My $2000 Final Summer Build

deusex

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2006
1,025
0
19,280
Hi denizens of Toms! I haven't been here in a very long time...thanks to school, school, and, oh yes, school..

I'm currently in the process of finalizing a new bottoms-up build this week, since I'm giving my old build to relatives. The budget is under $2000, but I think I can do very well for considerably less than that. I've been planning this build for some while, as I've already purchased some parts, mostly ones that were very good deals.

I will be using this build mainly for gaming, intense graphical FPS games/RPGs/RTSs (Crysis, UT3, COD4, Gears of War, World in Conflict, Age of Conan, Company of Heroes) plus some programming/web design on the side (C++, Java, Dreamweaver, MatLab), listening to music (soundtrack, trailer music, classical, light rock), and the odd movie or two.

My budget is under $2000, but it seems like I can spend considerably less to get a very good setup. (it's my own money, after all).
I'll be dual-booting XP and Vista, and maybe Ubuntu...

One more thing, I've haven't been in the loop for a while, and only just got back to reading/looking at the hardware industry/news...so if something I say seems odd, it's probably me...so speak up!

Already Bought
Case
Antec P182

Monitor
Samsung 20” 204BW Widescreen 6ms

Power-supply
Corsair HX620W PSU

Sound Card
Creative X-Fi ExtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro Series

Speakers
Logitech Z-5300e 5.1 Surround System



CPU
My current choice: Intel Q9450
I want to spend: $200-300
How sure am I about it: Well, I'm debating between that and the Q6600, the thing is, this is pretty much a temporary solution until Nehalem, which won't be released to consumers for 8-10 months...

CPU Cooler
My Current choice: Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme
I want to spend: $40-50
How sure am I about it: It's a little expensive, but likely worth it, since I will OC whichever CPU I get to 3.4-3.6GHz...How's the Ultima 90? Last time I checked, that was right behind the 120, for less and smaller size. Also, would the Thermalrights be compatible for Nehalem?

Video card
My current choice: ATI Saphire/HIS Radeon HD4870
I want to spend: $300-400
How sure am I about it: From the benchmarks, pretty sure…I'm a Nvidia guy, but this time, it would be wiser to go with ATI...I also really don't want to do SLI/CF, because of the added heat and complications, including the fact that I would have to get a nForce or CF board, which I heard will completely clash with my Creative X-Fi...
How's the 4870X2 going to be priced? I can also delay the purchase of the GPU and use my 7900GT for a few weeks, but I'd rather not...


Motherboard
My Current choice: Suggestions for Intel Mobo?
I want to spend: $200-250
How sure am I about it: Still undecided exactly which one, since I was out of the loop for a while....X38/X48? I prefer Asus/Gigabyte. Also a temporary 8-10 month mobo while waiting for Nehalem...

RAM
My Current choice: One of the Corsair Dominator DDR2 2GB or 4GB
I want to spend: ~$50-100
How sure am I about it: I'm open..prefer corsair...well, since I'm dual-booting XP and Vista...I should get 4GB...maybe 2X2GB?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145197

Hard Drive
My Current choice: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATAII 500 GB
I want to spend: ~$80
How sure am I about it: Very sure.
This is a pretty fast drive and I can always get more storage later if I need it...

DVD-Drive
My Current choice: Sony NEC Optiarc DDU1615/B2s
I want to spend: ~$20
How sure am I about it: Very sure.

DVD Burner
My Current choice: Samsung WriteMaster SH-S203N
I want to spend: ~$30
How sure am I about it: Very sure.


Critiques Welcome!
DeusEx
 

thepowerofdonuts

Distinguished
Jul 9, 2008
192
0
18,680
Actually Nehalem should be released by October.
The Xigmatek S1283 is half the price of the Ultra Extreme and performs almost exactly the same. It's a clone of it. Make sure you get the mounting bracket though, so you don't have to use push pins.
For the vid card, you should probably go with two 4850's if that's your budget. With your $2000 budget I don't see why you wouldn't wait for the 4870X2.
The Gigabyte X48-DS4 motherboard is great at that price.
The Corsiar RAM is decently priced after rebate. You might want to wait 'til this is in stock though: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731
You can easily overclock that to 1066 if you need to, but you probably won't, depending on how far you overclock your processor.
Actually, you should consider this burner instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173
And this hard drive is better a better performer and has better value:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
 

aznguy0028

Distinguished
Dec 14, 2007
887
0
18,990
in my opinion. if you're going to just build a pit stop computer and are really bent on getting nehalem.

CPU: go with the Q6600 and save yourself some money for your new nehalem build. OC it a bit and you're set until then, and in my opinion, probably still good after nehalem comes out and the prices settle.

Cooler: get a Xigmatek S1283, its 26$ on newegg and it's up there as one of the best air cooler. get the bolt-through kit with it too, cuz no one likes push pins locking mechanisms.

Mobo: if your're gonna go the Q6600 route, there is no need for a X48 board, a X38 will run you just fine with no probs.

Ram: definitely get 2x2gb, its alot easier to work with in situations such as OC-ing and timings.


btw, AWESOME selection for your speakers. i got the Z-5300 also. really good sound quality and the bass is crazy, even on the lowest settings, it still makes my walls rattle :D i also use them for parties, top class speakers.
 

deusex

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2006
1,025
0
19,280
Nehalem consumer is out October??

I'll definitely switch the cooler, sounds good.

What's good about that burner?

I got my Z-5300e for $75, so a good deal...
And the HX620 for $80...it's modular too.

The Gigabyte X48 DS4...$224...if Nehalem is really out in Oct, then maybe I should go cheaper....?

2 4850s sound good....I was just wondering if there were any technical issues? (drivers...)
 

aznguy0028

Distinguished
Dec 14, 2007
887
0
18,990


i definitely agree. the Z-5500 rocks... but i got my Z-5300 for 100$, 4 years ago. when it was like 350+ at the stores so i think that is a great deal :) and it's still great to this day.
 

jevon

Distinguished
Jun 6, 2004
416
0
18,790
The problem with doing this as a pit-stop for Nehalem is that you're going to need to get an X58 motherboard along with the processor, AND DDR3 memory as well I believe... So that's basically a brand new build vs a pit-stop!

So, here are your options as I see them:

Pit-Stop Build:
E8400 or 2160, depending on how much you like to overclock:)
Cheapest P45 motherboard you can find, like the Gigabyte EP45-DS3L. Stick a 4870 or 4870x2 in there and wait it out (with 4gb of DDR2-800).
Then in the fall, you can buy the X58, DDR3 (prices will be down hopefully), and Nehalem of your choice...

OR you can get the E8400 or Q9450 now and run with it for a year or two while the get the bugs out of Nehalem and X58 and beyond, and DDR3 settles down..

Again, you can actually go with a P45 motherboard if you really have no intention of going Crossfire. They have a single PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot for even a 4870x2, you just don't get a second slot to Crossfire two cards at.

If you want to keep the door open to Crossfire, you can get an X48 board like the Gigabyte DS4 or ASUS P5E for just over $200. Though again, would only get this over P45 if you want to keep the door open for Crossfire down the road.

Western Digital 640gb Hard Drive. Check out some reviews, it's a great performer and is on sale up here in Canada usually for around $70-80.

Xigmatek or OCZ Vendetta 2 heatsink WITH a backplate as mentioned.

Good luck!
 

huron

Distinguished
Jun 4, 2007
2,420
0
19,860
If you aren't going to crossfire or SLI, then why get the X38/X48? Why not just get the P35 or P45 - they make some great boards for pretty cheap.
 
G

Guest

Guest
a highly OCed core 2 duo/ quad will ride the nehalem storm to westmere at least... maybe past sandy bridge b/c I heard sandy bridge isn't really "all that"
 

deusex

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2006
1,025
0
19,280
hmmm...interesting stuff....


So, which way, which way.......Q6600+good board, or e2160+cheap board......


Also, two 4850 in CF~$300 or one 4870...~$250
How's performance compared? And also, anyone have trouble with CF 4850? Bad performance in some game?....technical problems?


Does anyone have any solid info when Nehalem releases?


FYI I think the HX620 might actually be better than the 650...in terms of quality....
 

LAAkuma

Distinguished
Dec 9, 2007
52
0
18,630
I do not understand this love affair with the Q6600. For game rigs, the undisputed price champions, and performance champions are the 8400 and 8500 without a shadow of a doubt, Wolfdale. They run cooler, clock higher, and clock for clock are faster. its no contest.

If your budget is really $2000, then you have to have AT LEAST 2 4870 HD's in it, with at least an X38/X48 MB, which I would recommend a P5E Deluxe from Asus, which overclocks like a champion.

That board eliminates the sound card, because its got the Republic of Gamers sound board addition that comes with it, its good enough.

$2000? You better have AT LEAST a 24" Widescreen. Even a 22" Widescreen is in gaming rigs with 4870's for under $1400 bucks out the door!

Get a 750W Power supply, that runs about $129 from Coolermaster.

2 4870's $600
24" Widescreen $400
DDR 1066 4Gigs ram $165
500GB Sata 2 HDD $65
P5E Deluxe $229
E8400 $180
DVD burner/48x cdr $30
Floppy $5
Case fans $10
CPU cooler, high end $50 max.
Windows $100

Dude thats only $1834 + tax, which comes to $1976 or so.

And it absolutely destroys what you had listed. No contest.

Say hello to at least 3.8 GHZ with GTX 280+ Performance.

LAAkuma
 

jevon

Distinguished
Jun 6, 2004
416
0
18,790
Except he's already got the 20" LCD and Power Supply as per his first post.

If you want to go Quad, I'd go with the 45nm CPU's over the older 65nm (Q6600). The Q9300 I believe is 7% faster than the Q6600 on average at the same clock speeds. I'd probably go with the Q9450 if you want to go Quad; better performance, more cache, less energy/heat. OC it to 3.2Ghz with DDR2-800. Otherwise, I'd get an E8400 and OC it to 3.6 with DDR2-800.

I'd get at least one 4870, should handle your resolution very well. If you decide to get an X48 motherboard, you can even add a second one during a big sale later in the year. Otherwise you can save yourself some $ by just getting a P45 board.

Either way though, I definitely can't say I'd build right now with the intention of switching to Nehalem within a year.. It's just too big a jump, either wait it out or build a rig to last 2-3 years and make the switch then once prices and bugs have settled down.
 

deusex

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2006
1,025
0
19,280
First of all, I already BOUGHT the parts that i listed Already Bought, so there is no point in arguing that....

I got all the parts 8-10 months ago for good deals

Antec P182 $80
Samsung 20” 204BW Widescreen 6ms $180
Corsair HX620W PSU $90
Creative X-Fi ExtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro Series $80
Logitech Z-5300e 5.1 Surround System $75

That's around ~$500. ~540- with tax, so I still have ~$1400 left.

And the CoolerMaster 750w is probably not as good quality as HX620, which you can run SLI 8800GTX comfortably...
And the best of all: we could extract up to 746 W from it. So you will be basically paying for a 620 W product and bringing home a 740 W power supply. from hardwaresecrets review..

I won't spend too much on GPU, since that is the most often uprades in a rig, 2 4850 or one 4870 will cut it....I don't do THAT much gaming...the point is, which setup is faster?

I already have the Sound card, so the "republic" onboard will be useless..

22" = same res as 20"....24" is too big for my personal computer viewing.

Yeah, I might as well order good parts now, and wait until Nehalem/X58 prices and bugs have dropped....anyone have any real info when they'll actually come out with consumer versions?


And your list...

DDR 1066 4Gigs ram $165 .....why this expensive?
Floppy $5 ........lol
Case fans $10 ......I'll use the 3 tricools in the p182
CPU cooler, high end $50 max. ......I'll use the Xigmatek ($26)
Windows $100 ..........I already have both XP and Vista ready
 

tonyluu

Distinguished
Jul 29, 2008
25
0
18,530
ok.. here are my recommendations..
really get a new monitor.. 6ms is sad.. for 20"

CPU: Q9450
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042

CPU Cooler: Xigmatek HDT-S1823 w/bracket & AS5, replace the xigmatek fan with a scythe ultra kaze will have you running the cpu like watercooling.. seriously
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185054

VGA: 2 ASUS EAH4870 (9% faster than the rest on stock)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121258

VGA Cooler: 2 Thermaltake DuOrb - very easy to install and best vga air cooler on the market, will fit this card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106112

Motherboard: Asus Rampage Formula
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131284

if this is too pricy get the Gigabyte X48 DS4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128336

PSU: Corsair TX 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

RAM: G. Skill Pi 2x2GB DDR2 1066 5-5-5-15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231184

you will need a new case..
so get the Antec 900 for a mid tower.. if you want a full tower i'd get the coolermaster cosmos s only if you can afford it :p antec 900 will do great

Antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Coolermaster Cosmos S
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119150

i also recommend a new monitor.. if i were you i'd this one..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236033

w/o monitor your cost will be.. ~1700 USD
with it.. ~2200 USD

THIS IS A MUST however.. get the ultra kaze fans to replace the stock 120mm case fans.. these are the best fans on the market.. and you won't regret it

5 in the antec 900 (including the replacement fan for the xigmatek)
and 5 in the thermaltake armor+ mx also

i'd go ahead and sell your already bought parts
so you can get all of these components.. highly recommended
 

deusex

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2006
1,025
0
19,280
First of all, why are you recommending Antec 900 when I already have the P182?? (The P182 is actually slightly better than the 900)


I'll keep the 20" for a while, give it to my dad, and get a new 24" maybe in 6 months.....6 ms isn't THAT bad...unless you're gaming Crysis on fastest!


I'm keeping the HX620...it's a high quality PSU (AND THE p182)

I have a Scythe S-FLEX for the Cooler.
 

deusex

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2006
1,025
0
19,280
Oh yeah...I might sell my friend my 204bw sometime next week.....think I should get a 22" or 24"? (Going to run 1X4870 or 2X4850)....1920X1200...hmmmm
 

deusex

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2006
1,025
0
19,280
Oh yeah...I heard that Asus had a few mobos that booted off linux for email/music/web.....like a little starter no frills app?
 

tonyluu

Distinguished
Jul 29, 2008
25
0
18,530
the one i recommened is from corsair.. all of corsair is high quality
but since you will only run 1 4870 or 2 4850 620 will be all you need
and the scythe ultra kaze will assrape your s-flex...
 
My recommendations for your budget (~$1200 with out monitor):

Motherboards

ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA X48($290) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131284

or

X48-DQ6($285) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128331

CPU

If doing Video editing,etc Q9450 ($330) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042
Gaming: E8400 ($170) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

RAM

G.Skill DDR2 800 2*2GB ($80): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

Be careful with DDR2 1066 RAM. Those RAM seems to have compatibility issues.


HSF

XIGMATEK S1283 (+ bolt in kit) $37 (with out MIR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003&Tpk=XIGMATEK%2bS1283
Bolt in kit ($7): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019

HDD

WD 640GB ($90) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

PSU Don't SKIMP on the PSU! I assume you will CrossFire later.

PP&C 750 ($150 before MIR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

or

Corsair 750 TX ($120 before MIR) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=Corsair%2b750TX

GPU

ATI 4850 ($175 before MIR) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747

Case
Antec 900 ($120 before MIR) :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

DVD RW, LCD, card reader, etc are up to you.

With E8400 and ASUS Rampage: $1120 before MIR





 

deusex

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2006
1,025
0
19,280
I appreciate the list, but there are things that I'm going to go with - the PSU (I will keep the HX620), and the Case (P182). My reasons: I already got the HX620 half a year ago for $90, and the HX is of higher quality than TX (Although the TX obviously is good too). The HX620 can peak at 750w..so that should be enough power. The most power-hungry card I'will get is probably the 4850X2 (unless I already get CF 4850 or a 4870)...tell me that the HX620 can't handle that...
For the case, I bought the P182 last year for $80, and like the look and build very much. The 900 is IMO worser looking, and louder...which I'd trade for slightly worse cooling although still very good (p182)

Should I really pay almost $300 for a mobo that I will probably dispose of in a year or so? (for X58..)

I'll be gaming more than video editing, but will an OCed Q9450 compare to an oced E8400? With the Xigmatek, I hope to do ~3.4 -3.6Ghz

Is there any info on the incompatibility with 1066 RAM?


P.S.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts [...] %2C1787%2C

The Toms HD comparison lists the Seagate as the fastest in almost all the tests...? Is he WD really better?


And is the SH-S223Q 22x really faster than SH-S203Q ?
The SH-S203Q has very good reviews...


P.P.S.
Oh yeah...I heard that Asus had a few mobos that booted off linux for email/music/web.....like a little starter no frills app?

Thanks!
 
If you plan to not do CrossFire now and is going to upgrade to Nehalem get a P45-DS3L. Imo, doing a new build for Nehalem would probably be better since you will be needing new RAM, CPU, Motherboard.

For DDR2 1066 incompatibilities check the forums. I personally know that there are compatibility issues with P35-DS3x and 780/750i boards.

I have herd about the ASUS motherboards that have embedded Linux but I haven't seen them.