red930 Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Ok, so my brother's going to head off to college this year and he wants to build a rig. So, of course, I recommend DFI for all the awesomeness that it is (support included). We're looking at a budget of about $1000. I don't think I can get him to run linux, so, that'll have to included XP prof, as well. This computer must run Oblivion. Dual core preferred. Here's what we've got so far: CPU: AMD 3800+ X2 (hopefully clock it up to ~2.6) $147.00 here Motherboard: DFI LP nF4 Ultra-D, mod it to SLI/SATA II and replace the chipset cooler with AS5 on it. $99.99 here RAM: I'm not too sure about the exact model, but we'll go with DDR500 OCZ (2x1gig) *recommendations?* $176.99 after MIR here PSU: Not skimping here. OCZ gamerxstream 600W. $119.99 after MIR here Graphics Card: Sapphire x850xt. It's gotta run oblivion at a LCD resolution. We'll put a silencer on it and OC, as well. Might wait to see how the prices come down on the other cards. $89.99 after MIR here DVD burner: NEC, they're damn good and you can't beat the price. $28.99 here Hard Drive: Seagate 7200.10 Sata II 200Gig. I love the 5 year warranty, and I've heard nothing but good stuff about the new technology's performance. My only reservation is the SATA II plus the Ultra D (which has to be modded). Recommendations? $77.99 here Ok, the majority of questions are for the case and heatsink. We want a cheap case that isn't too heavy, nor is too fancy. He'll probably mod a couple fan intake/exhausts into it. Hoping for something around $60-$80 after shipping. I'm also curious about a heatsink for the OC'ed 3800+ X2. We'll probably get a load of medium velocity panaflo's (120's), so I'd like to go for something that one of those'll fit on. I've looked at the new SI-128 *cough* beast *cough*, but it looks like it'll be a little overkill (unless it's worth the $50) I'm going to stay away from the Scythe Ninja, even though I love it. I just don't want to have him have to worry about ripping traces off the motherboard if he ever needs to change the bracket We'll spend about $30 on the panaflo's and filters/grills, as well as pick up a Logitech G5 (~ $50). Both of us like the shape better than the copperheads... Ok...so that leaves us around $900-$950. If at all possible, I'd like to bring the price down so he could get a nice 17" LCD, and keep it all under $1k. Any recommendations are much appreciated! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowboy Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Everything looks good you can get SI120 or best price would be xp90 but would need smaller fan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
unleashed Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 The Ultra-D is already SataII capable. Does not need to be modded for that. The RAM you picked is a good choice. I really don't see anywhere you can save any money and not sacrifice alot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cull Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 I would highly recomend this for RAM, it has worked miracles for me http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16820227219 but I would get an Opteron 165 from newegg, 252 from newegg. hope this helps! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
red930 Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Whoo...an opty would be nice, but with a 3800 X2 that OC's pretty well for around... $148, it seems more economical. The RAM looks good. We'll have to see when everything comes back in stock. We'll probably stick with the OCZ just because of the sheer amount of support around here. G.Skill is also an option, if we find a goood price. Anybody got any case recommendations? Motherboard tray and aluminum case would be nice, but I don't know how we'll they'd fit in the $60-$80 range. We were looking at the Coolermaster Centurion (here) I'd probably get him to open it up for some good airflow Thanks for the help, guys! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
watsonte Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Anybody got any case recommendations? Motherboard tray and aluminum case would be nice, but I don't know how we'll they'd fit in the $60-$80 range. We were looking at the Coolermaster Centurion (here) I'd probably get him to open it up for some good airflow Thanks for the help, guys! I think the Centurion is your best case for that price....I have been looking for a decent mid tower at your price range for about 3 months now...Im building a rig for my girlfriend and well I dont want to spend much but at the same time Im not going to buy a crap case... Coolermaster Cases allow for great airflow...if anything I might drill out a top blow hole just to bring in more cool air..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
red930 Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 That's good to hear. I'm sure we've got some tools he can use to put in a blowhole. Do you think it's wide enough for the SI-120? Or should I look at the XP-120? Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
watsonte Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Yeah you should have more than enough room.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest area51 Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 I had the same case and used both an XP-120 and a SI-120 in it and I can tell you for sure that you will be fine with that combination. The 120x38mm Panaflo + Si-120 is a somewhat close fit but it works. For that price point there is no case that compares in my opinion. The only thing I see you could chop some price out of is perhaps that GameExtreme... Obviously that is a hell of a PSU that will last you through any upgrades you want to throw at it. However since you are trying to trim a little extra fat let me play devils advocate and suggest you look at some of the other PSU's in the recommended thread. Perhaps one of these: (from recommended PSU thread) Enermax 535W FMA 535WFrom $61: http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...e&sa=N&start=0 Sparkle 550W (EPS) FSP550-60PLG http://www.sparklepower.com/pdf/FSP550-60PLG.pdf From $71: http://froogle.google.com/froogle?ti...Search+Froogle Fortron 550W (EPS) FSP550-60PLN http://www.home2000.net/client/fspgr...linenumber=126 From $79: http://froogle.google.com/froogle?ti...Search+Froogle Enermax 485W Noisetaker EG495AX-SFMA20 From $75: http://froogle.google.com/froogle?so...&sa=N&tab= wf Frotron Blue Storm 500W (AX500-A) http://www.home2000.net/client/fspgr...linenumber=195 From $75: http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...Search+Froogle OCZ ModStream 520W (Modular for those seeking style over performance.) http://www.ocztechnology.com/product...m_power_supply From $89: http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=OCZ+ModStream+520W If I am not mistakem all of them are more than capable of handling a single X850XT based system. The GameExtreme's big advantage in my opinion is that it will grow with you better than any of these should you decide to go SLI etc. If you have no plans in that direction perhaps you should consider one of the above. Warranty, customer service, and build quailty are all top notch in something like the GameExtreme and I feel bad even offering an alternative lol but you asked so... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
red930 Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Hehe, I know what you mean. I've got one of the 535W Enermax's, which I'm fighting with (I think it's dying), so, I'll be seeing if the new one'll work. Hmm... good point. I'll see what magic we can do to trim some more off the price All opinions are welcome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
p0tter Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Looks like a good rig, no suggestions from me ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
red930 Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Ok, so as an alternative to 600W OCZ gamerxstream, I'll look into finding some good prices on Enermax's (FMA 535W around $90 or so). The 'egg has it for about the same price as ZZF with shipping. Hmm... The 520W modstream looks like a good price after rebate ($80) If we go this route, we could hack off about $40. link Modular might be a nice route... Keep the recommendations coming! :cool: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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