New build list. What do you think?

[SmokeytheBear]

Hi Guys,
After trying to install new ram in the build listed in my sig and failing, my vid card went bad. Since my rig is 5 years old, the wife tells me to go ahead a build a new one. Cool!!!!!!
I have been researching stuff here on the forum for several days and have put together a build list for your review but first, here are my requirements and planned usage:

Win XP Pro OS
Light gaming (Battlefield 1942, Call to Duty) (5-10% of usage)
Some photo and home video editing
Streaming music (actually don't know what that is but I have all my cds ripped to MP3s and play them using WMP. Would like to "broadcast" the music to my back yard and other rooms)
PVR
Home Security Camera system
MS Office and Finance Programs
Home network server

I don’t need the latest and greatest (i7) but I want something that is up to date and stable. I have only used Asus motherboards, Intel processors and Corsair ram in all my builds and have always had stable machines. I would like to try to keep this build under $700.00
The components I plan on keeping are:

Antec P160 Case (I really like this case. Easy to work on and quiet)
2 Seagate 250 gig hard drives (new)
Sony DRU-510A DVD - IDE (is there a reason to upgrade this?)
WinTV PVR 350 (Unless the listed PVR board is much better)
SB Audigy 2ZS (if I don’t like the on board sound or you suggest otherwise)

Here is the list of new components for review (Prices from Newegg):

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor – Retail - $165

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail - $130

SAPPHIRE 100255L Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card – Retail $80

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 – OEM - $25

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply – Retail $100
or
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply – Retail - $120

CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX – Retail - $100
or
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 – Retail - $57

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600 ATSC/ClearQAM/NTSC TV Tuner PCI w/Remote 1178 PCI Interface – Retail - $85

I may be adding another hard drive and an external hard drive. Another question is, Can I use all SATA optical drives and be OK with loading windows from the CD-rom or do I need the IDE drive for that?



So, there it is. I appreciate all comments and suggestions.

[Alaron]

Looks like a fine list to me.

The 650w PSU will be more then enough power. Go with the cheaper RAM, no reason to spend more for DHX.

You can still install Windows with SATA drives.

[Masaki 7-11]

I would upgrade the video card to an HD4830, it's about $15 more than the HD4670 and is a lot faster. The HD4670 has 320 shader processors with a 128-bit interface, the HD4830 has 640 shader processors with a 256-bit interface. Here is a newegg link to a HD4830: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102803

[SmokeytheBear]

If I moved up to the X800 series cards, what about the HD 3870?
SAPPHIRE 100225DDR3L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - $80.
From what I understand this would be an earlier verision but faster than the 4670 and 4830?
Not that $15 will break my budet, just curious.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by SmokeytheBear If I moved up to the X800 series cards, what about the HD 3870? SAPPHIRE 100225DDR3L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - $80. From what I understand this would be an earlier verision but faster than the 4670 and 4830? Not that $15 will break my budet, just curious.

The HD3870 is about the same speed as the HD4670; both have 320 shader processors, the HD4670 has higher clocks and better architecture and 128-bit GDDR3 while the HD3870 has 256-bit GDDR4 making them about equal in performance. The HD4830 is a good bit faster than either the HD3870 and HD4670.

[tomtoon]

Dude I recommend getting the 4850 if you want to play Call of Duty well:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102770 $129.99 after rebate.

[shadowpr]

Not 100% sure, but you might want a quad core if you do photo and video editing.

[tomtoon]

I agree with shadowpr, about getting a faster/better CPU.

Either go for the E8500:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115036 $187.99

or the Q9550:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115041 $279.99

its up to you.

[SmokeytheBear]

Well, I found the AVL list for the P5Q-PRO MB and neither of the Corsair I listed is approved. So I am changing to this: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $40.

For the Vid Card, if you guys think it is worth it, I will go up to the HD4830. The HD4850 is out of my vid card budget. ( I don't count on rebates).

For the CPU, would a .16 increase in Ghz be noticeable? I could fit the 3.16 Ghz Dual core, just $23 more.

I thought I had read that unless you are into games that will use the 4 cores, you did not need a Quad Core. If I did go with one it would be the Quad Core 2.5Ghz. That would be $25 over the Dual Core 3.0Ghz I was specing. any faster Quad Core would be over my budget. Please remember I do some video and photo editing. Most of my use will be MS Office programs, PVR, DVD playing, music streaming.

I was lookin at the Asus mother boards again. Does anyone see an advantage to going with the P5Q-E over the P5Q-PRO as far as reliablity. The PRO looks like it will do the job but I was wondering if there was anything better about the E that I did not see.

[tomtoon]

I listed the 4850 mate not the 4870.
The .16GHz more would make a slight difference when It comes to photo/video editing.

[SmokeytheBear]

Originally Posted by tomtoon I listed the 4850 mate not the 4870. The .16GHz more would make a slight difference when It comes to photo/video editing.

TT,
Yep, you did and I screwed it up with a typo (which I will edit). The 4850 is $145. the extra $50 over the 4830 puts me over budget on a vid card. I would rather put that into a better MB or CPU if I had to spend it.

I appreciate the help guys!

[tomtoon]

ok then so I take it you went with the 4830 and the e8500?

[SmokeytheBear]

No TT, nothing is in stone or has been ordered yet. Won't be until this weekend. For me part of the fun is in the hunt.
I pretty much decided to go with the HD4830. $15 is not that much of a bite to upgrade from the 4670.

For a CPU, I'm thinking about the E8500 or Q6600. Price spread is not too much. I have been reading threads all day and going back and forth on which one. I like the idea of the lower wattage of the E8500 since my pc runs 24/7. I don't think I game enough or do video editing enough to jump to the Quad Core.

Maybe you can help with this thought. I may install a video capture card for security cameras that will always run in the background. Then I will have my PVR card recording some TV shows. Media Player or another app will be playing music. With multiple apps running, will this be when the quad core will shine over the dual core or will the dual core still do just fine?

Confused in south jersey.

PS: Does the cpu need to be burned in with special software before heavy use?

[tomtoon]

List all the apps and things you will be doing, so I can help you pick a CPU.

[Masaki 7-11]

The E8400 should be plenty fast, it runs at 3.00GHz, has 6MB of Cache and a 1333MHz FSB, you really don't need more than that for a desktop at this point. The 0.16GHz extra of the E8500 isn't going to do much, and quad cores are usually slower than faster dual cores (such as the E8400) when it comes to the speed of games and apps. The E8400 can handle a good amount of tasks at the same time, the quad cores can handle more, but if you are running less than 5 or 6 programs at the same time, a dual core should be fine. Neither processor needs to burned in before heavy use, burning in is useful mostly if you are overclocking and want to make sure that the processor is running stable.

[SmokeytheBear]

tt,
My current use of this desktop is MS Office apps, Quicken, playing music with Windows Media Player, rip and burn CDs and DVDs, some Windows Movie Maker stuff, Photo Shop stuff, a couple of games. Definitely will be using PVR features right away. I also use it as home network server for data storage.
Games that I play I am playing now on my current rig.
If I do happen to go into a store I want to be able pick what I want with little worry about system requirements but I won't get into games hot and heavy.
I am beginning to feel comfortable with the E8400 or the E8500. Which will depend on my final build and costs.

tt and M 7-11,
Do you guys agree a 650w ps will suffice? Can you advise on the PVR card?

And does anyone have an opinion on the P5Q-PRO VS P5Q E?

[Masaki 7-11]

650W will be more than enough for the PSU, it will give you lots of headroom in case you want to upgrade later. Might want to take a look at Hauppauge PVR cards. Either the P5Q-PRO or the P5Q-E should work fine, not that much of a difference between them; take a look at the layout and back panel to decide which one you like better.

[tomtoon]

Yes, the E8400 will handle it fine.
You can go with the E8500 if you want to though.

[SmokeytheBear]

Well, you guys have really helped me with this build. I really appreciate all of you input.

Here is where I am:
Asus P5Q E MB
Intel E8400 CPU
Corsair TWIN2X4096-6400C5 ram (DDR2-800)
Corsiar CMPSU-650TX power supply
Saphire 100265L Radeon HD4830 Video Card
Asus DRW-22B1ST SATA DVD Burner retail with Nero 8
LG GH22NS30 SATA DVD Burner OEM
Sony Floppy Drive

Total is $619 plus T&S

I am still open to suggestions and opinions as I will review it all one more time tonight and plan to order tomorrow am.

I guess I have two more questions.
1. Is Newegg still the best place to shop?
2. Should I plan on a 3rd party CPU cooler? I heard some complaints about the stock cooler having flimsy mounting.

One last question. I was talking to a friend who said I would be a fool not to go with a quad core cpu. So, I am trying to add some to the budget.
My question - Do the "names" assigned to the CPU mean anything? Is that a sign it is better or faster than a cpu of close to the same speed but no name?

[Masaki 7-11]

Newegg still seems like the best place to shop.

I haven't had any problems with the stock cooler as long as it was being installed properly; the first time I installed a LGA775 HSF, the instructions for installing the heatsink was off for me, so I ended up bending the mountings a few times and having to straighten them; overall it took me about 30 minutes until I finally got the heatsink on properly. Once I figured out how to properly install the HSF, it took me only about 30 seconds to install and the mounting worked fine.

The main problem with the stock heatsink is that it is really poor performance; expect to get temperatures close to ~50-60C during load (which is acceptable, but a 3rd party HSF will usually result in a much cooler temperature). One of the problems with getting a 3rd party heatsink is that it will void the Intel warranty, however you will still have access to newegg's warranty.

What do you mean by processors which have names assigned?

[tomtoon]

Do you mean speed and name relatings?

Like
E8400 - 3GHZ
E8500 - 3.16GHZ???

You should always look at the 2nd number

[SmokeytheBear]

I meant the Wolfdale, Kentsfield, Allandale, etc.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by SmokeytheBear I meant the Wolfdale, Kentsfield, Allandale, etc.

Those names denote the type of core being used in the processor, they don't really mean much. You'll want to take a look at manufacturing process (now usually 45nm), amount of cache (for the higher end processors, it either 6MB for dual core or 12MB for quad core), and the FSB (most common for new processors is 1333MHz) and frequency (3.0GHz is pretty common for dual cores while quad cores are closer to 2.5GHz).

[SmokeytheBear]

Just got done ordering my new build from Newegg:

Asus P5Q PRO MB (Did not like the layout of the expansion slots on the E)
Intel Core 2 Dual E8500 CPU (I should be able to overclock this to 3.5Ghz)
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) (DDR2-800) (AVL listed)
Corsiar CMPSU-650TX power supply
Saphire 100265L Radeon HD4830 Video Card
Seagate ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (This will give me a drive for back up)
Asus DRW-22B1ST SATA DVD Burner retail with Nero 8
LG GH22NS30 SATA DVD Burner OEM (Decided to replace my od IDE burners)
Sony Floppy Drive
Case fan 120mm w/ 3pin connector
SATA 2.0 Cables w/ one 90degree end.

Total costs with tax and shipping was $768 with $55 in rebates (if I get them.)

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions and opinions. I will let you know how the build goes.

[SmokeytheBear]

Well,
I was able to increase my budget for this build.

I already upgraded the hard drives to the WD Cavier Black 500Gig.

Now I am thinking about going almost all out and getting the Q9550.
I think the Q9550 fits with my other components but wanted to ask you guys in case I missed something.

I don't really need a quad but I can afford it now and may not be able to in a yr or two.
I guess I am asking, how will the Q9550 measure to the E8500 if I don't use software that takes advantage of the quad, at this time.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by SmokeytheBear Well, I was able to increase my budget for this build. I already upgraded the hard drives to the WD Cavier Black 500Gig. Now I am thinking about going almost all out and getting the Q9550. I think the Q9550 fits with my other components but wanted to ask you guys in case I missed something. I don't really need a quad but I can afford it now and may not be able to in a yr or two. I guess I am asking, how will the Q9550 measure to the E8500 if I don't use software that takes advantage of the quad, at this time.

The E8500 will be faster than the quad if the software isn't able to take advantage of the quad; however the performance difference will be pretty small. I have the Q9550 and have been very happy with the performance; if you want to overclock, you should be able to take it up to about 3.4GHz relatively easily. I got mine up to 4.0GHz by putting on very good cooling (which still results in a pretty hot temperature) and increasing the voltage a fair bit. The Q9550 will fit in pretty well with the rest of your components; however the processor can get fairly hot, so if you plan on doing any overclocking, you should get a different heatsink.

[SmokeytheBear]

Tomtoon, Masaki, and everyone else,
Thanks for your ideas. Last night I ordered the Q9550 quad and the Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. I will never see the difference between the e8500 and q9550 since I willl only have the q. So I know I will be happy with it.

Thanks again guys!