Old PC just died , need opinions for new setup

[minaelromany]

Hi guys

My "ancient" PC has just died (Mobo and Vga card) see sig !

Finally I am "forced" to upgrade

I am thinking about the following components and here they are with the prices in Egyptian Pounds and U$

-Gigabyte X38-DQ6 (1550 EP - 280$)

-Q6600 G0 (1520 EP - 274.5$)

-2 X 1GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 PC8500 1066 (830 EP - 150$) ??!!!!!!

3-Chaintech (or any other brand !) 8800GT 512MB DDR3 (G92) (1750 EP -316$) !!!!!!!!!!!!

4-HDD WD 500 SE16 . WD5000AAKS , I already have the WD5000KS (620 EP - 112$)

I don't think that the RAM is a good choice because it is rather more expensive than higher quality ones from Newegg (I can make my brother buy anything I want from Newegg)
And I really would like some Micron D9 memory modules .

So my questions :

What memory have Micron D9 ?

Is it a good idea to buy something from the USA and when it comes to me I found it DOA ?

I also think the 8800GT card is very expensive compared to prices on Newegg

I am open to all suggestions , even to those who would suggest different components .

EDIT : could any moderator please fix the thread title ? It should be "need" not "needs" :o

[Jan70]

[QUOTE=minaelromany;1995100]EDIT : could any moderator please fix the thread title ? It should be “need” not “needs” :o[/QUOTE]

Done

[jhtalisman]

[QUOTE=minaelromany;1995100]Hi guys

My “ancient” PC has just died (Mobo and Vga card) see sig !

Finally I am “forced” to upgrade

I am thinking about the following components and here they are with the prices in Egyptian Pounds and U$

-Gigabyte X38-DQ6 (1550 EP - 280$)

-Q6600 G0 (1520 EP - 274.5$)

-2 X 1GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 PC8500 1066 (830 EP - 150$) !!!

3-Chaintech (or any other brand !) 8800GT 512MB DDR3 (G92) (1750 EP -316$) !!!

4-HDD WD 500 SE16 . WD5000AAKS , I already have the WD5000KS (620 EP - 112$)

I don’t think that the RAM is a good choice because it is rather more expensive than higher quality ones from Newegg (I can make my brother buy anything I want from Newegg)
And I really would like some Micron D9 memory modules .

So my questions :

What memory have Micron D9 ?

Is it a good idea to buy something from the USA and when it comes to me I found it DOA ?

I also think the 8800GT card is very expensive compared to prices on Newegg

I am open to all suggestions , even to those who would suggest different components .

EDIT : could any moderator please fix the thread title ? It should be “need” not “needs” :o[/QUOTE]

I don’t know much about Intel mobos and CPUs so I can’t be any help there. (AMD supporter here )

Crucial has Micron chips since they now own Micron.

Seagate on the HDD for the 5 year warranty.

Gigabyte 8800GT $269.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125088

[eric93se]

Definitly go with good ddr2-800, the 1066 stuff is a rip off cause its just overclocked ddr2-800 modules. The crucial ballistics are a great way to go, and its D9 as mentioned.

MB, HDD, CPU all looks good. The video card, take a look at the 8800gts, the 512mb version is the new G92 also and a bit faster than the 8800gt. If you plan to OC your CPU then you will need an aftermarket cooler, since it runs quite hot.

Its rare to get a DOA item I think, sure it happens but its rare.

A tip for when you get the memory. Hold them up to the light and try to see if there is an air gap between the memory chips and the heat spreader. I read about this before building my last system and found a <1mm air gap on one of the IC’s, this can hurt an overclock. I squeezed the bottom of the heatspreader with my fingers a few times to make it bend a bit and sit tightly against the memory. don’t use pliers

Edit: If you don’t plan on running two video cards then don’t waste the extra money on the X38 board. I don’t think it even runs properly with two cards, and it definitly doesn’t support SLI. Get a good P35 board instead, you can save almost 100 bucks.

[eric93se]

A lot of the p35 boards have an extra PCIx16 slot, this slot is useless since its only 4x. Here is a board thats got good features DFI LANPARTY DK P35-T2RS, I have the Blood Iron version and its excellent, the DK is newer and better.

[minaelromany]

Thank you all for the suggestions and thanks [B]Jan70[/B] for fixing the title

About the Gigabyte X38 , I know that P35 is more price/performance ratio friendly but I like the FSB1600 thing for future proof upgradability . Heck , even P31 is a top performer at a very low price and I’ve tested both and found them identical performance wise .
I love having highest end mobo and my dead Chaintech Zenith was bought directly from Taiwan (back then) before it even hit retail markets

I don’t think P35-DQ6 is much cheaper than X38 here in Egypt , that’s why I decided to go with X38 .

It seems that the 8800GT card here is much more expensive but I’ll try to negotiate the price (I always do and it always works !) .
They even have a 8800GT with 1GB of onboard memory for 425$ :a

Gigabyte Radeon HD3870 is also available here but it is the castrated version with GDDR3 not GDDR4 memory and it is sold for the same price as 8800GT 512MB , so I decided to go Nvidia this time although I’ve been ATI fanboy since Rage days

Now the RAM :

I’ve found 2 models of Crucial Ballistix on Newegg :

Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800...

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2...

Are both Micron D9 ? Is Tracer version better or it just has the LED thing ?

The non-Tracer version for 49.99$ AR is an excellent deal compared to prices here and I am thinking of getting 2 pairs (4 GB total) but need to know whether the MIR can be applied to both pairs or just one ?

Thank you all again for your contribution

[minaelromany]

Well , I downloaded the MIR form and it says : Limit 2 per product per address . But I don’t know whether I should buy the 2 pairs at th same time (same reciet) or each at a time . Also I found Newegg to charge Sales tax in TN (my brothers residence) while Zipzoomfly does not so I guess ZZF is the place to order these .
The dead line for purchase is 02/10/08 , so I guess when my brother checkouts , it would clearly state the date of purchase and I am eligible for MIR (Today I hope) right ?

[eric93se]

The 1600fsb is just an OC number that other boards support too for the CPU, they just don’t list it. Its just for marketing.

Yup, the tracers are just for the bling factor. Both are D9.

The recipte has to be printed out from his account at newegg, the slip that comes with the package is just a packing list. The recipte will have the purchase date, which should be circled before sending the rebate form.

[eric93se]

Another option is to get a good set of DDR2-800 2X2GB, it may not OC as high as the ballistics but it will allow you to run more than 4gb of ram
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB)

[minaelromany]

Since there must be 2 MIR forms sent , should I tell my brother to buy each pair seperately or can he print the same reciet with the 2 pairs twice and send it in both MIR envelopes ?

Thanks for the suggestion about 2x2GB G.Skill , but I think 4GB is more than enough , the only thing I fear is that in the past booting some mobos with all DDR slots occupied may result in instability , I don’t know whether or not this appy nowadays

[eric93se]

I don’t think you have to buy them seperatly, but do send two seperate forms and envelopes.

He should circle date of purchase, his name and address, the item with purchase price. One the rebate form I would circle the fact that two rebates are allowed per person and household.

Crucial has a very good/fast rebate service, I think I got mine in 4-5 weeks or so.