Computer build.. Need help finding the right parts.

[ryan29121]

Alright I'm building a computer for a guy and I need some suggestions on what to get. He has an old computer currently but wants me to build him a better one for gaming. He primarily plays Everquest but wants to be able to play some of the newer games such as Bioshock. His budget is around $400-500. Considering it is extremely hard to build a computer for that amount of money I would say that he could use some of his parts off his old computer to save on some money. I think that his case, HDD, and DVD drive are re-usable. I compiled a list of parts but I am in need of some more suggestions that would give me the best bang for the buck. Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.

GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128014
XFX GeForce 8600GT XXX 256MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150229
Rosewill RP550-2 ATX12V v2.01 550W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182017
G.SKILL 2GB DDR800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 2.8GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103242
ARCTIC COOLING ALPINE64 92mm CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186010

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

I'd drop that PSU and run with the ELT400AWT.

If you did that, you'd still be under the cap by about $180. If he's willing to spend the full $500, I'd either build around the Core 2 Duo or drop the 8600GT for the 8800GT.

Core 2 Duo Replacements:

GA-P35-DS3L
E6600
Crucial Ballistix 2 x 1024MB / DDR2 1066MHz

You'd still beat the cap by roughly $30.

8800GT Replacement:

EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR

Still enough left over for a nice lunch on him (roughly $50ish).

 

[fairytale00]

For the 8800GT replacement, I know a deal on the MSI CA9654059 video card is $188.

 

[ryan29121]

Those parts together with the PSU equal roughly $725. Little too high for his budget. Also do you think that 400w PSU will be enough to power everything with enough for minor upgrades in the future?

 

[sghiznaneck]

As far as psu's go, it's better to purchase a higher rated unit. Even though a lower one will do the trick, it gives you head room down the road, let alone when the cpu is under load. I'd go with at least a 700 watt dual rail psu. Stick to the big names like Antec, XFX, OCZ, Thermaltake or Ultra.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

The ELT400AWT has 40A on the 12v rail and is more than capable of powering the hardware you are looking at.

Hmm, I think I added wrong initially because you've only got $100-120 to work with, not $180 as I said. Truly sorry about that, I was distracted at work when I posted.

I wasn't suggesting to build around the Core 2 Duo and get the 8800GT. I think the Core 2 Duo based system I suggested (with the 8600GT) is around $550, not $750, unless I am still leaving stuff out haha . You could still build around the Core 2 Duo and be around the max budget if you went with the E6420 but based on some of the benchmarks I have looked at, the CPU that you have chosen scores better.

That said, I would just go with the ELT400AWT, the 9600GT instead of the 8600GT along with the rest of the components you have chosen. That should put you at around $470-475 before shipping, assuming I didn't mess up this time around .

*Edit*

No, sghiznaneck he does not need a 700w PSU.

 

[ryan29121]

any extremely cheap CPU cooler I could get for it? He doesn't plan to overclock at all so nothing too fancy.

Also I am building this computer for a job so its not someone I really know. Whats a customary price to charge for a computer build? $75? $100?

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

I'd spend the extra $10 and go with something like the "ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro" or "Scythe SCKTN-2000".

*Edit*

Meh, based on the reviews at Newegg of the heatsink you initially chose, it should be ample for you if you're going to run the CPU at stock. Scratch what I said .

I don't really charge a flat rate. It varies between people and situations. Usually I just leave it up to them and they are more than generous. They'll usually give me more than I was going to ask for.

There are times when I know I won't be getting what I want for for time and effort I've put into a situation and I will quote prices that are 10% higher than Newegg.

 

[ryan29121]

The CPU cooler that I originally selected mentioned in the specifications that it only supported up to AMD 5000+. Since the CPU that i am thinking of getting is a 5400+ will that cooler still work?

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Obviously I can't predict how well it will cool for you , however, based on reviews, users claim to be using it with CPU's that are rated for higher clock frequencies than the 5400+.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16835186010

 

[ryan29121]

great thanks again for all your help. Any other recommendations?

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Not off the top of my head, no . No problem at all and good luck with the build .

 

[ryan29121]

Great. Thanks for all your help.

 

[ryan29121]

One more question that I came across. I only recently started to get involved with computer building so I am not too familiar with the older parts. The motherboard that I selected only appears to have one IDE connector. I will be re-using some of his old parts such as his DVD drive and HDD both of which are IDE. Will I be able to connect these with only one IDE connector on the motherboard? I know that multiple hard drives or multiple disc drives can share a single cable in a master / slave array but I wasn't sure about one disc drive and one HDD. Will this work?

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

You can indeed use them both on the same ATA cable, just make sure your HDD is the Master.

I generally don't recommend it because you might slow data transfers to the HDD down a bit, though, I'm not precisely sure how significant or how noticeable it would be.

 

[ryan29121]

Alright I figured it would work like that. I guess I can always get a SATA DVD drive. They are only about $30.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

You can get a PCI PATA controller card for less than that if you're interested .