Looking to build a custom computer

[sw123]

Hello

I am lookong for a possible new Gaming computer and I need some parts to go with them. I will give my old emachine to my dad(who needs a newer omputer anyway) and I have a budget of around $500-$700 with Shipping and Handling. I have a basic layout here:

POWMAX CP0327PL-4 Window Black/Silver SGCC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W Power Supply - Retail

ATI 100-437601 Radeon X1300PRO 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Ready Video Card - Retail

SABRENT SBT-SP6C 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16829130001

Intel BOXD946GZISSL LGA 775 Intel 946GZ Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail

Western Digital Caviar WD1200BB 120GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM

LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model LH-16W1P-364 - Retail
Item #: N82E16827106075

Comes to about $600 Is there anything I can fix with that? To make it cheaper? I'm basically KotOR and WoW guy, not much there. Should be a vast improvement over my emachine.

Thanks guys!

sw123

 

[twite]

forgot the memory. Get a cheaper Cpu, and upgrade that vid card to at least a 7600.

 

[beef_jerky4104]

And I hope your not using the power supply with that case. All POWMAX PSUs suck. Trust me, I bought two and well they both died in under a month.

Also maybe you should think AMD, and go with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane. Which is under $70 and offers great performance and overclocking. And perhaps a Biostar TForce motherboard. (Lol to close to my specs now...)

For your RAM just get some Corsair Value Select 1GB (512MB x2) DDR2-667 RAM. (Under $40.)

 

[twite]

Stick with Core 2 duos. I would say either the e6300, 4400, or 4300. And yeah, your gonna want a different psu. BTW you also forgot windows! (unless your planning on using linux)

 

[beef_jerky4104]

He may already have a copy and plans to use it more than once.

(And twite for some reason I feel offended and want to flame you. Hmm. Or even better and dunk over you!)

Yay Basketball.

 

[twite]

You feel offended b/c you are recommending a cpu from the 18th century? Remember, he wants an upgrade.

And yeah, i would ball you up.

 

[beef_jerky4104]

I disagree. AMD makes awesome CPUs. Not to mention that I can overclock my 1.91GHz CPU up to 2.5GHz with easy.

 

[twite]

Need i say anymore?? The E6300 blows away the 4200+, i can only imagine it against a wimpy 3600+

 

[beef_jerky4104]

Amazing! A $164 CPU can beet a $59 CPU! Wow, you were able to predict this? That is impossible, who could tell that something cheap would be beaten by something expensive!

 

[twite]

Hey!..i' m not the one that recommended it!

I'm sorry i don't recommend people low quality parts! While your buying your 3600+, why don't you just go ahead and pick up a copy of millennium to run it!

 

[beef_jerky4104]

Come on twite, be serious. A dual core should operate, and game fine. And they're not low quality. They are lower performance parts that offer solid performance that may not be high end but are not crappy.

Like a Suxeron D (Celeron) or Sempron...

 

[twite]

It will, but if he has the money to get a better cpu..then why not??? Also socket 775 has more upgrading potential then am2

I feel that upgrading means getting the newest technology. Why get a cpu that was a low end cpu 1 year ago?

They are lower performance parts that offer solid performance that may not be high end but are not crappy.

low quality wasn't the right words.

 

[beef_jerky4104]

Yes, why not save money anyway and get a awesome RIG either way?

 

[twite]

I don't see how you would save money, because that just means less time before you have to upgrade again.

 

[beef_jerky4104]

Not for mid-range PCs. They last until new tech is released.

Also the AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane was released less that 12 months ago.

And when sw123 gets back in here he's gonna laugh hard!

 

[twite]

I see what is happening


Another AMD vs. Intel fight.

These tend to get closed.

As you said in the other thread, lets leave it at this.

 

[beef_jerky4104]

Yeah I hate stupid AMD vs. Intel threads. They both had their good moments, Intels is right now.

 

[twite]

Yeah..

The only thing is that when AMD shines it won't be on an am2 board.

 

[beef_jerky4104]

Hopefully it will be on the AM3 boards. Since AM2+ should be out soon, or is it already out?

 

[twite]

Should be out soon. Am2+ really isn't anything big, kind of a transition board to the AM3.

 

[beef_jerky4104]

The thing that hurt me is that you made me regret buying my computer. And the worst thing in life is regret.

 

[Draetor24]

While the Intel C2D is superior to AMD's X2 line, this guy seems to be on a strict budget.

It would be more beneficial to him to use the money difference on the X2 to C2D on a video card upgrade, as that is the primary component for gaming performance, and that seems to be what he wants it for.

Like someone mentioned earlier, upgrade your vid card and cheap out on the CPU. A 3600+ will not give you the performance of a C2D, but it will run a 7600 fine.

 

[vnf4ultra]

To the OP, get a e6420 instead, it's the same price, but double the cache. Or get a e6320 for less money, but still the 4mb cache.

I've used that intel board and I think it's a piece of $}{17.
(it has only 2 ram slots, is matx, only 1 ide connector, no oc'ing/crappy bios, crappy chipset, no southbridge cooler, and huge caps on the board that aren't mounted properly.)
Here're three decent boards that are still pretty cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128017
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128042

Don't get a powmax psu, get a fsp if you have a low budget, or get a cheap antec case w/ psu.

Get a sata HD, preferably with 8 or 16mb cache.

Also, you can get much faster video cards for the same money.

Sorry to tear the whole build apart.

If I was doing the build, this is what I'd get:

Core 2 Duo E6320 Conroe 1.86GHz 4M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115015
---OR---
Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115013

MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231114

XFX GeForce 8600GT 256MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150230

Antec NSK 4400 Black ATX Case 380W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129012

Caviar SE 120GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822144414

Optiarc Black 18X DVD+R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827131047

Slightly over max budget w/ e6320, slightly under w/ e4300

 

[twite]

Thats legit. Remember we don't know if he has windows though.