How so? I see no reason to have two harddrives when you could just have one, in fact, I see no reason to have data on a different harddrive than your OS..

I cast level 4 Necrophilia.

So anyways, I want a second opinion. I've consulted with Ex on the PC build I'm refining and he has greatly helped push down the price tag. But I want other people's thoughts so that I can make a few final decisions.

Here is the current build I'm probably going to stick with:

Case: Sigma Windstorm ST
This really nice case was discovered by Ex. It's just like the Cooler Master RC-690 case I was going to buy; but it has more fans, is cheaper and comes with a red colour that is very hoy.

Motherboard: ASUS P5Q SE PLUS
Somewhat average motherboard kinda sorta-ish. Ex chose open box for this part to keep the prices down. I'm a little doubtful of it's quality, but I'm hoping that this part will turn out okay.

Memory: 4GB G.Skill 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
loli

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 'Wolfdale' E8400
Bit pricey, but this arsenugget can be overclocked up to 3.6GHz on it's default voltage.

CPU Fan: Xigmatek HDT-S1283
This fan moves tons of air for a good price. I'm not sure if I'm competent enough to install this thing though.

Graphics Card: XFX GeForce GTS 250
Originally Ex recommended an HD 4850, but I stuck with the GTS 250 because I could skim off an extra $25 by being able to use a slightly cheaper power supply.

Power Supply: Rosewill RP550-2
550W of electrical delight.

Hard Drive: 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12
ur mum can hold more space than this drive

DVD Reader/Burner/Cock: LG DVD Burner GH22NS30
FACE

CPU Thermal Compund: ARCTIC COOLING MX-2
According to Ex, this small tube can reduce CPU temperatures by about 5-10C, only for $7.


That's it. Now, I want your opinion on this build.
Just tell me what you think of the build and maybe suggest a thing or two. Death threats are welcome.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Apr 5 2009, 12:08 am by FlyingHat.

If you doubt ASUS build quality you know absolutely nothing about PCs. The only better builders are EVGA and DFI and EVGA overcharges.


You'll be fine. I'll be on the phone with you when you do it if you'd like.

Untrue. The HD4850 draws roughly equal power and you have more than enough power. I think you're just being a NV fanboy.
If you aren't, then you should realize that the HD4850 offers more performance and that you're making a mistake. I don't take the time to help you so you can not listen.



5-8C* is what I said, over stock. It's worth the measly 7$.

I don't know if I'd recommend getting an open box motherboard. Based on the description they always show for open box items on there, it sounds like it may not come with some of the extra parts, possibly just the motherboard only, and if you need those cables and other accessories... Of course, I've never bought any open box items from Newegg, so I have no experience with this.

Keep in mind that a retail boxed cpu like you have picked out comes with a heatsink/fan combo already and is probably the easiest to install, too. If you aren't going to be overclocking the cpu, the heatsink/fan that comes with it should be fine. It will also come with some kind of thermal compound pre-applied.

Don't just look at watts. For a 550, the specs on that power supply are fairly mediocre. You can get better probably at that price or at least only $10 to $20 more. I'll probably make some suggestions later, unless someone else suggests something good before then.

Both my mobo and GFX are newegg open box and gave me zero problems. I stand by them. He is going to be overclocking so the Xigma is definitely a good idea. The Rosewill isn't a Corsair, Antec, or PCPowerAndCooling but we know that, it still should do fine though. If he wants to spend more on it he already had another more expensive one picked out.

Did those open box items come with everything the normal ones did or were they missing the cables, etc.? I've been kind of curious about this, since the description Newegg has on open box items seems to indicate that none of the accessories are included.

As far as overclocking goes, if he is going to be doing that then he should for sure get a power supply with better specs, particularly I mean more amps for 12 volts. Especially with these power supplies that have multiple 12 volt rails, the higher end ones are more flexible with what percentage of the maximum current can go across each 12 volt rail, where lower end ones can only divide it up evenly, which reduces the effective capacity of the power supply in a way. If it is a low end one of the single 12 volt rail power supplies, then it is typically even worse off, with the typical cheap ones of that type not even having the capability of delivering most of the power through the 12 volt rail, which is the most heavily used one these days.

For example, my power supply is only a 485 watt and yet it can do 22 amps on either of the two 12 volt rails, up to a combined total of 32 amps. That Rosewill unit can do 18 amps max on either of the two, up to a combined total of 35 amps. Basically mine can split the maximum power available to each rail to ~68%/32% rather than being limited to only ~50%/50%. This means that you can have a more power hungry device (or devices) on one side of the PSU's power than on the other side, even using more than half the 12 volt power, and it will still work fine on mine but not on the other. This could especially be a significant factor if SLI or CrossFire comes into play, and even more so if overclocking the cards as well.


If you want at least a 550 watt, this looks like it would be a good one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004
It currently has a $20 rebate on it, too. Besides that it supports higher output on the 12 volt rail, it is also more efficient in two different ways:

1) It has active PFC (power factor correction) compared to the Rosewill having no PFC. This means it has a much more efficient AC to DC power conversion. Through some complicated thing about how power usage is often billed by kilowatt hours and not volt-amp hours (I don't know the details), it might not save money on the power bill but will use less power and create less heat. As a side note, for some reason this also seems to make power supplies not require the usual 115/230 volt switch on the back.

2) It also has higher efficiency than the Rosewill model for the parts after the AC to DC conversion. This means there will be additional power savings, but these savings will affect what is measured on a watt power meter, unlike the above. As above, this also makes it create less heat because of less wasted power.

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Apr 6 2009, 6:46 pm by ShadowFlare.

They don't come with accessories but I was already prepared for that, as I'm sure Hat would be. For the money you're saving on open box items in general if you really needed some 3$ cable it'd be cheaper just to add that to the order.

I already commented on the PSU thing, but honestly if he's going to spend 90$ there was a nice Antec that was about that much and I think it was a 650w. I'm gonna go look for it.

Found: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

Oh, I didn't realize that was an Earthwatts 650. I thought they only had them up to 500 watts in that series. Yeah, I remember that the Earthwatts series was one that received good ratings in the reviews. That one does have good specs on it, too.

Just looking at price:performance really. Corsair is great and all but I feel they overcharge a bit. If they offered that one for the same price as the Antec I'd say they'd be equal.

There's still the rebate, though.

Anyway, there is something the Corsair has that the Antec doesn't, though. It has all of the +12V power on one rail, so it has the highest flexibility on where that power can be used, unlike the multi-rail system in use on many today. Some people want that, in case they build a system where the power is being used much more in one specific place in the computer than another. In particular, they are probably great for dual or quad gpu video cards.

I doubt Hat is going to at any point try to run something like 4870x2 CF.

I recommend going with a wooden case, as it will natural degrade, unlike plastic, and can easily be disguised as a bread box if you invite your Amish friend over.

ALSO, WOOD FUCKING RULES.

Yeah, I was just stating a possible answer for why they are more expensive.

Also, lol @ wooden case