New build, advice appreciated

**Fox** · 07-18-2008, 12:08 PM

Hi guys, I'm building a computer for a client. The only specific component requested was a q6600, so I built around that level of performance.

Could any of you who build custom systems frequently check this over to make sure I'm not missing out on anything? I chose components based on how reliable and efficient they will likely be, because the guy who's commissioning me to build this machine is (supposedly) going to ship it to Kenya (I really hope I'm not getting scammed). Also, when I priced out the system, I factored in a few of the deals that Newegg had at the time. Now that this guy has sat on the deal for a week, a couple of those deals went away, and the system costs about 30 dollars more as a consequence. I don't want to go back on my quote, but at the same time I would only be making ~70 for the whole build, which is absolutely nothing considering the time spent and the risk involved (DOA parts, etc.)

Anyway, here are the specs:

Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz (Kentsfield)
Gigabyte GA-P35S3G LGA775 Intel P35 chipset ATX motherboard
Corsair XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800
MSI NX8800GT 512MB OC (GeForce 8800 GT w/GDDR3 ram, PCI-E 2.0)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB Hard Drive, 32MB cache
Antec Earthwatts EA500 power supply
Samsung 22X DVD Burner, black, SATA
Logitech 967561-0403 black USB + PS/2 cordless mouse and keyboard

All the parts are coming from newegg except the processor, which costs 20 dollars less at microcenter (a friend is going to pick it up for me). The tax adds a considerable amount to the system, so I might have to look on tigerdirect or something to see if I can get some of the components for less. Anyone have any suggestions for parts vendors that don't have distribution centers in NJ?

Let me know if there's anything blatantly wrong with this system.
Thanks in advance.

**manic** · 07-18-2008, 02:16 PM

Go with this psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006

**linderman** · 07-18-2008, 04:26 PM

I agree with Manic / the Antec Earthwatts is not big enough nor high quality enough for that rig

at provantage.com they have the corsair TX-750 watt for $99.00 it dont get no better

other than that , you might want to have a peek in mwave.com / refurb stuff there is an asus P5K for $60.00 that would take up some of the slack you are feeling ! as well as the video card section ?

I am in the same boat as you are ....... my mark-up is around $100.00 for a custom assembly with 6 month warranty if they want 12 months parts and labor = $200.00 to $250.00 you gotta get a feel for how much trouble the customer is going to be ...... I have some that call everytime a desktop shortcut gets moved around or deleted by their kids ! LOL that gets old

Tumbleweed36 · 07-18-2008, 07:22 PM

Nice build with the exception of the power supply which is not very suited to pull the Video card you are using. In addition the pricing of Antec is all over the place right now, so be sure to explore the deals that have been mentioned above before you put that together. I like the Corsair PSU a lot.

**Fox** · 07-18-2008, 09:46 PM

From 89 to 99... not too huge a problem. It's worth it to know that I'm not going to hear about this down the road if this guy gets random reboots and stuff. I just hope they have free shipping :D Actually, as long as they're not in NJ, the tax would offset it...

To be 100% honest, I think this customer is wasting his money - he says his customer wants it for design work, but when I told him that it wouldn't make a bit of difference from one card to the next, he wouldn't have any of it.

But I think I'm going to have to let this guy know that the first build is a favor to him because of the hit that I'm taking from his delays.

Or maybe it'll be until next week that I finally hear that this guy has received the wire transfer he's been waiting for, and at that point maybe some of the deals will have been reinstated :D

Wishful thinking, maybe... but every little bit counts.

And I'll definitely look into the p5k for subsequent builds. It looks like an excellent foundation for solid systems, and seems to have a reputation to that effect.

And I'm definitely going to make it 100% clear to this guy that once the machine leaves my hands, I am completely done with it. He says it's going to cost hundreds just to ship, so I certainly hope it never comes back.

Thanks guys; I'll post an update when the time comes.

**Fox** · 07-21-2008, 06:02 AM

I just ordered the 650-watt equivalent to the one I was going to get earlier. It was on sale for 55 dollars. I'll test it with the build, and if it causes reboots or the voltages aren't good, I'll just order another one and use the 650 down the road for something else.

**linderman** · 07-21-2008, 06:09 AM

the earthwatts 650 will handle your spec

**Fox** · 07-21-2008, 06:45 AM

Nice, thanks :D

This saves me about 40 over even the 500 version @ newegg.

toothman · 07-21-2008, 07:50 PM

You, sir, will be making the next most powerful pc in all of Kenya.

Beats the p3 systems by a long shot.

**Fox** · 07-22-2008, 05:53 AM

I'll be so proud :D

I'm going to configure it with all kinds of open source goodies too.

07-18-2008, 12:08 PM	#1 (permalink)
Fox Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NJ Posts: 7,733 OS: XP Pro, CentOS My System	New build, advice appreciated Hi guys, I'm building a computer for a client. The only specific component requested was a q6600, so I built around that level of performance. Could any of you who build custom systems frequently check this over to make sure I'm not missing out on anything? I chose components based on how reliable and efficient they will likely be, because the guy who's commissioning me to build this machine is (supposedly) going to ship it to Kenya (I really hope I'm not getting scammed). Also, when I priced out the system, I factored in a few of the deals that Newegg had at the time. Now that this guy has sat on the deal for a week, a couple of those deals went away, and the system costs about 30 dollars more as a consequence. I don't want to go back on my quote, but at the same time I would only be making ~70 for the whole build, which is absolutely nothing considering the time spent and the risk involved (DOA parts, etc.) Anyway, here are the specs: Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz (Kentsfield) Gigabyte GA-P35S3G LGA775 Intel P35 chipset ATX motherboard Corsair XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800 MSI NX8800GT 512MB OC (GeForce 8800 GT w/GDDR3 ram, PCI-E 2.0) Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB Hard Drive, 32MB cache Antec Earthwatts EA500 power supply Samsung 22X DVD Burner, black, SATA Logitech 967561-0403 black USB + PS/2 cordless mouse and keyboard All the parts are coming from newegg except the processor, which costs 20 dollars less at microcenter (a friend is going to pick it up for me). The tax adds a considerable amount to the system, so I might have to look on tigerdirect or something to see if I can get some of the components for less. Anyone have any suggestions for parts vendors that don't have distribution centers in NJ? Let me know if there's anything blatantly wrong with this system. Thanks in advance. __________________ Antec Neo Power 500W, ABIT IP35-E, Intel E2180@2.66Ghz, Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2-800, PNY 8800GT, 320GB Seagate * lazy college student alert *- If I've inadvertently ignored a thread, please Let me know about it Have I helped you solve your problem? Donate to Techsupportforums Klart Skepp!

07-18-2008, 02:16 PM	#2 (permalink)
manic Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 2,985 OS: xp	Re: New build, advice appreciated Go with this psu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006 __________________

07-18-2008, 04:26 PM	#3 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 13,710 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: New build, advice appreciated I agree with Manic / the Antec Earthwatts is not big enough nor high quality enough for that rig at provantage.com they have the corsair TX-750 watt for $99.00 it dont get no better other than that , you might want to have a peek in mwave.com / refurb stuff there is an asus P5K for $60.00 that would take up some of the slack you are feeling ! as well as the video card section ? I am in the same boat as you are ....... my mark-up is around $100.00 for a custom assembly with 6 month warranty if they want 12 months parts and labor = $200.00 to $250.00 you gotta get a feel for how much trouble the customer is going to be ...... I have some that call everytime a desktop shortcut gets moved around or deleted by their kids ! LOL that gets old __________________ If you cant be polite and friendly; then please be silent.

07-18-2008, 07:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 13,567 OS: XP Professional	Re: New build, advice appreciated Nice build with the exception of the power supply which is not very suited to pull the Video card you are using. In addition the pricing of Antec is all over the place right now, so be sure to explore the deals that have been mentioned above before you put that together. I like the Corsair PSU a lot. __________________ ----------

07-18-2008, 09:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
Fox Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NJ Posts: 7,733 OS: XP Pro, CentOS My System	Re: New build, advice appreciated From 89 to 99... not too huge a problem. It's worth it to know that I'm not going to hear about this down the road if this guy gets random reboots and stuff. I just hope they have free shipping :D Actually, as long as they're not in NJ, the tax would offset it... To be 100% honest, I think this customer is wasting his money - he says his customer wants it for design work, but when I told him that it wouldn't make a bit of difference from one card to the next, he wouldn't have any of it. But I think I'm going to have to let this guy know that the first build is a favor to him because of the hit that I'm taking from his delays. Or maybe it'll be until next week that I finally hear that this guy has received the wire transfer he's been waiting for, and at that point maybe some of the deals will have been reinstated :D Wishful thinking, maybe... but every little bit counts. And I'll definitely look into the p5k for subsequent builds. It looks like an excellent foundation for solid systems, and seems to have a reputation to that effect. And I'm definitely going to make it 100% clear to this guy that once the machine leaves my hands, I am completely done with it. He says it's going to cost hundreds just to ship, so I certainly hope it never comes back. Thanks guys; I'll post an update when the time comes. __________________ Antec Neo Power 500W, ABIT IP35-E, Intel E2180@2.66Ghz, Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2-800, PNY 8800GT, 320GB Seagate * lazy college student alert *- If I've inadvertently ignored a thread, please Let me know about it Have I helped you solve your problem? Donate to Techsupportforums Klart Skepp!

07-21-2008, 06:02 AM	#6 (permalink)
Fox Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NJ Posts: 7,733 OS: XP Pro, CentOS My System	Re: New build, advice appreciated I just ordered the 650-watt equivalent to the one I was going to get earlier. It was on sale for 55 dollars. I'll test it with the build, and if it causes reboots or the voltages aren't good, I'll just order another one and use the 650 down the road for something else. __________________ Antec Neo Power 500W, ABIT IP35-E, Intel E2180@2.66Ghz, Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2-800, PNY 8800GT, 320GB Seagate * lazy college student alert *- If I've inadvertently ignored a thread, please Let me know about it Have I helped you solve your problem? Donate to Techsupportforums Klart Skepp!

07-21-2008, 06:09 AM	#7 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 13,710 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: New build, advice appreciated the earthwatts 650 will handle your spec __________________ If you cant be polite and friendly; then please be silent.

07-21-2008, 06:45 AM	#8 (permalink)
Fox Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NJ Posts: 7,733 OS: XP Pro, CentOS My System	Re: New build, advice appreciated Nice, thanks :D This saves me about 40 over even the 500 version @ newegg. __________________ Antec Neo Power 500W, ABIT IP35-E, Intel E2180@2.66Ghz, Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2-800, PNY 8800GT, 320GB Seagate * lazy college student alert *- If I've inadvertently ignored a thread, please Let me know about it Have I helped you solve your problem? Donate to Techsupportforums Klart Skepp!

07-21-2008, 07:50 PM	#9 (permalink)
toothman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 35 OS: Windows Vista 32b My System	Re: New build, advice appreciated You, sir, will be making the next most powerful pc in all of Kenya. Beats the p3 systems by a long shot.

07-22-2008, 05:53 AM	#10 (permalink)
Fox Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NJ Posts: 7,733 OS: XP Pro, CentOS My System	Re: New build, advice appreciated I'll be so proud :D I'm going to configure it with all kinds of open source goodies too. __________________ Antec Neo Power 500W, ABIT IP35-E, Intel E2180@2.66Ghz, Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2-800, PNY 8800GT, 320GB Seagate * lazy college student alert *- If I've inadvertently ignored a thread, please Let me know about it Have I helped you solve your problem? Donate to Techsupportforums Klart Skepp!