€1000 Budget...what to get?

RuggieBear

So i'm thinking of building myself a new machine as i'm a bit bored with my shuttle. Have roughly a grand to spend. Give me some ideas please?

It needs to be:

1. very very quiet
2. capable of playing HD media/content (or at least capable when reasonably priced HD/BD dives come out.
3. not in a dead end upgrade path for at least a little while

This is what i'm thinking so far:

Item

|

Product

| Price

Case

|

Sonata III

|

112

CPU

|

E6320

|

155

CPU Cooler

|

Tuniq T 120

|

50

MB

|

Asus P5B

|

100

RAM

|

Corsair twin2x 2Gb

|

115

GFX

|

EVGA 8800GTS

|

300

HD

|

Spinpoint 500Gb

|

112

OS

|

Vista H Prem

|

98

that comes to 1042

I have vista Home premium OEM on my shuttle at the moment. Is it possible to transfer this to the new machine or do i need to buy another copy.

Any advice appreciated. Probably strip the shuttle for spare parts, eg, dvd burner, tv card and the like

Timans

You don't mention gaming so if you don't play games, don't get the GTS. You'll save lot's if you get an average card or even keep your current one you have as long as it isn't terrible. Also, if you buy from www.hardwareversand.de, you'll save lot's. I haven't used it yet but people on here have said it's decent and I'm ordering my whole pc from there.

If you want a future-proof pc, why not get the Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R? It's got DDR-3 slots and also will support the upcoming Penryn processors.

There is the NZXT Hush case which (apt name) according to reviews is brilliant for keeping noise levels down and looks quite good, not too over-the-top. Not sure if it will be your taste or not though.

I'm pretty much a newbie though, so I'd want for others to post. You haven't spec'd a PSU though, you'll probably need a new one.

RuggieBear

Timans wrote:

You don't mention gaming so if you don't play games, don't get the GTS. You'll save lot's if you get an average card or even keep your current one you have as long as it isn't terrible. Also, if you buy from www.hardwareversand.de, you'll save lot's. I haven't used it yet but people on here have said it's decent and I'm ordering my whole pc from there.

If you want a future-proof pc, why not get the Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R? It's got DDR-3 slots and also will support the upcoming Penryn processors.

There is the NZXT Hush case which (apt name) according to reviews is brilliant for keeping noise levels down and looks quite good, not too over-the-top. Not sure if it will be your taste or not though.

I'm pretty much a newbie though, so I'd want for others to post. You haven't spec'd a PSU though, you'll probably need a new one.

Cheers for that.

I do play games:) Mainly the slightly older FPS like farcry and HL2. TBH, I'm probably subconsciously gearing up for Crysis:D

The sonata III comes with an antec 500watt jobbie which should be ok for just one GFX card (i think).

I'll barely overclock it as the sonata isn't a particularly cool case.

I'll have a gander at that hush case.

Timans

Yeah, i'm the same. Crysis Probably won't even like it when it's released

I'm not sure whether the 500w will be enough, you'll have to wait for a tech head to confirm.

I'm currently deciding whether to get the Hush or a Lian Li. Tough decision.

RuggieBear

that hush looks nice alright

Timans

It's cheap as well, only €83 from www.caseking.de (all german site but is reliable) Only problem is, you'll have to buy a PSU as well as there isn't a PSU with the Hush.

I'd recommend checking www.hardwareversand.de , you can get an E6420 for the price you priced the E6320 at!

DirkVoodoo

Maybe an 8600 or wait for the ATi offerings in the midrange? That way you get directx10, low power consumption and are able to play HL2.

Spinpoints are extremely quiet, good choice!

Also, check out hardwareversand.de if you haven't already, its a budget builders paradise.

EDIT: Timans, I just recieved a LianLi PC7 there for a new build. Beautiful case, fantastic finish. It oozes quality and looks like a breeze to work with. No removable mobo tray is a minus for me.

papu

ati's 2600hd is on its way , currently priced at about 110 euros

http://prisguide.hardware.no/product.php?productId=74619

it looks like a very decent midrange dx10 hd card :P

conzy

RuggieBear! Long time no see

The antec Sonata III looks very nice and the Power supply is more than capable of powering that system, its good quality and has 2 17amp 12v rails...

mad m

Ruggiebear can you post a link to that Sonata III case for €112....Thanks

RuggieBear

mad m wrote:

Ruggiebear can you post a link to that Sonata III case for €112....Thanks

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-073-AN&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=160

i might have actually gotten the conversion wrong

mad m

Thanks,how much does overclockers charge for shipping...

Edit.....48euro....ouch!

RuggieBear

****e...i had quite forgotten to factor in the shipping costs.

awhir

ruggie swap the tunqi with a thermaltake extream 120.

the case is fine.

get a p35 motherboard the 1 timans reccomended would be a good 1 to get.
I would recommending to do a small overclock to like 3ghz or so.(these chip can go upto 4ghz sometimes)

go for the 8800gts or the ati 2900xt you can get them for very cheap off that german site.

get the best value for money ram ya can get with CL4 timmings.(they should overclock fine)

if your budget allows go for the E6420 as the x8 multi is very handy.

go for vista as XP is a dead end upgrade.

DirkVoodoo

Euro48 is the shipping method/code. Its £22 from OCUK which works out as €30, still not cheap tho!

RuggieBear

From hardwareversand.de
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit SB-Version 89,14 €
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Box 4096Kb, LGA775, 64bit 155,63 €
MSI NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD-OC, NVIDIA 8800GTS, 320MB, PCI-Express 273,52
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R ,Intel P35, ATX, PCI-Express 122,39 €
Samsung HD501LJ 500GB 7200,16 MB Cache 91,99 €
2048MB DDR2 Corsair TwinX CL 4, PC6400/800 121,87 €
HP Pavilion w2207HP, 22", DVI, Widescreen 273,94 €
Total 1128.50 (+30 Shipping)

from OC.uk
Sonata III for 112
tuniq 120 for 50
Total 162 ( + 30 Shipping)

Grand total of 1350

So what do you reckon?

DirkVoodoo

Nice, are you going to be overclocking it much?

RuggieBear

probably see what i can get it to an then then just keep it at stock...silence is much more important to me. It'll be the main entertainment unit (TV, dvd, pvr etc) in the house!

DirkVoodoo

The I suggest swapping out the stock Tuniq fan for a scythe or similar. Anti and L31mrod can vouch for the stock fans noise at peak rpms, and seeing as you want a quiet system.

Timans

Ruggie, that looks exactly like my proposed specs, lol. Except I'm getting the 2900Xt

If I were you, I'd get a few more opinions on the mobo though as I don't really know enough to be relied on. I am currently deciding between the Gigabyte or the ABIT IP35, they're both P35 but the ABIT doesn't support DDR-3. But, the ABIT is apparently the better over-clocker and I've been told by one person that Gigabyte aren't good. :rolleyes:

Apart from that, very nice. Except for the case

challengemaster

Timans wrote:

Ruggie, that looks exactly like my proposed specs, lol. Except I'm getting the ATI piece of rubbish card which consumes way too much power and doesnt even stand up to the 8800gtS

Seriously though - very nice build. I'd say keep the tuniq. good hsf

Timans

challengemaster wrote:

Seriously though - very nice build. I'd say keep the tuniq. good hsf

You're one of those Nvidiots, aren't you?

awhir

Timans wrote:

Ruggie, that looks exactly like my proposed specs, lol. Except I'm getting the 2900Xt

If I were you, I'd get a few more opinions on the mobo though as I don't really know enough to be relied on. I am currently deciding between the Gigabyte or the ABIT IP35, they're both P35 but the ABIT doesn't support DDR-3. But, the ABIT is apparently the better over-clocker and I've been told by one person that Gigabyte aren't good. :rolleyes:

Apart from that, very nice. Except for the case

is that 1 person papu.

gigabites seem to be fine from C2D on.i have seen some nice results with them and they seem to be one of the best bang for buck motherboards.

DirkVoodoo

Ahem, read the following

Roundup of 3 P35 boards

The Gigabyte scores a 9/10, can't really be beat for the price it retails for.

Timans

awhir wrote:

is that 1 person papu.

gigabites seem to be fine from C2D on.i have seen some nice results with them and they seem to be one of the best bang for buck motherboards.

No actually, it isn't.

awhir

amm 2nd guess ur DaD ?

Timans

awhir wrote:

amm 2nd guess ur DaD ?

No, Yore Ma.

papu

Ruggie, that looks exactly like my proposed specs, lol. Except I'm getting the ATI piece of rubbish card which consumes way too much power and doesnt even stand up to the 8800gtS

WHATS THIS?? http://www.techspot.com/review/52-asus-radeon-hd-2900xt/page4.html

2900 is 16 euros cheaper than the 640gts , but it also comes with 5 free games soo chooooose the cheapest :P

challengemaster

papu wrote:

WHATS THIS?? http://www.techspot.com/review/52-asus-radeon-hd-2900xt/page4.html

2900 is 16 euros cheaper than the 640gts , but it also comes with 5 free games soo chooooose the cheapest :P

5 free games.. but you'll probably have to buy a new psu to cope with the power requirements. so.. yeah i dont think 5 games = price of new psu

papu

.whats this does the gts not need a psu? does it run off the souls of dead babies maybe? ....hes buying a new pc....therefor he will have a new psu....theres an 80-90 euro one on hdv wich will cope with the xt + whatever else he needs :P

challengemaster

indeed it runs off the life stream of PAPU when i kill him

seriously - i kinda meant for people who already owned older gfx cards and wouldnt be expecting the need for the power consumption of the XT, so didnt get a psu with that much power.. yet it'll run the gts fine :P

papu

k then for new builds xt > gts

Timans

Yeah, you speak sense papu,

as does your sig.

DirkVoodoo

But he wants a quiet system, will this be satisfied by a power hungry, stock fanned 2900XT??

papu

power dosent equal Loudness

the fan isn't much louder than the gts stock fan, anyways if its to loud he can get an aftermarket cooler , some are comming out soon

Timans

papu wrote:

power dosent equal Loudness

the fan isn't much louder than the gts stock fan, anyways if its to loud he can get an aftermarket cooler , some are comming out soon

Give him the link papu,

the link of Dooom. The one link to rule them all...

papu

lol what i dunno?

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147999

this?

Timans

No, you twat


This http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=148245

RuggieBear

the reviews i have read say the 2900 is a loud hot power hungry beast. And appears to be quite hit and miss in games. The reviews above are the first very positive ones for it i have read.

My psu will be 500 antec. Unless the 2900 offers a huge advantage over the 8800gts i'm not that into it at all as i'll have to spend a fortune on a cool case, and a psu.

Anti

RuggieBear wrote:

the reviews i have read say the 2900 is a loud hot power hungry beast. And appears to be quite hit and miss in games. The reviews above are the first very positive ones for it i have read.

My psu will be 500 antec. Unless the 2900 offers a huge advantage over the 8800gts i'm not that into it at all as i'll have to spend a fortune on a cool case, and a psu.

The 2900xt is still a bit of a unknown entity. It is VERY hot and it is alot louder then the stock fan on the 8800gts and the gtx. Im sure with a driver update the 2900xt will be a force to be reckoned with, but at the moment the 8800gts holds the upper hand.

Also depending on your monitor, there really is no need for a 2900 or 8800 unless you plan to play games at high resolutions with AA and AF. A 8600gt will be fine for anything upto 1280*1024. And its almost silent, and actually comes in fanless versions(iirc)

Also be very wary what you read on extremesystems, there are a lot of ati fan boys there. I am neither, and would be happy with which ever is the fastest card. As you can also see from these forums, None of the hardcore tech heads bothered with the 2900xt. But went for the 8800gts super clocked if they were on a budget. That card keeps up witht he 8800gtx at lower resolutions with no aa of af.

But at the end of the day the choice is yours.

DirkVoodoo

I didnt say it was loud because it can draw plenty of juice with overdrive. Just that normally the stock ATI coolers tend to get a bit loud. His needs dont specifically require a 2900xt, i think an 8800GTS 320mb would suit fine. Plus he is on a budget, a HR-03 costs about £40 (~€60).

Quote, Extremetech:

All this power consumption seems to have affected the card's ability to quietly deal with cooling itself off. We were happy to see that the new cooling design on the Radeon X1950 XTX managed to reduce the shrill whine of some of their earlier high-end GPUs, and though this card uses a very similar cooler, we can't give it passing marks on noise. It's difficult to reliably measure noise in a realistic situation, because coolers for high-end CPUs and power supplies kick out too much competing sound. In use, we noticed that the card operated at perfectly reasonable volumes for a high-end card much of the time, but the fan would often kick into its highest gear for a good 20 or 30 seconds, and then settle down again. This isn't the result of a bum card or hot case: We observed this behavior with two separate HD 2900 XT cards, both in a closed case and in an open-air case in a well air-conditioned office. At this "cool off the card at any costs" speed, it's simply too loud for our tastes. This bothers some users more than others, but we feel the card frequently enters a mode where it's clearly beyond our tolerable threshold for high-end GPU noise.

Quote, TheTechReport:

Here's where one place where those power draw numbers have an impact. AMD has equipped the Radeon HD 2900 XT with a blower than can move an awful lot of hot air, and that inevitably translates into noise. This isn't anything close to GeForce FX 5800 Ultra Dustbuster levels—that card hit 58.8 dB on the same meter—but the 2900 XT is in a class by itself among high-end graphics cards. I think I probably could live with these noise levels, since the thing is only likely to crank up during games, but it definitely makes its presence known. The GeForce 8800's hiss is whisper-quiet by comparison.

Quote, xbitlabs:

# High power consumption
# Noisy cooling system

Quote, [H] Enthusiast:

The fan sits offset from the GPU with the entire system being enclosed in a shroud. This ducts the air from the fan pulling it in over all the heatsink material and out through the back of the video card. The fan is variable speed and ramps up and down in RPM depending on the temperature. You’ll be happy to know there is no “whine” to the fan, but when the fan gets going at full speed there is a decent amount of audible wind noise and the air exhausting can be felt a few feet away from the back of the video card. The actual change in the fan rotation speed is also noticeable as it will go from quiet to somewhat loud very quickly.

awhir

ruggie i would reccomend the GTS.under your 500w antec the 2900xt might be a small bit hungry.i am also not a fan boy as my last card was a ati 1900xtx.

oh btw shut up all ye UT n0obs :rolleyes:

RuggieBear

i'm not a fanboy at all. i always try to get the best bang for buck card...be it a kyoro II, Ti4200, 9800pro, x800pro (what i have at the moment) and i haven't upgraded in a good long time....my socket 754 AMD64 3200 is getting a little long in the tooth:)

DirkVoodoo

Ahh memories, I had a Riva TNT2 Ultra, 64MB as I recall. My most recent card has been an x1900xt, power hungry mo-fo, but a great card. Stock fan was very noisy but swapped it out for a zalman vf900.

If I were buying a replacement now, I'd probably buy an 8800 GTX but the 2900XT is a good alternative.

BUT, if you are buying a very good midrange card that is quiet and doesn't require 2 PCI-e power connectors, then the 8800 GTS can't really be beat.

TerrorFirmer

I just got an 8800gts 320mb the last day and I'm really happy with it. I had considered the X2900XT but despite all the rabid fanboyism the bad reviews far outweigh the good plus it runs like a furnace. My 8800Gts runs relatively cool, much cooler and quieter then my x1800xt. So far I've tried Rainbow Six Vegas and Company of Heroes, COH running at 1680x1050 at max settings pretty good so far, Vegas, with maxed out settings at whatever the closest res is, don't think it supports ws but you get the idea....

Although I do have a strange problem with COH...in single player, even with only one or two guys on screen, it just sticks at about 20fps....in skirmish its about 60fps....can't work that one out, but don't really play SP anyway so its not an issue for me...

Also, be careful of your board layout. The X1800xt fit into my case/board fine but the 8800GTs didn't, the caps at the end of the pcb were blocked by the ide cable so now I have to use an external dvd drive while I get a sata drive instead. Pain in the arse.

RuggieBear

thats a good point. the sonata isn't the biggest of cases. better get a measure of the 8800GTS.

Saw the coolermaster stacker in peats the other day. it's ****ing huge....i'd love it but it costs well over 200 without a psu