$1,200 Build

GodTom47

Baseband Member
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25
This is my first setup and I don't know if all this stuff is compatable, so here goes.

CPU/Motherboard:xeon 5030 dual-core 2.67ghz cpu, fan
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merc...0,120045,800083,800127,&AFFIL=pricewatch&NR=1

RAM:CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034

Video Card: HIS Hightech H165PRQT256GDDN-R Radeon X1650PRO 256MB 128-bit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161026

HDD: 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822145088

Case: Spire SilverFin III SP-7688B Silver Metal SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811220012

CD/DVD Drive: SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101131

All that for $1,232 and I still need to buy XP/Word, monitor, speakers, keyboard, and any wires or misc stuff.

Any ideas?
 
none of your links work, is it just my browser or are other people having the same problem.
 
So you're trying to get the price down a little so you can buy all that stuff? What is going to be the primary use of this computer? I know nothing at all about Xeon. But if you're using it for gaming, it looks to be pretty dang good, though I still don't know about the Xeon. You could get a Core 2 Duo E6600 and an ASUS P5B-Deluxe (not sure how good that mobo is, I'm still learning about Intels) for about $100 cheaper. Or you could save a bunch of money and get an E6300 or 6400 and overclock it like mad. And with the Core 2 Duo, you can keep all the other stuff, except the motherboard. The RAM, HDD, GPU, etc should be fine with it. Here's a link to the Combo Builder.

And you realize that with what you've shown, you don't have a power supply. I'd recommend a 520W, unless you really want to get a full-blown 600W. NOTHING higher than that. Really, most PSUs today are overkill, but I guess it's better to have too much power than not enough. I myself have a 520W OCZ PowerStream PSU, and am really pleased with it thus far. Plus it looks really nice; it has a good paint finish to it. But also, I've heard that some Seasonic PSUs are good too. Get some suggestions from others, I'm not great at deciding, but I really like mine.

And also, if you're trying to save even more money to get a monitor and all that other stuff, you might want to consider getting just 1GB of RAM. I know, 2GB is great, but if you can't afford it, that's that. I've got 1GB in my rig, and really it's not that much worse than my 2GB setup I had. A simple BIOS tweak from a command rate of 2T to 1T made it faster in the 1M SuperPi test, and almost as good in BF2. Newer games, as well as Vista, are probably going to use more RAM, but you have 4 slots so you can always upgrade later, though it will probably end up costing a little more. As for a suggestion, this is the same as what you had, but it's in 2 512MB sticks instead of 2 1GB sticks. If that RAM is like my XMS (DDR[1]), it should be easy to get to 1T.

Now if you're gonna be using this as a server or something, all that doesn't necessarily stand true. Like I said, Xeon = :confused: to me, so it may be better as a server than a Core 2 Duo. But the Core 2 Duo delivers unbeatable gaming performance, as well as multitasking, for a home PC.

Everything else looks nice, and looks to be compatible. I like the video card choice. I hope this helped a little, and good luck with your build. Once again, sorry for the long post.
 
If you're going to spend that much money in the first place don't skimp out on the PSU. Most that come with cases are crap. I got a OCZ GameXStream 600W and it rocks. I'm sure there are other good ones cheapre than what I paid for mine, but doing this will sovle possible problems down the road and also will most likely look a lot better.

I was also wondering why you chose the Xeon. I'd go with the new intels or AMD X2 AM2's if you're short on cash, which it seems you're not. If you go those routes, you have to change out the motherboard and possibly RAM too, but don't quote me on that last part.
 
First of all, that case isnt HUGE, the guy who built my first computer had it and could not fit anything in it, when it was in, everything was crammed. also for your video card, HIS isnt known that well, so i would go with something of Name brand ATI or Saphire.
 
Yes, definatly get an intel core duo 2 processor and mobo. MUCH cheaper and better than what you chose. If you do that, you can get a much better video card. A good core duo 2 mobo is like 200$ and its way better for gamming.
 
I agree, dont use a Xeon, they are bred for servers and the core 2 will trounce it in the gaming forum, use the money you save to get an ATI X1950XTX or an Nvidia 7900 or 7950, and please, please, please get a case without a PSU and pick up an OCZ, they make some of the best psu's on the market, you want something with dual +12V rails rated at 18A or higher.

***I cant stress enough on how important the psu is for gaming***
 
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