$1000-$1200 All Purpose Build

[ChiPhiZD]

Ok time is short on my current PC and looking to build within the next few weeks...as always, any advice would be appreciated!

CPU: $270 (Intel Core 2 Duo E6850)
***Is this overkill, or will the extra be helpful over the next few years?

MOBO: $150 - (ASUS P5K-E)
***Is there a better board suggested out there...the Wi-Fi will be nice. I do not believe I need an SLI board, do I?

RAM: $135 - (CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400))
***I hope this one is OK

Graphics: $230 - (EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card)
***Will this "SLI-Ready" card be an issue w/ MoBo?

HDD: NO CLUE...Looking for a 7200 250GB+ SATA3.0

PSU: Again, A bit in the dark...would lke 550+

Case: $120 - (Antec Nine Hundred)

That puts me about $900 before PSU (~$100), HDD (~100), & OS. By the way, I am looking to do Win XP and not Vista...that a good idea?


Did I miss anything? Thanks in advance for all your input!
-Chris

[mortey]

I would recommend the E8400 (http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...2E16819115037). Larger cache being the most noticeable change for very similar price.

Hard drive (http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822148136) 500 gb. Really solid price from a great brand.

PSU (http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...2E16817139004b) 550w. I've seen it recommended on here before.

Everything else looks good.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD Ok time is short on my current PC and looking to build within the next few weeks...as always, any advice would be appreciated! CPU: $270 (Intel Core 2 Duo E6850) ***Is this overkill, or will the extra be helpful over the next few years?

It's always a good idea to get the fastest CPU your budget allows...that way the computer will be useful for a longer period of time (before it starts to "feel" too slow to use comfortably).

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD MOBO: $150 - (ASUS P5K-E) ***Is there a better board suggested out there...the Wi-Fi will be nice. I do not believe I need an SLI board, do I?

There are always "better" motherboards out there...the question is do you really need the latest and greatest? If this is just for a all purpose build I would say no. The one you selected is more than fine. And you would only "need" SLi if you're a hardcore gamer who plans to use the most powerful video cards together. Most average users have no use for SLi.

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD RAM: $135 - (CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)) ***I hope this one is OK

For a Intel build you want to use RAM that is CAS 5 1.8V RAM instead of CAS 4 2.1V RAM...less stability issues.

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD Graphics: $230 - (EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card) ***Will this "SLI-Ready" card be an issue w/ MoBo?

No, it should work fine with that motherboard.

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD HDD: NO CLUE...Looking for a 7200 250GB+ SATA3.0

Look at the Seagate 7200.10 or 7200.11 SATA HDDs. About $60 - $65 @ Newegg.

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD PSU: Again, A bit in the dark...would lke 550+

Stick to good quality brands like Corsair or Seasonic.

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD Case: $120 - (Antec Nine Hundred)

That's a good case.

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD By the way, I am looking to do Win XP and not Vista...that a good idea?

Yes. Many still prefer XP to Vista.

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD Did I miss anything?

Optical drive? Look at the retail Lite-On SATA DVD burners.

Cricket

[Tempest000]

You could probably find a cheaper processor thats better than the E6850, the Q6600 and the E8400 come to mind, each retail at about $250. I just ordered that mobo from newegg and I've heard great things about it. From what I've seen lately the best bang for buck on hdd is a 500gb.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148288

Just purchased it from newegg and waiting for it to come in.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004

Have heard lots of great things about this power supply, regarding it that it's one of the best on the market.

Also for 4 gb of ram I think you need to get vista 32bit to recognize 3.2 gb of it or vista 64 bit to recognize all of it. Not too sure though. I also ordered the same case and video card =) They are good picks and there shouldn't be any issues with the mobo.

[andper10]

$210 - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115037

$150 - ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131196

$115 - CORSAIR 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (Cas 5) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184

$230 - EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130318

$120 - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021 - You might be able to find this quite a bit cheaper at Fry's Electronics if you watch for a sale, or if you check other websites.

$95 - CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004

$110 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148288

$33 - LITE-ON Black 20X DVD Burner w/ Lightscribe - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106072

$90 - Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116056

$1153 - Total before MIR's (see below) and before shipping
__________

-$40 Ram MIR

-$30 Video Card MIR

-$10 MIR for PSU

If you are looking to save money you don't really need an 8800GT for a "general purpose" computer. Newegg has this 8800GTS 320MB for $145 before a $30 MIR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130082 , or you could also look into the 9600GT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150277 . All of those cards can play games pretty well. The order from best to worst in that list goes: 8800GT to 9600GT to 8800GTS 320MB. You could also get a 320GB hard drive if you need to save some money: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148316 .

Enjoy your build!

[DSCHIEF]

I'd recommend going with the Quad also, 2 more cores can't hurt,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115017

I've been running 2 Q6600's mated up with P5K-E's working 24/7 for severals months.
the combination is rock solid.

look into better cooling .
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134

[alex530]

Cricket, can you expand on the stability issues with CAS 4 vs. 5 RAM? Most memory issues stem from incorrect timings or settings in the BIOS. I don't see how one latency versus another would make it less stable.

[andper10]

I'm not sure if this is exactly the reason Cricket had in mind, but I had some ram that would not POST because it had tight timings and the motherboard defaulted with not enough voltage to power the ram at its default timings. Basically, it is better to play it safe than have to get new ram b/c yours won't post. Plus, the cas 5 is cheaper than cas 4.

[Doom]

CPU - I'd recommend the Q9300 CPU since you can find it for not too much more... and four cores will likely serve you well for the future. If you go dual core and can wait... go for the 8400 3.0GHz... the trouble is finding a place that's not sold out.

PSU - Corsair is highly recommended by many users here and I'm very happy with mine. 500w should be fine if you're not going to SLI. If you are (and it's probably not a good investment for a "genral purpose" rig), you'll likely need to step up to a 750w unit. That's the Corsair I've got.

GPU - I'm running the 9600GT on a Q9300 and FREAKING LOVE IT. I decided on the 9600GT as a way to get a solid system at a good price. It's running nice and cool for me and I recommend this GPU-CPU combo very highly.

Case - Antec 900 is a solid investment... and has great stock cooling. It's very flexible for drive placement which helps depending on where that super long graphics card goes as well as for handling the bundle of wires you'll have.

[ChiPhiZD]

OK here we go...updated my specs:

CPU: Either the $200 - E8400 or the $300 -Q9300. Who here wants to explain why one is better than the other. Both 45nm and 6MB Cache, so I dunno...2 Core/4 Core, apple core, Beats me.

MOBO: The $150 ASUS PK5-E seems the way to go.

RAM: Pair of $85 - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) should do the trick.

GPU: The $230 EVGA GeForce 8800GT seems to be a fav.

HDD: $110 - Seagate 7200.11

PSU: Sounds like the $90 Corsair 550W is fairly popular.

Case: $120 - (Antec Nine Hundred)

Optical: If I decide on a new one: $30 Lite-On DVD

O/S: Lets not forget the stupid $90 XP

Thats $1105 with the Dual Core, $1205 with Quad less $40 for rebates!

Does anyone thing I would need any additional cooling w/ the 900....?

Thanks again!

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by ChiPhiZD OK here we go...updated my specs: CPU: Either the $200 - E8400 or the $300 -Q9300. Who here wants to explain why one is better than the other. Both 45nm and 6MB Cache, so I dunno...2 Core/4 Core, apple core, Beats me.

There's a very easy way to figure out which processor is best for you, think about how much time you will be using this computer for before upgrading or buying a new one, if it's over two years, get the quad core, if it's two years or under get the dual core.

[Katreat]

Quad core is more future proof, but there is very few appliacations that use it at this point and if you have one of those you probably already know it. The duel cores are faster. I went with duel core just because at this time I wanted the speed for what I use it for. I figure on either a re-build in a few years or a processor upgrade. I persoanlly feel $100 extra for something that is not currently being untilized is a bit much. I would rather just upgrade to it in a year or so when/if software that really takes advantage of it (GAMES for me) start showiing up.

Kat

[Doom]

One of the reasons I went w/ the quad core... everybody was sold out of the E8400. If you're more patient than I was and are willing to wait until your retailer of choice has it, dual core may be a better fit for you to keep costs down. There are arguments for both the quad and dual core... in the end, budget might be the better discriminator.

If you don't overclock the CPU the Antec 900 should have all the cooling you need along w/ the stock cooler for the CPU.

List looks good by the way!!