Build me a computer.

[ThreeFingerPete]

I want something to play games with, and will need a monitor. Let's see what you guys come up with for say 1000$. Anyone have any recommendations?

[Roliath]

*CPU - Core 2 Duo e6300 - $182.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005

*Memory - G.Skill 2x1GB PC2 6400 (DDR2 800) - $177.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231073

*Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 - $142.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128012

*Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 250GB - $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148144

*Case - Antec Sonata (with Antec's 450w Smart Power 2.0 PSU)- $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155

*Monitor - Samsung 720N (17in LCD) - $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001084

*GFX - eVGA 7600GT - $132.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130062
Grand Total = $996.93 after taxes = $1080
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's one way you can take it, the way I look at this setup is the video card is lacking compared to the rest BUT enroll in the eVGA Step Up program and when your setup is ready go ahead and upgrade to 7900GTX/7950GX2 and just pay the difference...Also and Shipping wasn't included in this.

Here's another route you can take
*CPU - AMD Athlon FX-55 w/Free 250GB Hard Drive - $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103527
(link to drive) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148111

*Mobo - DFI SLI-DR eXpert - $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136166

*Memory - Patriot 2x1GB DDR400 - $196.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220011

*Case - Antec Sonata (with Antec's 450w Smart Power 2.0 PSU)- $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155

*Monitor - Samsung 720N (17in LCD) - $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001084

*GFX - XFX 7900GS - $211.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150183
Grand Total = $1048.94 after taxes = $1135.47
~~~~~~~~~~~
When putting this one together I didn't think it would be more then the conroe setup, but hey this is all done on the fly. Its another decent setup, but again I didn't factor in shipping.
And I didn't include a keyboard or mouse because I figured you'd have a set

As you can tell I was bored.

[Richie064]

64mb pc133 Voodoo 2 2000 16mb agp video card ECS motherboard annnnnnd 10gig 5400rpm maxtor HD with WITH! a floppy drive.

[buzntxn]

1000 is entirely too much to spend on something that is literally obsolete when you walk out the door, wtf is wrong with people?!


go to frys and get a motherboard cpu combo, if they dont have one you like, just WAIT for it to come out. This way you wont spend $200 and you got a pretty good chunk of it out the way. dont slack on ram, a nice 1gb stick will let you play games JUST FINE, 2gb is possible overkill (only the super nerds will tell you otherwise), go out and find you a nice looking no name 30 dollar case, might come with a power supply... take it out and replace it with a nice 50-75 dollar power supply, if you go with a 7600, look for the company off pricewatch that is throwing in a nice ass power supply for only 15$ more... (i just ordered this the other day and can link you)...

(i'm rounding WAY up, you also need a operating system)
so thats 200 max on cpu mobo combo
160 for video card with a power supply
75 for a 1gb stick of ram
30 for a case
50 for a hard drive
50 for a dvd burner/cd burner
20 bucks for a freakin 20 inch crt/flat panel monitor, used (from the monitor man, i picked up my 21" triniton from this guy, dude is AWESOME!)c



and right there you got yourself a computer that will plan ANY game on the market, with EASE... for the hard core obsessive, another gb of ram would be fine, but by no means necessary

[Roliath]

[QUOTE=buzntxn]2gb is possible overkill (only the super nerds will tell you otherwise)[/QUOTE]
LOL! Sure thing boss, go play BF2 with Max textures with only 1GB then use 2GB and tell me you don't see/feel a difference.
Your prices are insane, and sure I can get a ton of hard drives real cheap but how good are they? Spec wise? I guess this is something the average person will not notice but hey I guess whatever gets the job done is good enough aye? :confused:
The Core2Duo setup I put together will by no means be "obsolete" right when you build it. C2D JUST came out by about a few months, these things are UNBEATABLE price/performance ratio wise. And they overclock like hell!
Maybe when Kentsfield hits the market you can consider them "old" but they are the best cpu's out today for the general public.

edit=Yes I spend entirely too much on my computer so I guess i look at things alot differently than others..

[buzntxn]

i meant obsolete as in the complete package, yeah the core 2 duo is nice, but its alot cheaper at frys and comes with a motherboard for the price of the processor

sure the motherboard may be ECS, it could also be Asus, you just have to watch the ads, ECS has stepped their game up big time, i dont care what anyone says


hard drive quality is of the same as what you listed, but the one i found has faster seek times...


these online sites are great and everything, but you will save more by looking for combo's, like the video card and power supply, cpu and mobo...

i'd rather have 2 computers that play bf2 than have 1 super computer that plays bf2.... but maybe thats just me

[Roliath]

I got two rigs, one that I drop too much money on and a "budget" SFF rig that i've built over awhile. ECS is okay, but coupled with a Conroe you aren't gonna be getting those high ass overclocks. Trust me when I say this and i've built tons of computers over the years, for the most part Fry's and/or other B&M stores cannot match the "deals" of online competitors. Notice how I said for the MOST part, sure these combo deals come around but you really never know what they will be composed of. ECS customer support is crap, asus is good but they have alot of problems right now with there newly released mobos supporting C2D. To be honest, i will probably be moving to conroe once a suitable mobo comes out for them and I'm waiting on DFI's C55 based board to come out.
You can save alot of money by going with cheaper alternatives but at what cost are you saving this money at? Customer Support? Features? Warranty? I go with what's tried and true (from first hand experiences)...

[Hunt4m3x]

I think the drives should be raptors.

10k rpm baby!

[8mpg]

well heres what I just built for $700ish

Core duo 1.86ghz on ecs mobo $170
1gb PC3200 DDR ram $80
WD 320GB HD $99 (I got another one for sale if you want it)
Case w/ 450w power supply $35
Microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse $35
Acer 19" LCD $200
DVD burner $50
Radeon 9000 256mb vid card (definately lacking for some of the new games) $40

[mutherjuggz]

[QUOTE=8mpg]well heres what I just built for $700ish

Core duo 1.86ghz on ecs mobo $170
1gb PC3200 DDR ram $80
WD 320GB HD $99 (I got another one for sale if you want it)
Case w/ 450w power supply $35
Microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse $35
Acer 19" LCD $200
DVD burner $50
Radeon 9000 256mb vid card (definately lacking for some of the new games) $40[/QUOTE]


throw away the wireless keyboard/mouse .... if you plan on playing any games...
especially if you only paid $35 for it


you PAID for your burner? Mine came in the tower as part of the deal...

I have a 200GB HD
512 ram upgraded to a gig
geforce (Ibelieve?) soundcard
Radeon 9600 SE video card
Razor Copperhead mouse / Eclipse Keyboard (excellent accuracy for the gamer in you)
19" (regular bulky monitor)



Paid a total of about $500 for everything

[Maverick]

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~newc2520/napoleon%20dynamite.jpg

[mutherjuggz]

[QUOTE=Teal93Cobra]http://users.ox.ac.uk/~newc2520/napoleon%20dynamite.jpg[/QUOTE]


STFU NOOB! It's not our fault you're pc challenged :mad: :p

[Hollywood]

Whatever you do, don't go cheap on the hdd and motherboard. As for hdd's, I highly recommend the WD Raptor. It is very choice.

[def1eppard]

[QUOTE=buzntxn]
20 bucks for a freakin 20 inch crt/flat panel monitor, used (from the monitor man, i picked up my 21" triniton from this guy, dude is AWESOME!)[/QUOTE]

What the hell?

[buzntxn]

[QUOTE=def1eppard]What the hell?[/QUOTE]

its some old man that sells monitors out of his truck, he sells whatever he has for 20 bucks each, i picked up 2 used dell triniton 21" flat panels (with the duel inputs :) ), and a regular 20" triniton

he lets you test them on the spot too, to make sure you dont go home with some real bullshit...

[def1eppard]

[QUOTE=buzntxn]its some old man that sells monitors out of his truck, he sells whatever he has for 20 bucks each, i picked up 2 used dell triniton 21" flat panels, and a regular 20" triniton

he lets you test them on the spot too, to make sure you dont go home with some real bullshit...[/QUOTE]

Where is this at?

[buzntxn]

i sent a pm, try not to let everybody and their dog know, eh?

[8mpg]

[QUOTE=mutherjuggz]throw away the wireless keyboard/mouse .... if you plan on playing any games...
especially if you only paid $35 for it


you PAID for your burner? Mine came in the tower as part of the deal...

I have a 200GB HD
512 ram upgraded to a gig
geforce (Ibelieve?) soundcard
Radeon 9600 SE video card
Razor Copperhead mouse / Eclipse Keyboard (excellent accuracy for the gamer in you)
19" (regular bulky monitor)



Paid a total of about $500 for everything[/QUOTE]

my computer is for office work really... but for gaming, Id use an optical wired mouse. Either way. Burner came with a case?? Thats new to me.

[ThreeFingerPete]

There is no way in hell I'm setting a 90lb 20" CRT on my desk, I'm thinking 20" widescreen LCD. :)

Thanks, I've been doing some prodding around and it looks like those Core Duo Conroes are some bad mo'fuggas. Overclocking fools, like the old 3.0c I had.

[Hunt4m3x]

Holy shit!

I want a GeForce Soundcard! They are awesome!

[Roliath]

[QUOTE=Hunt4m3x]Holy shit!

I want a GeForce Soundcard! They are awesome![/QUOTE]
lol! the drivers suck though

[mutherjuggz]

yes mine came with the cd/dvd player / burner


and I've had no problems with the drivers thus far....so the soundcard has been excellent...as well as the video card.... ;)

[buzntxn]

just thought i would add that this dual core stuff is nice and all, but it doesnt help lickity shit for gaming, so if you go with the dual core (especially with the one homeboy pointed out [2x 1.83]), you are taking a BIG HIT if you are just building a rig to game on...


http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/04/05/the_pentium_d/index.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/22/amd_dual-core_games/



just a couple quick articles i thought i'd share, dont let this dual core stuff intimidate you!

*edit* http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=a64x2&page=10

[buzntxn]

well, i found some NEWER charts...

cpu charts on tomshardware.com

looks like the e6xxx processers are on top, and that brings me back to price difference vs performance difference.

i guess above all, wait for a good sale.

[Ferendon]

[QUOTE=Roliath]*CPU - Core 2 Duo e6300 - $182.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005

*Memory - G.Skill 2x1GB PC2 6400 (DDR2 800) - $177.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231073

*Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 - $142.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128012

*Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 250GB - $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148144

*Case - Antec Sonata (with Antec's 450w Smart Power 2.0 PSU)- $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155

*Monitor - Samsung 720N (17in LCD) - $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001084

*GFX - eVGA 7600GT - $132.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130062
Grand Total = $996.93 after taxes = $1080
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's one way you can take it, the way I look at this setup is the video card is lacking compared to the rest BUT enroll in the eVGA Step Up program and when your setup is ready go ahead and upgrade to 7900GTX/7950GX2 and just pay the difference...Also and Shipping wasn't included in this.

Here's another route you can take
*CPU - AMD Athlon FX-55 w/Free 250GB Hard Drive - $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103527
(link to drive) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148111

*Mobo - DFI SLI-DR eXpert - $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136166

*Memory - Patriot 2x1GB DDR400 - $196.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220011

*Case - Antec Sonata (with Antec's 450w Smart Power 2.0 PSU)- $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155

*Monitor - Samsung 720N (17in LCD) - $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001084

*GFX - XFX 7900GS - $211.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150183
Grand Total = $1048.94 after taxes = $1135.47
~~~~~~~~~~~
When putting this one together I didn't think it would be more then the conroe setup, but hey this is all done on the fly. Its another decent setup, but again I didn't factor in shipping.
And I didn't include a keyboard or mouse because I figured you'd have a set

As you can tell I was bored.[/QUOTE]


He nailed it!
I'd probably stick with the E6300 system (the first one)
It's show alot more promise for future upgrade potential, and that mobo is a bad ass with the proper BIOS revisions.

[dmh165638]

Dual core definately can have it's advantages. You can run your game on one core with some background processes or another application on the second. Quite a few people run multiple game clients on one PC using dual core.

As for ECS motherboards, they have stepped up their game considerably lately and are a great entry level board. I would not pair them with a new high end chip like a Core Duo or a AM2. You pay a premium for a new high end chip so why would you pair it with a motherboard that will be a bottleneck. If you look at the weekly Fry's add (today for example) the Core Duo/ECS mobo combo is a great price but you are getting a motherboard with the 965 chipset which is not a great choise for the Core Duo. If you spend the money on a high end CPU why wouldn't you spend a few extra bucks on a motherboard that will let you get full performance out of the expensive CPU you just bought.

[buzntxn]

lets compare buying a new computer to buying a new car....

the newest stuff is going to be the most expensive, its also going to lose value at a greater % than something just a liiiitle older that has already had its value lowered...

this is because the new stuff is new technology, we get that...

sure you MAY get a performance increase, and you sure will enjoy that, but what will you feel like when you see your same setup 3 months down the road for 50% of what you paid?

i'm just going to have to say, some of you have more money than sense, for real.

[ThreeFingerPete]

[QUOTE=buzntxn]sure you MAY get a performance increase, and you sure will enjoy that, but what will you feel like when you see your same setup 3 months down the road for 50% of what you paid?

i'm just going to have to say, some of you have more money than sense, for real.[/QUOTE]

Actually, you're not exactly right. The top processors are generally priced at twice the cost of the 2nd, which is twice the cost of the 3rd fastest, and then they are pretty reasonable after that. The value doesn't generally drop off too much past that, especially on the higher end processors.

[Roliath]

[QUOTE=buzntxn]lets compare buying a new computer to buying a new car....

the newest stuff is going to be the most expensive, its also going to lose value at a greater % than something just a liiiitle older that has already had its value lowered...

this is because the new stuff is new technology, we get that...

sure you MAY get a performance increase, and you sure will enjoy that, but what will you feel like when you see your same setup 3 months down the road for 50% of what you paid?

i'm just going to have to say, some of you have more money than sense, for real.[/QUOTE]
3 Months down the line and its already 50% of its value?
come on now, find me a 7950GX2 for 50% of its original price (if that is what you meant) But what your saying is simply the nature of the business, as is with any technology. But 3 months is not realistic, maybe from intro to a refresh it will lose 40% TOPS, and a refresh happens once every year (or sometimes as fast as 6months).
About your comment of more money then sense, i'll tell you this. When I do go to upgrade a component I know that i will get a good return on my investment to fund my upgrade. If I bought "shit" components i'm gonna get a "shit" return. Simple as that.

[buzntxn]

it was an exaggeration... but i think i got the message across!

maybe it could be called a matter of opinion, but i like to laugh at all the people that spend thousands on their computer, when something 1/4th the cost will do the same thing...


my final thoughts for this thread: if i thought a better computer would help me get more kills in battlefield 2, i'd get it too :D

[dmh165638]

This arguement has been thrown around before and I find it interesting that people choose to bring it up on a website totally based on excess. Just about everyone on this site spends tons of money and time getting every ounce of performance out of their car. Do we really need all that extra performance on street cars (obviously drag cars excluded), hell no but it is sure is fun! Why are computers any different. I enjoy getting as much performance out of my pc as I do out of my car. Call me excessive but I think most people here are just that also.

[franks]

[QUOTE=Hunt4m3x]I think the drives should be raptors.

10k rpm baby![/QUOTE]
are they worth the money?

i have been thinking about getting one.

i just spent almost 3500 on the pc but i didnt buy a hd since i used one i already had. i run sli its great

[evil jose]

What do you think of this system for $1000?

Gaming System (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1539656&CatId=114)

Specifications

Operating Systems Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Edition 64-bit

Platform Learn More PC

Form Factor Tower

Processor Brand Intel®

Processor Class Pentium® D

Processor Number 945

Processor Speed 3.40GHz

Additional Technologies Dual-Core Technology
Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology

Memory Type DDR2

Total Memory 1.0GB

Interface SATA II

Capacity 250GB

Optical Drive Type DVD±RW Dual Layer

Audio Description Integrated Audio

Graphics Description PCI-Express Video Card

Video Memory 512MB Memory

Communications Description Integrated LAN Support

Data Transfer Rate 10Mbps
100Mbps
1000Mbps

Power 450 Watt

Mouse Type Optical

Buttons 3

Keyboard Type Standard

[Roliath]

[QUOTE=evil jose]What do you think of this system for $1000?

Gaming System (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1539656&CatId=114)

Specifications

Operating Systems Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Edition 64-bit

Platform Learn More PC

Form Factor Tower

Processor Brand Intel®

Processor Class Pentium® D

Processor Number 945

Processor Speed 3.40GHz

Additional Technologies Dual-Core Technology
Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology

Memory Type DDR2

Total Memory 1.0GB

Interface SATA II

Capacity 250GB

Optical Drive Type DVD±RW Dual Layer

Audio Description Integrated Audio

Graphics Description PCI-Express Video Card

Video Memory 512MB Memory

Communications Description Integrated LAN Support

Data Transfer Rate 10Mbps
100Mbps
1000Mbps

Power 450 Watt

Mouse Type Optical

Buttons 3

Keyboard Type Standard[/QUOTE]


Its decent, but if I were you seriously try to get a different processor. Intel's Dual Core CPU's were absolute crap in gaming (compared to what AMD had at the time) and they just got there act together with the Conroe.
And the 7300GS leaves alot to be desired when it comes to gaming

[kangol]

[QUOTE=Roliath]Its decent, but if I were you seriously try to get a different processor. Intel's Dual Core CPU's were absolute crap in gaming (compared to what AMD had at the time) and they just got there act together with the Conroe.
And the 7300GS leaves alot to be desired when it comes to gaming[/QUOTE]

That's true.

Plus I would never get that one just because of the simple fact that it is from Tiger Direct.