$1500 - Make a PC

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Right, I've been putting off getting serious about making myself a PC for college, and now I've got to hurry (or I'll have to settle for a Dell! ). I have $1500 US to spend; can go a little over to cover shipping or something small and simple.

I want a machine that is effecient, powerful, maybe not top of the line gaming monster but "pretty good." () Also interested in upgradability and reliability - a pretty tall order to get all of that with under $2k.

With that in mind, I was thinking generally something like this:

>AMD processor, perhaps dual core. I am confused by the socket types (which is best/will be useful in future) although I remember a thread on them.

>ATI graphics card, not really sure, something decent. I could go for nVidia I guess, here the important thing is bang/buck.

>Harddrive, don't really need a massive 100 TB brute, and I could always add more later, right?

>RAM - 2GB tops. 1 would suffice. Corsair is a good brand, right?

>Mobo - here I get lost. Things I need to take into consideration include processor socket type, RAM supported, expansion slots.



And I'm forgetting things like fans and power supplies (super-noisy fan isn't too sweet) and probably much more. Crap. Monitor, too.



So, suggestions? Well-deserved criticisms of my time-management skills? I'll take anything right about now!

[Papewaio]

Post the Specs for the Dell one you will buy instead.

Then we can see if a better PC can be made.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

This is the base, and I bump it up with some customization. The important bits are:

CPU: Intel® Pentium® D Processor 940 (3.20GHz, 2X2M, 800MHz FSB)
RAM: 2.0GB DDR2 Non-ECC SDRAM,533MHz, (2DIMM)
GPU: PCIe 128MB ATI Radeon X600SE (1 DVI/1 TV-out), full height
HD: 250GB SATA 3.0Gb/s and 8MB DataBurst Cache™
Disk drives: 16X DVD+/-RW and 16X DVD, with Roxio Creator Dell Edition
Momitor: Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel, Adjustable Stand, VGA/DVI

I'm not too keen on the GPU, mainly. And of course opening up the case voids the 3-year warranty and support services. So upgrading would require finding a sympathetic Dell-certified technician to put non-standard parts in it.

[Papewaio]

Well what you should do is now use that as a quote and either go to local PC shops (preferably local to where-ever you are going to be located when studying), other larger vendors or buy the parts and install them yourself.

[orangat]

Get a Conroe. It costs the same as an equivalent AMD X2 but runs cooler.

[Big_John]

AtPG, what about this system, is it close enough to your pricepoint? i tried to pimp it out as much as i could. tack on ~$100 for shipping. but this system would give you a lot of ceiling in terms of upgrading and overclocking.

Qty Product Price
1 220705 $35.69
1 230207 $28.66
1 260526 $229.99
1 80875 $1,377.52
Subtotal $1,671.86
Checkout


Code Product Quantity Price/Ea. Total
220705 Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite (White) (Retail Box)
$35.69 $35.69
230207 Microsoft Optical USB/PS2 IntelliMouse (D58-00015)
$28.66 $28.66
260526 ViewSonic 19" VA902b TFT LCD Flat Panel (Black)
$229.99 $229.99
80875 Monarch Breva 2 Dual-Core Custom Desktop (PCI-E)
$75.00 $75.00

Case: 100587 - No PS - Antec SLK3000B ATX Mid Tower (Bla $51.71 $51.71
Power Supply: 101114 - PS 450W - Antec SP-450 SmartPower 2.0 ATX $65.77 $65.77
Case Fan: None
Motherboard: 110710 - Asus P5W DH Deluxe 975X CrossFire Audio/G $249.99 $249.99
Processor: 12A384 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86Ghz 1066 FSB $214.50 $214.50
Thermal Grease: None
Memory: 141261 - DDR2 (667) 5400 - 2 GB (2 pcs 1GB) OCZ Sp $189.99 $189.99
2nd Memory: None
Hard Drive: 150354 - SATA - Western Digital Caviar RE 160GB SA $69.99 $69.99
2nd Hard Drive: None
RAID Setup: None
RAID Controller: None
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM/CD-RW: None
CD-RW/DVD-RW: 160837 - DVD±RW - Lite-On SHM-165H65 DVD+RW Dual L $54.89 $54.89
CD-RW Software: None
DVD-ROM Software: None
Floppy Drive: None
More Storage: None
Sound Card: 180213 - Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE $39.99 $39.99
Video Card: 190078 - ATI (HIS) Radeon X1900 XT 512MB GDDR3/PCI $365.69 $365.69
Video Capture: None
TV Tuner: None
Molex Connector: None
Modem: None
Network Card: None
Wireless Network Card: None
Add-On Card: None
Case Function Add-On: None
Round Cables: None
Operating System: 800008 - None - No Software Support
Additional Software: None
Antivirus: None
Warranty: 800413 - Standard Tech Support, 90 Day Limited War
Hot Rush: None - Standard Order ( ships within 12-18 busines
Monarch Visor: None
T-Shirt: 270476 - Intel Core 2 Duo T-Shirt FREE!
Free Intel Bunny Man: 27A092 - Intel Bunny Man (Blue)
Ghost Recon Promo: 310161 - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfigh
Free Giveaway: 270251 - Patriot Pen Blue and Grey - Free!
Subtotal for 80875 with your selected options: $1,377.52

configured here: http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merch...uct_Code=80875

[orangat]

I would not get the Antec Smartpower or even TruePower because of the cheap capacitors they use. A Fortron source FSP model would be better.

The Audigy SE is a lousy card because it has no hardware dsp.

And the mb is probably overkill. The $150 Gigabyte DS3 would be good enough to bring it under the $1500 limit.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

I have always used Antec power supplies and I've never had any problems...
Actually now that I think about it all of my friends use Antec power supplies and have never had any issues, except when they buy a cheap non-Antec which later on dies at an inconvenient time.

Yeah it's pretty anecdotal and doesn't really indicate whether or not Antec power supplies are really more reliable or very reliable, but we are talking about at least 10 or so power supplies each used for at least a year if not longer.

[orangat]

I have always used Antec power supplies and I've never had any problems...
Actually now that I think about it all of my friends use Antec power supplies and have never had any issues, except when they buy a cheap non-Antec which later on dies at an inconvenient time.

Yeah it's pretty anecdotal and doesn't really indicate whether or not Antec power supplies are really more reliable or very reliable, but we are talking about at least 10 or so power supplies each used for at least a year if not longer.

Antec uses cheaper, lower rated and lower quality caps and theres nothing anecdotal about it. Recently the 430W model especially seems to have quite a spotty record.

Antec isn't the worst choice anyone can make. There are many other worse brands like Powmax, X-connect, Deer, Aspire(cheap model) etc but Antec is definitely not a top tier brand like PC Power, Seasonic, Enermax or OCZ.

[Lemur]

Antec uses cheaper, lower rated and lower quality caps and theres nothing anecdotal about it.

Uesugi was saying that his evidence was anecdotal, not yours, Orangat.

[orangat]

Uesugi was saying that his evidence was anecdotal, not yours, Orangat.

Do you actually have something useful to contribute?

[LeftEyeNine]

Do you actually have something useful to contribute?

Will you please ever try to keep off agression ?

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Thanks Lemur that was what I meant.

Orangat calm down Lemur was trying to get you to understand what I meant, and trying to help people understand each other contributes a lot to discussion.

[orangat]

Will you please ever try to keep off agression ?

Probably not when it comes to the patrolling internet grammarian.
I'll start a thread on psus if I have the time.

[Geezer57]

I have always used Antec power supplies and I've never had any problems...

Antec uses cheaper, lower rated and lower quality caps and theres nothing anecdotal about it. Recently the 430W model especially seems to have quite a spotty record.

Antec isn't the worst choice anyone can make. There are many other worse brands like Powmax, X-connect, Deer, Aspire(cheap model) etc but Antec is definitely not a top tier brand like PC Power, Seasonic, Enermax or OCZ.

While Antec has had a reputation for top quality, I'll have to agree with orangat on this one, as I've had several of their's (including a at-the-time top of the line 550W unit) fail on me or my customers. I'll still use them on occasion, but won't pay any price premium for their brand.

[Reenk Roink]

Remember wise Ser Clegane's words:

It seems that the actual discussion of the topic is over and all that we have left is the exchange of niceties.

Closed

[LeftEyeNine]

Probably not when it comes to the patrolling internet grammarian.

Please allow me to creep in my trash. Beirut and I are keeping an eye over what is running around here for sure. Don't worry. Instead, please, find better ways of blending in.

Regards and sorry for derailing, keep on with your nice contributions please

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Thanks for the help, guys.

I'm really liking the sound of the new Core 2 Duos. Especially the E6600; seems to pack quite a punch for ~$350. Now I just have to find one.

A Radeon X1900XTX will do quite nicely for the GPU department. Should be more than adequate for a long time.

I'm think abouting this for a case. Not too spicy or theft-inducing, and cheap! Saw a review that said it was pretty good.

OCZ makes good memory, I take it? This would be good, right? Pretty much cribbing from your list now, Big_John, thanks!

160 GB will be plenty, at least to start with. I've manage to keep my HD usage to about 45 GB on my lappy, so 2.5 times that should last...

For optical drives:
Does it make sense to get both a DVD burner and reader? Their as cheap as pants... What are good speeds? How about this burner and this reader?

Think I found a mobo. Pretty much what Big_John suggested.

Sound card - cheap and well-recepted on NewEgg. Does it pass muster, orangat?

Now just need a monitor...

EDITS: Updated choices as my search continues.

[Big_John]

i would go with the E6300 or E6400, Pretty (i can call you "Pretty", right?). apparently, you can overclock those badboys 'til the cows come home (and are significantly cheaper than $350). but it's your money.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=2802

that memory looks great with that $40 rebate, nice job. OCZ is generally considered very good high-end memory. and i like the case you found too.

orangat seemed to think my mobo rec was overkill. and it may be, i haven't done any research on it.. i was just going by anandtech's conroe mobo roundup: http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2797&p=1
jsut make sure the mobo you get supports xfire (i'm pretty sure any 975x mobo will), because a simple upgrade in the future will be to add another x1900xtx (when it becomes cheaper!)

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I don't know about being called "Pretty" - seems pretty creepy to me.

Hmm. Maybe OCing a 6400 would be a good idea, shave $100 off, since I'm already overbudget.

I'm not sure about downgrading the mobo, but if orangat has a better suggestion (that supports crossfire!) I'd be more than happy to check it out.

And mail-in rebates are dicey, in my (well, my Dad's) experiances. 2GB for $150 and high quality to boot would be nice.

[Big_John]

I don't know about being called "Pretty" - seems pretty creepy to me.

so i guess "darling" is a no-go?

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

No, that's fine.

I just find "pretty" to be an odd and jarring shortening of my nom de org.

[orangat]

....
I'm not sure about downgrading the mobo, but if orangat has a better suggestion (that supports crossfire!) I'd be more than happy to check it out.

And mail-in rebates are dicey, in my (well, my Dad's) experiances. 2GB for $150 and high quality to boot would be nice.

The Asus P5 DH has - wifi, dual gigabyte lan ports, dual 3rd party raid controllers, 7 sata ports, heatpipe. Its quite obvious that its not targeted for average users. If you need a xfire mb, then I suppose its alright since there aren't too many crossfire mbs for the Conroe right now. Just make sure you have the current bios version. link

Do you plan on an sli/xfire setup? Otherwise it doesn't make sense if you only need that feature as an upgrade path.

Some popular non-sli/xfire mb are the Abit AB9pro, gigabyte DS3 or something from Intel. But nearly all boards have quirks currently and I'd advise waiting for a while if you can.

The A2ZS soundcard is good but you should look for rebates. It used to be $35 after MIR.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Can I put DDR2 667 RAM into an 800 slot?

[Big_John]

Can I put DDR2 667 RAM into an 800 slot?

i'm 99% sure the answer is yes.

[Lemur]

ATPG, yes, you will be able to use that RAM.

As far as Crossfire and SLI considerations go, it's worth noting that in Direct X 10, video hardware will not be allowed to talk directly with other video hardware. Won't be a consideration for at least a year, but still a consideration. I was on the fence about dual-card setups, and I think I'm going to forget about it with my next PC. Better, perhaps, just to swap out the card down the line than to double my money on current technology.

Admittedly, not even Jah the Great Spirit knows exactly when DX10 will be a factor in our lives.