Hi everyone, thanks to everyone who's helped me with this so far, please tell me what you think of this final 'draft' for a build - look forward to hearing your comments,

It is to be used for internet browsing/downloading, outputting pc to HD TV, word processing, listening to & storing music and that's about it really...

PSU: Corsair VX-450W - $95
SOUND: X-FI EXTREME card - $90
VIDEO: RADEON 2600XT (HDMI OUT) - $95
MOBO: Intel G31 - $80 (still considering a Gigabtye P35 DS3 for $40 more)
HDD: WD CAVIAR 640gb WD6400AAKS SATAII - $100
RAM: CORSAIR 4 GIG TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - $120
CPU: INTEL E8400 - $210

I have the monitor, KB/M, Software, headphones, fireware, hdmi cable already - I think that's all I'll need, tell me if I've missed something??

How's that sound??

Simon
Melbourne

(the $1600 I mentioned includes money I already spent on the monitor etc)

Do you already have a case and optical drive?

Sorry, I forgot to say the case I'm still deciding on - have about $80 to spend there, was considering this http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/23319

but not sure if it will house everything yet (as you can see there's extra $ aside to cater for something else), DVD burner I have already,

What is an optical drive - never heard of it, sounds important?

This is my first build and pretty much is it's not listed in the thread I havent thought of it, so if theres anything else like optical drives I might need please tell me!

They are talking about optical drives, (CD/DVD)

Ah... haha yeah thanks, I think it's a pretty good set-up, only really the mobo I'm unsure about and the case, I'm taking it to a PC shop to build so I can always get them to recomend a case, also wondered about the ram because it's not 4,4,4,4,12 it's a 5,5,5,5 something or other, not sure how important that diff in latency is....

for your uses, maybe the e7200 is better
great cpu when run normally, but its also easy to overclock

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115052

I don't know about Austrailis, but in the US the e7200 is much cheaper than the e8400

Loose the sound card, saving $90, and just use onboard sound.
Go for the better mobo, spending extra $40.
Spend the remaining $50 on a better gpu.
If you intend to game, perhaps downgrading from the e8400 to the e7200 and spending the savings on an even better gpu would be great.

Hi Simon. Do you really need the sound card? In most cases the included on-board sound is very good for most uses and if perfect audiophile sound is important to you then consider the speakers these would have to match the SC. Otherwise the $50-60 range (perhaps even less) works for good speakers and on-board sound for gaming and music playback. Also it's something at that can be added later and not a critical componet to get started. Reconsider the 2600 VC. Look at a hd3870 from one of the etailers. They have more performance for around the same price. If higher end Video performance is not a high priority for you and you really want a 2600xt check this one out, 40 bucks - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102755

Good choice on the CPU and hd. Since you mentioned ram, yes do get some with the lower latency especially if the cost is very close. Also get 2x2=4gb matched moduals pretty cheap now and worth it. Windows xp bit and Vista 32bit will show somewhere around 3.2gb of the ram, search through the fourms for topics about this. And please reconsider the power supply unit. The one you have listed should be a minimun choice. If you get one at 600+ and from a top tier vendor I think that you'll be happier down the road.

To me the most important choice on a system is the motherboard. Take the long view and the ability to upgrade. The mb might never have more than the e8400 but don't go cheap or short change yourself on the mb.

Thankyou everybody, here's where I'm at, I wont game (PS3 gamer) and I really want the E8400. I will stick with the HDD. I will be happy to loose the sound card for now and upgrade if I need it later. It's my understanding that graphics cards dont help with the picture quality when outputting movies to my HDTV or the quality of images for general internet browsing/ looking at personal photos so I won't upgrade it - if that is the case - tell me I'm wrong!,

Topper, wow that 2600XT is so cheap (they dont ship to Australia though Do you have any suggestions for the ram - I cant spend much more $, i went for the corsair ram b/c they're a good brand... are there others that are good quality and cheaper than corsair with lower latency? How much diff in permformance does the latency make?? Also, the PSU... what vendor would you recomend there?
I've decided I will definately upgrade the mobo, I am trying to decide bewteen an Intel P35 and an Intel G35 - the G35 sounds better but is cheaper, I'm, not sure which to go for/ is superior...

definitely upgrade the mobo. If you're getting an e8400, you'll want a mobo you can overclock on. The G31 won't let you push it at all. Get an inexpensive p35 board.

Whatever mb you choose be sure to check the compatibily of the ram. I have heard of problems with corsair on some mb's. Corsair is a good brand though. I know that Newegg doesn't ship there but here is a page to look at with some good brands at good prices.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] rder=PRICE

I would disagree about the video card not having anything to do with picture quality, just the opposite is true IMHO. While it is true that your HDTV will have lower resolution than a monitor, ( what is your display resolution anyway) I think that most will tell you that a good VC and good drivers will make all the difference by getting the best out of the display device you have be it CTR, LCD or HDTV.

thanks topper, i always thought the Vid card would have a huge diff on general graphics, then all these people were like "no way, it wont make any difference at all unless gaming" but I couldnt see their logic - I may need to upgrade later to a quality VC, any suggestions on alternative psu's?thanks for the link & info

"all those people" were right. It's one reason you never see 2D benchmarks in video card reviews - only 3D tasks.
The HD 2600XT is an excellent choice for what you want (it's even capable of light duty gaming).

Logic can be misleading; as in a 3.2Ghz CPU must be better than a 1.8Ghz CPU, right?.
Which is why you have benchmarks and experts to explain the facts when logic fails:

(lower scores are better!)

The main reason for a HD decoding video card is to offload much of the decoding from the CPU.
(No HD video card? No problem - the CPU can handle the task with the right software.)
For HDTV decoding background info (and explaining why the 2600XT is a great choice): HD 2400 XT and 2600 XT review

wr2 - well that logic actually makes sense doesnt it i.e. because of the 2d thing i.e. most stuff not in 3d, i really dont care whos right/wrong, just impossible to get people to agree on things, so it becomes a random guess as to who is right, i mean it's not like i want to spend more money than i need, i'm over all the deciding, i might not even get a n ext vc, i might just go a Intel G35 that has hdmi out and pocket the money, end of the day i can always get a vid card later if i want anyway...

about logic, logical is the only way to think, the diff between me and an expert is the expert has more facts, experiences, references to draw on, he then applies logic to come to a conlusion, i.e. you applied logic also when making your comments, only you were/are better informed in this topic

Logical thinking isn't the only way to think. Logic once convinced people the earth was flat.

Used to be you had to get a higher video card to watch a movie on a computer. Eventually though, we passed the point where that was true. I agree that throwing more cash at the GPU is not needed in your case.

The sound card though...

I sometimes get fed up with the way Creative manages their drivers and take out my sound card. This holds true for my original SB16, Audigy 2, or my current X-fi Fatality Extreme Gamer.

I always end up putting the card back.

I can most certainly tell the difference in sound between the motherboard solutions and the Creative cards. I believe it's possible if you were using your sound device for entertainment purposes you would come to rely on a separate sound card, once you had one.

However, if you don't know what you are missing, the on board solutions are adequate. Provided they work well. Probably the most likely part of a motherboard to NOT work well.

Here are some excellent cards for WR2 - http://www.pricewatch.com/video_cards/pci_64mb.htm

Just making a little joke, no offense intended.

As I said in my previous post a good VC and its good drivers (not all drivers are in fact good) will get the most out of a given display. Since the topic is "rate my build" it is appropriate to suggest possible part changes to the build. Most business systems do not use discreet VCs', they use an on-board gpu because the business determines that level of display performance is adequate. If high end gaming is not an objective then a VC of lesser features, quality or ability makes sense. I didn't down the 2600 at all and I am not downing ANYONE either. I don't know anything about the pricing in AU. But Simon wants to spend 90 on the 2600 so 99 after rebate on a hd 3870 or even less on a 3850 makes perfect sense to me. ATI is known for its display quality, though they may at times lose out in total fps.

2600 link - http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonhd2600/specs.html

38xx link - http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonhd3800/specs.html

Just a little food for thought - http://www.tomshardware.com/charts [...] C%2C%2C%2C

Go to pcpitstop.com and get your 2d video tested.

WR2 by the way your post with the processors is interesting. It is not a demonstration in logic in so far as you have chosen it to make your point, to the informed it is a non sequitur. I'll take a leap here and stipulate that you completely understand how a CPU works. What your provided chart really illustrates is that the shown performance is complete logical given the difference in cache, transistor count, gate tech, substrate and all the other differences in the three cpus. If you had a chart of a vespa and a corvette the vespa should win. Vespa 12000rpm Corvette 5000rpm. Informed choices require a minimun baseline knowledge. Hence computer tech forums.

How many posts are there here in the forums from people who chose a minimalistic VC and are not happy with it and now want to upgrade and 1. want to know which card they should get and 2. how to do it?