Dual Core Gaming machine... advice?

Hi folks. I'm designing a new computer but I'm going to buy parts over the next two semesters, but I'm buying the bulk of the parts now.

I don't need an OS, monitor, peripherals, network card. I'll be using win xp pro, I don't plan on overclocking, and this is for lots of gaming and photoshop work.

Here's what I have so far:
Gigabyte GA-M55SLI-S4 AM2 NFORCE 4 SLI DDRII800 2XPCI
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (2.2GHz) AM2 Dual Core
Zalman CPU Fan CNPS9500 LED-CU With 70mm Fan LED
1GB PC2-5400 667MHz DDR2 Memory Dual Channel
WDC 320GB Int 3.5-in SATA 1.5Gb s HDD 7200rpm 8MB 1-in Height
XFX Geforce 7600GT EXTREME 256MB PCIE 580Mhz <--- two of these
SOHR-5239S BLACK LITEON Black 52x32x52x CDRW Drive IDE
Creative Labs Sound Blaster SB0610 Audigy 4 SE Audio Internal
RaidMax Ninja Silver Case 450W USB/Audio
no IDE HDD
no FDD

I'm going to upgrade around January/February. I'm not sure if I should buy both the video cards now and only 1 stick of 1gb ram, or do 2 sticks of 1 gb ram and 1 video card now... Or I could be cheaper and do 1 of each.

I will probably upgrade the CDRW in Spring also, I just need something for the short-term.

Also, I'm not sure if the power supply on this is good enough in the case unit. I have used RaidMax cases in the past and they're usually pretty good so I was going to get another.

Any advice is appreciated.

Hold off buying anything until you need it. All big ticket items will be cheaper in January. Consider going with a Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, it is the best bang for the buck right now.

Also right now i think you would see better performance from a single 7900gt then 2 7600gts for less, then you would also have the ability to get another 7900

I also wouldnt trust that power supply with those components

Here's an idea for the piecemeal approach (right now, I'm assuming that you have a limited budget...):

First Semester:
-- CPU and Motherboard: The Intel Core 2 Duo (aka Conroe) is the better bang-for-the-buck processor right now, but without a budget amount, I can't suggest anything at this time.... ($200-$300).
-- Choose a case without a PSU and get one recommended in the PSU Forum. ($200)
-- Hold off on buying the CPU fan or a sound card for now. ($0) Save that money towards....
-- ... One 7900GT and one stick of 1GB DDR2 800 RAM. ($400) If you're simply waiting on video cards that support DX10, then stick with one 7600GT.
-- Get a DVD burner... it's not that much more expensive than a CD burner. ($40)
-- Choose an OEM HDD, but try to find one with SATA II and a 16MB cache. The WD 320GB drive with those features costs around ($100) -- the one you were looking at costs about $10 more. (Don't worry about cables... your motherboard should contain enough to start off with....)

I suggest that you don't get any "short-term" items... from first-hand experience, it costs more in the long run to constantly switch out parts than if you just buy what you want now and don't buy anything else unless you have to. (The video card is the only exception to this rule, mainly due to the fact that DX10 cards should be arriving soon....) You can build a decent "starter" system for around $1200 -- especially since you already have the OS and peripherals.

Second Semester (in order of what I would buy first...):
-- Get the second stick of RAM. ($150) You could also get the CPU cooler at this time, if you still want it then. ($50)
-- Second 7900GT ($250) ... but if you're waiting for DX10 cards to arrive, I wouldn't even think about getting a second video card.
-- Get the X-Fi XtremeMusic instead of the Audigy 4. ($100) Unless you're a huge audiophile (in that case, get a more "professional" sound card), you don't really need the X-Fi Platinum or Fatal1ty models.

(Psst... do you have a budget for the initial build? Overall?)

Thanks so much for the replies. And your detailed info especially, tiraides. I'm going to check into your suggestions right now actually.

As for my budget, it's a $800-1000 for this semester and then an upgrade amount of roughly $200-400, soft limits.

I haven't read up on these DX10 cards yet. I currently have a brand new GeForce 6600 LE Trinity PCI Express, which if it's compatible, I could use this one until those come out.

Ok I'm going to check into your other suggestions and start tooling around newegg.

With a $1000 budget, you could build a nice system. Raidmax cases are ok, but the PSU's that come with them are crap. DX10 is around the corner, but it will take a while before it hits mainstream (only a couple games will use it at first). Core2Duo's are best bang for buck if your budget is over $700... which it is. Do you plan to OC at all? because these newer chips overclock nicely (both amd and intel). Though you have a nice budget, I'd use the 6600 for now. However, I hope you know, that card really sux, lol. Anyhow, here's what I would do...
Buy these now:
$320 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz
$180 - MSI 975X Platinum Socket T Intel 975X Motherboard
$215 - pqi TURBO 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-667 PQI25400-2GDB
$45 - WD Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
$70 - Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W Modular PSU (w/ SmartFans)
$50 - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver w/ Side Window
$30 - NEC 16X DVD±R ND-3550A
==============
$910+ tax and shipping

upgrade later:
$230 - XFX PV-T71G-UDF7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB (470Mhz/1370Mhz) ($260 - $30MIR)
$95 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB 7200RPM SATA3G
==============
$325 + tax and shipping + sound card and whatever else you need (HSF maybe? more ram?)

The stock HSF can get you to about 3.0-3.2Ghz on the E6600. You don't really need DDR2-800, but if you can afford it, go for it instead of the 667 if you plan to OC alot. Try the onboard sound first before buying a soundcard. You really only need a soundcard if you're an audiophile. SLI is mainly needed for gaming at resolutions 1600x1200 or higher and with max settings. What size monitor do you have and what games do you play? Photoshop is a ram hog, so get as much as you can, lol.

EDIT: math was wrong, lol... so i changed some parts.

Buying the rig from the post above me = good PC great gaming.

You really don't need an e6600. Get an e6300 and you can overclock the beast heavily.

If you're planning on directx10, I'd get the system he showed, but instead of his cpu and his psu, these two items:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817341002

You'll need aklot of power to drive a 250-300w bastard like a new directx 10 card, this will save you money towards the purchase and make sure you'll have the wattage.

You can upgrade to that PSU later.

Though the E6600 can be OC'd way past what the E6300 will ever reach, he doesnt plan on OC'ing at all. Either CPU will be fine, but I'd still suggest the faster one.

enginurd, Newsboys2004, tiraides, first I want to sincerely thank you for reviewing my specs and giving great feedback.

I have looked through your suggestions over the past couple of days, reading reviews of the parts suggested, etc, and I've made a semi-final list of parts (which is pretty much everything enginurd suggested ):

$318 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor

$175 MSI 975X Platinum Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard

$215 pqi TURBO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

$95 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

$150 OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V

$30 NEC 16X DVD±R ND-3550A

I figured I would wait for dx10 cards which is estimated (via rumor lines) to be due out in November. I can wait for that long. In the meantime, I'll just use my old card (which I know is crappy, but it just has to pull through until November... I hope... )
Trinity Albratron Geforce 6600 256MB 128 bit PCI Express (PC6600LEQ)

Now I need to figure out the case. I wanted to have a neat looking case that's also a good cooling case. I'll be reading up on this in the Cases forum to be sure. The problem is, I really like the specs of the COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 posted by enginurd, but I was really hoping to get an orange case. I know, I know.. it's a superficial thing... I could probably paint a COOLER MASTER... well, I'll look into it.

$60 NZXT GUARDIAN OR Orange SECC STEEL CHASSIS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400 WATT PS2 ATX 12V Power Supply (*whenever this is available again... or maybe a different case entirely.*)

I plan to also use onboard sound for now, possibly upgrade later.

When dx10 video cards come out, whenever that may be, this sytem will most likely be able to support those? (I know specs aren't out for them yet, but educated guess?)

Yeah, the system will support dx10 cards... especially since you went with newsboys' suggestion for the psu.

As for the case... If you want it to be quiet, make sure to get at least 2x120mm fans (1x exhaust and 1x intake). If you want to get into case modding, then go with the centurion and have some fun with spray paint and sandpaper The Guardian uses 80mm fans, so it won't be quiet. There's also another NZXT case that comes in orange, the Apollo. I'm not sure how the cooling/airflow is in that case though. It looks like the intake fan is over the pci slot section, which wouldn't cool the HDDs at all. Its hard to find orange because its not that popular of a color for atx cases, so companies don't stock too many of them. I think you should go for whichever case you like, then paint whichever parts orange.

PQI - DDR2-667 - 2x1GB, Model # PQI25400-2GDB
CPU Ratio/Memory Speed/Best Memory Timings/(Voltage)
(4:3)/400 DDR2/3-2-2-5/2.0V
(1:1)/533 DDR2/3-2-2-7/2.0V
(4:5)/667 DDR2/3-2-3-9/2.2V
(2:3)/800 DDR2/4-3-3-9/2.2V

I suggested DDR2 667, but if you dont plan on OC'ing, then you can save 50 bux and go with these sticks:
$150 - A-DATA Vitesta 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-533 ELJKD1A16K

You can still run them at DDR2-667, too, but the performance increase won't be that noticeable.

AData Vitesta - DDR2-533 - 2x1GB Model # ELJKD1A16K
CPU Ratio/Memory Speed/Best Memory Timings/Voltage
(4:3)/400 DDR2/3-2-2-5/1.8V
(1:1)/533 DDR2/3-2-2-8/1.9V
(4:5)/667 DDR2/3-3-2-8/2.1V
(2:3)/800 DDR2/4-3-3-8/2.1V

Also keep in mind that it doesn't really matter the CPU much at all for gaming. If you are a "gamer" you will be playing at resolutions above 800x600 with all your eye candy on. You will want the best graphics card(s) you can get in your budget. If you go SLI, I'd stick with an AM2 590 board.

Pay attention to the trends set by higher resolution actual "gaming". No doubt the Core2 is a stellar performer. I'd stick with it, but you don't need to waste your money on the fastest one you can fit in the budget that takes away money from other areas that could be improved.
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/intel_core_2_sli_performance

w1retap - I'm going to upgrade the video card in November to dx10 cards... so I plan on spending at least $500 on that, and possibly if that's not enough, buy another one in January for the same. Until then I'm using the POS trinity... it will hold me over for a month and a half or so.

enginurd - Great idea! I was thinking of doing the case as a mod project until my dx10 cards arrive. The ratio info you posted is quite helpful - the difference is relatively minor - but the first ones you showed me are (after MIR) $25 more and if I want to OC in the future, I have that option. I saw the Apollo and it looks pretty cool and (importantly) orange. It has 2 120mm fans, so maybe I will go with that. It looks pretty cool too.

Thanks again.. you guys are awesome.

Niksa said:

w1retap - I'm going to upgrade the video card in November to dx10 cards... so I plan on spending at least $500 on that, and possibly if that's not enough, buy another one in January for the same. Until then I'm using the POS trinity... it will hold me over for a month and a half or so.

Click to expand...

excellent decision.. thats what I'm doing as well. I can't wait for DX10. ^_^