The Friend Build Version 1.0

[Soultribunal]

First and Foremost, the group of people we have here have all been very Helpful over the past few months. I have learned quite a bit, and tried to help out where I could!

Now, I am Building A system for a friend so,

Tasks it will Perform: Internet Surfing, Moderate Gaming (WoW, C&C3 , WarcraftIII)

Budget: $850 approx.

Brand Preferance : nVidia FanBoy (this is where I need some help, I'm ATI lol), Intel Fanboy

Current Parts Being Kept (as far as he's told me) - Samsung Optical Drive DVD-ROM (not sure of its make), WD 640GB HD, All the external Accessories i.e. Keyboard, Mouse, Dell FP2027.

Overclocking: Nope, he likes to keep things stock.

Build Time: Approx. 1 Month to work out the details.

So Far, here is what I got

NCIX.com - Buy ASUS P5Q Pro ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 2PCI-E16 CrossFire 3PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN eSATA Motherboard - P5Q Pro In Canada.

P5Q has received good reviews on both the boards here, and on other review sites, so it seems like the logical Place to start.

Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Processor BX80571E7300 - 2.66GHz, 3MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB, Wolfdale-3M, Dual-Core, Retail, Socket 775, Processor with Fan in Canada at TigerDirect.ca

This to me, is a good balance of Performance, price ($139 for a CPU seems good to me, and allows him to cash in his $100 Gift Certificate from TD at the same time) so, total additional Price = $39 lol!

NCIX.com - Buy Coolermaster CM 690 Mid Tower Black ATX Case 5X5.25 5X3.5INT No PS Front USB Sound Firewire & eSATA - RC-690-KKN1 In Canada.

I have heard, and read good things about this Case, but am Open to other options.
It has to be a Mid-Tower though, he is not too fond of Full towers, but I might be able to sway that opinion.

NCIX.com - Buy Mushkin Ascent PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit - 996622 In Canada.

After many many days reading, and listening to everyone else (and to boot me being Bias for Corsair Memory) I figured I'd use Mushkin , HWC > ST. LOL!
It doesn't have to be the fastest Memory out there, I know this is 800mHz stuff.

NCIX.com - Buy Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan - CMPSU-750TX In Canada.

Okay, I have listened as well to this, so I am going to suggest a Corsair PSU, I believe that 750W is more than enough for this build.

So,
Total so far =
645 - 100 TD Gift Certificate = 545 before tax/shipping.

THat leaves me with 305 Approx for a Few Extra Case Fans, and a nVidia Card, and a Cooling Solution for the CPU (both of us have looked at the Domino ALC as something cool, and new to try, which would shave the amount spent on the VC/Fans - 205)
I have never used nVidia....I could use a few suggestions for finding something half decent (doesn't have to be cutting edge).

Let me know what you all think,
Personally it seems like a decent, mid-range build, with expandability potential.
But I am always open to critique, and of course I may have missed a component too in this whole post ( I do get scatter brained from time to time).

Best Regards,
ST

[chrisk]

I would try to get an nVidia GTX 260 Core 216 card. NCIX has this one: NCIX.com - Buy BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC2 Maxcore 630MHZ 896MB 2.12GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card - BFGEGTX260MC896OC2E In Canada.

It's ~$295 but after a rebate. The 260s can be had for a little cheaper if you keep an eye out for specials since you have a month. The regular GTX 260 would be fine as well if you caan get one for cheap.

[Soultribunal]

Okay cool, I have a month, and I am sure I'll find a Decent VC in that period of time.
At least, with having this site available, I won't make some of the mistakes on builds I have in the past.....my roommate could vouch for the 1 or 2 blunders I've made in my life lol

I know I need help figuring out the nVidia part of this, as stated above.
Thanks for the Reply!

Best Regards,
ST

[geokilla]

Damn. 330 posts in a month.

Note that if you're building for a friend, he/she might call you 24/7 when they get problems with their computer, since you built it. I've heard of this happening and friend's going like "well you built it for me, so you have to solve it for me" or something like that.

The Intel E7300 is currently OOS at Tiger Direct.

Instead of that 4GB set, get OCZ/Corsair/Patriot/Mushkin/G. Skill 4GB DDR800/DDR1066 RAM set for around $50 to $60 after savings and rebates on NCIX.

What resolution is he gaming at? Since he's a NVIDIA fanboy, I'd say GTX260 Core 216.

Since he's not overclocking, just use the stock Intel cooler. If he really wants to go aftermarket, OCZ Vendetta 2 gets my vote.

As always, wait for tomorrow's NCIX sales and see what you might change to get better performance or to save some money. Don't forget to price match!

[Soultribunal]

Originally Posted by geokilla

Damn. 330 posts in a month.

Note that if you're building for a friend, he/she might call you 24/7 when they get problems with their computer, since you built it. I've heard of this happening and friend's going like "well you built it for me, so you have to solve it for me" or something like that.

The Intel E7300 is currently OOS at Tiger Direct.

Instead of that 4GB set, get OCZ/Corsair/Patriot/Mushkin/G. Skill 4GB DDR800/DDR1066 RAM set for around $50 to $60 after savings and rebates on NCIX.

What resolution is he gaming at? Since he's a NVIDIA fanboy, I'd say GTX260 Core 216.

Since he's not overclocking, just use the stock Intel cooler. If he really wants to go aftermarket, OCZ Vendetta 2 gets my vote.

As always, wait for tomorrow's NCIX sales and see what you might change to get better performance or to save some money. Don't forget to price match!

If I had a dollar for everytime you said 'Price Match...' My LC System would be built lol!
No worries , I will keep my eyes out.
I usually get called anyways to problem solve issues at home / work / friends at all hours so that part is a fact of my life no matter what I do.

Yeah, I like the OCZ, he was looking at WC I think mainly because I am prepping to do it myself. SO, perhaps I can dissaude him from that.
I'll look at all the RAM Available, and see if I can find one for a good price.
THanks for the Post Geo,
And yeah, I know 330 already....I talk a lot. But, it feels like home here in a sense, ya know?
ST