Building a Custom PC

[OmegaX]

Well I've decided to build a new computer. My current one his having trouble playing some of the latest games. Just wanted to ask you guys what you thought of the parts I'm going to pick out. If you have any suggestions or concerns please let me know!

NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI ATX Intel Motherboard $91.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4ghz) $222.90

MemoryPRO 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 667 $68.48

SEAGATE ST3250820AS 250gb 7200rpm (SATA II) $63.99

SONY 18X DVD+R 8X DVD $52.99

Sunbeam Transformer IC Full Tower 450w $89.99

GeForce 8800GTS 320MB $269.99

Logitech UltraX Silver/Black 104 Keyboard $18.99

Logitech LX3 Silver/Black 3 Buttons Mouse $21.99

Logitech S-100 BLK 5 Watts Speakers $11.99

Total- $913.30 (U.S.)

 

[Qonfused]

2GB of DDR2 RAM for $70?

...

 

[Barney Fife]

2GB of DDR2 RAM for $70?

...

Yep Value pack.

If you have any suggestions or concerns please let me know!

NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI ATX Intel Motherboard.....You can do better for the price

MemoryPRO 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 667..........Value ram wont run games good

SONY 18X DVD+R 8X DVD................Overpriced

Sunbeam Transformer IC Full Tower 450w............Cheap PSU

GeForce 8800GTS 320MB.......Get the 640MB, pay the extra $100.00

These on top have to go....

I dont want you to post back here asking "Why aren't your brand new stuff kicking like they way u wanna?"

The rest seem cool.

Good Luck.

 

[Barney Fife]

Sorry....DP

 

[OmegaX]

Thanks for the input. I'll look into some better RAM most likely. I was also thinking about getting a motherboard that would support the DDR2 800 style RAM.

 

[MRG]

Hello,

I have to agree with Barney Fife on his advise listed in his post.

Value RAM is like a cheap generic brand. Sure it's cheaper & it works, but it's just not as good & with such an important component such as RAM is, you'll be shooting yourself in the foot if you buy the cheaper RAM.

As for DDR2 667mhz, it's like DDR-2700 (333mhz) RAM was back in the day. It worked & well, but it was by no means a performance RAM. Even the best DDR2 667mhz RAM on the market is still inferior, not that it's bad, I have 1GB of DDR2 667mhz & I love it's performance, but I know my performance could be alot better with a fast, better quality RAM & not with just because I only have 1GB. (Which severely limits me ATM)

As for the PSU, I strongly advise nothing less than a 600w unit. After you connect all the CD & DVD drives & the HDD & all the case fans or other components that require power, you are taking away power from other key systems like the CPU & GPU (Video Card) which can cause a book worth of problems.

Not to sound like a broken record, but I also second the advise for you to get the 640mb version of the 8800. Don't buy the 320. You'll be very glad in the long run that you did. Trust me, or Barney Fife or any one of the other members here that know their stuff when it comes to PC hardware.

Didn't bother to look at the motherboards specs. For that price, (Sub $100) your pickings are slim for a performance mobo.

The E6600 is an excellent CPU. Extremely powerful with 4mb of L2 Cache. Nice overclocker too. I have the slower E6400, but I love it. What is your budget? In other words, how much do you have to spend right NOW? Thats the key, don't ask for specs for a PC now, and then plan to wait 3 months to buy it. Too much will have changed by then.

-MRG

 

[Kyorisu]

I'd stay away from an Nvidia chipset for the motherboard the new intel chips are much better. A Gigabyte DS3 or Asus P5B board would be a wiser choice.

As for DDR2 667mhz, it's like DDR-2700 (333mhz) RAM was back in the day. It worked & well, but it was by no means a performance RAM. Even the best DDR2 667mhz RAM on the market is still inferior, not that it's bad, I have 1GB of DDR2 667mhz & I love it's performance, but I know my performance could be alot better with a fast, better quality RAM & not with just because I only have 1GB. (Which severely limits me ATM)

Would only help if your an overclocker. You won't be able to tell the difference between generic and high grade ram unless your running it at higher than stock speeds.

As for the PSU, I strongly advise nothing less than a 600w unit. After you connect all the CD & DVD drives & the HDD & all the case fans or other components that require power, you are taking away power from other key systems like the CPU & GPU (Video Card) which can cause a book worth of problems.

BS he'd be lucky to pull anywhere near 400-500watts. Quantity does not equal quality, you need a PSU that will deliver what it's rated all the time not a cheap brand that might output it's rated value half the time.

 

[Asus]

BS he'd be lucky to pull anywhere near 400-500watts. Quantity does not equal quality, you need a PSU that will deliver what it's rated all the time not a cheap brand that might output it's rated value half the time.

aye
Quality is key. You can see in this review that most of their units failed their tests. Some of them are even from well-known brands (although not well known as PSUs). The one that made it wasn't even the most expensive. Just an example.
Although it is nice having extra power for the future when upgrading. And I'd see if there are PSU's that have a PCI-Express 8pin power. Newer GPUs might have a 8pin power plug (most use 6pin).

Check out this list of PSUs.
Here is another although they are all good PSUs. Nothing mediocre listed and they have some descriptions for each.

Under a gaming load their test PC used under 400Watts. ([email protected] + high end GPUs) Although a good chunk of it was probably from the GPU. Would want a good 36Amp+ 12v rail (don't add dual rails).

 

[staticprimer]

Yeah go for the 640mb GTS. I got the 320 and I'm already starting to regret it. When I got it I didn't think I would be running at 1680x1050, and several games I have simply won't run well at 4xAA, must be an architecture problem. I've got EVGA so I'll probably step up to a 640mb or a GTX before it runs out.

 

[CptStern]

2GB of DDR2 RAM for $70?

...

yes ..actually he can get much better than value ram for that price ..I've seen it as low as $49 ..ocz, corsair etc



unless that Sony Dvd has a sata interface that's $20 too expensive for a dvd writer ..get an nec, lg or anthing else for $32


what everyone else said ..specifically about that horrible psu and the 640mb 8800

 

[clarky003]

Neat, that's quite good for 500/600 pounds worth of PC. I'll wait till the GTX depreciates in price again, also won't make a move till I have a Crysis release date, hopefully depreciation in prices will coincide with the release date.

 

[OmegaX]

Sounds like I may need to check into another PSU. I'll probably go with something around 550w. I have around $1,000 to spend and I'll probably being buy the parts within the next month.

 

[Barney Fife]

Sorry, I was on a hurry last night when I wrote my last post.
Lemme give you my spec of, what I would call "A freakish update" It may add couple of dollars to your selection but, WTF.

Motherboard:The EVGA 122-CK-NF63-TR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI: This is one of the high marking MBs which is, what all enthusiasts dream about, when they hear it's name mentioned. Wherever you look this MB owns some and makes others drool for the love of her God like looks. It's able to run both PCIe on full 16x 16x in SLI Vs 8x 8x lower nforce offfer and, able to run QC if you decide to upgrade later.

RAMS: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory: These are one of the best PC2 1000 for the buck. I know; sooner or later you're going to start to mess around with that C2D (what's the point of buying C2D?), you will need high performance modules to take your punishments in the shin. I like PC2 1000 modules because, you will not have to change settings or volts if you decide to OC on 1:1.

DVD/CD Writer: SAMSUNG Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner With LightScribe Technology - OEM: Is what I use. Very Good Drive. And its also SATA drive. Saves you lots of space.

PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI ATX12V 600W: Hands down; one of the best most stable PSU out there.

As far as a video cards is concern: 320MB is not going to enough memory for nowaday games; specially if you like to run things a little high on settings, and you do have picky eyesight; get the 640MB models, you will thank me later.

I do have and enjoy my expensive but tasty style, but why do we like to play games on PC and not console if we don't like our taste? Just a thought, not a sermon.

Good Luck.