Thursday, July 9, 2009

New Rig - GigaAlpha

My MSI desktop computer died when I tried to overclock it, so I bought a “new computer". Technically I bought a MB, RAM, and a CPU.

  • Gigabyte GA-EG41M-US2h LGA 775 Intel G41 mATX MB - $74.99 – 10 MIR = $64.99
    • Choose this board because it has integrated graphics (x4500).
    • Had free shipping
    • Read that Gigabyte was pretty good
    • Had 24pin ATX power connector so I took my Antec NeoPower PSU and replaced the Antec SL350 I originally had in the case.
  • Intel Pentium E6300 Wolfdale 2.8Ghz LGA 775 65W Dual Core - $82.99
    • Choose this processor because it’s only 65W instead of 98W or 100W+.
    • Has Virtualization Technology
    • 2.8Ghz which is more than all my existing computers which max out at 2.0Ghz
    • Had only 2MB L2 Cache
    • Do not confuse this CPU with the Intel Core 2 Duo E6300. They are different.
  • OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2x2GB) 240-pin DDR2800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model - $44.99 –10 MIR = $34.99
    • Had free shipping
    • Name brand and had more reviews than Patriot
    • Unfortunately, the DDR2 1066 only cost $5 more after rebate. But I already bought this one before I noticed.
    • I had some issues with this RAM. I needed to manually set the RAM settings at 4-4-4-15 at 2.1V or else the computer would reboot when trying to load Windows, WinPE or the like.
  • Total Cost: $202.97

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