Please review - proposed first build

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The Dell issued disk *may* work. Some OEM disks, such as those from Dell, Emachines, etc, will not work unless used on an OEM system...at least, that has been my experience. But it's worth a shot to try!

What would I recommend? What photo/video programs AND versions are you going to be using? Some of them are better on Vista, some of them wont do 64bit, some of them need XP.

As to different variations: Newegg sells both OEM (system builder) and retail versions of OSes. They also sell the 32 bit and the 64 bit of both of those. Here's the lowdown:

If you buy a 32 bit version, Microsoft will usually sell you the 64 bit version for a few bucks if you decide to switch later. (You will have to REINSTALL everything. You can't upgrade from 32bit to 64bit)
If you buy the retail version and have installation issues, you get support from MS.
If you buy OEM (system builder), you are on your own! (Depending on your level of experience, it may or may not be worth saving a few bucks.)
 
Any other opinions on this build? One thing in particular I would like to ask - If I'm planning on overclocking, would I need a heatsink? Also, what do you guys think of that case? I was a little curious as to why they call it a 'mini tower'. it looks normal sized to me, should I get a bigger one?
 
I have that case. It is actually a mid-tower. That is what Newegg has it...it will take a Mini- or Micro-ATX motherboard though, so maybe you are confused on that?

Depending on how much you plan to OC, you will probably want to get a better heatsink. I think Zalman makes a pretty good one, but you are out of my league now. I have the q6700, which OC's to 3.0 on stock, so...google it and see what other people are doing?
 
Case is initially $20 cheaper and has $40 MIR too, so you get it for $60!
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10005323
You should be able to OC to 3 gig on the stock cooler, but would be better if you got a aftermarket cooler, but not sure which one would fit the case/mobo combo, since I'm not sure how much room you'll have. You should be fine on the stock HSF and you can get a different one later if you feel you need it.
 
What do you mean the case/mobo combo? this case might be too small? Once I get it, will I be able to figure out what heatsink I might be able to get?
 
Oh, and I have a couple questions - Will buying another 2 gb of ram help me at all? And will this graphics card play CSS multiplayer?? how well would it play flight simulator 2004?
 

Well if you look at the mobo and see where the CPU fits in relation to the case dimensions. All I'm saying is that there are some aftermarket HSF that won't work. Some of them are quite big and don't want you to buy something that won't work. I'm just making you aware of the possible limits. I can't put a really big HSF on my current setup, so I don't want someone to make a mistake. I'd normally recommend the Arctic Freezer Pro 7, but not sure if it'll fit or not with your possible setup. It might work out just fine, but someone might have first hand knowledge of this.
 

2gb is perfect for XP 32 bit, IMHO. Yes you could get another gig of DDR2 for a total of 3gb, but I don't know if the extra gig would make much difference. Unless your going with 4gb or more of DDR2, I think the 2gb would be fine, especially with your budget in mind. Personally I'd stick with XP over Vista, so you won't have any compatability issues with older software. These are just my opinions and you can take what you will from them.

CSS isn't very intensive for the 8600gt, but Flight Simulator will definately put some stress on that card. I myself would get a better video card and cut back on the CPU and HD to accomodate the 3850 GPU. This way you can game better and then later you can upgrade your CPU to a quad or cheaper and better CPU later. You can always add more HD's later, if you need more space.
 
For longer life in games and such, I'd go with at least the 3850 GPU. If you don't want to spend $180 right now on one than 8600gt/2600xt and maybe 8600gts, but only if the price is right. The 8600gt is not quite as good as a 2600xt, especially if the price is about the same. The 8600gts is good too, but if it's close to the $150 range than it's not worth it. You can look at benchmarks and see where the cards fall, but in general the 2600xt is better than the 8600gt (stock settings).

If your mainly doing Photoshop than the 8600gt or 2600xt will be plenty for that need, but if you want better gaming I'd go with the 3850, if at all possible. I'd stick with the e2160/80 and take that ~$30-40 and put that towards the GPU, if you want better gaming performance. If you aren't too concerned about the gaming side, I'd stick with the 8600gt/2600xt. The main issue I see is that you could save the $ on the CPU now and just OC it, like you want to and not have to spend ~$30-40 more on it. Yes the extra cache is nice, but when your on a tight budget, something has to give. I don't believe the extra 1MB of cache between the e2160/80 and the e4500 is going to make that much of a difference, especially for ~$30-40 difference. It's up to you, but I'm generally budget limited and I always go with a better GPU, espcially since the Intel C2D's OC so easily!! You can decide, but I'd go with the AMD 3850 first and formost and then go with the e2180. The e2180 should easily go to 2.8-3.0g on the stock cooler, which should hold you over until you can afford a quad core or better C2D chip. So my summary is as follows:

$89 shipped
e2180 (OC to 2.8-3 gHz, if you like)

~$50 shipped
2 gig's DDR2 800mHz

~$170 shipped
AMD 3850 256 mb

~$90 shipped
Gigabyte DS3L/Abit IP35-e/Asus P5k-se or whatever is best priced. I pretty sure they all are very similar on options, but make sure the mobo that you get is the one with the options that you want.

$100 shipped - $40 MIR = $60 Can't get any better in this price range!
Antec Sonata III case w/500w PSU (combo)

~$80 shipped
WD 320g SATA II Hard Drive

$30 DVD burner

Total ~$610 shipped + ~$56 taxes = $666 - $40 MIR = ~$626

Prices change daily so if you find a deal on 1 of your parts than I'd jump on it. There might be some deals after Christmas, so if you can wait that long, I'd consider it. I think you'd enjoy this system more than your last one, especially when it came to the games. I'm not saying your build is bad, but the one that I proposed, will play games better. Sorry for the long post again, but I wanted you to see where I was going with this proposed build. Hopefully I helped you out some and didn't make the process confusing?
 
Call me lazy for not checking, but did you tell us what size monitor you will be using? That makes a big difference when it comes to Flight Simulator 2002/2004/X. It is VERY CPU dependant, although you do need a good video card. I would look for some benchmarks on that...I have a $99 7900GS-OC, and FS2004 runs just fine on my 24" monitor...but I have a quad-core. That makes all the difference. I could also play FS2004 over 20fps with my old Geforce 6800 on a 20" monitor...so I'm not sure if you really need a better GPU.
 

If you have lower resolutions you can get playable FPS, but don't bank on it being a FS 2004 smoker! I'm just saying that it would be better in the long run to have a better GPU, if gaming is more important, as I stated earlier. If you look at the outdoor FPS on Tom's Oblivion benchmark, you can see where th 7900gs did. It got smoked on higher resolutions, but was pretty good on the indoor resolutions, so you can figure out what you want to do.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/09/14/the_geforce_7900gs_is_nvidias_new_mid-range/page6.html#oblivion
 
Thanks so much lunyone, I don't mind your long posts at all. I took most of your advice. No, I don't mind waiting until after christmas, where should I be looking for the deals? Is FRYS any good?

take a look at this build:

Processor
E4500
$125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115031&Tpk=e4500

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
$96
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059

Case
Antec Sonata III Mini-Tower w/ Earthwatts 500w Power Supply
$110
http://www.buy.com/prod/Antec-Sonata-III-Super-Mini-Tower-w-Earthwatts-500w-Power-Supply/q/loc/101/204559259.html


Ram
OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2
$50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227089

DVD Burner
LG Black 20X DVD+R
$25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136117

Graphics Card
Radeon hd 3850
$180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121100

PSU
Earthwatts 500w Power Supply
(Price included with case)

Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar 500gb 7200rpm SATA
$105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073


It turns out I have a little more money in my budget now, so i can afford both the better processor and the 3850! thank you so much for the advice, I researched that 3850, and found it is way better for the price. (and I do plan to game a little).

Where did you find that sonata III with power supply for $60? I couldn't find it... I posted the best price I found on iit. And on the motherboard...didn't you say that would be $80 with a rebate? where can I find that deal?? thanks alot.

I already have a 22 Inch screen, but need a good mouse and keyboard..which would you suggest? (I can spend about $50 between the two)

 
The $60 deal was at ZZF, but like I stated before they only show up every so often so when you see them you need to jump on them.

Edit: I usually get microsoft or logitech mouse/keyboards because they are generally decent and not too expensive.
 
oh ok, thanks. other than that, it looks ok, right? I also need an operating system. will xp home edition be ok for my needs or do I need something else?
 
Everything looks good :) I'd opt for the CAS4 DDR2, but that is only if your going to OC much, which I'm going to do soon :) XP Home will work, but I'd get the pro version if I can get it reasonably. Just make sure that you get xp home w/SP2. Not sure you can get it without sp2 right now, but thought I'd state that upfront, incase you find a deal on it and it doesn't include sp2.
 
Here are few memory upgrades I'd consider, especially if you want to OC later.
$75 shipped - $25 MIR = $50
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565

$87 shipped - $40 MIR = $47 Nice solid DDR2, just need to wait for MIR
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

$72 shipped - $30 MIR = $42!! Nice solid DDR2 also :)
GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144062

$75 shipped - $32 MIR = $43!!
OCZ SLI-Ready 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227198

$78 shipped - $28 MIR = $50 Good DDR2 also
OCZ ATI CrossFire 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227169

 
When you turn up the FSB it changes the speed of the memory, so if you lower speed memory, you won't be able to OC more with it. So if you run at 333mHz x 2 = 667mHz memory speed. If you push it to 400mHz x 2 = 800mHz memory speed. Most Cas4 DDR2 800mHz can be pushed past 800mHz speed, so that is why I'd recommend the 800mHz memory, since it leaves you lots of OC'ing options. There really isn't that much price difference right now between 667mHz and 800mHz DDR2, so that makes the selection easier, IMHO.
 
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