bikerdude on 2/4/2009 at 21:20

---

Brethren emailed about wanting to build a PC that would get him the best bang for his buck, so I set about doing some painstaking research and set up a wish list on NewEgg. As I get this type request a lot I thought I would start a thread - The current spec(which will change over time) is as follows:-

(https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=9559425)

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/407/pcbuild.jpg

The above config is faster than an intel system based on a E8400 and the components were picked to allow for a certain amount of future proofing(AM3 mobo) balanced against cost.

The hard drive is the fastest/quietest/coldest drive is currently available, 110MB/s read and 95Mb/s write, and these drives are 1/3 height, which allows for - (I am running 3 of them myself)
The memory was the balance between cost/speed/timmings and running voltage, and as its Kingston it should be rock solid.
The case was chosen for the following points, quality, space, big side fan, side mounted HDD bay, top mounted USB ports and price.
The Phenom II X3, because for the money it is cheaper & faster than the E8400.
The powersupply - read the rest of this thread.
The Gigabyte motherboard because it offered an AM3 socket, 790 AMD chipset, layout, mosfet arrangement & cooling and the price. The only black mark was the floppy header position.
the gfx card, because for the money it was the fastest card I could find on the site.

The total inc shipping was under $700.

I recommend you dont bother with rebates because the following can apply

* it can void the ability to return the item inside the return period.
* it can void the manufacturers warranty altogether, so if the items becomes faulty your f*****

bikerdude on 2/4/2009 at 21:31

---

There is nothing that I hate more than seeing someone that has built/bought a pc and knowing that could have gotten something better cheaper, so Im here to help.

:cheeky:

bikerdude on 3/4/2009 at 15:06

---

its a Ali unit, so cheap and chearful - I would suggest getting a heatpipe based cooler if you want to do any overclocking

bikerdude on 3/4/2009 at 18:37

---

I too was impressed with the price, it was cheaper than on PcP&C's own shop. You should never underestimated just how important a PSU is in a modern pc, which is what most people do. I have managed to get away with using quality midrange PSU's for years and have been fortunate to only have 1 die on me in 10yrs.

When I made the jump to the OCZ branded PcP&C made 1KW PSU, it made what was a previously unstable system when Overclocked - Stable...!!!. In that Ive been running my E8400@3.6Ghz at stock voltages for 6 weeks now, where as before I was lucky if I managed a few days with regardless of the bios settings. And as an indication of how stable this PSU is I am gonna try for the 4Ghz/500FSB mark at some point....

So now when I spec up a computer, I start with the PSU etc.

bikerdude on 3/4/2009 at 23:04

---

well as you said I enjoy it - to a point :cheeky:

Id be interested to see how it performs, and its still under budget btw :p

On another note, would you like to have a look and see if there is a better motherboard and case..? as these would the be only things I would like to improve upon if need be..