$1500 budget setup (opinions)

wixostrix · 10-02-2006, 04:47 AM

Does anyone have any objections to this setup. I came into some money and my current computer is out of date (for me). Im gonna keep my cd drives. i also included a firewire pci-x1 card ($64) and an external harddrive case for my old one cause i dont want to use it after i transfer my files and i want firewire. is that a waist of money and I should just buy a better Mobo with firewire on board? i want a mobo suitable for gaming. im gonna get a Dell 2007WFP. so thats part of my $1500 budget

GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128012

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115004

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145566

XFX PVT71PUDE3 Geforce 7900GS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150183

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140

Linkworld ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811164040

Airnet APS500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817138002

**ceewi1** · 10-02-2006, 09:20 AM

I'd stick with the DS3, but you can get firewire cards at a much lower price. 2GB of RAM would be better.

MOST IMORTANTLY, i'd upgrade the PSU. That one really is insufficient. Take a look at PSU101. The XCLIO 450BL would be OK, but spending more would be preferable.

ETSA · 10-02-2006, 01:36 PM

GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 Mobo

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe

This and the corsair RAM I have in my current setup, athough I have 2 gigs. It's good stuff, quality, really.

Yes, the PSU does need to go, I would suggest an antec true power or neoH.

Nightrain · 10-02-2006, 02:02 PM

just looking at your budget...if you up ur ram to ddr2800 corsair xms 2 * 1gig sticks...without your gpu your about 800-900 with a better power supply. ur budgets 1500. you could up ur graphics card from the gs to a gt or gtx and still be way under budget. id go with a better graphics card if you do have the extra money to spend. if ur trying to stay as far under as you can then ya that will work

Saurian · 10-02-2006, 02:58 PM

I was gonna say, a 1500 dollar budget should get you more then that! 1500 dollars should have you cutting it close with an E6600, DQ6 or P5B DH, 7900GT/X1900 or better graphics, and a solid 500 watt power supply. It'd be cutting it close I'd say. Do you need a monitor as well? It sounds like you might be happy with closer toa 1000 dollar build.

Saurian · 10-02-2006, 03:27 PM

Ok, I didn't want to do homework so here's what I came up with first try on getting you a 1500 dollar machine. And it comes out to exactly 1500 dollars without a sound card, shipped to your door.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129017
P180 Case, what more can you say?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106019
2x DVD burners with lightscribe on each. Never know when you'll want to burn stuff off fast.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134
Arctic Freezer 7 Pro. Price/performance probably the best cooler. Not as good as Big Typhone or Scythe coolers, but those are also 2x the cost!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590
2 Gigs of Corsair XMS 800Mhz. Nice MIR on this product.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131028
ASUS P5B Deluxe Wifi. Great reviews, either this or the DQ6 are some of the best boards to get with E6600/E6700's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003
E6600. Enough said.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007
AS5 for your proc-to-heatsink needs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140
Same hard drive you Chose. Decent drive, esp for the money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817189006
550W, Great amps on 12V rails, Modular, PFC. A VERY nice Power Supply.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102051
X1900XT 256MB crossfire card with 15 dollar MIR, looked good to me!

When I added this all up, it basically came to 1450, and when I added up all the shipping in my head it came to like 52 or 53 dollars, which we can call a 1500 total budget on!

Now you could call many parts down on this. You could go with a DS3 still and save like 70-80 dollars. An E6300 would save you 140. You could try adn go cheaper on the memory, but with a 40$ MIR, that's tough. Case, of course you could use your first choice of case and save like 60 bucks to put back into something else. However, this is a pretty well rounded system for the money. Makes me drool a bit...

That said, it does not include a sound card. I have nothing against integrated audio personally. I use my original Audigy Platinum still in my computer, and plan on doing so when I go Conroe here soon myself. That said, there is a HELLACIOUS MIR for a Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum right now, 100 dollars back. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102163 . That is huge! So if you had your heart set on an add-in sound card, then that is what I would recommend if you could delete some room from your computer to make room. However....that's a quality board that SHOULD have a fairly adequate integrated sound option.

Either way, hope this maybe helps you out a bit. A TRUE 1500 dollar build.

wixostrix · 10-02-2006, 07:35 PM

thanks a lot. actually i had to inclued the monitor in my $1500 budget which left me with about $1100 for the hardware. im pretty much gonna go with everything i have now and do updates later. i did change the PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103937) and got thermal paste (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007) and the ATI X1900XT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102051) instead of the Geforce 7900GS. I have a history with ATI and i never really wanted to change. also i do have a creative audigy4 sound card which i will use and cd/dvd drives. thanks again

Meng · 10-03-2006, 05:31 AM

Hey if u realli want it cheap buy it over seas!

Burgerbob · 10-03-2006, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meng

Hey if u realli want it cheap buy it over seas!

????????? that didnt make any sense... If he lives in the US, then he should get the parts from newegg.com.

10-02-2006, 04:47 AM	#1 (permalink)
wixostrix Gold Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: San Leandro, California Age: 20 Posts: 296	$1500 budget setup (opinions) Does anyone have any objections to this setup. I came into some money and my current computer is out of date (for me). Im gonna keep my cd drives. i also included a firewire pci-x1 card ($64) and an external harddrive case for my old one cause i dont want to use it after i transfer my files and i want firewire. is that a waist of money and I should just buy a better Mobo with firewire on board? i want a mobo suitable for gaming. im gonna get a Dell 2007WFP. so thats part of my $1500 budget GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 Mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128012 Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115004 CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145566 XFX PVT71PUDE3 Geforce 7900GS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150183 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140 Linkworld ATX Mid Tower http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811164040 Airnet APS500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817138002 __________________ Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit Dell 2007WFP UltraSharp Monitor (20.1") Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40Ghz Corsair XMS2 2GB (4x512) ATi Radeon X1950 XTX (512MB PCI-E), ATi TV Wonder Elite Seagate SATA HDD (320GB) Hitachi IDE HDD External(160GB, 320GB), DVD+/-RW

10-02-2006, 09:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
ceewi1 Moderator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 21 Posts: 5,280	I'd stick with the DS3, but you can get firewire cards at a much lower price. 2GB of RAM would be better. MOST IMORTANTLY, i'd upgrade the PSU. That one really is insufficient. Take a look at PSU101. The XCLIO 450BL would be OK, but spending more would be preferable. __________________ CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600 / MOBO: Gigabyte 965P-DS3 / GPU: Gigabyte HD4870 RAM: 2GB G.Skill F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK / HDD: 2TB Total HDD / PSU: Antec NeoPower 480W Cheap PSUs - 2% of system costs, responsible for 28% of system deaths As Sealed Stick was removed, lost or damaged, it shall be out of warranty validity. - The "Warranty void if removed" sticker on numerous CoolerMaster PSUs. Useful PSU Guides

10-02-2006, 01:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
ETSA Diamond Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: WA Age: 24 Posts: 2,287	GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 Mobo Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe This and the corsair RAM I have in my current setup, athough I have 2 gigs. It's good stuff, quality, really. Yes, the PSU does need to go, I would suggest an antec true power or neoH. __________________ DESKTOP Antec P180B(4 x 120mm Tricool fans) Antec 500W neoHE Gigabyte GA 965p DS3 E6400 /w Zalman cnps9500 led 92mm (OC'ed to 3.2Ghz) 4 GB Corsair xms2 DDR2 800 HD4850 512mb ddr3 /w Zalman VF1000 (OC'ed to 690/1143) Soundblaster Audigy 4 LAPTOP Core 2 Duo T5750(2.00GHz)/4GB ddr2 667/250GB HD/8600M GT

10-02-2006, 02:02 PM	#4 (permalink)
Nightrain Gold Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: In my PC...it's warm in here Age: 21 Posts: 288	just looking at your budget...if you up ur ram to ddr2800 corsair xms 2 * 1gig sticks...without your gpu your about 800-900 with a better power supply. ur budgets 1500. you could up ur graphics card from the gs to a gt or gtx and still be way under budget. id go with a better graphics card if you do have the extra money to spend. if ur trying to stay as far under as you can then ya that will work __________________ My New Rig : Intel e6300 @3.325Ghz (475Mhz FSB) Gigabyte P35-DS3R 2 x 1Gb Corsair DDR2-800@950 EVGA 8800GTS superclocked 320Mb 160gb 7200rpm WD Sata drive Swiftech H2O Ultra +MCW30 chipset block 650w BFG PSU 3dMark06:11,264

10-02-2006, 02:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
Saurian Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Oskaloosa/Pleasantville, Iowa Age: 22 Posts: 552	I was gonna say, a 1500 dollar budget should get you more then that! 1500 dollars should have you cutting it close with an E6600, DQ6 or P5B DH, 7900GT/X1900 or better graphics, and a solid 500 watt power supply. It'd be cutting it close I'd say. Do you need a monitor as well? It sounds like you might be happy with closer toa 1000 dollar build. __________________ Intel 3.2Ghz P4 MSI PM8M3-V GF FX5900XT 128MB 512 MB CXMS Dell 20.1" Widescreen LCD Need...upgrades....:)

10-02-2006, 03:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
Saurian Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Oskaloosa/Pleasantville, Iowa Age: 22 Posts: 552	Ok, I didn't want to do homework so here's what I came up with first try on getting you a 1500 dollar machine. And it comes out to exactly 1500 dollars without a sound card, shipped to your door. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129017 P180 Case, what more can you say? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106019 2x DVD burners with lightscribe on each. Never know when you'll want to burn stuff off fast. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134 Arctic Freezer 7 Pro. Price/performance probably the best cooler. Not as good as Big Typhone or Scythe coolers, but those are also 2x the cost! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590 2 Gigs of Corsair XMS 800Mhz. Nice MIR on this product. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131028 ASUS P5B Deluxe Wifi. Great reviews, either this or the DQ6 are some of the best boards to get with E6600/E6700's. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003 E6600. Enough said. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007 AS5 for your proc-to-heatsink needs. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140 Same hard drive you Chose. Decent drive, esp for the money. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817189006 550W, Great amps on 12V rails, Modular, PFC. A VERY nice Power Supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102051 X1900XT 256MB crossfire card with 15 dollar MIR, looked good to me! When I added this all up, it basically came to 1450, and when I added up all the shipping in my head it came to like 52 or 53 dollars, which we can call a 1500 total budget on! Now you could call many parts down on this. You could go with a DS3 still and save like 70-80 dollars. An E6300 would save you 140. You could try adn go cheaper on the memory, but with a 40$ MIR, that's tough. Case, of course you could use your first choice of case and save like 60 bucks to put back into something else. However, this is a pretty well rounded system for the money. Makes me drool a bit... That said, it does not include a sound card. I have nothing against integrated audio personally. I use my original Audigy Platinum still in my computer, and plan on doing so when I go Conroe here soon myself. That said, there is a HELLACIOUS MIR for a Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum right now, 100 dollars back. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102163 . That is huge! So if you had your heart set on an add-in sound card, then that is what I would recommend if you could delete some room from your computer to make room. However....that's a quality board that SHOULD have a fairly adequate integrated sound option. Either way, hope this maybe helps you out a bit. A TRUE 1500 dollar build. __________________ Intel 3.2Ghz P4 MSI PM8M3-V GF FX5900XT 128MB 512 MB CXMS Dell 20.1" Widescreen LCD Need...upgrades....:)

10-02-2006, 07:35 PM	#7 (permalink)
wixostrix Gold Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: San Leandro, California Age: 20 Posts: 296	thanks a lot. actually i had to inclued the monitor in my $1500 budget which left me with about $1100 for the hardware. im pretty much gonna go with everything i have now and do updates later. i did change the PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103937) and got thermal paste (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007) and the ATI X1900XT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102051) instead of the Geforce 7900GS. I have a history with ATI and i never really wanted to change. also i do have a creative audigy4 sound card which i will use and cd/dvd drives. thanks again __________________ Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit Dell 2007WFP UltraSharp Monitor (20.1") Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40Ghz Corsair XMS2 2GB (4x512) ATi Radeon X1950 XTX (512MB PCI-E), ATi TV Wonder Elite Seagate SATA HDD (320GB) Hitachi IDE HDD External(160GB, 320GB), DVD+/-RW

10-03-2006, 05:31 AM	#8 (permalink)
Meng Bronze Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 28	Hey if u realli want it cheap buy it over seas! __________________ Power Logic Atrix Casing, Pentium D 3.00Ghz, 3g ram, Segate 250Gb Sata 2 hard drive, Maxtor 250gb Sata 2 hard drive, 2 x Maxtor 300gb External HardDrive, Asus - EAX1300Pro Graphic Card, Creative Sound Blaster sound card, Harman/kardon 2.1 Speakers, IEE1394 Firewire Ports, 17 Inch Dell LCD Moniter...

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