SOMEBODY HELP MEH! (build a semi-new pc)

[redcolours]

looking to build a core2 duo system, just need the mobo, CPU, video card, and RAM.

heres what im looking at and what im looking to spend (and my questions):

mobo - dont know yet. any decent-brand that's 975x-based (is that the flagship chipset that intel has for their core2 duo chips?). $200

CPU - E6320 1.86GHz or E6600 2.4GHz (w/c one is better bank for the buck? i plan on some overclocking, but nothing too hardcore). $200 - $300 max.

video card - PCI-E (of course), maybe a fanless 256MB 7600GT (or a 256MB 8600GT when it comes out). really any 7600 and up, thats DUAL-DVI out (will run 2 LCD screens). preferably no fan. $160 and under.

RAM - 2GB. should be easy to find a DDR2 pair, once i get the mobo and CPU set.

are you looking to build also? where have you priced your system from? WHat have you set aside or earmarked for yourself?

I know Nvidia is set to release the midrange 8xxx cards on 4/18 (so price drops and better variety to choose from), and i think the core2 duos are about to get a price drop (not sure), so im not in a hurry. I figure i got some money in, i might as well "sneak in" this new system before the big kitchen and bath remodels happen.

no, Macs are not yet a consideration. maybe when i get some play money....

got|thoughts? thanks!

[shocky123]

Depending on your usage requirements, you're not obligated to go the Intel route for chipset, the 975X seems to perform quite well in most apps, but from what I've heard it often accompanies boards that lack features....
There are also NVidia 680i based motherboards out there.. They have their ups and downs, but for some applications can accel further than the 975 based boards. Check out TomsHardware.com ... they've put the two types up against eachother many times.

If you can get a E6600 for that price range, go for it :-)

There are very few fanless models these days in the gpu range, especially in your price range, having dual-dvi out is also less common, again especiallyin in your price range, but you never know, might get lucky.

Not building a system myself, going to wait on the new Opterons and see how they look, and hopefully some competition from AMD on both the cpu and gpu arena's will bring down the prices for the upper end pieces..

good luck!

[bachviet]

Get the E4300 and you could O/C it easy to 2.4Ghz. It comes as a 9x200Mhz thus you could just bump the FSB to 266Mhz for 2.4Ghz.

newegg has the Foxconn GF 7900GS for $129.99 after MIR, which is a really good deal.

[DarkFury]

Honestly, the E6600 is still the best "bang for the buck" in the Core 2 category.


The E4300 only has a 2MB cache whereas the E6600 has a 4MB cache (hence a good part of the price difference). Honestly, the MHz wars are over... so even if you overclock that E4300, it really doesn't come up to E6600 performance levels.

As far as overclocking goes... if you insist on doing that, the E6600 hits 3.4 GHz in some cases with air cooling (of course if you push it that hard, I'd advise more exotic cooling measures).


I can understand if you are "on a budget" ... then go with the E4300, however if you have the extra to spend, you won't be dissapointed with the E6600. :D

[redcolours]

thanks, guys.
my goal with this setup is to
a) drive 2 LCDs with DUAL DVI
b) lots of video editing/work with hi-def files culled from HD recordings (dont ask how)
c) lots of image editing
d) usual DVD/CD rips

this is basically my Main PC, and i want it small, simple, fast, and real quiet - just the fan from for the CPU cooler.
What can i say, once an overclocker, always an overclocker. Though these days, i dont care for exotic cooling. Whatever i can get away with stock cooling and voltage and still be stable, thats all im going for.

im going more for quiet, and small. SFF to be exact, but the SFF PCs that do what i want are crazy $$$. So im going the mini-ATX route, with a small case. anyone know of any good mini-ATX mobos that do overclock? those seem to be more rare.

as far as prices go, E6600s are now $306 shipped, and may go down april 29th, when the new core2 duos arrive (or may not):
E6320 1.86GHz 1066MHz FSB 4MB - $199.
E6420 2.13GHz 1066MHz FSB 4MB - $219

that somehow renders the E6400 useless at $217...

[Jeffbx]

I dunno Red - looks like you may be trying to mix 2 incompatible items there, which are 'small, fast and quiet' with 'hi-def video editing'.

I'd recommend just one change - drop the 'small'. You're going to want a box with room for adequate cooling if you're going to overclock, have a decent video card & (hopefully) a fast HD. It's rare to find mini-ATX boards that overclock for this very reason - it's really hard to cool a space that small.

My recommendation would be to go with standard ATX & a mini-tower, and be SURE to put some $$ into a fast, fast HD for the video work - I'd recommend a 150GB Raptor. Yes, it's expensive, but you won't find a better drive for video editing short of going SCSI. And for the system you're building, the HD will be the bottleneck - might as well get the fastest available, because that'll determine the speed of your work.

[DarkFury]

I second the notion of not using a SFF case and mobo...

I had a Shuttle case and honestly, it had nothing but problems. The power supply was inadequate and honestly, they are fairly "proprietary" to the case (and limited on how powerful a PSU can you get into one of those.)

If you still insist on wanting to go "small"... then I'd recommend that you go and purchase one of TigerDirect's "MicroFly" cases... They are still fairly small, yet they hold a standard mATX motherboard and a standard sized PSU. Plus they are very light as far as portability goes.

This is the case I replaced my Shuttle SFF with... and honestly, it was a good change in my opinion. I'll NEVER build another SFF PC again... too many "heat issues" and limitations of what hardware you can use in them.

Here is a link to one... if you are interested.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1800611&CatId=1508

http://images.tigerdirect.com/Skuimages/large/ULT33115-main.jpg

[Airencracken]

I dunno Red - looks like you may be trying to mix 2 incompatible items there, which are 'small, fast and quiet' with 'hi-def video editing'.

:stupid:

[redcolours]

I dunno Red - looks like you may be trying to mix 2 incompatible items there, which are 'small, fast and quiet' with 'hi-def video editing'.

I'd recommend just one change - drop the 'small'. You're going to want a box with room for adequate cooling if you're going to overclock, have a decent video card & (hopefully) a fast HD. It's rare to find mini-ATX boards that overclock for this very reason - it's really hard to cool a space that small.

My recommendation would be to go with standard ATX & a mini-tower, and be SURE to put some $$ into a fast, fast HD for the video work - I'd recommend a 150GB Raptor. Yes, it's expensive, but you won't find a better drive for video editing short of going SCSI. And for the system you're building, the HD will be the bottleneck - might as well get the fastest available, because that'll determine the speed of your work.


one amazingly fast drive: check! :)
i forgot to mention the HDD im using now: the 150GB Raptor X. got it for a dirt cheap $120 when bestbuy had it on sale.
i modified my SFFPC to fit it on top instead of way inside where its way too hot.
And If i need a swap drive, i can use one of 2 other 36GB raptor drives i got stored away... (which brings me to an off-topic question: is it ideal to use 2 36GB Raptors as a dedicated RAID0 swap drive/cache?)
those drives are the reason why i finally decided to look into upgrading the rest of my system.

And you and DF may be right: though i found a shuttle X SFF barebones PC that can support faster core2 duos, its $420. for maybe half that i can get a miniATX mobo, and a slightly bigger case thats not overly big. use the remainder for a decent graphics card.

I dunno, i dislike the towers now. For half its size, systems can have the same power. I like my PC on top of my desk, within reach, away from the floor. Picks up too much dust there, i tend to kick it, plus i dont like stooping down to reach for anything. Towers take up too much space for me. Of course this is just my own pet peeve now.

So a compromise (as you and DF suggested). Its funny cuz last night after i wrote my last reply i was at directron and found this to my liking:
http://www.directron.com/vf6000bws.html

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/directron_1945_137137555

i call em cubes. ive never found one that looked cool and SIMPLE enough til i saw that. good price too. plus i have a 600W modular PSU, but ive never used it. It should fit nicely in that case. Lots of vents as well.

im thinking an E6420 for $220 is good enough to get things going. It can OC safely with stock cooling and stock voltage.

which of course will be good only if i find a microATX mobo that overclocks....

[redcolours]

a running tally of what im thinking about:
case - $85
chip - $220
2GB DDR2 - $130
VGA card - 150
mobo = ? (hoping for under$120)
----------------------------------
total : $705

just squeaking past my $700 budget. maybe the mobo and the VGA card can be cheaper, depending on what i find/get. still have to wait for the VGA card. The RAM i may get it for a bit less.

shocky123: definitely gonna check out TH
bachviet: newegg too. more for pricing out stuff. they still have a great selection around.

the hunt continues...

[Jeffbx]

one amazingly fast drive: check! :)

/Mr Burns/ EXcellent.


(which brings me to an off-topic question: is it ideal to use 2 36GB Raptors as a dedicated RAID0 swap drive/cache?)

OK, it'll be kind of a pain, but my suggestion would be to ebay those suckers & get yourself a single 74GB Raptor.

PROS:
- Striping them will add a small amount of processor overhead, where a single drive will avoid this
- The 74GB Raptors are faster, esp. if you get model WD740ADFD with the 16MB cache
- The 36GB Raptors seem to be selling for about $50-60 each on ebay, and the WD740ADFD is going for about $100-120, so if things work out well, it could be just about an even swap
- Fewer dives in your case = less power consumed & less heat generated

CONS:
- You'd have to sell your drives & buy a new one on ebay

[bachviet]

a running tally of what im thinking about:
case - $85
chip - $220
2GB DDR2 - $130
VGA card - 150
mobo = ? (hoping for under$120)
----------------------------------
total : $705

just squeaking past my $700 budget. maybe the mobo and the VGA card can be cheaper, depending on what i find/get. still have to wait for the VGA card. The RAM i may get it for a bit less.

shocky123: definitely gonna check out TH
bachviet: newegg too. more for pricing out stuff. they still have a great selection around.

the hunt continues...
I already bought parts for my wife's brother's computer and it's similar to yours:

From newegg

Pentium Core 2 Duo E6400 (2.13Ghz and will be o/c to 8x333Mhz = 2.4+ Ghz) - $217 + tax
Abit IP9 P965 mother board - $94.99 + tax before $20 MIR
Kingston 2x1GB DDR2 667 RAM - $106.99 + tax
Xclio 460W StablePower PSU - $49.99 + tax
Foxconn GF 7900GS video card - $174.99 + tax before $45 MIR
Total = $705.16 after tax but before $65 MIR

From Directron

Enermax Chakra ECA3052B mid-tower case - $72.99
Artic-cooling 120mm fan - $8.99
Total = $86.91