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Post by Declan Tribal on Oct 4, 2007 21:01:00 GMT
Pretty much what it says on the label. =P
So, uh... after owning this (amazingly suckmatic) machine for a good four years, it's time I got myself a new PC. Rather than purchase a pre-built system, I've decided to scrape together some money and build it from scratch.
Here's a full list of components that I'm aiming to buy (strikethrough means that component has already been bought):
Core components
Motherboard: XFX Nvidia nForce 680i SLI CPU: 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Memory: 2 x 1GB DDR2 PC2-6400 RAM
Graphics: XFX Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music
Hard disks: 2 x Hitachi 500GB SATA 7,200 RPM w/ 16MB cache
Case: Vento 7700 Black/Blue Gaming Case Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
PSU: Win Power ATX-750 750W PSU
Additional drives: 1 x Pioneer Blu Ray drive, 1 x DVD/CD R+ writer, 1 x floppy drive
Cabling (All obtained)
Cable tags
Velcro re-useable table ties
Cable tie bases
Spiral wrap
Rounded EIDE cables
Tools (All obtained)
Magnetic Phillips screwdriver
Pliers
Sharp scissors (just as good as wire cutters)
Anti-static wrist strap
So, at the moment, I'm looking at a budget of £1,000 - £1,500 at the most. Obviously I can't purchase all of this at once, hence why I've been buying specific parts now and again, gradually building my collection until I've got everything.
I'm also looking into buying optional equipment, such as a new desk and chair (my current desk isn't big enough to support the new case, and it is very big), new monitor and possibly a copy of Windows Vista.
So, any suggestions? Places that sell reasonably cheap components? Anyone?
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Post by lonesoviet on Oct 5, 2007 3:43:21 GMT
Damn thats like 2500 USD. For that price, id suggest Core2 Quad, if compatiable with that motherboard. Go big or go home.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2007 8:58:30 GMT
WHEN WILL MY FATHER GET THAT NEW COMPUTER? grr ahem, please excuse my randomness. Sounds t3h coolio Dec!
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Post by LancerZero on Oct 10, 2007 17:51:15 GMT
Newegg.com has always done well for me. I am jealous, Dec . . . my now-old (about two years old) homebuilt gets the job done, but I wouldn't mind an upgrade. =P
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Post by Declan Tribal on Oct 19, 2007 20:18:43 GMT
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Post by Allen on Oct 20, 2007 15:14:56 GMT
Don't get blueray man, it's going the way of the BetaMax. HD DVD is the way of the future!
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Post by lonesoviet on Oct 21, 2007 17:31:23 GMT
lazurdysk
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Post by raven on Oct 25, 2007 15:50:58 GMT
wow that blows my temp pc to BITS!!! it is only a pent 2 350 mhz 256 meg of ram an OLDschool isa network card and oddy the only halfway decient thing in it is the agp nvida gforce fx 5200 vid card lol
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Post by Declan Tribal on Nov 7, 2007 15:07:26 GMT
Today, I've got all my drives wired in and just installed my graphics card after struggling a bit (it is insanely huge, only just slightly small enough to fit my case by inserting it diagonally). Unfortunately, I've hit a road block - the graphics card requires two PCI-e power connectors directly attached to the PSU in order to work properly, and mine only comes with one. I've got a way around it, though - I'm looking into purchasing either a "bare bones" PSU unit such as an Enermax Infiniti, or an SLi PSU such as this baby here.
ETA: Got the new PSU, but now my case is a total mess. Gonna see if I can do something about that without having to take everything out again.
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Post by daimaoumyutsuu on Nov 21, 2007 6:27:26 GMT
I'm sorry I discovered your investment too late, and sorry in advance if I sound too critical of your decisions:
What exactly is the video card? I see 8800, a high card, but if you rolled out for the highest card ($500+), you were better off with 2 medium cards ($250~) since u got the SLI. The highest end card is really only for a powerful CRT that offers much higher resolution, which you didn't upgrade.
I can only wonder why you invested in the Blu Ray now, since that would be what jacks up your costs without contributing anything to performance. Unless it burns Blu-Ray, there's nothing but movies to play on your PC, since PC games simply stack DVDs to install on your computer, not run off of like in a video game console. If it does burn Blu-Ray, then it calls into question the twin 500 GB HD, since you would have removable storage instead (although the cost of the Blu-Ray far outweighs the costs of hard drives).
Sound isn't important unless you have all the speakers to accomodate it. Unless I'm mistaken, the motherboard has on-board sound, and on-board sound is sufficient for 2 cheap speakers. The power supply is overkill at 750 watts, since even that setup only consumes below 600 watts. The extra watts is a cheap way to buffer fluctuations in energy that would otherwise damage your system, but costly in your electric bill. Money is better spent on stability, since it lowers the electrical load the PC demands.
What is the operating system? Only Vista will readily use Direct X10 (infact, it's nearly proprietary to Vista), which is the format that isn't compatible with Direct X9.
I'm planning a computer that would be more powerful to play the latest games, yet barebones enough to cost below $1600. I'm only waiting for price drops and a new motherboard to facilitate SLI, 1333 bus, and DDR3. I'm fine with a HD between 80 and 200 GB, since the only thing that could possibly fill all of that is porn which I burn to DVD anyway. Basically, I kept everything to only concern it running a high-end game AND upgradeability. Even though I want the E8650 chip, the motherboard I want would allow both it and the QX8650 and even the 8-core chip due next year. 3 years down the line, I wouldn't have to replace everything but the chip to get a boost.
I really think you could have have a better deal, since $2500 goes a LONG way in designing a high-end machine. Many of your parts aren't based on 2008 and later technology, so I'm shocked that you paid so much already. Even if you have the money to burn, I feel that a better deal could've netted you something truly cutting edge.
Can you show the costs of the parts? It's hard to tell what sunk your money without the intense specifications.
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Post by Declan Tribal on Nov 30, 2007 15:06:14 GMT
After much trying and testing different RAM setups, fixing fans to objects, swearing and stealing tools, I've finally completed my computer. I've decided to omit the sound card for the time being, and I broke my CoolerMaster CPU fan, forcing me to use the Pentium one instead.
Did a stress test on the machine. So far, peak temperatures soar at 53 degrees Celsius overall for the CPU, whilst the board's MCP clocks in at around 48. In other words, the temperature and overall airflow's fine, in spite of the amount of loose wiring still inside the case.
Later, when I've got time, I'll get around to installing my old copy of Windows XP, then start to move everything over to the new comp.
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