I'm trying to build a new PC for around $1000. I could spend a little more, but I feel like I am wasting money if I spend more than a $1000. It will be a home PC and I will do all the usual things, but will also use it for research and software development. I would like to run 64-bit Linux. Here is my wish list, in order of priority:
1) Would like a quad core. Many of the things I would like to do are processor limited: large calculations that may take days, simulations, long compilation jobs, development and testing of multi-threaded software, video encoding.
2) Want as much memory as possible. Some calculations I would like to do want to use many GBs of memory and will crash if I don't have it.
3) Want at least 400GB of storage, and to try to avoid losing data from a hard drive failure. Would like reasonably reliable hard drives with RAID redundancy.
4) Want to use as little power as possible: want an efficient power supply, don't want a video card that eats too much power, don't want to go overboard on overclocking
5) I've never overclocked before, but would like to try it. Would be happy to get 3GHz plus or minus on a Q6600
6) Would like the computer to be as quiet as possible
7) Don't plan on gaming but might do some mild 3D software development
This is what I was thinking of getting:
$290 -- Intel Q6600 2.4GHz -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115017
$100, $20MIR -- EVGA nForce 650i, up to 8GB, SATA RAID 0/1/0+1 -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813188017
$368=184X2 -- 8GB = 2 X pqi DDR2 667 4GB(2x2GB) -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820141141
$170=85X2 -- 2 X SAMSUNG 400GB SATA -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822152085
$90, $15MIR -- EVGA GeForce 7600GT 256MB -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130062
$31 -- SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827151153
$50, $10MIR, COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119068
$27, $15MIR, COOLER MASTER 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835103031
$80, $40MIR - Antec NeoHE 500W, up to 85% efficient -- http://www.netaffilia.com/ad/electronics/frys/i/2007/08/31/26564.html
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$1106 = $1206 - $100MIRs (if I manage to get my rebates)
The things I'm wondering are:
1) Is there anything problematic here? Components that won't work together or won't be reliable?
2) I'm spending a little more than I would have liked. Any way to cut cost? I'm getting killed on the 8GB memory, since I only have 4 slots and the 2GB DIMMs are much more expensive than 1GB DIMMs and have worse speed and timings. If I delay my build a little, will the price on the larger memory modules go down any time soon?
3) I don't know much about overclocking. Would I probably be able to overclock a Q6600 to 3GHz with this motherboard and CPU cooler? I would rather not have to increase the voltage. At 3GHz, I would be at a 333fsb and DDR2 667 would be sufficient, is this correct?
1) Would like a quad core. Many of the things I would like to do are processor limited: large calculations that may take days, simulations, long compilation jobs, development and testing of multi-threaded software, video encoding.
2) Want as much memory as possible. Some calculations I would like to do want to use many GBs of memory and will crash if I don't have it.
3) Want at least 400GB of storage, and to try to avoid losing data from a hard drive failure. Would like reasonably reliable hard drives with RAID redundancy.
4) Want to use as little power as possible: want an efficient power supply, don't want a video card that eats too much power, don't want to go overboard on overclocking
5) I've never overclocked before, but would like to try it. Would be happy to get 3GHz plus or minus on a Q6600
6) Would like the computer to be as quiet as possible
7) Don't plan on gaming but might do some mild 3D software development
This is what I was thinking of getting:
$290 -- Intel Q6600 2.4GHz -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115017
$100, $20MIR -- EVGA nForce 650i, up to 8GB, SATA RAID 0/1/0+1 -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813188017
$368=184X2 -- 8GB = 2 X pqi DDR2 667 4GB(2x2GB) -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820141141
$170=85X2 -- 2 X SAMSUNG 400GB SATA -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822152085
$90, $15MIR -- EVGA GeForce 7600GT 256MB -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130062
$31 -- SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827151153
$50, $10MIR, COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119068
$27, $15MIR, COOLER MASTER 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835103031
$80, $40MIR - Antec NeoHE 500W, up to 85% efficient -- http://www.netaffilia.com/ad/electronics/frys/i/2007/08/31/26564.html
--------
$1106 = $1206 - $100MIRs (if I manage to get my rebates)
The things I'm wondering are:
1) Is there anything problematic here? Components that won't work together or won't be reliable?
2) I'm spending a little more than I would have liked. Any way to cut cost? I'm getting killed on the 8GB memory, since I only have 4 slots and the 2GB DIMMs are much more expensive than 1GB DIMMs and have worse speed and timings. If I delay my build a little, will the price on the larger memory modules go down any time soon?
3) I don't know much about overclocking. Would I probably be able to overclock a Q6600 to 3GHz with this motherboard and CPU cooler? I would rather not have to increase the voltage. At 3GHz, I would be at a 333fsb and DDR2 667 would be sufficient, is this correct?
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