Hey guys, I haven't been here in a loooong time, nor have I built a computer in a loooong time (like, when E6600's and 8800GTS' were awesome). Been really into cars lately, working a lot, etc. Decided I needed a winter project while the GTi is away in a garage, so I decided to see what I could build on half a G.
In this thread will be what I bought, pictures of the build, results of overclocking, benchmarking (possibly) and what you can do for little money to greatly improve the performance of it.
CPU: Intel Core i3-550 Clarkdale
I picked this over AMD because the last rig I had which was a storebought Gateway with a Giga-Byte board I dropped into it was rather slow. It was a Phenom II 810 (Deneb) and I had it running smoothly at 3.2GHz but it just felt sooo slow compared to my C2D's of days past. The CPU was also cheap, and has some interesting features like the integrated GPU and the return of HyperThreading.
---$115 after a $15 promo code on Newegg
Mobo: MSI H55-GD65
I chose this over anything else because I've used mainly MSI boards in all of my builds, both in the K8 days and in the C2D days and I've had excellent results with them. Their service is also top notch. That combined with the effort they seem to be putting in to their new high end lineup, made me choose this over any other board.
---$109.99 on Newegg
RAM: G.Skill RipJaws 4GBRL 1600MHz CAS9
Self explanatory! G.Skill is the bomb, and it looks sweet.
---$69.99 on Newegg
PSU: - Corsair 550VX 550w
Again, self explanatory. Corsair has taken the PSU market by storm lately and you can't go wrong. Fully sleeved, great reviews and a nice looking appearance.
---$79.99 before 10% off Promo Code & $20 MIR on Newegg
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F4 320GB
No, it's not a SSD but it's one of the fastest regular desktop drives out, and cheap.
---$42.99 on Egg
HS/F: Corsair A50
Great performing heatsink for a great price, comes with a fan, has a BOLT DOWN mount for Intel. Definitely did not want a push-pin design.
---$24.99 after $15 MIR on Egg
Case: Xigmatek Utgard Window Case
Almost looks like a copy of the CM Sniper Storm or whatever it's called. 2x 120MM LED fans and a 170MM top fan with support for 2x120 or 2x140 with perfect hole spacing for rads up top. Black inside and out with lots of ventilation and holes.
---$59.99 on Egg
Grand total after shipping before MIR's was just over $530. After MIR's I'll be at right around $500 shipped. I did not opt for a video card because I plan to add one later in the year when prices fall a bit on the new 6xxx cards from ATi, and truthfully, I do not game much any more.
My goal is 4.5GHz on air, 24/7 stable, which should give me an extremely fast rig for whatever I throw at it aside from gaming. Drop a video card in and you'll fly! IMO the I3 is a much better value than anything AMD offers aside from their six-core CPU's. I'm an AMD junkie and have long preferred them but the Phenom II X4's get steamrolled by I3's in everything except encoding tasks and what not. Given the lower power consumption and better overclockability of the i3 and you have a clearly defined winner.
So, what could you do for say $150 more? Add a GTX460 for just over $150 and make it one helluva gaming rig for any game at anything but extreme resolutions or AA/AF settings.
Or for $100 more? Drop in a 40GB SSD for the OS and make it sing.
Or even $50 more, upgrade the HS/F to something from Thermalright and potentially clock even higher, get a larger HDD, or find a used 8800GT on a forum and still be able to game well. For all around max of $750 you could have an extremely fast computer.
The parts should be here Friday or Monday, and the build will continue on from then! What are my plans with it?
Either add a video card and potentially water cooling later on in winter after the holiday season, or keep it as is.. OR sell it in spring for money towards my project GTi. Who knows, time will tell, but I figured I'd post this build as a little guide to anyone on a tight budget looking to build a fast, stable computer. I haven't done water in a long long time but I miss it, especially my dual loop setup on my Xeon 3060 & 8800GTS 640 back in the day all in a CM690.
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