My ~40k PC Config - comments needed

S

hi all,
i ended up with the following config for my home PC - medium gaming + entertainment.

Config:
Monitor - BenQ T2200HD ~ 9.5k
Cabinet - Cool Master Elite 330 ~ 1.6k
Processor - Intel Q6600 ~ 10k
Motherboard - Gigabyte G31-S2L ~2.4k
RAM - Transcend 2x2GB DDR2 800 ~2k
HDD - Seagate SATAII 7200.12 500gb ~ 3.2k
PSU - Corsair VX450 - ~4k
GPU - Palit HD4850 ~ 8.1k
UPS - APC ~ 2.5k

Already have:
Sony DVD combo drive - IDE
Keyboard and Mouse

now some doubts:

1. would Gigabyte G31-S2L motherboard blend good with Q6600? is there any other better option in say, below 4k?
2. is 2x2 memory good or a 4GB single one? what would be the cost in INR for 4GB DDR2?
3. i might drop the GPU in this buy and fit it in later, next month or so. is there any unforeseen problem in doing so?
4. sound cards: i might also need a 7.1 channel surround sound upgrade later. so is it advisible to buy a sound card now? or can i manage with normal speakers and current board and then buy it later? cost involved?
5. any suggestions / comments on the list? (i dropped AMD buy)

thanks in advance!

Good one. Check ASUS P5N-MX. Would be a better option.

2x2gb is a better options
get the GPU too in first shot else you will keep waiting

I think the mobo has 7.1 out

S

thanks mate. yeah me too wish to get it all in one shot! fingers-crossed...

got this from another thread:
If you are going to intel don't go with G31 boards , because they have some problem in dual channel memory architecture.

And also they have ICH7 chipsets which are not good for gaming . So go for GA-EP43-S3L or any other board with ICH10 chipset .

is this true? should i change mobo to 'Gigabyte GA-EP43-S3L "P43 chipset"'?

comparitively, which is better?
1. ASUS P5N-MX
2. Gigabyte GA-EP43-S3L "P43 chipset"
3. Gigabyte G31-S2L
can someone gimme the cost of these too? sorry, i get lost in all those shopping sites...

I think gigabyte P43 based board is around 5k and if that is the case, get MSI P45 Neo-F which is far far better than any of these boards. It doesn't come with IGP and you must get GPU.

There is no problem with G31 or nVidia 7050 boards. It's just that they don't support Dual Channel.

S

oops no. GPU compulsary looks scary. and anything above 4k is tight for me...

so again, do i go for 'ASUS P5N-MX' or Giga G31 or any other?

psst... how do you compare these mobos? damn! i seriously cant understand. am a complete newbie here.

and now 'MSI P45 Neo-F' added to mobo list thanks to desiibond!

now am damn confused... anybody??? help help...

S

errr... anybody???!!!

Just get MSI P45 Neo-F and good GPU. That would be the best solution I can give

S

desiibond said:
Just get MSI P45 Neo-F and good GPU. That would be the best solution I can give

Okie.... got it sir. will do!

now.... there is one small confusion with getting an 'AMD'! all my friends, net pals, etc have suggested to get an AMD. same performance and reliability for better price.
this has got me confused!

so could you also tell me if its advisable to dump the current config and get an AMD?
if i am going for AMD then i need a whole new config to be written! :-(

can somebody help me with this? possibility with the cost also?
if i can drop 5k with the new AMD config, i will be spot on my target budget! :grin:

and yup... one more!

am in love with this Cabinet:
*www.lynx-india.com/index.php?productID=1031

its expensive for sure. so wanted to know the reviews on it. is it good enough to buy?

Bump!

and... heard MSI P45 Neo-F does not have a 6 pin PCI-E power connector required to power Palit HD4850 that i have selected. true?

and any idea on what is the output wattage of the APC UPS that comes for ~2.5k?

6-pin PCI-E power connector on motherboard?

Power connector comes with PSU and not with motherboard.

List of Certified PSU's : *ati.amd.com/certifiedPSU/

AMD Config:

1) Phenom X4 920: 10k-10.5k
2) Gigabyte GA-MA78GPM-DS2H (780G+SB700) : 6k
Rest is same

S

okie... stupid me!
but if i am to change to a new PSU, could you suggest which would be the right one ?
currently quoted: Corsair VX450
basically to support Palit HD4850

which is the best site to check for the cost of these items. i need to know the cost of 'MSI P45 Neo-F'. where can i find it?
can somebody let ms know the cost of MSI P45 Neo-F in INR?

shadez said:
which is the best site to check for the cost of these items. i need to know the cost of 'MSI P45 Neo-F'. where can i find it?
can somebody let ms know the cost of MSI P45 Neo-F in INR?

MSI P45 Neo-F Costs INR 6025.(plz check www.theitwares.com)

S

^ thanks mate.

R

@desibond
shouldn't the OP get a SONIC ver of the card?
and will 4850 game well with 22''Full HD monitor?

^^ I would suggest you guys to hold the purchase of graphics card. Lot of price shaking is happening. nVidia releasing rebranded 9800gtx+ for $144 and AMD reducing price of HD4850 for $129.

Also, we are expecting lot of changes for pricing of cards likd 9600GT.

If 9600GT's price goes down to 5k, I would suggest getting 2x9600GT as people are saying that this one in SLI setup is giving stunning performance

dude ..the AMD config desibond suggested is better than the intel config in the first post. Just change the mobo (from Gigabyte GA-MA78GPM-DS2H ) to Biostar TA790 GX2 (about 5.5k) and it will be a whole lot better. with this config u can skip the grfx card for some time if u can do with some low resolution gaming (for new games like crysis ) or some medium resolution gaming (for older games )

^^ Perfect.

get the biostar mobo and get the GPU when the dust settles

A

also if wanna go for intel consider Q8200 as proccy, Q6600 wont be that good a choice being old 65 nm proccy.

but anyhow AMD config does not get beaten. has good onboard gfx too

Q9300 for 11k, much better option 45nm + More OC = Happy customer + Good performance

Q9300 ??? Dude, PII X4 920 beats Q9300 in every aspect, and u will not get a board better than Biostar 790 GX for intel in this price range.

No, that's for INTEL.

If he want's to go AMD way, which I strongly recommend, he shud go for a PII 940(B.E.) + 790GX combo, it's cheaper(by 2-3k) and much better a performer.

S

thanks guys for all your comments. the thread was kinda dull earlier so didnt bump in for past 2-3 days ...

had been to SP market and talked to the guy in Ankit. he suggested the following config:

Monitor - Samsung 22" (this has 15000:1 ration compared to benQ T which has 10000:1, DVI support etc etc... but comes for rs10,800)
Cabinet - CoolerMaster Elite 334
Processor - Intel Q8200
Motherboard - Gigabyte GP45 (well i guess this. he said something similar! 45 for sure

)
RAM - Kingston 2x2GB DDR2
HDD - WD 640 (seagate .12 HDD's are not available and there is loads of problems with previous ones. so decided on WD. samsung didnt check)
PSU - Corsair VX650 (jumped from 450 to 650. advisable?)
GPU - Sapphire HD4850 (heard sapphire to be more reliable than palit)
UPS - Yet to decide (maybe APC for 2.5k. any suggestions?)

This totals to 50k. i am shooting above budget by 10k so will buy GPU later. and as desiibond said, let the dust settle. so blends in well.

now, i know nothing about mobos so this Giga 45 board is good? or Biostar TA790 GX2 as harryneopotter said? or Q9300? i am going blind on this one so pls help me guys?
enquired about MSI P45 Neo-F. they have Neo-FR actually which has a new cooling sink or something but 1k more costlier. but this didnt have inbuild GPU so dumped the idea.

and if AMD, whats the best combo for PII X4 920? ie, within the price range?

now... comments please. i am going down this weekend to buy it. so pls lemme know your comments soon...
thanks a ton.!

dude ... wats the mobo and proccy combo is costing u now ( 8200 + GA EP45 ), coz the AMD combo of PII X4 920 + Biostar TA790 GX A2+ will cost u 16k and it will be much better than the intel combo as :

1. PII 920 is much faster thn Q8200.
2. 790GX is better than GA EP45 as P45 chipset does not have integrated Grafix and u will need a Grfx card to even get display. P series chipsets(P31, P35, P45 etc) from intel dont have Onboard Graphics, its the G series chipset ( G31, G35,G45 etc) which have onboard graphics but they are no match for HD3300 series which u can find on 790 GX chipset.

Choice is Urs.

S

^ gotcha. the mobo he qouted 7500. proccy i dont remember now (am @office and price list is at home).

am switching for AMD now. i should be a fool to read so many reviews / comments from all and not opt for it!

so PII X4 920 + Biostar TA790 GX A2+ it is!
but will the remaining configs blend in good? any comments on the rest of items with this combo?

Bump!!!

Processor - Intel Q8200
Motherboard - Gigabyte GP45 (well i guess this. he said something similar! 45 for sure )

Input data into HEAD - Buy Phenom II only

S

^ yessir... i was just quoting the list and stats last saturday when i went to Ankit.

am going for 'PII X4 920 + Biostar TA790 GX A2+'. decided.! thanks guys...

N

Hi guys I am also in same situation ............plz help me with this config.

AMD Phenom II 940..................................................................12000
Corsair VX 550W......................................................................4500
Coolermaster CM 690................................................................3900
Palit HD 4850 Sonic (512MB)......................................................7500
2 x Kingston 2GB - 800Mhz, @5-5-5-15........................................2200
WD Caviar® Blue™ - 7200RPM,16/8/2MB Cache(WD5000AAKS).........2850
Sony WR 22x BOX.....................................................................1100

Biostar TA790GX 128M motherboard..............................................6000
+Thermalright Ultima 90i/ZeroTherm Nirvana....................................2000

Total : 42K

this config is finalised.....................but I m confused about the motherboard
IS it good enough?

I hv sorted out following mobo...........not sure of price, if it is more then gonna drop cpu cooler.

GA-MA790GP-UD4H
GA-MA790GP-DS4H
GA-MA790FX-DS5
GA-MA790FX-UD5P(not AM3 support)
GA-MA790X-UD4P
GA-MA790X-UD4
ASUS M4A78-E AM2+/AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
M3A79-T Deluxe
MSI DKA790GX Platinum

suggest me nice mobo................. and

1. shld I wait till HD 4850 price get reduced?
2.I currently hv 15" CRT(1024x678...max) gonna upgrade to E2200HD after two months so is HD4850 worth till this period or shld I get GPU with monitor?
3. Is VX450W enough for HD4850+phII-940?

help me with this

if you are getting it for 7.5 including tax
I think that is the reduced price.
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if you are getting it for 7.5k including tax. I think that is the reduced price. not sure though. earlier it's price was 8.1k including tax.

N

desiibond said:
if you are getting it for 7.5 including tax
I think that is the reduced price.
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if you are getting it for 7.5k including tax. I think that is the reduced price. not sure though. earlier it's price was 8.1k including tax.

these r the prices as on 21st Feb 09.............
and sorry its 7950/- by Mahalaxmi comp from Lamington road

if it's 7950, then wait!!!!

Whoa, HD4850's new price has come into effect already, 129$ it is.

When will HD4870's 149$ come into effect, man!!!!

N

so what abt other config?

what abt the mobo?

here's is brief specs on chipsets available:

Northbridge:
790FX:

HyperTransport 3.0 with support for HTX slots [10] and PCI Express 2.0
ATI CrossFire X
65 nm CMOS fabrication
Will pair with SB750 southbridge with support up to six SATA ports and enhanced Phenom processors overclocking via ACC functionality

790X:

HyperTransport 3.0 and PCI Express 2.0
ATI CrossFire
Can pair with SB750 southbridge with support up to six SATA ports and enhanced Phenom processors overclocking via ACC functionality

790GX:
Integrated graphics: Radeon HD 3300
ATI Hybrid Graphics
Side-port memory as local frame buffer, supporting DDR2 and GDDR3 modules
Two physical PCI-E x16 slots at x8 bandwidth
HyperTransport 3.0 and PCI Express 2.0
Hybrid CrossFire X
55 nm CMOS fabrication process

780G/780V:

Integrated graphics: Radeon HD 3200 (780G), Radeon 3100 (780V)
ATI Hybrid Graphics
One physical PCI-E x16 slot
HyperTransport 3.0 and PCI Express 2.0
55 nm CMOS fabrication process

Southbridge:

SB700:

Support up to 6 SATA 3.0 Gbit/s hard disk drives, with RAID 0, 1, 10 support
Support up to 14 USB ports

SB710:

All features from SB700
Advanced Clock Calibration for enhanced CPU overclocking
Direct communication channel composed of six data pins which were previously reserved between the CPU and the southbridge
Advanced Clock Calibration (Option available with AMD OverDrive software 2.1.1 and later)
Increase CPU overclocking potential via altering internal settings
Allow separate settings for each of the CPU cores
Allowed range: -12% to +12% with ACC enabled

SB750:

All features of SB700
RAID 5 support [5]
Super I/O
Enhanced CPU overclocking for K10-based processors only, originally named "OverDrive 3.0" [37]
Direct communication channel composed of six data pins which were previously reserved between the CPU and the southbridge
Advanced Clock Calibration (Option available with AMD OverDrive software 2.1.1 and later)
Increase CPU overclocking potential via altering internal settings
Allow separate settings for each of the CPU cores
Allowed range: -12% to +12% with ACC enabled
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790X+SB750 should be your choice since you are going for PCI-E graphics card.

N

How is GA-MA790GP-UD4H for phenom II940?
or biostar is better than this? (Biostar TA790GX 128M)

In terms of OC and gaming with HD4850(512)

Biostar TA790GX 128M - 5.5K
GA-MA790GP-UD4H - 8.8K
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How is GA-MA790GP-UD4H for phenom II940?
or biostar is better than this? (Biostar TA790GX 128M)

In terms of OC and gaming with HD4850(512)

Biostar TA790GX 128M - 5.5K
GA-MA790GP-UD4H - 8.8K

S

errr.....
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errr..... any comments?
and also on HD4850 GPU + T2200HD full HD screen.

1. Go for Biostar A2+ (790GX + SB750) - - Rs. 5300
2. Palit HD4870 1GB GDDR5 - - Rs. 15000
2. Phenom II 920 - - Rs. 10500

Wait. It's better to wait. with GTX260 and HD4870 at $169, it's really really necessary to wait.

N

so I m gonna buy this next week

AMD Phenom II 940............................................... ...................12000
Biostar TA790GX 128M motherboard....................................... .......6000
Thermalright Ultima 90i/ZeroTherm Nirvana....................................2000
Corsair VX 550W/Coolermaster xtreme 600W.............................4500/3450
Coolermaster CM 690............................................... .................3900
2 x Kingston 2GB - 800Mhz, @5-5-5-15........................................2200
WD Caviar® Blue™ - 7200RPM,16/8/2MB Cache(WD5000AAKS).........2850
Sony WR 22x BOX............................................... ......................1100

which one is better Coolermaster xtreme 600W or VX450W?
VX 450W does not support crossfire and HD4870

n VX550W was not available.

for HD4870, VX450 won't be able to provide enough power.

cooler master 600W is pseudo-600W with actual max load being 500W. I would say Corsair 550W Power Supply (VX550W)

S

i am going for the same actually. but without thermalright cooler and VX650W PSU.

nikhil: PII 940 - better performer than 920 i bet. but the rest(config) holds good right?
just a doublecheck.

N

shadez said:
i am going for the same actually. but without thermalright cooler and VX650W PSU.

nikhil: PII 940 - better performer than 920 i bet. but the rest(config) holds good right?
just a doublecheck.

VX650W? ..............I think its TX650W/HX620W
*www.corsair.com/products/power_supplies.aspx

I m not sure of motherboard.................but gonna use this only for 2 years..........so no prob ............i heard this one is good overclocker....... :-D

Rest of config is great..............gonna get HD 4850/HD 4870......

S

yup TX650W. looking futuristically. now that my GPU buy is called off for a month, can buy a good one with extra dough maybe. but need a good PSU if so, right?

mobo is good but what i heard.
overclocking - i am new here!!! suggest me a good read.

yeah mate... i too am aiming for 4870 l8r...

N

where do you stay?

S

bangalore! agar mumbai mein hota to saath mein dono pc uta lete...

the TX650W is for 4.5k btw, here in SP market. and i am getting discount on that too. dont you think it is a good deal and works with later upgrade?

how good is the cooler? is it worth the money? i read some reviews and it says there is less use of it.

you don't need a cooler for core i7 unless you do monster overclocking.

core i7 is sooo powerful that you don't need to do any overclockin on it. Stick with clock speeds. They are more than enough to get most. And since you are adding HD4870 or higher GPU, forget about OC'ing and cooling for now.

N

desiibond said:
you don't need a cooler for core i7 unless you do monster overclocking.

core i7 is sooo powerful that you don't need to do any overclockin on it. Stick with clock speeds. They are more than enough to get most. And since you are adding HD4870 or higher GPU, forget about OC'ing and cooling for now.

But v r gonna buy phII940..........OCing to 3.6.............
So i think I need cooler................ :grin:

shadez: TX650W @4.5K...................awesome deal..............plz post one to my address..................... :lol:

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but i think HX620W is better than TX650W.............just confirm this.......
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Posted again:
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but i think HX620W is better than TX650W.............just confirm this.......

HX620W: *www.corsair.com/products/hx/default.aspx

TX650W: *www.corsair.com/products/tx/default.aspx

S

^ alrite thanks for the suggestion. will sure do check out tomm... i am dumb brick when it comes to PSU, mobos... so will talk and check it out.
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^ alrite thanks for the suggestion. will sure do check out tomm... i am dumb brick when it comes to PSU, mobos... so will talk and check it out.