First Build

teacherman

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Jan 28, 2009
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I'm planning a build for my son...he's 11 and out grown my graphics. This is a budget build just to get him through the next couple of years...then he can pay his way.

Here is the plan:
LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS122-04 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106287
$21.99

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower
$149.99

SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$54.99

Hanns·G HW-191DPB Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
w/DVI
$119.99

Transcend 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model JM4GDDR2-8K - Retail
$33.99

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - $119.99

Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core
$73.99 (I considered E8500, but for double the cost will it make a dif. with this set up?)

EVGA 9800 GT (already have this)
PC Power & Cool Silencer 500W PSU (already have this)

That's it. I don't know too much, but this is where I'm starting from. I plan on OCing. My goal is to give him a decent start spending as little as possible. Thanks in advance for the input.
 

xthekidx

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Dec 24, 2008
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I'd get a slightly cheaper case. For a budget rig, the HAF is a luxerious case, and you don't need the cooling that it has for a more basic system. I'd say go with an Antec 300 or the Coolermaster CM 690, both are good cases with good airflow, the 690 is bigger and would allow for more upgrades than the 300.

Then I would go for the Western Digital WD64001AALS 640GB Caviar Black hard drive, its the fastest 7200rpm drive available, for about $25 more.

I would look into getting an E8400 then, it will be much better than the E5200.

These changes would add like $30 to your build and they would make a big difference performance wise.

Get this monitor instead, better value I think gives you 1680x1050 resolution, use this promo code to make it the same price as that Hanns G: EMCABCHAC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009127&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL012709&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL012709-_-Monitors-_-L1C-_-24009127
 
I gotta agree with xthekidx. The E5200 is cheap and would work with what you picked out. For an 11 year old who wants to play games, it would do. But it's almost a shame to handicap that board with that cpu. Even the E7300 would be a boost over the E5200.

I love that case!
 

xthekidx

Splendid
Dec 24, 2008
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Don't get me wrong, I love the HAF 932, but it seems that he is on a budget and if he were to sacrifice a little on the case for a different case that would work just as well for what he is going to build, and 1/3 the price, his money would go a long way to building a much better functioning system. I believe in function over form when it comes to this. He won't use the HAF 932 for what it is meant for right now, it makes a lot more sense to spend that money on better parts. That's my 2 cents.
 

OutofDate_1980

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Jan 28, 2009
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I'm also seeking advice from the opposite spectrum, my Father suffered a stroke, now recovering, and asked me to build a system for CAD. He's retired from NASA and designed many of the platforms for atmospheric observations.

I have some experience with LAN/WAN and VC over a large footprint, but must seek advice on many specifics on a PC build, my first.

After reading many reviews at this site, I priced the following from Newegg and wonder if the young and old could benifit from this dialogue. I apologize for any decorum errors, this is my first public post for may years, i.e., not since Compuserve <grin>

Disclosure: I directly own INTEL:INTC shares as an investment, less than 100,000 shares.

Details (US$):

MB: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard ($259.99)

Case: (1a) COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower
PSU: (1b) COOLER MASTER UCP RS700-AAAAA3 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER
(Combination price) ($269.98)

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor ( $294.99)

CPU Cooling: Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler ($84.99)
(Note: only 120mm cooler fan for 1366 socket listed at Newegg I found.)

GPU: XFX GX285NZDFF GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card ($349.99)

SDRAM: Mushkin 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory ($204.99)

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s $459.98 (Note: this is for two drives for RAID, in this example mirrowing)

DVD: LITE-ON Black Blu-Ray DVD Drive & DVD Burner with LightScribe SATA Model iHES206-08 ($109.99)

Card reader: SIIG JU-91RW12-S4 9-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader/Write + Floppy ($54.99) (Yes, Floppy also, please don't beat me senseless)

Keyboard/Mouse: Logitech 967557-0403 Silver/Black USB + PS/2 RF Wireless Slim Cordless Desktop S 510 ($47.99)

Speakers: JBL DUETAL 12 Watts 2.0 Speaker ($39.99)

LCD: HP LP2475w Black-Silver 24" 6 ms (GTG); 12ms Widescreen LCD Monitor ($609.99) (Understand Dell has an e-IPS LCD available in Australia for half this price, but not sure if e-IPS equates to H-IPS)

Suggestions to benefit the build for the "up and coming" and for those just trying to "hang" would be welcome by this party.
 
Good build, but the case is a bit overkill if your trying to stretch your $$$ and still get a decent build. You can get a great case for cheaper, and take the $ you saved and get some memory with better timings that will OC better. Also you want an after market cooler.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 $89.99 Free Shipping*
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131347 $96.99 ($81.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate )
ASUS P5Q SE PLUS LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731 $46.99
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233001 $24.99
XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019 $8.49
XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 $6.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

 

teacherman

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I kept the case and changed to the recs you had...ultimately the case will be the last thing to go out of date, I think. Might as well get a good one the first time. I figure in 2-3 years I'll get my money back by stealing the computer from him when he needs a new one. Anyhow, Thanks for the help everyone. I did spend the extra of the wolfdale E8400, and HD. The only part I still question is the memory. Is mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) enough for this build? or should I go for something faster?
 
OutofDate, I'm sure you'll get many useful replies when you start your own thread.

I agree with xthekidx

Mushkin is my preferred brand for RAM. Chances are, you can run it at a faster speed or tighter timings, without even needing to bump the voltage.
 

xthekidx

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Dec 24, 2008
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The best of both worlds, excellent choice.

If you want, you could just get another kit and run 8gb, since DDR2 is so cheap nowadays, but 4 should be plenty. And of course you could probably overclock it and tighten up those timings, most DDR2-1066 ram is just overclocked DDR2-800 anyways. I would change the ram to a different brand though, transcend isn't particularly known for quality ram. Go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146731
 

xthekidx

Splendid
Dec 24, 2008
3,871
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Start your own thread, everyone at Tom's will be happy to give you advice. Don't parasitize someone elses thread though, it makes things way to confusing for us who are trying to give advice.
 

Akebono 98

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Dec 5, 2008
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@OP: The blue Mushkin DDR2-800 recommended by Why_Me is sufficient here, but if you'd like to try something that is perhaps a little more aggressive, then have a look at the G.Skill Pi Black DDR2-800 modules at $50 for 4GB. My disclaimer: I'm also a Mushkin guy and use the Redlines (with timings from Mushkin Greg, of course).

Regarding the heatsink, instead of Why_Me's suggestion, I'd go with the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 instead.

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@xthekidx: Well said--the CM-690 meets that theme too with all the empty fan slots... And I obviously like the HAF 932 as well!

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@OutofDate_1980: That's a really great start you've got there and we will all be glad to help you out in a new thread--it just keeps things neat and tidy. ;)