best bang for the buck hardware.

**kris23** · Mar 19, 2007, 09:29 PM

since ive given up on my computer and am about to return my stuff to the Egg (or sell if anyone wants an IceQ3 X1950PRO AGP and 2 gigs of ram locally)

im planning to get as soon as i return the items:
Cooler Master CM Stacker 832 case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119121
Enermax Galaxy 1000w PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817194019

maybe a few small things......what do you guys think?

Scythe SCINF 1000 cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185027

this cooler good for overclocking? or should i get something like the zalman 9700? i dont really want to go water cooling just yet

im probably gonna get the 680i board and e6600 and maybe a cheap 8800GTX....

but im hearing stuff about an 8900 Ultra later?

what kind of memory should i get?

im thinking the Crucial Ballistix
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148047

these good or should i get something different? they seem like good overclockers ram as they got Micron D9s and i like the lights

and what should i get? 2gigs or 4 gigs? i want this thing to run vista and any memory intensive stuff in the future but i probably wont install it just yet

HDDs im not too concerned about, ill just get a 400GB Seagate 7200.10 and RAID 0 it with the one i got, then ill get the 750GB one and use that for storage.

and lastly..... a FREAKEN WINDOWS XP DISK.....im gonna wait for SP1 before i get vista again... or maybe i will but just not as my main OS

im kinda expecting this system to be expensive, but its mainly for expandability for the future, i may need SLI at some point (unlikely though) so its good to have, i want good ram so i can hang on and maybe upgrade to 4gigs if needed. good HDDs so i can hold all the movies, pictures and all that stuff i want (hey i can pobably save the babe thread on there too!) i want to be able to watch HD movies with Blu-Ray or HD DVD (as soon as that price drops on them of course!)

or should i just buy the case and PSU and just wait till november of this year to upgrade? DX 10 cards are bound to be cheaper, PCI-E 2.0, DDR3 and 3.0GHz+ core 2s at 45nm.........all those goodies

i want to get the case and PSU so my parents wont just deny me the new components, like if i didnt have the case or something, theyd probably just say no..... but if i did then id have a tangible object to pursuade them with..... and money doesnt seem to be a limitation since they go on cruises together like twice a year (half the time its without me......

)

**kris23** · Mar 19, 2007, 09:40 PM

lol now that i look at it i dont think the title suits this thread

JohnDoe47 · Mar 19, 2007, 11:13 PM

LOL! yes a bit of an error there no? rofl

**kris23** · Mar 19, 2007, 11:19 PM

the title? yup or the hardware?

JohnDoe47 · Mar 19, 2007, 11:42 PM

the title superman
you have the same sound card and processor as me! copycat

unless your processor is a presscott, mine is a northwood

**kris23** · Mar 20, 2007, 12:24 AM

prescott lol

**kris23** · Mar 20, 2007, 12:25 AM

so anyone got suggestions?

ChaosMinionX · Mar 20, 2007, 01:16 AM

Im wondering what the hell your running that you need a kilowatt PSU? And if your gonna get one why not get the Silverstone Olympia 1kw. You will never use 1000w unless your running like quad 8800s lol just kinda odd looking over the otehr stuff you posted.

**kris23** · Mar 20, 2007, 01:52 AM

well..... its kinda like having something great already so i dont have to go back and get it later......PSU's break alot because the output placed on them is a little much i'd rather get too much than too little (its also something my dad says over and over to me) and since the PSU is the most stressed thing in the system i thought i should just go with that.......

i usually make a big mess of stuff, i may go quadcores, dual 8800s......quad gpu and so on........ the point of this project is a computer that is expandable, that already has 8 pin connectors so im pretty set for the years ahead.... and i may get a 3rd GPU for physics so that 5th PCI-E plug is good too haha

but yea longevity is the idea here, but im limiting the components for now and just want to add on as my needs grow (if they grow any higher than this anyway) same with that stacker case, they say its the roomiest so i thought id get that, i like the way it looks too

you get where im going with this?

**kris23** · Mar 20, 2007, 03:32 AM

well..... the PSU calculator shows i would need a new 865w or 1180w for a very aged PSU to run this system with electrolytic capacitors, why dont manufacturers use solid state ones so the PSUs can last longer? anyways........ this is with everything maxed out where these current specs dont even come close but i just wanna be prepared.

**kris23** · Mar 20, 2007, 03:38 AM

should i go quad core now or should i just go with an e6600? would i be wasting money with a quad-core proc? i would like to rip high quality movies but last time i tried that took like 2 days........
then theres games like crysis which are quad core but yea.... it worth getting? i tend to multi-task alot but am trying to limit what i do cuz it hurts the comp if i dont.....

ChaosMinionX · Mar 20, 2007, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

well..... the PSU calculator shows i would need a new 865w or 1180w for a very aged PSU to run this system with electrolytic capacitors, why dont manufacturers use solid state ones so the PSUs can last longer? anyways........ this is with everything maxed out where these current specs dont even come close but i just wanna be prepared.

That has to be wrong 1180w? But if your gonna get a kilowatt PSU get the silverstone, its a bad ass psu. I have no problem with voltage running my 700w GameXStream, and my UPS reads it uses anywhere from 338-400w depending full load of CPU and GPU...... with some other junk plugged into it, oddly enough my delta fan makes it jump 27watts at max

**kris23** · Mar 20, 2007, 11:50 AM

well that reading i think is when the capacitors are at 50% lifespan(most likely 25,000 hours or 2.5 years), its only a recommendation and i dont think it is NEAR the actual power usage, but many power supplies live a shorter life from being run 100% 24/7

i mean i can build something as strong for cheap using a 965p board but it doesnt have that kind of growth im looking for. i cant use SLi with a 965p chipset... like i said, i may not use such a feature but it could come in handy if i decide to buy the 30" flat panel and get rid of my TV or something....... i mean i pour alot of money from my own savings into stuff like this because it interests me. this particular board revision "T1" is also the newest revision and fixes the issues with quad-core overclocking
so if i get a quadcore soon i'd be able to push it to the max, though that wont be for a long time

anyways, this what you were talking about?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817256010
has a single rail, but PCI-E have 2 to a cable which makes me wonder about the power requirements. also the 8 pins cant split and go into 6 pin sockets

ill probably go with the Enermax since its cheaper and more to what i need it for

GutterPunk · Mar 20, 2007, 12:17 PM

Hey Kris,

http://www.directron.com/egx1000ewl.html

Thats where i got my enermax galaxy. At the time they were $40-50 cheaper than newegg, now its only like 10 dollars and shipping cheaper.

ChaosMinionX · Mar 20, 2007, 06:20 PM

Yep that was the PSU I was talking about, only heard good things about it and its specs are quite nice.

Judas · Mar 20, 2007, 06:52 PM

imo, i personally wouldn't spend ALL that much on a new machine today, reason i went the E6400 route (e6600 was nearly twice as much as the e6400)

E6400 has a good amount of OMPH ..... running stock vs my x2 4400+ @ 2.65ghz, my 2.65ghz results in a 5.0 in vista, and much lower cpu scores vs the e6400 getting 5.4 stock and running marginally overclocked 5.6 and nearly 25% higher cpu scores.

And video cards, well..... i've a buyer for at least the mastercard in my current rig possibly. If i can get rid of that, i'll be back down to a single x1900xtx which is plenty powerful enough atm even @ 2560x1600, just won't be as smooth (well not nearly as smooth, hell even vista runs a little sluggish @ this res)..

Reason i'm not getting higher end stuff is because

1: AMD is going to bring out a quad core CPU that by the looks of it and going through all the technical crap, should perform anywhere from 5--15% faster then the current intel lineup, and as much as over 30+% faster in other specific tasks. And it's truely native quad core.

2: ATI hopefully won't DELAY again and again and will provide the R600 at last, which should chop the previous gen cards down significantly again.

3: Intel should be bringing out a much needed update chipset for the intel lineup of cpus which support newer controllers and more pci-ex lanes, not to mention the new spec of PCI-EX rev 2.0

So while buying a computer (parts) today isn't a horrible idea, i mean i just did it, i personally wouldn't invest in anything much over midrange.

But decide what you will, it's you own investment

**kris23** · Mar 21, 2007, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

imo, i personally wouldn't spend ALL that much on a new machine today, reason i went the E6400 route (e6600 was nearly twice as much as the e6400)

E6400 has a good amount of OMPH ..... running stock vs my x2 4400+ @ 2.65ghz, my 2.65ghz results in a 5.0 in vista, and much lower cpu scores vs the e6400 getting 5.4 stock and running marginally overclocked 5.6 and nearly 25% higher cpu scores.

And video cards, well..... i've a buyer for at least the mastercard in my current rig possibly. If i can get rid of that, i'll be back down to a single x1900xtx which is plenty powerful enough atm even @ 2560x1600, just won't be as smooth (well not nearly as smooth, hell even vista runs a little sluggish @ this res)..

Reason i'm not getting higher end stuff is because

1: AMD is going to bring out a quad core CPU that by the looks of it and going through all the technical crap, should perform anywhere from 5--15% faster then the current intel lineup, and as much as over 30+% faster in other specific tasks. And it's truely native quad core.

2: ATI hopefully won't DELAY again and again and will provide the R600 at last, which should chop the previous gen cards down significantly again.

3: Intel should be bringing out a much needed update chipset for the intel lineup of cpus which support newer controllers and more pci-ex lanes, not to mention the new spec of PCI-EX rev 2.0

So while buying a computer (parts) today isn't a horrible idea, i mean i just did it, i personally wouldn't invest in anything much over midrange.

But decide what you will, it's you own investment

native quad-core huh? ill probably just wait for the new standards in the industry before i upgrade........ you dont foresee any motherboard design changes right? there aint gonna be any huge ass UX-ATX (ultra-Extended) atx or something right? cuz i want something concrete and BIG (the computer case) so it will make yanking money money out of them easier

im evil arent i?

yup ill just wait for the new standard so i dont have to slap myself later

DDR3 1333mhz+ ram, PCI-E 2.0, Quad-Cores, Quad GPU maybe a 5th? Better DirectX 10 cards PCI-E x1 perephials (spelling?)

DUDE NEW STANDARDS IN EVERYTHING!

im pretty confident that if i buy in Q2 or Q3 ill be pretty set for the future, just as long as a new socket comes out at the same time.....

AMD is scary to me with the way they're designing so many new sockets now..... it was 939 then AM2 to that 1207 FX for high end people and then theres gonna be AM3 im just sitting here like what? another one? because its so soon......

i guess once they get themselves back together they'll get going good again

Mar 19, 2007, 09:29 PM	#1
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	best bang for the buck hardware. since ive given up on my computer and am about to return my stuff to the Egg (or sell if anyone wants an IceQ3 X1950PRO AGP and 2 gigs of ram locally) im planning to get as soon as i return the items: Cooler Master CM Stacker 832 case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119121 Enermax Galaxy 1000w PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817194019 maybe a few small things......what do you guys think? Scythe SCINF 1000 cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185027 this cooler good for overclocking? or should i get something like the zalman 9700? i dont really want to go water cooling just yet im probably gonna get the 680i board and e6600 and maybe a cheap 8800GTX.... but im hearing stuff about an 8900 Ultra later? what kind of memory should i get? im thinking the Crucial Ballistix http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148047 these good or should i get something different? they seem like good overclockers ram as they got Micron D9s and i like the lights and what should i get? 2gigs or 4 gigs? i want this thing to run vista and any memory intensive stuff in the future but i probably wont install it just yet HDDs im not too concerned about, ill just get a 400GB Seagate 7200.10 and RAID 0 it with the one i got, then ill get the 750GB one and use that for storage. and lastly..... a FREAKEN WINDOWS XP DISK.....im gonna wait for SP1 before i get vista again... or maybe i will but just not as my main OS im kinda expecting this system to be expensive, but its mainly for expandability for the future, i may need SLI at some point (unlikely though) so its good to have, i want good ram so i can hang on and maybe upgrade to 4gigs if needed. good HDDs so i can hold all the movies, pictures and all that stuff i want (hey i can pobably save the babe thread on there too!) i want to be able to watch HD movies with Blu-Ray or HD DVD (as soon as that price drops on them of course!) or should i just buy the case and PSU and just wait till november of this year to upgrade? DX 10 cards are bound to be cheaper, PCI-E 2.0, DDR3 and 3.0GHz+ core 2s at 45nm.........all those goodies i want to get the case and PSU so my parents wont just deny me the new components, like if i didnt have the case or something, theyd probably just say no..... but if i did then id have a tangible object to pursuade them with..... and money doesnt seem to be a limitation since they go on cruises together like twice a year (half the time its without me......) __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 19, 2007, 09:40 PM	Thread Starter #2
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	lol now that i look at it i dont think the title suits this thread __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 19, 2007, 11:19 PM	Thread Starter #4
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	the title? yup or the hardware? __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 20, 2007, 12:24 AM	Thread Starter #6
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	prescott lol __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 20, 2007, 12:25 AM	Thread Starter #7
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	so anyone got suggestions? __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 19, 2007, 11:13 PM	#3
JohnDoe47 HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 319 Rep Power: 0	LOL! yes a bit of an error there no? rofl

Mar 19, 2007, 11:42 PM	#5
JohnDoe47 HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 319 Rep Power: 0	the title superman you have the same sound card and processor as me! copycat unless your processor is a presscott, mine is a northwood

Mar 20, 2007, 01:16 AM	#8
ChaosMinionX USB 3 dot oh Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,911 Rep Power: 47 System Specs	Im wondering what the hell your running that you need a kilowatt PSU? And if your gonna get one why not get the Silverstone Olympia 1kw. You will never use 1000w unless your running like quad 8800s lol just kinda odd looking over the otehr stuff you posted. __________________ ::Heatware:: How you can help DriverHeaven by using Digg!

Mar 20, 2007, 01:52 AM	Thread Starter #9
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	well..... its kinda like having something great already so i dont have to go back and get it later......PSU's break alot because the output placed on them is a little much i'd rather get too much than too little (its also something my dad says over and over to me) and since the PSU is the most stressed thing in the system i thought i should just go with that....... i usually make a big mess of stuff, i may go quadcores, dual 8800s......quad gpu and so on........ the point of this project is a computer that is expandable, that already has 8 pin connectors so im pretty set for the years ahead.... and i may get a 3rd GPU for physics so that 5th PCI-E plug is good too haha but yea longevity is the idea here, but im limiting the components for now and just want to add on as my needs grow (if they grow any higher than this anyway) same with that stacker case, they say its the roomiest so i thought id get that, i like the way it looks too you get where im going with this? __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 20, 2007, 03:32 AM	Thread Starter #10
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	well..... the PSU calculator shows i would need a new 865w or 1180w for a very aged PSU to run this system with electrolytic capacitors, why dont manufacturers use solid state ones so the PSUs can last longer? anyways........ this is with everything maxed out where these current specs dont even come close but i just wanna be prepared. __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 20, 2007, 03:38 AM	Thread Starter #11
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	should i go quad core now or should i just go with an e6600? would i be wasting money with a quad-core proc? i would like to rip high quality movies but last time i tried that took like 2 days........ then theres games like crysis which are quad core but yea.... it worth getting? i tend to multi-task alot but am trying to limit what i do cuz it hurts the comp if i dont..... __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 20, 2007, 11:50 AM	Thread Starter #13
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	well that reading i think is when the capacitors are at 50% lifespan(most likely 25,000 hours or 2.5 years), its only a recommendation and i dont think it is NEAR the actual power usage, but many power supplies live a shorter life from being run 100% 24/7 i mean i can build something as strong for cheap using a 965p board but it doesnt have that kind of growth im looking for. i cant use SLi with a 965p chipset... like i said, i may not use such a feature but it could come in handy if i decide to buy the 30" flat panel and get rid of my TV or something....... i mean i pour alot of money from my own savings into stuff like this because it interests me. this particular board revision "T1" is also the newest revision and fixes the issues with quad-core overclocking so if i get a quadcore soon i'd be able to push it to the max, though that wont be for a long time anyways, this what you were talking about? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817256010 has a single rail, but PCI-E have 2 to a cable which makes me wonder about the power requirements. also the 8 pins cant split and go into 6 pin sockets ill probably go with the Enermax since its cheaper and more to what i need it for __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 20, 2007, 12:17 PM	#14
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,949 Rep Power: 71	Hey Kris, http://www.directron.com/egx1000ewl.html Thats where i got my enermax galaxy. At the time they were $40-50 cheaper than newegg, now its only like 10 dollars and shipping cheaper. __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt

Mar 20, 2007, 06:20 PM	#15
ChaosMinionX USB 3 dot oh Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,911 Rep Power: 47 System Specs	Yep that was the PSU I was talking about, only heard good things about it and its specs are quite nice. __________________ ::Heatware:: How you can help DriverHeaven by using Digg!