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Jul 21, 2008, 02:32 AM
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#1 |
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DriverHeaven Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Franklin, Tennessee
Posts: 9
Rep Power: 0  |
Need help finalizing a computer build... UPDATED AND FINALIZED!
UPDATE:
Thanks to everyone who helped out! The info was awesome! Here's the final build: Prices are in USD. Motherboard: XFX MB-N780-ISH9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI for $250 For the processor I'm going with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor for $200 For the RAM, I'm getting: OCZ ReaperX HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit for $124 The heatsinks are HUGE, but according to the reviews, it's fine if your motherboard has offset channels (and I believe, from looking at the pictures, that the XFX MB-N780-ISH9 does have this...). To power everything, I'm getting a ZALMAN ZM850-HP Continuous 850W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 Modular Heatpipe-Cooled SLI Power Supply for $175 For my OS, I've chosen Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit English 1pk DSP OEI DVD for System Builders - OEM for $180 Yep, $180 for full Vista Ultimate. Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3500320NS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA for $100 Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case for $80 FireWire AND eSATA ports? TONS OF FANS? Bottom-mount for the PSP? AWESOME! Graphics: XFX PVT98FYDDU GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) XXX 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI for $200 and maybe get another one for SLI later (since this one seems to be fairly powerful AND it's a two-space card so if I get another for SLI I'll lose some of the limited PCI(e) slots on the motherboard... hmm...). Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Toss in a few more fans to round out the case, and some Arctic Silver for the heatsinks, and the total WITH shipping and tax comes to $1,544.97. Last edited by Sarkazein; Jul 23, 2008 at 12:30 AM. Reason: New information |
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Jul 21, 2008, 05:54 AM
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#2 |
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HardwareHeaven Lover
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Well first off youll need to go with an nvidia chipset if you want to do SLI, so the 790i is the newest but if you want ddr2 instead youll want to get a 780i chipset board, i just bought the xfx 780i board and my friend has it and is very happy with it.
this guy: Newegg.com - XFX MB-N780-ISH9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards As for the gfx card, either get the 8800 or a 9800, would work well. The 9800 obviously is going to perform a bit better, and streams HD much better. I personally get BFG Video Cards because i have not had a single one go on me ever, and they have lifetime warranties, however, that said both other companies are really good too so whatever you want would work. if you want to go with a 790i board evga and xfx both have some nice stuff over on newegg. The board i showed you is more expensive than what you have, but given the price point you gave and what you have listed, im not sure where the rest of your money is going. hope that helps.
__________________
-Crash the silence for the sake of memory. Intrinsic Realities, Veteran-USN. |
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Jul 21, 2008, 08:05 AM
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Thread Starter
#3
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DriverHeaven Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Franklin, Tennessee
Posts: 9
Rep Power: 0 |
Awesome! I looked around based on that and came up with the following changes:
New PSP: ZALMAN ZM850-HP Continuous 850W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 Modular Heatpipe-Cooled SLI Power Supply for $175 Video Card: Ok, based on more research and input I think I'ma go with a single XFX PVT98FYDDU GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) XXX 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI for $200 and maybe get another one for SLI later (since this one seems to be fairly powerful AND it's a two-space card so if I get another for SLI I'll lose some of the limited PCI(e) slots on the motherboard... hmm...). Motherboard: XFX MB-N780-ISH9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI for $250 for the nForce chipset. Still, does this have issues with SATA drives? Might as well list my intended HDD: Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3500320NS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA for $100 UPDATE: For the RAM, I'm getting: OCZ ReaperX HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit for $124 The heatsinks are HUGE, but according to the reviews, it's fine if your motherboard has offset channels (and I believe, from looking at the pictures, that the XFX MB-N780-ISH9 does have this...). Case: APEVIA X-JUPITER G-Type X-JUPITERG-MG Metallic Gray Aluminum ATX Full Tower for $160 Big, has fans, temperature display + fan controls + ports (even full-size FireWire!) = win. DVD Drive is: LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner for $29 Oh, and incidentally, the version of Vista I'm getting is the 64-bit flavor. The entire project is idling at around $1,400, so, woot? This seems like an awefully powerful rig for uner $1,500 or am I missing something? Last edited by Sarkazein; Jul 21, 2008 at 06:10 PM. Reason: New info |
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Jul 21, 2008, 09:11 AM
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#4 |
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HardwareHeaven Lover
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DVD drive?
SATA problem? Not that myself or my friend have experienced with 680 nvidia or 780i chipsets, he has a sata dvd burner, and 4 sata drives ranging from 160g-500g a piece with no issues hiccups or problems. 64b is a good choice and ultimate rocks. *edit: nice choice on the ram by the way, nice move forgot to mention it. The stock cooler for the e8400 is good but if you intend any OC at all definitely go aftermarket and get some arctic thermal paste too. case wise.. ive never heard of the company so i cant give you any feedback on that one, however these are all incredibly good cases with excellent airflow: the antec 900, i have this one, it rocks and has awesome cooling, bottom mount PSU is awesome. (mid tower) Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases the antec 1200, like the 900 only bigger basically haha Newegg.com - Antec Twelve Hundred Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases cooler master stacker 830 nvidia edition, expensive, but really badass looking Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 NVIDIA Edition NV-830-KKN4-GP Black ( Green Mesh) Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases plain stacker 830 evolution Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 Evolution SC-830K-KKN3-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases cooler master cosmos 1000 Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases hope that info helps a bit 
__________________
-Crash the silence for the sake of memory. Intrinsic Realities, Veteran-USN. |
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Jul 21, 2008, 06:09 PM
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Thread Starter
#5
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DriverHeaven Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Franklin, Tennessee
Posts: 9
Rep Power: 0 |
I forgot to mention the DVD drive? whoops
 It's a LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner for $29 Yeah, I heard that these cards were quite warm, but I don't intend to OC mine, at least not for a while... As for the CPU, I'll probably look into a good heatsink a bit later as well... I've never had great luck with stock coolers, and it's an easy way to have a custom look. I'll have to wait and see how much room I have around the CPU. I'll probably OC the RAM a bit too, as the reviewers said they were quite stable. I'll definitely be grabbing some Arctic Thermal for my heatsinks. My MacBook Pro recently started overheating and crashing, but replacing the stock thermal junk they used with Arctic Silver made it run colder than ever. I'll look at those cases and see if there's anything better. Thanks for the list I'll also eventually be getting a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional 70SB088600002 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Express for $140 or something similar. The motherboard has onboard sound, so it'll do for the time being, but I want a real one eventually. And I'll probably grab a PhysX card down the road, but, again, that can wait for a while (prolleh grab a PCI version since I've heard that the PCIe ones can screw with your BUS timings or something... More research to do!  ).
Last edited by Sarkazein; Jul 21, 2008 at 06:19 PM. Reason: New Info |
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Jul 21, 2008, 06:14 PM
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#6 |
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HardwareHeaven Lover
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Sweet deal, good luck on your buildout!!
-Syn
__________________
-Crash the silence for the sake of memory. Intrinsic Realities, Veteran-USN. |
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Jul 21, 2008, 09:14 PM
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Thread Starter
#7
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DriverHeaven Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Franklin, Tennessee
Posts: 9
Rep Power: 0 |
Thanks for the help!
I almost went for the Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case but it's a mid-ATX and the reviews said it was hard to fit the bigger cards, and some had issues with the PSP fitting wrong. The others looked great, but they were mostly too expensive ($200+). Now all I have to do is get a little more money together and I can order everything
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Jul 21, 2008, 11:48 PM
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#8 |
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DH's oldest Geek
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Cooler Master's CM-690 and RC-590 are both mid-towers that WILL handle the long vid cards. I have a 3870 X2 in my 690, and there is room to spare.
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases Not "flashy", but damned nice cases. Plenty of room for everything, and provisions for a LOT of extra fans if you feel that the ones supplied are not enough. Quite frankly, as far as I can see, the only thing that the Antec 900 has going for it is the "flash factor" if you go for that sort of thing. It's over-priced, and over-hyped. It was fine when it first came out, but newer cases have caught up and surpassed it's specs, in both room and cooling ability.
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When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY
Last edited by OldBuzzard; Jul 21, 2008 at 11:53 PM. |
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Jul 22, 2008, 01:20 AM
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#9 |
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I'm dangerous but cute...
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I think CoolerMaster make excellent cases. Good build quality and cooling. I have my main rig in a CM Cosmos case. I concur with Old Buzzard thast the RC 690 is an excellent case. It was reviewed by DH here. Other sites also gave positive reviews.
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Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks  |
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Jul 22, 2008, 05:15 AM
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Thread Starter
#10
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DriverHeaven Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Franklin, Tennessee
Posts: 9
Rep Power: 0 |
Awesome tips. I definitely like the COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case.
It's only $80! and has more fans and plugs on it Will miss the side window, but maybe I'll be adventurous someday and cut my own... Now to grab a few more fans... |
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Jul 22, 2008, 11:49 PM
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#11 |
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DH's oldest Geek
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Side window ???
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER RA-690-KWN2-GP CM 690 clear side panel with one 120 mm blue LED fan - Case Accessories
__________________
When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY
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Jul 23, 2008, 12:21 AM
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Thread Starter
#12
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DriverHeaven Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Franklin, Tennessee
Posts: 9
Rep Power: 0 |
 My hero! I'll have ta grab me one of those when I get my soundcard!Incidentally, I upgraded to the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor for $200 since it was only about $25 more than the 3.0 GHz Wolfdale. So, all the parts have been ordered, and with any luck they should be here by Friday, or early next week. Final cost is $1,544.97 including tax and shipping. I even found a promo discount for the Zalman PSP in their newsletter for $35 off! Woot! Once I get it all set up, I'll be sure to run some benchmarks and see how it holds up. Is there a specific forum here at DH for benchmarking and whatnot? Final Partlist: Code:
1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM Item #: N82E16835100007 $5.99 1 Link Depot 10 ft. DVI-D male to DVI-D male dual link Cable Model DVI-10-DD - OEM Item #: N82E16812189048 $12.99 1 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115036 $199.99 1 XFX MB-N780-ISH9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813141005 $249.99 1 XFX PVT98FYDDU GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) XXX 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814150292 $199.99 1 ZALMAN ZM850-HP Continuous 850W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 Modular Heatpipe-Cooled SLI Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16817379007 $174.99 1 OCZ ReaperX HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPX800EB4GK - Retail Item #: N82E16820227278 $123.99 1 Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3500320NS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Item #: N82E16822148294 $99.99 1 LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS120-08 - Retail Item #: N82E16827106264 $28.99 1 Rexus TopMotor DF128015PH 80mm Case Fan - Retail Item #: N82E16835705037 $9.99 1 Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit English 1pk DSP OEI DVD for System Builders - OEM Item #: N82E16832116493 $179.99 2 COOLER MASTER R4-L2S-122B-GP 120mm 4 BLUE LED LED Case Fan - Retail Item #: N82E16835103022 $19.98 ($9.99 ea) 1 COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811119137 $79.99 Subtotal $1,386.86 Tax $130.81 UPS 3 DAYS $58.31 Rush Processing $3.99 Promo code -$35.00 Order Total $1,544.97 Last edited by Sarkazein; Jul 23, 2008 at 12:30 AM. |
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