New 2k system build, need some final advice

[maverick7]

here is the build:

im really not too sure if the 680i mobo is overkill or not, and im not too sure about the hard drive either, or the ram lol, or if i need 700 watt psu, because any money i can save is helpful. Also what about the monitor?? actually lol just go over anything u can lol or u think needs changing

*btw this build is for my friend, and im pretty sure he wants to be able to play some newer games on highish graphics, starcraft 2, etc etc and again if he can save any money at all im sure he would be quite pleased.. 2k is the absolute max, but id really like it to be under as much as possible while still having good performance...

*im also counting on the Q6600 coming down to about $300 or so
*this is in canadian currency
*also is it even worth it to go for the 680i? or would i be better off going just for the 650i?? he may be doing some ocing

 

[fredthegalv]

that looks like an awesome build, i have to say that i couldn't really improve that built by very much. how do you know that the price of the core 2 duo is going to drop by $300?

 

[maverick7]

because intel announced july 22 price cuts lol and it seems to be common knowledge on the forums

 

[aevm]

I'd go with a Gigabyte P35C-DS3R motherboard, but that's just a preference. The rest is beautiful :lol:

The price for the Q6600 should be US $266, but it may be higher at first because of huge demand. Tons of people have been waiting for that CPU and July 22. Just to give you an idea, an E6850 should also cost US$266 and it's listed at an Ottawa shop for CAD$338.

 

[maverick7]

hmmmm really?? thats quite the thing to consider then ty

 

[Noya]

Why do people dump a ton of cash into a new build, only to cripple it with a single hard drive?

 

[aevm]

Sometimes it makes sense. I can buy 2 drives of 500 GB each for a total of C$244 today, or buy one now and add a 1 TB drive in 6 months, for about the same total money. But yeah, good point, it's best to have a drive for the O/S and programs and another for data (downloaded files, videos, etc.), it helps with fragmentation and backups.

 

[maverick7]

well what would u suggest i do??? i know that for my personal build im going to use a raptor and a storage drive but for my friends pc i really dont know how i can squeeze that all in while still keeping the gtx... so please help me get a good pc for 2000

and how exactly does that work having a raptor and a storage drive?? do i have to load xp on the raptor and all the games on it and really all the programs i want to use and then music and pictures go on the storage drive or what?? can someone explain that to me please

 

[aevm]

Yeah, you're perfectly right there. Yeah, if you have reached the budget limit then get the GTX and one storage drive, and let your friend add another disk whenever he really needs it. It will be cheaper or bigger in a few months too :lol:
I'd rather have the GTX and no Raptor than the other way round.

 

[maverick7]

but could you or someone else explain how have 2 drives works?? like how does it increase your speed etc, what programs do i have to load on it etc etc i really dont know.

 

[aevm]

That's a huge topic. You could try starting here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID_array

 

[maverick7]

but its not raid im talking about.. i mean one 74 gig raptor for the fast stuff, and then a storage drive to store stuff... i cant afford raid atm

 

[radicalspud]

that Corsair XMS2 Xtreme PC-6400 2 GB kit can be purchased from newegg.com or from zipzoomfly.com for $130 and there's a $40 mail-in rebate on it until...tomorrow, i think for newegg (ZZF rebate ends 7/23; free shipping also). check out newegg's deals pages for it, or www.dealnews.com for the zipzoomfly one.i just saw it today on there. that should give you some extra loot to use on other stuff.

personally i only use ASUS motherboards, but that's just me. i've never had any problems with them and i've built several machines now. they are a little above average in price, but well worth it IMO.

edit: actually, it's also 4-4-4-12 timing RAM. what's listed in your picture is 5-5-5-18, which is higher latency.

 

[maverick7]

yea i love asus but i just dont know if he can afford to get an asus card instead...

*what is the asus 650i equivalent?? because i know for sure he cant afford a striker extreme lol

 

[aevm]

but its not raid im talking about.. i mean one 74 gig raptor for the fast stuff, and then a storage drive to store stuff... i cant afford raid atm

I'd put Windows and its swap file on the Raptor, plus the most frequently used programs. Everything else can sit on a slower but bigger storage drive. Defragment weekly for best results.

 

[aevm]

yea i love asus but i just dont know if he can afford to get an asus card instead...

*what is the asus 650i equivalent?? because i know for sure he cant afford a striker extreme lol

P5N32-E SLI Plus, for example. Not a bad mobo at all, but a P35 is still better because it would allow a CPU upgrade in a year or two.

 

[foxrocks]

If you're not using the SLI functionality it makes more sense to get a P35 board. I'd always recommend the Gigabyte P35-DS3R for medium-high end builds such as yours.

Other than that it looks good. Is there any way to get a decent 20" monitor with a 1680x1050 resolution into your budget? Would help the 8800GTX to flex its muscles a bit.

 

[dldude]

Is $200 RAM really needed? Whenever I see these $2000 machines, it just looks like you're getting expensive parts just for the sake if them being expensive when you're likely to only see a 0-5% improvement