# First time building, want a PC that can run DOW 2



## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

I want to build a PC that is affordable but can still play Dawn of War 2 and the like, I'm a uni student so going with mid range gear is what I'm after, but I think I will have to go with a decent graphics card. This is from the sticky thread...



Budget: No more than $1000 Australian, more like $700


Brands: Not particularly, but my laptop has Intel and it works pretty good


Multitasking: Not really, just online gaming and Lan's, with the occasional piece of uni homework, maybe some torrents thrown in.


Gaming: Definatly gaming, DOW 2 is released 19th Feb 2009 so yes, new, lol. 


Calculations: Not that I know of.


Overclocking: Don't even know how....


Storage: Decent storage, about 250-320GB, movie storage and game storage.


Legacy Support: No idea what this is...

Operating System: Vista but its really quite expensive, a cheap operating system exist?


Case: Only need one CD drive, but it should have a decent power outage and fan/cooling system


Accessories: Have keyboard and mouse, printer also.


Recycled Components: Only external as mentioned above.


Monitor: Nothing too fancy, figured I could save cash on this one and get a seconfdhand one somewhere

Stores: Don't know of any online stores for Aus, any help there would be great.

Location: Live in Victoria in Australia. 

Any and all help would be great, going to buy the Building a PC for dummies soon as this will be my first construction.


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

Ok so I've been looking around and found an Australian site, and here are the components I was thinking of putting into my new build.

Case
Thermaltake Wing RS-100 Black Midi Tower Case (430W PSU included) 

Motherboard
Asus P5Q-SE-R Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x Sata Raid / 1x IDE / Gigabit

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400/ 2.80GHz/3MB Cache/ 1066FSB/ LGA775

Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 3Gbs

RAM
Corsair DDR2 2GB PC-6400/800 (2x XMS2 1GB) TWIN2X2048-6400C4 Ram

Graphics Card
Asus EAH4670-DI-1GD3 HD RADEON 4670, 1G, DDR3, PCIE2.0, 2DVI, HDTV, HDCP, HDMI

Now I could use some help with compatibility and performance analysis, this is only a first draft of products really, just want to know what people think in this kind of range, is there better for your buck anywhere? I didn't add prices becasue they are in Aus, but can if you want.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The only thing I don't like is the power supply look for the case without a power supply, and use a Corsair 550vx or Seasonic 550w I think are the 2 most price competitive in your area, The rest looks good.


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

Would this build be able to play new release games that come out? I chose parts that are no super high end but are not the budget ones. Any input on the graphics card? Do you know if it is good value/ performance? I'm trying to find a comparison for it on the web but can't find one yet.... Thankyou for replying!


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes just don't look for max settings and keep AA turned off, You may want to look at the price difference between the 4670 and a 4830 video card.


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

After reading through more reveiws, I decided on different parts, these I believe will build a decend gaming computer, I might cut costs and buy the case with built in PSU, and can anybody tell me what RAM can fit in this computer? Some are going cheap its DDR2 and looks pretty good.


Processor $198
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400/ 2.80GHz/3MB Cache/ 1066FSB/ LGA775 

Hard Drive $91.30
Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 3Gbs 

Motherboard $153
Asus P5QL-PRO Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x Sata / 1x IDE / Gigabit Lan 

Casing $115.50
Antec Three Hundred Black Tower Gaming Case (No PSU) 

PSU $149.60
Antec TruePower Trio 550W ATX Power Supply 

DVD Burner/Reader $91.30
LG External Lightscribe DVD Re-Writer (20x – Black) 

Memory $68
Corsair DDR2 2GB PC-6400/800 (2x XMS2 1GB) TWIN2X2048-6400C4 Ram 

Graphics Card $198
Asus EN9800GTHB-HTDI-512 G92, 512MB, DDR3, PCIE2.0, 2xDVI, HDTV, HDCP, HDMI 

Operating System $155
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic 32-Bit DVD - OEM 

Total: $1219.6 AUD

Any critisim would be great Wrench.


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

Sorry to butt in, but the antec units have gone down in quality in recent years...

the list of recommended manufacturers is :

Seasonic - any model
Corsair - any model
Thermaltake - "Toughpower" series only
Coolermaster - "Real Power Pro" series only
PC Power & Cooling - any model
Silverstone - any model


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

I took your advice and looked around, what I came up with is cheaper as it swaps the Antec case for a thermaltake case, but I'm ot sure if its a good sawp or should I just leave the case and sawp the power supply?

Case is this: Thermaltake Case Wing RS101 Black and Silver without power supply VG8000BNS 

Here for specifics....
http://www.i-tech.com.au/products/17668_Thermaltake_Case_Wing_RS101_Black.aspx

And the power supply is the: 
Corsair VX-550 ATX 550W Power Supply, 120mm fan, PCIE Graphics Card Connector, 6 SATA Connectors

Would it be intellegent to install a second fan in the optional slots at the front? As this would be primarily a gaming PC...


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The Corsair is a good supply a little light for the 9800GT though, What can you get a PC Power & Cooling 610w or a Corsair TX650w for compared with the VX-550? 

I would add another 120mm fan to the front of the case. Here are some better Images of it> http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...rmaltake WingRS VG8000BNS Black Computer Case


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

How about the Corsair TX-650 650W ATX Power Supply, 120mm fan, Dual PCIE Graphics Card Connector is only $179 which isn't too bad I guess. You like the case though? Thanks for the pictures, it looks good to me. Also would I have to install a Sound Card into this machine or would it be on the motherboard already?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The Corsair tx650 is a very good supply


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## lazareth1 (Jan 10, 2005)

You could cut costs and get a cheaper case. 'Gaming' cases don't give you any more performance per say, and are usually more about looks. The money saved to go towards something better IMO.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The motherboard will have pretty decent sound on it.

The thermaltake cases are a good case, I use a lot of the coolermaster cases.


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

Brief hijack: Wrench, do you know what the cooling is like in a Coolermaster Elite 330?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

It's decent in stock form but needs a front fan installed.


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

OK, thanks. That's what i've got, just wanted to make sure it was doing what it should...


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

That means I don't have to buy a sound card yeah? What other products would I have to buy? I don't think I have forgotten anything really... Also there is some extremly cheap 2GB of RAM going on a mega sale, $29 aus, is it worth buying to give me 4 GB of RAm in total or would it just be a crap brand and liable to hurt my computer? A cheaper case hey, that would be a great place to save money, any ideas for cases?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The cheap Ram won't damage the PC but will either lack performance or cause issues like BOSD or lock ups/freeze ups, If you want 4Gig you're better off using 2, 2Gig sticks over 4, 1 Gig sticks it's easier on the motherboard.

Have a look around to see what cases are available to you just make sure to look at what come with for fans and brackets. 

If you get a link post it we'll take a look.


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

So here are some links...

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=125_126&products_id=31525

http://www.macotechnology.com.au/pr...one=1&showpd=0&showpd2=0&showpd3=Tower NO PSU

http://www.macotechnology.com.au/pr...one=1&showpd=0&showpd2=0&showpd3=Tower NO PSU

The top one is the same place I am ordering the other pieces, but the bottom one is my favorite in looks and postge would be at least $15 extra from a second site...


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

Better veiw of the thermal case (last link) http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/23319-vg1000bns not sure if the pictures are working though?

Ouch, the postage for that bad boy is $35 by itself, bringing it to $90, which is the same as the case with a 430w psu included on the other site, could I just order that one and thrn take out the power supply and add my own? I really like the look of that case, but sadly it doesn't come with anyhting more powerful than 430w on anything I can find on static ice....


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The Elite 341 is a mAtx only case so toss that one> http://www.macotechnology.com.au/pr...one=1&showpd=0&showpd2=0&showpd3=Tower NO PSU

The first link to the Elite 334 is a decent case> better images> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119190&Tpk=Cooler Master Elite 334

The third link to the Thermaltake case is also a decent case both will need a front fan added and performance wise about equal so looks and budget are what you need to go on > http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...rmaltake WingRS VG1000BNS Black Computer Case


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

What do I look for in a front fan? Just any old brand? And what do I get to allow wireless broadband? I'm very much leaning toward the Thermaltake case, it will allow me to have a spare 430w PSU unit anyhow, and maybe I could ask them if they could take the PSU out and sell me it for a quoted price w/o PSU, not sure if that works for computers, lol, I work in the liquor industry, lol.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

They may sell the case without the PSU under a different Item number it doesn't hurt to ask.

Case fans use something like these> http://www.macotechnology.com.au/pr...5&pdone=1&showpd=0&showpd2=0&showpd3=Case Fan

http://www.macotechnology.com.au/pr...8&pdone=1&showpd=0&showpd2=0&showpd3=Case Fan

http://www.macotechnology.com.au/pr...1&pdone=1&showpd=0&showpd2=0&showpd3=Case Fan


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

This fan seems good, variable speeds beats LED lights, lol. 

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=75&products_id=33249


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes it's a good one.


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

I found a case that is this model...

http://www.zipcomputers.com.au/store/view_product.php?product=CASE-CS9001 

....on ebay, postage is local pickup in my home town and starting at $30, only problem is its like an unknown case, and I think it doesn't have a space for a second fan, which would take it out of the running I'm assuming? It looks nice but it could just be a major flop and I should stay away from it...What do you think?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Codegen isn't exactly known for quality, I think you would have to see it first if possible.


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## Darkness55 (Feb 10, 2009)

Yeah I asked for more pictures, it didn't have a very detailed description of the case and it said used so I was abit skeptical. The sheer fact that I could avoid postage was alluring though, lol.


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