Custom PC Build... Your thoughts please

[bumboclott]

I need a new computer so my friend helped me come up with a custom pc @ NCIX.

I mainly use the computer to:
-Surf the net
-Rip/Encode mp3s/CDs/DVDs
-Burn CDs/DVDs
-Photo Editing

Here's what we (actually, he did it all) came up with...

Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 $59.95 (after PM)
Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream 600W $109.59
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 $309.95 (after PM)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R $154.81
Memory: G.SKILL PC2-6400 2GB DDR2-800 Dual Channel Memory Kit $109.95 (after PM)
HD: Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB $139.99
Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-1814BLT Black SATA Lightscribe $49.95 (after PM)
Video Card: EVGA E-GEFORCE 7600GT PCI-E 256MB VGA DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card $139.95 (after PM)
Floppy Drive & Flash Reader $28.38

Microsoft Windows XP Professional OEM $159.95 (after PM)
PC ASSEMBLY AND TESTING (PRE-CONFIG OS IF PURCHASED) $50.00

Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 206BW 20IN Widescreen LCD $319.95 (after PM)

TOTAL $1,654.41

Can I get you computer gurus to throw in your opinions?

Thanks!

[willy]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overkill ..... Unless you have to spend your $$$ :)

1. Drop the video card altogether ... Get a mobo with onboard video (ie. Asus P5K-VM)
2. All you need is a C2D E2160 or E4400 (actually, even these are overkilled ...)
3. Get this PS instead ... http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11700AC6643&vpn=ATX-400-PN-B&manufacture=FORTRON%20SOURCE


Honestly speaking, you do not even need a custom system for your intended tasks .... You can pick up a decent system from Dell/HP/IBM for probably a bit more than half the budget .... For example, like this one ... http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=ca&CS=cadhs1&l=en&OC=92002PD_F_1E

In case you want to know, I am using my 4-year-old system doing the exact same tasks with ease ... and my system is probably worth ~ C$400 max nowadays .... What I'm trying to say is that you don't need a C$1,600 PC for those ... But of course, if $$$ is no object, go for it :)

[Handa]

wow dude, ease up on the spending. i made my gaming pc for about $900 and i thought i was spending too much :)

check out this thread: http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=474152

people here at RFD have been really helpful.

[tdotcbc84]

if you got money, what you are getting is very future proof :D

I'd say GO FOR IT :D

[ASharp]

That's insane overkill. I agree with everything willy said with a few extra points.

The first being you can probably get away with cheaper RAM. There are some decent 2GB sets out there that will easily cost less than $100.

A Seagate or Western Digital 500GB drive might work better than that Hitachi Deathstar not to mention you can get one of the former two for $120 or less easily these days.

You can save $10-15 by opting for any other DVD drive really. Paying $50 for that Asus drive seems like a waste when you can get a perfectly good Pioneer, Samsung, LG, Lite-On, etc. for cheaper.

For what you need to do, you might even be able to get away with just a nice cheap AMD dual core and a 690G chipset with onboard video.

Also, one last comment, I think it's a little funny how your friend completely decked out the system and totally skimped out on the video card. :razz:

[importpsycho]

why Hitachi Deskstar?

[Amourek]

$215 Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66Ghz
$95 Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L P35
$70 OCZ Gold XTC DDR2-800 2x1GB (after rebate)
$65 Sapphire HD2400 Pro 256MB
$110 Western Digital SE16 500GB 16MB
$36 Samsung SH-S183L 18x Lightscribe SATA
$50 Coolermaster Centurion 5
$75 Corsair CMPSU-450VX 450W Power Supply
$135 Windows XP MCE SP2
====
$851

E6750: the sweet spot for CPUs. I wouldn't pay $100 more for an extra 266Mhz. And you can always overclock.

Gigabyte DS3L: If you don't need the extra features of the DS3R - mainly RAID and extra SATA ports, the DS3L is basically the same board but a lot cheaper.

HD2400 Pro: Integrated video would be just fine too but there are few LGA775 boards with DVI (I assume you'd want a digital connection if used with a LCD especially where photos are involved) and frankly I'm not fond of any of them. And you don't need an expensive card. You can Photoshop on a 32MB card and there won't notice a lick of difference.

XP MCE: You don't need Pro. Hell you could use Home.

Corsair CMPSU-450VX: You don't need 600W. You don't even need 400W. 450W will give you a bit of headroom.

[Negotiator]

Nobody said anything about the monitor? I'd say weird at the very least.

Cashing out $320 for a 20" Samsung monitor, while you can get a 22" of the same line for $6 more isn't that of a good idea. NCIX sells one for $382, but PCVillage got it for $326. And yes, you do have to pay some more taxes but given it's a monitor, you might save some money on shipping.

http://www.pcvonline.ca/productDetails.aspx?id=5037

And here we go again... The whole story of S, A, and C panels - I've been seeing it so often lately, I'm starting to dream it already.

But like it or not, I think that the story applies to 206 monitor as well, not just 226, so you got a lottery either way.

Interesting - those who know the story behind the panels, will understand me. Those, who have no idea of S-A-C panels will think "what the heck is this guy talking about?"

[Bunkhouse]

Rip/Encode mp3s/CDs/DVDsIf you do alot of dvd encoding ect.. go for the quad core CPU: q6600 , it'll shave a good chunk of time off those encodings.

[bumboclott]

Maybe my friend decked it all out because I told him I wanted this sytem to last way more than 5 years... and also because it's not his money, haha.

Amourek, your post helped me out the most. Thanks! And thanks to the rest!

I made some changes and here's my new list:

V2

$50 Cooler Master Centurion 5 (after PM)
$30 Thermaltake TR2 430W (after rebate)
$95 Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L (after PM)
$217 Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (after PM)
$70 OCZ Gold XTC 2GB (after coupon)
$114 Seagate Barracuda SATA2 500GB (after PM)
$37 Samsung SH-S183L 18x Lightscribe SATA (after coupon)
$89 Gigabyte GeForce 7300GT
$30 Floppy Drive & Flash Reader
$138 Windows XP MCE/SP2
===========================================
$870

How's that? I'll have to think about changing the mobo to the Asus P5K-VM for the onboard video suggestion. I just can't find any video specs on this thing...

I'll have to read up on the S-A-C panel thing as I have no clue what you're talking about :confused:

I'll probably buy the 22inch Samsung SyncMaster locally to avoid shipping/handling charges.

Thanks again guys!

[willy]

Since you are not gonna to game, you will not benefit much from your C$90 investment on a 3D video card. Onboard video will serve you just fine. The key is to have a PCI-e x16 slot available on the motherboard. When the time comes, you can purchase a video card. Video card will go faster and cheaper in the future. For the same C$90, you will be able to buy a much faster/better video card down the road when you need it.

BTW, 7300 is already yesterday's technology ....

[Jucius Maximus]

I would swap the optical drive for an LG or a Pioneer.

Aside from that, the machine is totally overpowered for your intended uses. You could spend a lot less money and still get something that works well.

[ASharp]

Maybe my friend decked it all out because I told him I wanted this sytem to last way more than 5 years...

5 years is quite a long time in computer terms. I mean 5 years ago we were still running on the earlier P4's and Athlon XP's had the performance crown (I think). We were running on GeForce 4 GPUs and now we're up to the GeForce 8 series. Lots of things can change in 5 years.

In any case, you should just spend a few hundred for a system that will suit your needs for the here and now. A couple of years down the road you can take that money that you saved from not splurging now and get some upgrades. I would imagine that would be a better idea than getting the latest and greatest now and in 5 years be way behind the times.

[bumboclott]

V3

$50 Cooler Master Centurion 5 (after PM)
$30 Thermaltake TR2 430W (after rebate)
$126 ASUS P5K-VM (after coupon)
$217 Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (after PM)
$70 OCZ Gold XTC 2GB (after coupon)
$114 Seagate Barracuda SATA2 500GB (after PM)
$37 Samsung SH-S183L 18x Lightscribe SATA (after coupon)
$30 Floppy Drive & Flash Reader
$138 Windows XP MCE/SP2
===========================================
$812

I think i'm gonna stick with the Samsung DVD writer. Too many bad experiences with LG drives in the past.

Thanks willy... I'm gonna opt for the ASUS P5K-VM. Does anyone know of any other mobos that are compatible with the E6750 and has integrated video? And I just can't justify lowering the CPU right now. For eg. at NCIX the E4400 is at $178. for just $50 more I can get the E6750!

I don't know what else I can lower right now...

[willy]

Thanks willy... I'm gonna opt for the ASUS P5K-VM. Does anyone know of any other mobos that are compatible with the E6750 and has integrated video? And I just can't justify lowering the CPU right now. For eg. at NCIX the E4400 is at $178. for just $50 more I can get the E6750!

I don't know what else I can lower right now...
Mobo ... http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD6453

NCIX's 'regular' prices are generally inflated. The 'actual' price of E4400 should be ~ C$140 ... http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=013719&cid=CPU.84

[jamgyu]

V3

$50 Cooler Master Centurion 5 (after PM)
$30 Thermaltake TR2 430W (after rebate)
$126 ASUS P5K-VM (after coupon)
$217 Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (after PM)
$70 OCZ Gold XTC 2GB (after coupon)
$114 Seagate Barracuda SATA2 500GB (after PM)
$37 Samsung SH-S183L 18x Lightscribe SATA (after coupon)
$30 Floppy Drive & Flash Reader
$138 Windows XP MCE/SP2
===========================================
$812

I think i'm gonna stick with the Samsung DVD writer. Too many bad experiences with LG drives in the past.

Thanks willy... I'm gonna opt for the ASUS P5K-VM. Does anyone know of any other mobos that are compatible with the E6750 and has integrated video? And I just can't justify lowering the CPU right now. For eg. at NCIX the E4400 is at $178. for just $50 more I can get the E6750!

I don't know what else I can lower right now...



Thermaltake TR2 430W - if i were you i'd spend a bit more and get a better quality and higher wattage psu than this one. if you're looking for your computer to last you 5+ years spend on a decent psu just in case you decide to upgrade to more powerful components in the future... it'll save you from having to purchase a new psu down the road.

[crazdefool]

If you do alot of dvd encoding ect.. go for the quad core CPU: q6600 , it'll shave a good chunk of time off those encodings.

+1 i went from a E6420 to a Q6600 and the difference is mind blowing when encoding using nero's latest and greatest..

[bumboclott]

Thermaltake TR2 430W - if i were you i'd spend a bit more and get a better quality and higher wattage psu than this one. if you're looking for your computer to last you 5+ years spend on a decent psu just in case you decide to upgrade to more powerful components in the future... it'll save you from having to purchase a new psu down the road.

I'm not really familiar with PSU's. I only chose the Thermaltake TR2 based on newegg reviews. What do you suggest?

[jamgyu]

I'm not really familiar with PSU's. I only chose the Thermaltake TR2 based on newegg reviews. What do you suggest?


well you could combine 2 expenses into one and buy a case that comes with a power-supply already. For example:

The Antec Sonata III comes with a 500w 80+ efficiency PSU
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24294&vpn=SONATA%20III%20500&manufacture=ANTEC

OR if you want just the psu try one of these

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25446&vpn=S12II-500&manufacture=Seasonic%20Electronics

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19644&vpn=SST-ST56F&manufacture=Silverstone%20Technology

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19832&vpn=CMPSU-520HX&manufacture=CORSAIR


sure you pay a little more money but the PSU is an important component... it powers your entire computer thus if something goes wrong with it, it has the potential to damage any or ALL of your components... so IMO it's worth spending an extra few $$$ for a good quality PSU.

[matkun]

Also, to point out, Futureshop will price match PC Village on the 226BW. So buy it at FS, and then you can return it if you think the panel looks crappy.

Honestly, I'd say most people can't tell the difference between an S, A or C panel.

[KorruptioN]

I'm not really familiar with PSU's. I only chose the Thermaltake TR2 based on newegg reviews. What do you suggest?

Newegg reviews are written by idiots for the most part. It works? 10/10!!!!!!!!!!!1