Building New computer Assistance.

A

AAA30

Hi,

I have decided to build a new rig as the one I have is getting dated. Below is a list of components that I have selected. It will be used only for trading and backtesting, running TWS, neoticker and Excel on two monitors(22" and 19"). I may add another card and put two more monitors on it later. Anyways I would like if some experts could give me some feedback on the set up as I have not kept up on the new hardware. Total cost as of now is about $1000 CAD/ $900usd. All prices are Canadian.

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 ATX LGA775 Conroe P965 DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 GBLAN Audio Motherboard ($129)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.13GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Retail ($250)

Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory ( $169 x2 $340 4 g's total)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ATA100 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive ($88 * 2 $176) (raid 0)

EVGA E-GEFORCE 7300GT 350MHZ 256MB 667MHZ 128BIT DDR2 PCI-E VGA DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card ($70)

Logisys case with 450W PS $60

DVD-RW CD-RW $33

I want it to be able to run Vista, but will probably start it with XP-pro or XP-pro x64 if I can find it. I have to confirm the memory will work with the board but i believe it is supported.

If some of the tech whiz's here could give me some feed back I would appreicate it.

Andrew

Edit: scratch the xp pro x64 as it looks like it will not work with Core 2 Duo chips.
 
You might like to consider using a motherboard based on the new Intel P35 chipset. It is the successor to the P65 on the above board. The P35 will support the new Intel 45 nm processors about to be released next month as well as the current Core 2 Duo. Price difference should not be much.
 
I have these at 99 + 189 USD + tax

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 ATX LGA775 Conroe P965 DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 GBLAN Audio Motherboard ($129)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.13GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Retail ($250)


overclocked @ 3.2ghz runs on winxp pro, 32 bits. do not bother with 64bits if you are trading.
 
Decent build, but a few recommendations;

Why would you use an ATA100 HDD; the MB supports SATA, Much faster, and has a future. You can pick up a 320 GB 16 MB Cache SATA drive for under $75.00 U.S these days; Because ATA drives are now considered legacy, they are generally more expensive than SATA. If you do find a cheap one, odds are it’s not a pull or a refurb.

Ditch the power supply that comes with the case; The retail for the PS with that case is around $15.00; and you get what you pay for. The quality of the power can make a huge impact on ‘stability’ frequently blaming the OS or something else. ; the unexplainable blue screen, frozen system etc. Get yourself a good PS; spend $60.00 on a decent Thermaltake or other quality brand name….

The MB you selected will support the DDR2 800; All 4 GB; and is a decent mb;

Your comment on XP 64 Bit; There are no issues with XP 64 and any ‘core 2 duo’; If you have heard of an issue, it is the motherboard chipset or BIOS issue, not XP. If you are going with over 3 GB memory, you must run 64 bit; otherwise XP or Vista will not recognize it all. (see my post a few days ago)

The video card will do well for you, but before you settle, check out the specifications for the same brand, but 7600; they run a lot cooler and offer dual DVI…

Your memory selection is great; very fast… CL4.. you could save a few bucks though, go with a CL 5; for a trading system you’ll not notice the difference, nor will the charts…
 
I just finished building 2 new trading computers. Both are 3ghz dual cores, Intel & AMD...I will never buy Intel again!! The AMD runs 20C cooler with the stock fan & processes the same work more than twice as fast.

I recommend:

AMD 64X 6000+ with an Asus Crosshair mobo, at least 2 mb dual channel memory, EVGA nVidia 7900 GS graphics cards.

Also, 2 Dell 30" displays...:)

Buy the best, and cry only once.
 
Wow, was not expecting so fast of a response on the weekend.

Thanks for all the input.

dcraig: I will see if I can get a good price for a board with the P35 chip set. I would like to be able to upgrade it latter so this is good advice to buy one that will support the upcoming chips.

Lilboy: Nice to know that it can be overclocked. I can get the chip for $218 CAD it did not update in the cart.

saxsystems: Made a mistake on the HDD thanks for catching it. I will look at upgrading the powersupply to one that is of better quality and could handle another pci video card later. I think it will only cost about $30 CAD to upgrade to the 76OOGT.

Dave; I still want to stick with Intel this time but will read up on the AMD's.

Thanks again for the input.

Andrew
 
Quote from daveb351:

I just finished building 2 new trading computers. Both are 3ghz dual cores, Intel & AMD...I will never buy Intel again!! The AMD runs 20C cooler
More...

My core 2 duo 6600 (2.4GHz) runs at 29C when room temperature is about 20C. Does AMD runs at 9C?
 
Quote from balda:

My core 2 duo 6600 (2.4GHz) runs at 29C when room temperature is about 20C. Does AMD runs at 9C?
More...

Wow I would kill for that low of heat. My P4 is running at 48C idle and when it's worked, I could probably make omelets on it. The C2Ds run much cooler and at the same temp as AMD's X2 when idle but when you start putting stress on the processor, the AMD usually runs cooler but 20 degrees difference seems ridiculous. If you really want to stress test your processor, download SuperPi.
 
All the E6420's will run at 3.2GHz on stock voltage, get yourself some nice DDR2 6400 (800MHz) set it to 2 to 1 in the bios and go for 8 x 400 on the multiplier

Invest in an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro and it will all run completely silent and you will have a $1000 chip for chump change
 
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