Final Build looking for input/advice $2000

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
F

fastin

Distinguished
Feb 13, 2007
64
0
18,630
I'm building this PC to put away my laptop which I have been using for games for the past year. Budget is no more than 2k, pretty firm on that.

So far this is what Im looking at, please offer advice/input on what should change etc.

Case is: Antec P182 159.99

I tossed and turned on which case to get for the better part of 2 weeks. Currently I have the P182 sitting in my room but may return it to Frys. My other choices are a P180/P180 black or Antec 900. My issues with these 3 other cases is the lack of cable management. Another major issue I have with the 900 is the side window having the open mesh, I have cats need I say more. But I could probably work around that, but cable management is pretty huge for me...I don't want this system to be a mess and I want it to have great airflow and look nice. Without the cable management how well can I clean the cables up?

CPU:E6600 $308 (Soon to be cheaper)

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320gb $80

DVD Drive: Something Sata

Graphics: Trying to swing a 8800GTX but may get the 8800 320mb then use EVGA90days to upgrade to the 8800GTX $279-559...actually I know I will in hopes of the GTX dropping a little in price.

Cooler: Tuniq Tower $50-65

Monitor: Samsung 22inc 225BW $299

PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply $149.99

Motherboard: This is an issue P5B Deluxe/WiFi P65 192.99 or Gigabyte DS3 $122.99

Im looking to overclock the E6600 to 3.4Ghz range, this will be my very first OC so I need something that isn't going to be a major pita and is hopefully fairly easy to use.

Memory: 2gb-3gb No clue whatsoever. To be quite honest I wont OC right off the bat, so Im looking for something that I can drop into the mobo and have the system boot up without any problems or needing to update the settings etc.

OS: XP Pro $100 (No Vista for now)

With this PC Im looking to play the normal games, Oblivion, HL2, Stalker, few older games, and of course anything new that comes out.

Looking for as much help as I can get. I have a tax refund burning a major hole in my pocket!
 
G

GoldenRiver

Distinguished
Apr 12, 2007
56
0
18,630
just thought that you know since u probably getting the gtx u'll need 2 pci-e connectors for ONE card.

monitor get the samsung 226BW its better. no questions asked.
motherboard... hmmm i would just pay another 20 bucks for evga 680i motherboard. hehe =]

but if i had to pick out of those two definately the asus.

for memory get 2gb. this is a nice ddr2-800 timings 4-4-3-5 =]
i will be getting this if my dad won't pay for the ocz xlc flex lol

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231114
 
W

wilcoxon

Distinguished
Mar 23, 2007
230
0
18,680
Case: I'm not familiar with the P182. I just bought a P180B (Skyguy has a nice cabling guide for it on these forums). I looked at the 900 but it has the side mesh and is much louder than the P180.

DVD: If you get a SATA optical drive, you might have trouble installing the OS as SATA usually isn't completely happy without drivers installed.

Monitor: As GoldenRiver said, spend the few extra dollars for the Samsung 226BW.

Mobo: I'd go with the DS3 myself... wait, I did go with the DS3. :)

RAM: Get any decent brand DDR2-800. You could overclock an E6600 up to 3.6GHz without overclocking the RAM. If you want to save a few dollars, get some DDR2-667 that overclocks. You either want 2GB or 4GB (although 32-bit Vista (and XP I believe) will only recognize around 3.15GB).
 
F

fastin

Distinguished
Feb 13, 2007
64
0
18,630
Thanks for the replies!

Hmm will change the monitor as its only a couple dollars more, only thing I wish was different about that monitor is the adjustable stand...but not that big of a deal.

Mobo is just a pita. Everyone keeps saying DS3 or Asus p5b wifi, this is probably my biggest issue.

Would the ram I linked work fine in either mobo without any issues? Booting up without needing to adjust anything etc. I hadn't really planned on OC'ing past 3.4ghz but that will probably change when I actually get this system built.

The only difference on the P180 series vs the 182 is cable management (the ability to run the cables behind the mobo) but Ill check out the guide.
ATM I can get the P180B from Frys for 79.99 after rebate but I have to buy it tomorrow...thats a huge huge savings for just the cable management imo.
 
F

fastin

Distinguished
Feb 13, 2007
64
0
18,630
As far as cooling goes Im starting to lean away from the Tuniq Tower from the installation nightmares I have been reading. Can someone reccomend a different cooler that will over great cooling for an OC, and hopefully isn't to much of a pain to actually install.
 
W

wilcoxon

Distinguished
Mar 23, 2007
230
0
18,680
The Scythe Ninja and (especially) Noctua are quieter than the Tuniq but will run a few degrees warmer (not an issue unless you are trying for an extreme oc).

That said, I went with the Noctua because one of my goals was a quiet system. Honestly, it was also because NewEgg was out of both the Tuniq Tower and Thermalright Ultra 120 when I was ordering so I grabbed the Noctua NH-U12F and a few NF-S12-1200 (which I'd wanted but was going to skip simply for the convenience of ordering almost everything from NewEgg).
 
fishboi

fishboi

Distinguished
Apr 25, 2006
1,415
0
19,280
Memory - I bought DDR2 800Mhz, and could only get my FSB up to 370Mhz (therefore only utilizing 740Mhz of my 800Mhz RAM using the 2:1 ratio). This was a waste of money.

I've tried the 8X multiplier at 400Mhz+, but my board does not seem to handle it (I cant get a stable OC above 400Mhz).

To conclude: make sure your board can overclock its FSB to beyond 400Mhz to make DDR2 800Mhz RAM worth it.

PS. You can always set it beyond the 2:1 ratio for your RAM, but my tests revealed a actual decrease in performance with the P5W DH. Not sure about the 965 series. Good luck.
 
fishboi

fishboi

Distinguished
Apr 25, 2006
1,415
0
19,280
Cooler = Thermalright Ultra 120. Awesome. Easy installation, good cooling. Took a month or so for my temps to really drop (think it had something to do with the AS5). My sig shows 70 load. Wrote that when I installed it. I checked last night, and I get to about 65 at load, which is not a prob.
 
G

grant8844

Distinguished
Nov 16, 2006
116
0
18,680
Check my Sig for a great case, Aurora 570, same price as the ones you are considering and has lots of room for cable management.
I upgraded the fans on this with an antec trio? great cooling.

Also consider the Corsair PSU. very robust and is very conservatively rated, operates more like a 750 watt PSU
 
daflyinpig

daflyinpig

Distinguished
Oct 9, 2006
8
0
18,510
I'd go with the corsair one.
But I'm a Corsair fanboy. haha.
I am under the belief that their ram is the most compatible with pretty much any mobo.

As far as efficiency goes, I'm not too sure about ocz's ps, but I saw a post on the inquirer where they had a 620w corsair psu powering 2 8800gts's in sli, core 2 extreme, and all the other goodies. :]
 
W

wilcoxon

Distinguished
Mar 23, 2007
230
0
18,680
The Corsair PSUs are made by Seasonic. The Corsair HX PSU is about halfway between the Seasonic S12 and M12. Personally, I ended up going with the Seasonic S12 Energy+ 650W as it is cheaper and quieter than the Corsair 620HX.
 
W

wilcoxon

Distinguished
Mar 23, 2007
230
0
18,680
What does the P5B have that is worth $70+ over the DS3? I haven't looked at the P5B in detail but not much would be worth $70 extra for a mobo to me.
 
F

fastin

Distinguished
Feb 13, 2007
64
0
18,630
Yah I have made up my mind, getting the DS3. Now the only issue is the vers.

3.3 is the newest? /shrug looking into the differences now.
 
W

wilcoxon

Distinguished
Mar 23, 2007
230
0
18,680
If you order from NewEgg, you should receive a Rev 3.3 (unless you order the one specifically listed as Rev 1.3 that is a little cheaper).

As far as I can find, there isn't a huge difference with any Rev except 3.3 supports 1333 FSB CPU (which aren't out yet anyway).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom