Proposing a Build

[jmar]

I am a new pc builder and this is my first proposal for a build and pricing. This needs to be a good gaming computer with a reasonable price within a range prefferably well under $1500. I already have a good monitor Dell E197FP, optimal resolution 1280*1024.

Proc: Intel Duo Core 2 E8400 $250 if can be found
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P $150
Heatsink: Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro $27
Graph: eVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB $200 w/ rebate
PSU: Corsair 520HX $90 w/ rebate
Mem: Corsair 2x2 GB toal 4GB DDR2 800 PC2 6400 $74 w/ rebate
HD: Western Digital Cavier 320 GB OEM $75
DVD: Asus Black 20x DRW-2041L1T $37
Case: Antec 900 $120
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM $110
Total pricing: $1135

Questions:
Can i get away with the cheaper OEM version of windows rather than retail since im building a computer? were talking a $100 dollar cheaper

If i plan on expanding or maybe even overclocking will the 520W from the PSU be enough power or should i expand?

How much longer until E8400 can be bought again?

I would like some quality sound if i could obtain some. Can anyone reccomend a decently priced good sound card and also some decent well priced speakers.

[afdude2018]

The PSU should be enough for future expansion and overclocking. I had my GPU and CPU OC'd on my rig just to test it out and everything was stable. The PSU is one that I've seen reccomended on this site a lot which is why I went with it for my build. 2 1/2 months and still going strong with some upgrades already made.

[shyster]

Basically the OEM version of vista is exactly the same as the retail version in terms of what it does for your computer. What it lacks, and this will be the deciding factor for you if you want it or not, is support from microsoft and the ability to transfer it to a new computer should you want to at some point.

Not getting support might be an issue with you, I do not know how much you know and how much you do not know, sometimes it is good to have live support from people who actually work for a company. That being said most support people now-a-days are jokes and know very little. So if you are willing you can usually find support online for any problem you might run into. Most of us here have either run into the majority of problems or know where you could find answers to your questions even if we do not have the answers.

Jaime has mentioned that he can usually get a new code from microsoft suport if he tells them a part broke and he "had" to reinstall or transfer an OS. So you can get around it if you get lucky and know what you are doing.

That PSU should be more than enough to handle a SLI'ed 8800GTS system even with everything overclocked to max, so you should not have any power issues with it.

Your case can be found for a little bit cheaper than that right now, since I believe Antec is offering a $40 rebate at some places.

Other than that it looks like you did your homework, either independent research or you read previous peoples posts on this forum. Either way what you have decided on are some very good parts and they should serve you well.

As to your final question about the e8400's there is not really a set date regarding those they sell soon after arriving, but theoretically stores should be getting shipments of them every week or two. You could try calling stores like buy.com or newegg and see if they can tell you what days they get shipments or if they have exact figures about when or how many are coming in.

Another option is to look for the xeon 3110's they are technically server chips, but all their stats are the same as the e8400 so they should work. They are also selling quickly since people have noticed that about them. It is always good to get a second opinion before following any advice since I do not know for sure if the xeon would work in a normal motherboard, or if it would work the same as the e8400.

[jmar]

Thanks for the posts.

So I have a solid build thats good.

With the OEM version of windows though how much trouble would I have to go through if i ever decide to reformat my hard drive and reinstall windows.

[afdude2018]

Shouldn't have too much trouble since it's the same exact computer you are installing it on. It's when you start changing components or changing to another computer that you run into problems with the OEM version.

[RickyTick]

The 8800GT 512 is a very good card, but the 8800GTS 512 is better.

[jmar]

The GTS is also about 90 dollars more is it 90 dollars more better. How good is corsair's xms 2 memory btw.

[Barrister73]

Corsair RAM is just fine. Seems to be what everybody here went with for the past few months and I do not recall anyone having a negative review.

MRR

[afdude2018]

I have 2 1gig sticks of XMS 2 ram. Works pretty good.

[partyman97_3]

Shyster is right, the Antec 900 has a 40 dollar rebate at buy.com. That is a super case, lots of room and great air flow. Cable management leaves something to be desired, but with a little imagination, there are work arounds for that too.
http://www.buy.com/prod/antec-nine-hundred-steel-atx-mid-tower-computer-case/q/loc/101/202997579.html

[RickyTick]

The GTS is also about 90 dollars more is it 90 dollars more better. How good is corsair's xms 2 memory btw.


The GTS falls just short of the GTX in performance. Is it $90 better? IDK I'd pay the 90 bucks, but that's just me.

I had (4x1gb) sticks of XMS2 PC2 6400 memory, but I took it out and put in (2x2gb) of G.Skill PC2 8000 on the advice from the Abit forums.

[jmar]

For the OEM windows vista you supposively cant use it when you upgrade or change computers what parts does this include, every part on the computer which is swapped often such as RAM and graphics card or only large upgrades such as mobo, HD, proc.

[shyster]

Pretty much, as I understand it the motherboard is what windows keys to. So basically if your motherboard dies and you get a new one, that is not exactly the same, you will run into problems. If you just replace the old dead one with exactly the same model there should be no problems.

As for reformatting, there are no problems, I believe Wisemonkey commented that he reformats about every six months and he only uses OEM versions of OS's as I understand it.

And as I mentioned Jaime suggests or says that he has gotten new codes from microsoft after changing out motherboards.

As long as you do not want crysis or specifically an Evga model of an 8800GTS I believe I have seen one for 220 on sale. Since it is not Evga I cannot comment on its reliability or durability, but if you need to bargain on price that option is there.