Ok, I've decided in stone on a few parts...

For those who remember, I was asking for help picking out parts for my Bang-For-Buck PC. Well, I know this might be kind've a bad thing since I'm starting a new thread about it, but I've more or less set in stone (unless of course something massively better for my money comes out in the next month or so) a few of the parts I'm going to use.

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003
- 222.90 USD

GPU - PNY Nvidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133193
- 269.99 USD

HDD - Western Digital Raptor 36GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136054
- 99.99 USD
- Note: I realize that this part isn't exactly a BFB part, but I'm also a bit of a speed nut, so I really want this one speedy drive without going too crazy with cost.

PSU + Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811156062
- 89.99 USD

Thermal Paste - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100009
- 4.99 USD

So far I count a total of... 687.86 USD

The components I'm missing are...
- CD/DVD Writer/Reader/Burner
- Motherboard
- RAM
- Cooler

Some considerations
- I'm willing to forget upgrading to SLI anytime soon, depending on price, so if you can please find the best BFB (bang for buck) with a SLI-Ready Mobo and a non-SLI ready Mobo.
- I can probably just take the DVD/CD Reader/Writer/Burner(s) from my old rig or from somewhere else and plant them into this new one. But if you think it's better to just get a new one, please say so.
- I've heard that for gaming purposes, lower latency in your RAM is key. True?
- I might just stick with the stock cooler that comes with the E6600 to save money. Should I?
- There's plenty of tools in my house, including a static-free wrist strap and such, so don't worry about those.

I would say, ditch that case /psu! The psu is too weak on the +12V single rail ( only 22 Ampere) for beeing able to run a rig like that. You just will end up with loads of instability problems. And even if you happends to be able to run the rig decently with that Raidmax psu. It will degenerate faster than normal, because of the strain from the 8800GTS. Belive me! And a case with 80mm fans mostly. Naah!

Case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119106

Additional 120mm fan:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835119074

Psu:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817185003

This psu, have 2 X 20Ampere on the dual +12v rails. That should be more than sufficient for the 8800GTS. wich needs a minimum of 26 A.


Case and psu is about 20 bucks more than the case / psu you listed. But it's worth it.

Mobo(s):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128044

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131030

RAM:

Gigabyte mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231126


Asus mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231065

Cooler, if you need one ? The E6600 runs very cool. So you should manage well with the stock cooler til you eventually start to overclock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134

Use your old dvd combo. If not yours is beige or white maybe? Then a black one is nicer with the Centurion case. But that is "only" looks of coarce.

DVD combo (if you feel for it?)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136118

I used the eXtreme psu calculator. And calculated that you use 4 sticks of DDR II,
RAM, 4 usb ports used and a Creative sound card ( just for the sake of it)

And your rig, will then, use up 406 watts with a single GTS card.

I also calculated with a capasitator degenaration of 10% and 90% system load. That gave 431W.

So a new 600W psu is in order the day you go SLI.

This for ex:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341010


The core 2 duo cpu's are'nt so latency dependant as the AMD cpu's. 4 is still the lowest CAS you will get without having to pay uber price anyway. CAS 5 is o.k. too.

Notice that Goranpaa didn't say anything about the video card you chose. That's because he really didn't need to. That's the one I would go for if I had the money to spend. I'm still holding out until next year when hopefully you'll be able to get that same 8800GTS with 512MB and get 2 of 'em for an SLI setup - without having to skimp on quality. (Note: Biostar already makes an 8600 with 512MB - not to be confused with the 8800 that I'd like to see, and only a 2 golden egger anyway.)

By the way, if you plan on doing any simulation stuff with your new rig I'd suggest getting Flight Sim X Deluxe from Circuit City. I got it at Circuit City for $50 instead of the $70 they ask everywhere else. I am still reeling from shock. I thought the price on the sticker was an error and then when I got to the register it was not the $60 it was marked.

Any suggestions for an after-market CPU cooler for my AM2? The retail fan is doing an excellent job right now, but I have seen my share of "in the box" fans that break off a blade or even 2.

Originally Posted by goranpaa

I would say, ditch that case /psu! The psu is too weak on the +12V single rail ( only 22 Ampere) for beeing able to run a rig like that. You just will end up with loads of instability problems. And even if you happends to be able to run the rig decently with that Raidmax psu. It will degenerate faster than normal, because of the strain from the 8800GTS. Belive me! And a case with 80mm fans mostly. Naah!

Case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119106

Additional 120mm fan:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835119074

Psu:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817185003

This psu, have 2 X 20Ampere on the dual +12v rails. That should be more than sufficient for the 8800GTS. wich needs a minimum of 26 A.


Case and psu is about 20 bucks more than the case / psu you listed. But it's worth it.

Mobo(s):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128044

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131030

RAM:

Gigabyte mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231126


Asus mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231065

Cooler, if you need one ? The E6600 runs very cool. So you should manage well with the stock cooler til you eventually start to overclock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134

Use your old dvd combo. If not yours is beige or white maybe? Then a black one is nicer with the Centurion case. But that is "only" looks of coarce.

DVD combo (if you feel for it?)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136118

I used the eXtreme psu calculator. And calculated that you use 4 sticks of DDR II,
RAM, 4 usb ports used and a Creative sound card ( just for the sake of it)

And your rig, will then, use up 406 watts with a single GTS card.

I also calculated with a capasitator degenaration of 10% and 90% system load. That gave 431W.

So a new 600W psu is in order the day you go SLI.

This for ex:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341010


The core 2 duo cpu's are'nt so latency dependant as the AMD cpu's. 4 is still the lowest CAS you will get without having to pay uber price anyway. CAS 5 is o.k. too.

Couple things.
- I like the case and PSU you provided, but I don't think I'll need the extra fan.
- I'll get the DVD combo for the hell of it.
- No need for that 2nd PSU you listed, I think the first one is fine.
- No need for the cooler either if the E6600 does fine with the stock one. I don't plan to overclock.

Now here's the thing I don't like about your Mobo+RAM choices. The Gigabyte Mobo looks fine, but it only supports up to DDR667. The ASUS board has a fair share of not so good reviews, but it supports up to DDR800. So I think I'll look around a little more for a better Mobo + RAM combination.

Also, since SLI isn't THAT important to me, I might just settle for a non-SLI setup. If I feel I have to or can upgrade, then I'll probably just upgrade the card to a 8800GTX rather than the entire system to use two 8800GTS's. I figure both options would be about the same price anyways and be close in perfomance since the GTX is a friggin' monster.

Originally Posted by pdnielsen

Any suggestions for an after-market CPU cooler for my AM2? The retail fan is doing an excellent job right now, but I have seen my share of "in the box" fans that break off a blade or even 2.

Here is a couple of good ones:


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185125

The best thing with this, from not just beeing silent and effective. Is that it's unidirectional.
So you can rotate it to any position you like.

But for best effiency, see to that the back of the cooler is pointing towards the rear exhaust fan. But as you have that nice and big 200mm at the top of the case. You could exsperiment and aim the back of the Freezer at that fan too.

Here is another very nice, huge heatsink / fan combo. Got very good reviews from Silent PC Review (SPCR). They where especially impressed by that this fan is very quiet even at full throttle (12v). And if SPCR are impressed. It's a quiet fan I can assure you.

Also easy to install on AMD AM 2 boards. Slightly more difficult on Intel mobos.

It fits my case (P180) So it should'nt be any trouble in your Nine Hundred. either. Besides, my Scythe Ninja is just as big too. The only thing I did'nt quite like, is the spring clip mounting for the fan Scythe (and Themalright) use. Takes a while before you learn how to get it right. But on the other hand, it holds the fan securely once you get the hang of it.

A good thing about Scythes heatsinks, is that even if they are huge, the weight is at the bottom of the sink. Not as Thermalrights tower heatsinks for ex., that have pretty much of the weight higher up.

Also, check motherboard compability at Scythe home.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185027

Okay, I think I found a nice Mobo and RAM combo.

RAM - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231065
- 109.99

Mobo - MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130081
- 144.99

The reviews for the MSI board may not be as good as Gigabyte, but it's better than ASUS's for that one board and this board supports DDR2 800.

By the way, is it better to have your total RAM split up into multiple sticks (as in, 2 x 512 MG or 2 x 1 GB) or to have it on one stick (as in, just 1 stick of 1 GB)?

Yeah, I read some reviews on that mobo.

Seems good. But the pro reviews said that it's not that good for over clocking, as the bios settings are a bit limited.

But besides that, I think you will be happy with it.
And G.Skill is a good RAM brand, with very few compability issues.

The OS I'm planning to run is Windows XP Home or Pro (depends if OS disks that came with pre-built systems from companies will install on a custom-built PC or not), unless Linux has a distro that can work well with the new GeForce 8 series, then I'd consider that.

That being said, would it be better to have a full board of 4 GB (4 x 1GB) or 2 GB (4 x 512MB)? I know that XP can't recognize 4 GB of memory (I think the max is like 3.5 GB), but I wonder if having 2GB with low latency split amongst 4 sticks would serve me better than having that extra 1 or 1.5 GB of memory.

Also, this is a non-SLI Mobo + RAM solution I'm considering

RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (x2) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145040
- 69.00 * 2 = 128.00 USD

Mobo - Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128042
- 99.99 USD

This combo is slightly less than the SLI solution in cost and I'd get 2 GB of great RAM split amongst 4 sticks instead of 2 and what appears to be one of the most reliable Mobos around.

Edit - Found a better SLI board for the money.

MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130082
- 108.99 USD

Originally Posted by Mathias

The OS I'm planning to run is Windows XP Home or Pro (depends if OS disks that came with pre-built systems from companies will install on a custom-built PC or not), unless Linux has a distro that can work well with the new GeForce 8 series, then I'd consider that.

That being said, would it be better to have a full board of 4 GB (4 x 1GB) or 2 GB (4 x 512MB)? I know that XP can't recognize 4 GB of memory (I think the max is like 3.5 GB), but I wonder if having 2GB with low latency split amongst 4 sticks would serve me better than having that extra 1 or 1.5 GB of memory.

Also, this is a non-SLI Mobo + RAM solution I'm considering

RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (x2) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145040
- 69.00 * 2 = 128.00 USD

Mobo - Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128042
- 99.99 USD

This combo is slightly less than the SLI solution in cost and I'd get 2 GB of great RAM split amongst 4 sticks instead of 2 and what appears to be one of the most reliable Mobos around.

Edit - Found a better SLI board for the money.

MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130082
- 108.99 USD

I just wich, I could talk you into a better psu than the Raidmax lol.


I think 2 Gig (2 X 1 gigabyte) is sufficient. More than that on XP is overkill.
4 X 512mb is'nt really a good setup.

That's nice mobos.

EDIT:


It`s better to use 2 x 1GB sticks in any case.With 4 X 512mb you risk cutting off the performance of the memory controller. But when 2 sticks are used, there is a much higher chance to run the memory at 1T. Another problem that may occur when using 4 modules is that the memory controller may not be able to run them at the stock speed.

Also, beeing able to runt the RAM at 1T instead of 2T, will increase the performance.

Okay, I've run through NewEgg a bunch, spent about another 6 or 7 hours researching and going over past posts, links, etc. I think I finally have a solid shopping list. I decided to go the upgrader's route and leave room for improvement. Basically I'm getting semi-powerful stuff that I'll need for later when I add things like more HDDs, a 2nd GPU, RAM, etc. So here it is. Anything with a * next to it means that it will be added onto the system after it's completed with the parts without the *s and further in the future when I have more cash.

CPU - 222.90 USD - Core 2 Duo E6600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003

GPU1 - 279.99 USD - GeForce 8800GTS 320MB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130082

HDD1 - 059.99 USD - Western Digital Caviar 160 GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136062

Paste - 004.99 USD - Arctic Silver Ceramique - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100009

DVD - 031.99 USD - LG Black - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136118

PSU - 109.99 USD - OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341001

Mobo - 144.99 USD - MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA 775 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130081

RAM - 104.99 USD - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231114

Case - 074.99 USD - SIGMA Shark BSW Black SECC - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811226002

Speakers* - 069.99 USD - Logitech Z-4i - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836121131

Monitor* - 199.99 USD - ViewSonic Optiquest Black 20" - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824116075

Keyboard* - 071.99 USD - Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126179

Mouse* - 045.99 USD - Logitech G5 Laser Mouse - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104191

CPU Fan* - 034.99 USD - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134

HDD2* - 099.99 USD - Western Digital Raptor 36 GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136054

GPU2* - 279.99 USD - GeForce 8800GTS 320MB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130082

Total - 1034.82 USD

Total w/* - 1837.75 USD

Comments?

Quote#

Comments?#

Just one. Well done, nice rig!

Oh! Switching CPU coolers isn't hard is it? I mean, does the thermal paste make the CPU 'stick' to the Cooler or just fill in the gap?

Also I may want to overclock the E6600 at some point. What's a safe range with the equipment I listed and how would I go about doing it?

Originally Posted by Mathias

Oh! Switching CPU coolers isn't hard is it? I mean, does the thermal paste make the CPU 'stick' to the Cooler or just fill in the gap?

Also I may want to overclock the E6600 at some point. What's a safe range with the equipment I listed and how would I go about doing it?

No, switching coolers is'nt hard. Especially, as the Freezer 7 Pro uses the same type of mounting as the stock cooler. Just run the pc for a while, before trying to remove the heatsink. This will make the thermal paste a little less glue like.

Then, you just take out a bottle of Isoprophyl alcohol and a lint free cloth, for cleaning the cpu from old thermal paste. You will also have to clean the Freezer from the pre applied paste, if you plan on using a better paste like Arctic Silver Ceramique for ex.

When applying the new paste. Use a piece of semi stiff plastic, to spread the paste in a "paper thin" layer over the top of the cpu. Do not use your fingers. Then you will mix up the paste with stuff from your skin.


I have read about people that have been able to reach 3.0 and 3.2 GHz with the Freezer 7 Pro. But it will also depend on how good overclockers your mobo and RAM are?

Here is a guide for overclocking Core 2 Duo cpu's:

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardw...ict197995.html