[Floy]

Right, as you can see from my sig, my current computer is kind of old, apart from the video card and PSU. I want to build a new computer, but I have a pretty small budget, as I want to save money for studying etc. It is around 300-450€.

I have thought about keeping my video card (HD4670), my PSU (Corsair VX450W), my screen (Syncmaster 223BW), my external harddrive and my dvd drive and perhaps my card reader. That would save some money.

Right, so I would need a new motherboard, RAM, CPU, harddrive and case.

This is what I thought about and with the new parts that I need, the amount came to a bit under 400€.

Case: Antec 300
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L, P45
Power Supply: Corsair VX450W (already owned)
CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200
Cooling: Xigmatek HDT-RS1283 Red Scorpion
RAM: OCZ 2048MB KIT DDR2-800 Gold GX XTC Rev. 2 CL5
GPU: ATI HD4670 (already owned)
Sound Card: onboard
HDD: Samsung spinpoint F1 500GB SATA

If I put 40€ more for the CPU, I could get an E7300. However, 450€ is the maximum that I want to put for this. Or should I get another 2gb of RAM? I currently have got XP Pro 32 bit and I know 32bit doesn't support more than about 3.x GB of RAM. I have never been a fan of Vista, but is the 64bit version of Vista alright? Is the driver support good? I know XP Pro x64 has had really no support, Flash player doesn't work with it etc.

I could build a computer that would cost around 4000€, as I have the money, but I want to save it for further education. I plan on using this computer for sometime, because when I go study, I will not have much money to spend of computer parts, especially now during this financial crisis.

If you guys have got any suggestions, then I would love to hear them, especially if I can get a better system for cheaper.

Oh, and I plan on overclocking a bit as well, to get more performance.

 

[mcastaneda68]

I would change the memory to 1066 MHz, one. It is natively supported by your MB selection.
Also, if you can get the E7300, it is a 1066 MHz FSB and 45nm, which will help with the cooling requirements

 

[Floy]

Would I get much performance boost if I get 1066mhz sticks instead of 800mhz?

Also, I have been thinking about the case and have heard that the Antec300 is a very crowded case. I have been looking at other cases and one that looks very interesting is the Cooler Master Dominator Xcalade 690 (RC-690). Is it a good case?

Also, is my PSU strong enough for dual core and the HD4670? It works fine with my single core and the 4670, just thought I would ask in case I would need a new PSU.

 

[rtop2]

Yea i think the PSU should be fine and as for the ram get 1066mhz ram.

 

[sparklin]

Looking good. I would grab a E7300 and 4GB of RAM. I'd get 1066 MHz ram, too.. You wont notice any big difference between 800MHz and 1066MHz, though. I would still recommend of getting 4GB of RAM even you currently have 32bit OS.

Check out this shop as it is located in Germany

Hardwareversand.de

There you could get same stuff than in your post but E7300 & 4GB 1066 MHz RAM for ~400€.

Antec Three Hundred 54,61 €
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L, Intel P45 92,47 €
Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 108,17 €
Xigmatek HDT-RS1283 Heatpipe Cooler - Red Scorpion Edition 33,44 €
4096MB-Kit OCZ PC2-8500 Platinum, CL5 55,82 €
Samsung HD502IJ, 500GB, 16MB 57,83 €
=402,34 €

 

[Floy]

I know about HVW (hardwareversand), I bought my HD4670 from there for about 70€. Not bad.

Another good site is hoh.de (home of hardware). They have good prices as well, about the same as with HWV.

I've read that the E7300 can be overclocked pretty well, is that true? What is the maximum that I can OC it to without having to go with water cooling? How much can I OC if I use the Xigmatek RS1283?

Also, there are two cases that I am interested in, the Antec300 and Cooler Master Dominator Xcalade 690 (RC-690)...which one is better? Is there also a better case than those two in the same price range (50-70€)?

 

[Acoma_Andy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tizmo I know about HVW (hardwareversand), I bought my HD4670 from there for about 70€. Not bad. Another good site is hoh.de (home of hardware). They have good prices as well, about the same as with HWV. I've read that the E7300 can be overclocked pretty well, is that true? What is the maximum that I can OC it to without having to go with water cooling? How much can I OC if I use the Xigmatek RS1283? Also, there are two cases that I am interested in, the Antec300 and Cooler Master Dominator Xcalade 690 (RC-690)...which one is better? Is there also a better case than those two in the same price range (50-70€)?

The CoolerMaster 690 cases are all good.

Yes the E7300 is a good overclocker, you can probably clock it to about 3.8Ghz. If you can, go for an E8400, it shouldn't be much more.

Also your PSU can handle HD4670 in Crossfire easily, so 1 single HD4670 is no problem at all.

 

[Floy]

The E8400 is about 40€ more than the E7300 and if I would get that, that would go right to the limit of my budget (450€). However if I push my limit up a little bit, I could also get an E8500 with E0 stepping. Is that any good? I have no idea about stepping etc.

 

[Acoma_Andy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tizmo The E8400 is about 40€ more than the E7300 and if I would get that, that would go right to the limit of my budget (450€). However if I push my limit up a little bit, I could also get an E8500 with E0 stepping. Is that any good? I have no idea about stepping etc.

The E8400 is E0 as well, so it would not matter. They don't sell C0's anymore.

 

[Floy]

Ok, so the choice is between the E7300 and E8400.

E7400=400€ total
E8400=450€ total

450€ is the maximum of my budget.

However, if I get the E8400, the shipping would also cost extra, so I may be limited to the E7300. We will see though.

Are there any expected price drops between now and May? I would be building this sometime in May.

 

[Acoma_Andy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tizmo Ok, so the choice is between the E7300 and E8400. E7400=400€ total E8400=450€ total 450€ is the maximum of my budget. However, if I get the E8400, the shipping would also cost extra, so I may be limited to the E7300. We will see though. Are there any expected price drops between now and May? I would be building this sometime in May.

Yeah if your not going to order until may then the prices will probably be lower.

In Germany, Mushkin memory is pretty cheap. Maybe you can switch those OCZ's for a nice set of Mushkins

 

[Floy]

Is there any performance difference, or is it same performance with the Mushkins being cheaper?

 

[Admiral Mudkipz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tizmo Is there any performance difference, or is it same performance with the Mushkins being cheaper?

I think it's pretty much the same. Mushkins are well known for their quality.

 

[Floy]

Was just looking at pricing and all sorts of good brands seem to have about the same price (~50€) for 4gb 1066mhz RAM:

OCZ
Mushkin
Corsair
Kingston
GSkill

Does it matter which one I choose or would I be happy with any one of them? I have heard very good reviews about the Corsair Dominators...

 

[Floy]

Right, it will soon be time for me to start buying the parts. I have been doing more thinking and I am more in favour of a future proof system. I want to save the majority of my money for studying, which means I don't want to always be upgrading, except maybe for a video card.

Would the E8400 still be a good option, or would a switch to AMD's Phenom II 720BE be a good option. The 720 has been receiving lots of good reviews. I could get the 720, along with DD3 memory and an AM3 mobo for around the same price as what the E8400 system would be...

I play games most of the time, but also do some photo editing and video editing. Would the E8400 still be good for that use and at the same time be good for the future. I have a feeling the C2D's aren't meant for the future, but obviously you guys know better