I have an aging system I want to hand down to the wife so I can get my self a brand new screamer Any way, I used to be a huge Dell fan, but in the years since I bought my first system from them thier Customer Support, Tech Support and just about everything about them has gone hugely downhill. They were great back in the day and when I did not know much more than "upgrade everything".
Now, I know a little bit more about what I want to get and do. I want a gaming rig, but I need it on a budget (I have a wife and three kids now) I can afford probably $1500 for the whole thing including software. I might be able to run a copy XP I have but not sure. I would like to be able to play things like Crysis on near max but I do not need 800FPS while doing it =P I would like it to be at least a little bit future proof. I do not need a lot of HD room. I barely have half of my 120 GB drive filled after 3 years. So, probably around 150GB or so would be fine. Prefer faster rather than huge.
Now, I have never built my own system but I am a pretty smart guy and pretty handy. However, I would like to stay away from having to modify stuff as much as possible and just stick with plug and play
Summary of what I am looking for in the system:
Play games at max-near max
Expandable in the future
Upgradable in the future
Not much customizing
I prefer Intel and Nvidia, but will go with whatever gives the most bang for the buck. I greatly appreciate any help that is offered. Thanks guys!
35-100-007 CPU THERMPASTE|ARCTIC SILVER5 3.5G% 1 $5.99 $5.99
35-118-019 CPU COOLER ZALMAN|9700 LED RTL 1 $54.99 $54.99
22-136-073 HD 500G|WD 7K 16M SATA2 WD5000AAKS 1 $104.99 $104.99 This item is serviced by the Western Digital. Please call 800 832 4778 for service.
27-106-079 DVD_BURN LITE-ON|DH-20A3P-08 BK R 2 $26.99 $53.98
24-009-094 MNTR ACER|LCD 22" 5MS DVI AL2216WBD 1 $229.99 $229.99
11-129-021 CASE ANTEC|NINE HUNDRED BK RT 1 $119.99 $119.99
19-115-017 CPU INTEL|C2Q Q6600 2.40G 775 8M R 1 $279.99 $279.99 Intel (800)-628-8686 Please Verify Processor matches order Prior to installation. IMPORTANT: Always pack you CPU well for return. We will refuse your RMA if we received it as DAMAGED!
I am really hoping I can get all of this stuff put together and up and running. If anything is DOA I might be DOA as I have no idea how to put it together correctly so won't know if it is me or the bad product lol...
I might be able to run a copy XP I have but not sure. I would like to be able to play things like Crysis on near max but I do not need 800FPS while doing it =P
Play games at max-near max Expandable in the future Upgradable in the future Not much customizing
Ok a few things you should know: 1. You WILL NOT be able to play Crysis on MAX, in fact not even a high end SLI set up can play at the best settings, this shouldn't be a problem unless you are playing in a 30+" monitor with high res. (ie. 1600*1200, etc) and 4+x AA etc.
2. Upgradability pretty much dies for ALL curent Intel motherboards by the end of 2008, because Nehalm will have a new socket, etc. Never the less your PC should serve you fine for the next 2-4 years. You can also drop in a Q6600 or other quad core when the prices comes to about $150.
3. You will not be able to use the Dell XP CD without a hack/crack. It will install but will not activate (with out a hack).
Message edited by Shadow703793 on 12-28-2007 at 09:52:22 PM
Well, here is what I come up with on NewEgg so far. Though the Hard Drives I selected are out of stock at the moment. I guess I may need to put something else in there if ordering time comes and they are not in stock yet.
The main thing I am looking for here is checking for compatability. Do I have the fastest video card (ie is it the PCIE instead of an older AGP) Do I have enough slots for everything. Is the OS compatabible with the rest of it? Do I need any additinal fans or cooling options if I am not overclocking this? Also, refining any recommendations on what I am selecting so far would be great! Thank you in advance again guys!
Update Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #: Nine Hundred
Item #: N82E16811129021
I think I would also go for the Q6600 now to over the E6750. The latter will be marginally faster in many games today but I think that will change shortly as more games take advantage of multiple cores. In addition.
If you willing to buy from other online e-tailers than you can get some of the parts cheaper. Not sure if this is an option, but just thought I'd throw that out there. The main reason I state this is the PSU's on newegg.com aren't always a good price. The other things that I'd suggest about your build is just a few things.
1) I'd get the newest 8800gts 512mb (g92 version), because it's close to your older GPU (8800gtx 640mb g80 version) and is faster than the one you selected.
$356 shipped - $20 MIR = $336!! You can upgrade within the 90 days of shipment with the eVga "Step Up" program, if you feel that you need to upgrade to the latest/greatest GPU.
EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130312
2) DVD burner I'd get the "Retail" version, so you don't have to buy the burning software seperately. This will only cost you $2 more for this option! LITE-ON 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM IDE DVD Burner included extra White bezel - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106079
3) Not sure if you need an add on Sound card, because onboard sound is quite good these days. That would save you $140. For most people I'd recommend using the onboard sound first and if it doesn't work out for you than go ahead and get the addon card.
Ok, the wife said I had to trim back some money /cry
I definately will buy these products wherever they are the cheapest. I just like NewEgg because they usually have very low prices and ship very fast and stuff gets to you at the same time (usually). If I can save 20 or 30 bucks here or there I will.
I swapped out the video card for the 512 GT to save some bucks and I think it will serve its purpose at least for now. When/if I decide I need to upgrade I will swap it into my wife's "new" computer (My old one =P)
I also dropped the sound card since I really do not listen to music a lot and I think according to the guy above me the on board sound will work.
I would love to upgrade to the q6600. However, due to budgetary reasons I cannot. /drool on quad core.
Here is the new list:
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #: Nine Hundred
Item #: N82E16811129021
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W Power Supply - Retail Model #: CMPSU-550VX
Item #: N82E16817139004
Mail-in Rebate
$104.99 -$5.00 Instant $99.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6550 - Retail Model #: BX80557E6550
Item #: N82E16819115030
$174.99 -$5.00 Instant $169.99
Kingston 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR667D2N5K2/4G - Retail Model #: KVR667D2N5K2/4G
Item #: N82E16820134193
$119.99 -$40.00 Instant $79.99
Western Digital Caviar RE WD1600YS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #: WD1600YS
Item #: N82E16822136062
$59.99 $59.99
Logitech MX 5000 967558-0403 Black USB Bluetooth Wireless Standard Desktop Mouse Included - Retail Model #: 967558-0403
Item #: N82E16823126176
$119.99 $119.99
Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP support - Retail Model #: ET.2216B.0D0
Item #: N82E16824009094
$249.99 -$20.00 Instant $229.99
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner included extra White bezel, with 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE Model DH-20A3P-08 - Retail Model #: DH-20A3P-08
Item #: N82E16827106079
Okay just a few final comments, so you can do with it what you will. The onboard sound on the DS3R has these features, which is more than enough for 95% of builds:
Onboard Audio Audio Chipset Realtek ALC889A
Audio Channels 8 Channels
Rear Panel Ports PS/2 2
USB 8 x USB 2.0
S/PDIF Out 1x Optical, 1x Coaxial
Audio Ports 6 Ports
* I'm not trying to change your mind, but this onboard audio has 8 channels, IIRC this does support 7.1? Correct me if I'm wrong here, someone?
* I'm not sure how your household is setup, but I play all of my games with a headset, since I have several computers next to each other. I know alot of people use headsets, since you can hear what's going on and also use the mic for talking to your opponents or teamates.
If these 2 items are not critical than you could save the $200 on the audio card and speaker set and use that for the GPU upgrade to 8800gts, which would be better since it's faster and also is a double slot cooling solution, which the 8800gt's are only single slot solutions and tend to run quite warm.
The Antec 900 goes on sale every so often for $60 after MIR's, so I'd pick it up if it approaches this price. There are plenty of other options on the case, but the 900 is pretty good for the $, so I don't blame you for wanting this setup.
If you like the suggestions that I listed above you would be saving about $140 off of your last suggestion ($200 on audio parts - $60 GPU upgrade to 8800gts 512mb (g92)). This would put you under your $1500 starting price and I'm sure the wife would like that. With my suggestions you'd be getting better performance (because of better GPU), but would be cutting back on the audio parts. Like I said before these are only thoughts and suggestions from me. Other people will make their suggestions, but that is where I'm coming from. Good luck with the build and please come back after you build it and let us how it all worked out.
Message edited by lunyone on 01-11-2008 at 10:41:25 PM
Are you and the wife going to be on the internet at the same time? If so you need to think about setting up a small network. Just throwing this out there, would be < $100 depending on the router and wireless cards.
I got a linksys router, a PCIMA card for the laptop and a PCI wireless card for the desktop for around $85
Message edited by chuckm on 01-12-2008 at 12:57:32 AM
Yes, we are going to be on the internet at the same time. We already have a wireless and wired network setup. We have two home computers and three laptops in the house running now.
lunyone, what did you mean by the above comment? I did not violate any posting rules or anything did I? If so I am sorry =/
No you didn't violate anything. I'm pretty sure there is a section for selling personal items, so that is why I mentioned what I did about chuckm. I'm not complaining or anything, just bringing it up.
Any way, I used to be a huge Dell fan, but in the years since I bought my first system from them thier Customer Support, Tech Support and just about everything about them has gone hugely downhill. They were great back in the day and when I did not know much more than "upgrade everything".
