1200.00 CDN All around rig take a look

[Wurmer]

OK I am helping a friend building his new rig. This computer will serve as an all purpose rig and the most demanding tasks will be gaming. There won't be any over clocking involved. He isn't the type of person to upgrade his computer on a regular basis. He is currently using a 5 years old rig (P4 2.8 + ATI 9600XT) so it gives you and idea. He is going to use Vista 64 for this new rig. The 1200.00 CDN budget doesn't include the OS and display. I like to get him the best bang for the buck

All parts will be purchase at this address:

http://www.microbytes.com/computer [...] /index.php


Here what I have come up with so far :

Gygabyte EP45-UDP3 195
E8500 3,13 Ghz 255
4 x 2 Gig Kingston KVR 113
wd 6401AALS 99
Corsair 650W TX 145
Cooler Master MC 690 115
OCZ vendetta 2 49
Sapphire HD 4870 512M 265

Total is 1236

A few notes :

Even though, there won't be any OC I am still of the opinion that an after market is a good thing. yes or no ? he could save a few buck here

I went with a pretty decent mid end MB, I am of the opinion that if you ought to keep your rig a good while better get quality stuff in order for it to last. I was also considering the Gigabytes EP45-DS3L which is quite a bit cheaper (135.00$) but has less features and no CF possibility ( I very much doubt he'll do crossfire).

The GPU I picked is certainly adequate (I am using the same) but there might be other options. Sometimes Sapphire products are not what they should be and their customer service is pretty poor.

I am not sure what kind of display he'll buy, most likely a 22'' LCD but I am not 100% sure. Obviously this could have a bearing on the GPU. Lets assume that is a 22. Maybe the HD4850 could suffice, my only grip with this GPU is that most to them are single slot.

I am trying to play with the components around and see what I could get him, if the after market is not necessary and a lower wattage PSU could be use than maybe he could get the 8600 instead of the 8500. there a about a 100$ difference between them.

Any suggestions and positive feed back are welcome.

Thanks for taking the time.

[sswilson]

What is microbyte's return policy?

My only concern is the sapphire vid card. If they work they're fine, but the RMA process through Sapphire (unless it's changed over the last year) is terrible. I wouldn't buy a Sapphire unless I was sure the dealer would give me at least 3 months to stress test it and would let me return it to them.

Any sapphire cards I pick up go through at least 2 weeks of strong stress testing to ensure that stock cooling is sufficient, and I don't take any bull%#*! from them... any hint of artifacting at stock speeds with stock auto fan settings and I take it back. (Been burnt by their stock cooling too often).

Other than that, it looks like a decent build, but I'm curious if you've priced it out at NCIX, or if there's a reason you are avoiding them.

[3.0charlie]

RMA with Sapphire is horrible, undescribable. I have a 4870 with them since last October....

[Wurmer]

Originally Posted by 3.0charlie

RMA with Sapphire is horrible, undescribable. I have a 4870 with them since last October....

Yes indeed, I myself, had the opportunity to get a taste of that medicine. It took almost 2 months to get a 1950xt replacement.

As for using NCIX, they are pretty damn good, I would have to do the exercise to see what it comes down to. They have good prices and no PST but the shipping cost might void any price advantage. Beside, the store have put the link to has pretty decent prices, being higher on some items and lower on other items

[sswilson]

The trick to purchasing a full system through NCIX is to find one item that has "free shipping for entire order". That normally takes care of any extra shipping costs.

[3.0charlie]

I've tried many times to buy from Microbytes (10 minutes again from home), but NCIX's prices are just too good to pass on.

[hausner]

Microbytes is most expensive store to buy any pc parts - for me.
Try Ordicentre: We have everything you need ! or https://www.pcczone.com/


Directcanada to price match at ncix.com FTW!

[miggs78]

Originally Posted by sswilson

The trick to purchasing a full system through NCIX is to find one item that has "free shipping for entire order". That normally takes care of any extra shipping costs.

I agree, or if most prices are cheaper at DC even after Pricematching then I would shop with Direct Canada. Coz' that gives you free shipping on orders over $300 (not sure of the weight), but I remember putting a test build with a case and put it in cart, and it was few punds still less, I think it's 130 or 150lbs.. Anyways free shipping, plus Direct Canada is NCIX sister company, and if you have probs we have a DC Support guy here..

It might be cheaper to save shipping costs with MicroBytes if you have pick up the order, but sometimes it could be even cheaper with ncix, just remember Wurmer.. ncix+pricematch = win win situation..

[rjbarker]

Ditch the E8500 and get yourself an E8400, very easy to OC to E8500 speed, nothing to that OC at all, then take the saved coin and get a decent GPU, I'm nVidia biased and would recommend a 260 Core 216.

[3.0charlie]

Here's my take, all from this week's NCIX sale. Prices can (and will) vary, and no price-matching was made.

Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Direct Touch 3 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S754 S939 S940 W 120MM PWM Fan In Stock 30012 $37.99 $37.99
Antec Sonata III Black ATX 16IN Mid Tower Quiet Case 3X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5IN 500W 120MM Fan Limit to 2 per customer. In Stock 24294 $128.98 $128.98
G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ PC2-8000 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memo *IR-$4* In Stock 26456 $57.99 $57.99
LG GH22NS30 Black DVD+RW 22X8X16 DVD-RW 22X6X16 DL 16X/12X 2MB SATA OEM In Stock 32234 $26.98 $26.98
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive OEM In Stock 27144 $65.98 $65.98
ASUS P5Q Pro ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 2PCI-E16 CrossFire 3PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN eSATA Motherboard In Stock 30418 $149.98 $149.98
EVGA E-GEFORCE GTX 280 602MHZ 1024MB 2.214GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video C *IR-$140* In Stock 30530 $369.99 $369.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 3.0GHZ Wolfdale 1333FSB 6MB Retail In Stock 27784 $199.99 $199.99

Total, shipped and with taxes: 1158.78$. With a GTX280, P5Q Pro and an E8400.

Edit: I don't remember if the Antec 500W can handle the GTX280. Another case / PSU combo may have to be chosen. Still I think it can be done within your budget.