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$2600 build?

Post Date: 2008-08-23
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rai-zero View Drop Down
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Posts: 98 		  Quote rai-zero Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: $2600 build?
    Posted: 23 Aug 2008 at 6:32pm
Hi-all

I am on the fence so any help. thanks

I have an old computer it's on it's last leg. I have a possibility to get an all new system $2600 for everything (except the monitor which I will get on the side). If you would give me a good system build for that range. Want 2 hard drives but other than that whatever you think as long as it's $2600-ish.

Will be playing FPS and real-time strategy as well as RPGs as well as ripping DVDs.

Edited by rai-zero - 24 Aug 2008 at 12:45am
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TomD View Drop Down
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Posts: 289 		  Quote TomD Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Aug 2008 at 10:43am
Here is a system for $2,591 as an option.
 
The configuration is similar to what Harleyman gave you with some tweaks to bring the costs in line and give you some better upgrade options down the line:
 
1) Antec 900 case is nice and saved you some cash.
2) 1000W Power Supply gives you more headroom for later upgrades
3) A single 280GTX Videocard will perform close to 2X9800GTX but you have the later option to add another 280GTX if you really wanna crank up the performance.
4) I sacrificed the 2nd Drive. This would be the first extra money I would spend, but I couldn't find a better sacrifice to get you under 2,600.
5) I went with RAM that is less expensive. Performance won't be much effected, just a very small hit. The RAM Harleyman recommended would be a solid upgrade if you can stretch for some more cash.
6) A single DVD seems to work fine for me. I upgraded to the lightscribe version because the burned on labels are nice.
 
BUILD 177538
Chassis: Antec 900
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache)
Motherboard: NVIDIA 780i Core 2 Quad (Chipset: nForce 780i SLI)
System Memory: 4GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2
Card Reader: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 320GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Wireless Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 1GB
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 WindTunnel (Copper Heatpipe Heatsink & Additional Case Fans)
Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Modifications: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts)
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TomD View Drop Down
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Posts: 289 		  Quote TomD Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Aug 2008 at 10:52am
I re-read your post and saw you specifically requested a 2nd Drive.
 
Here is an alternate config to get you 2 drives and keep you under $2,600. The price is 2,599
 
Changes:
1) Changed the CPU to an E8500 Dual Core at 3.16. Most games don't take advantage of all 4 cores of a quad core, so you will actually see better performance due to the higher clockspeed on most current games.
2) Added the additional drive.
 
 
BUILD 177540
Chassis: Antec 900
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (6MB Cache)
Motherboard: NVIDIA 780i Core 2 Quad (Chipset: nForce 780i SLI)
System Memory: 4GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2
Card Reader: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 160GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive 2: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Wireless Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 1GB
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 WindTunnel (Copper Heatpipe Heatsink & Additional Case Fans)
Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Modifications: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse
External Storage: - No Thanks
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
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TomD View Drop Down
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Posts: 289 		  Quote TomD Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Aug 2008 at 11:16am
Harleyman,
 
I agree with all your selections (except the Videocards - but that is just my personal preference to avoid SLI). I was just trying to keep it under $2,600.
 
The 850i case, Quad Core, and faster memory are all excellent improvements over my build suggestions.
 
 
 
 
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Posts: 289 		  Quote TomD Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Aug 2008 at 12:43pm
I have nothing against SLI. SLI seems to have had all the bugs worked out and works great for people.
 
Stricly personal preference to keep things simple.
 
 
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rai-zero View Drop Down
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Posts: 98 		  Quote rai-zero Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Aug 2008 at 3:17pm
thanks for taking the time, this is very helpful. 


Edited by rai-zero - 24 Aug 2008 at 3:18pm
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Aug 2008 at 7:38pm
What size monitor will you be using, and does your budget include any peripherals or not?
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rai-zero View Drop Down
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Posts: 98 		  Quote rai-zero Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Aug 2008 at 9:53pm
Originally posted by Tyler Lowe

What size monitor will you be using, and does your budget include any peripherals or not?
24"
 
What do you mean peripherals?  Like mouse etc. I can get that on the side.
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Aug 2008 at 10:37pm
Just checking to make sure that budget did not need to cover expenses such as keyboard, mouse and monitor before offering build advice. The reason I asked monitor size was to establish how much GPU power you would need. Smile
 
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rai-zero View Drop Down
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Posts: 98 		  Quote rai-zero Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Aug 2008 at 9:14am

Tyler, thanks

 
would it be possible or advisable to go with the cheaper case Antec 900 (save $155) and use that money to liquid cool frostbite the CPU (+$170)?
 
I was thinking the liquid cool would be more quite and shoud be colder as well. 
 
 
Also, what about spending for the Nvidia GTX 280 which is only $103 more than the dual cards you advised?  I can save that on getting a 500GB 2nd drive instead of 750GB.
 
Lastly, would it pay to get some faster RAM ?  I can get 1066mhz ram for $68 more. 
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rai-zero View Drop Down
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Posts: 98 		  Quote rai-zero Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Aug 2008 at 9:24am
Tyler,
 
here is a build modified from what you gave me with cheaper case but frostbite and with the Nvidia GTX 280 instead.
 
 
I don't know anything about motherboards, would having the different video card effect which MB to get?
 
thanks
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Aug 2008 at 11:09am
Originally posted by rai-zero

would it be possible or advisable to go with the cheaper case Antec 900 (save $155) and use that money to liquid cool frostbite the CPU (+$170)?
 
That's not a bad idea. You would get better overclocking result by going to the liquid cooled CPU. The reason I went with stage 3 cooling, was to stay within budget. I do prefer the  850 to the 900, but the 900 is a very good case and should serve you well.
 
Originally posted by rai-zero

I was thinking the liquid cool would be more quite and shoud be colder as well.
 
The noise level won't change much since the graphics card fan(s) will be louder than your CPU HSF.
 
 
Originally posted by rai-zero

Also, what about spending for the Nvidia GTX 280 which is only $103 more than the dual cards you advised?  I can save that on getting a 500GB 2nd drive instead of 750GB.
 
Either setup will work, but I prefer the dual 9800GTX+ for a 24" screen over a single GTX280. Dual SLI support has come a *long* way since the days of the 7 series Nvidia cards. Since your selected power supply cannot handle a second GTX280, I would just go with the SLI setup. I am well aware of the limitations of SLI, but a pair of 9800GTX+ will outperform single GTX280 at 1920x1200 in the majority of situations. Example
 
Originally posted by rai-zero

Lastly, would it pay to get some faster RAM ?  I can get 1066mhz ram for $68 more.
 
If you want the very best OC results for your CPU, this is where I would put some additional money rather than the GTX280. When combined with the liquid cooling of your CPU, you should see some very nice overclocking indeed.
 
 


Edited by Tyler Lowe - 25 Aug 2008 at 11:09am
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