Starting Point

[ritchie257]

I'm looking to build a computer with about an $800 CDN budget and I need some help getting started.

I've been looking at a few processors to start with and the Intel Core 2 Duo ones were recommended to me but I'm unsure about where in that line I'd be getting the best cost effectiveness.

This computer will be used for some moderate gaming I don't think anything too demanding (no first person shooters) and general use: internet, music, etc.

I have never overclocked and I'm not sure how difficult it would be so I'd like something that would run well at stock but if it'll save money I'll definately consider a better overclocking system.

So if any one has any suggestions I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[Trotter]

Have you checked out http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/recommended-pc-components-159027/ and the other threads listed in the http://www.techist.com/forums/f75/hardware-stickies-index-142552/ ?

Give them a look and then see what questions you need answered.

 

[rkagin]

Since I know only a little (and that little happens to be about Intel), I'll point you in the direction I went:

Most people along the Intel architecture like the E7200 or the E8400 for a nice reasonably high quality processor:
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

If you're interested in saving some money, you can go with the E2180 (which can be overclocked):
Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

As for motherboards, a reasonable motherboard for the chips is the EP35:
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

From there, you can determine what type of graphics card you want (2400PRO, 2600PRO, 8400GS, or any of the 8800's). Just perusing other people's builds of computers may give you an idea.

Also, I just selected Newegg because I'm from the USA. You will probably need directcanada or ncix.

 

[Trotter]

The 3850 and 9600GT are coming down in price, and both are awesome cards. Either one may be more card than you really need, though... but neither are Easy-Bake ovens, either. The 8600 is a space heater.

Go with a minimum of 2 gigs of RAM, period. DDR2 has gotten stupid cheap, so that won't be a problem.

Be sure you go with a quality power supply, if nothing else. Check through the appropriate guide for the brands to look for.

The case is entirely up to your own tastes and desires (and budget). A mid-tower is a good size, a little big, but it will allow your parts to get the air they need to run cooler.

 

[ritchie257]

Alright thanks for the advice. So far these are the parts that i'm considering:

NCIX.com - Buy Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.66GHZ Wolfdale 1333FSB 6MB Retail - BX80570E8200 In Canada.

NCIX.com - Buy Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard - GA-EP35-DS3L In Canada.

NCIX.com - Buy OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W ATX12V 20/24PIN Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black - OCZ500SXS In Canada.

NCIX.com - Buy BFG GeForce 9600GT OC 675MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card - BFGE96512GTOCE In Canada.

NCIX.com - Buy Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 160GB Hard Drive SATA2 7200RPM 11MS 8MB Cache 5YR MFR Warranty - ST3160815AS In Canada.

NCIX.com - Buy Mushkin HP PC2-6400 HP2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-5-4-11 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit - 996533 In Canada.

There's also a couple of MIR on those parts to help keep the price down, little bit of a pain but worth the time in my mind.

NCIX.com - Buy Coolermaster Elite RC-330 ATX Blk Case 4X5.25 2X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS 1X120MM Rear Fan Front I/O Panel - RC-330-KKN1 In Canada.

Would 4 gigs of ram be excessive or would that be a reasonable thing to spring for?
And would it be better to get 2x2Gb or go with 4x1Gb?

 

[rkagin]

4x1Gb doesn't give you much extensibility if you only have 4 slots. Also, if you have a 32-bit operating system, you need not (and in fact can't) have more than 3Gb RAM. I've heard lots of recommendations for the E8400, so you might want to compare the E8200 against that to see what better suits your needs.

 

[ritchie257]

NCIX - Intel E8400, Core 2 Due E8400 Wolfdale Dual-Core Processor

Well the 8400 seems to be only $6 more so that'll work thanks rkagin.