New Build folks

[DannyITR]

Hi all. Its been about 1.5 years since my last build in Jan 2007 and this website helped me immensely. My comp is currently in my sig. Since I built it I have not been able to use MS Flight Simulator 9 with Vista because there is a conflict with all Nvidia cards it seems. Needless to say my new build will not be using a Nvidia card.

Anyways my two 80gig HDs are full and I'm using that + the video card issue as excuses to make a new build. I'm keeping my monitors, mouse, kb and speakers.

For processors I researched the E8400, E8500, the Q6600, Q6700 and the Q9300. This review seems to show the quads blowing away the dual cores in every aspect. I remember hearing somewhere that the duals could be as fast as the quads. Why would someone say that? I play Call of Duty 4, Flight Sim and do alot of photo sorting & resizing with multiple programs running at once. I'd also like to get a TV tuner card to eliminate the old tv on my desk. Do you agree with my choice of the Q9300? I'd like to maybe overclock a little.

Also why are the Q9300, E8500 and Q6700 price virtually the same at $365, $353 and $353 respectively? Then we have the Q6600 at $268. It doesn't make sense to me.

The other area I might need help with is the video card. This review shows the 4850 sucking but is that because they have a bunch of higher end Nvidia cards in there as well? How much better is it than my 7900GS? Is there a comprehensive site that outlines all the current models of both manufacturers side by side so people who have been out of the loop for a while can get back in the loop quickly? I don't know if I'm even in the correct series of card as the numbers keep changing.

Here is the rest of my build. Does it make sense to you guys? If you have better suggestions for the RAM and Motherboard don't hesitate because they all seem the same to me. I just chose ones that I saw had been suggested in other threads or were highly rated on TigerDirect. What power supply should I be aiming for?


Processor: $365.99
QX9300:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...=CP1-DUO-Q9300


Motherboard: $195.99
Asus P5Q Green
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...037&CatId=1533


RAM: $137.99
Corsair Dual Channel PC4600 DDR2 800Mhz 2x2GB
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...17672&CatId=10


Video Card: $225.99
ATI Radeon HD4850
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...42709&CatId=28


Tuner card: $103.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...?EdpNo=2942132


Hard Drive: $129.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 750GB
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...Sku=TSD-750AS2


Case + 450WPSU:$60.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...&Sku=A406-1054


DVD + floppy drive ~ $40 local pickup.


Total: $1221

[jon_e_33]

Well first off I think I'd shop at NCIX since their prices seem to be significantly better.

The biggest problem so far is you need a quality power supply. Anything by Corsair, SeaSonic, or PC Power and Cooling will suit you fine.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

That's cheaper than the 550w version atm so it'll give you some headroom if you ever want a different graphics card upgrade.

Hard drive is excellent.

The P5Q Pro is getting great reviews, and is cheaper: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=ASUS

That RAM is ok, but http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR is cheaper and will perform the same.

As far as the processors go, the e8500 is really not worth the extra cost over the e8400, it's a .16 increase is all. The q9300 is a good processor, and I'd probably build with it considering what you are doing, however if you want to overclock you ought to stick with the q6600. For pure speed the e8400 is your best bet, but for multitasking you'll probably want a quad.

[DannyITR]

Originally Posted by jon_e_33 Well first off I think I'd shop at NCIX since their prices seem to be significantly better. The biggest problem so far is you need a quality power supply. Anything by Corsair, SeaSonic, or PC Power and Cooling will suit you fine. http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR That's cheaper than the 550w version atm so it'll give you some headroom if you ever want a different graphics card upgrade. Hard drive is excellent. The P5Q Pro is getting great reviews, and is cheaper: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=ASUS That RAM is ok, but http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR is cheaper and will perform the same. As far as the processors go, the e8500 is really not worth the extra cost over the e8400, it's a .16 increase is all. The q9300 is a good processor, and I'd probably build with it considering what you are doing, however if you want to overclock you ought to stick with the q6600. For pure speed the e8400 is your best bet, but for multitasking you'll probably want a quad.

Thanks for the reply. Is the Q6600 better because of the 8mb cache? Why would Intel offer less cache on their new model? What about the Q6700?

For the motherboard I can't seem to tell the differences between models other than price.

I mean what are the differences between these in therms of my needs? They all seem to have the same description and do the same thing.

Asus P5B-VM
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...652&CatId=1533

Asus P5N-T Deluxe
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...897&CatId=1533

Asus P5Q Deluxe
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...040&CatId=1533

Asus P5N-E
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...608&CatId=1533

Asus P5N-MX
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...479&CatId=1533

[12twelve12]

The E8500 is $354 ($347 US)?! That is crazy! I know you can't buy from Newegg since your in the country Hockey....er.....Canada but they have the E8500 for $190 US ($194 CAD). Surely you can find better deals than Tiger*yuck*Direct.

[DannyITR]

Originally Posted by 12twelve12 The E8500 is $354 ($347 US)?! That is crazy! I know you can't buy from Newegg since your in the country Hockey....er.....Canada but they have the E8500 for $190 US ($194 CAD). Surely you can find better deals than Tiger*yuck*Direct.

Yeah its pretty bad. Does NCIX ship to Canada? Its hard not get screwed with duty here. I'm wondering if the price is about to drop on some of these items in time for the back to school rush. Perhaps some neat combos also.

[ghost2003]

NCIX is in BC, so no duties or anything like that.

[DannyITR]

I made the switch to NCIX and saved a whopping $200 for the same parts!! Thank you PCmech and the people in this thread. The only thing that was cheaper at TigerDirect was the HD. I'll ask NCIX about it.

New parts list with some updates:


Processor: $225.99
Q6600:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...ufacture=Intel


Motherboard: $154.40
Asus P5Q Pro
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=ASUS


RAM: $164.99 -$30MIR
Corsair XMS2 Dominator 2X2GB PC2-8500 DDR2-1066
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR


Video Card: $189.99
Diamond Radeon HD 4850 512mb
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=Diamond


Tuner card: $84.99 -$20MIR
Diamond TV Wonder 600
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=Diamond


Hard Drive: $129.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 750GB
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...Sku=TSD-750AS2


APC ES BE550R UPS: $60.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...8&Sku=A75-3028


Case + 450WPSU:$91.82 -$35MIR
Xion XION2-SL Silver ATX Mid Tower
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=Xion


PSU: $79.99 - $25MIR
OCZ StealthXStream 600W
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...Z%20Technology


DVD: $24.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...L12-1142%20OEM


floppy drive $10 local


Total: $1160 - $110MIR = $1050 + shipping

[Alaron]

Looks good to me. I'd skip the Dominator RAM, its overkill. This will be just fine: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

[DannyITR]

Thanks Alaron, didn't see that. You just saved me $63$.

New price: $987+shipping. I may buy Vista ultimate 64-bit thought and that will be expensive.

[The_Wiseman]

The 640gb WD6400AAKS is 99$ CAD at NCIX. It's a step-down capacity wise, but the performance is comparable, if you can afford to lose the 110gb.

[DannyITR]

Thanks guys. What do you think is one item where, if changed, would increase performance the most? I almost feel as if I'm not spending enough but I don't think the Q9300 or 9450 will show that much of a difference and same with a ATI 4870 or something.