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The $1500 Rig

Post Date: 2008-07-02
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Guests View Drop Down
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: The $1500 Rig
    Posted: 02 Jul 2008 at 2:50pm
Chassis: Antec 900
Power Supply: 550W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.00GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (6MB Cache)
Motherboard: NVIDIA 650i Core 2 Quad (Chipset: nForce 650i Ultra)
System Memory: 4GB DDR2 OCZ at 800MHz
Hard Drive 1: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Optical Drive 1: DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 16x / CD Reader 40x)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT 512MB
Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes)
Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Modifications: LCD Temperature Display & Fan Controller
Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Includes Service Pack 2)
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
 
I picked the lowest video card because I know it will at least run game like Half-Life 2 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. no problem. I plan to put a better card in later (Most likely a BFG Geforce 8800GT overclocked - it has very nice cooling) and possibly go SLI even later. I'm hoping the 550W will be enough. If not, it won't kill me to upgrade.
 
And my thought was that the dual-core E8400 would get me about as much speed as a Q6600, or more, and it's cheaper.
 
Any suggestions/criticism?Wink
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 Jul 2008 at 3:02pm

Ok. Well, I hope prices come down enough that I'll be able to do that within my price range by next spring.
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widdlecat View Drop Down
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Joined: 11 Mar 2008
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Posts: 840 		  Quote widdlecat Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 Jul 2008 at 3:12pm
Personally, I think you should save up on a better card straight out. You will find that most games today will play on your card, but at lower resolution and lower settings. So, while you might be able to play the games, it won't necessarily look pretty. The look does make for better gameplay thru immersion IMO. I play mostly RTS games, so it's not always so bad, but Assassin's Creed could use a better card than my 8600GT where I sometimes feel letdown with lowered framerates. In the end, I wish I'd started out with a better graphics card.

As for SLI, it's not the best way to "plan" for upgrades. It adds complexity and added potential for "issues". If you have a large monitor, then SLI can help in performance, however.

Edited by widdlecat - 02 Jul 2008 at 3:13pm
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 Jul 2008 at 3:17pm
Well, I'm not overly concerned about the video card. I've installed them before, and it's never really been much trouble at all. My current PC plays most of what I want at 1280 x 1024 on high settings just fine, and it has an 8500GT in it, with a 2.2 single core. Thing is, after spending 1500 bucks, I'm going to have to save up before I can afford a better card.
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 Jul 2008 at 4:08pm
If there's a Digital Storm employee reading, I'd like to hear from you, too. :)
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skyR View Drop Down
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Joined: 08 Oct 2007
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 Jul 2008 at 4:13pm
I would personally go with this for a $1500 build: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=163446

The E8400 isn't a budget processor, it's the top of the line duo core so it doesn't exactly fit a $1500 build.

Keep in mind that the 650i motherboard does not have native support for the E8000 series.

I wouldn't suggest the 8500GT simply because it doesn't have a power connector. So you might run into power issues because the PSU or mobo is having trouble providing it through the PCI-E slot.

I'm sure I missed something in this thread since I'm doing 5 things at once >.< so bring up any concerns or questions you may have.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 Jul 2008 at 5:34pm
I would change some things about that configuration... and when I played around with it, I think maybe my rig might be more in the 1600-1700 range.

Edited by Atmogon - 02 Jul 2008 at 5:37pm
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cronedog View Drop Down
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Joined: 09 Dec 2007
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Posts: 62 		  Quote cronedog Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 Jul 2008 at 11:09pm
I'd point out that if you saved money on 2GB of ram and put that into a video card outright you gain the following advantage.

That 2GB of ram isn't wasted.  You dont want a $41 dollar card as a paper weight later on do you?

I'd suggest
Chassis: Antec 900
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Power Supply: 650W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.66GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (6MB Cache)
Motherboard: CLEARANCE PRICED: NVIDIA 680i LT SLI Core 2 Quad (Chipset: nForce 680i SLI)
System Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz Dominator DHX (High-Performance)
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)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: CLEARANCE PRICED: NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT 512MB
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 WindTunnel (Copper Heatpipe Heatsink & Additional Case Fans)
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Modifications: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor
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
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: Microsoft Multimedia Desktop 2.0 (Multimedia Keyboard + Optical Wheel Mouse)
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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