First build

[Totalgamefreak]

My P4 2.4 Ghz and Radeon 9800 Pro are getting a bit long in the tooth. I've stopped playing games made within the last few years since I think the experience would be significantly lower compared to what I could have.

Case:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534
Motherboard:
EVGA nForce 650i Ultra ATX
Video card:
GeForce 8800GTX
Power supply:
Corsair 620HX (620 watt)
CPU:
Q6600
CPU cooler:
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme
Fans:
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120mm
RAM:
G.SKILL 2GB
Hard drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB
Keyboard:
Belkin Wired Standard Keyboard
CD/DVD drive:
Samsung

I run at 1680x1050. The reason I want quad-core is, besides just being faster, I plan on dabbling in movie creation (in games that is) and having a quad-core should speed up rendering quite a bit. I'll be transferring the sound card from my current computer to the new build.

Also, the reason for the keyboard is I like a standard, simple design with a certain key style, which seems rarer than I thought. If it turns out to be crap I'll just keep it as a backup, no harm done at its price point.

Any comments before I order?

 

[Dangman]

Looks good to me. But are you planning to overclock?

OH and you get that Corsair for cheaper here:
Corsair HX620 620W PSU - $147

 

[Totalgamefreak]

Looks good to me. But are you planning to overclock?

Sorry, forgot to add that to the OP: I won't be overclocking anything.

OH and you get that Corsair for cheaper here:
Corsair HX620 620W PSU - $147

In this case I value having it all in the same tidy package over the saved 20$.

 

[Dangman]

Well first of all, Newegg ships its parts from multiple warehouses around the country. And not all of the warehouses have the same inventory or the parts you want. I once ordered a CPU, PSU, HDD, RAM and motherboard from newegg at the same time, in the same order. However, the CPU and PSU came from their warehouse in New Jersey, the HDD and RAM from Tennessee and the motherboard from California. That's three different packages all arriving at different times throughout the week.

So basically, there is no guarantee that all your parts will be shipped in one package.

Anyway, since you're not overclocking, drop the HSF down to the Tuniq Tower 120 or Scythe Ninja. Either HSF will cool that quad core down sufficiently. Though the Tuniq does a better job:
Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Tuniq Tower 120HSF - $47

 

[Markyip1]

Note that an 8800 GTS 640 will do quite well at 1680x1050, and can be found for almost $200 less than a GTX. The reason downgrading the video card would be a smart move is that the G92 cards are due out in the next few months, which means that money saved now can be used tomorrow to upgrade to something newer, faster, and longer lasting than a GTX.

Otherwise it looks good, although I'd go mid-range P35 (Gigabyte DS3R / ABIT IP35E) over 650i.

Mark.

 

[engiNURD]

I agree with Mark and Danny.

The Ninja will be quieter than the Tuniq, FYI.

 

[Totalgamefreak]

Well first of all, Newegg ships its parts from multiple warehouses around the country. And not all of the warehouses have the same inventory or the parts you want. I once ordered a CPU, PSU, HDD, RAM and motherboard from newegg at the same time, in the same order. However, the CPU and PSU came from their warehouse in New Jersey, the HDD and RAM from Tennessee and the motherboard from California. That's three different packages all arriving at different times throughout the week.

So basically, there is no guarantee that all your parts will be shipped in one package.

I didn't know that. Well, in this case I'll order it all from them just because I'm too lazy to sign up at another site and want to get it all done in one swift order

Anyway, since you're not overclocking, drop the HSF down to the Tuniq Tower 120 or Scythe Ninja. Either HSF will cool that quad core down sufficiently. Though the Tuniq does a better job:
Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Tuniq Tower 120HSF - $47

In normal condition I would but I live in a somewhat hot environment and don't have very good air conditioning. Seeing the reported temperatures I think I'll just go all the way and make sure it won't be a problem.

Note that an 8800 GTS 640 will do quite well at 1680x1050, and can be found for almost $200 less than a GTX. The reason downgrading the video card would be a smart move is that the G92 cards are due out in the next few months, which means that money saved now can be used tomorrow to upgrade to something newer, faster, and longer lasting than a GTX.

I really only upgrade every couple of years or more so when I do I want to get very high-end things.

Thanks for the advice people.

 

[Dangman]

I didn't know that. Well, in this case I'll order it all from them just because I'm too lazy to sign up at another site and want to get it all done in one swift order

It's your money, man. Some people are frugal with their money, others aren't.

I really only upgrade every couple of years or more so when I do I want to get very high-end things.

Thanks for the advice people.

But that's a bit of waste of money don't you think? Think about it. Video cards are the fastest depreciating item in a PC. It'll be cheaper and more cost effective to upgrade every once in while rather than go all out later on.

For example, if I buy a $300 video card now, it will be outperformed by a $150 card next year. However, I only need a $150 card today. So if I go with a $150 card today and another $150 next year, I'll get a much better bang for my buck than if I was buying a $300 card today. This way I'll always get a video card that can keep up with the latest games and not have to spend so much later on.

Now apply that example to you. All you really need is the 8800GTS 640MB. You can use the savings from the GTX to buy a newer video card sometime next year that will outperform that GTX later on. This way you'll get more value and performance for your money without having to spend $500 every two years on a video card. You spread it out.

 

[Markyip1]

I agree with Danny. As I've stated before, the GTS 640 is completely sufficient for your resolution. The added power of the GTX will go to waste now, and will not come in handy later when next year's GTS level (or cheaper) card outperforms the 8800 GTX.

Mark.

 

[Totalgamefreak]

It's your money, man. Some people are frugal with their money, others aren't.




But that's a bit of waste of money don't you think? Think about it. Video cards are the fastest depreciating item in a PC. It'll be cheaper and more cost effective to upgrade every once in while rather than go all out later on.

For example, if I buy a $300 video card now, it will be outperformed by a $150 card next year. However, I only need a $150 card today. So if I go with a $150 card today and another $150 next year, I'll get a much better bang for my buck than if I was buying a $300 card today. This way I'll always get a video card that can keep up with the latest games and not have to spend so much later on.
Now apply that example to you. All you really need is the 8800GTS 640MB. You can use the savings from the GTX to buy a newer video card sometime next year that will outperform that GTX later on. This way you'll get more value and performance for your money without having to spend $500 every two years on a video card. You spread it out.

Oh I agree. If it was my money I wouldn't buy the highest end. But in this case the computer is a present. If I bought a lower end card I'd have no hope of seeing the saved money so it wouldn't matter.

 

[engiNURD]

Oh I agree. If it was my money I wouldn't buy the highest end. But in this case the computer is a present. If I bought a lower end card I'd have no hope of seeing the saved money so it wouldn't matter.

Well had you mentioned that earlier, you would have saved them a whole lot of typing!