$2,000 Budget Build.

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Drunkship

New Member
I'm going to college in a couple months, and am building a new desktop with a budget of $2,000 (a little more if need be) to bring along with me.

If possible, I'd like to use my monitor as a TV (able to play cable TV and/or Xbox 360) to save money and space. I was thinking of something about 22" and widescreen, such as this.

I'll be doing a lot of gaming, so try to help me make a gaming PC. I'd like to run Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit?), a DX10 card and have enough RAM to run newer games efficiently.

I'd like to snag the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 when the price drops, but other than that, I have no ideas as to what to pick. I probably don't need a big HDD as I've had this 80 GB HDD for a couple years now and it's still not full, so around 150 GB should do.

I'd like for people to help me pick out everything needed for a complete PC (including CPU fan, sound card, speakers, etc).


Thanks a lot,
Bill
 
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Drunkship

New Member
kof2000 said:
the intel build is 200 over your budget, and then theres the amd build under 2000.

http://www.computerforum.com/88237-amd-intel-build.html
Click to expand...

Would it be worth it to get the Zalman 9700 over the 9500?

Would it be worth it to go with 4 GB over 3 GB of RAM?

I see, a 7,200 RPM HDD for storage and I'm assume the 10,000 is for games?

Is a 7.1 sound card really worth it? Or should I just got with 5.1?

I have no idea what a PhysX Processing Unit is. Should I get one or would a video card by itself do?


Sorry for all the questions, I've been out of the PC game for quite sometime.


Bill
 
kof2000

kof2000

New Member
you dont need the physx card. you can pick any sound card you want to fit your budget. when the price lowered for the quad cpu it'll be less than 2000.

you will need vista x64 if you are going with 4gb otherwise 3gb
 
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Drunkship

New Member
kof2000 said:
you dont need the physx card. you can pick any sound card you want to fit your budget. when the price lowered for the quad cpu it'll be less than 2000.
Click to expand...

Well of course, this isn't factoring in a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers. The Q6600 is lowering to what, $266?

I'll toy around and post some parts and maybe you guys can tell me if they'll all work or not. Anyways, is ATI coming out with any decent DX10 cards anytime soon? Should I wait to upgrade to DDR3 or will DDR2 suffice?
 
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Drunkship

New Member
Rough Draft so to Speak...

If anyone can find anything better than the parts listed for a better or same price, please let me know!

CD/DVD: Samsung Black - $37.99

Case: Antec Nine Hundred - $139.99

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $266.00 (after price drop)

CPU Fan: ZALMAN CNPS 9700 - $69.99

HDD: Western Digital Raptor 150 GB - $199.99

RAM:2x CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) - $262.00

Monitor: SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" 2 ms - $314.99

MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 - $119.99

PSU: OCZ GameXStream 600W - $109.99

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 - $89.99

GFX: EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB - $279.99

Speakers: Logitech THX Z-5300e 280 Watts RMS 5.1 - $134.99

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium - $114.99

TOTAL: $2,140.89

Did I miss anything that I need? I can always just snag a cheap keyboard and mouse when I need to. Any better parts for the money I should know about.

What do you guys think?


Thanks,
Bill
 
bluedishwasher

bluedishwasher

New Member
sounds good, don't forget that graphics cards are coming down as well so by the time the quad has come down i expect the graphics to have come down by about $50 depending on current trends...
 
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Drunkship

New Member
kof2000 said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106057

same price but 20x instead of 18x.
Click to expand...

Is LITE-ON a respectable brand? Does it have that fancy Light Scribe technology?

bluedishwasher said:
sounds good, don't forget that graphics cards are coming down as well so by the time the quad has come down i expect the graphics to have come down by about $50 depending on current trends...
Click to expand...

Awesome news. Because my parents are chipping in $1,000 for my graduation present for the PC and they REALLY can't afford to pay over that.
 
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computermaineack

New Member
Drunkship said:
I know this is the cheapest route, but since I'll be in college, this will be my stereo for my TV, DVDs, video games and music. I want it to be at least good considering my budget.
Click to expand...

I use my PC for TV, DVDs, video games, and music, and I use my onboard sound chip for my Logitech X-530 5.1 speakers. The sound card won't deliver a HUGE increase in sound quality...the biggest thing that it does is take some load off of the CPU. If you're on a tight budget, use onboard sound for now. You can always buy a sound card later down the road and throw it in there.
 
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Drunkship

New Member
chupacabra said:
Yep they do, FRY has a better price on the Antec 900
Click to expand...

Wow, a lot cheaper! Thanks.

computermaineack said:
I use my PC for TV, DVDs, video games, and music, and I use my onboard sound chip for my Logitech X-530 5.1 speakers. The sound card won't deliver a HUGE increase in sound quality...the biggest thing that it does is take some load off of the CPU. If you're on a tight budget, use onboard sound for now. You can always buy a sound card later down the road and throw it in there.
Click to expand...

You have a good point, sir.
 
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