My $1000 Budget Comp... Opinions/Advice?

[Davoguha]

First of all, I apologize for never before being a part of this community, and this is my first post. I do intend to actually use these forums more, now that I am actually registered.

Anyway, on to the real point.

I am building a new computer on an approximate $1000 budget. I intend to use the PC for gaming, especially some of these really intense new games. However, when I am on the computer, I often am playing my music, downloading torrents, and have multiple web pages open. Being so, I make frequent use of the alt-tab feature.

Here is what I have so far for my computer build.

Motherboard (UPDATED)- GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Processor (UPDATED)- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400
Video Card - Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
RAM (UPDATED)- Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G8500ELKR2
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Case - With 585W Power Supply
Liquid Cooling (Dropped)

Current Subtotal: $623.94

First off, I realize this build is missing a few parts, most of which I am planning to transfer from my current computer. These parts (To my knowledge) include:
Disk Drives (Compatibility issues possible? Let me know please)
Monitor
Mouse
Keyboard
Speakers
Network Card

Now, I do have a couple of specific questions.

1. How powerful of a power supply might I need for this system? (If possible, again, I will take the power supply from my current computer) (Any recommendations?)

2. The liquid cooling... Basically in general, looking for pros/cons. Or should I just stick to fans for this system?

3. A final question, a bit off-topic, but I have never overclocked before, I am interested in doing so... Any advice if I decide to?

Short of all of that... Opinions and Advice on this system?

 

[bcoffee20]

well in my opinion if you're going to overclock a bit then get the q6600 and spend the money on a better card. also get ddr2 1066 ram if you want to save 60 bucks. you'll probably need to get a new power supply but you should post what kind it is and how many watts. im not really sure about water cooling with the small case. never done it so someone can post about that

 

[Davoguha]

well in my opinion if you're going to overclock a bit then get the q6600 and spend the money on a better card. also get ddr2 1066 ram if you want to save 60 bucks. you'll probably need to get a new power supply but you should post what kind it is and how many watts. im not really sure about water cooling with the small case. never done it so someone can post about that

Would there be any noticeable difference between a 2.66 and a 2.4 GHz quad-core? (Without OC) And what would be the approx difference with OC?

Concerning the RAM, I would rather stick with the DDR3, but for significant savings, I might drop it.

Any recommended vid cards for the 200$ range? (With a large advantage over the listed card)

Power - Any way to check the power supply stats without opening the case? If so, Ill check it now, otherwise, Ill update on that tomorrow.

(Small warning about myself: I ask a lot of questions. I truly appreciate those of you who don't get annoyed)

 

[Ramodkk]

For quality gaming, you want quality parts

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

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131113

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

Hard Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148298

As far as the case, I don't know if you want it to be MicroATX, but most of he better motherboards right now are regular ATX factor so if you want the best, you need an ATX case. Around the same style as the case you chose is this:

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047&Tpk=nzxt tempest

^ Great case!

So far the total is $833.91 w/shipping included. You can add or subtract hard drives or optical drives.

Now to your questions:

1 - You won't need more than 550W for that system... BUT this seems like an amazing deal!

Power Supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256045

So the total is now $933.90 w/Shipping included

2 - Liquid cooling is more of an enthusiast kinda thing. It is really not needed unless you plan on extreme overclocking or you simply want your temps to be on the really lows. A good water cooling system will set you back ~$250 so it really is something to think about before you do. For your purposes, it sounds like you wouldn't need it, air can do the job.

3 - Overclocking takes a whole new thread

 

[Davoguha]

Wow, thanks for that build, ramodkk. It looks quite impressive for my budget. However, I do have 1 issue with it.

Whether I go with DDR2 or DDR3 ram, I would like a DDR3 compatible motherboard. In the future, RAM is probably one of the first things I will upgrade on this computer, and DDR3 sounds (to me) like the way to go in that case.

When it comes to the motherboard/case, Im not picky, I just want compatibility+expandability.

And I think I will dump the liquid cooling, you seem like a guy that knows his stuff, and that is definitely something I can drop in the interest of keeping prices lower.

About the video card you posted... It is over double the price of the card I posted, is it really that significant of an improvement?

Also, just checked, my current computer has a power supply of 350W... Yeah, I think Ill be buying a new supply.

 

[Ramodkk]

The RAM is not as important (in terms of speed) as CPU speed for example or having a good video card. As long as you have a nice size RAM amount (at least 2GB, 4GB would be perfect) you will have no problems and won't need DDR3 which is just coming in the market and doesn't have pretty prices. I would get DDR2 RAM for now, when DDR3 becomes more standard, then shell out some $$$ for that A of now, it's really not worth the money you will spend on it.

About the video card, the HD4870 will give you about double the performance of a HD3850 so I would go ahead and get it , you can also get the HD4850 or the 9800GTX+ which is about $50 less and still perform better than the HD3850.

 

[Davoguha]

The RAM is not as important (in terms of speed) as CPU speed for example or having a good video card. As long as you have a nice size RAM amount (at least 2GB, 4GB would be perfect) you will have no problems and won't need DDR3 which is just coming in the market and doesn't have pretty prices. I would get DDR2 RAM for now, when DDR3 becomes more standard, then shell out some $$$ for that A of now, it's really not worth the money you will spend on it.

About the video card, the HD4870 will give you about double the performance of a HD3850 so I would go ahead and get it , you can also get the HD4850 or the 9800GTX+ which is about $50 less and still perform better than the HD3850.

Alright, so I updated my build a bit. The liquid cooling has been dropped, and I changed to a HD4850 vid card.

RAM-Wise, I think Ill stick with the DDR3 compatibility, and if I need to save money, Ill drop the RAM itself to DDR2

One other question, would there be any noticeable difference between a 2.4GHz quad core and a 2.66GHz quad core? Im tempted to drop for the $90~ price difference.
EDIT: Either core I go with, I would like to overclock to about 3GHz, as long as it wont risk damaging the core.

 

[narsnail]

imo, no, the Q6600 is a much better value than the Q9400, and the performance increase and OCing yields will be miserly at best.

 

[Davoguha]

imo, no, the Q6600 is a much better value than the Q9400, and the performance increase and OCing yields will be miserly at best.

Well, in that case, I can easily save about 90 on the core. Not a 100% choice yet, but I will update my post when I decide on that.

Any other advice for this computer? I have until around Christmas to finalize the build.

 

[Davoguha]

Alright, I have updated my system.

I dropped the old case, it was about $140, and was really not necessary.

I added a new case, which comes with a 585W PSU... Which ended up saving me about $200 on the Case + PSU.

I decided to drop down to a Q6600 CPU, saving me yet another $90 or so.


Now, I have quite a bit of wiggle room with my current price being only $722.

How is this baby lookin?

 

[Ramodkk]

Don't want you to spend more but... wait I do want you to spend more, but trust me, it will be worth it! That case is average quality not to mention the crappy PSU that comes with it. Usually power supplies that come pre-installed with cheap cases are not good quality and do not last long or may not give you the power it says it gives.

I know this by experience. Bought a cheap $20 480W power supply and died within 2 months.

I recommend getting a good-built/sturdy quality case such as this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

- or -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129018&Tpk=antec solo

And a quality power supply, anything from Cooler Master, Antec, OCZ, Corsair, Thermaltake, Silverstone, GIGABYTE, Zalman, PC Power & Cooling or even a high end Rosewill will do the job. Anything else, I'd ask before considering.

I hope this helps man!

 

[ronster667]

i wouldnt spend that much on a harddrive,

forget your harddrive here are two with the same specs just smaller
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145215

id go with two of those, or just one for that matter, it would take me a long time to fill 500 gigs, ive had my computer for like 4 years now and only used 30 of it including operating system and 6 gigs is the music, lol

 

[Davoguha]

Don't want you to spend more but... wait I do want you to spend more, but trust me, it will be worth it! That case is average quality not to mention the crappy PSU that comes with it. Usually power supplies that come pre-installed with cheap cases are not good quality and do not last long or may not give you the power it says it gives.

I know this by experience. Bought a cheap $20 480W power supply and died within 2 months.

I recommend getting a good-built/sturdy quality case such as this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

- or -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129018&Tpk=antec solo

And a quality power supply, anything from Cooler Master, Antec, OCZ, Corsair, Thermaltake, Silverstone, GIGABYTE, Zalman, PC Power & Cooling or even a high end Rosewill will do the job. Anything else, I'd ask before considering.

I hope this helps man!

Thanks for your advice, but do you tend to OC your computers? I dont really intend on any hardcore OCing, if any at all. That, and by the time the PSU fails, I will be able to afford a new PSU on my own. For now, I am simply trying to build a strong system which sounds good in price to my parents for Christmas. (They were quite enthusiastic when I informed them I got the price below $800)

Anyway, should the PSU fail, I will definitely keep those brand names in mind. Thanks

i wouldnt spend that much on a harddrive,

forget your harddrive here are two with the same specs just smaller
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145215

id go with two of those, or just one for that matter, it would take me a long time to fill 500 gigs, ive had my computer for like 4 years now and only used 30 of it including operating system and 6 gigs is the music, lol

Wow, thanks for that advice too. The hard drive you recommended only had a 16MB cache (Which Im sure is enough), but I did decide to drop down to a 500GB hard drive rather than 750... Saving me yet another $30 or so!

 

[Ramodkk]

Even if you don't overclock, crappy power supplies can make you suffer man! And judging by the use of this computer, your video card will be kicking in all the time so the power supply will be on full throttle most of the time.

I'm just saying this because you mentioned you want it for gaming and multitasking. If it were just for the average user, you know web surfing and IM, then you wouldn't even need a high-end video card and a crappy PSU would do the job. But for the sake of your components, buy a quality PSU! In fact, let me make a you a new build:

DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129018

Hard Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262

Video Card;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125238

Power Supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256045

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131347

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

TOTAL w/Shipping: $770.72

I guarantee, considering everything works that it will be a kick-ass gaming rig

 

[Davoguha]

Even if you don't overclock, crappy power supplies can make you suffer man! And judging by the use of this computer, your video card will be kicking in all the time so the power supply will be on full throttle most of the time.

I'm just saying this because you mentioned you want it for gaming and multitasking. If it were just for the average user, you know web surfing and IM, then you wouldn't even need a high-end video card and a crappy PSU would do the job. But for the sake of your components, buy a quality PSU! In fact, let me make a you a new build:

DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129018

Hard Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262

Video Card;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125238

Power Supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256045

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131347

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

TOTAL w/Shipping: $770.72

I guarantee, considering everything works that it will be a kick-ass gaming rig

This rig doesnt look bad at all, just a few issues I have with it... Yet again lol. (Trust me, I do really appreciate the fact that you go through the trouble of building it)

1. Dont need the DVD burner, Ill be takin that from my current rig. But no complaints, I can just drop that from your build to save money.

2. The case is a bit ugly. Personal opinion of course though.

3. My current hard drive is only a 120GB or so, and I have it stocked. Been that way for about a year now, I have to delete stuff constantly if I want to add anything... This time I intend to go a bit overkill, 250GB is probably plenty, but Im gonna stick with 500+ to be on the safe side... I dont like deleting stuff

4. You seem to be looking out for me, so I will take your word on the PSU, they aren't too expensive, so I guess Ill buy one.

5. Memory/Mo-Bo seems fine, I have nothing against DDR2, but I do want DDR3 compatibility for future upgrades.


Sorry if I seem to be tearing apart your build, but afterall, it is my computer. I am completely open to counter-argument on my points, arguments lead to information, and information is always good.

I will take into advisory your point of view on the PSU though. Thanks for watchin my back there

 

[Ramodkk]

Yeah no problem man, these are just suggestions.

About the case, it does really depend on personal likings, just make sure it's not one of those $20 Fruit brand case

 

[Davoguha]

Yeah no problem man, these are just suggestions.

About the case, it does really depend on personal likings, just make sure it's not one of those $20 Fruit brand case

Rofl, the only 'fruit' brand I use makes my underwear.

Im pretty sure I already know the answer, but if you buy a case that comes with a PSU, you can always change out the PSUs, right?

 

[Ramodkk]

Yeah! It comes pre-installed but you can always post-unsinstall it!

 

[2048Megabytes]

All your selected components are good so far except your power supply in my opinion. But I would go with the before suggested motherboard the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R. The motherboard you selected hasn't been time tested. DDR3 RAM isn't much faster than DDR2 RAM presently.

Here is 4 gigabytes of DDR2 RAM that will function with the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard:

Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 1066 PC2 8500 - $75 (also has a $20 mail-in-rebate).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220314

This RAM can run at around 8500 megabyte per second speeds (not much slower than DDR3 RAM).

 

[Davoguha]

DDR3 RAM isn't much faster than DDR2 RAM presently.

Keyword: Presently.

My whole issue is about the RAM, I just want a motherboard that is compatible with DDR3 RAM, for future upgrading.

The motherboard indeed is not time tested, but not many DDR3 compatible boards are. That is a risk I am willing to take.