# Input Needed



## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

(I hope im doing this right...>.>)
Okay, so after a few years of unexpected bills and debt, my mother is giving me the computer upgrade I was supposed to get in 07. The catch? Its $1000, not a specific # of parts. And she was offering to buy me a pre built but honestly...that's never a good thing for a gamer.....

So I need some advice. I HAD gotten the New Q2 '09 Pentium E6300 dual core from a friend...but turns out the mobo i got from my bros friend didnt support it, and he had never heard of the Pentium version, and thought it was the Core 2 Duo E6300....So I need a new mobo. But Im curious as to what you folks think I would be better off getting.....Now, I probably wont use the full $1000 on comp upgrades unless you folks think I HONESTLY REALLY need it (But I honestly dont think im TOO bad off....) And there are a few things Id like to try to get....(ME2 DDE, Bioshock 2 Special edition, my own 360 elite....finally...and 50-100 saved for avatar special edition dvd, plus if theres enough extra, possibly a game dlc or 2)....
My specs;
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CPU: Intel Pentium E6300 2.8 Dual Core

Motherboard: Need to buy one that works with all I have.

RAM: 2 GB DDR2. Dunno the speed or specs, as one stick was bought on newegg IIRC and the other was from my friend...similar enough to work, if not the same...and I dont trust myself to be able to get it out without breaking something x.x

GPU: nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS (640 MB Version)

HD: a 300 GB HD I believe is the size (at least 300...could be 350 or something like that...) with a 160 spare.

PSU: A rosewill. Model # is AP-550x.

CPU Heatsink: Dunno...Truth be told, I dont know enough to put a comp together. My bros friend moved to ny to be with his gf before I could get him to actually start teachin me, and my friend is busy with his senior year....So id guess 'stock' if its what Im thinkin of....

Drives: DVD Rom (16x speed....dunno who its by...Ive got a spare x8 as well....)
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Now Im hoping I entered that right...What I want to know is...what would you folks suggest buying? If possible, Id like to try to keep the CPU what it is. A friend spent a month or 2 to get it for me, and itd feel like spitting in his face if I just buy a brand new one a few months after never using what he got me because of misreading/lack of reading/human error....

My main concerns PC wise are this;
1. Mobo.
2. Preferrably a larger HD...Thinkin a TB or 2, but I suppose I could make sure if Im able to have both HDs and the DVD Rom installed...(this mobo that doesnt support my cpu...cant support that many non sata slots or w/e...)
3. Either a GPU, CPU, or RAM upgrade.
4. Same as 3.
5. Same as 3.

Now, if I say forget it to the Elite for now, thatll leave me with around 650-700 to spend on PC upgrades. If I include the Elite, itll leave me with 374 or so...unless of course I miss out on Bioshock 2 special edition, which I have a feeling I might...which would clear up an extra 100.

So overall, I have this to ask (Sorry if this all seems jumbled together or confusing...leaving for an English final in bout 5 hours, and while im not a nervous wreck, im still going to a final with no sleep in nearly a day....so....);
1. What 'needs' to be upgraded, if anything, to make this decent enough to play say....Far Cry 2 or some equally intensive PC game on Medium or higher with no graphical lag (IE 60+FPS minimum or w/e....)?
2. How much would it cost?

And any other comments or questions people have for me would be most appreciated. Im tired of hand me downs and middle/low end PCs, but Im also tired of relying on my brother's 360...as this is the only substantial amount of money Ill have for quite some time...Just trying to find a balance if there is one, and to just see what I can do to maximize my PC situation for 'maximum enjoyment' so to speak....

If I forgot any important PC info, btw, just ask I suppose n I'll see what I can do....


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## MRCL (Jan 11, 2010)

Two words bug me. "Rosewill" and "stock".
1. A good, reliable PSU is the backbone of every PC. Get a nice 500W PSU, preferrably Corsair, Antec, be Quiet, Silverstone. Don't try to save money as it can kill everything.

2. Stock heatsink. Altho you most likely won't be needing a 100$ hightech cooler, you should replace the stock cooler with something better, your CPU will live longer. A cheap alternative which I use is the Scythe Ninja II, its about 20 to 30 bucks or something, nothing great, but significantly better than the stock cooling. Plus easy to mount as it uses the same mechanism as the Intel stock cooler.

Now to the GPU. With this CPU of yours it makes little sense to buy a super über GPU, because it will be limited by the CPU. A Radeon 4850, maybe even a 5770 may be right for you and can play the games you like. 

About the mobo. I have made excellent experience with the Asus P5Q series, altho a lot of boards would suit you.

All this updates can easily be bought with a budget of 500 to 600 dollars, maybe even less. Or a bit more, depending on the parts you finally choose 

In any case, if you run into difficulties with assembling or buying or whatever, just ask. TPU is a nice place to hang around 

Edit: 
Do you use a 32 or 64 bit OS? This is essential when its coming to RAM.
By the way; removing RAM: Press one of the levers down and the stick pops out automatically, I never managed to break a RAM stick even when I applied quite some force to put them suckers in the slot.


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

Yeah I've taken RAM out n put it in but I really dont wanna chance the slight possibility....
Its Windows XP. So....32 Bit? (Home Edition).
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1. Yes I've heard that PSU, above all others, DO NOT SKIMP ON. So what are your PSU suggestions...if any?

2. Not hard to install, right? Because Id either be having my bros friend install it if I can pay for him to come down or if he comes down on his own...or I'll rely on the friend who ran out half way through the last attempt at an installation....

3. Not an Nvidia? I've been told at higher levels, it generally outperforms ATI, and for the most part I actually kinda like NVidia...My NVidia gpu's have never given me the amount of issues with updating and playing games like what my X700 did for a few years....
So...would this be a good purchase/deal then? 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2868&cm_re=radeon_5770-_-14-102-868-_-Product

4. Well, What Im looking for is 2 things; Reliability and price. If price must be somewhat sacrificed in the face of reliability....well as long as it's not freedom vs liberty, I dont care if the price is a tiny bit higher....So...reliable boards are what Im in the market for .

5. Ooooh...Definitely a bit higher than Id like, as Id probably have to give up the elite if it reaches 400-500 but that might be acceptable if the PC lasts long enough...plus I may end up gettin it (the 360 elite) in summer anyway....

6. Yeah just found the site. Seemed relatively nice....

I suppose I can forget bout a HD for now then. Its not neccessary....460 GB should be enough to manage most of my games....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

that gpu is still semi serviceble for $600 bones he can get a quadcore rig 4 gigs ram 1 terabye HDD decent psu etc etc i dont feel like going on newegg and speccing out a rig but i could if asked to (alot of ppl on here can spec a rig for you just seems me an MRCL are the ones here helping you at the moment


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

Well, If you are willing I wouldn't mind....but remember; I've got a few things I wanna try to get besides PC upgrades, and I dont wanna replace the CPU if it'll still perform decently (And the review on here said I could OC it to 3.9 without any issues with stock cooling....never OC'd, but if that'll help it run better, i might be willing to try...) as it came from a friend, and Id feel like sh*t if I replaced his gift without ever using it :/.....The HD is simply a luxury if I can get the pc upgrades to make it a decent PC and get most if not all of the other stuff....

I know past 2 or 3 gb, ram doesnt work well with XP so....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

well if u reuse the 8800gts 640 (for say another 3 months) u can get a quadcore rig etc etc and then since u seem to prefer nvidia u can always update to there new DX11 Fermi gpu WHEN its released  ive had the 8800gts 640 and its still a serviceble gaming GPU at resolutions around 1440x900 and 1680x1050 the only game that every gave me issue was crysis but even that was playable at high settings 1280x720 so its up to you no new gpu now with a full system rebuild that will last longer and get a bigger better gpu later when it makes a bit more sense at least in your situation


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## MRCL (Jan 11, 2010)

Eon the Wolf said:


> Yeah I've taken RAM out n put it in but I really dont wanna chance the slight possibility....
> Its Windows XP. So....32 Bit? (Home Edition).



Most likely yes. So 2GB are good to go.



Eon the Wolf said:


> 1. Yes I've heard that PSU, above all others, DO NOT SKIMP ON. So what are your PSU suggestions...if any?



Like I mentioned, Corsair, Silverstone, Anctec, be Quiet, Enermax are good choices.



Eon the Wolf said:


> 2. Not hard to install, right? Because Id either be having my bros friend install it if I can pay for him to come down or if he comes down on his own...or I'll rely on the friend who ran out half way through the last attempt at an installation....



Well the push pin mechanism can be a pain, but it works well on the Scythe Ninja for example.



Eon the Wolf said:


> 3. Not an Nvidia? I've been told at higher levels, it generally outperforms ATI, and for the most part I actually kinda like NVidia...My NVidia gpu's have never given me the amount of issues with updating and playing games like what my X700 did for a few years....
> So...would this be a good purchase/deal then?
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2868&cm_re=radeon_5770-_-14-102-868-_-Product



Nvidia, ATI... its a delicate subject lol. I don't know that much about nVidia cards, I have more experience with ATI. If the 5770 is too expensive for you, a 4850 or maybe even a 4870 will suit you, too



Eon the Wolf said:


> 4. Well, What Im looking for is 2 things; Reliability and price. If price must be somewhat sacrificed in the face of reliability....well as long as it's not freedom vs liberty, I dont care if the price is a tiny bit higher....So...reliable boards are what Im in the market for .



P5Q series are VERY reliable and VERY stable.



Eon the Wolf said:


> 5. Ooooh...Definitely a bit higher than Id like, as Id probably have to give up the elite if it reaches 400-500 but that might be acceptable if the PC lasts long enough...plus I may end up gettin it (the 360 elite) in summer anyway....



So lets see what we can do then 



Eon the Wolf said:


> 6. Yeah just found the site. Seemed relatively nice....







Eon the Wolf said:


> I suppose I can forget bout a HD for now then. Its not neccessary....460 GB should be enough to manage most of my games....



You could manage to sneak in a good drive. THe Samsung F3s (500GB models) are fair priced.

I'm going to newegg a bit, lets see what we can do for you


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

give me a few mins on newegg ill see what i can come up with besides u can always part out your current stuff afterwards to make back some money


im going to guess u already have an standard ATX case a working DVD drive etc etc


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

Yeah...I dont have Crysis . My highest demanding games GPU wise are probably....Lets see....
James Cameron's Avatar....
Far Cry 2....
MW2....
Possibly 'L4D2'...
Mass Effect 1
Mirrors Edge
Mass effect 2 hopefully, and Bioshock 2 if everything works out the way Im prayin ti does....
Well if the GPU is serviceable, and the CPU is decent atm. I suppose we can see what we can do. Push comes to shove, I can either drop the Elite, or not upgrade either the CPU, HD or GPU or somethin..
-----
I COULD do that. But ME2 comes out in 2 weeks, and bioshock 2 a week after that...chances are, I won't get Bioshock 2 Special edition like I want x.x...My money is comin from my mothers income tax, and the chances of my dad paying off say...$1000 of the 4k he owes in child support is unlikely in this coming payment....
-----
Okay, lets see what you guys can find for meh.....
I love this site now btw lol
(Did I mention I have a knack for getting by on the skin of my teeth? Its how I was able to get a 2 or 3.0 KDR with 10-15 FPS on MW1 for a few months on the MX 420 I believe it was xD)

EDIT: Dunno what kind of case it is manufacturer wise..... It isnt part of a pre built set if thats what ya mean. Got it from microcenter...Has 4 DVD rom slots....I could try to take a pic n upload it once im finished watching Gabriel Iglesias Hot n Fluffy >.>....
EDIT EDIT: Only reason im askin bout the ram was I was thinkin of DDR3, but thats 120+ $ so not needed....plus, I was just wonderin if 3gb would be better than 2....but since XP doesnt work well with above 2 or 3....meh.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

an 8600gts is enough to max Mass Effect the orignial ME2 has SLIGHTLY higher specs an 8800gts 640 is more then enough to max ME2 

im just asking about the DVD drive and case because that makes a rebuild cheaper by around 60-100+ $$$ so it helps

here what i suggest first

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.316004

Windows 7 64bit and a decent entry lvl asus mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.313845

4gigs 2x2gigs DDR3 1333mhz and an Athlon II x4 quadcore just built a rig with it for a friend runs even GTA IV at higher settings with a ati 4670 which is fairly close to the 8800gts of old

send in the Mail in rebates and it knocks those combos down to $350ish 

case u already have

same with DVD drive and HDD along with servicable GPU

basicall HDDs and GPUs are drop in upgrades so we throw in a decent 650watt psu you have the basis to a full new rig and the current parts u have on hand can easily recoup a good 1/3 of the cost with ease

so lets see

Case : check
DVD drive: check
HDD : check
OS : part of above combo
CPU : part of above combo
cpu cooler : included with cpu
mobo : part of above combo
ram : part of above combo
gpu : check
PSU : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 corsair 650watt

am i missing anything MRCL??

with the above it comes to $488 send in the mail in rebates is $438 sell the e6300 for a few$$ u can probably drop the price to $380ish for a full overhall the e6300 is good but eventually quads will dominate in gaming example GTA IV and Supreme Commander

if u want a new gpu and if u feel u can overclock the e6300 still has life left in it with a good board but basically no matter how u look at it u will need a mobo + ram + decent PSU + gpu so eventually u will have to upgrade 1 way or the other

and mass effect 1 at max settings at 1680x1050 will average a solid 30fps no issue and thats on a 320mb 8800gts so 

in Call of Duty modern warfare 1 the 8800gts 640 i had no issues game was playable max settings 4xaa at the same res as above and since CoD MW WAW and MW2 are all the same graphics engine there should be a single issue at all


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

...o.o...Holy sh*t. And here I thought that rule 'Top of the line for $1000' was bull in this day n economy...

Yeah, I know my 8800 gts is on rec for ME2 so I was just wonderin....

Actually, I was thinking of making a second back up comp. I have friends over often, and I figured once I got a full new comp, id use any spare parts once I got em together, n buy any extra cheapos I need, and make a comp so they can at least surf the web, which is mostly what they wish to do while over here....

K so lemme summarize...If I go with Crazy's combos...
thats Win 7, Ram, CPU n Mobo. I can use my GPU, case, and DVD Rom, and either use the current HDD's, or get a 500 gb/1 tb one or w/e....yesh?
EDIT: Yeah, never had an issue with MW1. But a lot of the games I listed I got during Steam's sales...So 438 with rebates....and thats using my current HDD's, case, n gpu....leaving me with around....560 to spend on an elite, bioshock 2, mass effect 2 n avatar movie....wow o.o. Dude....You just got it within my budget....If I can agree to work it off, she might fork over the extra 50 or w/e to help finish this deal off....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

basically id suggest using a current HDD to hold u over

basically the quadcore will unlock a bit more potential from that 8800 not much be enough and eventually as in again a few months down the road if u keep the other parts u buy a few cheaper parts a case and a new gpu and u can swap the 8800 with a new gt300 or w/e u fancy and put that in the back up rig eitherway u go will probably result in the same end result eventually  just depends on what u want to do




well if u send in the mail in rebates it gets a bit cheaper the above comes with $50 or $60 in MIR that help some ppl dont like them but in some situations they make the impossible possible


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

I never thought Id be getting a quadcore xD. I remember 2 years ago thinkin how expensive quads were, and I swear they werent around 2 years ago >.>...Yeah, my bros friend is crazy bout microcenter n their mail in rebates lol....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

microcenter is the bomb to bad i live about  500miles from the nearest one 

if u want i can take another look around newegg see if i can find some better deals and sqeeze in a 500gig HDD

also a link to your case is a MUST so i know if the mobo will fit or not


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

Thatd be nice, but maybe not necessary. Im relatively sure I could make sure with 460 gb if need be. Right now, with what you found + MIR, and with what I wanna get, it comes to $1056...relatively....Now, assuming I DONT get Bioshock 2 Special edition...thats $100 off right there....+ the 60 for for normal if thats all I end up gettin, its still $1016....Nearly $1000....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

again really need a link to your case and with a few more mins i can probably drop the overall price down more


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

I'll try to find one. I think I saw it on microcenter online once but no guarantees....Gimme a few.


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

Well, its as I thought. I can't find anything to identify the case on the sides back or front...Gonna check bottom, but if it's as I rmeember...there's no brand listed on it, and I bought this thing a year or 2 ago sooo....I could take some pictures if that'd help at all....if I dont find an identifying...something that is....Thing is, some of the parts are still in there ^^;....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015 
Antec 650watt PSU use this promo code to get $15 off EMCLMLW32 nvm promo code expired still saves $20 tho up front so with rebates its still $438 but instead of waiting on $50-60 back ur only waiting on $30 makes the purchase a bit easier to swallow so to speak


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

Shiny. Btw, like I said...I dont get to actually buy anything till she gets her income tax money in feb x.x...I came in here now so I could ask folks cause I figured I dont know how long itd take....Maybe the deals will still be around, maybe there will be better ones, maybe there wont....maybe she'll get her money early or my father may actually send a lot...we'll see....x.x

And yeah, I cant find ANYTHING to identify it by a brand or anything...It was kind of a generic, brandless case....I can take pictures if ya want....its got the PSU, the gpu n the old mobo in there...a uh....Biostar 945P-A7A I think is the identifier...


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

ah let me check the mobo that will tell me what it fits most likely XD


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

Yeah. My bros friend had to do a bit of reorganizing I believe, but it fit with the psu, the dvd-r n the 300 HD....n the gpu....or maybe it was just cause my friend put it in all weird...cant remember x.x


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

alright yea you wont have any space issues and dont worry about pricing now then we can help u better when the time comes as price keep falling  which means what costs $488 upfront may drop to $440 ish you never know just revive this thread when the time comes to purchase  because combos today will be gone tomorrow if you catch my meaning but new ones are always being put up so


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## MRCL (Jan 11, 2010)

I'm gone half an hour and now I completely lost the overview lol.

Uh, is a CPU cooler in your package now? Because I saw the Xiggy S1283 at newegg for 35ish, that would be a LOT better than stock.


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

Cool. Maybe 2010 will be the year where things go my way for once, my comp wont be broken for most of the year, and i wont have a nervous and near mental breakdown! >.>. So now the only issue is seeing how soon I can get that money, if I can get the 2 limited time game things, and seeing what I can do to earn a bit extra or if she's willing to pay a bit extra....Thanks. I'll probably post back in here in a few hours. She may try to get me some of the money early (doubt it...i know she might be willing to play the ME2 cost with my bro for me n id pay em off with part of that money...question is if i can do anythin bout bioshock 2 :/....) So yeah...Ill post here later n see if any good news money wise occurs....


Crazy said one was included....the cooler i mean.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

he wont be buying till febraury and we specced out a athlon II x4 built with win7 4gigs ram etc etc and a new 650watt psu

id worry about overclocking and cooling when he can save the money for a new gpu since AM3 chips run fairly cool as is


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## MRCL (Jan 11, 2010)

Eon the Wolf said:


> Crazy said one was included....the cooler i mean.



The coolers included with CPUs are stock coolers, they are barely able to keep the CPUs reasonably cool, thats why I wanted to know.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

maybe for intell  amds stock coolers tend to do fine seen the stock Phenom heatsinks beat out crowd favorites more then once but yea ive put together an Athlon II x4 rig and the stock cooler allows an overclock to 3.2ghz just fine 400mhz on a stock heatsink and being within the proper temp range isnt all that bad altho if lucky an Athlon II will hit 3.6ghz


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

May not need OC though. I've never done it, I dont think anyone I know has done it, and My bros friend n him actually dont like the idea because of the chance of something melting...


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

LOL things wont melt u just have to be patient and work at it lol most gpu reviews you see have intell i7s stock 2.66ghz overclocked to 3.6ghz up to 4.2ghz  overclocking is a way to get more bang for buck if you want to try overclocking theres alot of ppl here on TPU that can help with that when the time comes i know for a fact u can get 3ghz on an Athlon II x4 at stock voltage so u can get an extra 200mhz speed boost by bumping the FSB a few times and leaving it as is but its something to worry about at a later time


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

I may want it for my bros CPU. He'll be upgrading, but for now...for some reason....his pentium D is loading older games slowly....it lags on LD1...2....Beyond Good n Evil.....HL2....
Heck, you could probably get him a somewhat decent deal. He's got 2 300 GB hd, case, pentium d, 9600 GT I believe it is... n 4 gb of ddr 2 ram....Although THAT is definitely for another time xD.

I personally would only bother with OC once stuff started laggin >.>
EDIT: Also. Best pic ever for crazy.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

well like i said overclocking is easy its just about being patient 

and MRCL you forget man we are used to 125watt + TDP chips with heavy overclocks  what we need and what he needs are two different things

yea thanks saw Mr Deeds tonight and thought hell yea it fits to bad i couldnt fit the cigar in tho


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

*points at crazy* what he said. Im not lookin to go from low end/lower mid end to TOP OF THE LINE RAPE. Just...a nice mid/near top line comp....'baby steps' as it were....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

well thats definetly not anywhere close to top of the line but it will get the job done and later on the down the road its UPGRADABLE so u can slap in a new beefy gpu or faster Cpu etc etc or add a new cpu heatsink and fan and upgrade etc etc AM3 platform eventually will get a drop in 6 core cpu at somepoint  budget price good upgrade path its a must if your on a limited budget and in my experience an 8800gts 640 is a bit faster then a 9600gt but not by much depends heavily on clock speed and overclocks etc etc but on average u can say an 8800gts 640 = the 9600gt and considering the 8800gts is not a 4 year old GPU thats nothing to sneeze at btw


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

Yeah. Thats what my bros friend n I found out through lookin up stuff....for some reason, before it broke, my celeron D 3.33 Ghz single core was OUTPERFORMING my brother's pentium DD....makes us wonder if somethings limiting it or somethings not workin right....he got his upgrades from my moms friend, as she got her lap top. i got the cpu n the rest had been upgraded just bout....but meh....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

well it depends the Pentium D is nothing more then 2 pentium 4s ducktaped together its crap i had one that celeron isnt any better either to be honest


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## Eon the Wolf (Jan 11, 2010)

meh. Well, Im goin off for a few hours. gonna try n play doom 2 or somethin on my mothers lap top. Ill get back to you folks later if theres any monetary updates or questions by dear old mother. Thanks for the help.


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## Eon the Wolf (Feb 6, 2010)

Okay. Update. if everything goes according to my calculations...I should have at least, or close to, or exactly, $480 to spend on comp upgrades. And the money SHOULD be arriving within the next 2 weeks. So can we get relatively the same deal as before, and if so will I have any left over? Or can we fit something else inside that $480 without going over? So basically I'm updating to ask this;
I have 480. Will we be able to find the same, or essentially the same deal?
Will that deal be the same cost (give or take 5-10 dollars) or will it cost less or more?
And if it costs less than before...can we fit a HD or a GPU or get a better CPU or something in there? Also, if it must, I'll have a reserve of bout 10 dollars or so....
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1006.68
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 49.99 - AvP
480    - Computer Uprades
299.99 - 360 Elite
 59.99 - Mass Effect 2 DDE
 89.99 - Bioshock 2 Limited Edition
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is my budget, and the elite will be bought after the mail in rebates from the computer upgrades...and I'll be getting $20 to finish off the extra money that goes over the $1000, leaving bout 13-14 dollars or so in reserve incase something goes slightly over from tax or something costs slightly more in regards to the comp upgrades. So....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Feb 7, 2010)

alright go through the above list of parts tell me what is a MUST 

as in 

case
psu
cpu
cpu cooler
ram
motherboard
gpu
hdd
dvd drive
Os

make a post of the above what is neccesary and what is MANDATORY  out of the above 

so can get the main parts down and then we can see what we can do with the remainder that will help considerably


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## Eon the Wolf (Feb 7, 2010)

Case - It's decent. I can take pictures and upload them later tonight, as I got the camera working...sort of xD. But from what I described of whats in there, I believe you said it was decent...and truth be told I like it :3.

PSU - I need a new one. Like you folks said. If you can get that 650 watt one you listed before that'd be fine.

CPU - Would like a new CPU. I plan to give my bro my pentium E6300 temporarily until he buys his own replacement, as his pentium D is overheating...and plus, I would definitely like to upgrade to quadcore.

Cpu cooler - I would guess so if Im getting a quadcore or dual core. Would definitely be nice to not have it overheating thats for sure xD.

RAM - Well your previous deal was 4 GB DDR3 so that sounds good enough still.

Mobo - I need a new one. Thats the original reason I need this upgrade n decided to wait till now.

GPU - I have an 8800 GTS. It's good enough for what I need, so unless I can upgrade most of the other stuff, it can wait.

HDD - I've got a 300 GB drive that will be made my main and a 160 with a lot of my files already on. I can manage for 460 GB for now.

DVD Drive - I've got a 16x dvd rom. I would think it's fine enough...But if not, meh.

OS - You found Win7 in the deal back in jan, and you said quadcores n ddr3 n such is best on Win7 so...if you can get the same deal as back in jan for cheaper or the same, that will satify my interests.


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## kurosagi01 (Feb 8, 2010)

If you can wait for awhile there will be Phenom II X6 coming soon.


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## Eon the Wolf (Feb 8, 2010)

I have $480 to spend on a comp.

I need a new mobo, so I might as well get a new CPU while im at it and upgrade the ram. And Ive been without my own personal computer since June 09. I am not waiting 'a little while longer'. I am buying this ****. ASAP. As in as soon as the combos are listed by crazy. No offense, but Im sick and tired of 'wait a little longer to get this' or 'wait a little longer for that'. No thank you. Whatever I get will be infinitely better than a pentium E6300 or nothing at all.
EDIT: Also, the mobo n cpu would beget a PSU, and if the combos are good enough, i might still get win7 as well. So ya know.... :/


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## crazyeyesreaper (Feb 8, 2010)

ill do up what i can tonight and tomorrow night and see what i can find as anything i come up with the others here may be able to do better


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## crazyeyesreaper (Feb 8, 2010)

PSU: Antec 550 watt Modular 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

RAM: Patriot G series DDR3 1333mhz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220435

OS: Win7 64bit Home Premium
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

CPU+Motherboard Combo: Athlon II x4 630 + Asus M4A785TD V EVO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.334799

TOTAL PRICE SHIPPED: $475


Honorable Mention:  Amd Phenom II x3 720 at $105 + Aftermarket Heatsink at $30-35   it put us over budget but the L3 cache does have a benefit in games

That gives you a 2.8ghz quadcore with a capable motherboard along with a modular PSU so any excess cables can be removed with 4 gigs ram and Win 7 64bit to take advantage of the extra memory reusing the parts you already have you should have a rig you can upgrade over time say athlon II x4 to Phenom II x4 or x6 (possibly on the x6 its not released yet) and 4gigs to 8gigs and a newer gpu as needed also the athlon II will easily overclock to give you more room and the multitude of ppl here on TPU can help u get there but the consensus is that 3.2-3.3ghz on stock voltage is achievable thats about a 400mhz bump in speed for you but thats something to leave for a later date, I suggest if possible that if others do post revisions that you take there advice and look at everything from different angles 

things that might be brought up 
1) dual cores are faster in game
2) get a tri core 720BE
3)save and just get a Phenom II x4 

etc etc whatever they have to say weigh it with info you find TPU and reviews of the CPUs motherboards etc

the althon II x4 630 in most reviews ive seen it go from 3.4-3.8ghz from its stock of 2.8 so if you do decide you need a bit of extra speed id say 3.2ghz is easily doable with the stock heatsink

in gaming the x3 720 will be faster but you will need to buy a heatsink and one that cools well will cost about $35 so that puts us way over budget so i stuck with the Athlon II x4


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## Eon the Wolf (Feb 8, 2010)

Well, if what you link will do the job for gaming, and there won't be any heat problems or power supply issues...I'm all for it. But yeah, if anyone else wants to post suggestions, go ahead. Keep in mind I'm a gamer so....
----
Btw, why not a 650 watt? The 550 good enough?


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## crazyeyesreaper (Feb 9, 2010)

antec psu are not the best they are reliable and fairly hardy its rated at 550watt constant but can output higher for peak load so it will handly any single gpu you buy 

and again the 720be will overclock like butter and be faster in games then the Athlon II x4 but it requires you to by an aftermarket heatsink so thats + $30 right there then factor in combo discount its about $50 more to go with the 720be when i looked

as for now the above will do fine as more games become truly thread aware you should have no problems hell even crysis only uses 2 cores MAX. 

and i went 550watt because its modular and im guessing you case dosent have good cable managment so by removing excess wires it will help improve airflow etc a 650watt is ideal but the one i would throw in there jacks the price up 

with a better case for better airflow etc id opt for the corsair 650 or 750 but with a case with little airflow and no way to hide wires i have suggest the modular.

if you had about $60 more id say go 720BE and aftermarket cooling or Phenom II 955  or 945  or hell even the 925 if u want i can tool around a bit somemore and see what i can find


maybe have a better combo here give me a few minutes to sort it out


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## crazyeyesreaper (Feb 9, 2010)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220435

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.334826


these are the recommendations i would make to you if you can swing it if not here are 2 other options for the motherboard and cpu (2 choices the one listed ABOVE is my preferred choice)

Cheapest Combo 770 chipset with Phenom II 925 which clock for clock is better then the Athlon II x4 and if you overclock the 925 to 3.4ghz it will be equal to a 965 and at $70 or so less 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.335019

below is the middle of the road same 785g chipset 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.335023

Finally below is my choice the asus board is ridiculously stable and was tortued in an incubator set to 56'c and it never failed so reliability is top notch and what i care about most thus i recommend the below for CPU + Mobo 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.334826

Differences in cost are as follows with the same PSU RAM and OS 

cheapest combo + shipping = $488 

Middle of the road combo + shipping = 506

Recommend setup = $513

now the middle and recommended there the same chipset just the Asus board was ridiculously torture tested and stayed stable


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## Eon the Wolf (Feb 9, 2010)

Well, my case's airblow isnt too bad...small 'vent'/series of holes on the bottom of the front panel. Giant vent on one of the sides, and a biiig hole/grill in back. I've got a 120 mm fan n 2 80 mm fans, 1 to each hole, not to mention the fans n heatsink all the pieces should naturally have...
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Well, I really cant afford to go over 480 right now...unless of course I buy the 360 first, use the gift cards ill get as a result to get Bioshock 2 significantly reduced, and then hopefully have more. But before I do that I need to know....
Your first suggestion, and these...which of them, if any, have mail in rebates...and how many/how much?


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## crazyeyesreaper (Feb 9, 2010)

the first cheapest option has a $10 mail in rebate

i cant really stress enough how much i reccomend the setup i picked out if you can get that i suggest you do that its worth the extra $20 or so since those prices are the SHIPPED prices



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211410

replace the patriot ram with the above ram and my recommended setup drops to $491 shipped

its about $10 more then your 480 but keeps the asus 785g board and the Phenom II 925 which again if u overclock it to 3-3.2ghz will  give you perfomance similar to a 955be


http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3638&p=8

the above link shows why i recommend the Phenom II over the Athlon II since we can barely squeeze it in


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## crazyeyesreaper (Feb 9, 2010)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211410

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.334826

that there comes to $491 shipped  $481 before shipping lol called cutting it close eh?

but to put it simply $20 is buying you 30% more cpu performance if you overclock the 925 to 3.2ghz and we can help you do that  you will get a large increase over the AII x4 630 in a situation like this id advise selling an old game to a buddy or take the bottles to a redemption center haha


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## Eon the Wolf (Feb 9, 2010)

Well I just remembered. Best buy gives gift cards for every amount of $ spent. I'll have I think $40 off if I buy the 360. That's $40 off of Bioshock 2 limited edtion. That's a potential $40 more to spend on comp upgrades. But in order to do that...I need to know how much the rebates would be, if there are any, on your recommended set up out of what you have found right now. Cause if its more than 1 $20 rebate, I probably cant buy the 360 elite n bioshock 2, meaning Ill probably only have the 480 for comp upgrades. It all depends on if the best deal u can find me has mail in rebates or not :/...

EDIT: Actually, looks like it could be more along the lines of 10 or 20 :/...they changed the numbers form what I remember them being x.x


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## crazyeyesreaper (Feb 9, 2010)

what i posted is what you see is what you get its $491 for the parts and shipping that means total cost to you is $491 thats it CPU stock heatsink ram os motherboard  all together its $491 shipped to your door its $11 over budget

but fact is it will spank the athlon II x4 all day and at about $20-30  ie the athlon II x4 is under ur budget limit but for the extra $20-30 to get the 925 you will get 20-40% more performance from the cpu so it will last you longer and when you do decide to upgrade to a new gpu etc it will push that gpu better then the other cheaper cpu you wanted to be oriented around gaming well thats what i managed to grab its as close as i could get if you bump the 925 up to 3ghz it will be faster then my 940be at stock due to ddr3 ram etc which is why i posted that review for you to look at it 20% between stock 955 (ie overclock the 925 from 2.8 to 3.2 easily done) and the overclocked athlon II at 3.2 from 2.8 so clock for clock in gaming the 925 is 20% faster when overclocked the 925 will approach 30-40% faster in terms of what it can supply the gpus

if you can find a way to get the $11 u need to go from $480 to $491 do it


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## Eon the Wolf (Feb 9, 2010)

I might be able to...$20 from the grandmother n $10 from the gift certificate that will be used towards Bioshock 2....But yeah, without either of those, anything above 480 is a no no, but I'll see...I should be able to get the $20 tomorrow, and the $10 will have to wait a bit...possibly... :/
EDIT: Actually, I might be able to save $30. I forgot for every 150 on gaming purchases, I get a $10 certificate...so 10 from rewardzone, 20 from gamersclub...30 off bioshock 2...Course, might take a few days to purchase the stuff then, so I'll ask again when Ive got the comp upgrade money ready n everything else is purchased...
EDITEDIT: Yeah, if my calculations are right n this all goes right, after I buy AvP, my 360, and Bioshock 2...I should have round 30-50 dollars extra for the comp budget...or maybe bout the same. I'll see. But I just want to make sure the best offer you have right now doesnt have any mail in rebates....if it does..how many, which ones, and how much is each one?


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## Eon the Wolf (Feb 24, 2010)

Hate to bump, but it seems I have a slight dent in funds. My planning did not go as...uh...planned x.x. So I may have to...yet again, wait. Only I dunno how long. It all depends on how much I get and how much, if any, my mother can give me extra for spending.... :/. So I shall post an update when I get the chance...once I know, FOR SURE, how much I'll have (or have left...or w/e) to spend on the computer parts, because even after buying them, I have to wait for them to be installed. There's a chance I may follow my mothers advice, which is buy everything else, let the comp upgrade money take the hit, and slowly save up a bit by bit to try n 'repair' the dent in funds until we know when my bros friend will be coming down, and buy a week or 2 before then....Course, I may be able to get enough...So I do have a question. If I only had round 400 to spend guys...which should I give up for now? The Win7, or the DDR3? Cause I have 2gb DDR2...But on the other hand, a quadcore wouldnt excel as much with XP....bu 2 gb DDR2 might not exactly cut it for win7 as far as I know, unless I'm wrong....Looks like more planning, price changes, and waiting may be involved in this upgrade :/...Quite honestly, It's tiring, but I intend to make it work. I will do my hardest to make sure I have the parts at the very least (and preferably all parts along the same lines of what crazy keep finding and listing for me...really do wish I didnt have to keep asking T_T) by the END of April :/...So I suppose to sum up my rambling;
1. Which, if I must, should I hold off on buying? The DDR3, or the Win7?
2. Should I just say screw it, and hold off until I can get all the stuff Crazy listed, or things along the same line?
3. I will post an update on a definitive amount that I can spend...once we actually get the money in :/....At the worst, I may only have 380-400 to spend at that moment in time...or maybe if Im lucky, upwards of my original planning of 450 max :/....But honestly? I'm seriously doubting the 450, which is really disappointing....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Feb 24, 2010)

win 7 will remain the same price as always so just cut that out of the budget oem win 7 64bit home premium will be the same price today as it is tomorrow a month from now 6 months from now it will always be the same price and should net u $90 saved you will need an os to use the machine but Win7 is one of those things you can count being the same price tomorrow as it was today so once again order the parts and just wait on windows 7


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## Eon the Wolf (Feb 24, 2010)

K, so cut out Win 7 and the quadcore n ddr3 n everything should be fine with win xp for now?
EDIT: Cause if so, that's actually a LOT more likely (and from my 'new' uh...'calculations'...within the range now) to be done...So I guess like I said, I'll wait n see....


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## Eon the Wolf (Mar 23, 2010)

K I am back. And I have good news...I finally have most everything bought...and am ready to purchase the PC parts -.-.
--------------------
Sorry there's no easy way to judge scale in these pics, but the only thing measurable on hand wouldn't have been usable on a pic (seethrough bendy ruler x.x). Puttin the pics up to make sure you guys dont have me buyin something that won't fit -.-....If you need other pics, I can try...but camera is screwy so no guarantees....
------------------------









------------------------
Case - Pics above.

PSU - 450 Watt or something like that. Someone said I REALLY need an upgrade, so I guess 550 or 600 would be cool. (WANT/NEED an upgrade)

CPU - Pentium E6300 Dual core. (WANT an upgrade)

RAM - 2 GB DDR2. (WANT an upgrade)

Mobo - I need a new one. Thats the original reason I need this upgrade n decided to wait till now. (NEED A MOBO)

GPU - I have an 8800 GTS. It's good enough for what I need, so unless I can upgrade most everything else, It will last. (WANT an upgrade. Not necessary though)

HDD - I've got a 300 GB drive that will be made my main and a 160 with a lot of my files already on. (WANT an upgrade. Not necessary though)

DVD Drive - I've got a 16x dvd rom. I would think it's fine enough...But if not, meh...I DO have an 8X Back up. (WANT any possible upgrade. Not necessary though)

OS - You found Win7 in the deal back in jan, and you said quadcores n ddr3 n such is best on Win7 so...if you can get the same deal as back in jan for cheaper or the same, that will satify my interests. (WOULD NOT MIND WIN7 ,BUT ONLY IF EVERYTHING ELSE IS UPGRADED QUITE A BIT)
-------------
I have $405 to spend. Can't really go over unless it's a few $ from shipping or tax :/...No exceptions. So...What can/should I get, and did I leave out any info that could help?


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## crazyeyesreaper (Mar 23, 2010)

can someone help the guy out with a build as outlined previously im unable to at the moment


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## Eon the Wolf (Mar 23, 2010)

Awww how come? I was expecting you


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## crazyeyesreaper (Mar 24, 2010)

ill try and get a list of parts for you by tomorrow night but at $400 its gonna be a damn tight budget to say the least just ive been rather busy in RL since i finally got some work again. anyway ill see what i can do


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## Eon the Wolf (Mar 24, 2010)

Well if you do what you did before minus Win 7 and maybe drop the ram or get a slightly less improved quadcore it should work out....
I mean, I thought just a quadcore, ddr3 ram, psu, mobo, and win7 was a sh*tton and a total deal, not to mention totally beyond what I expected. I DO have a CPU I can use so if need be...we can hold off on the DDR3 n use the DDR2 i have, or hold off on the quadcore/get one not as good as what you have been finding, and just focus on the psu n mobo. Win7 is also optional. Honestly, PSU, ram, and mobo upgrade would be fine n dandy if thats all you got. The quadcore would be a bonus, and insure that I don't lag in terms of processing power, but on the other hand, a mobo is a must, and accoridng to you guys the psu is as well...so....

If you can, just get what you've been listing minus Win7; DDR3 Ram, Quadcore, PSU, Mobo, and I'll be set since I have 460 GB HD space, a dvd, and an 8800 gts....And I know. Its better than 340 or 390, but its not quite the 480 you were tryin to get me to get....sorry :/
EDIT: Only problem is...I have to hope/make sure they get here this weekend/before my brothers friend comes n goes, or they won't get installed for months -.-. So every day I wait for a list of stuff to buy the less likely I might be to to have it installed :/...No pressure


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## crazyeyesreaper (Mar 24, 2010)

well even if u order today it might not make it but ill try and find a mobo cpu ram and psu ....


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## Eon the Wolf (Mar 24, 2010)

I know. I'm just gettin madder n madder at all the crap goin on this week...Project after project piled on, and the possibility that my parts will be arriving much later than I can afford to have em be...Regardless, thanks for all the help. Best I can do is just wait for the parts list :/


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## crazyeyesreaper (Mar 24, 2010)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.347433

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.346805

this is idea #1 let me keep looking thats 394 before shipping with mail in rebates u save $50 so 344 before shipping in that sense but i might be able to find better


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## crazyeyesreaper (Mar 24, 2010)

I believe this to be the better deal...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.346805

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130249

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

$433 shipped 

send in the mail in rebates u get $45 back 

so after mail in rebates price comes to $388 shipped


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## Eon the Wolf (Mar 24, 2010)

Oooh shiny. Thank you again. If she's home now/when she gets home, I'll ask the mother if she's willing to do it since there are mail in rebates and it'll actually be 388 not the 405 we planned....


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## crazyeyesreaper (Mar 24, 2010)

well the other build is $344 with rebates but the one above is a much better motherboard aka 785g is micro atk the 790x is atx and has 2 pcie slots for crossfire so in the future u could run 2 gpus from ati IF u had a bigger psu the 500 watt psu there can run some mid range gpus aka 2 5770s or such but its pushing it but for a single gpu that psu above the fata1ity has 2 rails at 25amps and can handle a 5850 with out much fuss so yea id suggest getting the 925 +4 gigs DDR3 with the msi 790x and fatality psu over the 700watt + 785 g board psu combo


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## Eon the Wolf (Mar 24, 2010)

Well sadly, the 433 is out of the question. Even with rebates, she won't pay more than 405...So I guess either go for the first deal....or see if you can find me one thats no more than probably...5 over 405, and try n get some rebates in there if possible....Or is the 1st deal is the best deal right now for under 405...I'll go with that. At least I can sue the rebates n unspent money on some of my other things :3


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## crazyeyesreaper (Mar 24, 2010)

yea get the first deal then its $400 shipped rebates $350


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## Blaircroft (Mar 25, 2010)

I may get stoned in the street here but ive always had good experiences with both tigerdirect and newegg you would be a fool to overlook the competition as doing so will always cost you a few more bucks. When you finally decide on what you want to buy check out other places that could possibly have them cheaper and make sure you research them to make sure they are solid and legit. I know Tigerdirect doesnt charge tax and if your order is large enough you will qualify for free shipping ive always gotten my products within 2-3 days from them in excellent condition the only time ive ever had an issue is a MSI mobo blew a circuit after like 6 month and had to RMA it back to the factory but that wasnt their fault.


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## Eon the Wolf (Mar 27, 2010)

I trust crazy. And my stuff HAS arrived :3. THANK YOU EVERYONE who has suggested and helped. Maybe this summer I'll try to OC, if need be...but I doubt it


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## crazyeyesreaper (Mar 27, 2010)

keeps us posted on how it turns out

as far as overclocking goes check the phenom II overclocking threads

because in all honesty that 925 can easily become a 965 aka 600mhz overclock and u save $65 and we can all help u get there  when your ready to do it


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## Eon the Wolf (Mar 27, 2010)

Well, now mike has car issues apparently...so I dunno when he'll be coming down :/....Just gotta wait. However, what's funny? I've got an extra 26 bucks left besides that from the rebates....the stupid memory card was cancelled ....Ah well. What I got is decent enough for now :3.
EDIT: Update. It'll be installed the 7th, as he said he'll be coming down then. I'll be sure to let you folks know how I feel bout the parts (I hardly think Ill have ISSUES with em ) and bout any issues or ideas I have once its all set up n Ive had a few days to a week or 2 to get a feel for it. BTW...There is a promo code listed for the PSU right now xD. Its only $5, but it wouldve been nice...if only it had been there when I bought it lol


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## Eon the Wolf (Apr 17, 2010)

Bump. It has been installed. Spent nearly 3 days installing everything on steam again xD and I still have a ton of pictures n other such media to move (addons, installers, vids, etc. etc.) But uh...Thanks again everyone :3. It's running REALLY well (Lol I even said to my friend mockingly "WAIT COMPUTERS CAN BE THIS SMOOTH?!" hehe...)


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