The GeForce prices are actually backwards through mail-order companies
around here; PCI-e versions of 6600GT are half the price of the AGP!
Of course the motherboard and CPU is so much more expensive that an
AGP system makes more sense if you just want cheap upgrades :)
Here’s what I’m probably ordering in just a little bit…
[ul][li]Athlon 64 3500+ (Venice)
[/li][li]MSI Neo4/SLI nForce4 motherboard
[/li][li]2GB Kingston RAM (2x1GB)
[/li][li]Cooler Master CAVALIER 3 case (Black/Steel)
[/li][li]Thermaltake TR-2 430W PS (notable because one of the reviews on Newegg lists similar hardware working fine with this PS)
[/li][li]Samsung Spinpoint 160GB SATA150 hard drive
[/li][li]Sony Black DW-D26A DVD burner
[/li][li]LG L1951S-BN Black 19" 12ms LCD Monitor
[/li][li]XFX GeForce 6800GT 256MB card PCI-e ($50 Rebate)
[/li][li]WinXP Home
[/li][li]Microsoft Keyboard and optical mouse (This one)
[/li][/ul]
Including shipping, that comes to $1,671.66.
I could probably get it down a little more by poking around other sites, but the shipping at NewEgg is so cheap I doubt it’d end up saving me anything. At some point I’ll put another 6800GT in there and if that requires more power, I’ll swap out the PS at that time. Everything on there is supposed to be pretty quiet so I’m hoping it doesn’t sound like a hair dryer when I turn it on. We’ll see.
–Dave
Looks good except for that XP Home. Pro is suppousively a lot better, though I haven’t experienced it first hand.
I use both Pro and Home. Pro at work, Home here at home. There’s no reason to buy Pro for your home PC. It’s exactly the same OS with some added features you simply don’t need at home. Hell, we don’t even use the file level security at work that much. That’s really the big difference.
I suspect someone will give me heck for the 430W Power Supply but man, I just can’t get all excited about getting some high falutin’ PS and most of the ones over 430W need a certain kind of case (because of the fan on top of them) in order to work.
Oh… I also threw in Battlefield 2 at the last minute. That drove it up another $46 but how can you buy a new PC without something brand new to play on it? :)
–Dave
I don’t see a heatsink/fan… does the CPU come with one?
I don’t see a heatsink/fan… does the CPU come with one?[/quote]
Yeah, it’s the retail AMD heatsink/fan. I got a retail processor so I’d have all that right in the box. I did that last time too and sites say there’s no problem with it. The ones they ship are a-ok.
–Dave
Thanks for all the help everyone! I’m typing this from the new PC. I’m still not even close to done setting it all back up, but so far everything seems great. I ended up buying the newest LG 19" monitor model number L1980Q. This is the one that can be flipped over backwards so someone on the opposite side of the desk can read it. The one I ordered originally was out of stock at NewEgg and I had to make a backup run to Circuit City. I’m still on the old Sony 19" G400 CRT but won’t be for long.
The case is awesome. Everything is nice and quiet and screwless hard drive and CD-ROM drive installation is probably the best things to happen to PC construction since they came up with thumbscrews to open the case. I was really happy with that.
Anyway, will say more about the flat panel LCD once I’ve got it going. It’s got an 8ms response time. :) The price was great at CC. Only $490 after rebate.
–Dave
You’ve built a great rig there Brian.
I’ll refrain from commenting about the high falutin’ PSU omission. If you have troubles down the road, you can always get one later.
The only thing I’d like to point out, is that you can get the Dell 2005FPW LCD for $501 right now, from Dell Home. Using this code: JRC0Z8PWB21?L2
That LG is a great panel in its own right, but I’ve used the 2005FPW, and know 1st hand how nice it is. If you haven’t busted open the LG, something to think about. Having said that, if had the LG sitting in a box in my office, I probably wouldn’t bother to make the exchange myself, 'cause I’m too impatient.
$501 is too much to pay for the 2005fpw. wait for end of next quarter, it will fall to at least $400 - $440.
I got mine for $374, including the 8.25% texas sales tax.
My biggest problem with the Dell was not being able to see it firsthand. The LG is on display in stores so I can really see what the quality of it is before buying. I know folks really like them here and I’m not questioning them, but for a monitor, I really want to go in there and just eyeball it myself.
I have it set up and it looks awesome right now as I type this. I honestly couldn’t be happier. It rotates all around like crazy if I want it to, too!
–Dave
I realize this is a stupid question, but when will “the end of next quarter” be? I want to know when I should start looking for this price drop. I’ve been eyeing this monitor for awhile, but it’s been too expensive for me to pull the trigger.
Thanks.
-Amanpour
Whoops. Forum error double posted me.
I hear ya. It’s been going for $949.99 Canadian ($779.75 US) here. I’ve only seen it go on sale once for $90 Can off that price. Paying more than $1000 (after you add on taxes which are 15% for me) for a display is a little ridiculous, especially when I hear about folks getting it for half the price in the US via all sorts of coupon discounts and such. The 2405fpw is $1400!. You can buy whole systems that are decent enough for most people at that price.
Considering I too will be doing a full workup for my next system soon, I’ve been keeping a close eye on these displays.
I don’t see a heatsink/fan… does the CPU come with one?[/quote]
Yeah, it’s the retail AMD heatsink/fan. I got a retail processor so I’d have all that right in the box. I did that last time too and sites say there’s no problem with it. The ones they ship are a-ok.
–Dave[/quote]
Let us know what you think of that retail hsf. Its noise level and speed too please. I recently built a 3000+ 64bit for my folks with a retail chip and was very impressed. It ran around 3000rpm and was fairly quiet. Much better than my own system’s non standard hsf.
It’s definitely quiet and it runs at about 3500RPM IIRC. You can’t even hear the Thermaltake power supply I got. I think the loudest fans are the 120mm and the 80mm in the case though those are quiet too. It’s really reduced the noise level from the previous box, that’s for sure.
From what I’ve read, the HSFs that they ship with both AMD and Intel processors are now very good and no one really needs to get anything better unless they overclock. Heat is low for me too. It’s down around 30C in the case I think and 35 for the processor at idle.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a tool to monitor heat and fans from within Windows? I don’t want to overclock anything, just see how hot it gets inside the machine.
–Dave
I realize this is a stupid question, but when will “the end of next quarter” be? I want to know when I should start looking for this price drop. I’ve been eyeing this monitor for awhile, but it’s been too expensive for me to pull the trigger.
Thanks.
-Amanpour[/quote]
Posted this in the Dell thread – It’s been available for a few days for 501 - 65 stackable = 436. Fair price if you’re from a non-tax Dell state.
SpeedFan is exactly what I needed. Thanks steve! I’m at 35C inside the case and 38C for the processor.
–Dave
I purchased a MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum ($138, Newegg) motherboard this week and it’s made MSI my future first-look company for any upcoming upgrades.
The board itself is well-made and cleanly laid out, the packaging is excellent, the documentation (including large full-color fold-out poster pointing out every port and plug location) is outstanding and the features included on the board are top-notch.
The 120mm fan should be the quietest fan in your case. That’s the benefit of larger fans. They can spin slower, and more quietly, than smaller fans, while pushing decent amounts of air. If you replace that front 80mm fan down the road w/ a $9 dollar 120mm fan, it should quiet things even more. I even made a point of buying a PSU w/ a 120mm fan, Antec’s Neopower.