# Re-building Computer



## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

I have selected key components I want for my refurbished computer. However, I wanted to put them on here to get recommendations and ensure everything is compatible. I am getting: motherboard, processor, ram, video card, and case.

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121100R

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115055

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145238

Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187056

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011


There was one specific question I had about RAM. The link I posted takes you to 2 x 2GB sticks. There is another option for 4 x 2 GB sticks. I want 8 GB. Can I just get two of the 2 x 2, or do I have to get the 4 x 2 for the memory to work? Getting 2 packages of 2 x 2 is about 100 bucks cheaper, but if it doesn't work, then it's useless.

ALSO: I currently have XP as my OS. Will I be able to keep my current copy with the new hardware, or do I have to buy another copy?

Any reccomendations and/or comments are more than welcome.

Thanks.

1.	Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?
Not too much of a budget. No more than $800, and that is pushing it. What I have right now is $500 with rebates and $600 without.
2.	Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want?
Processor/motherboard: Intel.
Graphics card: NVIDIA chipset.
The rest: I don't know/care.
3.	Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much?
Yes, all the time.
4.	Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games?
Yes, that is the main purpose of upgrading. The newest games.
5.	Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding?
No.
6.	Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?
Not really.
7.	Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing?
I already have storage.
8.	Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices?
Would be preferred.
9.	Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility?
All of the above.
10.	Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it?
Yes. Look at the link above. I want very similar features.
11.	Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included?
Possibly heat sink or other cooling items...I don't know if I will need it though.
12.	Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have?
Yes. Hardrive, dvd+rw reader/writer, cd r reader, possibly power supply.
13.	Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen?
No.
14.	Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from?
Newegg.
15.	Location: What country do you live in?
United States.


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## oldjoe (Apr 13, 2009)

What brand and sixe PSU do you have?
4GB of RAM will be all you need. Filing all 4 RAM slots of the MOBO can cause problems.
You can use your XP if it is a XP disc and not a Restore type disc.


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

oldjoe said:


> What brand and sixe PSU do you have?
> 4GB of RAM will be all you need. Filing all 4 RAM slots of the MOBO can cause problems.
> You can use your XP if it is a XP disc and not a Restore type disc.


I don't know what power supply I have right now. I can post that tomorrow.

What kind of problems does filling all 4 slots cause?


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## JMT21 (May 5, 2009)

-Blue Screen of death

-possibly changing the speeds on the memory (some motherboards will underclock the speed)

-4GB has mentioned above is the best bet


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Also if you have a 32bit OS it only has the ability to address 4Gig(report about3.2 as usable) of ram so 4 of the 8 Gig would be wasted anyway.


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

That makes perfect sense...so I will just get 4 GB of memory.

I did some more research and found a new list of components.

The processor is the same quad core: (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115055)

The motherboard is different (Intel P43 ATX):
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121351)

Same RAM (except only 4 GB):
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145238)

New graphics card (GeForce 9800 GTX+, 512 MB):
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150314)

The power supply I have right now is 300 W. That is not enough for the new parts I am getting. I did some research...and tomshardware.com says the geforce graphics card uses somewhere around 200 W, but the NEWEGG specs say it takes a _minimum_ of 450 W. What does it actually take?

Also, how much power does the motherboard take? The processor takes 97 W. I figured 650 W PSU would be enough for the three components. Is it?

Now I am looking for a power supply/case combo. Any recommendations would be appreciated.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Corsair 650 TX would be the bottom of acceptable for a 4-5 year system life span with no overclocking and no future video card upgrading

a smarter move would be the Corsair 750-TX which will handle overclocking too

the best bang for the buck dealing doing right now IMHO is the Corsair 850-TX at provantage.com ................. look at the cost of any 80% efficient power supply in the 650 watt catagory then look how much "future" you can buy for the extra $35.00 

thats a no brainer

http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cmpsu-850tx~7CSM900N.htm




if you are buying this system for gaming; the E8500 will trounce the Q8200 in gaming

stick with an intel P45 chipset motherboard ............. the P43 / P41 / G31 are all economy chipset motherboards that strip away alot of performance

the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L is the best bang for the buck performance board going right now IMHO

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128372


you wont find a cheaper board that can run with this one !


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

So you at least recommend a 850 W power supply for future graphics cards? I do not plan on overclocking, so that is not a big consideration.

Thanks.

What is the difference between that MOBO and the one I linked to?

Never mind. Read your edit.



linderman said:


> http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cmpsu-850tx~7CSM900N.htm
> if you are buying this system for gaming; the E8500 will trounce the Q8200 in gaming


You mean that the core duo is better than the quad core?


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## chowder_pants (Dec 3, 2008)

947740 said:


> You mean that the core duo is better than the quad core?


For gaming, yes. As of now anyways. There are no games (except MAYBE GTA4) that can use all 4 cores of the quads. If you plan on using Photoshop, AutoCAD, etc.... then by all means, get a quad. 

Linderman was saying that the 750tx is what you should be looking at. The 650tx would be the bare minumum (not a great option in my mind). He posted the link to the 850tx just because its a great deal right now on that site. The extra $35 is well worth it if you plan on upgrading your system in the future.


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

Okay, that makes sense.

Is it likely that games in the future will start using quad cores? Or will they continue using the duo for the time being (several years?)

I am basically down to two case options, both with 850W power supply combo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.187898

It is the original case, with the power supply.

Would this combo be better?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.184479

I am leaning towards the second one, because it is quite a bit cheaper.

Between the e8400 and e8500, is it worth the 22 extra bucks for .16 more GHz?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

we always recommend buying psu and case as separate items
together the psu is usually junk

go with the corsair


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

And if that is beyond what I want to spend on a power supply?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

then you cut back on something else not the psu
it can be a very costly end result if a psu goes i just lost a $275 one and it took over a thousand dollars of equipment along with it through out the house


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## chowder_pants (Dec 3, 2008)

It used to be that a cheapo power supply worked just fine, but with todays video cards and processors, strong and clean power is a must! Many manyfacturers post wattages that were achieved in a very cold room. Power supplies lose their efficency in warmer rooms. A reputable brand (corsair, pc power and cooling) can achieve their 80% efficency ratings in a more real world conditions. Also, look for a single 12v rail. Dual rails work, but not as well as the single. Also, make sure the 12v rail has the highest rating of them all (as opposed to the 5v and 3.3v) as that is where the majority of your components will pull from. 
You can save some money on a cheaper powers supply upfront and either have it bottle neck your performance at the best case scenerio, or have it fry your entire system in the worst case. I feel that a good power supply is an investment that MUST be made. Not only will you not have to worry about it in the present, but you can use it in future builds or upgrades.


Looking at the 2 combos you posted, I see that they want $140 for that power supply with a $25 discount. Its cheaper to get the Corsair 750TX ($110 after rebates). Much better power supply that will serve you well into the future. The second combo, well.... look at the rating that power supply got. Only 2 reviews, one is a 3 out of 5, the other is a 1 out of 5.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

as for motherboard; the Intel P45 chipset is far better performer for gaming than P43 or G31; those are economy, web surfing type boards

games will not be using much of quad core cpu's for atleast another 3 years or more, their programming budgets are being spent on making PC games compatible with gaming consoles for the next several years, therfore the quad is overkill or inefficient for the task of gaming

as for the rest of your questions, Chowder and Dai nailed them down tight!


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## oldjoe (Apr 13, 2009)

947740 said:


> I am basically down to two case options, both with 850W power supply combo:
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.187898
> 
> ...


The second combo is good and a pretty good deal if you want a flashy case. 
I feel the 8500 is worth the extra $22.


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

oldjoe said:


> The second combo is good and a pretty good deal if you want a flashy case.
> I feel the 8500 is worth the extra $22.


Sorry about so many questions, but I just want to make sure I understand. So, the PSU with the second combo is fine? Chowder says it is not good quality...And I am leaning towards the second case, because it is cheaper than the first one.

How about this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152036

It's modular, cheap (especially after rebate) and it provides 730 W. 84% efficiency. That should be plenty, right?

Linderman posted a link to a motherboard earlier. It's a p45 with ddr2 memory.

Is it worth upgrading to a different p45 (20 bucks more) so I can put ddr3 in there?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I'd pass on both of them> http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/436897.aspx


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

wrench97 said:


> I'd pass on both of them> http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/436897.aspx


Pass on both what? Obviously the psu is not good enough, but what else should I pass on?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The seventeam PSU also


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

What kind of RAM goes with the motherboard that was linked earlier? (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128372)

Is this RAM fine?
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104060)


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

They will work, I'm not a fan of Kingston, I been using Corsair, Crucial and these> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

So it doesn't have to be DDR2 1366(O.C)/1066, it can be DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes the board runs very good on DDR2 800. 800 is the highest Jdec standard for DDR2, most of the higher speeds will default to 800 until manually set up the higher speed, 1066 will most of the time run at 1066 out of the package, the higher performance sticks may require a voltage boost to make them run at the rated speed. DDR2 800 is solid and easy to run.


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

With your recommendations, I have made these choices:

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208020

Graphics Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150314

PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152036

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145218

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128372

Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

If there is a really good deal for a PSU then I will consider that, but this is the cheapest one that seems to have quality and the power supply I need.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I like everything but the PSU, how about this one> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the WRENCH is trying hard to put you on the high road! pay heed or waste cash $$$$$$$..........it your choice; blue pill or red pill


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

linderman -I have chosen the red pill. I do listen. 

I accidentally mis-linked the RAM. The savings with RAM will actually make up for the extra 20 bucks for the PSU.

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

I don't know if this is the absolute final list, but it should be pretty close. If it is, thanks for all of the help and time.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

SOUND choices; should be all you want and more!


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

It seems like a really good combination. I think there is only one more question. The case I have selected right now is nice. I was wondering if there is a better deal/quality for less than or equal to the same price.

For example, something off the first page of this search:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...deValue=550:7958&PropertyCodeValue=2958:19209


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the case is the least worry some component IMHO .......... you dont have to sweat that one really!

I have built alot of computers with the following cases and have never been disappointed


Coolermaster Centurion 

Antec 300

Antec 900

Antec 1200

CoolerMaster HAF932

Xclio wind tunnel


as long as a case has at least 2 @ 120mm fan locations ..............its all good 

after that its all lipstick,hair color & perfume


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

Did some more research...I think I found a better graphics card for the exact same price.

This graphics card is better, right?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121303

If it is, can I just exchange that for the one I have listed without any problems (such as more wattage)?

Also, I settled on this case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The GTS250 is a updated version of the 9800GTX so all's good there.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I can remember not long ago the 9800GTX was the rave and cost $400-$500 for that card

it will suit you fine!


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

Okay.

Is there a modular alternative to that PSU? It's not a big deal, but I figured I would reduce clutter if I could.

It seems these three(not including the last one) are the only probable ones:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...Value=2954:18938&PropertyCodeValue=2978:19680


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## chowder_pants (Dec 3, 2008)

modular power supplies are great, but a decent one costs alot. With a little time and creative thinking, you can make a super clean system with a non-modular power supply.

What I dont like about those power supplies listed is the amount of 12v power rails. Anywhere from 3-4 on the ones listed. The last one only has 2 pcie connectors, doesnt leave much for future upgrades.


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

So, you're saying I should basically stick with the non-modular one?


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## chowder_pants (Dec 3, 2008)

If you are concerned with saving money, yes.
Modular ones are great, but the convience comes at a price.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

modular units are a luxury


I usually reserve the very top 5.25 inch drive bay in the computer case to tuck away the unused cables ........ very neat doesnt mess with case air flow and doesnt waste money

otherwise .........you want the Thermaltake Toughpower 750 watt same as corsair 750 but modular


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

linderman said:


> modular units are a luxury
> 
> 
> I usually reserve the very top 5.25 inch drive bay in the computer case to tuck away the unused cables ........ very neat doesnt mess with case air flow and doesnt waste money
> ...


Okay. I'll just stick with what I have selected. Thanks.

So are all of the selected parts for about $600 a good deal?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

please make your final list of parts


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## benza435 (Mar 9, 2009)

oldjoe said:


> Filing all 4 RAM slots of the MOBO can cause problems.


possibly a little off topic, but i've never heard of that before


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the problem with 4 sticks of ram haunts overclockers far more then regular stock speed users


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

It ends up being 544.18 or something like that after rebates:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11575326.


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## 947740 (May 5, 2009)

Part of this build also involves buying an OS, which I just realized. I am looking at getting Vista, because it is not much more expensive than XP. My only problem is determining if I want 64 bit or 32 bit. I mainly want the extra RAM capability. Is most of the newer software supported by 64 bit?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

64 bit Vista and Win7 both handle 32 bit programs well, there is also wide spread driver support for newer hardware you just need to be careful of older printers, scanners, wireless adapters etc. not all have 64 bit drivers available.


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