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Build a good C2D system for a good price
Date: 12/02/06 (Computer Geeks) Keywords: html, asp, jsp, google
I got suckered into building a C2D system by my employer's discount program. I did my research- maybe someone else could also put it to good use.
This is for a Core 2 Duo E6300-based gaming system that is designed to be moderately overclocked, with good options for future upgrades.
First, the two reasons that I even needed the system:
Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (there was a deal for $20 on amazon a few days back.)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A
Acer AL2016w 20" 1680 x 1050 widescreen LCD monitor $248.37@Burgess
https://www.burgesscomputers.com/displa
Oblivion + large-ish monitor = must get a fast system or else
IntelĀ® Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor $183.90@Zipzoomfly (price dropped again!)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler $24.99@Directron
http://www.directron.com/acfz7pro.html
Vertical design with air also blowing over the adjacent chipset, important for overclocking
Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard $99.99@Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a
Supposedly one of the fastest value P965 boards. Good overclocking features for the price.
A-DATA 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit $114.99@Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a
With heat spreader for overclocking. Red plate, looks cool.
XFX GeForce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card $139.99@Newegg(price w/$40 rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a
For high resolution/HD or dual monitor gaming
Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200rpm 300MBps Serial ATA II - SATA/300 Hard disk $64.28@Buy.com(price w/ Google Checkout)
http://www.buy.com/prod/Seagate_Barracu
You wouldn't want the system to hiccup when it loads something in the middle of a game
Powmax 803 Turbo Black and Silver ATX Side Window Case w/ 450 Watt PSU (all-steel gaming case) $37.99@3B Tech
http://3btech.net/po803tubland2.htm
Need front/rear fans plus one on the side to deal with overclocking. The power supply is adequate unless you are planning for dual-graphics cards with SLI/Crossfire setup, in which case 500w would be a safer bet. I just like the case because it looks cool with the lights. I mean- Since I'm spending this much money already, why skimp on the packaging?
As for DVD-ROM burner, I'll let you hunt for it yourself because there are too many choices for cheapo ones, depending on the speed.
Final Damage: around $700 without a monitor
(high-end sound card and audio hardware extra if you don't already have them)
This is not bad at all considering what you're getting. While you are not going to win benchmark competitions with this (you'll need Core 2 Duo X6800 w/ unlocked multi along with a monster gfx set to do that) you will get something that plays games very fast and smoothly with a lot of the eye candy turned on at high resolutions.
My regular sources:
http://www.pricewatch.com/
http://www.pricegrabber.com/
http://www.slickdeals.net/
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.h
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graph
http://www.google.com/ (duh.)
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Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1005890.html
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