Replacement for a six year old PC

Hi. New PC to replace :

Dell 8200,

2.4 Ghz

1GB of ram

6800 128 MB AGP video card

1680x1050 samsung 215TW

XP home.

What do you think?

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S OEM BK

Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2B 1 Pack

Subtotal:$1,353.91

Get this or change parts for: a E6850, GTX and Vista?

Very nice components you have selected there. As muscles stated, go for the quad and the GTX if you can afford it.

EDIT: And yes, go for Vista. Now is the time, seeing as how you're building a new system.

That will be a nice system!

Like everyone else says, if you're gonna get an OS, get Vista.

If you want to spend an extra $140, you can get the MSI 8800GTX clocked at 610/2000 (vs. 575/1800 standard for GTX)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127281

I wouldn't pay the difference to go from E6750 to E6850... you might consider going to the Q6600 and overclock a bit.
A great inexpensive cooler if you want to OC (E6750 or Q6600)is ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

WOW! Thanks for all the feedback! My new list:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775

Subtotal: $1,585.90

Grand Total: $1,775.29

What do you think now?

My budget was $1500, I think I got a bit over, also I never thought about overclocking, maybe I should go down to E6750 and no overclock?

WOW! Thanks for all the feedback! My new list:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775

Subtotal: $1,585.90

Grand Total: $1,775.29

What do you think now?

My budget was $1500, I think I got a bit over, also I never thought about overclocking, maybe I should go down to E6750 and no overclock?

mario7djpr

That setup will own. Hmmm I guess you could go down to a dual core and just overclock that. Games are just starting to support dual cores so that should be good for quite some time now. As for everything else, you're pretty much set. Got to love that case.!

If you get the E6750 you probably won't need the extra cooling because the E6750 overclocks great on stock cooling (up to 3.4 ghz i've heard).

Also, I think you should look into the 2900XT. You have a crossfire motherboard first of all. Also, in many games the 8800 GTX and the 2900XT have very similar performance while the 2900XT remains much cheaper. Its your call though, as the 8800 is cooler and does have significantly better performance in certain games. But for a hundred dollar price difference, its worth it to see if the performance difference seems acceptable.

(if you do take this advice try to look into newer benchmarks that have newer drivers for both cards, older drivers make the cards perform all over the place).

I say you should find an Asus mobo instead... too many bad experiences for me with gigabyte :s

But thats just me.

That computer's had some work done to it if it's using a 6800 card and claims to be six years old.

That being said, your build looks very well thought out indeed, although I'd suggest two things:

1: Unless you're really excited about DDR3 RAM, drop the P35C board, and pick up a regular P35-DS3R or even DS3L if you don't need RAID. Or wait for the X38 chipset, that might also be fun...

2: The Freezer 7 Pro didn't impress me much in terms of cooling performance. It's mighty quiet and admittedly more efficient than the stock cooler, and for the price it's definitely a good deal - but if you're seriously considering overclocking a quad-core processor, something a little higher up the food chain might be in order.

That computer's had some work done to it if it's using a 6800 card and claims to be six years old.

That being said, your build looks very well thought out indeed, although I'd suggest two things:

1: Unless you're really excited about DDR3 RAM, drop the P35C board, and pick up a regular P35-DS3R or even DS3L if you don't need RAID. Or wait for the X38 chipset, that might also be fun...

2: The Freezer 7 Pro didn't impress me much in terms of cooling performance. It's mighty quiet and admittedly more efficient than the stock cooler, and for the price it's definitely a good deal - but if you're seriously considering overclocking a quad-core processor, something a little higher up the food chain might be in order.

RayvinAzn

The 6800 is 3yrs old, but maybe he means his overall setup, which really looks around 5yrs old for everything but the GPU.
9mmSpliff

I wasn't paying much attention to Intel 6 years ago, but it does sound about right - 2.4GHz, that is.

[QUOTE="9mmSpliff"]

The 6800 is 3yrs old, but maybe he means his overall setup, which really looks around 5yrs old for everything but the GPU.
RayvinAzn

I wasn't paying much attention to Intel 6 years ago, but it does sound about right - 2.4GHz, that is.

Yeah i had to google the year :D

WOW! Thanks for all the feedback! My new list:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775

Subtotal: $1,585.90

Grand Total: $1,775.29

What do you think now?

My budget was $1500, I think I got a bit over, also I never thought about overclocking, maybe I should go down to E6750 and no overclock?

mario7djpr

if its for gaming there is no real need for quad core but it will future proof it for a bit longer

If you get the E6750 you probably won't need the extra cooling because the E6750 overclocks great on stock cooling (up to 3.4 ghz i've heard).

Also, I think you should look into the 2900XT. You have a crossfire motherboard first of all. Also, in many games the 8800 GTX and the 2900XT have very similar performance while the 2900XT remains much cheaper. Its your call though, as the 8800 is cooler and does have significantly better performance in certain games. But for a hundred dollar price difference, its worth it to see if the performance difference seems acceptable.

(if you do take this advice try to look into newer benchmarks that have newer drivers for both cards, older drivers make the cards perform all over the place).

shanelevy

Hey thanks for the reply, the board is not for sli, I was thinking in getting only one and the best vid card.

That computer's had some work done to it if it's using a 6800 card and claims to be six years old.

That being said, your build looks very well thought out indeed, although I'd suggest two things:

1: Unless you're really excited about DDR3 RAM, drop the P35C board, and pick up a regular P35-DS3R or even DS3L if you don't need RAID. Or wait for the X38 chipset, that might also be fun...

2: The Freezer 7 Pro didn't impress me much in terms of cooling performance. It's mighty quiet and admittedly more efficient than the stock cooler, and for the price it's definitely a good deal - but if you're seriously considering overclocking a quad-core processor, something a little higher up the food chain might be in order.

RayvinAzn

Oh yeah, I had upgraded from a geforce 4 to the 6800. I think a couple of years ago but it's not much help with the bioshock demo!!!

Q6600 for the E6850 and if youre on 1280x1024 res, then the 320mb 8800gts is more then enough. As for Vista, I have my own opinions and its a preference. Im still an XP user9mmSpliff

I have a 1680x1050 samsung 215TW, and I'am still debating between vista and xp because if I go vista I loose my sanner! The printer would still work, well that's what the vista adviser says.

Dude the 900 pwns the p180. More fans, more lights, and a side panel window for the same price. Anyway, what res are you playing at. The gtx might be overkill.imrlybord7

1680x1050 samsung 215TW

[QUOTE="mario7djpr"]

WOW! Thanks for all the feedback! My new list:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775

Subtotal: $1,585.90

Grand Total: $1,775.29

What do you think now?

My budget was $1500, I think I got a bit over, also I never thought about overclocking, maybe I should go down to E6750 and no overclock?

imprezawrx500

if its for gaming there is no real need for quad core but it will future proof it for a bit longer

It would be for gaming and everything else, well no vid editing and no 3d rendering well for GIMP!

[QUOTE="imprezawrx500"][QUOTE="mario7djpr"]

WOW! Thanks for all the feedback! My new list:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775

Subtotal: $1,585.90

Grand Total: $1,775.29

What do you think now?

My budget was $1500, I think I got a bit over, also I never thought about overclocking, maybe I should go down to E6750 and no overclock?

mario7djpr

if its for gaming there is no real need for quad core but it will future proof it for a bit longer

It would be for gaming and everything else, well no vid editing and no 3d rendering well for GIMP!

That didn't sound right, lets see: the PC would be for everything minus vid editing and 3d rendering, but will use it for GIMP

That computer's had some work done to it if it's using a 6800 card and claims to be six years old.

That being said, your build looks very well thought out indeed, although I'd suggest two things:

1: Unless you're really excited about DDR3 RAM, drop the P35C board, and pick up a regular P35-DS3R or even DS3L if you don't need RAID. Or wait for the X38 chipset, that might also be fun...

2: The Freezer 7 Pro didn't impress me much in terms of cooling performance. It's mighty quiet and admittedly more efficient than the stock cooler, and for the price it's definitely a good deal - but if you're seriously considering overclocking a quad-core processor, something a little higher up the food chain might be in order.

RayvinAzn

I'm thinking about having something to upgrade in the future and never thought about overclocking but you guys give me ideas so I'm still thinking about it.

If I was looking to get a new PC i would look at a Dell or the adjusting of the current system.fred334

Well, thanks for the reply but my current PC can't handle Bioshock so I guess it's end of the line for games on my PC and the problem with Dell is that it's way more expensive. Also I always wanted to build a PC.

If I was looking to get a new PC i would look at a Dell or the adjusting of the current system.fred334

sorry to break it to you but the OP seems to know what he's doing and paying for an overpriced dell is probably not up his alley.

As for that PC, it looks great, and as others have said if you can afford it, the GTX is probably the better choice. As for the CPU, it's really your choice. I'm not really sure when games will really start taking advantage of quad cores (barring crysis, of course), so the decision between the quad and dual core is a tough one. But if the price differential isn't that bad, i'd opt for the quad core.

[QUOTE="fred334"]If I was looking to get a new PC i would look at a Dell or the adjusting of the current system.spierdalaj666

sorry to break it to you but the OP seems to know what he's doing and paying for an overpriced dell is probably not up his alley.

As for that PC, it looks great, and as others have said if you can afford it, the GTX is probably the better choice. As for the CPU, it's really your choice. I'm not really sure when games will really start taking advantage of quad cores (barring crysis, of course), so the decision between the quad and dual core is a tough one. But if the price differential isn't that bad, i'd opt for the quad core.

Hey thanks for the reply! I have a battle within me to go dual or quad and vista or xp. It's tough! I'm thinking in staying dual for now but maybe later qet a better quad, I'm trying to reach my $1500 budget!

[QUOTE="RayvinAzn"]

The Freezer 7 Pro didn't impress me much in terms of cooling performance. It's mighty quiet and admittedly more efficient than the stock cooler, and for the price it's definitely a good deal - but if you're seriously considering overclocking a quad-core processor, something a little higher up the food chain might be in order.

mario7djpr

I'm thinking about having something to upgrade in the future and never thought about overclocking but you guys give me ideas so I'm still thinking about it.

The Freezer 7 Pro is the best you can get for about $20... If you plan to do extreme overclocking, you can spend $50 - $250+ on CPU cooling... but if you are gonna spendtoo much on cooling, you might as well get a better processor.

If you get the Q6600 with G0 stepping, you should be able to easilygo up to QX6850 speed (or faster) on stock cooling... The Freezer 7 Pro just makes that a little safer/cooler/quieter for $20.

WOW! Thanks for all the feedback! My new list:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775

Subtotal: $1,585.90

Grand Total: $1,775.29

What do you think now?

My budget was $1500, I think I got a bit over, also I never thought about overclocking, maybe I should go down to E6750 and no overclock?

mario7djpr

Good system. You might also want to look at the Abit IP35 Pro, which has a really nice setup. The Nine Hundred is a great looking case, I am looking at picking it up to replace my old Sonata II porbably in November or December when I jump from a 3700+ to an Opteron 185 to give some extra life to my system. Home Premium seems to be a good choice for an OS. Although, I'm not sure about how well it works for gaming. I would stick with WinXP Pro until they bring out the first System Pack for Vista.

Hey thanks for the reply! I have a battle within me to go dual or quad and vista or xp. It's tough! I'm thinking in staying dual for now but maybe later qet a better quad, I'm trying to reach my $1500 budget!

mario7djpr

You could save a bit more if you shop around... I put together a similar list from NCIX with some minor differences (Corsair 620 instead of 520, LG/WD/OCZ/BFG instead of LiteOn/Seagate/Crucial/EVGA)

Price Part # Description

$130.72 24650 Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R ATX LGA775 Conroe P35 DDR2 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 SATA RAID Sound GBLAN Motherboard

$274.08 22211 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box
Limit to 20 per customer.

$100.50 21123 Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio

$506.01 22315 BFG GeForce 8800GTX OC 600MHZ 768MB 1.8GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out HDCP DIRECTX10 Video Card

Add to cart as options with BFG card to get sale prices

$0.00 19612 Dark Messiah of Might And Magic (PC)

$93.26 22437 Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 32BIT DVD OEMNCIX Special Offers

$95.87 19337 OCZ Platinum XTC REV.2 PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
-$40 Mail-in Rebate

$142.74 19831 Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX Triple 12V 50A 24PIN ATX Modular Power Supply 120MM Fan 2X PCI-E
-$30 Mail-in Rebate
Limit to 1 per customer.

$34.96 24533 LG GSA-H62L Black SATA DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 DL 10X Lightscribe OEM DVD Writer W/ SW

$79.13 22979 Western Digital SE16 320GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS Hard Drive OEM 3 Year MFR Warranty

$22.24 17225 Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro LGA775 2500RPM 45CFM

Subtotal $1,479.51

- $70 Mail-in Rebates

Just over $1,400 plus shipping and taxes (if applicable)

You could also save another $40 if you go with Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L instead of GA-P35-DS3R... assuming you don't need RAID or more than 4 SATA drives.

[QUOTE="mario7djpr"]

Hey thanks for the reply! I have a battle within me to go dual or quad and vista or xp. It's tough! I'm thinking in staying dual for now but maybe later qet a better quad, I'm trying to reach my $1500 budget!

IAM-CA

You could save a bit more if you shop around... I put together a similar list from NCIX with some minor differences (Corsair 620 instead of 520, LG/WD/OCZ/BFG instead of LiteOn/Seagate/Crucial/EVGA)

Price Part # Description

$130.72 24650 Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R ATX LGA775 Conroe P35 DDR2 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 SATA RAID Sound GBLAN Motherboard

$274.08 22211 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box
Limit to 20 per customer.

$100.50 21123 Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio

$506.01 22315 BFG GeForce 8800GTX OC 600MHZ 768MB 1.8GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out HDCP DIRECTX10 Video Card

Add to cart as options with BFG card to get sale prices

$0.00 19612 Dark Messiah of Might And Magic (PC)

$93.26 22437 Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 32BIT DVD OEMNCIX Special Offers

$95.87 19337 OCZ Platinum XTC REV.2 PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
-$40 Mail-in Rebate

$142.74 19831 Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX Triple 12V 50A 24PIN ATX Modular Power Supply 120MM Fan 2X PCI-E
-$30 Mail-in Rebate
Limit to 1 per customer.

$34.96 24533 LG GSA-H62L Black SATA DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 DL 10X Lightscribe OEM DVD Writer W/ SW

$79.13 22979 Western Digital SE16 320GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS Hard Drive OEM 3 Year MFR Warranty

$22.24 17225 Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro LGA775 2500RPM 45CFM

Subtotal $1,479.51

- $70 Mail-in Rebates

Just over $1,400 plus shipping and taxes (if applicable)

You could also save another $40 if you go with Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L instead of GA-P35-DS3R... assuming you don't need RAID or more than 4 SATA drives.

WOW!!! Thanks!! Will check it out!