Setting up parts for a friend...

[rabidbunny]

a friend of mine came up to me today and asked me to find a list of parts for a custom computer for himself. He mentioned the ''D'' word and I cringed....he then reconsidered it and asked me to put together a list of parts for a FULL system (that includes speakers, keyboard, monitor, mouse...etc..)
He has asked me to find TWO setups using two different dollar amounts.
$1400 and $1700.

I will post specs later about what I've found. I don't know exactly what he wants, other than I know he is going to be using it for gaming. I do not know what games exactly...
I will be using Newegg as my primary seller.

Thanks, and PLEASE post any ideas on what to propose to him..
Any brands are perfectly fine. I will be investigating C2D right now since it is AWSOME! compared to current AMD cpus.

ALSO: I do not think he will be ocing (especially since I have not oced my pc yet and I could not help him if he did it himself)
AND I do not know when he will plan to be building this. So I will be acting like he is going to build within the next week even though I don't think he will..

THANK YOU to all who help...
T.

 

[alcattle]

I would start the list with your rig, price it out, and add some if needed. Nothing would make most people happier about DIY then it will turn out better then their friend's system. I know there will be room for a better video card, which leads to a bigger monitor possibly. Thinking a 19" for the $1400 rig an maybe a 22" for the $1700 build. But we can add and critique best when you start a list.

 

[rabidbunny]

Thanks for the response!

I have already picked some parts out, I will post them later as I do not have much time now to post them..

Basicly, I have taken similar parts from the rig I have, like the hd, monitor, keyboard, cpu, and added to them.. I have included an 8800 gts (320 mb) instead of my 7600gt. I think I will be advising him to wait at least until the end of the summer if he can because of Intel dropping the prices on quad cores...

So, I will get back to toms later and post my possibilities....

Thanks again!
T.

 

[rabidbunny]

Alright, I have set up both systems with a 650 i motherboard by asus and MSI. they are actually cheaper than waht I paid for my system's board (ds3) I don't know if my buddy wants sli in the future, but since the board does have it and supports newer cpus, I am including it.

Is this a good choice?

Will post parts soon...

 

[alcattle]

The n650i chipset is newer and has not been tested as much but it still has great features and loads of future upgrade possibilities. the DS3 with the 965 chipset is a proven veteran and the rev 3.3 has many of the new things, both solid choices.

 

[rabidbunny]

ALRIGHT! HERE THEY COME!

Here's the $1400 usd system (all rough, quick picks)

XMS ddr2 800 2x1gb


nzxt black

Asus 650i

geforce 8800gts 320mb

FSP 700 w psu

Conroe e6400

Seagate 320gb (with perpendicular recording technology)

Saitek red eclipse keyboard

Samsung 19" widescreen monitor

Logitech gaming mouse

Logitech X-530 5.1 speakers

Add in a dvd burner for about $30 and a floppy drive for $7 and the total comes to (not including shipping)

$1524

I know this one was supposed to be $1400, but I could cut back on the keyboard and mouse (I don't like my G5 mouse that much..)....I think the hard drive is good (just bought another one for an external drive) and I know the cpu is awsome right now. I have heard about the intel price drops with quad core coming out later this year, but I don't know when my friend is going to but this..

 

[rabidbunny]

Anyone?

I know that soon the $$ will drop on C2D and that will make it cheaper to build an awsome system.
The other parts I picked are basically the same as the 1700$$ option, except I have a different monitor, and the e6600 instead of the e6400.

I know that FSP is an awsome psu manufacturer and that Corsair is used in most custom builder's systems.

Any hints at making things a bit better?

 

[alcattle]

Sounds like a great system. As you said, if you wait, you will get a better deal on parts. You also lose a month or more of using the system, and you sell the parts you repace to save more on the new parts. Only overkill, which is not a bad thing in this case is the PSU. It will last for many more builds so the price evens out.

 

[skyguy]

Ok, a few comments about your $1400/$1500 build.......

-if your buddy is not overclocking, then get cheaper RAM. 2 gigs of G.Skill, PQI, or A-Data will save some money.

-for the price range of your PSU, ditch the FSP. Get something better for that money, or go with a cheaper FSP.

-ASUS 650i is picky. MSI P6N-SLI 650i is newer (and therefore BIOS still needs tweaking), but it appears to be a better board, less picky, and more stable. I'd recommend the MSI.

-go with a standard aspect 19" LCD. It actually has more pixels than the widescreen. Plus, the 19" widescreen is actually about as tall as a standard-aspect 17". So the 19" is actually gonna seem rather short. Go with a 1280x1024 LCD.

 

[rabidbunny]

Ok, thanks for the comments. I do agree with the ram, but the corsair is under $200, so I consider it a deal. I can drop down to lower speed memory though.
I also have to agree with the 700watt psu, that was just a quick pick on my part because I was short on time. I talked to my friend today and he said that he'd like to SLi in the future (not that he exactly knows what it does besides dual cards and bragging rights), so I do believe that something with a high power is needed since he probably won't know how to change the psu and I will not be around to help him.

It sounds like the MSI 650i board is good, I think i've read a review on it....
The monitor I posted is something I, again, made a quick pick. I also included in the more expensive setup the Viewsonic vx922 19inch which I have and love to death. It is about $50 more though..

My friend told me that he'd probably get this rig as a graduation gift, so he'd be looking at buying after April! Maybe then I can get my paws on some quad cores!!! woot!!

So, for now this rig is undergoing minor changes until the purchase date. I can keep changing the list (when I have time) to fit his needs and find the sweet spot with price/performance.

He absolutely loved the GTS, thought 320 mb was freakin awesome...
Again, he is pretty much computer hardware illiterate, but he trusts me to help him which I consider an honor..

Who knows? maybe some day I'll be a highly recommended pc builder! (Here's hoping..)

Thanks for your ideas, keep them coming if you have any more...
I would like to offer him a different case, possibly cheaper. I have an Aspire x-plorer case and I love it. I konw something with double the price should be better, but I want to minimize his price...
Any ideas?

 

[skyguy]

Cool.

What's the price budget for the case? And does he want bling or simple?

 

[rabidbunny]

as far as budget, I would like to find one that was under the $120, BUT that amount is good. I do not know what he wants for a case....Something that'd be pretty cool (literally and figuratively). I think my aspire x-plorer is good, but it could be better...
I shall have to ask him what he wants in a case..

Will let you know on Monday.

In the meantime, feel free to post any ideas...

 

[skyguy]

Thermaltake Matrix VX, a very well kept secret for some reason. Affordable, got some bling, versatile, good ventilation, extremely light.

Thermaltake Armor Jr. Cool case, removable hdd cage, versatile, got some bling, good quality, well reviewed and good reputation.

Antec P180 if you can get a good deal. Quiet, lots of room, sleek minimalist, but a pain to cable properly.

Lian-Li 7A Plus II. Sexy minimalist case, classic and roomy. Great reputation.



All are within the budget, though prices will vary. Styles vary, but those offer and quick range of options.

 

[rabidbunny]

thanks, those look pretty cool! I'd even consider picking one up if I wanted to change my case, they look better than my x-plorer..

Sweet

thanks,
T.