Finally gonna build...

[neelchauhan]

I think this is a good build but one part is that the motherboard should use socket AM2. The motherboard should not have a nVidia nForce chipset otherwise you can only have one of the ATI radeon cards.

[patio]

Not true...

[BC_Programmer]

I think this is a good build but one part is that the motherboard should use socket AM2. The motherboard should not have a nVidia nForce chipset otherwise you can only have one of the ATI radeon cards.

haha, that doesn't make any sense.

having an NVidia Nforce chipset would make it only able to use ATI cards? Anybody else seeing a lack of thought with that statement? sure doesn't make good business sense for Nvidia to lockout it's own graphics cards...
Another good question is where an nForce chipset suddenly came into the discussion. the motherboard in question uses a Intel P45 chipset.

[computeruler]

No he was trying to say that because it has a nvidia nforce chipset you wont be able to crossfire. But since its a p45 you can.   And you have an intel cpu, so why would the motherboard use a am2 socket?

The motherboard should not have a nVidia nForce chipset

[BC_Programmer]

it only has one PCIE x16 slot... which makes any such argument kind of moot.

[computeruler]

Ohhh I didnt see that.  But p45 with 2 pcie x16 slots can use xfire

[BC_Programmer]

hmm, wel it turns out I wasted my time. Newegg refuses to ship to me because I don't have a confirmed address.

However I will see what I can get on TigerDirect.ca... which I hear is more expensive but I have successfully purchased items from them, so I know they will ship.

In either case, I discovered why the price "mysteriously" dropped when I reviewed it- turns out the case was out of stock and automatically removed from my cart. heh.

[BC_Programmer]

OK, so I've "rebuilt" the PC using TigerDirect:

Case:

      ULT33179 :: Ultra X-Blaster ATX Black Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Front USB, FireWire and Audio Ports (19.85 lbs) ($59.99)


Same RAM (x2, so 8GB):


C13-6082 :: Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 2048MB) (0.4 lbs)($54.97*2=$109.94)

HD:

TSD-750AADS :: Western Digital WD7500AADS Caviar Green Hard Drive - 750GB, SATA-3G, 32MB, Intellipower ($94.99)

C13-2503 :: Corsair TX750W 750-Watt Power Supply - ATX, 140mm Fan, SLI-Ready, SATA-Ready, 80Plus (7.05 lbs)($129.97)


G452-0003 :: Gigabyte EP45-UD3P Motherboard - Intel P45, Socket 775, ATX, PCI-E 2.0, CrossFireX, 2 Gigabit, S/PDIF, Firewire, USB 2.0, eSATA, RAID (3.95 lbs)($188.99)


CP1-DUO-Q8200 :: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 Processor BX80580Q8200 - 2.33GHz, 4MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB, Quad Core, Retail, Socket 775, Processor with Fan (0.4 lbs)
($189.97)



Notice the missing video card... well, with this build... I have 50-70 dollars left for a video card, which is not enough to get one that pairs up nicely with this board.

Subtotal: $$773.85
S&H:        $59.26
Tax:         $99.99
Total:       $933.10


the maximum I can spend is $1,012.90; obviously any price shaving here can result in a far better card. I've never been good at shaving costs (although I did force myself to get a "tiny" 750GB drive instead of a 1TB, so you can't say I'm not trying 




Any advice for reducing the price here? The Motherboard I selected here is a better one then the previous build; something comparable to the previous build would be prefered (crossfire is kinda useless without a video card). even a similar motherboard with on-board video, which would allow me to setup and use the machine until I could buy a proper video card for it.

[BC_Programmer]

Alright, managed to squeeze in a Video card.

changed the motherboard to


G452-0005 :: Gigabyte EP43-UD3L Motherboard - Intel P43, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, Gigabit LAN, S/PDIF, USB 2.0 (2.85 lbs)

Which saved me a good amount-

enabled me to afford a

Visiontek Radeon HD 4670 Video Card - 1GB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, Dual DVI (1.35 lbs)


Which seems capable.


EDIT:

was pretty sure I should avoid this: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4138176&csid=_21, simply because it's so cheap, lacks a fan, the memory chips aren't heat dissipated- reading the specs it seems a bit underpriced... but I went with something a little higher on the price range.

[Calum]

BC, I'll take a look at this for you when I'm back on my main machine, this laptop's no good for anything really but I can't get on my PC at the minute.
Just replying so I remember to do it later, will edit this post when I've had a look unless anyone else has some input.

[computeruler]

What do they mean by not having a confirmed adress?
http://www.ncix.com
http://www.canadacomputers.com
http://www.infonec.com/

theres a list of other places to buy from.  For example, look how much cheaper the motherboard is
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35763&vpn=GA-EP45-UD3L&manufacture=Gigabyte

[BC_Programmer]

I'm not sure what they meant, but I looked it up on paypal, and the only way ot confirm an address is to add a credit card(don't have one) or go through some esoteric ritual involving mailing stuff and faxing stuff randomly. Seems like too much trouble; additionally who knows how long it would take.


Thanks for the other links though; but, I think, I'll try to get it all from Tigerdirect if possible, to avoid complications. However I will definitely look at the other sites for accessories... namely the high-end X-Fi I want to get. (with the breakout box. I want the breakout box. Heck... I should get two breakout boxes.. this X-Fi I have now didn't come with one but has the plug for one, that would be a nice addition.

[computeruler]

But you can save almost $90!

[BC_Programmer]

actually, since the one I have in the cart is $107.99, I'd only be saving 2 dollars...

[computeruler]

Oh um ya 
But you could get the p45 vs the p43 for the same price