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11-11-2006, 08:53 PM
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#1 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Back with a budget
Hello everyone,
I am back with a budget for my gaming/work computer. The budget is $1,200 max, and it must include all the perhipials - a complete package. I won't need an OS. I have an XP Pro disk and I will buy a new license. Now, here is the thing: I was talking to my dad and he suggested that I didn't overclock so I could keep the warrenty - for now - so I'm looking for generous stock performance. Here is all I do with my computer: -Play Counter-Strike:Source -Listen to music -Write papers -Write emails -Browse web -Internet based voice-chat I am willing to go AMD or Intel at this point - I have gotten my fair share of each. I will be on a wireless network and will need an adapter card. I think I should get 2gb of RAM too, or just a single 1gb stick so I can get one more later. I need a powerful video card, but nothing over the edge. To give you an idea of how much more CS:S is CPU intensive than GPU intensive, consider this: I am using a P4 530 with a GeForce 6600 and get enough FPS to play smoothly. Another person has a cheap video card but a very good processor (not sure which) and gets more FPS than I do. Thanks in advance for all the help. For some reason, when it comes to my build, I become doubtful - I was looking at the AMD processors, but then I thought that Core 2 Duo really was the way to go, so I returned here. 
__________________
“To me there are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two is think -- spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions move you to tears. If you laugh, think and cry, that's a heck of a day.” - Jim Valvano Last edited by newbuilder14; 11-11-2006 at 09:02 PM. |
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11-11-2006, 09:29 PM
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#2 |
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Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
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ASUS P5B - $140
E6300 - $180 Corsair DDR2-667 2x1GB - $200 X1950PRO - $200 FSP AX-450 (450W) - $50 DVD-RW (LITEON or NEC) - $30 whatever size hard drive you want - (250GB for around $80) case that floats your boat - $50 (or so) Samsung 940BX - $250 (saw this in another thread and it looks real nice) Basic mouse/keyboard (wireless?) $30? Basic speakers $30? Now, that's stretching the budget some ($1240 + shipping), but that's a starting point. You could save $100 or so by just doing 1 gig of RAM (I suppose you could go for DDR2-800 then) for now.
__________________
"It is the way of man to make monsters and it is the nature of monsters to destroy their makers." |
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11-11-2006, 09:51 PM
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#3 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Thank you! Maybe I will just go with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+, because I really wanted to keep this under $1,200. Someone reviewed the card saying that it played CSS constantly over 60fps, but many people that have nice video cards get constantly 150fps. Maybe that card isn't as powerful as a 7900gt or similar.
Last edited by newbuilder14; 11-11-2006 at 09:54 PM. |
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11-11-2006, 09:56 PM
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#4 |
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Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
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That works too, that's still a respectable processor. I know you were discussing AM2 motherboard options earlier... Do keep in mind you really need DDR2-800 to keep performance the same with Socket 939.
That and a M2N-E looks to be about $80 cheaper. |
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11-11-2006, 10:00 PM
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#5 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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$80 cheaper... well that isn't that much cheaper. I may just stick with your collections with a cheaper ViewSonic monitor to keep the price down. Is the Gigabyte DS3 on par with the Asus P5B?
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11-11-2006, 11:56 PM
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#6 |
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Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
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I'm sure it's fine...I can't really comment on it though. Isn't it about the same price though?
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11-12-2006, 12:04 AM
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#7 |
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V12
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, T.E.X.A.S
Posts: 3,488
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P5B>DS3
Unless your willing to loose some hair.
__________________
“We must not let ourselves get driven off course, no matter what happens we must stick to our natural game” -Zenedine Zidane |
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11-12-2006, 09:52 AM
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#8 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Any real reason why? The DS3 looks just fine to me. If there really is something bad about it I will simply just get the P5B.
For $1,200 I came up with something like this: e6300 P5B 2gb XMS DDR2 800 80gb WD (Will probably change) eVGA 7900sg (thoughts?) Liteon DVDRW Viewsonic 19" Widescreen Logitech 2.1 Speakers Aspire X-Cruiser FSP 450w (Really want sleeved cables or modular - suggestions?) I'm going to try and upgrade to an e6600 but I really don't know if that is possible. Last edited by newbuilder14; 11-12-2006 at 10:12 AM. |
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11-12-2006, 11:27 AM
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#9 |
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Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
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I think the 7900GS and the X1950Pro I listed are around the same performance wise.
Why do you want sleeved/modular cables? From what I've seen, most of the good sleeved/modular units are more expensive...I took a look at Newegg's selection - the cheapest modular unit that I'd trust was $75 and the rest were $100+ |
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11-12-2006, 06:32 PM
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#10 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Indiana
Posts: 500
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There is a nice Acer 19" widescreen w/ 5ms response time on sale at Newegg for $189 and only $3 shipping (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16824009091). If you are stretched for funds, I would go for the Gigabyte GA-965P-S3 ($116)(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813128017), or possibly even the Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H ($100) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813186102). I would also go for a 5.1 speaker system if you can afford it. ($38 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16836117125), or ($54 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16836121126). It's shaping up nicely, enjoy your build!
__________________
| i7 950 @ 4.0 Ghz | Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme | 4870 1GB | 6GB DDR3 1600 Kingston | Gigabyte X58A-UD3R | 1TB, 500GB, 320GB, & 160GB Seagates | Corsair 520W | HDTV Tuner | Logsis Green Transparent Case | Windows 7 Home Premium | 25" Hanspree 1080p LCD | Cyber Acoustics 5.1 Surround Sound | Chaintech AV710 w/ Via Envy 24 | 17,478 3DMark06 (Old CPU) | |
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11-12-2006, 06:35 PM
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#11 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Thank you very much for your suggestions. I like the monitor. About the motherboard, I think I've decided on the P5B. I plan to build this all next weekend, I gotta finish my dual Opty 265 rig first. I forgot to order a video card so I had to run to CompUSA!
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11-12-2006, 07:25 PM
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#12 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Here is what I am still deciding on:
Asus P5B Deluxe WiFi Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Seagate 7200.10 250gb 2x1gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 Liteon DVD Burner w/ Lightscribe Thermaltake Armor Jr. OCZ 600w PSU (looking for suggestions) ViewSonic 19" Widescreen (looking for suggestions) Sapphire x1950xt All of that comes up to be about $1,600 and still doesn't include other things I will need. I may have to downgrade to the standard P5B, the e6300, and 1gb of memory for now. That would make the price about $1,250, but then again I could downgrade the PSU and case as well. |
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11-12-2006, 08:07 PM
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#13 |
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V12
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, T.E.X.A.S
Posts: 3,488
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Judging from your above list..I assume your budget has increased? In that case...there are a few more psu's I could suggest with modular cables:
AeroCool Zero DBA 500W $94.99 Sunbeam NUUO 550W $74.99 Xclio GP 500w $94.99 Any of these will power your setup great. Last edited by Mr.Ferrari; 11-12-2006 at 11:05 PM. |
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11-12-2006, 08:34 PM
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#14 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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I have a final budget to work with... anything under $1,000... I can only afford $1,000 for a subpar gaming system, which must include everyone but an OS. I think this is doable. I'm trying to fit in an e6300 but it is difficult.
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11-12-2006, 08:53 PM
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#15 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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This comes out to almost exactly $1,000:
Aspire X-Cruiser XClio 450BL - not sure about this WD Caviar SE 80gb Hanns-G 19" Widescreen Gigabyte PCI Wireless Adapter eVGA 7600gt Logitech 2.1 Speakers Logitech Media Elite Keyboard Logitech MX518 Gaming Mouse Corsair ValueSelect DDR2 667 2x512mb - should this overclock okay in the future? Maybe 350mhz? Asus P5B Intel Core 2 Duo e6300 Any suggestions would be great but remember this is at the threshold of my budget. My grandparents are coming up for Thanksgiving Thursday, and I am going to build this while they are here. This setup should allow for some upgrades come Christmas. Thanks a lot for all the help. Last edited by newbuilder14; 11-12-2006 at 08:55 PM. |
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11-12-2006, 09:40 PM
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#16 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Bump before I get off for the night. I think I've got a pretty good system there for $1,000. Any suggestions would be great.
Will the 7600gt work with Vista? Last edited by newbuilder14; 11-12-2006 at 09:51 PM. |
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11-12-2006, 11:04 PM
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#17 |
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V12
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, T.E.X.A.S
Posts: 3,488
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All components should work with vista-like you need alteast 512mb of ram and a somewhat decent system. Are you talking about DirectX 10? Then ya DX9 cards are compatible with DX10.
And your system looks very nice. The xclio 450BL is a very decent unit. It should power your setup without any issues. |
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11-12-2006, 11:57 PM
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#18 | |
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Shiro Usagi
Premium Member
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Kaneohe, Hawaii
Posts: 34,002
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Quote:
 Cricket
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11-13-2006, 06:08 AM
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#19 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Thanks for confirming that Ferrari. And Cricket, the reason why I want to build now is because I'd like to do it while my grandparents are up here, and because I have the money to do it now.
Anyone think I should change anything? Maybe get 800mhz RAM, a 450w FSP, a 7900gs or something else? I know this would change my budget but I can downgrade to a cheaper keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc. |
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11-13-2006, 12:02 PM
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#20 |
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V12
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, T.E.X.A.S
Posts: 3,488
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Well..no point in 800mhz ram unless you plan on some overclocking. And the Xclio 450BL and the 450W FSP are literally equivalent in my eyes as far as quality goes.
If you get a little bigger budget in the future, I would definately try to opt for a bigger video card if you think you'll need it. |
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11-13-2006, 03:32 PM
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#21 |
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Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
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DX9 cards can run DX10, but DX10 won't be fully hardware supported. I'm not sure how big of a difference that'll make (especially with the first few DX10 games), however.
If you want to overclock DDR2-800 RAM would be best, however you might be able to make do on DRR2-667 - as long as you don't have huge hopes (350Mhz FSB sounds reasonable). |
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11-13-2006, 04:36 PM
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#22 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Indiana
Posts: 500
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Personally, I would just get a basic keyboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823107003) and optical mouse (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16826105026), and spend more on a better brand monitor and possibly better speakers. Also keep in mind that if you upgrade your video card much, you will probably have to get a new power supply. I agree, that Xclio is a great budget PS, just keep in mind that you will have to upgrade it if you upgrade your video card. To save money, you could also go with this $100 Foxconn mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813186102), but you would have to get a 4 pin to 8 pin aux converter (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812201005). I would recommend that motherobard so that you can spend more on the monitor and speakers, or possibly even a better video card. Enjoy your build!
Last edited by andper10; 11-13-2006 at 04:45 PM. |
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11-14-2006, 06:16 AM
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#23 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Thanks for the help. I'd like a keyboard and mouse that are good for gaming, as I'm not on the tightest budget ($1,000 is all I have to spend, though). I am still debating whether getting an AM2 system or just a Core 2 Duo system. The C2D is really pushing my budget.
How long will AM2 be out? When AM3 comes out, what will happen to AM2? Will you just need a different motherboard and CPU? |
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11-14-2006, 09:59 AM
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#24 | |||
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Shiro Usagi
Premium Member
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Kaneohe, Hawaii
Posts: 34,002
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Socket AM3 Cricket
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11-14-2006, 09:00 PM
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#25 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Cricket you've convinced me to just go ahead and get the Conroe. Here are is the finalized list I have pretty much settled on:
Liteon DVD Burner w/ Lightscribe Coolermaster Centurion 5 Western Digital Caviar SE 80gb Hanns-G 19" Widescreen LCD Gigabyte PCI Wireless Adapter eVGA 7600GT KO FSP 450w Altec Lansing 2.1 Speakers Microsoft Standard Keyboard Microsoft Optical Mouse Corsair ValueSelect 2x512mb DDR2 667 Thermaltake Dual UV Cold Cathode Asus P5B Thermaltake UV Blue Round IDE Cable Intel Core 2 Duo e6300 XP Pro OEM (Already have) Newegg shopping cart is in a strange order. Any last thoughts? How is the monitor? I have high hopes for this thing. Maybe that RAM can push 700mhz and get me 2450mhz sometime.Edit - I'm practicing this  - There has got to be more options that are good choices besides Core 2 Duo, right? If I wanted to go AMD what would you suggest doing?
Last edited by newbuilder14; 11-14-2006 at 09:18 PM. |
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11-14-2006, 09:45 PM
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#26 |
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Kickin' it
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: USA
Posts: 7,723
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There's really no reason to go AMD right now. Any benchmark test on the net will confirm that the C2D offers the best performance. And with AMDs socket issues, its best to wait on that brand for the time being.
Your list looks fine. I wouldn't hope for much overclocking on the RAM. ValueSelect isn't designed for it.
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11-15-2006, 08:58 AM
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#27 |
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Shiro Usagi
Premium Member
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Kaneohe, Hawaii
Posts: 34,002
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Yeah, if you're planning to overclock this new computer it has to be built with carefully selected parts (premium parts) to ensure a high overclock. You'll probably want a more powerful PSU (550 watts?), a Thermalright HSF and at least XMS DDR2 800 RAM. You can't expect high overclocks with a tight budget.
Cricket
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11-15-2006, 10:07 PM
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#28 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Yeah, you're right... I'd like the ability to overclock but just don't have more than a thousand dollars right now, and I probably won't be making much more money as I am a student. I will have to get creative - having a budget makes you get creative.
Edit: Anyone mind giving a quick comparison of the DS3 and the P5B for me? I am settled on the P5B as of now, but I can always change my mind. Last edited by newbuilder14; 11-15-2006 at 10:20 PM. |
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11-15-2006, 10:37 PM
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#29 |
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Member (10 bit)
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: New York City, New York // Greeniwch, Connecticut
Posts: 847
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1) DS3 doesn't have firewire, and you will end up having to spend more to get a firewire card.
2) DS3 has reported issues with certain memory 3) People are reporting more DOA board with the DS3 than the P5B 4) P5B is more expensive...but then again...its worth it
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11-16-2006, 06:22 AM
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#30 |
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Not so new
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Maryland, United States
Posts: 2,576
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Thanks for the help, Whubbard. The P5B doesn't have Firewire either. The P5B is actually cheaper, so that's what I'm going with.
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