[Adrenalin]

So, here goes...

I want to build a new system, however i am a taurus and we are known to be fussy with everything we do.

I do not like seagate [some might tell me 'they the best'] etc etc yada yada i do not want seagate. I am a WD fan
I like AMD but my senses tell me Intel is killing them at the moment with Dual and Quad core
Now, besides all that nonsense, i have a budget but i am willing to stretch it a bit...

I know you supposed to follow a budget but i would like a few suggestions of a reliable pc that i can overclock and later add more ram and maybe a 2nd gfx card [if SLI/Crossfire is worth it] I am not looking for a monster PC coz i aint got cash for that. Aynyone can build a good PC with money. So, here is an article i read in the PC Format SA issue a while back

They have the following to report:

CPU : Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 [They overclocked it to 2.86Ghz and temp was @ 27degrees celcius with a Zalman Fatal1ty cooler]
Board : Asus P5W DH Deluxe or Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 or Intel D975XBX [Personally i prefer the Asus]

And that's basically all the article says, nothing much but it looks so good, not so?

Now i ran into a problem, i have to use a ATI gfx card, hmmm... I wonder, do i have to use a ATI card? I don't swing either way when it comes to gfx cards, but yet again i want a good stable card not something that seems to break after a while etc.


ssooo.... anybody feel up to the challenge of giving me some place i can go look at custom builds that have been tested or something?

Appriciated

Edited by Adrenalin, 16 October 2007 - 01:03 PM.

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I'm not a taurus but I'm fussy

Either way, to answer your question, I'm not too sure about a custom builds place. Google would be your friend here.

However, you can most probably pick the parts you want yourself to give you an idea. If you want a Western Digital hard drive, then choose a Western Digital one. At the moment, Intel is ahead for processors, but this could change in the next few months, as both Intel and AMD are soon to release a new range. Those motherboards are good, but they have last-generation chipsets. You should be looking for a P35 or X38 board, these are the new Intel ones out now. AM2 is for AMD.

And no, SLI/Crossfire isn't worth the price/performance justification. This technology is only for "monster PC's" (in your words), which you say you don't want. What makes you think you can only use an ATI graphics card?

I don't know of any online computer sites for your country, so maybe you could post links so we could check parts?

[Troy]

I'm not a taurus but I'm fussy

Either way, to answer your question, I'm not too sure about a custom builds place. Google would be your friend here.

However, you can most probably pick the parts you want yourself to give you an idea. If you want a Western Digital hard drive, then choose a Western Digital one. At the moment, Intel is ahead for processors, but this could change in the next few months, as both Intel and AMD are soon to release a new range. Those motherboards are good, but they have last-generation chipsets. You should be looking for a P35 or X38 board, these are the new Intel ones out now. AM2 is for AMD.

And no, SLI/Crossfire isn't worth the price/performance justification. This technology is only for "monster PC's" (in your words), which you say you don't want. What makes you think you can only use an ATI graphics card?

I don't know of any online computer sites for your country, so maybe you could post links so we could check parts?

[Adrenalin]

Well,

www.buycompters.co.za is one place, another is www.computersonly.co.za

I don't see the need for 2 PCI-e slots now either, i was sitting at work thinking about this build. I would like something that i can upgrade and i was also thinking about the chipsets on that board, you mentioned they are outdated, which makes perfect sense. I would like a ver good motherboard, that is the crux of the system no? Also i will be getting either Corsair or OCZ memory. 2 x 1GB sticks at the moment are R999 @ computersonly.co.za [About $143]. So, i have narrowed it down. 2 PCI-e 16x slots would be great, but not a total must. 4 x DDR2 slots, and if DDR3 is vastly better, then i will look at that but yet again i doubt it.

I have looked through these forums on system building and from what i gather, Dual core/Quad Core is not really a big performance booster. So why not get a AMD CPU for a bit less and run that? There are so many options right now. Let me compile a small list of what I think i should buy and you tell me what you think

Case : Antec P180 [Coz it looks so good and the reviews are good] Check it here
Motherboard : errr, some suggestions? With a good chipset on it? [P35 maybe]
PSU : perhaps a corsair hx620w?
Ram : OCZ Check it here
Graphics Card : Really need help here [ATi Radeon HD2600XT 256mb DDR4] or [Asus GeForce 7600GT, no DX10 support like the ATi]
HDD : I have a Western Digital 200GB that will do for now. Sata drive
DVD-RW : Got an LG 18x Lightscribe
Monitor : Asus 22" Widescreen Monitor Check it here

And I think that is about it hey? Speakers etc are not that important to me, i have a home theatre that i will be using for music

So how good does this sound?

Edited by Adrenalin, 17 October 2007 - 11:07 AM.