Budget Build for $500 css, cod4 etc Happy New year!

[GLeN]

Well, instead of getting my q6600 build for xmas, i got a hdtv 26" for my bedroom so im still very very grateful and pleased, I couldnt get it because my mum didnt know what components to get me and where and how etc:laugh: so more mistakes on my part.

Anyways i got a good bit of money for xmas around 500$usd
I decided to get a build for the mean time,then if i want to upgrade I can
I want to put in componets such as the case and maybe mobo that i will keep in my uber build(q6600,8800gt) but can use for the mean time.
I want this to handle css,bf2 and cod4 if possible, office 2007 and photoshop :D
Anyone fancy putting together a rig? Would i be able to put in 2gigs of crucical ballistix or go for another set of ram?

So:
cpu
gfx
ram
mobo
hdd
psu

Happy new year and hope you all had a merry christmas! What did you all get?:toast:

[Irish_PXzyan]

My got a PS3 :D merry Xmas to you boyo!

I bagged some cash also!! I will be spending 500 - 600 Euros mid janurary :D happy buying man!!!

[JrRacinFan]

Like you said Crucial ballistix, Patriot is good ram too. A decent p35 board (Gigabyte/Asus/DFI BloodIron). You may not have the money for an 8800GT so go with something like maybe an 8600GT/HD2600xt, you never know an HD3850 may even be good enough to hold you over.

What monitor are you using?
How low are you willing to go for a processor? Maybe e4x00/e2xx0.

I know I am one to talk but don't slack on power supply, that and the motherboard are the 2 most important parts.

[JC316]

Gigabyte DS3L
E2160
2 gigs DDR2 800
HD3850

That is what I recommended for my friend when he asked for a sub $500 computer.

[GLeN]

My got a PS3 :D merry Xmas to you boyo!

I bagged some cash also!! I will be spending 500 - 600 Euros mid janurary :D happy buying man!!!

my bro got a ps3 too :D It didnt came with a hdmi cable though, cant wait to see what resistance is like in hd!!

[marsey99]

^^^ i'd go with that like jc said, get 2gb of ballistix and a good cpu cooler and overclock the nuts off it.

[Irish_PXzyan]

my bro got a ps3 too :D It didnt came with a hdmi cable though, cant wait to see what resistance is like in hd!!

Yea its the same with me :( the only thing is..I dont have a HDTV :p iam buying one soon! cant wait to see Resistance:FOM run on HD either :toast:

Good luck with your new build ;)

[GLeN]

Like you said Crucial ballistix, Patriot is good ram too. A decent p35 board (Gigabyte/Asus/DFI BloodIron). You may not have the money for an 8800GT so go with something like maybe an 8600GT/HD2600xt, you never know an HD3850 may even be good enough to hold you over.

What monitor are you using?
How low are you willing to go for a processor? Maybe e4x00/e2xx0.

I know I am one to talk but don't slack on power supply, that and the motherboard are the 2 most important parts.

I will use my 26hdtv for laughs, its optimum res is 1340:768 or close that or i can use a 17 inch 1024 768.

Im not sure how low, i want a fast one lol amm anything that can hold up with games like css bf2 cod4. other than games, converting movies, internet photoshop. This is the main things i will be using. I may be able to get another 200$ in january though.

So around 700$usd would be my absolute max for the mean time. hopefully that gives me room to breath. I hear there is a dual core that is cheap but can overclock better than the top of line? e6750? Just firing out random names here because im alittle tired from eating so much :rockout:

[Random Murderer]

jc316's suggestion is actually a damn nice rig if you clock the processor.

[wiak]

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ also cheap
4GB DDR2 cheap to!
Radeon 3850 or 3870 also cheap to

;)
radeon 3870/3850 both have UVD so you can play hd dvd and blu-ray when you get them ;)
good performace in games to!

[Random Murderer]

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ also cheap
4GB DDR2 cheap to!
Radeon 3850 or 3870 also cheap to

;)
radeon 3870/3850 both have UVD so you can play hd dvd and blu-ray when you get them ;)
good performace in games to!

he's going q6600 in the future, so a socket 775 rig is what's in order.;)

[GLeN]

Gigabyte DS3L
E2160
2 gigs DDR2 800
HD3850

That is what I recommended for my friend when he asked for a sub $500 computer.

Im hearing that the e2160 is an overclockin monster!, Half the price of the e6750 but when ocd to 3.2 it beats it :laugh:

What fan would i have to buy to get it to 3.2ghz? The price allows me to get a good one. I dont want water cooling though.

As with the gfx card, i looked at its benchmarks and decided to go for a 8800gt instead, I will be able to spend a bit more for it :rockout:

Ah this is getting exciting now, went to pcworld today and nearly got convinced by the low prices but caught myself and now I know what i want :D.

EDIT: Would that Gigabyte DS3L mobo allow me to oc the cpu to 3.2ghz 1333mhz fsb(Not sure about fsb numbers) without limiting the ram or anypart of the system?

From the GIGABYTE site: GA-P31-DS3L

* Because of chipset limitations, do not populate both DIMM sockets of the same channel (e.g. DDRII1 and DDRII2), or populate 4 DIMM sockets with double-sided memory modules to prevent system's failure to start or incorrect detection of memory modules. Please refer to the user manual for the memory configurations table.

* Because of chipset limitations, when using FSB 1333 MHz CPU with populating all DIMM sockets, memory frequency will be reduced from the original, and system instability or incorrect detection of memory module may be occur.
Please refer "Memory Support List" for memory support information.


OR go for the p35 chipset?

[Duxx]

p35. All of the e2xxx series are mosters when you OC them, the e2200 has a multiplier of 11, 10 for e2180, 9 for 2160, and 8 for the 2140, so the higher you go, easier it is to OC to the suggested settings. Im getting the e2200 and hoping to OC it to at least 4.4 with a 400 fsb and then getting the new quads in march. It should hold me over fine. :)

[Paulieg]

Gigabyte DS3L
E2160
2 gigs DDR2 800
HD3850

That is what I recommended for my friend when he asked for a sub $500 computer.

This is a good sub $500 budget build. I wouldn't buy ballistix. If you want good overclocking memory on the cheap, try Super Talent. They have a set of DDR2 800 Micron D9's for $51. I've got these, and they clock as well as my Ballistix and run 900, 4-4-3-7 at 2.1v. With 5-5-5-15 timings, I've had them up over 1100mhz with 4 sticks.

[FatForester]

Yea, definitely go for the P35. There's plenty of vendors out there, but the most consistent brands are Asus and Gigabyte. Any P35 mobo from them will definitely treat ya good. For CPU, go for the e2180 for the higher multiplier. Mine goes up to 2.8 on stock, and with my Zalman 9500 it idles at 20 C and I've never seen it break 30 C on full load. You could get away with using the stock, but if you're going to go with a Q6600 or Penryn in the future, then a good cooler is a must. There's plenty of choices out there, but for the price / performance, I went with the Zalman 9500 since it's only ~45 bucks here in the States.

[GLeN]

The E2200 is only 10$ more than the e2160, so would it give me better results? stock and overclock?

So those sticks over the ballistx? Are they not dodgy, the name seems dodgy. what are they like for gamin?

oh what about these http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=T800UX4GC5 4gig set :D I know windows only runs 3gigs but surely these are as good as the 2 gig set

[FatForester]

The e2200 would give you better results since it's 600 mhz faster than the e2140, and has more overclocking headroom because of its higher multiplier.

The Ballistix are over-rated. They start out at 2.2volts, so you don't have much thermal headroom at all in terms of overclocking. Those SuperTalent are good, and I've been quite happy so far with my G.Skill.

[newtekie1]

Super-Talent makes good RAM, they are new to the business. They only really became popular this year, but they do make good stuff.

[Paulieg]

The e2200 would give you better results since it's 600 mhz faster than the e2140, and has more overclocking headroom because of its higher multiplier.

The Ballistix are over-rated. They start out at 2.2volts, so you don't have much thermal headroom at all in terms of overclocking. Those SuperTalent are good, and I've been quite happy so far with my G.Skill.

I've got a e2180 for sale. It's only been used as a "in between" chip for about two weeks. $65 shipped.

[GLeN]

Thanks I got this rig sorted very quick, as for paul ill get back to you about that sale. Thanks everyone


So now Im on to the psu, i need a reliable one as the last one i had went on fire and ruined my pc :(
it will need to power

Dual core e2200
2/4gig of supertalent ram
xfx 8800gt
gigabyte mobo
500gig hdd

[Paulieg]

Any psu from PC Power and Cooling, Corsair, Silverstone or OCZ will do. I'm partial to Corsair, as my HX620 had the most stable rails I've ever seen.

[GLeN]

Suppose this would power the rig nicely?

Which one :D

Cosair Vx550w http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132563
Cosair hx520w http://www.ebuyer.com/product/114945

After this psu is sorted the rig is complete and ready to buy :D:D:D:D

Oh and Can someone give me a link to ram? Either super talent ram talked about eariler or similar ram :P Cheers

[keakar]

go with the Cosair Vx550w http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132563

this psu is better than the other one that is trying to do too much with being modular and having 3 rails it doesnt have the dependability or reliable clean power supply to your components that this one will have.

a link to ram: OCZ 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Memory Gold GX XTC CL5 DUAL CHANNEL £45.99
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/114728

[B1gg3stN00b]

Powercolor Radeon2600XT
AMD Athlon X2 6000+
A-Data RAM
Gigabyte mobo.
Cheap case with cheap power supply.
Cheap DVD burner
WD HDD of sorts.
Doesn't take much to support those games.

I get 100fps on BF2 maxed, about 140 with CS:S/DOD:S with overclocking on my 2600XT.

[BloodTotal]

Cheap case with cheap power supply.

you need at least somekind of case with somekind of airflow or something. Maybe the case will be 20$ more but its a good investment, unless you plan to upgrade cases.

[suraswami]

Powercolor Radeon2600XT
AMD Athlon X2 6000+
A-Data RAM
Gigabyte mobo.
Cheap case with cheap power supply.
Cheap DVD burner
WD HDD of sorts.
Doesn't take much to support those games.

I get 100fps on BF2 maxed, about 140 with CS:S/DOD:S with overclocking on my 2600XT.

Case and PSU - always buy a decent one. Don't be stingy on this. Cheap PSUs will one day bring you big expense. I had many cheap ones. One literally burnt luckily all parts are intact.

[GLeN]

Well my ideas got outa hand and the build pretty much became the q6600 build i was wantin except no q6600, So ill look into gfx cards since a 8800gt is now outta the agenda and this is the case Coolermaster elite 330 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127584. or the coolermaster cm690 Dominator http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131551

That ocz ram kit looks nice, but i can get crucical ballistix 2gig same 800mhz for a little dearer http://www.ebuyer.com/product/119273, is it worth it? I going by my friend who lives by this ram so he may be a little bit biased :O

One more thing, I know the mobo that i want but there seems to be two varities, the Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R which claims to support ddr3 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131173/show_product_specifications and the GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R that doesnt. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128050

Which one should i get? the ddr3 compatible is only 10£ dearer for me and comes from the uk

[calvary1980]

E2180 with an Arctic Freezer Pro 7.
GA-P35-DS3L
Geil 2x1 Oranges
Corsair 450VX
ATI 2600XT

* CM Centurion 5
* Hitatchi Deskstar 7K160

DDR2 isn't going anywhere.

- Christine

[calvary1980]

one more thing. im not familiar with EU computer stores but the eBuyer place doesn't have Geil memory or the E2180 so you can go with E2160 and the Crucial Ballistix 1GB kit.

- Christine

[GLeN]

Im using ebuyer and newegg, So i can try to get the best off both :D

Is this the ram you are talking about

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-058-GL

So far i got:
cpu e2200
Psu vx550 cosair
ram either ocz 2gig or crucial 2 gig
vid card hd3850
mobo gigabyte p35dsr
case cm690
hdd Western Digital WD3200AAKS 320GB SATAII 16MB

[calvary1980]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144062 (GX22GB6400UDCA=) this is the model, they use the Micron D9 Chipset and they are so cheap I would try to get 4 gigs of this or 2 gigs of Crucial Ballistix. OCZ PC-7200 and above uses Micron D9 so don't purchase any OCZ kit under that. The Geil kit you posted uses Elpida, if you can't order from newegg try googling the model number GX22GB6400UDCA= and look for a store in the UK.

- Christine

[GLeN]

Why 4gigs? are they have as good as the ballistix? Would 2 gigs run everything.

They are cheap so I will be able to get 4 gigs but just wanted to know why.

thanks christine, you got the same name as my sister :toast:

[calvary1980]

Ballistix are $49 After Rebate, Geil are $36 After Rebate. Two 2x1GB Geil Kits (4GB) would be cheaper than a standard 2x2GB (4GB) Gig kit. Head to Head the Ballistix Kit will slightly overclock more than the Geil. if you want you can purchase Two 2x1GB Ballistix Kits but I always try to look for gem stones, bang for buck. I would be happy to have 2 or 4 gigs of either brand of memory.

- Christine

[GLeN]

Yeh im looking for best bang for buck :D I prefer the the geil now, since the reviews are brilliant and they are cheaper, I dont think i would lose much sleep over less overclockin ability haha

Cheers christine :toast:

edit: what is rebate? i see that you get money off, my aunti will be purchasing this stuff for me and it will be delivered to her house in minnesota, then she'll send it over by post to me here inthe uk. This rebate thing could be give for her haha

[trog100]

p35. All of the e2xxx series are mosters when you OC them, the e2200 has a multiplier of 11, 10 for e2180, 9 for 2160, and 8 for the 2140, so the higher you go, easier it is to OC to the suggested settings. Im getting the e2200 and hoping to OC it to at least 4.4 with a 400 fsb and then getting the new quads in march. It should hold me over fine. :)

with the cheapo duo at 4.4 gig u might not want a quad.. ;)

trog

[calvary1980]

you pay the full $66.99 usd and newegg sends you the box, you print this out http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/GeIL20-144-062Dec20Dec3107ll97.pdf fill it out and Geil will send you a cheque for $30, better be quick because the rebate is only good until Dec 31st.

you might be better off purchasing the Ballistix because the Geil rebate will be dead Jan 1st.

- Christine

[GLeN]

I decided to gowith 2gigs of geil ram for the mean time(Money is tight atm) so then after a month ill get 4 gigs!

Ill post up the all together build and see what you all think :D

edit:saw your post, ahh thats ok, can you post up the ballistix ram please :D

your a great help many thanks

[calvary1980]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565
http://images10.newegg.com/UploadFilesForNewegg/rebate/SH/Crucial5MIRsDec2107Jan0408cd12.pdf

don't worry if you miss the crucial rebate, last 4 months or so, each beginning of the month this kit gets a new one.

- Christine

[GLeN]

Have a look here at the finished product!! Thanks everyone!!
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=48156