Building a new PC. Any comments on these parts?

[ShadowTek]

It's time for a new build, and I'd like to keep costs under $400 or
$500. I've made a few selections from NewEgg, and I'll be glad to hear
any comments or suggestions anyone has.

I'll start off by listing what I currently have:
Motherboard: MS-7093 (v1.X) M-ATX Mainboard
It's a micro-ATX socket 939 with DDR1.
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ @ 2200MHz
RAM: 3 GBs, DDR1, dual-channel
GPU: GeForce 9600 GT, PCI-E

I'll rob the GPU, hard drives and optical drives from this old rig, so
all I need to get is a case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, and power supply.

Here's what I'm thinking about getting from NewEgg. All the choices
where made while trying to balance cost vs performance, while trying to
aim for as much future upgradability as possbile.

Case: ENERMAX Uber Chakra ECA5001B Black Aluminum / Steel Trim
w/250mm Intake/Exhaust LED Monster Fan ATX Full Tower Case w/Front I/O 1
eSATA,4 USB2.0, Audio I/O - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811124121

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45C-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel
Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128364

CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz 2MB L2 Cache
LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116093

RAM: WINTEC AMPX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2
6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-4096K - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161183

Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V
SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

I like that the motherboard can handle a large variety of CPUs, *and*
the fact that it can handle 4 GBs of DDR3 as well. That should give me
a few options down the road when prices drop.

All of this adds up to about $530, but I'll have about $95 in mail-in
rebates.

If anybody can suggest better choices without driving up the price, I'd
be glad to hear it.

Also, I'll be using this with Linux operating systems, so I'd like to
steer clear of any known driver conflicts, etc..

 

[General Schvantzkoph]

It's time for a new build, and I'd like to keep costs under $400 or
$500. I've made a few selections from NewEgg, and I'll be glad to hear
any comments or suggestions anyone has.

I'll start off by listing what I currently have:
Motherboard: MS-7093 (v1.X) M-ATX Mainboard
It's a micro-ATX socket 939 with DDR1.
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ @ 2200MHz RAM: 3 GBs, DDR1,
dual-channel
GPU: GeForce 9600 GT, PCI-E

I'll rob the GPU, hard drives and optical drives from this old rig, so
all I need to get is a case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, and power supply.

Here's what I'm thinking about getting from NewEgg. All the choices
where made while trying to balance cost vs performance, while trying to
aim for as much future upgradability as possbile.

Case: ENERMAX Uber Chakra ECA5001B Black Aluminum / Steel Trim w/250mm
Intake/Exhaust LED Monster Fan ATX Full Tower Case w/Front I/O 1
eSATA,4 USB2.0, Audio I/O - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811124121

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45C-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel
Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128364

CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA
775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116093

RAM: WINTEC AMPX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-4096K - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161183

Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI
Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

I like that the motherboard can handle a large variety of CPUs, *and*
the fact that it can handle 4 GBs of DDR3 as well. That should give me a
few options down the road when prices drop.

All of this adds up to about $530, but I'll have about $95 in mail-in
rebates.

If anybody can suggest better choices without driving up the price, I'd
be glad to hear it.

Also, I'll be using this with Linux operating systems, so I'd like to
steer clear of any known driver conflicts, etc..

Spend a little more on the CPU and get an E8400. It has a 6M cache vs a
2M cache on the 6500. I have my E8400 overclocked to 4GHz using a
Thermalright Ultra 120 heatsink (not avail from Newegg, I got it from
another website). Also get DDR2 1000 RAM, it will make overclocking
easier. The Gigabyte motherboard has a limited number of clock
multipliers for the RAM so when you up the FSB you end up overlocking the
RAM even if you set it down to the lowest RAM multiplier. If you use DDR2
1000 this won't be a problem, and the price of DDR2 1000 is barely more
than DDR2 800 these days.

 

[Grinder]

It's time for a new build, and I'd like to keep costs under $400 or
$500. I've made a few selections from NewEgg, and I'll be glad to hear
any comments or suggestions anyone has.

I'll start off by listing what I currently have:
Motherboard: MS-7093 (v1.X) M-ATX Mainboard
It's a micro-ATX socket 939 with DDR1.
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ @ 2200MHz
RAM: 3 GBs, DDR1, dual-channel
GPU: GeForce 9600 GT, PCI-E

I'll rob the GPU, hard drives and optical drives from this old rig, so
all I need to get is a case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, and power supply.

Here's what I'm thinking about getting from NewEgg. All the choices
where made while trying to balance cost vs performance, while trying to
aim for as much future upgradability as possbile.

Case: ENERMAX Uber Chakra ECA5001B Black Aluminum / Steel Trim
w/250mm Intake/Exhaust LED Monster Fan ATX Full Tower Case w/Front I/O 1
eSATA,4 USB2.0, Audio I/O - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811124121

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45C-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel
Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128364

CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz 2MB L2 Cache
LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116093

RAM: WINTEC AMPX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2
6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-4096K - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161183

Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V
SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

I like that the motherboard can handle a large variety of CPUs, *and*
the fact that it can handle 4 GBs of DDR3 as well. That should give me
a few options down the road when prices drop.

All of this adds up to about $530, but I'll have about $95 in mail-in
rebates.

If anybody can suggest better choices without driving up the price, I'd
be glad to hear it.

Also, I'll be using this with Linux operating systems, so I'd like to
steer clear of any known driver conflicts, etc..

You're spending a good amount on a crossfire-ready power supply to power
a board that only has one graphics card slot. Hopefully someone will
correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you're buying more than
you'll need.

On a purely aesthetic note, I don't like the case. Obviously that's a
subject point, but it drives me to recommend:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129065

You get an Antec case + Antec 430W power supply for $100. Even if I
pile on a couple of high rpm sata drives, blu-ray, dvd-rw, 4 fans, 2 pci
cards and 4 usb devices, outvision's power supply calculator comes up
with 312W.

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/

I've bought half a dozen of those cases--the last three with the power
supply, and I've been very happy with the construction, appearance and
ventilation. The thing has two giant (read: quiet) fans and a
bottom-loaded power supply, so it's easy to exhaust the cpu that is
bordered on two sides by those fans.

A few warnings:

1) The case is a bit bulky so make sure you have room for it. Allow an
extra inch in each dimension for imprecise specifications.

2) If your motherboard has a cpu power connector on the far left side
(as looking from the connectors side,) your cable might be a bit of a
stretch. That does appear to be the case with your board.

3) There are no external 3.5" bays, so if you have floppy or a
floppy-sized media card reader, you'll have to work out some ugly 5.25"
adapter, or go external.

 

[Grinder]

It's time for a new build, and I'd like to keep costs under $400 or
$500. I've made a few selections from NewEgg, and I'll be glad to hear
any comments or suggestions anyone has.

I'll start off by listing what I currently have:
Motherboard: MS-7093 (v1.X) M-ATX Mainboard
It's a micro-ATX socket 939 with DDR1.
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ @ 2200MHz
RAM: 3 GBs, DDR1, dual-channel
GPU: GeForce 9600 GT, PCI-E

I'll rob the GPU, hard drives and optical drives from this old rig, so
all I need to get is a case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, and power supply.

Here's what I'm thinking about getting from NewEgg. All the choices
where made while trying to balance cost vs performance, while trying to
aim for as much future upgradability as possbile.

Case: ENERMAX Uber Chakra ECA5001B Black Aluminum / Steel Trim
w/250mm Intake/Exhaust LED Monster Fan ATX Full Tower Case w/Front I/O 1
eSATA,4 USB2.0, Audio I/O - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811124121

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45C-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel
Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128364

CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz 2MB L2 Cache
LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116093

RAM: WINTEC AMPX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2
6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-4096K - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161183

Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V
SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

I like that the motherboard can handle a large variety of CPUs, *and*
the fact that it can handle 4 GBs of DDR3 as well. That should give me
a few options down the road when prices drop.

All of this adds up to about $530, but I'll have about $95 in mail-in
rebates.

If anybody can suggest better choices without driving up the price, I'd
be glad to hear it.

Also, I'll be using this with Linux operating systems, so I'd like to
steer clear of any known driver conflicts, etc..

You're spending a good amount on a crossfire-ready power supply to power
a board that only has one graphics card slot. Hopefully someone will
correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you're buying more than
you'll need.

On a purely aesthetic note, I don't like the case. Obviously that's a
subject point, but it drives me to recommend:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129065

You get an Antec case + Antec 430W power supply for $100. Even if I
pile on a couple of high rpm sata drives, blu-ray, dvd-rw, 4 fans, 2 pci
cards and 4 usb devices, outvision's power supply calculator comes up
with 312W.

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/

I've bought half a dozen of those cases--the last three with the power
supply, and I've been very happy with the construction, appearance and
ventilation. The thing has two giant (read: quiet) fans and a
bottom-loaded power supply, so it's easy to exhaust the cpu that is
bordered on two sides by those fans.

A few warnings:

1) The case is a bit bulky so make sure you have room for it. Allow an
extra inch in each dimension for imprecise specifications.

2) If your motherboard has a cpu power connector on the far left side
(as looking from the connectors side,) your cable might be a bit of a
stretch. That does appear to be the case with your board.

3) There are no external 3.5" bays, so if you have floppy or a
floppy-sized media card reader, you'll have to work out some ugly 5.25"
adapter, or go external.

 

[JR Weiss]

It's time for a new build, and I'd like to keep costs under $400 or
$500. I've made a few selections from NewEgg, and I'll be glad to hear
any comments or suggestions anyone has.

I'll rob the GPU, hard drives and optical drives from this old rig, so
all I need to get is a case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, and power supply.

Here's what I'm thinking about getting from NewEgg. All the choices
where made while trying to balance cost vs performance, while trying
to aim for as much future upgradability as possbile.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45C-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel
Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128364

Buying this MoBo for upgradability at this time is false economy.
You're paying extra for DDR3 compatibility, but it will only run in
dual-channel mode. When you decide to upgrade again, there will be
another CPU with a different socket with 3-channel DDR3 capability
(e.g., i7).

With your recycled components and relatively low-power CPU, you could
do just as well with a GA-EP43-UD3L or GA-EP45-UD3L, at considerable
savings, or a GA-EP45-UD3R if you prefer the heat pipes on the chipset
coolers.

CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz 2MB L2 Cache
LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116093

Use the $$ you save on the MoBo for an E7500 or E7600.

RAM: WINTEC AMPX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2
6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-4096K -
Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161183

Don't choke your system with too little slow RAM! Instead of the CPU
upgrade, Get 4 GB of Patriot DDR2 1066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220426

Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V
SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

A 700W PSU is overkill for the system. Unless you're going to buy a
pair of high-power Crossfire or SLI video cards, you will do fine with
400-500W. Again, save $25 with the 500W version of the same PSU (or
more with the 400W version) and upgrade the CPU. BUT, those OCZ PSUs
don't appear to be 80+ certified, so maybe a PC Power & Cooling
Silencer PPCS420X would be better for the price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703017

I like that the motherboard can handle a large variety of CPUs, and
the fact that it can handle 4 GBs of DDR3 as well. That should give me
a few options down the road when prices drop.

Your only likely major upgrades to this system will be a quad-core CPU
and a bigger video card (if you even need one).

 

[ShadowTek]

Spend a little more on the CPU and get an E8400. It has a 6M cache vs a
2M cache on the 6500.

That looks nice, but it's $168, which is $75 more than the 6500.

 

[ShadowTek]

You're spending a good amount on a crossfire-ready power supply to power
a board that only has one graphics card slot. Hopefully someone will
correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you're buying more than
you'll need.

I just picked a safe range. I could probably go a little lower. I just
want to have a reasonable margin of error.

Even if I
pile on a couple of high rpm sata drives, blu-ray, dvd-rw, 4 fans, 2 pci
cards and 4 usb devices, outvision's power supply calculator comes up
with 312W.
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/

I got 483w when I selected %100 load and %50 capacitor aging, so I guess
I could setting for a 500w PS.

 

[General Schvantzkoph]

That looks nice, but it's $168, which is $75 more than the 6500.

The larger cache makes a big difference on some applications, I'd get a
500W power supply instead of the 700W and spend the money on the CPU.

 

[ShadowTek]

With your recycled components and relatively low-power CPU, you could
do just as well with a GA-EP43-UD3L or GA-EP45-UD3L, at considerable
savings, or a GA-EP45-UD3R if you prefer the heat pipes on the chipset
coolers.

Use the $$ you save on the MoBo for an E7500 or E7600.

I could get one of those MBs and an E7500 for roughly the same price.
That sounds like a better idea.

Don't choke your system with too little slow RAM! Instead of the CPU
upgrade, Get 4 GB of Patriot DDR2 1066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220426

I was hoping to save a little money, but I guess I'll have to get 1066
if I'm going to get any of those 3 boards you mentioned.

Deciding to go with a 500w PSU rather than the 700w should help offset that cost.

Thanks

 

[ShadowTek]

I've considered previous comments and modified the list a bit.

Motherboard & CPU:
GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel
Motherboard - Retail
+
Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz LGA 775 65W
Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7500 - Retail
= $185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.253271

RAM:
Patriot Viper II 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2
1066 (PC2 8500) Desktop Memory w/Futuremark 3DMark Vantage Bundle Model
PV224G8500ELKB - Retail
$69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220426

Power Supply:
BFG Tech GS-550 550W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.8 SLI Ready
CrossFire Ready Power Supply - Retail
$50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702010

Add in the same case that I mentioned before and the grand total,
including taxes and shipping, comes
to $478, minus a $40 mail-in rebate.

How's that look?

 

[JR Weiss]

I've considered previous comments and modified the list a bit.

GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel
Motherboard
+
Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz LGA 775 65W

Patriot Viper II 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2
1066 (PC2 8500)

BFG Tech GS-550 550W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.8 SLI Ready
CrossFire Ready Power Supply - Retail
$50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702010

I'm not familiar with BFG Tech, but why would you NOT get a name-brand
PSU with 80+ certification?

 

[ShadowTek]

I'm not familiar with BFG Tech, but why would you NOT get a name-brand
PSU with 80+ certification?

I read some comments in forums where BFG was referred to being a decent
brand, so I figured it would be ok.

From http://www.bfgtech.com/bfgr550wgspsu.aspx
"BFG’s GS series power supplies feature 80% to 85% typical effciency...."

I'm not sure why they aren't technically "certified", unless they're
just yankin *their* numbers outa their butt.

Anyway, I could spend $10 more and get this instead:
GIGABYTE SUPERB GE-P450P-C2 550W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS Certified
Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817233010

How about that?

 

[Dave C.]

I'm not familiar with BFG Tech, but why would you NOT get a name-brand
PSU with 80+ certification?

You need to get familiar with BFG Tech. They are a top-tier name brand PSU manufacturer. In fact, the ES-800 is probably the best power supply available, in terms of quality, at any price. Don't know about the GS-550, but suspect it is extremely high quality. -Dave

 

[Grinder]

I just picked a safe range. I could probably go a little lower. I just
want to have a reasonable margin of error.


I got 483w when I selected %100 load and %50 capacitor aging, so I guess
I could setting for a 500w PS.

Then maybe I can recommend this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

I know I'm coming off as an Antec fanboi here, but I've had personal
experience with both of these cases and genuinely recommend them.
What's more, I'm a complete bigot on case design: I only like
well-constructed, minimalist design.

I hope you'll come back after your build with some lessons learned.

 

[Grinder]

I just picked a safe range. I could probably go a little lower. I just
want to have a reasonable margin of error.


I got 483w when I selected %100 load and %50 capacitor aging, so I guess
I could setting for a 500w PS.

Then maybe I can recommend this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

I know I'm coming off as an Antec fanboi here, but I've had personal
experience with both of these cases and genuinely recommend them.
What's more, I'm a complete bigot on case design: I only like
well-constructed, minimalist design.

 

[ShadowTek]

Then maybe I can recommend this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

That's a good deal, but I was really wanting a full ATX, and I was also
hoping for PSU fan larger than 80mm.

I'll have to think about it.

Thanks.

 

[Fishface]

That's a good deal, but I was really wanting a full ATX, and I was also
hoping for PSU fan larger than 80mm.

You may be interested in this regarding 120 mm PSU fans:
http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/#m6

 

[JR Weiss]

I read some comments in forums where BFG was referred to being a
decent brand, so I figured it would be ok.

Anyway, I could spend $10 more and get this instead:
GIGABYTE SUPERB GE-P450P-C2 550W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS Certified
Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817233010

How about that?

If you don't want to spend more $$, the PCP&C Silencer 420 should work
fine. I don't know where Gigabyte gets their PSUs, either...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703017

 

[Stefan Patric]

That's a good deal, but I was really wanting a full ATX, and I was also
hoping for PSU fan larger than 80mm.

I'll have to think about it.

Take a look at Rosewill cases.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

I bought one to house my current system I built two years ago. Some models
come with a 120mm fan and room for a couple more with dust filters. Some
models even have a duct to vent the CPU heat directly to the outside.
Very nice.


Stef

 

[ShadowTek]

You may be interested in this regarding 120 mm PSU fans:
http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/#m6

Yeah, that makes sense.