[sam7689]

CPU- 190.99
Intel Pentium D 930 Presler 800MHz FSB 2 x 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual Core Processor - Retail

MOBO- 176.99
ABIT AW8D Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

MEMORY- 142.99
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM System Memory (667, 5300)- Retail

GRAPHICS- 169.99
GIGABYTE Geforce 7600GT GV-NX76T256D-RH Silent Pipe II, Lead Free Video Card - Retail

PSU- 134.99
OCZ PowerStream OCZ520ADJSLI 520W Power Supply - Retail


it will be used as a general home computer- some video/photo editing, some gaming (doom3, gta3, half-life2). Not planning on doing any overclocking (at least for the first year). The rest of the parts will be cannibalized from my existing comp. Thanks for any feedback.

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Personally I would go with an Antec TruePower 2.0 550W power supply just because it's a better known brand, and I have one. It's quiet and works great, temp's for me have never been lower.

Otherwise...it looks pretty good. How fast is that CPU?

[BlackPandemic]

Personally I would go with an Antec TruePower 2.0 550W power supply just because it's a better known brand, and I have one. It's quiet and works great, temp's for me have never been lower.

Otherwise...it looks pretty good. How fast is that CPU?

[SRX660]

Sounds like a good build. To finish off this build i would go ahead and spend a few dollars on a DVD-RW from newegg for $35 since you are doing video and i have never liked the on-board sound on most motherboards. Maybe the audiomax is better but i usually install a creative audigy in all my computers. I really like the creative play center software anyway and use it for everything that has to do with sound. One thing i like about the play center is that it can rip MP3's from raw sound files.

SRX660

[BlackPandemic]

If you get a soundcard I would HIGHLY recommend something from the Creative SB X-Fi line (XtremeMusic, Platinum, etc.). They are phenomenal. And yes, a DVD-RW drive (two if you can afford it) would be a great upgrade.

[sam7689]

thanks for the feeback.
The Antec TruePower 2.0 550W was the first PSU I had on my list, but decided against it given the lower amps on the 12v connection. I'll have another look at the reviews on these. The cpu is 3.0 ghz
I'll be able to pull a DVD-RW from my current comp (which just blew out). A nice firecracker pop sound and burning smell when I turned it on and now nothing. It was a few years old anyway.

as for the sound card, I usually start off with the sound on the mobo until I get anoyed by it after a couple months and then pick one up. I'll check into those you recommended

[warriorscot]

X-fi is a bit much they are still very expensive for a sound card even a very good one, an audigy is adequate for most people and is still as good as anything else on the market.

CPU wise now probably isnt the best time, core 2 Duo is out in July(early August for purchase of boxed chips) and they come in your price range and are alot faster than the 930. For me it would be worth waiting the month or two.

Be careful with the silent gfx card coolers the case has to have good cooling at least two 120mms for quiet operation with one of those because they lack a fan doesnt mean they dont need one the air still needs to be circulated.

[Tru Techie]

k here is ur list revised and reasoning

unless of u already made up ur mind, i would suggest an AMD seeing as how ur getting a 7600GT im assuming you want it for gamng, so then definitely get an AMD 64 3700+ which is about $200

as for mobo the MSI K8n neo4-f or the DFI Lanparty UT Ultra-d, both of which are cheaper and the one of the best on the market. MSI-$70, DFI-$130 or something

ur ram choice is ok if ur not planning on overclocking. im not sure but if those sticks dont have heat spreaders then i wouldnt get them, i believe u can get a Patriot 2x1GB PC 3200 i think, its amazing ram and its about $160. its called Patriot Signature 2x1GB, it has heat spreaders which is very beneficial and is blue, just look for it on newegg.com

As for PSu u dont need OCZ PowerStream 520Watt with the parts ur buying. a system with Sli'd 7900GTXs require 550Watt and u could use a ANtec TruePowerII or SmartPower, i believe the smartpower is 450Watt and the TruePower 480watt or vice versa, both are more than enough for ur needs. and with all this you save a hefty amount of money, about 240-300 depending on which parts u pick.

[troppo]

i think heatspreaders are useless just another way to make the RAM look "cool" and scam more money out of you! if your case has good cooling even if a bit pore heatspreaders are pointless.
but thats my 2 cents

troppo

[troppo]

sorry double post!!

Edited by troppo, 19 June 2006 - 06:48 PM.

[jrm20]

k here is ur list revised and reasoning

unless of u already made up ur mind, i would suggest an AMD seeing as how ur getting a 7600GT im assuming you want it for gamng, so then definitely get an AMD 64 3700+ which is about $200

as for mobo the MSI K8n neo4-f or the DFI Lanparty UT Ultra-d, both of which are cheaper and the one of the best on the market. MSI-$70, DFI-$130 or something

ur ram choice is ok if ur not planning on overclocking. im not sure but if those sticks dont have heat spreaders then i wouldnt get them, i believe u can get a Patriot 2x1GB PC 3200 i think, its amazing ram and its about $160. its called Patriot Signature 2x1GB, it has heat spreaders which is very beneficial and is blue, just look for it on newegg.com

As for PSu u dont need OCZ PowerStream 520Watt with the parts ur buying. a system with Sli'd 7900GTXs require 550Watt and u could use a ANtec TruePowerII or SmartPower, i believe the smartpower is 450Watt and the TruePower 480watt or vice versa, both are more than enough for ur needs. and with all this you save a hefty amount of money, about 240-300 depending on which parts u pick.

Id rather buy corsair xms overclocking rather than any patriot but the corsair valueram is plenty good enough and is rock solid ram but not meant for overclocking.

The amd 939 chips are good chips for the money but since the conroe is coming out soon I would wait and buy an Intel conroe cpu. If you havnt heard yet, the conroe is a kickass processor that owns the fx-60 and fx-62 for less money, even if amd cuts the prices in half the conroe is still the better buy.. Nothing wrong with the socket 939 3700+ but 1. its not dual core 2. its considered older technology coming very shortly. 3. You can get the cheapest intel conroe for pretty cheap. 4.amd is slashing the prices on the socket 939 x2 dual core by 50%.. You are better off with an amd socket 939 x2 dual core than the regular 939 3700+...

http://blogs.zdnet.c.../index.php?p=15


I would wait and get an intel conroe cpu the 2.40 ghz version is very good priced at around $315 and it still beats the fx-60 and fx-62 dual core. The 2.40ghz conroe still has the 4mb cache also.. The 2.67ghz conroe is around $529 but its still a pretty good deal. Overall the 2.40ghz conroe is the best deal for the speed, and will be the lowest priced chip for that much speed and again, it still beats an amd fx-60 and fx-62.

[Tru Techie]

well if u are overclocking the best ram would be G.Skill Extreme Series, or OCZ Gold PC 4000, IMO

[warriorscot]

Corsair is the best your gonna buy, patriot sometimes comes out ahead in a test but corsair offers consitency and quality guaranteed. I wouldnt use G.Skill though, OCZ maybe but it costs to much.