How's this look?

[mgw24]

Been out of the loop for awhile. Looking to upgrade my old pc. How do these components look? Can I do better for the money? Probably going to be used for 50% work (office apps, etc), 25% Games, 25% media tasks (mp3/video encoding, photoshop).


1 ASUS P5K LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $134.99

1 XFX PVT84GUDF3 GeForce 8600GTS 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $169.99

1 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail $284.99

1 Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA1065 - Retail $154.49

1 VANTEC UGT-CR900 All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader - Retail $14.99

1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $79.99

1 LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-06 - $39.99

Subtotal: $879.43


Thanks ahead of time!

 

[gwai lo]

Video card may need some work depending on your answer to: Monitor size? What games? What settings?

However, right off the bat, the RAM is excessive. DDR2-1066 is rated for 533 MHz, if you're going to overclock your quad then that means you're looking at getting into the 9×533 = 4797 MHz arena..which will require some hefty cooling. I'd stick with DDR2-800, that'll offer you 9×400 = 3600 MHz, which is a pretty good overclock in itself. You may not even reach that far depending on your setup...so save yourself 60 dollars and just get DDR2-800 sticks.

You don't seem to have a power supply listed?

 

[mgw24]

I'm running dual 17" flat panels at 1280x1024. I wont be doing a whole lot of gaming, but would like somthing that would allow me to play everything that is out now with reasonable settings.

Thanks for the info on the RAM. I already have an antec true-power 550w that will work. Does everything else look ok? For what I'm wanting to do, will I benefit with the quad-core, or should I just stick with the dual core?

 

[gwai lo]

At this moment exactly, dual cores have an edge. However, depending on how much of that you do at once and how long your upgrade cycle is, quad may fit what you need. It's a pretty well debated subject, search will net you lots of threads on it No clear winner so far, so I'd just look up the threads and see if it matches what you need.

Everything else looked fine....

Video card - depends on what games you're looking at, 8600GTS should pull off that resolution...but the 8800GTS has been shown to lag a little already ( see here ).

 

[mgw24]

I'm running dual 17" flat panels at 1280x1024. I wont be doing a whole lot of gaming, but would like somthing that would allow me to play everything that is out now with reasonable settings.

Also, I'll be running Vista and Linux on this box.

 

[RoBo]

You will want both a aftermarket cooler like the Tuniq Tower 120 and perhaps a 8800gts 320mb.

 

[mgw24]

I'll check on the cooler, the 8800gts would put me over my price limit. Is it really THAT necessary? Is there a better ATI card in the 8600gts price range? I was only thinking nvidia because linux support seems to be better (high-res, dual monitor, beryl setup)

 

[gwai lo]

Again, it depends on what games you're looking at ( see my link and this one ).

It's up to your discretion as whether or not you'll need the video card..technically the 8800GTS is a better bang for buck card...but if it's out of your budget, it's your call.

 

[engiNURD]

You should be able to find the 8600GTS for much cheaper, or at least with a rebate (around $130 now). The 8600GTS should be fine for your size monitor. If and when you get a new, bigger one, upgrade the vidcard, too. If you don't mind playing games in DX9 mode, you can go with a 7900GS instead, if its significantly cheaper than the 8600GTS.

Ditch the Asus P5K and go for the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R instead. You get more for your money. If you don't need raid, then go for the DS3L instead and save some cash!

This will help you determine whether or not the quadcore is for you...
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=872&model2=871&chart=418

If you decide on a dual core, go for the E6750 - best bang for buck.

You don't need DDR2-1066 Ballistix, with whatever chip you decide to go with. The reason for that is the DDR2-800 ballistix can EASILY reach 533Mhz anyhow, so no need to spend extra for sticks that use the same chips. Just go for the DDR2-800 ballistix instead, for $70AR.

(CPU Multiplier) x [Base FSB speed] = CPU Clock speed
2 x [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed
4 x [Base FSB speed] = Effective FSB speed

On Intel platforms, running the RAM higher than a 1:1 ratio with the CPU is useless. Keep it linked at 1:1:

E6750: 8 * 333 = 2.6Ghz, DDR2-667 << STOCK speeds
E6750: 8 * 400 = 3.2Ghz, DDR2-800 << Easy OC
E6750: 8 * 450 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-900 << Good OC
E6750: 8 * 500 = 4.0Ghz, DDR2-1000 << Great OC

Q6600: 9 * 266 = 2.4Ghz, DDR2-533 << STOCK speeds
Q6600: 9 * 333 = 3.0Ghz, DDR2-667 << Nice OC
Q6600: 9 * 378 = 3.4Ghz, DDR2-756 << Good OC, near max for B3 stepping
Q6600: 9 * 400 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-800 << Great OC, near max for G0 stepping

BTW, that card reader is double the price it should be, lol.

I already have an antec true-power 550w that will work.

How old is it? Honestly, if its 2+yrs old, I'd replace it with at least an XClio Goodpower 500W. If you can, go for the Enhance 5150GH or Corsair HX520 instead.

Is $900 your limit? Does that include tax and shipping?