Is this a decent deal?

[netrate]

I was looking at Tigerdirect.ca and saw this barebones system :

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/email/ca/em1205.asp?cm_re=Homepage-_-Email%20Link%231-_-Source_EM1205

The parts alone seem to cost more then the whole system together, but maybe the motherboard isn't so hot and the chip isn't so cutting edge?

Any thoughts?

I will be doing HD editing, photoshop and the like. No games. I have a 500gig Sata already and lots of RAM. I am also thinking of making it a VISTA machine to take advantage of the 4+ RAM.

 

[BaronMatrix]

You get what you pay for. It will not be the system to OC with or have the highest throughput, but it should work fine.

 

[ahslan]

the slower ddr2 ram sucks...you will have to buy an aftermarket cooler for the cpu since it's oem...you wont be able to oc much(which is usually the reason why you're getting the intel quad)...

Doesn't really seem like a great deal to me...

 

[shadowthor]

the mobo isn't that good if you plan to overclock.

 

[roadrunner197069]

Great for the price if you plan on stock. Way better deal then a Dell or HP ect.................

 

[netrate]

I guess the feeling is that a better mobo would up the system potential? I was just thinking that the CPU was $175 at Newegg, the other parts more then add up to $300+ for the system...

 

[Wisecracker]

That look's like a good deal (even if your Canadian money is worth 50% more than the US dollar ). The RAM should work okay.

And what's the deal with the cost of a Phenom north of the border? You guys make those things out of gold and titanium?

 

[Slobogob]

It looks nice but might just be a dumping deal where they sell off what they can't sell otherwise. A b3 Q6600 slower DDR2 (667). Mainboards with driver issues that just didn't sell. Things like that. Do some searches regarding the various parts. If it all checks out, go and buy.

 

[cal8949]

good if you dont game/oc

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Looks like a fine deal if you're not expecting to overclock.

The RAM is slower than similar-priced sticks, but DDR2 667 is still enough to allow some overclocking on the Q6600 if so desired (with a better motherboard)

The motherboard is a budget board. Don't expect many features, longevity for upgrades, or high performance.

The power supply isn't the most effecient, and as a stand-alone unit it looks overpriced at $85. However it should work well for any single-GPU solutions.

Basically this deal would be best for a workstation-type computer, although (in Canda) you could probably get this plus a new motherboard and still spend less than buying the parts separately. Let's do some estimates!:

Just for the Q6600 alone I've only seen it about $225. Add $40 for some and RAM $60 for a power supply and you've already spent more on separate parts than this deal. After grabbing a decent motherboard (about $100) and serviceable case (around $40), buying better quality parts separately would cost you about $465 in total.

In contrast, this deal is $300; If you get a new $100 motherboard and a $20 heatsink, you've only spent $420 in total, a $45 savings in comparison to buying the parts separately.

 

[ahslan]

well just remember that you're gonna be paying $335 before mail in rebate (and thats not including shipping either)...usually takes like 2 months or something like to get back the mail in rebate (that is IF you get it back...tigerdirect is known for sketchy mail in rebates)

I'm sry, but I feel like you can get a way better deal if you look at newegg's combo deals once in a while...also go to slickdeals.net and check out some promo codes for newegg as well...if you get the right combination of combo deals and promo codes, you can end up with some ridiculous savings from newegg...

 

[flyin15sec]

That board can overclock ok. It can do 412FSB, thats over 3.6ghz at 9x for a Q6600. See the review here:
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1245&pageID=4618

Chances are you probably won't be able to run it at 3.6ghz, but a 3.2ghz Q6600 should do nearly everything fine.


Memory is DDR2667 but it can run at 800mhz just fine.

 

[netrate]

flyin15sec,
What do you think about this for running NLE's and 3D graphics app like modelling and animation? After effects, photoshop etc?

 

[flyin15sec]

I'm not familiar with those applications. But if those apps use alot of memory, this board probably won't work for you. It only does single channel mode, limiting your bandwidth.

If you clock your CPU beyond 2.4ghz, I think the CPU will be bottleneck by the memory.

 

[netrate]

Thank you, I noticed it was a web only deal and that adds to the cost, so I will wait and see if the Quads come down in Price or if something comparable in the Core 2 Duo also drop.
IS there a comparable Core 2 Duo to the Q6600?

 

[flyin15sec]

You know, I retract what I said. I thought it would make a difference. But I dug up an old Tom's article on Single Channel vs. Dual Channel. It appears not to be much difference.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/PARALLEL-PROCESSING,1705-11.html

So it's really up to you now, as memory bandwidth won't be a problem.