Review my prospective PC plz!

[mrlie3]

Hi there, I am trying to build my own system for the first time, and I am thinking of buying this system at the end of the year. I would appreciate your advices to make this system better until then.

If there are more than one products at each category, first one is the one I am thinking of buying it... Others are just wish list to compare. Numbers are the price.

I want to build a system that:
1. DX10 and Vista compatible
2. Lasts at least 4 years
3. Has less DOA chance...
4. Generally has less noise and cooler at idle.
5. Has no compatibility issues whatsoever. (eg. voltage and amps)
6. Cheaper the better!

The budget is around $1500.00 CAD, but again, cheaper is better... Unless it has some serious longevity and compatibility issues...

Any suggestions are welcome! :D

Following links go to Direct Canada product info. This is currently where I am thinking of buying these products due to its unlimited duration of sales and free shipping.

Motherboard
EVGA Nforce 650I Ultra Conroe LGA775 ATX 1PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 RAID Sound GBLAN Motherboard 128.40

Asus P5N-E Sli Nforce 650I Sli LGA775 Conroe Atx 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound Gblan Motherboard 145.80
XFX Nforce 650I Ultra Conroe LGA775 ATX 1PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard 113.40
MSI P6N SLI-FI Nforce 650I LGA775 Conroe DDR2 ATX 2PCI-E16 PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 1394 Motherboard 138.78
EVGA Nforce 680I LT SLI Conroe LGA775 ATX 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard 207.76


CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.13GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Retail 218.40

RAM
For 4GB (2x2GB)
OCZ Vista Upgrade PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-667 CL5-6-6-15 240PIN DDR2 DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit 225.75

Corsair XMS2 DHX TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX 4GB DDR2 2X2GB PC6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-15 240PIN Memory Kit 316.16
OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-15 DDR2 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit 327.60
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit 584.28

For 2GB (2x1GB or 1x2GB)
Ocz Platinum Xtc REV.2 PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-15 240PIN Dimm Dual Channel Memory Kit 136.50 with 50.00 rebate

Mushkin EM PC2-6400 2GB 1X2GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit 185.50

Video Card
For 8600s series
Xfx Geforce 8600GT *** 620MHZ 256MB 1.6GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I Hdtv Out DIRECTX10 Video Card 154.99

EVGA E-GEFORCE 8600GT 540MHZ 256MB 1.4GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out DIRECTX10 Video Card 187.30

For 8800s series
Evga E-GEFORCE 8800GTS 500MHZ 320MB 1.6GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I Hdtv Hdcp DIRECTX10 Video Card 323.99

BFG GeForce 8800GTS OC2 580MHZ 320MB 1.7GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV HDCP DIRECTX10 Video Card 338.52 with 30.00 rebate
EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800 GTS KO ACS3 PCI-E 588MHZ 320MB 1.84GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card 382.17
ASUS GeForce 8800GTS 500MHZ 320MB 1.6GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out DirectX 10 Video Card 384.48

Hard Disk Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive 82.99

DVD RW/CD RW Combo Drive
Samsung SH-S183L Black SATA DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 DL 8X Lightscribe DVD Writer OEM W/ SW 42.90

Floppy Disk Drive
SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5IN FLOPPY DRIVE 6.75

Monitor
LG L1953T-BF 19IN LCD Black 1280X1024 5MS 1280X1024 2000:1 300CD/M2 VGA DVI-D F-ENGINE Monitor 244.08

Samsung 931C 19IN Lcd Monitor Glossy Black 1280X1024 2000:1 2MS Vga Dvi 294.80
LG L1953T-SF 19IN LCD Silver 1280X1024 5MS 1280X1024 2000:1 300CD/M2 VGA DVI-D F-ENGINE Monitor 254.88
Acer AL1916AB 19IN Lcd Black 1280X1024 700:1 8MS Vga Monitor 208.95

Computer Case (Aw, there are so many of them!)
Compucase 6C28 Atx Case White 4X5.25 2X3.5 4X.3.5INT W/ Front Usb & Audio No Ps 22.99

ASUS TA-863 ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 2X3.5 5X3.5INT Front USB & Audio No PSU 29.38
Coolermaster Elite RC-330 ATX Blk Case 4X5.25 2X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS 1X120MM Rear Fan Front I/O Panel 39.15
Antec Performance TX1050B SOHO ATX Tower Case Black 4X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5INT 500W ATX12V 2.0 145.49
Antec Sonata III Black ATX 16IN Mid Tower Quiet Case 3X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5IN 500W 120MM Fan 143.00
Coolermaster Centurion 534 ATX Tower Case 5X5.25 1X3.5 4X3.5INT Black 430W PS 83.16
Logisys CS822BK Glossy Painted 17 Black ATX Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT Front USBX2 No WINDOW/PS 38.88

Power Supply Unit
Nmedia MP-500 500W Atx Power Supply 20/24PIN W/ 140MM Fan Retail Box 47.99

Mushkin XP-650 650W ATX 12V 24PIN ATX Power Supply W/ PFC 80MM Fan 116.60
Coolermaster Extreme Power 500W ATX 12V V2.01 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan 45.36
Logisys 575W Dual 80MM Fan SLI ATX Ready Power Switching Power Supply W/DUAL SATA & 4PINS-12V - FCC 28.38
Antec SP-500 Smartpower 2.0 ATX12V2.0 20/24PIN 500W Power Supply 81.95

Speaker
LOGITECH S100 2 PIECE SPEAKER Black 2.5RMS 5W OEM 8.55

Logitech S200 2.1 3PC 30W Speaker System OEM SILVER-BLACK W/ Power & Volume Controls 20.61

Operating System
Windows Vista Premium 64bit OEM 132.47
Windows Vista Premium 32bit OEM 136.36

Total Price for current prospective system (64bit/4GB/8600): $1316.26
Total Price for current prospective system (32bit/2GB/8800): $1399.90
Total Price for current prospective system (64bit/4GB/8800): $1485.26
All prices are before rebate.

[Babrbarossa]

Good choices- Before I comment, what are you using the system for?

[3.0charlie]

Is that 1500 CAN or US?

[mrlie3]

Added links.

This system is for gaming btw.

And it is in Canadian dollars.

[Babrbarossa]

First off- I would recommend buying a good set of 2X1GB ddr2 for about $120 bucks and spending the xtra money on a better GPU- the 8600s aren't that hot- go for an 8800 GTS 640mb, or even a gtx if you can afford it. You can upgrade ram later if you want.

[Gav]

1) I would swap the XFX MB for the ASUS. ASUS has a better reliability track record.

2) Go with the EVGA card, same reason as above plus they have excellent customer support.

3) Coolermaster isn't well known in the power supply world so swap the power supply for a Silverstone or 500w or double-check with our PSU expert SKYMTL.

4) Switch to the 32-bit version of Vista. You will regret buying the 64-bit as there are still lots or driver and program compatibility issues.

5) I agree with Babs, change to a 2gb ram kit as 4gb's isn't needed and also can't be accessed by the 32-bit version of Vista that I think you should switch to.

Otherwise looks like it will be a great system.

[mrlie3]

Well I'm not an extreme gamer who wants everything at max setting with max resolution at 24 inch monitor... I just want a DX10 compatible graphic card, and I think 8800s are way too expensive right now. Maybe I will change my mind if the price drops at the end of the year... :)

And about the ram, I did want to buy just 1 stick 2GB ram, but it seems direct canada does not have 1x2GB ram at lower price... they are about 180 to 200 CAD, and when 2x2GB is 225.75 CAD at the lowest, I thought I would stick to 4GB. But whenever the price of 1x2GB ram drops below 150, I think I will change my mind as well...

I don't like 2x1GB because to make 4GB later on, (2 years later probably) I have to buy 2 more 1GB ram to make 4x1GB ram, and I heard 4x1GB ram performes very horrible compare to 2x2GB ram.

For 64-bit OS issue, well... I am thinking of buying this system at the end of the year or the beginning of the next year, so I was just hoping they would fix 64-bit issues until then. (Same for Vista compatibility issues against old games!) I'm pretty sure I'll change it to 32-bit if I go for 1x2GB ram :)


How about computer cases guys? I know there are a lot of choices, and I seriously have no idea which one is good enough for my system...

[ebdoradz]

Originally Posted by mrlie3

Well I'm not an extreme gamer who wants everything at max setting with max resolution at 24 inch monitor... I just want a DX10 compatible graphic card, and I think 8800s are way too expensive right now. Maybe I will change my mind if the price drops at the end of the year... :)

And about the ram, I did want to buy just 1 stick 2GB ram, but it seems direct canada does not have 1x2GB ram at lower price... they are about 180 to 200 CAD, and when 2x2GB is 225.75 CAD at the lowest, I thought I would stick to 4GB. But whenever the price of 1x2GB ram drops below 150, I think I will change my mind as well...

I don't like 2x1GB because to make 4GB later on, (2 years later probably) I have to buy 2 more 1GB ram to make 4x1GB ram, and I heard 4x1GB ram performes very horrible compare to 2x2GB ram.

For 64-bit OS issue, well... I am thinking of buying this system at the end of the year or the beginning of the next year, so I was just hoping they would fix 64-bit issues until then. (Same for Vista compatibility issues against old games!) I'm pretty sure I'll change it to 32-bit if I go for 1x2GB ram :)


How about computer cases guys? I know there are a lot of choices, and I seriously have no idea which one is good enough for my system...

if its for the end of the year i would try to mount a system, now, things will change so fast that the system you suggest will cost half of what it cost right now and it will be an "old" gaming rig

[mrlie3]

Changed some parts thanks to Babrbarossa, Gav, and SKYMTL's review.

if its for the end of the year i would try to mount a system, now, things will change so fast that the system you suggest will cost half of what it cost right now and it will be an "old" gaming rig

Again, I am not an extreme gamer who wants to have totally new rigs. If I wanted a new gaming system for present time I would have gone for 2 8800 video cards at SLI mode...

I am in no such hurry to buy the new system since new Windows Vista is so crappy with old games and utilities right now, and I am waiting for a possibility to fix these issues from service pack 1. However it is the only OS to have DX10 which I heard was only awesome thing in this OS. Same thing for games because I heard DX10 compatible games will be out at least end of the year, so there is no reason to get this system right now.

My budget is around or under $1500.00 CAD, so whenever new and better components are introduced at reasonable price, I will change my 'prospective' system.

Again, as long as my 5 demands at the beginning of the article have met, cheaper the better, regardless of its age of technology!

And again, I would like to hear some advices about computer cases as well! There are so many! :(

[Babrbarossa]

Well if you're on a budget, an 8800 GTS 320MB for $350 and a set of 2X1GB OCZ Gold for $80 gives you $430- This is less than you were going to pay and will give you MUCH better performance- the problem with 1X2 GB ram is that you won't be running in DDR2, which needs two stick. Gav's right about the vista 64 bit- it will be quite a while before it is anything other than a pain in the butt because of poor driver support. The 8600s aren't nearly as good as the 8800s