New Build Help Please

[acidfire]

I'm going to build a computer for my dad and need some help on parts to choose. He uses the computer mainly for internet, photos, and your basic stuff. He doesn't play games so it doesn't have to be a gaming computer. I would say if we can get it between $300 to $500 would be great.

We already have:
windows
dvd drive and cd burner
a: drive

Here is what I'm starting with but would like suggestions how to make the computer cheaper but got quality. I'm sure there are some ways to make the computer cheap but have quality when it's not going to be used for games. I'm open for changing any of the parts.

What I was thinking:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Allendale 2.0GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115014)
Black Quiet Super Mini Tower 9 Bays EA-500 Psu Esata Port (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000QAVVAM/mysuperpc-20)
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134)
ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142&Tpk=N82E16813131142)
1GB kit (512MBx2), Ballistix 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-6400 memory module
(http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=FE1F2994A5CA7304)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074&Tpk=N82E16822136074)
XFX
XFX PVT86SWAHG GeForce 8400GS 512MB (256MB on Board) 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150246)


Any suggestions?

[Jamie Nixx]

Check this thread mate, i priced a very good computer for a high school teacher here.

http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?p=2339#post2339

Most of the parts you chose, are gaming parts i.e Ram, mobo and the CPU cooler, your Dad as you said will not be using this for gaming, he will have no need for an SLi motherboard with a gaming chipset in it, or Ballistix ram or a CPU cooler, not unless he is going to experiment with some serious overclocking :eek: :D

The computer i priced came to $260 with everything minus monitor and operating system, and it has 2GB of ram as well so the comp will fly.

[The Wise Monkey]

Looking good. :)

One thing - that GFX card is a bit of overkill if he is not going to be playing games, or using Vista. Then again, considering the price, its probably worth it.

You really won't need the extra CPU fan if you are not planning on overclocking as the stock intel fan is very good.

[acidfire]

Thanks for all the reply. I know most of the parts lean toward gaming pc a lot. I know I would like to stick with Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 because I never built a intel core 2 duo yet (last built Pentium D). Dad wants the computer to be fast, but anything will be faster than p1.4 he uses now:p

@Jamie Nixx
Thanks for the link and the computer looks nice but I would like to stay with intel. Is there anyway you could make a intel computer for that much? I'm very open for any of the parts.

@The Wise Monkey
Thanks for the info and I agree the graphics card is over kill but very nice price. I will plan to use the stock intel fan because it will not be overclocked.

[Jamie Nixx]

Yes i understand mate :)

A core 2 duo setup would be a lot more expensive but i can price a computer no problem.

Even though the Asus P5N-E SLi board is a gaming motherboard, you might as well stick with it because its pretty cheap and one of the best boards available period.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142

Intel E4400, very decent CPU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115014

Wintec AMPO 2GB ram

This is excellent ram and it is so cheap its unbelievable, i only wish ram was this cheap over here in london.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161172

Seagate Barracuda HD (160GB)

One of the best makes available, 160 GB and its sata, they do lots of sizes upto 750GB if your Dad wants more space.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148230

Case (with 350w psu)

The 350w psu should be sufficient for the computer you are building (i hate these psu's though)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147010


This little lot comes to $398.95, bare in mind this does not include the GPU you chose so you are looking at $460, this comp will fly and it will even play games should your Dad wish to delve into the gaming world.

Hope this helps..

[acidfire]

Thanks Jamie Nixx for the info.
Maybe A stupid question but if you have a sli motherboard do you also need a sli power supply? Or you only need a sli power supply if you are running sli?

[Jamie Nixx]

No you only need an SLi psu if you are running two or more GPU's.

[acidfire]

Sorry for all the questions :rolleyes: Is there another motherboard besides Asus P5N-E SLi that you would recommend? It looks like a nice board but we don't need sli and thought there might be another motherboard you might recommended that cost a little cheaper that does a great job without sli. Just want to keep my options open :)

[Jamie Nixx]

It is slight overkill for your needs so here are a couple of very good motherboards that are cheaper :)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130099

Very good budget board, power connector in an awkward place though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127018

This is also a very nice board, i recommend this one but the decision is up to you..

[Anthony]

Your dad probably will need a card reader of some type for his camera or other accessories. I got a 9-in-1 card reader with a floppy drive. I got this one http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16815150058
I like it.
Anthony

[acidfire]

After checking out different parts and prices I think I have narrowed down what parts to use. Let me know what you think.

DVD and Windows XP Prof We Have
Power Supply: Using Spare Antec Power Supply I have
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Allendale 2.0GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115014)
Graphics Card: XFX PVT86SWAHG GeForce 8400GS 512MB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150246) (Good Rebate Right Now)
Card Reader: Atech Flash Xm-4U 11-in-1 USB 2.0 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820176825)(use for camera card, thanks for the idea Anthony)
Ram: 1GB kit (512MBx2), Ballistix 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-6400 memory module (http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=FE1F2994A5CA7304)(dad wants fast/quality ram)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar RE WD1600YS 160GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136062)(always used them and have had no problems)


Here is where I can use a little help.
Case #1: Rosewill R103A (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147010)
Case #2: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119077)(rebate and good reviews)

Both cases look nice,have good reviews, and have usb on the front of the computer my dad wants. Case #2 comes with audio and firewire on the front which would be nice to have. I have two motherboards I'm looking at and I'm not sure if both have usb,audio, and firewire connectors for case #2. Can someone tell me if any of the motherboards below have all three connections? If neither one have the three connections I might go with case #1 that just has usb, because theres no point to have the front ports if you can't use them. The mother boards I'm looking at:

MB #1: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142&Tpk=N82E16813131142)
MB #2: MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130081)

I'm not to sure about using MB #1 yet becasue of some of the reviews about ram problems and it only comes with 2 extra pci slots where MB #2 comes with 3. I'm sure most of the problems are setting the ram in the bios. Anybody have opinion on the motherboards? I know I see a lot of good reviews on this site about MB #1.

The above would be about $552 without shipping which my dad said would be ok. I was looking at ram on crucial and notice there are a couple types of ram to purchase. Can someone tell me the difference between:
1GB kit (512MBx2), 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-6400 memory module (http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=FF36929CA5CA7304) $70
AND
1GB kit (512MBx2), Ballistix 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-6400 memory module (http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=FE1F2994A5CA7304) $96
I know crucial has lifetime guarantee on there ram and was wondering if going with the cheaper ram would save money or is it worth getting the expensive ram?


What do you all think about floppy drives? Do you really need one? For flashing the bios can't you burn a cd and use it? I see so many new pc without floppy drives that I was thinking about not adding a floppy drive. And case #2 above only has one 3.5" exterior bay and that will be used by the card reader.

Thanks for all your help.

[Jamie Nixx]

You don't need an SLi motherboard!!!

This is a really good board...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127018

And you don't need gaming ram!!!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161172

This is fast, good quality ram, whats going to be faster? 2GB or 1GB?

Apart from that its looking good, although the centurion does not come with a psu.

[acidfire]

You said:

Even though the Asus P5N-E SLi board is a gaming motherboard, you might as well stick with it because its pretty cheap and one of the best boards available period.

Decided to stick with it and have the option to always update. The other board you recommend I'm not to sure about because of the reviews. The sli will be nice to have for future updates. And both boards have firewire and sata ports on the rear panel that would be nice to have for future items my dad might buy.

As far as the ram goes, how can it be that cheap and still be quality ram? I have only used crucial for all the computers I have worked on and had no problems. I have never used the ram you suggest and not sure how reliable it is.

Thanks for all your replys

[Jamie Nixx]

Then you said, Is there another motherboard besides Asus P5N-E SLi that you would recommend? It looks like a nice board but we don't need sli and thought there might be another motherboard you might recommended that cost a little cheaper that does a great job without sli. :D

Its a great board, just trying to cut down on cost for you.

Crucial isn't the best ram out there, i can name 5 brands of ram that would eat crucial for breakfast lol.

I am just trying to cut down costs for you, the wintec ampo is excellent ram, but if you want the crucial then go for it.

I am only here to advise on what i think is best, the decision is up to you :)

[acidfire]

I thought about what I posted right after I post and I did ask for boards that didn't have sli :p

The price I have now is ok with my dad. Just need to decide on case and motherboard. Do you know if the two motherboards have usb,audio, and fireware connections for the ports on the front of the computer case?

To be honest I have always used crucial because that is what rob recommended and since my first build I keep using it since I had no problems. I read up more on the ram you recommend and I noticed it also comes with lifetime warranty. Is this the ram you use on all your builds? Any problems with the ram?

I appreciate all your advice as this will be my 2nd build :) My first build was for my bother and it was easy to build because he wanted gaming pc and put high end parts in it, but my dad doesn't need all the same parts. This will be a great learning experience :D

[Jamie Nixx]

My computers are beasts :D , i have corsair XMS2 in one and Dominator in the other.

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7812/dsc00487sq5.jpg

This is my everyday browsing, word processing computer :p

I use very expensive ram in my builds, because they are gaming computers, my next build is going to have OCZ reaper memory in it.

I have a few mates over in the US and they have said its excellent ram for normal builds, they have had no trouble with it, crucial is good ram don't get me wrong, but if i was building a normal computer just for browsing/casual gaming ect, i would rather have the 2GB over the 1GB crucial anyday.

[Jamie Nixx]

Read this arcticle from toms hardware mate, it talks about the exact same 2GB kit i advised you to get.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/02/21/overclocking-9-value-priced-ddr2-800-kits/page10.html

[acidfire]

That looks like a nice computer :D
Thanks for the link about the ram. I did some looking at different ram and I heard good things about corsair and decided to look on newegg to see how much it cost and look what I found:
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145590)
That ram cost $90 but comes with a $30 rebate for a total of $60 :eek: That ram looks to be the best choose to go with and gives me a chance to try out corsair ram.

[Jamie Nixx]

Thats not even my good computer :D

I have the XMS2, its one of the best makes of ram available, and $60:eek: , over here in the UK its over £70 which works out to about $140 :eek: .

Definately go for it mate.

Btw if you look at the ram in my pic, thats Corsair XMS2 and what it looks like...