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E7300 Machine

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Hello everyone,

Those are the specs of a my new upcoming build. I will build it once my semester is over (in 3 months), but I thought I should get opinions as early as now. I know prices might drop from now until then, but I just want to make sure I am on the right track. I could buy some of the components as early as now if they are at a discount price/rebate.

I am going to use this computer for gaming (1280x1024)(19 inch monitor non-widescreen), Internet, and some audio/video editing/converting (nothing serious requiring a Quad Core).

Specs:

Intel E7300 (or E7200) Depends which one you think overclocks better and requires less additional resources (e.g aftermarket HSF) --- 120$
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L --- 100$ (85$ After rebate)
4GB of G.Skill RAM (2x2GB) --- 40$
MSI 9600GT 512M OC GeForce 512MB --- 110$ (85 After rebate)
Rosewill RP500-2 500W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply --- 45$ ( I could replace this with an OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W --- 60$ (25$ After rebate) if there is a need and the price difference is not big.)

As for HDs, I am debating between getting one 1TB HD and partitioning it accordingly or getting one small HD just for the OS and another big one for apps/media/backups. I just want to be able to re-install an OS without loosing everything. (I will be multi-booting)

As for the processor, I would like to overclock it to a speed that does not require a new heatsink/fan and/or huge voltages. I would really appreciate your opinion about this also (safe speeds/voltages/temps...)

My budget goes as far as 550$-600$. Please consider that.

Thank you for your time and for the feedback.




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Please, please whatever you do, don't get the Rosewill power supply!
Try this:
PC Power & Cooling PPCS370X 370W $55-20%-$20+ship 1/18/09
Additional 20% off w/ promo code "Jansave20", ends 1/31
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
It has more power (really it does!) and is actually a reliable unit, unlike the Rosewill one. If you can't stomach this, try this:
PC Power & Cooling PPCS500 500W $70-20+0 1/19/09
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

xsever said:
...As for the processor, I would like to overclock it to a speed that does not require a new heatsink/fan and/or huge voltages. I would really appreciate your opinion about this also (safe speeds/voltages/temps...)...
OK, then don't buy an aftermarket hsf. Just go with what Intel gives you and see what YOUR particular chip will do. If you're happy, then fine. If not, then spend some $$$ on a new hsf. If you need advice on how to do that, spend a couple hours on the OC part of this forum.
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Thanks a lot Newf for the fast replies. I knew the rosewill PSU is going to cause me problems :D  What about the OCZ one if I can get it for cheaper with a rebate? Do you recommend it?

As for the HDs, is the 5$ worth the difference between the 16MB cache vs 32MB cache?

Sounds good to me. I just want to know that if you meant in the post about the HDs that anything larger than 640GB is slower. If so what makes the 640GB in particular the optimized size for speed?

I'd say WD, Seagate, Hitachi, but that's just my 2 cents. Seagate is often the best, and they do sell more, but some of the models they released in 2008 were not so good.

I am also thinking of buying some Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound and applying it on the HSF instead of Intel's stock compound. I have read about it and it seems to drop temps around (5-15) C. I guess that's not bad for 6$.

Akebono 98 said:
Platter density. But the Caviar Black 1TB is even better, though likely outside of your budget.
Exactly! The 1TB Black has 3 platters of the same density as the 2 platter 640. They are roughly equal in speed but don't cost the same. Many look at 500GB drives because they are cheaper. Don't fall for that.
As far as Arctic 5 goes, either invest in an aftermarket cooler or don't waste your time and $$$.
Many of us will buy a better cooler just to keep temps down on a stock system. The thermal compound is not so much "snake oil" as it is a small contributor to cooling effectiveness. Heat dissipation capability and fan speed/size/airflow make the biggest difference.

shortstuff_mt said:
You can get the new E7400 CPU for the same price as the E7300.

Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $119.99

Wow. A number of cpus dropped in price today. Yeah, get the 7400 at the same $$$ as a 7300!
The AMD PhenomII 920 is now $195, down $40 from yesterday.
Well, Intel did announce price changes coming the week of the 19th. They're here!

I cannot believe that the E7200, E7300, and the E7400 cost the same now. What is the max multiplier on the 7400? 7300? 7200? Anyone have an idea?

I guess I will jump to the E7400 then unless its overclocking potential is lower than its younger brothers! :D 

I understand your point about the cooler, but 6$ for 5-10C is not bad. Don't you think?

I guess that I've just never bought into the Thermal Compound craze.
I have a BIG tube of semiconductor thermal paste that I've used for years.
It works just fine. I only use the tiniest bit and get low temps every time.
I've read reviews that say the expensive stuff is just great, and others that seem confounded by mixed results. In the end the $6 you spend won't hurt a bit, and if you feel better for it then it's worth it.

The E7400 is brand new and uses the new R0 stepping.
The others use M0 (older) stepping.
I would get the new, but I do not know which will OC better. I can only guess that the new stepping in general will produce better results. The relatively low chipset clock SHOULD mean that the new stepping will override multiplier issues. I defer to the OC part of this forum where the most enthusiastic experts reside. Ask there to get your best answer.
One other note: The new stepping may require a bios upgrade to work at its best. They usually do.
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