Computer to be built soon

pmenefee · 03-10-2008, 02:19 PM

It's been quite awhile since I've built a computer, I've just been using my laptop for school, but I'm planning on building a desktop that will be able to handle the newest games such as COD 4 well. I've been getting all my prices and information from newegg.com, and want to find a good system but don't want to spend too much. Here's what I had found, just thought I'd see what everyone else thought of it for gaming.

Processor- Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz $169.99
Video Card- EVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 $229.99
Memory- Crucial Ballistix 2GB (1GB x 2) $64.99
Motherboard- XFG MG-630i-7109 $69.99
Power Supply- Rosewill RD550N 550W
Case- Rosewill R5601
Case and Power Supply $94.98
Drive- Samsung 20x DVD +-R $25.99

I plan on running XP Pro and I already have a 250GB WD Hard Drive. For the money is there anything I should switch out that would be better for the same price or maybe a little more? Would this be able to handle pretty much anything thrown at it? Thanks in advance.

-pmenefee

Kilauea · 03-10-2008, 02:47 PM

I would switch the ram for this Corsair XMS2, cheaper without the MIR. I would consider both the E4500 for cheaper alternative and E6750 for a little more.

I would change the case and PSU, the PSU actually, but since they come together, I'd go for an Antec Sonata III

And for mobo, I believe it is usually more recommended to go for an Intel chipset. A cheap alternative could be this Gigabyte P35-S3G or for a little more Gigabyte P35-DS3L.

twitchtwice · 03-10-2008, 05:35 PM

Yeah get the P35-DS3L for the money that thing is amazing.

And if you dont want to spend the money on an e8400 get either the e6600 or e6750.

And get an acutal power supply. Either an antec or a OCZ is what i like.

And the ram is fine it really doesnt matter too much as long as its either Corsair, Crucial, HyperX, OCZ

Also recommend a aftermarket CPU cooler to keep your CPOU running cooler and longer =]

Kilauea · 03-10-2008, 06:14 PM

The aftermarket cooler is great, but if he doesn't plan to overclock, its pointless, no ?
Also, it voids the warranty on the CPU, so I'd only get one to oc.

pmenefee · 03-10-2008, 06:21 PM

A couple questions off of the suggestions-
What would you recommend for the wattage for a power supply?
Since I'm getting a different power supply what then would you recommend for a case?
Is 2GB of memory the most that you can support with XP Professional?

I am not familiar with changing anything as far as overclocking so will I still need a second fan? Thanks again for the advice

PunterCam · 03-10-2008, 06:25 PM

You won't need a fancy cooler, a basic one will be fine. XP I believe supports 3gb of ram, 64bit XP supports more. 600Watts or so should be fine for most computers, I still run most of my PC's off 400's and they've been fine, some of them have been powering 4 video cards at a time etc... I'd recommend going down your nearest computer shop and finding their cheapest case - it won't look the best but you'll save shipping which always surprises me (at least in the UK)

Kilauea · 03-10-2008, 06:33 PM

To overclock, you need to change the cooler on the CPU, this process voids the warranty of the CPU, even if normally nothing should happen cuz ur actually putting a better cooler than the one that comes with the CPU. It is also a good idea to have a well ventilated case, specially if you overclock, but either way its a good thing.

A case is mostly up to the owner's choice. I suggested the Sonata III because it comes with a quality Antec PSU. But if you want a separate PSU, its even better cuz u can choose from the whole variety there is. It goes from small, big, fancy, quiet; everyone has their preferance. I am partial to Antec.

As for the wattage of the PSU, well the first thing to look at is if its a trusted brand. Then, you need to figure out if you will overclock, go SLI. If the answer is no to both questions, with the current system you've got, a good 500 Watt PSU should be plenty. For more info, have a look here or for even more specific info here.

Xp pro 32bit can support up to 3.2 gb ram. You need 64bit to support 4gb or more(depends on the os).

Jesse · 03-10-2008, 06:43 PM

i would change the ram to G. Skill 240 pin DDR2

pmenefee · 03-10-2008, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesse

i would change the ram to G. Skill 240 pin DDR2

What is different about the G Skill from the one I was looking at or the Corsair?

If I went with an Antec 550 Watt power supply should that do everything well? If I'm going to spend the money on a good computer I want everything to be good quality.

Should I get a motherboard with 3 memory slots (if that's even available, I don't know), and put in a gig each or should I put in a 2 and a 1 or just but in 2 2GB sticks to get the maximum memory? And what would people recommend for each one?

If I were wanting to overclock, assuming I found out the way to actually do it, what kind of power supply and extra cooling fan would you recommend?

How much of a difference am I going to see as far as the speed of my computer if I were to upgrade the processor from the 6550 to the 6750 (2.33GHz to 2.66GHz)?

I have a couple questions about software as well that I'll ask if this is the proper place for it otherwise I'll go to a different section. I'll post that in a bit

Kilauea · 03-10-2008, 07:25 PM

For the RAM, well the G Skill, provided Jesse was talking about this, its 45$, thus cheaper than the one you chose or the Corsair. Its an average brand. The corsair I suggested is a well known reliable brand, it is cheaper than the ram you suggested and has a mail in rebate which makes it really attractive.

Not sure which Antec 550 you are talking about. Truepower Trio is fine for your build(probably also for oc), NeoHe would be more recommendent for Oc. It might also be worth it to check the Corsair 550VX, it should be good for oc.

For the ram slot, I am not sure, someone else will have to confirm, but I believe it would be better to have say 4gb(2x2gb or 4x1gb) in dual channel than 1gb+2gb or 1gb+1gb+1gb.

If you just wanted to overclock, you'd be fine with the PSU mentionned above, not sure for aftermarket fan, someone else will have to help u with that. But keep in mind that a good case is also recommended since u can't cool to a lower temperature than the one inside the case.

For the difference between the E6550 and the E6750, have a look at Tom's chart

03-10-2008, 02:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
pmenefee New Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6	Computer to be built soon It's been quite awhile since I've built a computer, I've just been using my laptop for school, but I'm planning on building a desktop that will be able to handle the newest games such as COD 4 well. I've been getting all my prices and information from newegg.com, and want to find a good system but don't want to spend too much. Here's what I had found, just thought I'd see what everyone else thought of it for gaming. Processor- Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz $169.99 Video Card- EVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 $229.99 Memory- Crucial Ballistix 2GB (1GB x 2) $64.99 Motherboard- XFG MG-630i-7109 $69.99 Power Supply- Rosewill RD550N 550W Case- Rosewill R5601 Case and Power Supply $94.98 Drive- Samsung 20x DVD +-R $25.99 I plan on running XP Pro and I already have a 250GB WD Hard Drive. For the money is there anything I should switch out that would be better for the same price or maybe a little more? Would this be able to handle pretty much anything thrown at it? Thanks in advance. -pmenefee

03-10-2008, 02:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
Kilauea Gold Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Age: 24 Posts: 446	I would switch the ram for this Corsair XMS2, cheaper without the MIR. I would consider both the E4500 for cheaper alternative and E6750 for a little more. I would change the case and PSU, the PSU actually, but since they come together, I'd go for an Antec Sonata III And for mobo, I believe it is usually more recommended to go for an Intel chipset. A cheap alternative could be this Gigabyte P35-S3G or for a little more Gigabyte P35-DS3L. __________________ 5½ years old rig ? P4 1.7Ghz MSI MS-6547E 768mb RAM ATI Radeon 7200 40Gb Seagate HDD w/ Xp 7Gb Maxtor HDD w/ Linux TigerPlus 300 Watt PSU (never heard of such company) Broken LG CD-rom drive that seems to work sometimes

03-10-2008, 05:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
twitchtwice Gold Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 310	Yeah get the P35-DS3L for the money that thing is amazing. And if you dont want to spend the money on an e8400 get either the e6600 or e6750. And get an acutal power supply. Either an antec or a OCZ is what i like. And the ram is fine it really doesnt matter too much as long as its either Corsair, Crucial, HyperX, OCZ Also recommend a aftermarket CPU cooler to keep your CPOU running cooler and longer =] __________________ CPU: C2D e8400 @ 3.6 HSF: Arctic Freezer 7 MOBO: Gigabyte P35-DS3L RAM: 4GB Corsair XMS2 GPU: XFX GeForce G92 8800 GTS HDD: WD Raptor 150GB PSU: OCZ GameXStream 700W CASE: Antech 900 OS: Win XP x64 MON: Samsung 932BW All this for CS:S? Why not :)

03-10-2008, 06:14 PM	#4 (permalink)
Kilauea Gold Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Age: 24 Posts: 446	The aftermarket cooler is great, but if he doesn't plan to overclock, its pointless, no ? Also, it voids the warranty on the CPU, so I'd only get one to oc. __________________ 5½ years old rig ? P4 1.7Ghz MSI MS-6547E 768mb RAM ATI Radeon 7200 40Gb Seagate HDD w/ Xp 7Gb Maxtor HDD w/ Linux TigerPlus 300 Watt PSU (never heard of such company) Broken LG CD-rom drive that seems to work sometimes

03-10-2008, 06:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
PunterCam Gold Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 487	You won't need a fancy cooler, a basic one will be fine. XP I believe supports 3gb of ram, 64bit XP supports more. 600Watts or so should be fine for most computers, I still run most of my PC's off 400's and they've been fine, some of them have been powering 4 video cards at a time etc... I'd recommend going down your nearest computer shop and finding their cheapest case - it won't look the best but you'll save shipping which always surprises me (at least in the UK) __________________ 2006 Mac Pro Dual, dual core xeons @ 2.0Ghz each 2Gb Ram (I'm too poor) NVidia Geforce 7300Gt 256mb Onboard Sound - optical out to Logitech Z5500 Digidesign MBox2 output to PMCs 250Gb Drive running both Mac OSX and Windows on seperate partitions, 400Gb Seagate Drive for Windows, 400Gb WD Drive for OSX 24¨ Acer AL2416W (not nearly as bad as you'd think) Various Lacie external drives

03-10-2008, 06:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
pmenefee New Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6	A couple questions off of the suggestions- What would you recommend for the wattage for a power supply? Since I'm getting a different power supply what then would you recommend for a case? Is 2GB of memory the most that you can support with XP Professional? I am not familiar with changing anything as far as overclocking so will I still need a second fan? Thanks again for the advice

03-10-2008, 06:33 PM	#7 (permalink)
Kilauea Gold Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Age: 24 Posts: 446	To overclock, you need to change the cooler on the CPU, this process voids the warranty of the CPU, even if normally nothing should happen cuz ur actually putting a better cooler than the one that comes with the CPU. It is also a good idea to have a well ventilated case, specially if you overclock, but either way its a good thing. A case is mostly up to the owner's choice. I suggested the Sonata III because it comes with a quality Antec PSU. But if you want a separate PSU, its even better cuz u can choose from the whole variety there is. It goes from small, big, fancy, quiet; everyone has their preferance. I am partial to Antec. As for the wattage of the PSU, well the first thing to look at is if its a trusted brand. Then, you need to figure out if you will overclock, go SLI. If the answer is no to both questions, with the current system you've got, a good 500 Watt PSU should be plenty. For more info, have a look here or for even more specific info here. Xp pro 32bit can support up to 3.2 gb ram. You need 64bit to support 4gb or more(depends on the os). __________________ 5½ years old rig ? P4 1.7Ghz MSI MS-6547E 768mb RAM ATI Radeon 7200 40Gb Seagate HDD w/ Xp 7Gb Maxtor HDD w/ Linux TigerPlus 300 Watt PSU (never heard of such company) Broken LG CD-rom drive that seems to work sometimes

03-10-2008, 06:43 PM	#8 (permalink)
Jesse Silver Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 151	i would change the ram to G. Skill 240 pin DDR2

03-10-2008, 07:25 PM	#10 (permalink)
Kilauea Gold Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Age: 24 Posts: 446	For the RAM, well the G Skill, provided Jesse was talking about this, its 45$, thus cheaper than the one you chose or the Corsair. Its an average brand. The corsair I suggested is a well known reliable brand, it is cheaper than the ram you suggested and has a mail in rebate which makes it really attractive. Not sure which Antec 550 you are talking about. Truepower Trio is fine for your build(probably also for oc), NeoHe would be more recommendent for Oc. It might also be worth it to check the Corsair 550VX, it should be good for oc. For the ram slot, I am not sure, someone else will have to confirm, but I believe it would be better to have say 4gb(2x2gb or 4x1gb) in dual channel than 1gb+2gb or 1gb+1gb+1gb. If you just wanted to overclock, you'd be fine with the PSU mentionned above, not sure for aftermarket fan, someone else will have to help u with that. But keep in mind that a good case is also recommended since u can't cool to a lower temperature than the one inside the case. For the difference between the E6550 and the E6750, have a look at Tom's chart __________________ 5½ years old rig ? P4 1.7Ghz MSI MS-6547E 768mb RAM ATI Radeon 7200 40Gb Seagate HDD w/ Xp 7Gb Maxtor HDD w/ Linux TigerPlus 300 Watt PSU (never heard of such company) Broken LG CD-rom drive that seems to work sometimes

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Custom built computer problem	baj300688	Desktop Computers	0	01-14-2007 03:51 PM
Problem recently built computer	liverpool332211	Operating Systems	5	05-31-2006 12:01 PM
starting a new built computer with windows	mlitz	Desktop Computers	1	05-17-2005 02:57 AM
Newly Built Computer Doesn't Work	P11	Desktop Computers	16	04-29-2005 02:06 PM