Need opinions on this hardware

CreepCreep Hell Icrontian
edited September 2009 in Hardware
Wow, I've been out of this game for awhile now so I know next to nothing about today's hardware. Gee the last system I built was about 7 years ago and the last thing I over clocked was an old Athalon Throughbred that had unlocked multi's on an old Soyo mobo! *Man im old :grumble:* So that all being said Aion is coming out and I need a new PC. After reading reviews and searching newegg for the last few days I've come up with this list of stuff that I feel is right, but I'd like a second, or third opinion.

LIAN LI PC-7F Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112194

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3160813AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148397
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433
(Yes 2 HDD's, No I don't care if you think I should or not, just want to know if these suck or not since I've ONLY used WD's)

ASUS EAH4890/HTDI/1GD5 Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121308

Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025

ASUS Rampage Extreme LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131334

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2C 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116378



That's everything, except RAM. As for the memory, I don't know anything about it these days. I've only ever used Crucial and I've NEVER had a problem. But times change which I found out after reading Gigabyte MoBo reviews. Back in the day they were horrid boards now it's seems that are on the top, go figure.

Yes I plan on doing so over clocking, yes price is an issue, no I don't feel comfortable buying Open/Referb hardware, yes I know it would be cheaper.

Shoutout to BuddyJ and Garg! Haven't talked to you guys in forever!

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    What's your budget?
  • CreepCreep Hell Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    about 1500
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    And you said price is an issue? Dude, $1500 will buy you today's most modern hardware, with dual video cards. Are you sure $1500 is your budget?

    Even $1000 is great, because the hardware you've picked there is pretty much outdated already by both AMD and Intel. If that really is your budget, there's considerable room for improvement.
  • AlexDeGruvenAlexDeGruven Wut? Meechigan Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    ^ This man speaks the truth. For build-your-own, $1500 can get you a pretty amazing rig, particularly with these guys helping you pick stuff.
  • CreepCreep Hell Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    Ok so... help? I mean that is why I came here so any help would be great. How about this, build me something for around a grand? Something up to date but easily upgraded in the future? Cut me some slack here thrax, the last thing I built was a Barton (remember those?) which is what I'm typing on atm.
  • miragemirage
    edited September 2009
    Creep wrote:
    Ok so... help? I mean that is why I came here so any help would be great.

    Intel has just come up with a new line of products. I recommend reading this article. Thrax posted that article yesterday and it nicely explains the latest and greatest. There are four options at the end which, I believe, outlines a good strategy for building a new computer. Deciding which strategy to follow makes easier to discuss the parts.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    Creep wrote:
    Ok so... help? I mean that is why I came here so any help would be great. How about this, build me something for around a grand? Something up to date but easily upgraded in the future? Cut me some slack here thrax, the last thing I built was a Barton (remember those?) which is what I'm typing on atm.

    I am cutting you slack. I'm just trying to make sure your budget really is $1000, because the hardware you picked lead me to believe otherwise. I'll whip up a system for you today.

    What I do know is that you sound like one of the rare consumers who can definitely benefit from Lynnfield over the long term. That's good!
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited September 2009
    May I ask why you want a 160GB hard drive, when for almost the same money you could have a 640 or even 1TB?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    I am awfully unaccustomed to building a system that includes the cost of an XP license, but here it is. This system will crush babies.

    I'm sorry that it's a little over budget, but I tripled your storage, improved your CPU horsepower by nearly 3x, got you better cooling, and gave you better power. Sue me. ;P
  • GooDGooD Quebec (CAN) Member
    edited September 2009
    LoL Thrax , im like you i cant resist to put more money a build a more powerful rig if its only 100-150$ pricier at the end. Even when its not for me and i got a "maximum" budget >.<

    Personaly i wait until i can say that i have no maximum budget, then i buy whatever i want ;)

    The build that you did is one of the best build for money/performance. If he wants to save more money he could :

    1) get a i5 750 as processor
    2) get a cheaper video card

    But both will get you a performance hit you'll see. What's your monitor size ? Maybe you said it but i read a bit fast :P If you're < 1920x1080 you could buy a cheaper video card and you wont notice too much difference i think.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    Yeah, you can cut down to a Radeon 4870 without issue, especially if your display is 1680x1050.
  • CreepCreep Hell Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    lordbean wrote:
    May I ask why you want a 160GB hard drive, when for almost the same money you could have a 640 or even 1TB?

    I use 2 HDD's which you must have failed to notice. it was (and still is) a 160gb and a 1TB. The 160 is for windows and windows programs ONLY, office and crap like that. The 2nd HDD is for games, music and anything else I want. I learned, the hard way, that this config of HDD's was the best for what I do.

    To Thrax:
    Is this socket type the new thing from intel? I ask because I want to make sure I can upgrade it later (this time within 2 years hopefully)

    I'm taking your word on this OZC stuff Thrax! If it doesn't work right Im beating you with a dell double click keyboard!

    I swapped your Vid card with a 4870 and saved alot of $$. Since ATi is coming out with a new series that seemed like the smartest move. As long as it last's a year I'll be happy because by then the new stuff will drop in price (I hope).

    LOL! As for the price of XP, you didnt have to account for that since that was getting tossed in regardless of hardware price. Thanks for the help bro as always, I'm sure I'll be back on here asking you how to OC this CPU and getting update to date with what all this new stuff means. I miss the days when you just changed the FSB and upped the Vcore untill it didnt post.... or burst into flames....
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    Your socket is best answered by an article we just published on it: http://icrontic.com/articles/making-sense-of-lynnfield-is-bloomfield-really-better

    Suffice it to say, I think by the time 2 years rolls around, you would be abandoning any socket you had anyhow. By 2011, both AMD and Intel will have an entirely new CPU generation in the market... Not just a die shrink of an existing architecture, but brand new CPUs built from the ground up.

    Until that time, there will be new products built for the LGA1156 socket, but nothing amazing is in the cards. On the flip side, AMD has Socket AM3, and it's not doing anything amazing either... More Phenom IIs until their Bulldozer chip arrives in 2011.

    Because you don't plan to upgrade for 2 years, I really think you're one of the rare few enthusiasts who will benefit from a Lynnfield system. It'll give you more price/performance than an AMD system, your upgrade timetable is longer than the socket's practical lifespan, and you have budget concerns that make it a practical option.

    As for the OCZ stuff, you can beat me, but I'll talk to our very own RyderOCZ who works for OCZ and can handle any issues that (probably won't) crop up.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    My question is "Why XP?" Why not go with Win 7 since it is doing so well and XP will be a 2 OS old OS in about a month?

    Other than that it looks like Thrax has put together a good rig, even if you downgraded the GPU.
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