Putting together a C2D system, need advice.

[Fixxxer]

I'm putting together a system using the e4300. Ive never overclocked before, but i fully intend to with this one. Ive noticed that the e6300 is comparable in price at the moment. Should i just bite the bullet and go with the e6300? Why is everyone going crazy for the e4300 if for just $10 more you can get an e6300?

Also am looking for recommendations on the following 4 parts. Want to spend about $500 for all 4:

Mobo
RAM
GPU
PSU

Will go to $550 if i absolutely must. But would prefer the extra cash to buy a game or two (like HL2, CoH). The system will primarily be used for gaming as well as video capture and editing (Machinima).

Have 19" Samsung 931b LCD, and Raptor HDD to start off.

Thanks!

[casecutter]

Re: Putting together a C2D system, need advice.

The E4300 has 2MB L@ cache natively unlike the E6300 with half of a 4MB L2 cache disabled. What that means is that an E4300 should theoretically overclock better with less heat, and the E4300 also has a higher multiplier which makes it easier to overclock. PLUS, once the E4300 has been out for awhile, it's prices will drop a bit to make them even more worth the difference.

[[email protected]]

Re: Putting together a C2D system, need advice.

Well, I'll give you some basics to get you started. You do need to do some work yourself, though. Since this budget is tight, I put up some suggestions.

0. Always use Newegg for your parts - extremely reliable and trustworthy
1. Ram - I really like Corsair. You could probably fit a 1 gig Valueram Dual Channel kit into the budget.
2. A 7300GT would be acceptable.
3. Cases are a personal choice. I don't like to reccommend anything because everyone likes something different.
4. PSU, you are probably looking at just getting a decent case that comes with a psu - budget restrictions.
5. Mobo - I am not very good at finding these because I don't follow the latest industry chipsets. Casecutter and Yawg have plenty of experience.

This build will be tight. You should probably look on Anandtech or eBay for some good deals on used components to save you some money. Because this is such a tight build, it will not be the king of overclocking, unfortunately.

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Putting together a C2D system, need advice.

For a motherboard, look at 965 and 975 chipset boards. They're fairly cheap and will provide good overclockability. This might be a good one for you.

I'd look into getting something in the area of 450W-500W. Go for bigger if you think you're likely to upgrade within six months. Stick with FSP Group, OCZ, Enermax, Sparkle, Antec and Seasonic.

If you want to play modern games, a 7300GT really won't do. I'd grab something in the area of an X1650Pro.

Get some value DDR2 667. Get at least 1GB, but 2GB if you can afford it.

[Fixxxer]

Re: Putting together a C2D system, need advice.

Thanks for the replies! I put together two builds based off what I've read leading up to today and your replies.

First Build

Mobo MSI P965 Platinum $135.00
PSU Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V 550W $100.00
RAM Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) $176.00
GPU SAPPHIRE X1650PRO 256MB GDDR3 $112.00 ($97 a/MIR)
$523 before rebates

This gives me the option for Crossfire at a later date. I'm not an expert by any means, but from reading around (ie Toms Hardware) it seems the XT is superior to the GT. With just a little more i could go with an XT
SAPPHIRE X1650XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 $130.00 ($110 a/MIR)
MSI X1650XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 $140.00

Which of these three GPUs would be best?

Second Build

Mobo GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 $119.00
PSU Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V 550W $100.00
RAM Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) $176.00
GPU EVGA 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 $170.00 ($155.00 a/MIR)
$565 before rebates

Which build is better? :)

I know little about RAM, is this stuff too cheap (as in low-quality)? Any other suggestions for RAM would be appreciated. Perhaps this one:

Corsair XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 SDRAM 675 (PC2-5400) $185.00 ($155 a/MIR)

Considering price, if i have to get 1GB now and buy one later, I'm more than willing to do that.

I don't see any compatibility issues with what i've chosen so far. But if you see any please let me know.

Thanks a ton for your time. I haven't put out this much cash for something in a long time and i want to get it right the first time, ya know? :)

[[email protected]]

Re: Putting together a C2D system, need advice.

I strongly prefer Nvidia to ATI, so I would obviously lean towards the 7900GS. The 7900GS is a fantastic card and would be well worth the money. If you wanted to do a dual graphics setup, then Sli is much better than Crossfire.

Kingston has been around for a long time and is just ok. Corsair offers some nice value packages that are reasonably. I've tried both and I prefer Corsair.

If it were up to me, I would choose the second build.

I understand what you mean by wanting to get it right the first time. If you get the right parts, you should have a pretty nice setup. By the way, when I first read over your ideas, I thought that you were including the processor into the cost.

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Putting together a C2D system, need advice.

The Corsair RAM is better, but cheaper after MIR. Not a bad choice at all.

A 7900GS is considerably better than an X1650Pro. It's certainly a better card if you plan to spend the extra ~$60 on it.

[Fixxxer]

Re: Putting together a C2D system, need advice.

Thanks for the help guys.

I'm going for the second build with Corsair instead of Kingston. I figured i would pay the extra.

@porscheguy yea I planned on going to Frys today to get that $150 e4300 deal. Come to find out it ended yesterday!

I may just try to go to ebay or anandtech and find an e4300 there.

Thanks again!