Systems
many answers needed::
- i have the antec p180 case, and an antec truepower trio power supply...
when you try to fit the power cables through their little duct that keeps out the heat, do you want to put all of them in the upper area of the chassis?
also, it seems too me that all of the wires will barely fit. is it supposed to be like that, or is it jsut because my power supply has a lot of connectors?
-im thinking of having an e6400 or an e6420 in this build. this "class" that im in is giving us 600 dollars to "build your own computer". im going to be adding $700 of my own money to make this a gaming pc. is there any way to build a stable pc for 600 AND include a possible e6300/6400/4300 witha gigabyte ds3/s3 (which i assume is the best budget c2d oc'ing board?)
-im not sure if i would need to do this or not, but, do yyou think i will have to flash the BIOS? i have no clue how to do this, so any guides would be helpful.
-would you recommend using 667mhz or 800mhz mem? i know 800mhz oc's better, but if im most likely going to be on a stock cooler, is it even worht the extra money? im still not even sure if i want to oc.
although they do sell quality 800 mhz ram for 170 ish dollars (2 gigs of course) i know that some RAM doesnt work with the ds3/s3.
-im going to get either the 8600U or the 8800gts 320 meg for my build.
im assuming the 8600U will be out before mid-april (when we are actaully building it) which would you recommend for a computer on this $1200-$1300 (including monitor, mouse/keyboard etc)?
im only afraid that if i get the 8600U, that it wont work well with a 20 inch widescreen monitor (1680 x 1080) playing even old games at highest textures/AA and AF? or should i get a 19 inch widescreen, or 19 inch 4:3 regular (1280 x 1024)
-should i get 1 or 2 dvd burners?
-should i add more 120mm fans to my antec p180 case? it seems to already be nicely cooled...but u never know.
-do :gaming" mouses really make that much or a difference, or should i jsut get a wired/wireless microsoft set?
****
in wrapping up my extremely noobish, prolonged topic, i jsut want to know if a COMPLETE build for $1200-$1300 that fits all my needs is possible (with the 8600U or 8800gts)
i would really appreciate replies, and, again, srry for the long post@@@
- i have the antec p180 case, and an antec truepower trio power supply...
when you try to fit the power cables through their little duct that keeps out the heat, do you want to put all of them in the upper area of the chassis?
also, it seems too me that all of the wires will barely fit. is it supposed to be like that, or is it jsut because my power supply has a lot of connectors?
-im thinking of having an e6400 or an e6420 in this build. this "class" that im in is giving us 600 dollars to "build your own computer". im going to be adding $700 of my own money to make this a gaming pc. is there any way to build a stable pc for 600 AND include a possible e6300/6400/4300 witha gigabyte ds3/s3 (which i assume is the best budget c2d oc'ing board?)
-im not sure if i would need to do this or not, but, do yyou think i will have to flash the BIOS? i have no clue how to do this, so any guides would be helpful.
-would you recommend using 667mhz or 800mhz mem? i know 800mhz oc's better, but if im most likely going to be on a stock cooler, is it even worht the extra money? im still not even sure if i want to oc.
although they do sell quality 800 mhz ram for 170 ish dollars (2 gigs of course) i know that some RAM doesnt work with the ds3/s3.
-im going to get either the 8600U or the 8800gts 320 meg for my build.
im assuming the 8600U will be out before mid-april (when we are actaully building it) which would you recommend for a computer on this $1200-$1300 (including monitor, mouse/keyboard etc)?
im only afraid that if i get the 8600U, that it wont work well with a 20 inch widescreen monitor (1680 x 1080) playing even old games at highest textures/AA and AF? or should i get a 19 inch widescreen, or 19 inch 4:3 regular (1280 x 1024)
-should i get 1 or 2 dvd burners?
-should i add more 120mm fans to my antec p180 case? it seems to already be nicely cooled...but u never know.
-do :gaming" mouses really make that much or a difference, or should i jsut get a wired/wireless microsoft set?
****
in wrapping up my extremely noobish, prolonged topic, i jsut want to know if a COMPLETE build for $1200-$1300 that fits all my needs is possible (with the 8600U or 8800gts)
i would really appreciate replies, and, again, srry for the long post@@@
More about : homebuilt questions suggestions
The P180 doesn't usually need more fans.
BTW, there is no 6420.
A normal mouse works great.
In your case, I don't think you really need top of the line graphics.
Why get 2 DVD burners?
There's no way you will get 2 GB of 667 or 800 RAM for $170. I'm using Kingston 533 memory, and it works fine, even with OC'ing my E6600 to 3 GHz.
BTW, there is no 6420.
A normal mouse works great.
In your case, I don't think you really need top of the line graphics.
Why get 2 DVD burners?
There's no way you will get 2 GB of 667 or 800 RAM for $170. I'm using Kingston 533 memory, and it works fine, even with OC'ing my E6600 to 3 GHz.
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM write and LightScribe
$34.99
(You can get 2 drives if you want, but you dont "Need them"
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA
Fast and good $ to GB ratio
$89.99
Acer Office Line AL2223Wd Black-Silver 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen
$289.99
This is a bigger monitor with fast refresh time and 1680x1080 resolution.I only went this big because you had some room in your budget, but I do own this monitor and its very nice!
EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3
(you can use the step-up program if you decide this is not enough power for you)
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$299.99
Logitech MX3000 967553-0403 2-Tone USB + PS/2 RF Wireless Standard Desktop Set
$63.99
The difference between a midrange logitec mouse and a "gaming mouse" will hardly be noticeable in actual gameplay
OCZ S.O.E 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2SOE6672GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227118
(you can relax the timings and run at DDR800 if you need to)
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$155.99
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
$122.99
The shipping rev2 and rev.3 already have the latest (F10) bios installed
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775
$222.00(this should be close to the E6420 launch price)
Subtotal: $1,279.93
With your case as long as you have a intake and exhaust fan you should be ok.
$34.99
(You can get 2 drives if you want, but you dont "Need them"
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA
Fast and good $ to GB ratio
$89.99
Acer Office Line AL2223Wd Black-Silver 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen
$289.99
This is a bigger monitor with fast refresh time and 1680x1080 resolution.I only went this big because you had some room in your budget, but I do own this monitor and its very nice!
EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3
(you can use the step-up program if you decide this is not enough power for you)
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$299.99
Logitech MX3000 967553-0403 2-Tone USB + PS/2 RF Wireless Standard Desktop Set
$63.99
The difference between a midrange logitec mouse and a "gaming mouse" will hardly be noticeable in actual gameplay
OCZ S.O.E 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2SOE6672GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227118
(you can relax the timings and run at DDR800 if you need to)
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$155.99
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
$122.99
The shipping rev2 and rev.3 already have the latest (F10) bios installed
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775
$222.00(this should be close to the E6420 launch price)
Subtotal: $1,279.93
With your case as long as you have a intake and exhaust fan you should be ok.
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do yyou think i will have to flash the BIOS?
Absolutely NOT!.
just make sure the board u buy has 2006 or 2007 writing on it.
Bios flashing is for ppl who have mobo's over 5 yrs old and wanna keep their old boards if the manufacturer makes a compatible BIOS update
MEMORY: Double check with your motherboard manuf if 800 Mhz mem is supported, its always best to get the fastest memory u can afford, to help protect ur pc from future upgrades. Slower memory can cause a slowdown or bottlenecks.
Here's a site that will give u quick specs on great GAMING systems, most under ur 1200 - 1300 budget. http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/Default.asp
Absolutely NOT!.
just make sure the board u buy has 2006 or 2007 writing on it.
Bios flashing is for ppl who have mobo's over 5 yrs old and wanna keep their old boards if the manufacturer makes a compatible BIOS update
MEMORY: Double check with your motherboard manuf if 800 Mhz mem is supported, its always best to get the fastest memory u can afford, to help protect ur pc from future upgrades. Slower memory can cause a slowdown or bottlenecks.
Here's a site that will give u quick specs on great GAMING systems, most under ur 1200 - 1300 budget. http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/Default.asp
Quote:
do yyou think i will have to flash the BIOS?Absolutely NOT!.
just make sure the board u buy has 2006 or 2007 writing on it.
Bios flashing is for ppl who have mobo's over 5 yrs old and wanna keep their old boards if the manufacturer makes a compatible BIOS update
MEMORY: Double check with your motherboard manuf if 800 Mhz mem is supported, its always best to get the fastest memory u can afford, to help protect ur pc from future upgrades. Slower memory can cause a slowdown or bottlenecks.
Here's a site that will give u quick specs on great GAMING systems, most under ur 1200 - 1300 budget. http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/Default.asp
Reflashing the bios is not just for 5 year old motherboards. The DS3 ,for example, is in its 10th revision. Often a new bios comes out to fix a known problem or to improve stability or increase overclocking potential.
With the ram you are mostly right-buy the fastest you can afford, but at a point you wont see any benefits in really fast ram if you are not overclocking. Probably by the time Intel goes to a 1600mhz FSB they will be using DDR3 so this ram would be OK for a non/mild over clocker till then. This is Cas4 memory so you could always loosen the timings to Cas5 and run at DDR800 speeds. Also this ram will work with the DS3, as a few people posted at newegg said. (BTW some of the bios revisions for the DS3 were to increase compatibility with different ram)
As for cyberpower, they have decent prices, but none will come close to the performance of the system I configured above for ~$1280~. I configured a very similar system there and it came to ~$1650 also with out windows. Pre-built systems are for people that cant / don't want to be their own tech support or just think a computer is just another piece of electronics like a TV or microwave. Only the very cheap prebuilt systems are cheeper but mostly because of the bundled software.
Lionheart- The DS3s that are shipping right now do have the current f10 bios so you wont have to flash this one, but if you ever have to, gigabyte has a utility that can flash a new bios in windows- very easy.
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