Will my proposed PC be the death of me? An old man needs advice. ( 2 Views )

no kitty!

Hi, I have been reading the forums here for the past few days trying to wrap my head around a computer I am trying to build. Before I started this I would have said my level of computer expertise was average to moderately advanced... I have since been disillusioned.:)

I have built 2-3 computers about 3-4 years ago and have managed upgrade them, and keep them up and running through various hardware failures, virus and mal-ware attacks. Having had prior experience I figured that building another PC would be an exercise in the same. I do not know whether I had dumb luck the last few times ( get the right RAM, and CPU for the mobo and throw them together) or if things have gotten that much more complicated (maybe the old adage was right:Ignorance is bliss), but it seems now I can not just get DD2 800 RAM and use it I have to use the right BRAND of RAM, reset my power, make sure that stick like that chipset, etc, etc for each component.

The more I read the more confused I become, so I have decided to submit the components I am looking at here, for your approval.

XP Pro OS

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115029

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128050

SAPPHIRE 100186L Radeon X1950XT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102067

Is what I am leaning towards, but I was also looking at this mobo:

MSI P6N SLI Platinum
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130081

I do not need SLI and it seems to be more finicky than the Gigabyte as well as being more expensive.

As far as HDDs go I was looking at these 2

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136075

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144415

But I have no idea what difference the "AA" designates. Also someone in one of the reviews said:

"Cons: Unfortunately it doesn't work fast for long or reliably. This problem has been appearing on 160g drives across the board. No brand is better than another. The 160 gigs fail, as a computer tech I now advise ALL customers to NOT buy one, they are the new bigfoot of the hard drive world. DO NOT BUY A 160 GIG !!!"

Is this common knowledge or is this guy a, to put it politely, whack-job? Or is there really an issue with the 160s?

That is all I can think of right now. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

(haydar, Mozambique)

I don't know a whole lot either, but I think you could probably go with a cheaper processor, and their are other brands of RAM with the same stats you can get cheaper (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16820227124). As for the Hard Drives, I think the guy is probably wrong. If there was some major flaw with 160GB Hard Drives, then they wouldn't sell them, or there wouldn't be that nice 3year warranty on them =]. But if that guy has scared you, just get a bigger drive... here 40GB, and cheaper (free shipping) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144416

I've heard good things about the DS3R mobo, I'm clueless about the other one. Depending on what you use your computer for you might be able to save a lot of money on the graphics card.

I think it's probably the same as it used to be, just more options =]

Good Luck!

(cansu, Georgia)

I have also been looking at these forums and have been talking to a lot of experts. From what i have heard, especially from the more fanatic pc goers, you should either buy the q6600 or just overclock the e4300.. if youre willing to overclock that is...

(zehra, Swaziland)

The DS3R is a better choice if you don't want/need SLI, and you're getting an ATI card, so... not an option anyway unless you plan to go nVidia later.

Any DDR2-800 will be fine. Lower latency (4-4-4-12 vs. 5-5-5-16) is better but don't pay a lot for it. CAS 5 and CAS 4 are pretty much the same in every day usage and only show a real difference in benchmarks. The problems with RAM anymore have little to do with brands and more to do with faster sticks (usually DDR2-1066 and faster) requiring much higher vdimm (voltage to the RAM) to even POST. Most "enthusiast level" DDR2-800 will be rated for somewhere between 1.9 and 2.1 vdimm at their advertised timings and speeds, but will run happily (or at very least, POST) at much lower vdimm. Failure to POST is almost always the result of motherboard manufacturers defaulting to 1.8 vdimm and users installing fast, higher voltage RAM at first boot.

No reason to buy a 160GB drive right now. Price per gigabyte is far better at 320-500GB. You don't need the space now, sure, but that could easily change. Also, swap WD for Seagate -- specifically, the Seagate 7200.10 perpendicular recording drives. Much faster than the WDs and the same five year warranty.

(hatice, Egypt)

He could get the SLI 650i board, thats like $80 and pretty good =], good for your everyday user. It all depends what he is using his computer for. Like, videos, just general stuff, video encoding, games. If you arn't encoding or doing games you can really cut back on a lot of stuff.

(turgut, China)

I've got 3 160GB WD's in an old workstation just for backups.
In fact, I used a WD 1600 on my old xbox mod, and it ran many, many, hours and eventually got donated to a friend. It outlasted my xbox, which I guess isn't saying much, but the hard drive is still running after 5 years or so with heavy use.

I've got 2 more raided in a server that are working flawlessly.

That's a classic example of 1 guy with 1 bad drive and no other experiance.

(parola50, Ukraine)

Well, SuperJosh, don't worry, we're here to help :)

Your build looks pretty good to me as is. Obviously you've done your research. But I do have a few more questions for you before I can recommend any changes:

1) What power supply are you going to use? A power supply is the most important component in a computer because a bad PSU can easily kill or burn out an entire system. So it's a good idea to have to a good power supply.
2) What is your budget?
3) What are you planning to do on this new PC?
4) Why are you buying this new PC? In other words, what's wrong with your current PC that you feel a new PC would help with?
5) If you are gaming, what games are you planning to play?

(kazim, Germany)

Quote:

...especially from the more fanatic pc goers...

:eek:

(levent, Jamaica)

Thanks for all the responses so far guys, in reverse order here are -my- responses:

1) What power supply are you going to use? A power supply is the most important component in a computer because a bad PSU can easily kill or burn out an entire system. So it's a good idea to have to a good power supply.
I will be using the 450w PSU that comes with the semi-new Sonata II I got when they were phasing out the IIs for the IIIs. It is "a few" months old now but has never been used. If that PSU is not good enough I have a 500 (550?)w Thermaltake that is about 1.5-2 years old

2) What is your budget?
$600, if you do the math I am already over it. Through an obscene amount of groveling and a few acts I am not particulary proud of I managed to get The Boss (aka The Wife) to ok the current build. So lets say <$700 now, although the lower the better as I LIKE sleeping in the bedroom.

3) What are you planning to do on this new PC?
Games mostly, mainly RPG games, specifically WoW for the foreseeable immediate future. Nothing excessively stressful like FPS (although I love the genre I suffer from simulation sickness. Oddly enough only on the PC, consoles it is OK). Oh also it will be displaying on a widescreen 22" (1680x1050, right?) monitor.

4) Why are you buying this new PC? In other words, what's wrong with your current PC that you feel a new PC would help with?
Old PC -BAAAAD-. Old PC freeze up when enter Shattrath. Old PC no like give more than 10-15 FPS an outland...lands. Ahem, err. My old PC was OK when I made it. Made from hand me down parts that I put the best they would support in them and it was great, but it is definitly showing it's age, and I have the money for one right now, so I figure do it while I can.

5) If you are gaming, what games are you planning to play?
WoW (as mentioned (did I mention I like parenthesis?)), maybe Fallout 3, but I think that might be a first person view so I might pass. Basically RPGs, as stated before, and once again (because if Natural Born Killers taught us anything it is "Repetition works/Repetition works) it will be pushing a 1680x1050 monitor (I stress this because I honestly think this was the killing blow to my old PC)

Whew, on to other stuff! Glad to here the 160GB HDD guy was just "misinformed" although I think I might go with the 200 BaLaClavaAa linked more for less is always a plus.

As far as the proccessor goes, The q6600 is kind of out of my budget unless we can cut corners somewhere else. Is there anything wrong with the 6750 or is it kind of the middleing-I-could-not-decide-so-I-got-this-one proccessor? As far as overclocking I am not -against- it per se, but I have NO experince in it and the main thing I am looking for in this system is stability (yes I am aware that is an oxymoron considering I said I was using XP).

BaLaClavaAa: What is this $80 SLI 6501 board you mention, it intrigues me and frees up valueable money for other system parts.

As far as RAM goes what I am understanding is that noncompatability issues seem to be isolated incidents and as long as I stick the 1st stick in set the BOIS to 2.0-2.1v, power off, then stick the 2nd stick in I should be good. Also I am willing to pay a bit more for the g.skill because 1) it has a good rep with my friends and 2) when you read the reviews (at least the ones in my link) there are quit a few responses form the manufactorer. This is the 1st time I have seen that and cust service like that is worth a few bucks to me. Still I am open to suggestions.

Once again, thanks all and I appericiate your time and advice.

(Umut, Gibraltar)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperJosh (Post 1031350333)

As far as the proccessor goes, The q6600 is kind of out of my budget unless we can cut corners somewhere else. Is there anything wrong with the 6750 or is it kind of the middleing-I-could-not-decide-so-I-got-this-one proccessor? As far as overclocking I am not -against- it per se, but I have NO experince in it and the main thing I am looking for in this system is stability (yes I am aware that is an oxymoron considering I said I was using XP).

Don't get the Q6600, go for something much cheaper like the e4300 and overclock it to 3ghz. Then use the saved money for a better GPU for that resoloution.

Oh and that Thermaltake PSU sounds better than the one from the case.

(sexs arayan erkekler , Taiwan, Province of China)

Its not a good idea to go with a 2 year old PSU.
Its rating of 450W (or 500W) will have reduced by the PSU aging.

I used a Enermax 420W PSU for 3 years but by the time I stopped using it, it would only use around 280W max (power consumption tested at the wall socket). My overclock slowly got lower as the PSU aged.
I was probably lucky that it didnt die due to overstressing but I did make sure it was kept cool.

If you will be remaining with the X1950 for a few years then a "NEW" good brand 450W PSU will suffice but gives you not much headroom for the future.
I'd be leaning more towards a 600W PSU, why you may ask....

Heres 3 reasons, there are more:
1) the efficiency curve isnt constant, it is less efficient at low and high power output. Around the middle of its capability gives better efficiency.
2) if you push a psu hard, it will age faster. You want the PSU to be the most reliable part in your system!
3) With a more capable PSU, you wont need to worry that a future upgrade will be too much to handle.

(þeyma, Lesotho)

Will my proposed PC be the death of me? An old man needs advice. ( 2 Views )

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