4300$ BUILD...NEED ADVICE

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Fixed :lol: 😉
 


1. I am damn serious about my build. I need a good computer for many different tasks. Gaming is one of them. If you actually took time to read the posts, I bought the computer I have now over 4 years ago. The only things I bought after that were new video cards. Everything on my computer is over 4 years old. My mouse is not even optical!! LOL So accusing me of fantasy builds and losing people's time is way off and uncalled for.

2. You do your upgrade how you want. If you want to buy over a period of time go ahead. I on the other hand have not spent a cent on my computer for the last 4 years or so. Now it is time for a new computer. When you buy a new car, do you buy it piece by piece or all at the same time. Also mentioning that I am upgrading everything in my house is over exaggerating the situation to make the other person look silly. Once again your tactics are uncalled for. I have asked for help politely, followed some advice, and thanked everyone.

3. I am not rich and I am not poor. You have to be rich to buy a 3000$ computer? are you kidding me? I do not have a car because it pollutes and costs way to much. I live in a city with a great bus service. I am not married because I do not believe in marriage. I do not have kids because I have decided to be a responsible human being and not add any more people to this already overcrowded planet. I live in an apartment where the rent is great. You take all these things together and yes I have alot of money to spend for myself, but I am not rich. As for pulling people's legs, where you get that from I do not know. I just know that you do not seem to think things through before posting. You accuse me of wasting people's time and yet you take the time to post and yet you bring nothing to the conversation.

4. As for investing in the stock market, are you crazy???!!! The next big crash is right around the corner. The mother of all crashes that will consolidate economic power for the international banks. All the money I can invest is in gold. The only thing that has remained constant for thousands of years. 2000 years ago, one gold coin would buy a roman soldier a very good pair of shoes, a very good belt and very good clothes. Today one gold coin, would buy you the exact same thing. Can you say the same for money?

5. In closing, before posting, ask yourself, am I actually going to help and add to the discussion. TY
 
I like that you changed the case, but you might as well go for the 182, or even the 190 and save yourself the cash of a PSU (it comes with two PSUs included).
Lian Lis look really good, but I feel that they are form over function. The Antec Performance One class of cases are really nice, much cheaper than the Lian Lis, and while they don't have the industrial aluminium look of the Lian Lis, they are minimalistic, but I like the P182 much more than the P180.
If they'd release the P190 without the 1200W of power supplies, I'd go for that. But the differences are small, but the P182 has a nicer finish.
I don't like X-Fi gamer too much and I think that the 226CW is worth the extra pennies, but those are personal.
 
Well Moon, guess we're just different! I think $4300 is/was way too much to pay for a PC ($3000 is better obviously). I've seen post like this before on this board and other boards, and usually they're people who don't really end up buying anything. If this isn't the case, I apologize! :)

I've also just never known many PC people who don't upgrade their machines for 5 years. But if you don't believe in marriages, or cars, or kids, or incremental PC upgrades - then that's cool.

I still think a good idea is to build a PC for around $1500 that will can play and do pretty much anything else now, and next year.. then 2 years from now, get a better video card, upgrade the CPU, to keep up with technology and keep your PC running good and not slowing down... etc.. But that's my opinion though.

Oh, the stock market isn't crashing into the mother of all crashes either. Stocks have survived recession after recession, and that's what we're in now, a recission, not the mother of all crashes. And you can make crazy money now if you buy stocks that go down real low that you know will come back up at least a little. For example, I bought Bear Stearns when it completely tanked a few days ago, and I watched the stocks bottom out, then they start to rise a little.. so I bought in, held on for a while, then immediately sold and made $700. Could've made more, but I bought in too late. 🙁 Anyway, this is for a another forum, another thread.. LOL

Good luck with the build. Just adding another opinion.
 
Moon; Good Job Trimming down your build costs, BUT, something you probably will have realized by now:

a computer won't stay at the top for very long, let alone 4 years. My last build was in 03, and I just last month built a system (08) technically i went almost 5 full years without a "new" machine, but, I upgraded Ram once, and I upgraded my videocard once. By mid 07, i was really suffering, because new features (Pixel Shader 3.0/4.0; HDR anyone?) come out on new hardware, games support those new features, and an aging setup simply won't let those games look the best anymore. This is the primary reason we're all going " OMGWTFBBQ UR CRAZY #@^" when we saw "$4300 build advice pls" a carefully planned $1500 system will still do quite well over 3years later, with minor upgrades (usually a Video Card Swap is all that's needed)

It's great you're asking for advice, and I understand your stance on the neysayers. Now, If you REALLY want to spend $4300 on a Build that will pwn for a Long time, Get the list below, and make sure you OC it.


Pioneer Blu-Ray Reader and 12X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model BDC-2202B - Retail
$174.99

COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
-$10.00 Instant
$199.99
$189.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$139.99

SAMSUNG 245BW Black 24" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height Adjustment - Retail
-$30.00 Instant
$50.00 Mail-in Rebate
$499.99
$469.99

2x
EVGA 512-P3-N845-AR GeForce 8800GTS 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$599.98
($299.99 each)

Creative 70SB046A00003 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty Champion Series Sound Card - Retail
$50.00 Mail-in Rebate
$179.99

SeaSonic M12 SS-700HM ATX12V / EPS12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
-$30.00 Instant
$209.99
$179.99

Logitech 920-000325 Black USB Wired Ergonomics Wave Keyboard - Retail
-$7.00 Instant
$49.99
$42.99

RAZER Diamondback 3G Flame Red 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB 3G infrared Gaming Mouse - Retail
-$10.00 Instant
$49.99
$39.99

SUPER TALENT INT-AIN1-C All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader - Retail
$7.99

SENNHEISER HD 280PRO 3.5mm Connector Circumaural PROFESSIONAL Headphone
-$100.00 Instant
$199.99
$99.99

Patriot Viper 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PVS34G1600LLK - Retail
-$25.00 Instant
$569.99
$544.99

EVGA 132-CK-NF79-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI DDR3 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$349.99

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Yorkfield 3.0GHz LGA 775 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569QX9650 - Retail
$1,059.99

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
-$10.00 Instant
$189.99
$179.99

Scythe SCASM-1000 120mm Sleeve Andy Samurai Master CPU Cooler - Retail
-$15.00 Instant
$49.99
$34.99
Subtotal: $4,295.83


Obviously, Swapping in a Wolfdale E8400, getting a cheaper case, not running SLI, and getting a DDR2 setup instead will cut this in half easily. this is just a "I have a $4300 wad burning a hole in my pocket and I want a system that a passer-by will look and it and go DAYUM!"
 

Nice build. If I had that sum of money to build a computer I would configure very similarly (with a few parts swapped, like XigmaTek HDT-S1263, etc).
 
CASE : ANTEC P180 BLACK--- 120$

COOLING: SCYTHE 120MM X 1--- 10$
COOLING: THERMALRIGHT ULTRA 120 EXTREME--- 50$
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 AKIMBO SC 512M X 2 CARDS--- 500$
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: 2540$ BEFORE TAXES

FINAL EDIT I BELIEVE :)

BTW CHECK OUT THE EVGA 8800GT AKIMBO SC 512MB...IT BEATS AN 8800GTX AND IT COSTS 250$...IN SLI THEY WILL BE AWESOME I BELIEVE.
 
I like the build, and the process you've gone through on your updates.

One last item you may want to think about, change the HD to the 640GB WD. It's $130 at newegg, and indications point to a very good improvement on the performance on other top end drives out there.

Be careful with the P180. Your power supply needs long cables to take advantage of the cooling benefits. Also, if your power supply is long ( > 6.5 inches), you will have issues fitting into the lower chamber with the fan. I just (as in last night) put together my build with a P182 (essentially the same as the P180) and a PC P&C Silencer 750W X-Fire, and had to remove the lower fan to fit. I might be able to force it back in, but it would be a very tight fit. Also, the primary power for the motherboard barely reached when using the track behind the mother board.
 
Do you even need all those peripherals? And you could save a bit getting standard keyboard and mouse, but if you like them, why not? That is a lot more sensible that what you started with. Do you need the modem and do you need such a good tuner? Just places to save an extra hundred or two overall. It seems a really nice build now, good luck!
 
A couple notes, some of these are being repeated, so simply consider it another vote:

CASE: You can often get the P182 for cheaper than the P180 now. The P180s are out of manufacture, while the P182s are popular and the target for lots of rebates. I got mine for $70 after MIR.

COOLING: The Scythe is a much better choice than the SilenX and that other crap fan you originally had. The Slipstreams have higher CFM, but the S-FLEX's have the better static pressure you'll want for the TRUE.

COOLING: Arctic Silver is no longer the one and only answer. Tuniq TX-2 and Arctic Cooling MX-2 have been shown to be just as good or better and don't have the capacitance problem that AS5 does. They're usually within a buck or two of each other, though I doubt you're in a position to complain about adding a buck to the cost.

POWER SUPPLY: As others said, its a bit hefty for the work you're giving it. For $200, you can pick up an Enermax Mod82/Pro82 625 and have a cooler and more efficient PSU. (It's also quieter, but that doesn't matter. You've got a noisy build).

PROCESSOR: I was going to suggest the Q9300 instead of the Q9550, though the Q9450 is also popular and only about $40 more (as opposed to the $200 difference between Q9300 and Q9550).

HARD DRIVE: As others pointed out, the WD 640GB hard drive is just a little more expensive than the 500GB version, but its quieter (though you don't care about that), cooler, and (most importantly) much faster. It exceeds the Raptors in transfer speed.

SOUND CARD: Creative has crappy support on Vista (Which I'm assuming you're using) and have horrible community relations right now. You can get better OS support and equal or better quality with an Auzentech, M-Audio, or even the $90 Asus card right now. Creative is not the shiny pinnacle of sound cards that it once was.

The trickiest one:

GRAPHICS CARDS: 2 x 8800GTs in SLI.

I know what you're trying to do here. I build my computers to last 6 years, but I only use them for games (and coding) for the first three (the last three are as a linux devel/server). My experience over the last 9 years is that you simply cannot build a computer that will have "good" performance in high-performance games for more than 2 to 3 years. By the end of that third year, you're going to be struggling at "acceptable" to "disappointing" performance.

My advice: Skip the SLI. Buy an 8800GTS-G92 now and bank the extra cash for two years and pick up another excellent card then. You'll have a much better experience. The bad news is that dropping the SLI requirement would make me suggest that you drop the 780I board in favor of a P35 and drop your power supply to a nice 500W PSU.

That said, the rest looks fine. Even you last list is pretty good. Much better than your first attempt, and I'm very familiar with your goal.
 
CASE : ANTEC P182 BLACK--- 120$

MONITOR: SAMSUNG 2253BW 22" 3000:1 2MS -- 300$

KEYBOARD: LOGITECH G15--- 60$

MOUSE: LOGITECH G5--- 30$

HEADSET & MIC: ZALMAN 5.1 HEADSET + MIC--- 50$

POWER SUPPLY: THERMALTAKE TOUGHPOWER 850W--- 200$

MOTHERBOARD: EVGA 780I--- 250$

PROCESSOR : CORE 2 QUAD Q9450--- 350$

MEMORY: OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 SLI-READY EDITION 4GB 2X2GB--- 90$

GRAPHICS CARDS: EVGA 8800GT AKIMBO SC 512M X 2 CARDS--- 480$

HARD DRIVE: WD CAVIAR SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB--- 90$

SOUND CARD: SOUNDBLASTER X-FI XT-GAMER--- 90$

DVD BURNER: LG 18X--- 30$

COOLING: SCYTHE S-FLEX 120MM FAN X 1--- 10$

COOLING: THERMALRIGHT ULTRA 120 EXTREME--- 55$

COOLING: THERMAL COMPOUND ARCTIC SILVER 5--- 5$


GRAND TOTAL: 2210$ BEFORE TAXES

Decided to cut off some fat. I will be ordering my new rig in a week or so. I think this is final. :)
 
One last round of tips:

You're still heavy on the PSU, but I'm guessing you know that. A PC Power & Cooling or even Corsair might suit you better. Any of them will work. $200 is a bit high, but its not a bad choice.

CPU: Intel Q9450.

This can be had for $300 + shipping if you order soon from Microcenter. I picked mine up from a nearby store last night. I think it's a pretty good deal. I don't expect the standard price to drop that low for months.

MEMORY: PC2-6400

If you move quick, you can get G.SKILL PC2-8000 for the same price, but it can hit DDR2-800 at 4-4-4-10 @ 2.0V.

HARD DRIVE: WD SE16 500GB

The 640GB is only a little bit more expensive but has much better performance due to higher areal density. It's about equal to a Raptor, but with slightly higher seek times. If you're willing to SLI the GT cards for performance, it's probably worth the $20 to get the SE16 640GB drive.
 
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