EggXpert

Hi all

Well here is what I went with any other thoughts? I picked a few parts off the budget builds on page one. 

 Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3250310NS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148309 Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy  $80.99 

 GIGABYTE GA-MA790FX-DS5 AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX Ultra Durable II AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128074 Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy  $199.99 

 GIGABYTE GV-RX385512H Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - RetailItem #: N82E16814125084
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy  $199.99 

 AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX6400CZWOF - RetailItem #: N82E16819103191 Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy  $159.99 

 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007 Return Policy: Consumable Items Return Policy  $5.99 

 SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151154 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy  $33.99 

 ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835185125 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy  $19.99 

 PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Crossfire Edition) EPS12V 750W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817341011 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy  $149.99 

 COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119137 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy  $69.99 

 Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA804 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820146565 Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy  $64.99 

 Crucial Ballistix 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model BL12864AA804 - OEMItem #: N82E16820146560 Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy  $39.99 

 Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP support - Retail
Item #: N82E16824009094
Return Policy: [LCD] Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy  $229.99 
 
Subtotal: $1,255.88

Thanks txw, jsv35 and everyone else. I don't think I did to bad.

Tommyboy1900

It looks to be a great build!  I'm just curious as to why you're getting 3gb of memory?  I'd say just get the 2x1gb kit which is plenty for me and I'm sure others will say as well.  If you really want more, make the move to 64bit windows and just get another 2x1gb kit instead of a 1gb stick.  Hope things go well!

Hi

I know I know. As too the 3GB kicks and giggles. I will go with 64bit windows after a while.

Tommyboy1900

Haha, alright.  I hope your building goes well!

thank you so much jsv. i didn't know where to start until i found this guide. i will use your $1,100 Intel build, and hopefully everything will go well.
btw, i'm a noob and i just want to clarify, this build is just the case and everything inside that will make the computer run right?

Yup, those are all the parts you need for the tower.  You will need to have the other things like operating system (Windows/Linux), mouse/keyboard, speakers, monitor.

wow quick response! thanks, that's what i thought. sorry to bother you again, but is the build missing a cd reader or is that the "LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S - Retail"? sorry i'm new at this stuff and i might be mistaking the SATA for only burning/writing cd's.

also would u recommend vista or xp? i have the monitor mouse and keyboard already, so all i need is an os.

and how many fans should i purchase?

That Lite-On is a DVD burner, so it will perform all of your cd/dvd needs.  It can burn both DVDs and CDs, so you don't have to worry about that. 

For an Operating System, I'd say you could easily go with either.  If you don't have any older software or peripherals for your computer, I'd say go for Vista Home Premium.  If you have some older software that you'd like to still use, go ahead and get XP Pro as that is still a very popular OS ( I use it on 6 computers ).  XP will probably give you less head aches if you're not too nimble around operating systems, but Vista will work as well. 

once again thanks for the quick responses. however, i think there was a misunderstanding. i was asking if the Lite-On could read cd/dvd, not burn them. because for my needs, i think that a burner is unnecessary and could shave the price down a little if not purchased. i just need a decent CD drive.

and going back to my previous post: ideally, how many fans should i purchase for this build?

Sorry for the confusion, the DVD burner would read cd/dvd the same as a plain cd/dvd rom, it just has the added capability of burning them also.  You could get a dvd/cd-rw drive for maybe $10 less.  Try and stick with an SATA cd/dvd drive though as it will be less of a pain to install and configure than an IDE or PATA drive.

Well, for fans I'd say have atleast two 120mm fans installed in your case.  If you are getting that Coolermaster RC-690, I believe it can accept something like seven 120mm fans, but that is a little overboard.  Just make sure you have one fan that is blowing exhaust air out the rear of the case and one fan pulling in air from the front of the case. 

wow, thanks a lot for the promptness and helpfulness of your replies. i will take all your advice and build this new pc. if i have any further questions, i'll be sure to stop by and drop a post :)

hi, i'm back again. do you think a cpu fan will be necessary for the $1100 build? i'm confused, is there one in the case already, or is it the "PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply - Retail"? and if i need to buy a cpu fan, should i get the artic cooler?

Yup, you'll need a CPU fan for your build.  When you're purchasing computer components through e-tailers such as Newegg.com or ZipZoomFly.com, there are sometimes two versions of an item available.  One is the Retail version and one is listed as OEM.  Retail items come packaged as they would when sold at a big box store, in the proper packaging, commercial box, manual, appropriate parts needed.  OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer, i.e. DELL, HP, etc) items come as just the item without the extra stuff usually put into the retail box.  You will most often see CPUs and Hard Drives sold like this.

CPUs that come in the Retail packaging come with a stock heatsink and fan, so that Core 2 Quad Q6600 that I have listed there is the retail version and you wouldn't have to worry about cooling for it as it comes with it's own equipment.  If you were to buy an OEM version of that CPU, then you'd have to look at an aftermarket HSF for it.

I'll give you a little more detailed breakdown of the parts I have listed and what they are quickly:

~$1100 Budget ( Intel )

DVD burner or DVD/CD ROM:  LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model

Computer Case/Tower:  COOLER MASTER RC-690 Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Hard Drive:  Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 400GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

PSU (Power Supply Unit):  PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply

System Memory:  Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

Motherboard:  GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU (Central Processing Unit):  Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit, sometimes called VGA):

EVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256Bit PCI-Express 2.0 Video Card 

OR

DIAMOND Viper Radeon HD3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI-e 2.0 Crossfire Ready Video Card

Subtotal: $1,102.92 + shipping (1x$40 Mail In Rebate)

So if you purchase the these items, you should have all of the screws, cables, connectors, etc to assemble your system.  The only thing you may need to worry about is screws, but I have found that any that I need come with the case or motherboard.  The CPU comes with it's own HSF which already has some thermal compound applied to it.

If you are considering overclocking, then you would want to be looking into better cooling for your CPU in the form of an aftermarket HSF.  These can range in price from $20-$70.  Myself, I have a $20 aftermarket HSF for my CPU but don't overclock, I just appreciate the lower temperatures.  Here are a couple that you can look into.

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail

ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Retail

ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail

Thermaltake CL-P0114 120mm CPU Cooler - Retail

COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler - Retail

Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooling Heatsink - Retail

Thermaltake CL-P0401 110mm Full-Range Fan CPU Cooler - Retail

o oops that was the power supply. sorry about that. i'm really new at this. thanks for all the info.

haha, that's quite alright, any other questions, go ahead and ask here on the forums, I'm sure you'll get a great response pretty quick.

hi jsv35

The parts came in yesterday, got it put together and programs installed. Its a live.

Tommyboy1900

Awesome, glad to hear it!  Got any pictures of the final product?

looks like a killer rig!

Hi

I don't have pics yet. I will work on it. It is a huge upgrade from a 1.1 celeron and 1 GB ram. I don't like one thing about the case but I will live with it.

later

Tommyboy1900

Glad to hear it!  Just curious, what was it about the case?  I haven't actually used one in a build yet but have been looking at it for one soon.