Need to build comp on 600 dollar budget

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nah, i refuse to deal with rebates.

and the system i built is more powerful for only 80 bucks more. considering what i'm getting for the price, its worth the extra 80 bucks.

i'm not necessarily going to overclock it at all. i see that as a last resort. i'm doing it on my current system because i'm going to get a new system relatively soon anyhow. and any performance boost i can get on this thing is worth it.

i won't need to overclock on that new system though. 2.6ghz dual core, 2 gigs of RAM, 160 gig hard drive, 630 watt power supply, and 7600 256mb will get me through my day. and i can upgrade as i go along. i plan on running SLI anyway because i want to add a second 7600 later.

thanks for the thought though.
 
It still is slower because a x1950pro is faster than a 7600gt (and so it is even compared to 7600gt SLI). (7600gt) You are the weakest link, good bye.
 
don't get snarky with me.

the 7600 is a decent card. it will be good enough. and thats all i care about. and with the money i save by going with the 7600, i can get a better processor which beats the crap out of that intel piece of *** you tried to interest me in. everyone knows that better processor equals faster computer. graphics cards don't mean sh*t in terms of speed. they HELP. but they're not ******* everything.

i put plenty of thought into this, and had my list approved by plenty of other people first. you put your list together in 5 minutes just because this was the most recent thread.

and thanks for that original one liner. i guess you think you're real clever.

go *** yourself you *****. i tried to be nice, and thanked you for your effort, and tried to tell you that your list wasn't what i wanted. but that wasn't good enough for you.

i'd appreciate it if you didn't bother me again.

Edited for language.
 
Watch your mouth.

Intel is just plane better, everyone knows it now. AMD was better but they sat on there lures. Move on.
 
i guess thats why you just told me to buy an AMD video card huh?

intel is better, but 2.6 beats 1.8. i don't care HOW good the company is.

yes intel can outperform in a few small areas, but the 5200 can outperform it overall.

and i can't AFFORD to go with a better video card and keep the rest of the parts the same. i'd rather not sacrifice any performance.
 
Ahh, the ATi card is better for the price. Duh. Maybe you should look into that new 5000+ Brisbane Black edition, OOh, unlocked multiplier.
 
hmm....lets think about that. 7600, 78.99. 1950, 200 bucks. hmmm...i wonder which one i'd rather go with for the MONEY.

y'know what?...i'm tired of this.

here's the deal. i'll shutup if you can find me, for the same price or lower, a 512mb x1950 off newegg.com.

oh whoopdidoo. brisbane. you saved me a mighty 10 dollars.

for the extra ten, i'd rather get the 5200 and not have to mess with the multipliers.

i've looked into that already, and i've decided, it aint for me.

"look! i managed to make it get like...70 more Mhz of memory! hahahahaha."

who cares?...its only a MARGINAL performance gain. this is another thing settled by what i feel is good enough for me based off my budget.
 
Ok, what`s going on in here then?

Personal flaming and the use of bad language will not be tolerated.

Any more of this and posts will be deleted and the thread closed.
 
I agree with howard, your flamings are stupid because all you are doing is arguing about Rebates and other stupid ****

Newegg rebates are annoying and take a few months to ship to you, AMD is better then Intel because Intel prices are more expensive then AMD processors, and ATI vs. nVidia is stupid because each have their advantages and disadvantages...

ATI - Cheap prices with really good cards but some can have problems like Overheating

nVidia - More expensive then ATI but the cards are really good and work very well in SLI compared to ATI's CrossFire
 
I'm a great system builder/advisor... if you want I'll advise you via e-mail.
If you're not comfortable giving me your email, just create a new yahoo e-mail soley for this correspondence. My name is Alex and I live in Cali!

Also you can visit me @ my regular forum = HotHardware.com screenname=recoveringknowitall
Cheers and good luck whatever you decide!!!

P.S. Flaming is such a waste of time and so utterly pointless.

UPDATE: $685 will get you this killer rig... I know it's a bit over budget, but well worth it! Try to get it, you won't be sorry!!!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147077 case 17.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817701003 psu 44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136119 dvd 26.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075 hdd 49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128043 mobo 59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103780 cpu 119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130082 gfx 289.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211066 ram 64.99
 
*sigh* i...want to apologize to everyone. i overreacted because i felt attacked, and i have been going through a lot lately. i'm sick too, so i'm not thinking too clearly.

and pcnthuziast, that is quite the list. it definitely looks worth it, but there are a bunch of areas i can save some money on in there. more than likely i WILL want to email you. i could certainly use someone with good system building skills given that this is my first build. look at some of my earlier posts and check the list of stuff i put together. thats not such a bad list either.

there are 4 things off the bat i'm concerned about. the case, the dvd drive, the mobo, and the graphics chip. the case, although it is cheap, doesn't have the kind of cooling i want. i felt like an 80mm alone wasn't good enough. my current computer has like at least two fans and it still overheated at least once. the coolermaster case i picked out aint too shabby, and it comes with both 80mm and 120mm fans. but yeah, the price could use a little tweaking.

i want to skip the dvd drive entirely because i already have one and i want to scavenge it from this computer. saves me the 30 bucks.

and the graphics chip...it seems a little expensive. i found it very hard to put a computer together that had such a chip and keep the price around 600 bucks. given that its an excellent chip and i'd be stupid not to get it, its still just too pricey. i'm not sure if i can shell out quite that much. and the other 8 series cards are outperformed by some of the 7 series cards.

the mobo is...not quite what i want. i want to run SLI at some point. and the mobo i chose is for the same price and has two pci-e 16x slots, and it's still AM2 socket.

more about that through email. you can contact me at ohokenek@mail.usf.edu. PM me or post in here if i don't give you a response within a week because that most likely means my school server filtered you out as spam.

the list has changed and grown cheaper.

cooler master centurion 5 cac-t05-uw black aluminum beel secc chassis atx mid tower computer case-retail item # n82e16811119068
49.99

western digital caviar se wd1600aajs 160gb 7200 rpm sata 3.0Gb/s hard drive -oem item #n82e16822136075
49.99

Open Box: BIOSTAR TForce TF570SLI AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813138059R
54.99

EVGA 256-P2-N541-T2 GeForce 7600GS 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130075
74.99

RAIDMAX RX-630A ATX12V / EPS12V 630W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817152026
99.99

A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K - Retail
Item #: N82E16820211066
64.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADO5000DDBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103780
119.00

the total was 513.94, shipping cost 28.31. all told, 542.25. not bad considering. that stupid video card is giving me hell. i'm going to try to find a better one for hopefully no more than 250 bucks. thoughts on the 8600 gt as a replacement? the total becomes 617.71 with that in its place.
 
Are you allowing for the purchase of an operating system in your budget or do you already have that? If you are planning to use the one from your Dell machine, you could have problems doing so.

BTW, you know that with an open box motherboard you may not get any cables, I/O shield, manual and driver CD. You can download the manual and drivers and you can buy cables if you need any but you'll have to go the motherboard manufacturer to get a I/O shield if you want one.
 
Hey link590, If you want to try and get a different GC take a look at this one that I found. Its only about $153 so its way below want your highest price you could go was.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127284

Its alot faster then the 7600GT and its still SLI capable so if you wanted later you can still go SLI.

Ok here is another that I just found. Tad more expensive but its a little faster than the previous one I put up.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130086
 
hey mailpup. since you were wondering, yeah i've already accounted for that. i'm not running the copy that came with the dell at all anymore anyhow. i have a separate copy of windows xp that i can threw onto this system, and i can throw it onto the new system too. so i'm not too worried about that.

as for the open box mobo...that's a good point. it's kinda tough to find a mobo that has two pci-e 16x slots for a decent price that isn't open box.

sam, it's good to hear from ya. it's been a while. yeah that 8600 was what i was looking at actually. i'm unsure if i should go with it at all. it gets rather expensive. i'm trying to keep the price as low as possible. maybe an earlier 8 series card? like the 8500?

help with finding a non-open box mobo with 2 pci-e 16x slots on the cheap would be greatly appreciated.
 
Ok, I wouldn't go with a 8500. The 7600GT has a core clock anywhere from 560 to 590. The 8500 is anywhere from 450 to 500. So I would say that the 7600GT is a tad better. So if you wanted something that out performs the 7600GT then I would go for the 8600GTS.
Here is a Abit motherboard for $110. It supports SLI and is not open box.
This motherboard supports everything you have so no need to change memory or anything like that.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127236

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131096
This is a ASUS board. It is only $90 so its cheaper then the Abit and its still supports SLI. Nothing needs to be changed in your setup as this board also supports everything you have.
 
the 8600 will sadly have to take the back seat for now. either i stick with the card i chose, or i look for one thats not nvidia brand. i'm not much of an expert on the Radeon cards. that 2900hd certainly looks tempting but thats out of my league at this point.

the cards i would have chosen based off my budget would have been in the following order:

radeon 2900 hd
geforce 8800 512mb
geforce 8600 512
radeon 2600 pro
geforce 7600
radeon 1950.

we can scratch the top three. the bottom three appear to be my choices. so which one is the best?
 
If you wanna save money I would go with the 7600GT. If you went for the x1950PRO then I would just go get a 8606GTS, the 8600GTS is pretty much the same price as the 1950PRO and the 8600GTS has a better core clock. Its pretty much 100 mhz faster. And the memory clock is about 700 mhz faster. So for the price I would get a 8600GTS.

***EDIT**** I accidentally put 7600GTS there at the end, but it ment to be 8600GTS. So its all good now just so you know. :D
 
The list looks pretty good :)

I agree with Mailpup, the Radeon X1950 would be best

radeon 2900 hd
geforce 8800 512mb
geforce 8600 512
radeon 2600 pro

Because these are DX10, only 1-2 games today has DX10 settings and Windows Vista is required to use DX10 in its best, so it's basically a waste of money :haha:
 
It may be a waste of money but you can still use it for things that don't run DX10. (correct me if I am wrong). The x1950PRO and the 8600GTS both are around the same price range. But the 8600GTS has some better specs, SO even though the 8600GTS has the DX10 I still think it would be a better buy becuase of the better specs.
 
hm....it's a rather tough decision. i value performance and quality immensely. but at the same time, i'm very avidly trying to avoid pricey merchandise...totally understandable no matter how you slice it. if i go with the 8600gts, i will DEFINITELY need to raise a minimum of 425 dollars. i have an idea or two of how to get said money. it's all about the method in the madness.

my first option is to wait a few more months until next semester when i can get additional funds. i also plan on selling some merchandise and that will raise the rest of what i need.

the second is i borrow from a friend of mine and offer to pay back the money.

the latter is sounding very very tempting given that i can work out any kinks in terms of the conditions of payment.

that is ALL assuming that i go with the 8600gts as my solution for the graphics. if i go with the 7600, i won't need to raise anywhere near that much, and it'd be much more easily doable through waiting.

BUT, as i said, i value performance, and i have waited long enough for this. sounds like right now, the 8600 is my choice.

my most immediate concern in terms of the price now falls to the power supply. i double checked my case, and my case is a simple ATX. whereas the powersupply i chose is an ATX12V. i have NO idea if that makes a difference or not. either way, i think i was a little bit over zealous with the power supply i chose. given that having a lot isn't a bad thing. but at the price it comes at, i'm not so sure. i'm fairly confident that a 550 watt power supply might do the job, and it saves me a massive 50 bucks over the one i chose. i found a coolmax 550 watt power supply that fits ATX cases and it costs me 49.99. as compared to the 630 watt raidmax that cost 99.99.

is this a good idea? should i really go with the lower psu? i'm fairly confident that the parts i'm buying won't need 630 volts. but this is in my best interests in terms of price. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong. i might not get a second chance if this gets screwed up when i build it. i've found it very difficult to find a higher power supply wattage for a lower price. especially one that fits my case. either i change both the case and psu, or i change the psu.
 
In other words, because the older Radeon X1950 Pro is actually faster, it can deliver more playable rates using higher quality visual settings and therefore will look better in DX9 when compared to a GeForce 8600 GTS running in DX10.
This quote is taken from a TechSpot article, the same TechSpot that hosts this forum. For the complete article click here. The quote is from the last page of the article.

This article was the basis of my recommendation. It is a recent article, dated September 12, 2007. Although the article starts out comparing the Radeon 2600XT and the Geforce 8600GTS, it has an interesting conclusion.
 
*explodes* y'know what?...forget the dang video card for now. i'll be the judge on that little issue when i'm buying it. for now, screw it. what i'm really concerned about right now is the power supply and the case.

it's either that, or i stick with what i picked. which gets rather expensive and i'm trying to cut it back to 600 ish. it's at about 650 with my current layout + shipping.

i asked before and didn't really get a response. my case is ATX only, and the RAIDMAX power supply I chose says its ATX12v. i have no idea if that makes any difference. can someone enlighten me? because if it does make a difference, then my chose psu has to go and a new one has to be picked in its stead.

OR, i change out the box. but that could end up introducing a whole slew of issues. like whether or not my mobo will fit it.

can someone please help me figure out what to do with this and still stick with my budget?
 
If I where you I would go with the coolmax 550 watt power supply that you found. I have no idea if that is in the "good" list but its cheaper and it will work. I got a Rosewill PSU that isn't supposed to be all that good but hey it works great for me. Ok well I don't have any idea about the ATX12v thing, but it should still fit because its ATX the 12v is probably just the voltage I don't think it has anything to do with how it fits in your case, it just has to be an ATX PSU. So I think the one you have should fit, but I would go with the cheaper one.
 
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