C2D system

[Steevo]

Budget of $1000 for cheap black case system. No OS needed.

I prefer the Sonata II w 450W PSU.


But two gigs of RAM.
Core 2 Duo
Mobo
RAID capable



I came up with a system for around $900 with a X1650Pro (remember this is just office use, but with alot of windows open and alot of tasks running).



I found a E6600 and a Asus board, but I would also like to OC it and run F@H and as it is MY machine at work I can do what I want to it.




Suggestions?

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

So F@H is the most intensive process? Then I would go for a E6400, clock it up higher. E6600 is overkill.

 

[Steevo]

No, I can bring a PC at work to its knees with all the shit I have to do. It is why they ask no questions and pay me well.



Two or three parts books @ 40-70MB each, two or three adobe windows open totaling over 100MB of resources, three or more as/400 windows but with minimal footprint, I also combine adobe files and that takes shitloads of resources.

 

[Wile E]

I say get one of the new p35 boards, and with all that multitasking, why not a quad?

 

[Steevo]

XP Pro only supports two processors.


And Client Access for the e-series server is flaky on Vista from what I have heard, and doesn't like even dual core machines or HT, you have to force affinity. Haven't had a chance to try it, but other software is XP bound currently.

 

[Wile E]

XP Pro only supports two processors.


And Client Access for the e-series server is flaky on Vista from what I have heard, and doesn't like even dual core machines or HT, you have to force affinity. Haven't had a chance to try it, but other software is XP bound currently.

XP Pro supports 2 physical cpu's. As in- what you actually put in the socket, counts as 1 cpu. The number of cores doesn't matter at all. You can run 2 Quads on XP Pro. Hell, if someone made a 1000 core cpu, you could run 2 of those.

As far as setting affinity, you'll have to do it with a dual core anyway, so it wouldn't be any different for the quad.

 

[Steevo]

Still in the price range of less than $300?

 

[bruins004]

Hey man
Take a look at this thread http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=30822

I would say that a C2D system would be your best bet.
If you can wait 2 months (there are some nice price drops where you can get a better C2D or a Quad core).
I would suggest looking at a 680i mobo too.

 

[Wile E]

Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot the E6600 dropped in price so much.

How soon do you need to build? Supposed price cuts are coming in July, putting a quad in your range.

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=31180

 

[Steevo]

2nd day air ordered tomorrow.



It died last wed. but I was behind and told not to do anything until I got back tomorrow. I left thrusday at noon and just go t back late last night, and today was a paid holiday. So I did nothing besides drink beer, water the lawn (then it rained) and relax.



CASE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129155

MOBO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131048

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115003

COOLING
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144046

VIDEO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814241053



A lite-on DVD-R, standard floppy, better UPS, and I will see if I can swing a 21 or 22" LCD.

 

[Wile E]

A 965 board would be better for overclocking, if that's a priority.

 

[Steevo]

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129155
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$99.99
1

BenQ FP202W Black 20.1" 8ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824014105
Return Policy: [LCD] Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

-$20.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate

$239.99
$219.99
1

HIS Hightech H165Q256N-R Radeon X1650 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 IceQ Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814161084
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$84.99
1

LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model LH-16D1P-187 - Retail
Item #: N82E16827106066
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$17.99
1

BELKIN Enterprise F6C900-UNV 900VA 540 W UPS - Retail
Item #: N82E16842101219
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$5.00 Instant

$99.99
$94.99
1

mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996527 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820146118
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$99.99
1

ASUS P5B LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131030
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$119.99
1

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115003
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy


$224.90
1

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835186134
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$34.99
Subtotal: $997.82



Better?

 

[Mussels]

x1650 - PRO or XT? XT is a lot faster than the PRO.

ASUS P5B - i have the P5B-E, feel free to PM me if you run into setup troubles with it.

Freezer 7 PRO - while better than stock, i dont think you'll OC too high on that - maybe 3.0 - 3.2Ghz at most.

 

[Steevo]

Not looking for a huge gain.



Mostly want the ATI as my system at home seems WAY more stable than the crappy nvidia that is in a few of the IBM's at work with handling adobe and 12-16 open windows being tossed around. Not for gaming.

 

[bruins004]

Dude did you look at that guide I linked.
It would of have shown you that you could get an X1650XT for cheaper than what your getting your X1650 PRO for.
Also, you could do better with that RAM.
Go to buy.com and look at the Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 2GB Kit (it is like $10 cheaper)
With that Geil crap, you wont be able to OC much.

Also, where is your PSU.
DO NOT USE THE SMARTPOWER THAT COMES WITH THE CASE.
SmartPower PSUs are horrible and Antec PSUs dont last long anymore.
Do yourself a favor and look at the guide and do some research.
It will def. save you headaches.

Also, for the mobo take a look at the Gigabyte DS3, its a great board

As for the cooler and CPU, nice combo, but you can get the CPU Cooler for cheaper (Newegg marked that cooler up bad).
If can find the AC Cooling Freezer Pro 7 for $20, than look at this cooler. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887002

It cools better than the AC and is cheaper.
Plus it is much easier to install
It was also ranked within the top 10 of cooling whereas the AC didnt even rank.

This cooler is right around where the Scythe Ninja is (the Scythe cools 1 degree cooler).
This cooler though is much smaller and will fit in any case

Good luck

 

[Mussels]

Ah if its not for gaming, its fine then.

My advice would be to run at 7x400 or 8x400 - 2.8Ghz and 3.2GHz respectively. Both will get you your stock ram clocks with a 1:1 ratio, 2.8 will run quite cool with that CPU cooler, and should get your performance up where you want it (Lots of windows/high ram usage, it will help)

Oh and side note for that board - 400FSB onwards, the board changes some hidden settings - 399 may actually be faster than 400 due to this.

 

[Mussels]

Dude did you look at that guide I linked.
It would of have shown you that you could get an X1650XT for cheaper than what your getting your X1650 PRO for.
Also, you could do better with that RAM.
Go to buy.com and look at the Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 2GB Kit (it is like $10 cheaper)
With that Geil crap, you wont be able to OC much.

Also, where is your PSU.
DO NOT USE THE SMARTPOWER THAT COMES WITH THE CASE.
SmartPower PSUs are horrible and Antec PSUs dont last long anymore.
Do yourself a favor and look at the guide and do some research.
It will def. save you headaches.

Also, for the mobo take a look at the Gigabyte DS3, its a great board

As for the cooler and CPU, nice combo, but you can get the CPU Cooler for cheaper (Newegg marked that cooler up bad).
If can find the AC Cooling Freezer Pro 7 for $20, than look at this cooler. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887002

It cools better than the AC and is cheaper.
Plus it is much easier to install
It was also ranked within the top 10 of cooling whereas the AC didnt even rank.

This cooler is right around where the Scythe Ninja is (the Scythe cools 1 degree cooler).
This cooler though is much smaller and will fit in any case

Good luck

He's not gaming, he's not heavily OCing (800MHz is enough for him to hit 3.2Ghz on its own), the asus is better than the DS3 (I've used both, chose the asus)

Oh and i didn't notice the PSU - if you run at stock, the system will draw 150-200W at load (Don't argue this - i have mostly the same parts, and a power meter), so you'll need a decent PSU to provide sustained wattage - Antec PSU's aren't so hot nowadays, their best lines are the Neo HE and the Trio - the others are best avoided.

Edit: Looked, the smartpower 450W isnt very good. The smartpowers werent as good as the truepowers - the SP's were the cheaper nasty ones, look at OCZ or silverstone for a good PSU - you're getting a conroe, so feed it well.

 

[Steevo]

I looked at that one.

But with 6 years of warranty on the AC, and the fact that I have had many of their products and never had one fail? We are looking at the case sitting there for years without me touching it.

And so far I have had ONE Antec power supply die. One, after years of shitty power and while five other PC's died it kept going, while supplying power to a prescott core @ 3.8Ghz and four hard drives, X600 and, one DVD-R.


I can't complain.

 

[Steevo]

Perhaps now.



I might get the 1050 case that I have here and a good 500W PSU. Keep it efficient and quiet.

 

[Mussels]

I've had at least 3 antecs die on a single PC, that an OCZ modstream has lasted 3-4 years since.

Mobile athlon XP 2600+ (barton) 4x256 DDR400, 6800GT 256MB (AGP) - 430W, 480W and 550W antec PSU's all gone boom on that rig, over time.

Oh and steevo - warranty on a CPU cooler? lol how can a heatsink fail... get a more normal heatsink, and you can replace the fan if you want to.

 

[bruins004]

I've had at least 3 antecs die on a single PC, that an OCZ modstream has lasted 3-4 years since.

Mobile athlon XP 2600+ (barton) 4x256 DDR400, 6800GT 256MB (AGP) - 430W, 480W and 550W antec PSU's all gone boom on that rig, over time.

Oh and steevo - warranty on a CPU cooler? lol how can a heatsink fail... get a more normal heatsink, and you can replace the fan if you want to.

You are correct that Antecs are crap now.
Over this year they have changed OEMs and now use parts that dont last as long.
So if you havent bought an Antec in the end of 2006 - 2007 you wouldnt notice this change.
THey used to be good, but now arent that great at all.

Also, the same thing has happened to OCZ (after their PowerStream series).
They arent that great anymore either.
The better brands are FSP, PC Power and Cooling, Silverstone, etc.

As I said look at my thread (which I see you havent).
I have listed it above and I gurantee that all of those are quality brands and even explains why Antec isnt in there anymore.

 

[Steevo]

The fan can. And when I take the sides off our PC's it is like a scene from Mad Max, nothing but dust and dirt. So they do fail.


I have replaced all that failed with AC and had no problems. I have bought about 6 to replace the stock Intel HS/F and or IBM solutions, and or other crap ones.


The loudest fan in my system at 3.0Ghz is the 120mm exhaust fan and a bit of noise from the drives.

 

[bruins004]

I looked at that one.

But with 6 years of warranty on the AC, and the fact that I have had many of their products and never had one fail? We are looking at the case sitting there for years without me touching it.

And so far I have had ONE Antec power supply die. One, after years of shitty power and while five other PC's died it kept going, while supplying power to a prescott core @ 3.8Ghz and four hard drives, X600 and, one DVD-R.


I can't complain.

Why do you need a 6 year warranty on a CPU cooler?
I believe the ZeroTherm has a 3 year warranty and trust me its much better than the AC.
I have owned a few ACs myself and that thing does not even come close to this.
I had my 3600 brisbane up to 3.0 and it doesnt go above 75F (room is 70F) under load.
This is a damned good cooler

 

[Steevo]

Not disagreeing at what can happen. More than likely I will get a Silverstone or one of the other recommended PSU's. I prefer to build them and use them, not service them for the rest of their life.

 

[Steevo]

I build my systems with at least a 5 year service life. If they last longer great, and if not then I need to do better. Our server is three years old. Had it not been for the dirty power that it is fed I would have never had the side off. In a year and a half it turns five, and at a cost of $400 per year for the benefit it has given it has done well. and might continue to do well for another few years.