Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > $1500 vs $2000 Computer and other questions

$1500 vs $2000 Computer and other questions

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - $1500 vs $2000 Computer and other questions

Tom's Hardware: Over 1.4 million members in 6 different countries available to answer all your high-tech questions. Sign up now! Its free!

Ask the community Add a reply

Bottom Search this thread

SoI need to get a new pc becuse my old one is a uber P.O.S. So i built a computer on ne and then later asked my freind to build me one since he knows way more about comps then me. But when he showd me it I was like eh and kept mine becuse If I buy it I wouldnt feel right becuse then it wouldnt really be mine and Ive wanted a "REAL" computer ever since my first which was like in 98. Ive always had the crappy integrated gfx and 12ms seek hd and 128mb ram. So my question is, Is my computer going to be any faster and also is it worth the extra $500. Becuse I dont wanna spend $2000 and it sucks. So if you have any suggestions let me know. I need good feedback

P.S. Build a comp = Put it in the ne cart, Not actul Build

Mine $2000:
Processor - $345
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz 1333FSB 12MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115042

Motherboard - $250
EVGA LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813188024

Memory - $300
CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145165

Computer Case - $150
NZXT Zero Black/Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811166036

Power Supply -$125
OCZ GameXStream 700W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341002

Hard Drive - $315
Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB Serial ATA 10000 RPM
http://www.compsource.com/ttechnot [...] WD3000GLFS

DVD/CD Burner - $30
Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 10X DVD+R DL 20X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827129018

Graphics Card - $570
XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150301

Sound Card - $135
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6829102005

VS

His $1500:
Processor - $195
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache 65W Dual-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037

Motherboard - $190
EVGA LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813188026

Memory - $58 x2 = 115
Kingston HyperX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820134125

Computer Case - $55
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119077

Power Supply -$236
SILVERSTONE DECATHLON 850W ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817256022

Hard Drive - $60
Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148262

DVD/CD Burner - $30
Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 10X DVD+R DL 20X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827129018

Graphics Card - $500
XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130338

Sound Card - $135
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6829102005

Questions:
I know that dual is better for pretty much everything now, But should I get the quad for future proof?

The memory I have has a timing of 3-4-3-9 and a cl3. Is that going to be any faster then 4-4-4-12 with cl4. Im not sure if im going OC my pro so is it worth it? And also if I do get 4-4-4-12, Is the ram my freind got good or is there a better ddr2 800 @ 4-4-4-12?

If I get the 700w is it going to be enough for my setup, On ne the one review says he has a gx2 so idk?

Is the VelociRaptor or Raptor any faster then a standard drive. I know its good for loads and boots, But in reality am I going to see a real slow down? Also any benefits in raptor raid 0?

Both of the gfx cars are gx2 but my freinds is 600/2000 and mine is 780/2080, Am I going to see any performance for the extra $70

Whats the diff in E8400 vs E8500 And Q9450 vs Q9550? I know E8500 has a 9.5 multi, But will that improve perf?

Add a reply

I think your friend has the right idea.
You really shouldn't need the Q9450, I think its overkill. If you really want a quad for future proofing, maybe get a Q9300 or Q6600.
I really don't think you need the CAS 3 RAM, CAS 4 is fast enough. Not a big difference.
You should probably want the 850W PSU.
In actual game performance and such, you won't notice any difference between raptor and standard hdd. Its all load times and such.
E8500 has a higher multi than the E8400, which means more OC potential. But the performance difference doesn't justify the cost difference. Same thing with Q9450 v Q9550.

Hope this helps.

Reply to doomturkey

MEMORY

WOAAAAAAAAAH Buddy, you do NOT need to spend $300 on memory.

All DDR2-800 memory is pretty much made the same, just look for a good brand, such as:

G-Skill
Patriot
Crucial
Corsair
OCZ

... Just read the reviews, you'll figure out if it's good or not. I spent $80 for 4gb of Patriot stuff. Spending $300 is shooting money down the drain.

CASE

As for the case, pick out something that is aesthetically pleasing TO YOU... just keep in mind that a full tower is ginormous, unless you want four dvd drives and the same number of hard drives.

HARD DRIVES

I don't know how much extra performance you'll get out of the velociraptor... but if you want the latest and greatest, go for it.

PROCESSOR

Both the Q9450 and the E8400 are great procs with great overclocks... If you multitask like CRAZY then get the quad, otherwise the dual-core proc will more than suit your gaming needs.

POWER SUPPLY

Keep the one you picked out, $200+ for a PSU is just plain ridiculous, and you don't have a dozen hard drives to warrant an extra 150w. OCZ power supply is plenty.

Message edited by FireFiend on 05-26-2008 at 07:44:40 AM

Reply to FireFiend

i will just focus on your build for this reply, giving advice for best price /performance ratio, will do my best to qualify each comment

Processor - $345
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz 1333FSB 12MB Cache

E8400 and OC

a good performer but definately expensive, as far as a pure gaming machine dual core always performs better users less energy and has less heat issues, it will still be a few years before multithread games are a comman sight so qauds will stay in the background

Motherboard, you are paying a lot of money for a 3way sli to not be using it. look at a 750i chipset instead that way you can go 2way sli (quad with the 9800gx2) if you wish to in the future and also save yourself $100

RAM look for a 2X2gb set of those sticks

Case looks ok just keep in mind a gaming rig needs good airflow

PSU is great will be overkill but should run two 9800gx2 cards

the raptor hdd is overkill you dont need to be paying that much money for a disk drive, look at raiding a pair of seagate 500gb disks in raid 1 for that price. (or just get one disk and save the money)

DVD nothing wrong with pioneer

graphics card a good choice,
if your not in a hurry you might be able to pick them up cheap when the nvidia 280gtx comes out (however their naming it) this is a guess though

sound card, sound blaster have always been awsome, personally i cant tell the difference between on board and sound card other then cpu usage, but it is loaded with cool sound features. i guess the question is do you know what they are and will you use it for $135 you want to be saying yes to both.

ANSWERS
1) buying a e8400/e8500 should be suffcient future proof, it will be some time before quads steal the show

2) assuming your ram is ddr2 pc6400 (aka ddr2 800) then your memory will be faster, the shorter the timing the better the performance though 4-4-4-12 is no slouch. kingston have more mainstream models then corsiar but both are reliable, if ocing is your think then look at GEIL ram.

3) 700w OCZ will run your rig and then some, plenty of overhead reliable brand

4) a velociraptor drive is for extreme performance when you dont care about cost. although it is faster and a better performance in day to day use and gaming you shouldn't notice. where possible a pc will run from memory, and the hdd spends a lot of the time in idle. starting a game will load faster with a raptor but not by $150, you will get more performance out of ram then a raptor drive raid 0 or striped means no redundancy if one disk dies you start again, access time is increased. once again performance not worth risk in my opinion

5)his graphics as opposed to yours. you are buying the same card except you are paying $70 for someone to oc the card in a workshop. this can be done at home, i would go with his choice read the article on this site about ocing graphics cards and oc it to the speed your choice runs at.

E8400 vs E8500, money and rated clock speed (rated = what intel know it will run at safely) E8400 should be able to overclock significantly with an aircooled system.

Q9450 vs Q9550 same as above but with less ocing potential then dual core parts

the half multipliers give more control over the clock speed. which might allow a little more performance when ocing the cpu

hope that makes sense

Reply to BlackKnight7891

Ask the community Add a reply

Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > $1500 vs $2000 Computer and other questions

Go to:

Help |
Forum rules

There are 828 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Page generated in 0.335 seconds

Please mind

You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months.
If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.

Add a reply Cancel

Focus On

$1500 vs $2000 Computer and other questions

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - $1500 vs $2000 Computer and other questions

Please mind