[New System Build] $800 budget system needs reviewing!

[ZomgHacks]

Intel Q6600
eVGA 8800 GT 512 MB
4gb of Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 800MHZ
ASUS P5N-D MoBo
ZEROtherm / Butterfly BTF90 CPU cooler
Antec 900 Gaming Case
650W Modular PSU

ok i am lookin at this thinkin this is a great build i am salvaging my dvd drive and hard drive. If you could is look this over and recemend anything that is better for price i am especialy lookin for a better mobo.

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

This ram is much better, and $65 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731
For slightly more after rebate, you can get this instead of the 8800GT:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747
If you switch to this, you get better performance, and you can use Intel chipsets which are much more stable than Nvidia's. Here are two examples, with the first having 2 8x PCIe slots/1 PCIe X16 and the second having 2 PCIe X 16:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128336
If you're sure you won't want to add a second vid card later you can buy one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128345 or the P43 or P35 versions of it.
In that case, you can fit one of these, which is better than your cooler and cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
Also get this for it so you don't have to use the pushpins to mount it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019
I'd get the Corsair PSU instead of a modular one. It's nice to have modular cabling, but the Corsair offers the best price for an 80+ certified PSU with a single rail, so you don't have to do any balancing. Here it is:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

 

[ZomgHacks]

Ok I should have mentioned this but i want to do an nVIDIA build because i have gotten good stuff from them my last few ati cards have been well....crap they overheated and just did not perform well....and remember i am on a strict budget.

 

[helios2052]

Definitely go for the 4850 over the 8800gt.

I also agree with "thepowerofdonuts" about the corsair PowerSupply. Get a good power supply or you will regret it later!

As for the rest of the things, everything you selected will work, but you have some good suggestions by the first poster.

 

[helios2052]

I know you want to stick with Nvidia but i just sold my 8800gt and got a 4850 and love it! Its a great card and gets 10-15% more performance + for me i am looking to crossfire on my x38.

 

[ZomgHacks]

I am kinda umm..."afraid" of ati because of issues and all i hear about now days is Nvidia and not much from the ati guys...i guess i really just dont know.

 

[helios2052]

Yea I can understand that and for the last 2 years it has been true, but with the release of the 4000 series all that has changed...they are the most popular card out right now. But definitely don't take my word for it, do what you feel most comfortable with.

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

Well you're a little behind. Nvidia was king until this last wave of chips. Ati is dominating with their 4800 series. It's understandable, I was an Nvidia guy before, but you can't argue with results.

 

[ZomgHacks]

Well i just priced out all of the equipment that donuts put up and it is about 880 and that is not bad i can do it...that is including my case (i will not drop this case for anything) and it is a good card i have looked at reviews and the mobo is epic and i love it but i want to get some more ideas so i am still lookin for some more people to help me out

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

Is that before or after rebates?

 

[ZomgHacks]

before....I did just resetup my pc again!....goin with nvidia but got your psu memory and cpu cooler went with a better 8800 and a good 750i mobo so i should be set....oops went with the E8400 because it is better for gaming arctic silver compound and kept my antec 900!

 

[thepowerofdonuts]

Alright, have fun with it.

 

[ZomgHacks]

I have a link for it now it is a wish list so here you are
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=8691086

and PSU and Case (combo cant add to list!)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371009
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

 

[ZomgHacks]

Still lookin for more people to look at this and gimme some ideas

 

[spunks]

First off, drop the 8800gt. It gets smacked around too much by the hd4850. seeing how your an nvidia fan boy , that leaves two options

9800gtx for $185

or

EVGA 896-P3-1262-AR GeForce GTX 260 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 for $255 (on sale at newegg)

next, you gotta build a system around it. Drop the idea of going dual video card setup. Its only worth it if your resoltions go above 1680x1050 (22" lcd monitor size). If your not going SLI, you dont need a nvida chipset. Hence:

GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $94

drop the cpu cooler and bracket. You shouldnt overclock to the point where you will need this if your remotely concerned about longevity. I would aim for 3 to 3.2ghz on stock cooling. be sure to purchase the retail version of the cpu to get the stock cooler.

Drop the case/power supply combo

keep the case. Go to a cosair 650tx for $109 ($79.99 after rebate). Much better gaming power supply. Has one massive 52 amp 12 volt rail verus three 18 amp rails the antec has. when you use cards like these, sometimes 18amps isnt enough.


that brings your total to 820 after rebates but before shipping (figure 20 for shipping). thats with the gtx260 (way better than a 9800gtx). 70 dollars less gets you the 9800gtx.

BTW, the gtx 260 BEATS a hd4850 (though it stuggles with a hd4870)

The GTX 260 is pretty much the equvilant of having two 8800gt cards (the 9800gtx is only 10-15% fatster than an 8800gt but about 40% slower than an hd4850)


Spunks

 

[ZomgHacks]

Ok here is the thing....I cant go past 800.....i dont have time for rebates right now i cant do that graphics card

 

[spunks]

If you purchase the 8800 gt, your graphic system is outdated before you open the package. Which is a total shame on a $800 build. Do some more reasearch on the hd4850 and see how it stacks up for the games you play. Its obvious you havent, or we wouldnt be having this discussion. And dont be trumpting the horn for NVIDIA. The just took a 200 million dollars charge because of massive faliures in notebook GPUs. Some of there partners are now demanding payment for failed desktop GPUs. (8400 and 8600 class I believe). The 8800gt was pushed to there thermal limit to surpass ATI's hd3870 (which it competes against) so i wouldnt be surprised at all if they start craping out in big numbers soon. Their new GTX 260 / GTX 280 GPUS are so gigantic and power hungry, they had to slow the clock down on them big time just to get some kind of product out. And because the hd4850 performs so well, they had to slash $200 dollars off there asking price for a GTX 260 and $250 dollars off their GTX 280. Yes the GTX 280 is the fastest game card, but its totally blown away like yesterdays news by two HD4850's in crossfire, which is a cheaper setup.


Not trying to be bashing nvidia, but you made it sound like they could do no wrong. if your stuck on $800, then your options are limited. An hd4850 is double the processing power of the 8800gt (though that doesnt mean 100% better frame rates).

The newer cards from both ATI and NVIDIA are like two cards of the previous generation

I find it so unbelievable that I have to argue the merits of a hd4850 vrs an 8800gt. I would like to know what ATI cards gave you so much hell that you hate them this much. Ive had several over the past few years and havent had any problems with them at all. The last cards that did give me trouble was an nvidia 6800gt that developed thermal issues after a couple of years, and a nvidia 7800gt that was dead on arrival (sent it back and got another one though and it still up and running in the old machine). i have also recomended to friends numerous times to purchase an 8800gt, but that was when all ATI had was an HD3870.

Spunks

 

[helios2052]

We have tried to explain to you that the 4850 is a much better choice but you keep saying you want to get Nvidia. You need to get over that! For your sake and the market's sake, buy what is the best performance/value at the time (regardless of brand). The 8800gt is a good card believe me, but it is a refresh of a 2 year old card.

If you really want the best performace possible for ~800, get a p35 or p45 board with a 4850 and a corsair 650tx. That is the most honest advice I can give you.

 

[helios2052]

Ok, I went ahead and built you a PC from newegg that I would have built myself in your situation. And guess what its 797.93 shipping included - and faster!

Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW (The Antec 900 is great as long as you want to spend 120.00 on a case)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

Motherboard - ASUS P5Q P45 This is a very solid board!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131295

Power Supply - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W One of the very best!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115018

CPU Cooler - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 Overclocking potential
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

RAM - mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 Great reviews and timings
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731

Video Card - SAPPHIRE 100242L Radeon HD 4850 512MB I've already talked about this!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747

All that comes to 797.93 shipping included and without the $85.00 Mail in rebates.

Those parts will give you a solid system for a few bucks under your budget! The only thing you may want to change is the motherboard if you ever plan to add a second video card - and yes that psu could handle crossfire well.

 

[ZomgHacks]

I have a question how is this set up faster with a dual core processor arnt quads supposed to be faster and more efficient? i mean that dual means 2 and quad means 4 and 4 is better than 2 right? i am not tryin to insult you in any way i am just kinda confused

 

[helios2052]

Yeah if you are able to overclock then i would change the e8400 to a Q6600.

I personally have a Q6600 @ 3.2Ghz and think its way better than my friends e8400... but ONLY because its overclocked. Since most games only use 2 cores max it ends up being a race of clock speed, thus a 3Ghz dual beats a 2.4Ghz Quad. As long as you know how to overclock the quad (and we can help you if you dont) The quad will have a longer life span and will get faster as games are more optimised for 4 cores.

I'll update the list with the Q6600

 

[spunks]

If your dead set on NVIDIA, I would maybe save $25 a week for a month, get your extra hundred and purchase the GTX260

The HD4850 is a better bang for buck, but we gotta respect what your prferences are if you feel strong on some of your choices. (thats why i didnt change your case in the build I did for you). We build machines to get what we want but we need to make compromises and sacifrices in order to fit our budgets


Maybe you should start fresh and do a new thread title GTX260 build 800 dollar budget and see what people come up then. The card (right now) is only $255 on newegg right now, thats only $80 dollars more. Following helios build below, if you can tolerate that case, do the following to save roughly $80 and you can at least get a machine that has enough horse power for a modren mid grade machine
(I would considered an 8800gt a budget card right now)

Get the E8400. Its 3gz. Your games will run fine. Buy the retail. Drop the aftermarket coolers. this saves $47
Cut your memory in half. Yup, were nickle and diming to this point. You dont NEED 4gb (shows up as 3gb's anyway under 32bit xp or vista) that saves $40 .Can always add too it later too.

Now you have a machine that exceeds the performace of an hd4850

(a 2GB system with a GTX260 will FAR out perform a 4GB system with an 8800gt)



get the Q6600 if you want to brave overclocking (adds a few bucks). I do have to say, that would not be my first choice in a case, but I'd rather have a nice performing rig than a pretty one.
I have this one ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 ). But darnit that puts us $15 over budget again (this case has way better cooling than the other one, and you got a very nice hot card in there to think about)

I hate to play with anything else because it would make your system less durable. I guess you could pick a cheaper motherboard, but I helios is right, that is a very well built mommy board.

spunks

 

[helios2052]

Yeah, I only picked that case in order to stay under budget but if you can take some of spunks suggestions and save a few bucks, you can get the Antec 900 which is obviously a much much better case.

If you don't have a 64-bit OS just get 2 Gigs of ram - I should have mentioned that before.

Good Luch With Your Build!

 

[snipingkid]

Why can't you go over $800? I think for what these people suggested $50 over your budget can't hurt with such a rig.

I don't really have time to search over the net for you, but just don't forget the OS, and if you're in another country, don't forget about customs.

I stretched my budget a lot, and by the end, I had to go over budget with my OS. I also got $600 of customs fees since the seller didn't ship the parts as gift like I asked. So just make sure you get every detail down, you just may get a nice suprise.

If it is possible for you to get a little bit (just a little) over budget, I strongly suggest it, the users here have built you a pretty good rig.

 

[ZomgHacks]

Well i am able to go about 870 but look at my new topic i am rethinking the whole thing i already have the OS on hand Windows Xp Pro!!! BUT GO TO MY NEW TOPIC AND CHECK IT OUT!! i need all the help i can get lol