~$650 build (again)

[dario03]

Hey guys I had a couple threads about a build for a friend a while back but he decided to wait till after the holidays. I assume the build is still good but want to make sure and need a psu suggestion. Budget was $600-$700 for tower and internals.

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Wolfdale 2.66GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops (might spend the extra $10 and get the e7400)

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Newegg.com - XFX PVT98GYDLU GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards (any better choice of 9800?)

Newegg.com - OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory (I figure that should be enough on a 10 or 10.5 multiplyer)

Newegg.com - Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Newegg.com - Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120mm "Core Contact Freezer" CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks (will be overclocking)

Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - CD / DVD Burners (random pick)



Had planned on getting the OCZ stealth 500w psu since it was $55-$30MIR but its out of stock so can anyone recommend another psu?

Anything you would change?

Considered quad, so does the Q6600 clock well again yet?

Is it worth the extra $20 to get the ep45 board instead?
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Was considering 9800gtx+ but he isn't a huge gamer and they seem to only be about 15-20% faster for about 40%-50% more. Would consider ati if anybody knows of some benches that showed good results on their cards on Flight Simulator X. The only one I could find (tomshardware) said they did poorly on that game and his goal is to play that well.

So far cost is at ~$583 - $30MIR but need a psu. So a little room to work with if anybody wants to suggest something that cost a little more but could give a good bump in performance.

Thanks for any help.

 

[tastegw]

good choice on case!

add in a window to that thang!

i must say tho, getting that sunbeam in there is hard with this case since it sits allmost right up against the 140mm top fan. and if you need to take it back off, oh boy, thats even harder

but when its in, its a nice cooler!

 

[zedman3d]

@John: Dude dont quote his entire big post please.

Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H485FN512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Thats an extra $10 than the 9800GT and performs a lot better.

Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies for the PSU, that will save you some cash.

 

[dario03]

Has anybody seen any reviews of the 4850 that tested it on FSX? Its the ati card I was considering but like I said it didn't do so great on tomshardware. Don't like trusting only one place but I've also seen some people on forums say ati don't do well in FSX.

Edit: Well actually I'm not sure anymore about ati in FSX Flight Simulator X - Review Tom's Hardware : ATI Radeon HD 4850: Smarter by Design? it did ok but still slower than the 9800gtx (I'll assume their right about the driver problems on the gtx+ since it was new at the time). Then in this one not so good http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/GeForce-9600-overclock,2028-18.html I can't find the original article I saw on there but I think it showed the 4850 at low 20's fps.

 

[bkolk]

From what i've read in tomshardware reviews, Flight simulator is heavily dependent on CPU.

 

[philbar71]

and like a majority of other games fsx is biased towards nvidia cards.

 

[dario03]

I think I made a thread asking about it before but never got a response. I guess I'll try again though.

i must say tho, getting that sunbeam in there is hard with this case since it sits allmost right up against the 140mm top fan. and if you need to take it back off, oh boy, thats even harder

but when its in, its a nice cooler!

Hard, but possible, right? Are you speaking from experience? (I noticed you have the same case)


Edit: sorry about double post. Didn't remember I was last to post.

 

[BongWizard]

yes, you can do it without too much trouble... and any drivers 8.9 and beyond will give you great performance in FSX with the 4850 zedman recommended

 

[Fat.Clown]

Had planned on getting the OCZ stealth 500w psu since it was $55-$30MIR but its out of stock so can anyone recommend another psu?

I like this one
PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply