The 'Best Bang for Buck' (Gamer edition) build thread.

[fmc_boss]

“Best Bang for the Buck” component list.

 

 

We all know what happens when we butt-u-me things, but in this instance, it’s safe to assume that you are/will be going to Overclock your new pride & joy (after all, this is where we will obtain the best $$ / performance ratio).

 

 

Component selection

 

 

All of the components listed here are readily available from my local retailers in AU. I personally prefer to buy locally, but you can save even more buy hunting around on-line.

 

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* CPU;

 

Decisions, decisions. Whilst there are seemingly a myriad of CPU’s to choose from, we can narrow it down pretty easy.

 

On the Intel playing field right now, the lower end 1066/1333 bus speed Core 2 Duo chips are the one to get. We’re looking at the E6300/6320, or E6400/6420, or E6550.

The 800 fsb ‘E4x00’ are also excellent value for money chips, & could be considered as an alternative to keep costs down, even if it’s just until you save up for that quad-core…

For those who can afford a few extra $$, the absolute Best Bang for the Buck would currently be the Q6600 quad-core CPU. If you are into things like video conversion, de/compressing large archives, & your Software supports multiple CPU's, then you really can't GO past this beast (pardon the pun).

 

Any of these Intel chips should reach the 3GHz level without too much fuss at all, easily matching the performance of the $1000+ high end CPU’s.

 

 

* E6320

 

* E4500

 

* Q6600

 

 

On the AMD front, an AM 2 ??00 –X2 chip represents great value for your dual-core desires. Look out for the 65 nm ‘Brisbane’ core.

 

* AM2 CPU's @ Newegg.

 

 

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* RAM;

 

Whilst the shiny, expensive, ultra-low-latency RAM is begging for your $$, we need to remember that the most important thing here is to have ENOUGH of it. That means 2Gb minimum. We’ll also be sticking with DDR2, as DDR 3 is still too new & expensive, for the little performance gain there currently is.

 

The next most important thing is the working speed of the RAM; we’ll need some that is rated to work at a higher frequency than normal, so as not to restrict the overclocking potential. You’re looking for modules that are rated for 800MHz(or more), & that are in a ‘matched pair’, as the Motherboards we’ll be looking at all utilize Dual Channel memory.

 

As I write this, a brand-name, 2Gb, DDR2 1066 pair of modules is available for $85.00 AU. A 2Gb kit of DDR 2 800 is worth $50.00 AU - Bargain!

 

It’s also a good idea to check for RAM compatibility for your Motherboard – this info is usually available from the MoBo manufacturer’s web site.

 

* DDR 2 800

 

* DDR 2 800

 

 

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* Motherboard;

 

The motherboard is the foundation for your PC. In recent years, manufacturers have been increasingly adding more & more functionality to their product.

Whilst we still need to determine if a particular MoBo meets our requirements in regards to expansion ports & on-board features, we need one which is also robust & is designed with the main feature that we are interested here – Overclocking.

 

We have all seen the high-end MoBo’s that sell for $400 +, but if we look further than the flashy box & shiny, silly-looking (& often poorly fitted) cooling devices, we can find a few good candidates for about a third of the price, but still with all of the functionality & performance that we desire.

 

Right now, a couple of ‘Boards that fit in this category for Intel CPU’s are the;

 

* Gigabyte P35 DS3

 

* ASUS P5K

 

* ABIT IP35

 

Another choice would be a DDR2 / DDR3 cross-over board, such as the GA-P35C-DS3 , which may be a wiser choice when DDR3 starts to come into play.

 

All of these ‘boards have larger-than-normal North Bridge heat sinks, solid capacitors, & good overclocking ability. They are also capable of accepting a Quad core CPU for future expansion.

 

& for the AM2 CPU’s;

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

 

 

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* Video Card;

 

 

Ooh baby, this is another area where we can save big $$ by taking a closer look past the number of X’s attached to the Card’s model number!

This is probably one of the fastest moving areas for PC components, with new releases/variations coming out every 6-12 months.

 

Currently, the nVidia 8800GT 512 Mb is where you want to focus, but the earlier 8800 GTS cards are still great, & can be picked up for a song, although the 320Mb versions might start to feel a little stretched with some of the more demanding games.

 

You can pay more for a ‘factory O/C’ card, but usually the additional price far outweighs what you can easily do yourself, by following something like this guide.

 

Remember, the vast majority of video cards(in the same model range) are all based on the same components & reference design, so the only thing that will separate them for our purpose here is the price, the bundled software(if any), & the warranty.

Another thing to take into account is a ‘Step up’ program, such as offered by EVGA.

 

 

* 8800GTS 640

 

* 8800 GT 512

 

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* Hard Drive;

 

Like RAM, HDD’s are pretty darn cheap atm, & the 320 – 500 Gb units are currently where the best value lies.

 

Things to look out for are your connectivity (SATA II), Rotation speed (7200 RPM for the type we’ll be looking at), On-board cache (16 / 32 Mb), & warranty(although it’s hard to find a warranty longer that 12 months these days). Personally, I’ve had a good run with WD & Seagate drives, & I wouldn’t touch Maxtor with a barge-pole after seeing HUNDREDS of then fail within 2 years at my workplace.

 

 

* HDD's @ Newegg.

 

 

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* Power Supply Unit;

 

 

Overlooked by many people, a good quality PSU is essential to the stability of your rig.

 

Please take a moment to read & absorb this prior to making any purchase decisions – all the PSU info you need is listed in this thread.

 

Some good quality PSU’s that would suit our Bang for Buck component list above would be;

 

One of these Corsair units.

 

One of these OCZ units.

 

 

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* CPU Cooler;

 

 

The stock Coolers that come packaged with your new CPU are generally barely sufficient for the task at hand. For a relatively small outlay, & maybe even some elbow grease, we can significantly reduce the operating temperature, & in some cases the noise level of your PC, by fitting a well designed performance Cooler.

 

Most Coolers now come with brackets to suit both Socket’s AM2 & 775, but double-check prior to your purchase.

 

The following Coolers are known to perform well;

 

* ZALMAN CNPS9700

 

* ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro

 

* Tuniq Tower 120

 

* Thermalright Ultra 120/extreme

 

 

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* Optical (CD/DVD) Drive;

 

 

We’ll need at least one of these, & generally there’s only a few $$ between most models. I’ve personally had a great run over the years with LiteOn & Pioneer drives, the most recent of which are now available with a SATA interface, so there’s no excuse now for those messy, air-restricting IDE cables!

 

 

* Optical drives @ Newegg.

 

 

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[fmc_boss]

Please use this thread to discuss & add input to the BBfB guide.

 

It's obviously a work in progress, & could go a few additional components, like CPU coolers, burners, etc.

 

 

It would be good to 'release' this along side both a 'budget' & 'high-end' version, as suggested.

[radodrill]

Wouldn't the Q6600 also qualify as a contender for a BBftB CPU?

[Angry_Games]

Wouldn't the Q6600 also qualify as a contender for a BBftB CPU?

 

I tend to agree with this, but the $279 price tag is a bit steep...but at the same time, we can make the argument that you simply cannot get a better cpu for this price. Period.

 

We'll have to blurb a little about how it is overkill for the majority of BBFTB systems, but at the same time, it's really the strongest cpu per dollar on the market at the moment.

 

I'd also like to make sure we include some AMD stuff in here, as there really is no better bang for the buck than say a socket AM2 3800+ dual-core X2 for about $60-ish or so.

[fmc_boss]

Yeah - agree with both of you regarding the Q6600, & the AMD stuff.

 

My last AMD rig was skt939, & I really havn't been keeping up with what is 'good' in AM2 world, & i wouldn't have a clue on how well certain AM2's clock.

 

I was pretty much expecting to have to include both an AMD & Intel system, so if someone can do up a quick list of known good AM2 CPU's/MoBO's, then I can include them in the thread.

[Angry_Games]

remember, these are items we are listing so all of us can see them and then argue endlessly (for a week, no more lol) about which ones to include in the FINAL BBFTB that gets posted on the front page for this month, and then at the end we'll also list excellent choices that can be substituted as per each person's preference/taste/budget.

[fmc_boss]

Which CPU (air)coolers are considered the best currently?

 

I'm thinking the TR 120 extreme, Zalman 9700, ????

 

I can't believe how many different HSF's are on the market now...

 

Any thoughts on AMD CPU/MoBo choices folks?

[Angry_Games]

Does anyone still have XP-90's or XP-120's? And are they cheap? I have no clue what any best bang for the buck coolers are these days as you can tell by me asking about XP-90's lol.

[fmc_boss]

None of my usual vendors are listing TR's or Tunics - the only cooler i'm familiar with(currently available/listed) is the Zal 9700 - i know it's good, but is it BBfB?

 

Geez - we've got a whole swag of "beetle" coolers, weird one's named after planets, etc. There's this one, @ less than half the price of the 9700, but i don't see anyone around here using any of these type.

[ebdoradz]

Arctic cooling frezer series is dirt cheap around 20$ for both the amd and intel edition and they perform qiuite well for 20$

[fmc_boss]

I've added a couple of things to the list in the 1st post, but rather than me trawling through the AM2 threads/OCDB, I was hoping for some more input from ppl here who use the stuff.

 

I wasn't fussed about including a case in the list - more of a personal choice, like kb/mouse IMO, as long as it has at least 2*120mm fans i guess, & can accommodate the gfx card.