Computer Builds Daily

MY PC WOOOOOOOHOOOOOO

2007-05-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

Motherboard:
ECS P890T-A
Processor:
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6320 @ 1.86GHz
Memory:
2048MB RAM
(1 Stick patriot @ 533 mhz)
Hard Drive:
215 GB(115 not used partitioned for ubuntu/solaris)
Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT
(BFG pre OC 512 MB's of ownage)
Monitor:
Viewsonic 20.1' 1680x1050
Sound Card:
HD Audio rear output
Speakers/Headphones:
Sienhauser HD 212 Pro's
Keyboard:
Logitech G15
Mouse:
Logitech G5
Mouse Surface:
Thermaltake glowy mousepad
Operating System:
Windows XP Home Edition

Sorry

2007-05-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a long week of stress and sickness but I am back. My laptop replacement unit got here. didn't actually work correctly. So after some many stressful hours put in my my dad and a couple by me they reinstalled Vista (LAME) and the drivers. This laptop is only pushing a gig of ram and a moderate Core Duo proccesor (Pentium D in desktop terms). But it does have a 7900GS go. I am really not in favor of the changes, and I did like XP (and all my installs+programs) either way not pleased with vista or the way Dell handled this. I want my old machine to work well and I would like to believe that they did send me the equivelent, but VISTA slows down the machine -.-.

ANYHOW back to buisness.

Case: APEVIA X-Navigator ATXA9NW-BK/500 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
~100$

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
~95$

Proccesor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
~190$

Graphics Card: EVGA 256-P2-N636-AR GeForce 7950GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
~200$

Memmory: Mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
~120$

Power Supply: COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RP-550-PCAR ATX from factor 12V V2.01 550W Power Supply 115/230 V Nemko, TUV, cUL, CE, BSM, FCC, CCC - Retail
~70$

Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black 16X DVD-ROM 52X CD-R 32X CD-RW 52X CD-ROM 1.5MB Cache SATA Combo Drive - OEM
~26$

Updated MicroATX

2007-04-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

So there have been some conflicting opinions on whether a micro ATX case will fit an 8800card, I've seen it myself, but here is the build and some alternatives.
Proccesor Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
~196$
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-965QM-DS2 LGA 775 Intel Q965 Express Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail'
~127$
Ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
~147$
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD4000AAKS 400GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
~100$
Video Card: EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
~260$ (on sale)
Power Supply: RAIDMAX Hybrid 2 RX-530SS ATX12V 530W Power Supply
~70$
Case: APEVIA X-QPACK2-BK/500 Black Aluminum Body/ Front Mask MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
~100

Reccomended substitutions to bring the price down:
Ram:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098
105(-42$)
Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136063
70(-30$)
Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182021
30(-40$)

You could also opt for a DX9 card to save alot more money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130074
-60$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102068
-140$

This is how I personally would drag down the price, the 7950GT is a solid card and the other alternatives were pretty decent substitutes while maintaining the 2gb's of ram C2D solid motherboard and plenty of HD space.

Also My dad said I needed more Pictures so I decided that the case for each build would be a reasonable start.

Short on money?

2007-04-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

So my parents want the ultimate budget pc and I managed to find this on a forum (www.computerforums.com) it wouldn't be my recomendation for their intents but a good deal nonetheless.
AMD Athlon X2 3600+ 1.9Ghz - 59
Abit KN9S nForce 550 - 79.99
Supertalent 667Mhz C5 DDR2 RAM - 84.99 (Promo code available)
XFX 7600GT 256MB - 119.99 (-20 MIR)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro - 29.99
Cooler Master Elite ATX Case - 39.99 (-10 MIR)
Samsung Spinpoint 200GB 7200Rpm SATA HDD - 55.99
Lite-on DVD-RW SATA Optical Drive - 25.99
Hiper 480W PSU - 49.99

Grand Total: $545.92

Although I have heard good things about the overclocking headroom and motherboard. Also that has 2gb's of ram!

Standard case

2007-04-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is a spin off of yesterdays build. My parents didn't like the lan box and I did. Also this is with a better case as far as the airflow.
Proccesor Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
~196$
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
~110$
Ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
~147$
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD4000AAKS 400GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
~100$
Video Card: EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
~260$ (on sale)
Power Supply: RAIDMAX Hybrid 2 RX-530SS ATX12V 530W Power Supply
~70$
CPU Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS7700-ALCU 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan - Retail
~34$
Case: APEVIA X-PLEASURE-BK Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
~140$
1055$ total. A bit of a wallet buster, but if you get budgetmobo+proc combos and a cheaper case aswell as sale items from frys you could save alot. Altogehter an awesome PC though if you can wait 2 weeks to see how the R600 (ati 2900XT/2900XTX) release goes you might get a better deal on the card you go with.

Sorry!

2007-04-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well I guess I missed another day, was pretty busy yesterday. This is a build I have been thinking about for awhile now. It is based on a microATX form factor commonly known as shuttle or referred to as a LAN box.
Anyhow this is another one I worked with from a forum should work out to be a pretty solid deal.
Proccesor Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
~196$
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-965QM-DS2 LGA 775 Intel Q965 Express Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail'
~127$
Ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
~147$
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD4000AAKS 400GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
~100$
Video Card: EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
~260$ (on sale)
Power Supply: RAIDMAX Hybrid 2 RX-530SS ATX12V 530W Power Supply
~70$
Case: APEVIA X-QPACK2-BK/500 Black Aluminum Body/ Front Mask MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
~100
~953$ Some areas could have the prices cut (the power supply motherboard and case as well as the ram.)
Optional:
CPU Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS7700-ALCU 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan - Retail
~34$
Check to make sure you have space if you order one of these, or be prepared to modify it if you don't.

You might be able to get away with using the included power supply, but I personally wouldn't risk it.

Cheaper high end build.

2007-04-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

So this is one of the builds my parents want to know about, Futureproof upgradeable and still not breaking your wallet. Although definately could be cheaper.

Proccesor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache
-560$

Motherboard:
-185$

Ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel
-114$

Hard Drive: Maxtor DiamondMax 21 STM3320820AS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hardv Drive - OEM

-75$

Graphics Card: EVGA 768-P2-N835-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SUPERCLOCKED HDCP Video Card - Retail
-600$ (can get the GTX for less this is my preference)

Power Supply: ULTRA 550W X2-Connect Power Supply - Titanium w/ Blue UV
-100$

Case: APEVIA X-Plorer ATXB8KLW-BK/420 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 420W Power Supply
-75$

Optical Drive: a basic Sony DVD drive similar color and a good brand.
-31$

A running total of 1740$ but if you chose a cheap case with fewer fans or just less features a cheaper power supply or the Gigabyte DS3 motherboard you could save alot of money and sacrafice little performance.
~Sorry about the HD section, cant seem to get it not to have a huge text.

Nice high end build.

2007-04-22T22:25:00.000-07:00

Well I was really hoping most sites would reflect all of the price cuts so I could put together a Quad Core compilation! But whatever old prices will do. Also dont hesitate to comment!
Proccesor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache
-560$

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
-110$

Ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel
-114$

Hard Drive #1: Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
-160$

Hard Drive #2: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular recording) ST3750640AS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
-254$

Graphics Card: EVGA 768-P2-N835-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SUPERCLOCKED HDCP Video Card - Retail
-600$ (can get the GTX for less this is my preference)

Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240
-150$
Optical Drive: a basic Sony DVD drive similar color and a good brand.
-31$
Case: Apevia X-Pleasure Computer Case - Black
-124(again can be less, I like this case)

2104! the HD's alone are 414 and you could save 300, the case could be had for 75 (simimlar) saving 50 you could save probobly 75$ on a lesser Power supply. Working it out to be 425$ less at 1678$.

High end Build

2007-04-21T00:35:00.000-07:00

This is a decent run of the mill higer end gaming PC
Motherboard + Procesor: EVGA 680i SLI (Awesome board!!) and Intel Core 2 Duo e6400 for a combined $380!
They want 115$ more for XP Media Center Edition

Hard Drive: Bargain Drive at fires 160GB Seagate SATA/300 drive 7200 rpm 40$

Graphics Card: This one is up to you, But for my personal preference Nvidia+ DX10=Awesome (8800 GTS 320mb) 280$ for 90$ more you could get a 640MB edition and for 250 more you could get a GTX, but for 280 you could SLI another of these. All in all you will do well either way. ( A personal favorite, news on the 8600GTS, is that it is slightly lacking as far as futureproof for high end graphics in DX10 Games, but for the pirce you really can't beat it)

Case: This is based on a case/psu/keyboard/mouse/speaker combo pack priced at 45$

Power Supply: 94$ SLI ready and 600w, good deal

Optical Drive: a basic Sony DVD drive similar color and a good brand.

Ram: 2 Gigabytes DDR2 pc2 5400 667mhz ram 99$

Laptop configuration

2007-04-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well I have been thinking a lot about laptops, and my brother wanted one at some point (in the future, I bought mine already). Anyhow this is sort of the thing everyone wants (15.4 inch and can game some while maintaining portability and battery life).

Dell e1505: 976$ with MZKSDBQ4$BV9SC (300$ off)

Inspiron E1505	Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5200 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included)	Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Basic
LCD Panel	15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display
Memory	1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHZ, 2 DIMM
Video Card	256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™
Hard Drive	120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
Network Card and Modem	Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Adobe Software	Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
Combo or DVD+RW Drive	24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive
Sound Options	Integrated Audio
Wireless Networking Cards	Intel PRO/Wireless 3945a/g
Office Software	Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed)	No security subscription (McAfee 30-day trial)
Primary Battery	85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

2007-04-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

Well after missing yesterdays might aswell put 2 up today! This one Is gonna be for those who want a media center (form factor and component wise) so it won't be suited as much for gaming.

Case: These computers are ment to fit in with the console and tend to get a bit pricey. 85$ (Review)

Motherboard Proccesor: This is a higher end Pentium D ( first generation dual core) With PCI-E x1 and x16 also 4 SATA headers and 4 DDR2 slots aswell as integrated graphics. 185$
Alternatively you could usethis, from the frys add Wed4/18
Motherboard+ Proccesor: ECS PT890T-A + Intel Core 2 Duo E6400(Nice!) $190
Included are all your standard features, 5.1 sound, ddr533 support PCI-E and Obviously this is one of the new Intel processors which are top of the line (Amd sadly has fallen behind as far as price vs. performance) they also are great overclockers!

Hard Drive: This is a well placed drive from NewEgg. Now because this is a media center computer I would recommend two of these for a combined 800GB storage capacity (HD shows can go over 5GB/ hour). 200$

Optical Drive: a basic Sony DVD drive similar color and a good brand.

Ram: 2 Gigabytes DDR2 pc2 5400 667mhz ram 99$

The case review was pretty slick, and the case accepts ATX parts (making it essentially a computer on its side) which is pretty awesome.

Sorry Late!

2007-04-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Well as you can see I already missed a day! Sheesh what a bummer. My plan Failed to scan in the chunk of the Fry's add but anyhow here is yesterdays build:
Motherboard+ Proccesor: ECS PT890T-A + Intel Core 2 Duo E6400(Nice!) $190
Included are all your standard features, 5.1 sound, ddr533 support PCI-E and Obviously this is one of the new Intel processors which are top of the line (Amd sadly has fallen behind as far as price vs. performance) they also are great overclockers!

Ram: 2GB of Patriot DDR2 pc5300 (2 dimms) 115$
Great bargain, this is becoming the standard for ram, and a solid way to get ahead with performance.

Hard Drive: Western Digital 320GB SATA/300. 7200 RPM 80$

Graphics Card: This one is up to you, But for my personal preference Nvidia+ DX10=Awesome (8800 GTS 320mb) 280$ for 90$ more you could get a 640MB edition and for 250 more you could get a GTX, but for 280 you could SLI another of these. All in all you will do well either way. ( A personal favorite, news on the 8600GTS, is that it is slightly lacking as far as futureproof for high end graphics in DX10 Games, but for the pirce you really can't beat it)

Case: This is based on a case/psu/keyboard/mouse/speaker combo pack priced at 45$

Power Supply: 94$ SLI ready and 600w, good deal

Optical Drive: a basic Sony DVD drive 31$

700$ build

2007-04-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

This is a build I worked with someone to create on a forum, definately worth a look this is definately alot of bang for your buck,for another 100 or so you could plug in a 8600GTS which go on sale tommorow!

2007-04-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Build list 2, Under 1000 But a good bang for your buck ratio:
Though the case combo is the same, this rig calls for an upgraded PSU (you may or may not be able to get some money for the one included to the case, however it is fairly unlikely).
You will notice that I use a simmilar basis for most of my builds, it is more or less a matter of cost efficiency, and personal preference ( I like the brands and or looks).
Case: This is based on a case/psu/keyboard/mouse/speaker combo pack priced at 45$
Power Supply: 94$ SLI ready and 600w, good deal
Ram: 2 Gigabytes DDR2 pc2 5400 667mhz ram 99$
Hard Drive: Changing it up a bit, with a link to a well priced drive on NewEgg (Seagate is somewhat of a family favorite, equivelent drives from other brands are the same price).70$
Optical Drive: a basic Sony DVD drive 31$
Proccessor+ Motherboard: Great CPU and a very reputable motherboard company. 330$
CPU Cooling: A well liked cooling fan as stated through numerous reviews. 25$
Graphics Card: This one is up to you, But for my personal preference Nvidia+ DX10=Awesome (8800 GTS 320mb) 280$ for 90$ more you could get a 640MB edition and for 250 more you could get a GTX, but for 280 you could SLI another of these. All in all you will do well either way.

This computer is a huge step up as the E6XXX series of Intel processors has supreme overclocking abilities and is a preformer at least. This rig also is SLI ready and futureproofed as best I know. 974$ is a reasonable price for the future proofed nature and the upgradeabilty that it offers.

First build list!

2007-04-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

So this is the first build;
Case: This is based on a case/psu/keyboard/mouse/speaker combo pack priced at 45$
Power Supply: (included)
Ram: 2 Gigabytes DDR2 pc2 5400 667mhz ram 99$
Hard Drive: This is one I leave to you, Fry's Electronics has 250GB drives for 40$ if you watch closely but it is one category that is pretty hard to make a wrong choice with. Sadly they're up to 60$ each today.
Optical Drive: a basic Sony DVD drive 31$
Graphics Card: This one is up to you, But for my personal preference Nvidia+ DX10=Awesome (8800 GTS 320mb) 280$
Processor:AMD AM2 socket X2 5000+ (combo with a motherboard)
Motherboard:ECS Geforce6100sm-m (At Fry's Electronics for 150 for this and the proccesor) Micro ATX, will fit in smaller cases too.

At 605$ this is an excellent deal. you get DX10 and an excellent dual core proccesor. Ontop of that all this needs is a monitor and operating system easily recycled from your old computer.