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catacon · 12-04-2007, 05:29 PM

Hello Everybody,

My friend is wanting to build a new computer and I said I would help him. His budget is $600 max and the computer will be used mostly for internet stuff, COD4, Orange Box, and maybe a few other games. He does not need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, hard drive, case, or DVD drive. His drives are IDE which I know isn't ideal, but they should work, right? We may downgrade the CPU to the E4400, but that shouldn't change much.

Here are the parts. What do you guys think?

catacon · 12-04-2007, 10:32 PM

Bump....

hitchface · 12-04-2007, 10:58 PM

Beef up the video card...if he wants to be able to do CoD4 with some nice settings, he'll want a little more juice. Maybe go with the 8800GT, seeing as it is priced so low right now. Here is a superclocked one for just under 300: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130303

Take the CPU down a notch to save cash, and you might even be able to get XMS2 RAM from Corsair for not a whole lot more than that value stuff. Play with it, you can get a better setup than the original for 600, especially if you snag a rebate or something.

catacon · 12-05-2007, 08:16 AM

I will try playing with it a bit more. When I add the 8800GT and drop the CPU to the E4500, the total is $650. That's maybe too high, but I might be able to talk him into it.

If I do get the 8800GT, will I need to up the PSU? If so, it may not be doable due to his budget.

hitchface · 12-05-2007, 10:05 AM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817812002

5 bucks more. Unless it had a rebate I didn't see. In which case it is the same price as the one you've got now. I use one in my rig, so I can vouch for it, as can the reviews.

catacon · 12-05-2007, 05:00 PM

Yeah the Corsair is $65. So the mushkin is $20 more. I don't know, I will have to talk to my friend.

hitchface · 12-05-2007, 05:07 PM

It showed on your list that the corsair was the same price, minus the 5 dollar rebate.

catacon · 12-05-2007, 05:53 PM

There's a $15 MIR.

hitchface · 12-05-2007, 05:57 PM

Honestly, you should be fine with the current PSU. A higher wattage model will get your pal ready for some future upgrades, but he'd be fine for now. If he doesn't mind going that little bit over, your current setup with the RAM, e4500, 8800GT and Corsair PSU will work.

catacon · 12-05-2007, 06:09 PM

Well, I'll talk to him tonight and see what he thinks.

Will his IDE drives be OK? I've heard the the IDE drivers are 3rd party on most boards and they're not that great.

hitchface · 12-05-2007, 07:17 PM

I still use an IDE drive every now and then, if I need the data off of it. Shouldn't be a problem for now.

EDIT: I don't know how I missed this. Go with ATIs new HD 3870. Performance is more or less on par with the 8800GT, and will cut the price right back to where your pal wants it. Might even give you some extra cash to bump the CPU up again.

catacon · 12-05-2007, 07:38 PM

Yeah, I was thinking about eh HD series, but they are all out of stock. When are they supposed to be in stock again?

That's good to know about the IDE drives.

hitchface · 12-05-2007, 07:39 PM

I guess you are looking at newegg? Try tigerdirect.

catacon · 12-05-2007, 07:57 PM

Yeah, the one they have is $270. Doesn't save much money.

hitchface · 12-05-2007, 07:59 PM

Eek. So much for that. You might wait a bit. Once the demand settles, you'll find em for 220 again.

catacon · 12-08-2007, 11:16 AM

Well I talked to my friend and he said he could swing $700, but he will have to wait till around Christmastime. I told it would be better to wait because then he could get an HD3870, which would be cool. I will put some new parts together with the new budget and see what we can do.

12-04-2007, 05:29 PM	#1
catacon Chop Chop Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,038	Build For A Friend Hello Everybody, My friend is wanting to build a new computer and I said I would help him. His budget is $600 max and the computer will be used mostly for internet stuff, COD4, Orange Box, and maybe a few other games. He does not need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, hard drive, case, or DVD drive. His drives are IDE which I know isn't ideal, but they should work, right? We may downgrade the CPU to the E4400, but that shouldn't change much. Here are the parts. What do you guys think? __________________ Main Computer: Intel Core i5 2500K \| AsRock Extreme3 Z68 \| Corsair Vengeance 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 \| EVGA GTX460 768MB \| Western Digital Caviar 750GB 7200RPM SATAII \| Mushkin 60GB SSD w/ SRT enabled \| Asus 20X DVD Burner \| Antec 550W Modular \| Cooler Master HAF 912 w/ 4 fans \| NXZT Sentry Mesh fan controller \| W7 \| 2 x 23" LG IPS Monitors Laptop: Asus EEE 1000HE \| 2GB RAM \| Ubuntu Laptop: Lenovo Thinkpad T60p \| 4GB RAM \| W7

12-04-2007, 10:58 PM	#3
hitchface Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,387	Beef up the video card...if he wants to be able to do CoD4 with some nice settings, he'll want a little more juice. Maybe go with the 8800GT, seeing as it is priced so low right now. Here is a superclocked one for just under 300: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130303 Take the CPU down a notch to save cash, and you might even be able to get XMS2 RAM from Corsair for not a whole lot more than that value stuff. Play with it, you can get a better setup than the original for 600, especially if you snag a rebate or something. __________________ Disclosure: I make bad music. Listener beware.

12-05-2007, 07:17 PM	#11
hitchface Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,387	I still use an IDE drive every now and then, if I need the data off of it. Shouldn't be a problem for now. EDIT: I don't know how I missed this. Go with ATIs new HD 3870. Performance is more or less on par with the 8800GT, and will cut the price right back to where your pal wants it. Might even give you some extra cash to bump the CPU up again. Last edited by hitchface; 12-05-2007 at 07:27 PM.

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12-04-2007, 10:32 PM	#2
catacon Chop Chop Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,038	Bump....

12-05-2007, 08:16 AM	#4
catacon Chop Chop Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,038	I will try playing with it a bit more. When I add the 8800GT and drop the CPU to the E4500, the total is $650. That's maybe too high, but I might be able to talk him into it. If I do get the 8800GT, will I need to up the PSU? If so, it may not be doable due to his budget.

12-05-2007, 10:05 AM	#5
hitchface Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,387	http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817812002 5 bucks more. Unless it had a rebate I didn't see. In which case it is the same price as the one you've got now. I use one in my rig, so I can vouch for it, as can the reviews.

12-05-2007, 05:00 PM	#6
catacon Chop Chop Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,038	Yeah the Corsair is $65. So the mushkin is $20 more. I don't know, I will have to talk to my friend.

12-05-2007, 05:07 PM	#7
hitchface Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,387	It showed on your list that the corsair was the same price, minus the 5 dollar rebate.

12-05-2007, 05:53 PM	#8
catacon Chop Chop Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,038	There's a $15 MIR.

12-05-2007, 05:57 PM	#9
hitchface Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,387	Honestly, you should be fine with the current PSU. A higher wattage model will get your pal ready for some future upgrades, but he'd be fine for now. If he doesn't mind going that little bit over, your current setup with the RAM, e4500, 8800GT and Corsair PSU will work.

12-05-2007, 06:09 PM	#10
catacon Chop Chop Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,038	Well, I'll talk to him tonight and see what he thinks. Will his IDE drives be OK? I've heard the the IDE drivers are 3rd party on most boards and they're not that great.

12-05-2007, 07:38 PM	#12
catacon Chop Chop Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,038	Yeah, I was thinking about eh HD series, but they are all out of stock. When are they supposed to be in stock again? That's good to know about the IDE drives.

12-05-2007, 07:39 PM	#13
hitchface Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,387	I guess you are looking at newegg? Try tigerdirect.

12-05-2007, 07:57 PM	#14
catacon Chop Chop Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,038	Yeah, the one they have is $270. Doesn't save much money.

12-05-2007, 07:59 PM	#15
hitchface Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,387	Eek. So much for that. You might wait a bit. Once the demand settles, you'll find em for 220 again.

12-08-2007, 11:16 AM	#16
catacon Chop Chop Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,038	Well I talked to my friend and he said he could swing $700, but he will have to wait till around Christmastime. I told it would be better to wait because then he could get an HD3870, which would be cool. I will put some new parts together with the new budget and see what we can do.

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