Upgrading[rebuilding] Presario for gaming

[Elysium]

I agree with Stormy on that mobo. I have one, and while the BIOS is a little hard to learn, it's a great OCer for the money.

For the GPU, the 8600GT or 8600GTS is great. Decent frame rates and it's under $200. I have a 8600GT and it plays the games I play (BF2142 Demo, Flatout 2, etc.) fine. The ATI HD3850 is a good choice as well.

[Stormcrow]

Quality over quantity in the computer building world, otherwise you'll end up with some pretty shoddy stuff.
The HD 3850 is the competition for the 8800 series, DirectX 10.1 compatible. For under $200 you won't find anything that can match it.
A larger PSU isn't the problem, when looking for a PSU you want two things: High quality, and a good amount of amps on the +12v rails. You could probably pick up a "600 watt" PSU for the same price as the 450, but I can guarantee it won't put out nowhere near 600 watts and will under perform, have +12v amps comparable to the 450 watt, a crapton of ripple and rail bouncing, and will be made of the cheapest of parts.

[Tech Geek Deluxe]

Originally Posted by yellowhello

I don't even read the Newegg reviews, I read real reviews that actually mean something.

Right ... however the concern was regarding those reviews. Hence the "help" along those lines.

I personally research items [Pro reviews]that I am interested in and then look at [amateur]reviews to find DOA issues or reveal other problems that don't typically come up in [Pro] reviews but user experiences.

Since they often are bad reviews ... then there isn't a lot to read ... but it can be very revealing after one throws out the nubish peoples viewpoints that make stupid mistakes and blame the product.

I have found those percentages reliable and from the thousands I have spent at the EGG ... well I think I have only had one product that wasn't excellent ... but that was a long time ago.

[oldman_gamer]

Thanks everyone...will do more research and hopefully have something to call the egg about tomorrow.

[One4yu2c]

Let me echo the sentiments regarding the power supply, and strongly advise AGAINST picking up an Apevia unit. This is one of the areas where purchasing a name-brand unit matters, and Apevia falls on the generic side of the fence.

In addition to the recommended units, also consider the Antec Sonata III case w/ 500W PSU for $115 shipped. We reviewed this case/PSU combo back in July and ultimately gave it our Editor's Choice award (LINK).

[Tech Geek Deluxe]

That is a good case. I believe the Power supply is identical to the Seasonic ES-500.
Free shipping ... good bang for the buck as a combo. [Reading review now]

My Daughter has the Sonata 2 ... quiet case ... but runs a tad warm since the airflow is hindered on the sides ... and the feet aren't glued on well ... common to Sonatas.

[oldman_gamer]

Although the case/power supply combo is nice, it would be very inconvienient for me to use a tower with front door access.My case sits inside of a computer desk with a door.And some of these towers I have seen,have locks and keys...another thing I dont need and flashing lights ,oh my! Just a plain ole pine box will do.(theres a scary thought,get the wood screws out)
Some of the choices made were made because of budget concernes and did not depict higher quality units for that reason.
My personal thoughts on reviews is this;
1)granted,there are a % of them that are "neg" because of human error.Incorrect installation etc.
2)where I come from...where theres smoke,theres fire.If a % of the comsumers are saying the same thing, then there is a problem.
This is where a site like this is worth it's weight because you all have been there,done that.
Here is the new build im ordering today.
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Newegg.com - DFI BLOOD IRON P35-T2RL LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - XFX PVT84JUSD4 GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Newegg.com - FSP Group SAGA+ 450R ATX12V 450W Power Supply 100 - 240 V NEMKO, TUV, CSA, IEC, UL, CE - Retail
***this PSU does not support NVIDIA SLI support?
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
***at this time thats enough to get me going.
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Newegg.com - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail

Total savings is around $180,$80 of which is in MIR! for a total of $735.91 with about $30 in shipping for 3 day(I ebay and found that on both shipping and recieving,the shortest time a product is in the hands of shippers,the safer the product is,FACT)

[Elysium]

Much better! Don't worry about the PSU, that board doesn't support SLI and it's only useful at the super high resolutions anyway.

Go for it!

[PTRMAN]

A word of encouragement

Oldman - I, like you, didn't know too much about building my own PC and all that went into it. With the help of folks on this site (and TechReview) I recently built my very first PC. I'm incredibly happy with it (runs Crysis on "High" settings!).

I'm a bit late to this thread, but let me add some things that you probably already know/figured out.

Establishing what you want to do with your new pc (play games, edit videos, etc.) and a budget are key. From there researching different parts/prices/vendors are the next step. Buying after all that is a bit intimidating. Waiting for it all to arrive is even harder. But building is remarkably easy if you have any skill with tools. Everything on mine fit together logically and easily. It took me 6+ hours to assemble over three nights, but I wanted to go slow and get it right the first time.

Be not afraid - the folks on this site typically have all the answers/recommendations and are very willing to help (you've got 48 posts on this thread atm, so willingness to help is clear). I ended up subscribing, even though I'm definiitely in the "****" category.

[oldman_gamer]

Yeah im good wif toolz..I have a 16oz hammer,a chisel,a propane torch,plastic explosive ,hacksaw,hammer drill,grinder,stick welder and a grease gun.Figer I make it fit somehow...if not,I'll blow it up.

All joking aside though,yes this is a super great site with a bunch of great peeps.


Looks like I may have to put it on my CC since the egg deferred bill me later ran out in NOVEMBER but is still showing on the site Really ticks me off and may halt the order completely.Called them and cant get any satisfaction whatsoever.Called Bill me later and was on hold forever.Rite now the order is in limbo,till I cool down.