The ultimate computer for $650?

[tastytaco]

I'm planning on building a computer in the next few weeks. Since i don't do gaming on my computer often (I might buy one or two games a year for it) i don't need an ubermachine. So i have designed a computer that is $650 after all MIRs, but i need help to make sure i'm not building a pile of junk. these are the parts.

GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128337

Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

LITE-ON Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106265

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

EVGA 384-P3-N966-TR GeForce 9600 GSO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130356

OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227199

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262

Windows vista Home premium SP1 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Total after MIR and shipping- $651.93

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

If you want to seave a little money....consider this card.....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102792

At the moment they seem to be out except for the 99 dollar version, but according to reviews, the 4670 is nearly equal to the 9600gso, maybe just one step below it, but if you want to save 20 bucks might be a way to go.

EDIT Just looked and saw the 9600gso has the 50 dollar mail in rebate, so probably a better deal than what I pointed out.

 

[johnyeah]

If you want to seave a little money....consider this card.....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102792

Since he's considering the MIR, that's actually not cheaper.

 

[Proximon]

Only objection I have is the 2.0 volt memory. You should always look for 1.8V

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731

Oh, and consider a newer chipset:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128347

 

[customisbetter]

The 9600 Gso is great.
That is a pretty good setup. the powersupply in the case is perfect as well.
I say pull the trigger and buy.

 

[tastytaco]

Thanks for showing me the new chipset mobo. For the same price, its practically a no-brainer to go with the new one. Oh and what is the difference between 2.0 volt and 1.8 volt RAM? okay seems pretty positive on the build, I'll be building it in two weeks, when I have a three day weekend to enjoy it.

 

[johnyeah]

2.0 volt ram generally means your RAM will run at a higher temperature (unless it has better cooling) and 1.8 volt rams usually have a better room for overclocking.

 

[tastytaco]

If i don't plan on overclocking is it still worth the extra $20?

 

[johnyeah]

Your choice of the RAM is perfectly fine, since you're going on a budget. You can still overclock the OCZ memory, even though it's at 2.0 V.

 

[tastytaco]

Also if i throw another 30 dollars for a OCZ vendetta 2 will i see a major difference from 2.4 GHZ to 3.0 GHZ?

 

[Onus]

Since the JEDEC standard is 1.8V, RAM that is listed for that voltage will run at its advertised timings, no muss and no fuss. If the RAM wants more, it will probably run at 1.8V, but at worse timings.
Your BIOS will default to 1.8V on any CMOS reset, so you'll need to tweak it each time.

 

[johnyeah]

I'd get the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003 if anything (and with this cooler yes, you will see a big difference in your CPU temp)

 

[Onus]

Top 10 heatsinks on cooling and on noise: http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm.
There's also a link there for low profile ones.

 

[lunyone]

Personally if I'm building a budget gaming rig, I'm going to get the most GPU that I can afford. With that in mind I'd get the 4850 GPU and probably the e7200 CPU. Yes this is a step down on the CPU, but there are a couple of benefits: it runs cooler, consumes less power, and can OC just as well as the q6600 (if you end up doing this later). Now I know you said that your not going to OC, but I can guarantee that 95% of games will run better on a 4850/e7200 than a 9600gso/q6600. I'm trying to find Tom's review they did earlier this year that matched up slower CPU's w/bigger GPU's and pretty much showed that the slower CPU didn't affect the gameplay speed hardly at all. My point is that you don't have to have a large CPU to play decently. Yes it helps, but if your running at 60 fps w/a quad and 58fps with an e7200, will you really notice it?

 

[tastytaco]

Okay so it seems like I should spend a few more dollars for the 1.8V ram and the cooler. And I will probably buy a new GPU when i get some more extra money, like in the summer so for now the GSO will work, and when i see I'm falling below my standards I'll upgrade.

 

[johnyeah]

Personally if I'm building a budget gaming rig, I'm going to get the most GPU that I can afford. With that in mind I'd get the 4850 GPU and probably the e7200 CPU. Yes this is a step down on the CPU, but there are a couple of benefits: it runs cooler, consumes less power, and can OC just as well as the q6600 (if you end up doing this later). Now I know you said that your not going to OC, but I can guarantee that 95% of games will run better on a 4850/e7200 than a 9600gso/q6600. I'm trying to find Tom's review they did earlier this year that matched up slower CPU's w/bigger GPU's and pretty much showed that the slower CPU didn't affect the gameplay speed hardly at all. My point is that you don't have to have a large CPU to play decently. Yes it helps, but if your running at 60 fps w/a quad and 58fps with an e7200, will you really notice it?

I would totally agree with you, but the e7200 and 4850 adds up to $260, but the q6600 and the 9600 adds up to $240. It's not a big difference, but it's personal preference.

 

[lunyone]

Found another option to consider. Here's a combo deal on a e8400 (3ghz) w/an Asus P5Q Pro mobo for $275 - $20 MIR = $255!!! Now that's like getting the CPU for $170 and the mobo for $85!! Not too bad of a deal if you ask me.
Look at combo #4 down from the top

 

[tastytaco]

i think I'll stick with the q6600 and 9600 just cause i saw some benchmarks of it and it was preforming well. Also I defiantly want quad core and with the Core I7s coming out soon, I don't want to end up with a dual core if all of a sudden everyone stops selling Socket 775s.

 

[lunyone]

I would totally agree with you, but the e7200 and 4850 adds up to $260, but the q6600 and the 9600 adds up to $240. It's not a big difference, but it's personal preference.

Yes it is a personal choice. The 4850 is a step above a 9600gt, which is better than the 9600gso. Personally I look for the best GPU for the $ that I can afford, but that is just my preferance.

 

[lunyone]

i think I'll stick with the q6600 and 9600 just cause i saw some benchmarks of it and it was preforming well. Also I defiantly want quad core and with the Core I7s coming out soon, I don't want to end up with a dual core if all of a sudden everyone stops selling Socket 775s.

And there is nothing wrong with that choice. I was just pointing out some options to consider.

 

[megamanx00]

While you would probably be fine with it I don't really like the 2.0 voltage on the RAM either. I recommend getting some Mushkin RAM. This one has a mail in rebate but it still comes out to a little more

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146692

All around good choices. You may want to consider spending a little more and getting an 8800GT though, but I suppose that 9600GSO will be fine for now and you can upgrade to a better card latter. It's hard to beat that 9600 with that great mail in rebate

 

[tastytaco]

And there is nothing wrong with that choice. I was just pointing out some options to consider.

Yeah, didn't mean to sound harsh or anything. And for the price the 9600 GSO is the best card for my current budget. next year = better gpu

 

[wasteoftime]

The E8500 is a better choice in a budget build. Quad core won't benefit you in the long run at that speed, etc. The E8500 regularly performs better across the board. Since you say you don't game, and since you are building on a tight budget you shouldn't be worried about future upgrades anyway.


I'm still running dual-core until better quads come down in price. The Q6600 is not a bad budget part but most software won't benefit from it, so you should probably go for the clock speed if you're not going to OC.

 

[lunyone]

Yeah, didn't mean to sound harsh or anything. And for the price the 9600 GSO is the best card for my current budget. next year = better gpu

Wasn't affended at all, just wanted to express some other options to consider, especially when the budget gets tight.

 

[tastytaco]

The E8500 is a better choice in a budget build. Quad core won't benefit you in the long run at that speed, etc. The E8500 regularly performs better across the board. Since you say you don't game, and since you are building on a tight budget you shouldn't be worried about future upgrades anyway.


I'm still running dual-core until better quads come down in price. The Q6600 is not a bad budget part but most software won't benefit from it, so you should probably go for the clock speed if you're not going to OC.

True, I might have to reconsider that then. Its just that i have been thinking about the q6600 since i first started making designs. Yeah, I wish i had a super $5000 dollar budget... but money doesn't grow on trees.