1200.00 $ CDN for an all around rig

fatcat

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Jan 4, 2005
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OK I am helping a friend building his new rig. This computer will serve as an all purpose rig and the most demanding tasks will be gaming. There won't be any over clocking involved. He isn't the type of person to upgrade his computer on a regular basis. He is currently using a 5 years old rig (P4 2.8 + ATI 9600XT) so it gives you and idea. He is going to use Vista 64 for this new rig. The 1200.00 CDN budget doesn't include the OS and display. I like to get him the best bang for the buck

All parts will be purchase at this address:

http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/index.php


Here what I have come up with so far :

Gygabyte EP45-UDP3 195
E8500 3,13 Ghz 255
4 x 2 Gig Kingston KVR 113
Western Digital wd 6401AALS 99
Corsair 650W TX 145
Cooler Master MC 690 115
OCZ vendetta 2 49
Sapphire HD 4870 512M 265

Total is 1236

A few notes :

Even though, there won't be any OC I am still of the opinion that an after market is a good thing. yes or no ? he could save a few buck here

I went with a pretty decent mid end MB, I am of the opinion that if you ought to keep your rig a good while better get quality stuff in order for it to last. I was also considering the Gigabytes EP45-DS3L which is quite a bit cheaper (135.00$) but has less features and no CF possibility ( I very much doubt he'll do crossfire).

The GPU I picked is certainly adequate (I am using the same) but there might be other options. Sometimes Sapphire products are not what they should be and their customers service is pretty poor.

I am not sure what kind of display he'll buy, most likely a 22'' LCD but I am not 100% sure. Obviously this could have a bearing on the GPU. Lets assume that is a 22. Maybe the HD4850 could suffice, my only grip with this GPU is that most to them are single slot.

I am trying to play with the components around and see what I could get him, if the after market is not necessary and a lower wattage PSU could be use than maybe he could get the 8600 instead of the 8500. there a about a 100$ difference between them.

Any suggestions and positive feed back are welcome

Thanks for taking the time here





 

grieve

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Apr 19, 2004
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S775 GIGA GA-EP45-DS3L P45 PCIE 135
INTEL CORE 2 DUO E8400 225
2 x 2 Gig Kingston KVR 56.5
Western Digital wd 6401AALS 99 99
CASE ATX ANTEC SONATA III BLACK 500W 159
Power supply included with case 0
Sapphire HD 4870 512M 265


total 939.5
 

Zenthar

Distinguished
Overall a good build, but here is a few pointers:
■Check the price difference between E8400 & E8500, 160MHz might not be worth +10% $$$.
■8GB of RAM is probably overkill unless he runs multiple VM and/or uses very big modeling software (if so a Quad would be better).
■For the cooler, not a necessity IMO, I used the stock one for nearly a year now and I don't worry, but I plan on switching once I make my mind on what I want. Check on frostytech for reviews can comparisons.
Don't buy from next door stores. Most stores in Quebec are overpriced. For example, on NewEgg Canada, the same system (changed the case to a Antec 900, the cooler to a Freezer 7 Pro and the RAM to GSKill 8GB kit) costs 1136$CAD (1350 tx. + ship. incl.). You can also check NCIX, they got good prices and you don't pay PST (TVQ).
 

fatcat

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I am a long time NCIX user, they are good for sure. Thing is, I don't know if he will be willing to purchase his stuff on line and he has a Microbytes outlet near his house. Most B & M stores have higher prices than E-tailer but in this case honestly with shipping costs the difference ends up rather small. I have done the exercise quite a few times and depending on what you purchase, sometimes E-tailers are better but sometimes not. Furthermore, I think he will get his system assembled right at the store. I have yet to order from Egg.ca, I am wondering if customs fees will be added which might be pretty steep. I don't know if they are shipping from the US or Canada.
 

Zenthar

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I think NewEgg.ca IS the Canadian store. They don't have the same stock as NewEgg.com and not for the same price so I guess it's not just the US Store shipping to Canada.

My suggestion is just to make the 2-3 builds (NCIX, NewEgg, MegaBytes) and let him decide. Moreover, I'd like to point-out that the difference is partially due to the fact that some parts I substituted cost more than the original build. And I think I forgot the ~55$ of MIR, so in the end, even with the ~70$ shipping, he can still save 100-150$.
 

zenmaster

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Feb 21, 2006
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Multiple HDDs are REQUIRED for an all-around build IMHO.
The 2nd HDD can be used for Backups.

Alternately, He can even Backup Drive 1 -> Drive 2 and Drive 2->1 depending on his setup.


 
DirectCanada also is a good online store and you don't pay for shipping on orders over $300. When I build a new system, I check prices on Newegg.ca (GST, PST, handling fees and shipping), CanadaDirect.ca (GST and shipping) and BestDirect.ca (GST and shipping).
 

MrMeth

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Sep 11, 2007
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fatcat im not sure if your in montreal but i do know your in quebec cause thats the only place you can find microbytes, if you are in montreal i would suggest you check out http://www.frostys.qc.ca/ . They are just off the mercier bridge in kanawake on the reserve and they sell no tax. Just be sure to double check the price of the items with microbytes or newegg or tigerdirect.ca cause sometimes on "hot items" they tend to jack up the price. i go there all the time considering i live in lasalle and get stuff cheap.