Core 2 Duo upcoming build

[arogot]

So a friend wants me to build him a rig, i am running an i7 myself

hoping to buy within a week

he is an avid downloader and that will be the main purpose of the computer
he down loads large files, primarily to do with music and archiving

he wants to stay Intel

he wants it quick and has 1200 to make it fast

he wants fast program/os load time

we are looking to buy everything at frys and newegg (primarily newegg)

monitor: 22" 1680x1050

here are the specs so far:

______________________________________________________________

Case: antec 900 (looking for a cool case that is quiet if you have something better then this)

HDD: velociraptor 150 (windows, programs, and temp for downloading files)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136296

Western digital 640 black for other media and stuff
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319


GPU: evga 9500gt

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130378


MotherBoard: Gigabyte GA-PE45

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359


CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 2.8ghz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115206


RAM:Corsiar 4gb (2x2gb) ddr2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184


PSU: Corsair 520 watt modular

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001




Thanks for looking, would love suggestions from anyone about anything about the build from the cpu to the case! thanks again!

 

[hundredislandsboy]

You'll get a significant performance boost going from e7400 to an overclocked e8400 as the e7400 will struggle to run a 1600 fsb. The e8400 will run all day at 3.6 GHz on stock voltage. Throw in another $30 for An Artic Cooling Freezer Pro 7.

 

[Why_Me]

That mobo you have is a waste for the E7400 for the fact you don't want to push that chip past 1333 fsb. This one down below will do just fine. Move up your fsb (10.5 x 333) and run it at 3.5GHz 1333 fsb. Or better yet, keep that mobo you have and like the poster above said get an E8400. Move up the fsb on the E8400 to (8 x 400) and run it at a cool 3.6GHz 1600 fsb.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.190818 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $189.98
GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7400 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $41.99 Free Shipping*
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 $8.99 Free Shipping*
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

 

[Outlander_04]

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL a velociraptor for downloading

 

[gkay09]

^ Do agree with the above user...
The velociraptor IMHO is not worth it at all...

But there is an another option...
Get 2 of these drives in RAID 0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136291
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074

And this as the backup drive...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

The RAID 0 would offer high performance similar to that of the Velociraptor or maybe even higher...
And the above config would cost you less than your previous HDD setup and would offer more space and better performance...

 

[Outlander_04]

all a fast hard drive could do would be to speed boot times by a few seconds .

File transfer will be limited by the slowest drive not the fastest , and even the slowest hard drive is WAY faster than the fastest download speed .

But hey if he simply must have a velociraptor then its his money .

Better also to not mention that he could have an AMD quad + mb combo for the same $$$ as the original suggestions because intel is so over priced at the moment
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.191004

 

[Shadow703793]

Wow... with a $1200 budget I'd go with a i7

3*1GB DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227370
$30 after MIR (good deal if running a 32 bit OS)

or
3*2GB DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247
$90
=========
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375
X58-DS3R
$185 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004
550VX
$80 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202
i7 920
$280

Antec 900 $100 or Antec 300 $55

2* 640GB WD in RAID $150

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127415
ATI 4670 (light gaming )
$52 after MIR

or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161259
4850
$95 after MIR

Total: $980 (after rebates) with Antec 900 + 6GB RAM + 4850

A good system for $1000. Add in a S1283 and OC to 3.8-4Ghz.

Main reason to go i7 is that LGA 775 is EOL. Also note if you can wait till July you should be able to get a i5 for cheaper (note: you CAN'T upgrade i5 to i7 due to different socket) than this AND outperform the LGA775s.


Or you could get a Phenom II system for less. I think your friend might be infected with the "i must have Intel" virus (no offense). I'd personally go with an i7 or a Phenom II at this time.

 

[Helloworld_98]

^ no I just think this guy is trying to make a bit of money off his friend hence why he chose Core 2.

also I don't think i5 will be cheaper for an SMT supporting build when the i7 price cuts come around the i5's launch. Infact won't it be near the 1st anniversary of the i7? 1 year and still going strong, I bet AMD wish they could say that with phenom.

 

[arogot]

thanks so much, i was looking into the phenom black, do you think it is that much better? i could go amd, he would rather i not but i could convince.

i like the idea of getting the new e8400 as the cpu

i took out the raptor, you guys are right its not worth it

this may seem like a stupid questions but il ask anyway, if he gets Verizon fios, this build will be able to take advantage of it full right?

 

[arogot]

im not trying to make any money, hes a good friend im getting no $ out of it. i enjoy building computers, he said he would buy me an 8 gig flash drive and i dont mind but other then that nothing, im open to going i7

what would you guys think about going i7 with 1200

 

[arogot]

Shadow, you convinced me, at this point il go amd, he does not want to wait much more for the i5 so now its between the i7 and amd...
for his uses what would you say?

 

[Helloworld_98]

i7 definitely

 

[sprucebr1]

In my opinion, wait for a month or so.. Intel will release Core "i5" witch should be cheaper than i7. At this point for Intel you only have 2 options. "i7" or Core 2 Quad/Duo + P45/P43. Honestly, no one needs more than 6GB RAM. If you go "i7" then tri-channel + x64 windows would be good. Also, Phenom 2 now has AM3+DDR3 available, so that would be a good AMD build, plus with AMD you save some money for 5.1 speakers, lol. In this case if it "must" be Intel, P43 + E7400\E7500 or E8400 would be good. Either HD4850 or Geforce GTX 260 Core 216 are the best at this price point.

 

[Hard Line]

I would just lieke to contribute a little about the e7400.. I have the e7200 with a biostar Tseries P35 motherboard... and I got mine running 1758FSB 8X440.. as you can see it is possible to push beyond 1600 FSB with this chip.. and idles at 30C with a freezer 7 pro..not trying to hijack just wanted to provide some input on the E7xxx chips

 

[daship]

i7 all the way. He has a budget that allows it and if you get him a C2D he is already obsolete, in terms of whats available. If he gets the i7 hes way more future proof, and has the top of the line.

Veloci Raptor is over priced junk. I would go 1 OCZ Vertex for os and apps and WD 640s for other stuff.

 

[Why_Me]

This build includes a factory over clocked gtx 260 and is set up to add another one in the future for SLI.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 $74.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10005611 $99.99 | $69.99 after MIR Free Shipping
PC Power and Cooling S75QB Silencer 750W Quad Power Supply (Black) Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U4P $219.99 | $204.99 after rebate Free Ground Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CorssFireX & 3-Way SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard
Use Code: MEMORIAL20 to get an extra $20 off

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=I7-920 $264.99 Free Ground Shipping
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $41.99 Free Shipping*
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003 $4.99
Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127430 $174.99 ($154.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
MSI N260GTX-T2D896-OCv4 GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247 $89.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 $99.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152 $23.99 Free Shipping*
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

Total: $1,095.90 | $1,030.90 w/mail in rebates

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx?ITPID=mscomsc <---Save yourself some money on an o/s and dl the 64 bit version of Windows 7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374 <--- more pics, specs, and customer reviews of the mobo used in this build.

 

[Shadow703793]

^True that. I vote for this build. Not sure if the GPU and the PSU will be used to the max as OP stated it's going to be for DLing music,etc. As far as FiOs goes yes, this PC can take full use of it PROVIDING that Verizon doesn't throttle him.One of my friends have FiOS and he gets throttled during Tuesdays-Thursday (Speed was checked at speedtest.net). He has the Faster Plus service and he only gets 8Mbitsps when throttled. The Faster Plus has DL up to 20 Mbitsps

 

[geofelt]

MY 2 cents:

For the proposed usage, namely downloading, you don't need much.
The E7400 or E8400 will be just fine.

4gb of ddr2-800 ram is good, don't pay extra for faster speeds, or better timings.

I don't know why some are suggesting gaming vga cards, but any minimal card will work as well, and will be quieter. A fanless unit like the XFX 8500GT
would work well:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150245

For a quiet and cool case, I suggest the Antec solo.

The corsair 520 watt unit is good quality and quiet.

A oem cooler is appropriate, mainly because they use slow turning 120mm fans which are very quieter.

For good hard drive performance, I suggest the WD black 1tb drive. When you load the OS first, it will reside on the faster outer rings, and perform close to the velociraptor. By the end of the year, a SSD will probably be the OS drive of choice, but not yet.

If there are any extra funds, spend it on a bigger or better monitor.

 

[B-Unit]

^+1 Learn2Read before dropping in your cookie-cutter budget gaming builds.

 

[radiowars]

Go with i7. If your not trying to pocket money, then go with Why_Me's build. It's great for the price, and the i7 is worth it mainly because it's LGA 1336 which is brand new. No point in getting an old socket so your friend will have to complete redo his mobo, cpu, ram when he just bought a new computer.

 

[arogot]

Ok, but what about the phenom...get rid of the first thing about intel, i can convince the guy to go amd, no need for any gpu better then a 9600gt and im looking at the 9500gt, its for mad downloading. storage will be external so no need for major storage. im up for an i7 if its worth it, he will run fios in the future. i5 seems to far away he wants to build soon. how does the phenom sound in relationship to the i7 for the tasks at hand?

 

[Shadow703793]

^lol, if it's for just that then save money by getting a 3450. Note that this is a strictly a no gaming card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121259
$20 after MIR

 

[AKM880]

Yeah HD3450 sucks for gaming. But +1 for Core i7!

 

[erdinger]

If I were you I would buy a phenom II 920!/940 (If you wish to overclock)and crap gpu PASSIV cooled, you could f.e buy a 8400gs passive cooled (just look that it's passive cooled).

Then get some really silent fans and a silent cpu cooler, he will be able to download all night without disturbing noises!

Still you would save a lot of money and could give it back to him.

I really don't know why people suggest I7 it's total overkill. A
s you sugested in the beginning even a dual core is enough.
Amd Phenom II has a great bang for the buck, and gives you four fast cores. It's your decision if you want to go for ddr3 or ddr2 but I do not think ddr3 makes much sence since the am3 motherboard are much more expensive. On the other hand if you want to be able to upgrade later go with the Am3.....

The most important thing is to convince your friend not to through his money out of the window....

 

[meatwad53186]

Well, for what your friend plans on doing with this build, $1200 seems like a ridiculous amount to be spending. A build sufficient for his uses can be done for around $800-$900.