Building a new computer

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clenchedfist

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Jun 5, 2007
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The motherboard of my five-year-old desktop that has had countless problems finally gave out on me and it's time for a new computer. I am not totally sure if I want a new desktop or a laptop, but I am fairly sure for now I just want another desktop. I am not as much of a gamer as I used to be, although that could be because my computer simply could not run newer games. I'd like to go the moderate range way, around $900 CAD, no more than $1000 for sure, that can run newer games without needing to look amazingly pretty. I have been out of the loop for several years but I pieced this system together, it should kind of give you an idea of what I am looking for. I have an older Turbo Gamer case but I'm pretty sure the power supply was the source of some of my problems so I will replace it.

- Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.13GHZ 1066FSB 2MB Retail *IR-$20* -- $229.66

- Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 ATX LGA775 Conroe P965 DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 GBLAN Audio Motherboard -- $149.50

- Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory -- $154.99

- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive -- $95

- EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900GS KO 500MHZ 256MB 256BIT 1.38GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card -- $182.40

- SonyNEC Optiarc AD-7170A-01 18X Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive (Beige), Bulk -- $44.79

- FSP Fortron SAGA AX450-PN 450W ATX12V 2.0 20/24PIN Power Supply W/ 120MM Fan P4 AMD Ready Retail -- $64.99

Like I said, I am fairly out of the hardware loop and I pieced this together in about five minutes at work. I am open to suggestions although any upgrades shouldn't cost much more unless I can cut costs elsewhere. Thanks for the help!
 
The motherboard of my five-year-old desktop that has had countless problems finally gave out on me and it's time for a new computer. I am not totally sure if I want a new desktop or a laptop, but I am fairly sure for now I just want another desktop. I am not as much of a gamer as I used to be, although that could be because my computer simply could not run newer games. I'd like to go the moderate range way, around $900 CAD, no more than $1000 for sure, that can run newer games without needing to look amazingly pretty. I have been out of the loop for several years but I pieced this system together, it should kind of give you an idea of what I am looking for. I have an older Turbo Gamer case but I'm pretty sure the power supply was the source of some of my problems so I will replace it.

- Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.13GHZ 1066FSB 2MB Retail *IR-$20* -- $229.66

- Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 ATX LGA775 Conroe P965 DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 GBLAN Audio Motherboard -- $149.50

- Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory -- $154.99

- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive -- $95

- EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900GS KO 500MHZ 256MB 256BIT 1.38GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card -- $182.40

- SonyNEC Optiarc AD-7170A-01 18X Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive (Beige), Bulk -- $44.79

- FSP Fortron SAGA AX450-PN 450W ATX12V 2.0 20/24PIN Power Supply W/ 120MM Fan P4 AMD Ready Retail -- $64.99

Like I said, I am fairly out of the hardware loop and I pieced this together in about five minutes at work. I am open to suggestions although any upgrades shouldn't cost much more unless I can cut costs elsewhere. Thanks for the help!
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Well balanced, except for the cpu. Either get the E6420, or if you want to save some more money get the E4300 and overclock it @ 2.4 Ghz, easily and with stock volts and cooler.
 
That sounds like a better option for me as I don't want to pour too much money into a new computer. I have never had any experience with overclocking though, is it fairly easy or is there a good chance I could mess something up? If it's fairly easy that's probably the route I will take.
 
That sounds like a better option for me as I don't want to pour too much money into a new computer. I have never had any experience with overclocking though, is it fairly easy or is there a good chance I could mess something up? If it's fairly easy that's probably the route I will take.
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Overclocking will be fairly easy with the help you'll get on the forumz. Check out Wusy's guide:

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/Core2Duo-Overclocking-Guide-v1-ftopict197995.html

It will be easier if you don't want to push your CPU to the max and just want to get a modest overclock (like 2.4GHz) to get you better price/performance.
 
That's about exactly what I'd want. Would this system be able to handle a game like Oblivion? I've been doing a fair amount of reading and I know it's a hefty one but I don't really care if the game is amazingly pretty. I'd like it to run well with decent graphics. Anyone have any changes or suggestions? Thanks again!
 
You will not find the cpu, even a stock E4300, to be the bottleneck for today's games. It will be rather the video card. If you can, get the E4300 and an ATI 1950 Pro or a Nvidia 7950GT. If you cannot pay for the video card, no worries, a 7900GS is not bad, just a little slower. My 8600Gt is on par with it and i can play anything at high res.

Overclocking a E4300 up to 2.4Ghz is a breeze, you just have to change one setting in bios, namely the FSB speed, from 200 to 266Mhz and you are set!

Anyway, this is the absolute guide for overclocking the Gigabyte 965 Dxx mobos:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1169366
 
Damn, those cards add quite a bit to the cost. After I see where I will be ordering my parts from and the shipping costs, etc. plus any rebates I will put them into consideration, although since I won't be hardcore into the gaming I am not totally sure they are worth it. Thanks for all the help!
 
Yeah that PC will be able to "handle" Oblivion. But you won't be able to run at high resolutions at max settings. Oblivion is a torture test for pretty much any PC.

It sounds like you don't really care about eye candy too much though, so it should run Oblivion just fine for what you want. You should be able to get perfectly playable rates at 1280x1024 if you compromise on the quality settings a bit.
 
Yeah, I'm more worried about smooth gameplay than I am AA and running the game at some insanely high resolution. That's not to say I want to play a horrible looking game, but the majority of my gaming is old SNES stuff so anything is a step up from that. :lol:
 
Yeah, I'm more worried about smooth gameplay than I am AA and running the game at some insanely high resolution. That's not to say I want to play a horrible looking game, but the majority of my gaming is old SNES stuff so anything is a step up from that. :lol:
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Go on my friend, order what you can afford. Life is more than AA in Oblivion, anyway 😀
You will not regret having a new, fast and solid pc for the money...
 
Yeah, I'm more worried about smooth gameplay than I am AA and running the game at some insanely high resolution. That's not to say I want to play a horrible looking game, but the majority of my gaming is old SNES stuff so anything is a step up from that. :lol:
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Go on my friend, order what you can afford. Life is more than AA in Oblivion, anyway 😀
You will not regret having a new, fast and solid pc for the money...
Blacky is right on. Based on what you are describing as your expectations, the build you are planning on getting is going to blow you away. 😀
 
I definitely know this system will blow me away. My last PC was an Athlon XP 2100+, TI 4200 64MB, 512 DDR and I eventually had to remove a stick to help with the constant restarts, lockups and crashes.

Just for the heck of it, if I could toss in another $200, would I be able to do anything drastic to this system to even further its performance? Would the graphics card upgrade be the way to go or is there something more worthwhile? I do have the money, it's just a matter of if spending it is worthwhile. Now I know why I wanted to go with a laptop...building a desktop has too many options and it's too fun. :lol:
 
I definitely know this system will blow me away. My last PC was an Athlon XP 2100+, TI 4200 64MB, 512 DDR and I eventually had to remove a stick to help with the constant restarts, lockups and crashes.

Just for the heck of it, if I could toss in another $200, would I be able to do anything drastic to this system to even further its performance? Would the graphics card upgrade be the way to go or is there something more worthwhile? I do have the money, it's just a matter of if spending it is worthwhile. Now I know why I wanted to go with a laptop...building a desktop has too many options and it's too fun. :lol:
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get yourself a better video card from ebay and another 512mb memory.
depending on the power supply in the PC, you can get yourself a Radeon 9800 pro 128MB (the 256bit version) for what 50 bux on ebay now.
and another 512mb memory is probably another 20-30 bux on ebay.

and u still got 130bux left over to use on beer :)
 
I definitely know this system will blow me away. My last PC was an Athlon XP 2100+, TI 4200 64MB, 512 DDR and I eventually had to remove a stick to help with the constant restarts, lockups and crashes.

Just for the heck of it, if I could toss in another $200, would I be able to do anything drastic to this system to even further its performance? Would the graphics card upgrade be the way to go or is there something more worthwhile? I do have the money, it's just a matter of if spending it is worthwhile. Now I know why I wanted to go with a laptop...building a desktop has too many options and it's too fun. :lol:
Click to expand...

get yourself a better video card from ebay and another 512mb memory.
depending on the power supply in the PC, you can get yourself a Radeon 9800 pro 128MB (the 256bit version) for what 50 bux on ebay now.
and another 512mb memory is probably another 20-30 bux on ebay.

and u still got 130bux left over to use on beer :)
 
Alright, I'm home now and I think I am going to go with the 6420. I also saw that OCZ RAM with the same specs aside from slightly higher CL values is somewhat cheaper; would I be better to get this or go with the Corsair? Lastly, I still can't really decide on the video card. The ATI 1950 Pro is about $50 cheaper than the Nvidia 7950GT but I would prefer to stick with an Nvidia card since I am used to them. However, I have absolutely no clue how great the difference is between these cards and the 7900GS and if it warrants the extra $150-200 more. I'd like to order this ASAP (tonight or tomorrow, being on my parents' computer sucks) so all help is greatly appreciated!

Edit: I read THG's review on video cards and the ATI cards seem to edge out the Nvidia's of the same price. However, I don't get the difference between this card--Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro 575MHZ PCI-E 256MB 1.38GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I TV-OUT Lite Retail Video Card--which is $195 CAD and this card--ATI Radeon X1950 Pro / 256MB GDDR3 / PCI Express / Dual DVI / HDTV / CrossFire Ready / Video Card--which is $290. Please help. :cry:
 
Alright, I'm home now and I think I am going to go with the 6420. I also saw that OCZ RAM with the same specs aside from slightly higher CL values is somewhat cheaper; would I be better to get this or go with the Corsair? Lastly, I still can't really decide on the video card. The ATI 1950 Pro is about $50 cheaper than the Nvidia 7950GT but I would prefer to stick with an Nvidia card since I am used to them. However, I have absolutely no clue how great the difference is between these cards and the 7900GS and if it warrants the extra $150-200 more. I'd like to order this ASAP (tonight or tomorrow, being on my parents' computer sucks) so all help is greatly appreciated!

Edit: I read THG's review on video cards and the ATI cards seem to edge out the Nvidia's of the same price. However, I don't get the difference between this card--Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro 575MHZ PCI-E 256MB 1.38GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I TV-OUT Lite Retail Video Card--which is $195 CAD and this card--ATI Radeon X1950 Pro / 256MB GDDR3 / PCI Express / Dual DVI / HDTV / CrossFire Ready / Video Card--which is $290. Please help. :cry:
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The difference is big just for HDTV output that the first lacks. Go with the Sapphire and you won't regret it.
For RAM: Check out the voltages of both memories and get the one with 1.8V. Otherwise, get the cheapest.
CPU: For your budget an E6420 is an overkill, but a valid choice if you have the cash. I would go for the E4300 though...
 
The only reason I'm thinking of the E6420 is I read an article that says the 4MB cache can give a fairly large performance increase in certain instances and since I probably won't be upgrading again for a while that it is the better choice. I'm not sure how true that is but since I won't be upgrading for a while, maybe it's a better option? As for the RAM, the Corsair is 2.1V and the OCZ is 2.0V. I'll be honest and say I have no clue what effect this has. :lol:
 
The only reason I'm thinking of the E6420 is I read an article that says the 4MB cache can give a fairly large performance increase in certain instances and since I probably won't be upgrading again for a while that it is the better choice. I'm not sure how true that is but since I won't be upgrading for a while, maybe it's a better option? As for the RAM, the Corsair is 2.1V and the OCZ is 2.0V. I'll be honest and say I have no clue what effect this has. :lol:
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4Mb of cache gives you a 3-5% better performance with video encoding/decoding, Autocad, Photoshop and the like. Again, if you feel that you need the E6420 get it, it is not a bad choice. For your budget, i would go for the E4300, but that is only me.

The memory you have selected is factory overclocked. At 2.0V and 2.1V they should have better latencies and/or higher frequency. If you can find 800Mhz memory @ 1.8V you should buy that. Otherwise, get the cheaper 667 memory that works at 1.8V. If you give it 2.1 volts you will be able to overclock it @800 Mhz as well. But get the 667 ram anyway if you can find it really cheaper (for say $100-110). If you overclock your FSB more than 333 Mhz (setting that corresponds to 667 memory) then you will need better cooler for it anyway...

Ask again if there is something you don't understand. If you are on a budget it is a pity to spend money for things you are never going to use and it always pays to search more.
 
I found this RAM but I don't know how good of a brand Patriot is as I've never heard of them. Good deal? Also, thanks a lot! You have been extremely helpful!
 
I found this RAM but I don't know how good of a brand Patriot is as I've never heard of them. Good deal? Also, thanks a lot! You have been extremely helpful!
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Patriot is a good manufacturer and the specific ram is excellent. It lacks the heat spreaders of other, fancier brands but it stays cool because of the 1.8V it uses. From other forum threads, it also overclocks very well, but that is of lesser importance to you. At this price, it is a bargain!!!

Edit: You don't need to thank me, it's always fun to help 😀
 
Alright so this now makes my rig as follows:
- Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
- Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3
- Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2
- Patriot Signature Line 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800
- LG GSA-H62N SATA DVD+RW
- FSP Fortron SAGA AX450-PN 450W

This all comes to a total of $742.62 CAD, coming in well under my budget. After doing more reading on Oblivion (like I said, I have been so out of the loop), I do want to make sure I can run it smoothly albeit without a lot of the goodies. Should this have me covered? If not I'd be willing to throw in maybe $100 more, and if it'll do the trick then I'm just about ready to order. 😀
 
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