4300$ BUILD...NEED ADVICE

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The last list looks pretty reasonable to me. The PC is really about $2100 since a lot of the money is for peripheral audiovisual stuff. For $2100, though, I'd probably try to get a QX9650 by shifting things around a bit, but that's just personal preference and individual usage.

Also, you can probably save some money, in the end, by purchasing quality components on sale and messing with mail-in rebates.
 
I don't see why anyone would spend $530.00 on an Extreme Quad when you can spend $199.00 for the Q6600 and get almost the same performance.
Thats $300.00 you could upgrade to a larger monitor or something else.
 
Now that you're getting the price more reasonable, I'll add an upgrade you might want to consider for a high-end build. Think about getting a blue ray drive. It seems like you have the money, and therfore I'm assuming you have a nice big 1080p tv that you could hook this beast up to.
 
Id recommend 2x 8800 GTS, they are a bit faster, but more importantly their cooling is a lot better and quieter.
Regarding the case, Id say get a Thermaltake MatrixVx w/ Windowkit. The case is just ~8 lbs and offers a lot of space.
CPU; a Q9450 at just half the price does the job just as well.
And for the PSU Ive heard that Corsair's CMPSU-650TX is pretty good.
 
i just finished building my pc as well but it didnt cost me as much.
E8500
4x1gig 8500 dominator DDR2
maximus formula SE watercooled edition
8800GTS 512
750watt toughpower cable management
3TB hdds samsung (just finished upgrading them)
koolance exos-2 watercooling unit
thermaltake armor case
G15 keyboard and G5 mouse

cost me about 2200 bucks.
there are somethings you can remove to make your build cheaper but keep the performance unharmed.

1- change the vidcards to 8800GTS...faster than GT and consume less power and run cooler.

2- why would you take such and expensive soundcard and speakers...you could save at least 100bucks and get cheaper ones with the same quality.

3- you said in the beginning you wanted to OC your cpu to 4.75 but you're forgetting something...not every cpu can be OC'ed that far...hell i couldnt get mine beyond 4.5ghz no matter what i do, even with watercooling (FSB wall). So take a CPU like E8400 as its much cheaper than Q9550 and performes exactly the same with gaming, games so far run only on 2 cores, but when they support quadros then you can upgrade.
 
This reminds me of a thread a couple months ago that got locked after about 5 pages of telling the 17 year old kid he's wasting daddy's money (edit: it didn't get locked, and ended up at 9 pages).

Edit: Found it!
Everything they said to the OP in this post also applies to you (unless you're intending this as a content creation machine and will be making money while using it - not gaming)
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=31&post=246557&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0
 
I was thinking of overclocking the e8500 to 4.75ghz with a fsb of 2000. Also have the ram going at 1000mhz. When the new 45nm 1600fsb quads will be affordable, then and only then will I buy a quad. I am trying to keep this build for at least 4 years. Only thing I see changing would be going to a quad when the prices are ok and eventually getting better graphics cards. The GT's I chose come to within 5% of the GTX for half the price. Other than that I seem to have everything and won't need to upgrade for a hell of a long time. The computer I am on right now is 5 years old. I am aiming to do the same with this new one.
Click to expand...
Probably no such luck upgrading this after next year. Intel will be switching to Nehalm so you will need DDR3, new motherboard and CPU.
 
holy **** i even have a better pc + monitor - water cooling for 3k (including monitor)

**** man concentrate on your hardware not the bloody looks. go for 24" monitor as well. Get 2x 8800gts 512mb cards, asus striker extreme, 4gb corsair dominator ram, intel QX9650, 800-1000watt psu, coolermaster stacker 830 evo (not same crazy ass lian li expensive ****), 2x 500gb wd hard drives (you could always throw in another 2x 150gb raptors as well) then all you need is the water cooling, and that should run you about 3500
 
My advice is to keep an eye on future developments. I realise that waiting until the next best piece of kit rears its probably disappointing head is a dangerous trap (mostly from personal experience - my pc is 3 years old and I've been trying without success to upgrade it for over 12 months). However, I think it's usually safe to assume that no amount of money will buy a machine that can remain at the competitive edge over a period exceeding the 12-18 months range.

My very rough guesses would be:

1) Have money to spend and want a top-notch pc? Spend about £1k-1.5k (probably $1500-2250 in terms of tech purchasing power) every year.

2) On a budget and want a decent pc? Spend about half that every 18-24 months.

3) Have a lot of money to spend? Spend as much as possible as often as possible...

Based on my understanding and in relation to gaming pc only, there are two things that can probably wait until next year: DDR3 and a powerful quad-core. If you're happy to upgrade again in 12 months, get a E8400 (mild OC), 1 or 2 8800GTS, 4GB or 8GB (Vista64 - might as well, DDR2 is extremely cheap at the moment) 800MHz RAM, no need for a 780i as far as I can tell.



 
The system Chookman configured is a really nice system. I'm posting his proposed system from that other thread:

SUS P5N32-E SLI $205
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131073

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 $280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017

Antec Nine Hundred $135
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021

OCZ Titanium XTC 4GB(2 x 2GB) $196
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227270

2 x XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800GT $270 x 2 = $540
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150252

AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6829156005

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad $180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703009

SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X $34
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151153

2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB RAID-0 setup $125 x 2 = $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148288

Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835109140

Scythe SY1225SL12SH 120mm Case Fan $9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185060

2 x Thermaltake Du Orb $43 x 2 = $86
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835106112

Dell 30" $1399
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna [...] u=222-7175

Total $3579
 
I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel like this is the same person who posted a $4000 build and asked for help. The replies seem the same on both the OP and helper's sides.

Is anybody else having deja vu?
 
CASE : ANTEC P180 BLACK--- 120$

COOLING: SCYTHE 120MM X 1--- 10$
COOLING: THERMALRIGHT ULTRA 120 EXTREME--- 55$
COOLING: THERMAL COMPOUND ARCTIC SILVER 5--- 5$

POWER SUPPLY: THERMALTAKE TOUGHPOWER 850W--- 200$
MOTHERBOARD: EVGA 780I--- 250$
PROCESSOR : Core 2 Quad Q6600--- 250$
MEMORY: OCZ Platinum PC2-8000 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000mhz--- 120$
GRAPHICS CARDS SLI: EVGA 8800GT SSC EDITION 512M X 2 CARDS--- 550$
HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB--- 100$
SOUND CARD: SOUNDBLASTER X-FI XT-GAMER--- 90$
TV TUNER: HAUPPAUGE 1800 + REMOTE--- 115$
DVD BURNER: LG 20x--- 30$
FAX/MODEM: 56K INT A-OPEN FM56-PX V92--- 25$

MONITOR: SAMSUNG 2253BW 22" 3000:1 2MS -- 315$
KEYBOARD: LOGITECH G15--- 60$
MOUSE: LOGITECH G5--- 40$
PRINTER: EPSON ALL IN ONE CX4450--- 60$
WEBCAM: Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000--- 60$
ROUTER: D-LINK DIR-604--- 30$
HEADSET & MIC: ZALMAN 5.1 HEADSET + MIC--- 50$
SPEAKERS: LOGITECH X-230 --- 50$


GRAND TOTAL: 2585$ BEFORE TAXES

Thank you everyone for the help. It has allowed to me cut WAY down on the price. It is easy to get carried away wanting all the "best" stuff. I am still going for the gt's because they are single slot. On benchmarks they are 5-10% away from a gtx so no biggie. As for the fax/modem, I need it for the fax option for my job. Thanks everyone. :)
 
Good job cutting down the price. Might want to see if you can find a Q9350 or Q9450 instead of the Q6600. Might as well throw a 360 controller on their as well.
 
CASE : ANTEC P180 BLACK--- 120$

COOLING: SCYTHE 120MM X 1--- 10$
COOLING: THERMALRIGHT ULTRA 120 EXTREME--- 55$
COOLING: THERMAL COMPOUND ARCTIC SILVER 5--- 5$

POWER SUPPLY: THERMALTAKE TOUGHPOWER 850W--- 200$
MOTHERBOARD: EVGA 780I--- 250$
PROCESSOR : Core 2 Quad Q6600--- 250$
MEMORY: OCZ Platinum PC2-8000 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000mhz--- 120$
GRAPHICS CARDS SLI: EVGA 8800GT SSC EDITION 512M X 2 CARDS--- 550$
HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB--- 100$
SOUND CARD: SOUNDBLASTER X-FI XT-GAMER--- 90$
TV TUNER: HAUPPAUGE 1800 + REMOTE--- 115$
DVD BURNER: LG 20x--- 30$
FAX/MODEM: 56K INT A-OPEN FM56-PX V92--- 25$

MONITOR: SAMSUNG 2253BW 22" 3000:1 2MS -- 315$
KEYBOARD: LOGITECH G15--- 60$
MOUSE: LOGITECH G5--- 40$
PRINTER: EPSON ALL IN ONE CX4450--- 60$
WEBCAM: Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000--- 60$
ROUTER: D-LINK DIR-604--- 30$
HEADSET & MIC: ZALMAN 5.1 HEADSET + MIC--- 50$
SPEAKERS: LOGITECH X-230 --- 50$


GRAND TOTAL: 2585$ BEFORE TAXES

Thank you everyone for the help. It has allowed to me cut WAY down on the price. It is easy to get carried away wanting all the "best" stuff. I am still going for the gt's because they are single slot. On benchmarks they are 5-10% away from a gtx so no biggie. As for the fax/modem, I need it for the fax option for my job. Thanks everyone. :)
Click to expand...
Nice :) make sure you update your original post.
 
that is waste of money. why spend that much on a pc?
i would spend about 2500$ if im building a new rig. if you really want to spend that much, then for now buy it for 2500 and keep upgrading it.
you will need to get high end psu, that you will keep. also with the mobo, cpu. i would sli 8800gtx,s
 
Ok I thought about saying this a couple days ago but had to jump to something else. Its I nice build you'll enjoy it and have fun with the actual build. performance vs cost isn't everything (even though I sometimes want to think it is). Don't listen to people who are telling you are spending to much money. If you jumped up to over 6000 I might go there lol but come on now. A lowsy skull trail water coolled with 3 water cooled ultras and idk about that memory stuff they got with it. plus 3 raptors and idk a few terabyte drives blue ray burner. What good is a computer hd dvr if you don't have any space for it. 1 terabyte is a little over a 100 hours at good quality (I'm not going to got there) Its easy to go all out (when money isn't an option at all) even without the skull stuff.

If i can ever get my liquid air compressor idea to work who knows whats going to be going down. A proc constantly cooled on liquid air oh yeah.

Yes the turnover is fast but if my 1500 dollar computer isn't good enough today what am I to do? and don't say wait cause I hate that.

So yeah have fun man wish I could put sucker together.
 
CASE : ANTEC P180 BLACK--- 120$

COOLING: SCYTHE 120MM X 1--- 10$
COOLING: THERMALRIGHT ULTRA 120 EXTREME--- 55$
COOLING: THERMAL COMPOUND ARCTIC SILVER 5--- 5$

POWER SUPPLY: THERMALTAKE TOUGHPOWER 850W--- 200$
MOTHERBOARD: EVGA 780I--- 250$
PROCESSOR : Core 2 Quad Q9300--- 300$
MEMORY: OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 SLI-Ready Edition 4GB 2X2GB--- 90$
GRAPHICS CARDS SLI: EVGA 8800GT SSC EDITION 512M X 2 CARDS--- 550$
HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB--- 100$
SOUND CARD: SOUNDBLASTER X-FI XT-GAMER--- 90$
TV TUNER: HAUPPAUGE 1800 + REMOTE--- 115$
DVD BURNER: LG 20x--- 30$
FAX/MODEM: 56K INT A-OPEN FM56-PX V92--- 25$

MONITOR: SAMSUNG 2253BW 22" 3000:1 2MS -- 315$
KEYBOARD: LOGITECH G15--- 60$
MOUSE: LOGITECH G5--- 40$
PRINTER: EPSON ALL IN ONE CX4450--- 60$
WEBCAM: Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000--- 60$
ROUTER: D-LINK DIR-604--- 30$
HEADSET & MIC: ZALMAN 5.1 HEADSET + MIC--- 50$
SPEAKERS: LOGITECH X-230 --- 50$


GRAND TOTAL: 2595$ BEFORE TAXES

FINAL EDIT I BELIEVE :)
 
I can't help but say: OMFG 56MODEM?!?!?
This is what nightmares are made of.
But inyhoo, if you don't have access to broadband, dial-up is the way to go I suppose.

IMO:
WD 70GBS AAKS x2 (Raid0) would not be a bad investment as it would make your computer's overall speed (load times) seem much better and make all your friends jealous.
Also if I were you, I would get either a single 9600gt, or HD3870. You always get more bang for buck with a single card. Plus with the money you save, you can buy a new midrange card every year. 2x8800GT's are likely to be comparable to 1 midrange in 2 generations from now. At the pace VGA's are evolving, it's really not worth your money to get high end stuff as it will be obsoleted in less than year. (By today's standards, 8800gt/HD3870 is pretty much midrange although it wasn't the case 40 days ago)
 
Once again, the modem is for the fax option that I need. :)
As for the cards, I want to play the games at high resolution. 2 highly overclocked GT's is equal to 2 GTX's. I wanted to build so that I wont have to upgrade anytime soon. Within the next 4 years I plan to buy another 4gb of ram to max out at 8gb and eventually swap out the gt's for something more powerful. Like in 2 years from now. That's it. I want this computer to last me as long as the one I am currently on. I have had my 478 socket prescott 3.0 ghz since it came out 4 years ago and my motherboard was bought 5 years ago, asus p4p800 se. I am still able to play recent games but at low resolutions and low details. But still, you can keep a computer for at least 4 to 5 years without major upgrades if you start off with the right choices. My mistake was going for expensive parts while I could choose mid range parts that work just as well but as it stands, I do believe this computer will last me a long time. Thanks again everyone.
 
^ :lol: My Prescott is better! :kaola:

272070.png

http://valid.x86-secret.com/show_oc.php?id=272070
 
Yikes, what a $$$ build... if you're serious, and not just day dreaming and wasting everyone's time here with fantasy builds..

Why are you upgrading what seems like EVERYTHING in your house? Is your router no longer good? Keyboard? Mouse? I've had a machine for several years myself, and along the way got a new mouse, keyboard, a router... so when it came time to upgrade, I didn't need to buy everything.

Either you're rich, or you're pulling our chain. :) I'd take trim the rig down to $1,000-1,500 (still be able to play everything out there), then use the rest to play with stocks... LOL
 
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