I have decided! Input on new build.

1046 Views 19 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Volvo, Nov 25, 2009

Volvo

Discussion Starter · Nov 23, 2009

My upcoming build.
This will be used mainly for long hours of gaming on games like TF2, NFSU2, and NFSMW.
I have only a S$700 budget (US$467) budget to work on, so give me some advice.

CPU: Intel Core2Duo E8400 3.0GHz
MOBO: ASUS P5LP-LE (it's a HP motherboard... wonder whether can it even support that CPU)
GPU: ASUS EAH4550 512MB GDDR3
RAM: 4x 1GB 667MHz Crucial (the ones with the blue metal plate on them, ditto as to what model)
HDD: Existing WD Caviar 250GB, + New 1TB WD Caviar Green
PSU: CoolerMaster RealPowerPro 550W

Cooling: Well taken care of.

How's this for a multi-purpose rig that plays four-year-old titles for long hours? Feedback please.

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Rewindlabs

· #2 · Nov 23, 2009

Find out what CPU's that motherboard can support

Ditch the e8400 and find something in the e5xx range or similar that can do 3.5Ghz+....with the cash saved you can get a better GPU which IMO is going to net you more performance in those titles than the e8400 and that sub par GPU...

Volvo

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 23, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rewindlabs

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Find out what CPU's that motherboard can support

Ditch the e8400 and find something in the e5xx range or similar that can do 3.5Ghz+....with the cash saved you can get a better GPU which IMO is going to net you more performance in those titles than the e8400 and that sub par GPU...

i'm checking it out on the hp website...
apparently they weren't so nice as to hand me a mobo manual with the pc.
gotta do some homework.

alright, it says it supports Pentium D up to 3.2GHz, and Pentium 4 up to Prescott 580 & 670.
not a good start, definitely.

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carayan

· #4 · Nov 23, 2009

I think a cheap G31 chipset and an E5xxx range would be sufficient. The rest of the money could be spent on like a better GPU or something. Troll for open deals on newegg, you never know what you can find!

Volvo

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 23, 2009

oh wait, it does give more information.
it says: System Bus: 533MHz, 800MHz, 1066MHz.
does that refer to the FSB? if so, my Pentium D is a PD 930, clocked at 3.0GHz and has 800MHz FSB.
does the 1066 support mean i can use a CPU which has 1066FSB?

Volvo

Discussion Starter · #6 · Nov 23, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by carayan

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I think a cheap G31 chipset and an E5xxx range would be sufficient. The rest of the money could be spent on like a better GPU or something. Troll for open deals on newegg, you never know what you can find!

gotta pay for those by credit card, right?
sorry, my parents are stone-age people, they don't trust credit card payments, and i'm dirt poor. no choice but to troll the local technology stores physically, which aren't cheap.

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Volvo

Discussion Starter · #7 · Nov 23, 2009

i've hit a wall here.
the E8400's a 1333MHz CPU.
***.

carayan

· #8 · Nov 23, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volvo

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i've hit a wall here.
the E8400's a 1333MHz CPU.
***.

That was a given..

Your best bet I think would be to find a cheap P45 or same motherboard and a cheap CPU. If money is tight you have to cut back a little for progress in other areas. You can still check online right? I'm sure they have an e-store..

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Volvo

Discussion Starter · #9 · Nov 23, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by carayan

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That was a given..

Your best bet I think would be to find a cheap P45 or same motherboard and a cheap CPU. If money is tight you have to cut back a little for progress in other areas. You can still check online right? I'm sure they have an e-store..

i've found an E7600 for sale.
gonna get that.
but still, HP documentation scares me.
Supports P4 and PD only.
yet, bus supports 533, 800, 1066.

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carayan

· #10 · Nov 23, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volvo

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i've found an E7600 for sale.
gonna get that.
but still, HP documentation scares me.
Supports P4 and PD only.
yet, bus supports 533, 800, 1066.

Its not going to work, no matter how you look at it. You found a cpu, find a cheap motherboard, and bobs your uncle. Re use your ram, the hard drives and save the rest for something else.

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Volvo

Discussion Starter · #11 · Nov 23, 2009

New plan (almost approved by the folks):

CPU: Core-i7 920
GPU: MSi HD5770 1GB GDDR5
Board: ASUS Rampage II Gene
Casing: CoolerMaster Elite RC-341
RAM: 3x 2GB Kingston DDR3 1333MHz
HDD: WD Caviar 500GB 7.2kRPM + WD GreenPower 1TB 5.4kRPM
PSU: PCP&C Silencer 610W
CPU Cooler: Same one as I'm using right now, mounted on the 775 holes in the Rampage

elson

· #12 · Nov 23, 2009

What happened to being poor? lol

Honestly switch to i5 over the i7. You'll save more money.

Penicilyn

· #13 · Nov 23, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by elson

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What happened to being poor? lol

Honestly switch to i5 over the i7. You'll save more money.

This.

Go with an i5 and you'll save a good chunk of change

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Volvo

Discussion Starter · #14 · Nov 23, 2009

i did consider that, but i'm slightly confused.
does i5 = i7-860?

rmvvwls

· #15 · Nov 23, 2009

i5 refers to the i7-750. Everybody sorta renamed it for simplicity. Intel is stupid.

Difference being: i7-860+ has hyper-threading (4 cores, 8 threads)
i7-750 does not (4 cores, 4 threads)

The only programs that support 8 threads are things like Photoshop CS4 and high-end animation programs.
But the 750 is something like $150 cheaper than the 860, so that would help.

Volvo

Discussion Starter · #16 · Nov 24, 2009

i see. intel is being dumb for naming a socket 1156 cpu as an i7, which by right, should only be for 1366.

but still, besides the point that the i7-8xx are cheaper than the i7-9xx, what are the drawbacks to it?

Volvo

Discussion Starter · #17 · Nov 24, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by elson

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What happened to being poor? lol

Honestly switch to i5 over the i7. You'll save more money.

they just refuse to give any spending on my DIY PC.
they insist on going out and buying a brand-name PC.
well HP ain't so bad, but just so they know, HP has underpowered cooling.
from what little i can see through the vents in the side panel, it seems that HP's new PC's use a passive cooler!?!?!?! for the CPU, and a mere, 0.16->0.20A 92mm fan at the rear for ventilation.

i wonder what happened to 0.4A AVC's in the rear and a helluva big-sized CPU cooler from HP of the past.

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Volvo

Discussion Starter · #18 · Nov 24, 2009

a small question.
if i went for i5 instead, (i7-860)
that means i'd have to get the Maximus III Gene instead of the Rampage II Gene.
i noticed that the Rampage had 6 slots of RAM while the Maximus only has 4.
what's the difference here?
and also, what RAM do i have to use with the Maximus board?

MC21

· #19 · Nov 24, 2009

Ya man if your gunna upgrade out of the PT4 era you need to buy a new mobo a cheap p35 with a bios upgrade or something.

Volvo

Discussion Starter · #20 · Nov 25, 2009

i see the need for a new mobo for everything to work well, which is why i'm getting an i7 build..
after all, it's better to future-proof.

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