Gaming Rig Build

**Updated System**
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
Video Card: XFX GeForce GTX 260 Core 216
Case: Xoxide Alien-X
Power Supply: CORSAIR 750W
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD/R
Monitor (Primary): Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24"
Monitor (Secondary): ASUS VH226H Black 21.5"
Keyboard: Saitek PZ30AU Black Standard Eclipse
Mouse: Logitech Wheel
Headphones: Turtle Beach Ear Force HPX w/ Astro A40 MixAmp
Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle, XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket, and Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound
Price: About $1850 (shipping included)

How does it look now? I cut a little bit out to save some money (which I don't seem to have as much as I originally thought).

Thanks!
 
You could drop down to a cheaper PSU, too, if you wanted to save even more money.

BFGR550WLSPSU for $68 @ buy.com, with free shipping.

WOW... to that case. just... wow. :p whatever floats your boat!
 
falconxxxpunch said:
**Updated System**
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
Video Card: XFX GeForce GTX 260 Core 216
Case: Xoxide Alien-X
Power Supply: CORSAIR 750W
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD/R
Monitor (Primary): Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24"
Monitor (Secondary): ASUS VH226H Black 21.5"
Keyboard: Saitek PZ30AU Black Standard Eclipse
Mouse: Logitech Wheel
Headphones: Turtle Beach Ear Force HPX w/ Astro A40 MixAmp
Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle, XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket, and Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound
Price: About $1850 (shipping included)

How does it look now? I cut a little bit out to save some money (which I don't seem to have as much as I originally thought).

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Looks decent, only changes i would do is pick up the ddr2 1000 version from the egg for a bit more overclocking, thats if your overclocking, if you were my e5200 sense is tingling.
 
Not to mess with your whole build but I priced it and you can get an I7 system for only 180 more, with these parts
Mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375
RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231208
and if you have a microcenter around http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0300438

If you're sticking with core 2 the system looks great, just note that the 280s have now dropped around the 300 price range, less with rebates, so might want to consider that.
 
Thanks for the help! I'm pretty sure that I will save a bit of money and downgrade the PSU a little. Anyone have an objection to this?
 
No objections here. The EA650 can handle a GTX 280, so it will have no problems with a GTX 260.
 
**Updated System**
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
Video Card: XFX GeForce GTX 260 Core 216
Case: Xoxide Alien-X
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD/R
Monitor (Primary): Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24"
Monitor (Secondary): ASUS VH226H Black 21.5"
Keyboard: Saitek PZ30AU Black Standard Eclipse
Mouse: Logitech Wheel
Headphones: Turtle Beach Ear Force HPX w/ Astro A40 MixAmp
Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle, XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket, and Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit for System Builders[URL]
Price: About $1885 (shipping included)

Alright, so just some minor changes. Downgraded to a 650W PSU from a 750W, went with a regular GTX 260 Core 216, and added an OS (whoops, almost forgot). Any more suggestions for saving a little cash? Remember, this is just throwing everything together in my shopping cart at newegg. I know I can save some serious cash shopping around and looking for deals, but I want to know if there are any parts I can downgrade a little and save cost without losing performance. Also, if there are any other major or minor components I have left out PLEASE LET ME KNOW. This is my first time going through this process and I'm starting completely from scratch. As you can see with my omission of the OS, it is possible.

Thanks for all the help guys!

EDIT: Looking myself at my list the one thing that sticks out as overkill is my case. I originally picked this case because, well basically, I thought it was sweet. However, with price in mind I may need to put "sweetness" on the back burner for now. Are there any good quality and low priced cases out there that you guys would recommend? Aesthetically-pleasing would be nice, but it is not necessary. If it looks like a cardboard box but gets the job done and costs $20, I'll take it (not really).
 
if you are looking for a gaming rig and saving money, why go overboard on the headphones? I have some fatality ones which you could get for 50 almost anywhere now with shipping which work fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826158051

As for graphics card, i would wait on that once you make the purchase due to the ever dropping prices of the the 280
 
Spending $50 on a case is actually not bad. Personally, I don't like the case that you chose, but you could have done worse.

If you're trying to save money, I suggest omitting the second monitor for the time being. The resolution that each monitor is capable of alone is more than most people are used to. That, plus the omission of the headphone amp, is the easiest way to cut costs.
 
Not many of our normal case recommendations would save you money unless you can find a Cooler Master Centurion 532/534/590 or elite 330 for $35.
 
**Updated System**
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
Video Card: XFX GeForce GTX 260 Core 216
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 590
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD/R
Monitor (Primary): Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24"
Monitor (Secondary): ASUS VH226H Black 21.5"
Keyboard: Saitek PZ30AU Black Standard Eclipse
Mouse: Logitech Wheel
Headphones: Turtle Beach Ear Force HPX w/ Astro A40 MixAmp
Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle, XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket, and Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit for System Builders
Price: About $1845 (shipping included)

Decided to go with the recommended (and cheaper) Centurion 590. By the way, the secondary monitor and the headphones are sort of locked in because I'm going to be doubling their usages for Xbox 360, and they were specifically chosen with that in mind.

So, can anyone give any insight into how the latest games will play on this system?

Thanks again!
 
How does this system compare to the one posted above?

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L*
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1000*
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache*
Video Card: XFX GeForce GTX 260 Core 216*
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 590
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD/R
Monitor (Primary): Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24"
Monitor (Secondary): ASUS VH226H Black 21.5"
Keyboard: Saitek PZ30AU Black Standard Eclipse
Mouse: Logitech Wheel
Headphones: Turtle Beach Ear Force HPX w/ Astro A40 MixAmp
Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle, XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket, and Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit for System Builders
*=changes

Basically, I just downgraded from a UD3R to a DS3L, upgraded the RAM to DDR2 1000, downgraded the hard drive to only 500GB (can I go even lower than that? I mean, I do have my own laptop and another computer downstairs), and went with a regular GTX 260 Core 216 instead of the Black Edition. What do you guys think?

Thanks again!
 
The WD6400AAKS is significantly faster than the WD5000AAKS. Go with the 640GB or the WD3200AAKS (but it has a poor price/GB ratio). These drives use 320GB platters, which makes them faster than their 250GB platter predecessors.

The higher speed RAM will allow you to OC higher, so you could potentially get even better performance out of this recent build.

You can always OC the GTX260 to or near the black edition speeds if you wanted.
 
enginurd speaks the truth.

I cringe at the sight of "gaming" audio equipment because usually (100% of the time) it's just marketing bullshit. Buy a proper headphone and a mic if you can. Also, consider a soundcard.

Then again, I heard Xbox requires some weird plug for mics/headsets/headphones... Not sure if that's true though...

Here is a headphone forums about Xbox 360 headphone choices: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/best-xbox-360-gaming-headphones-404163/

I also would like this moment to face palm at your Xoxide Alien computer case... FACE PALM!!!

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::p
 
**UPDATED SYSTEM**
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1000
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
Video Card: XFX GeForce GTX 260 Core 216
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 590
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD/R
Monitor (Primary): Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24"
Monitor (Secondary): ASUS VH226H Black 21.5"
Keyboard: Saitek PZ30AU Black Standard Eclipse
Mouse: Logitech Wheel
Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle, XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket, and Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit for System Builders

Alright, I switched the hard drive back to the 640GB model. Also, I'm just taking the headphones out since I'm going to tackle the audio part of my new setup later, right now I just want to solidify my computer choices. You can even not pay attention to the secondary display, because that I'm mainly going to use for console gaming and I may or may not hook it up to my gaming rig system.

So any more comments on my system build? Its getting real close to when I'm gonna start buying.
 
tiraides said:
If you're trying to save money, I suggest omitting the second monitor for the time being. The resolution that each monitor is capable of alone is more than most people are used to. That, plus the omission of the headphone amp, is the easiest way to cut costs.
Click to expand...

I'm considering dropping the second monitor, but I have a few questions before I do. I'm not sure how familiar you are with console gaming, but I'm going to have an Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and this rig I'm building all in one room. Would it be reasonable to hook all of those up to one single display? Also, would there be a problem using my PC with my secondary monitor (it doesn't support 1920 x 1200). For inputs, I was thinking Xbox 360 using VGA or HDMI, PS3 using HDMI, and Wii just normal (composite or component or whatever it's called, basically nothing special). Will all this work on one monitor? And what should my rig use?

Thanks.
 
Hmmm... so I believe its DVI for computer, hopefully VGA for Xbox unless you have two HDMI, PS3 HDMI, and Wii Component (preferably) OR Composite, depending on which cable you have...

No problem hooking up PC to second monitor.

All will work on one monitor if it has enough inputs.

Rig should use monitor with best resolution and visual quality.
 
Alright, sorry I keep changing my mind, but how about this build... (sorry, no links)

CPU- Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard- Asus P6T Deluxe LGA 1366
Memory- G.Skill 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333
Hard Drive- WD Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM AALS
Video Card- EVGA GeForce GTX 280
Computer Case- NZXT Apollo Black ATX Mid Tower
Power Supply- Corsair 750-TX 750W
DVD Burner- Samsung 22X DVD+/-R
Keyboard- Saitek Black Standard Eclipse
Mouse- Logitech MX518
Operating System- Windows Vista 64-bit for System Builders
Monitor- BenQ G2400WD
Cooling- Need some advice on this...

So how does that look?

EDIT: Changed the monitor
 
Looks good. I personally really like my Cooler Master 590, but I guess it's more personal preference. The Saitek Eclipse has been going for $20 on various sites lately, so you could use an old keyboard and wait for a deal on that.
 
So could that system pretty much max out any game right now? What about future games? If not what would I need to upgrade?
 
falconxxxpunch said:
So could that system pretty much max out any game right now? What about future games? If not what would I need to upgrade?
Click to expand...

Current games? Most? yes. Future games? no idea. If you've got a crystal ball, please share! If you'd need to upgrade anything to get better gaming performance, it'll be the vidcard.
 
I'm thinking about maybe going with a Intel Core 2 Quad Processor (like the Q6600) instead of the Core i7 to save some money. Good idea or bad idea? Obviously it is the inferior processor but do I really need a state of the art i7 processor for gaming considering normal quad-cores aren't even being optimized yet? Just wondering.
 
Thanks. So is the 6600 a good bet for Core 2 Quads? And a UD3R motherboard? 4 gigs of G.Skill 240-pin DDR2 800? Everything will basically be the same.
 
About to pull the trigger, so I'd appreciate a final check from you guys.

CPU- Intel Core 2 Quad 6600
Motherboard- GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
Memory- G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 1000
Hard Drive- WD Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM AALS
Video Card- EVGA GeForce GTX 280
Computer Case- NZXT Apollo Black ATX Mid Tower
Power Supply- Corsair 750-TX 750W
DVD Burner- Samsung 22X DVD+/-R
Keyboard- Saitek Black Standard Eclipse
Mouse- Logitech MX518
Operating System- Windows Vista 64-bit for System Builders
Monitor- BenQ G2400WD
Cooling- ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro
 
Back when I first posted my thread, I would have said q6600. But now with reports of high vcore's and barely hitting 3.2 or 3.4, I'd jump to i7 (assuming you don't want to go midrange in price which is what I did with the 9550). Also, if you do stick with the q6600 you'll be fine with ddr2 800.
 
Make a thread for the build log falcon! We need some more photo goodness around here even if its as simple as putting a rig together :cool:
 
jterp7 said:
Back when I first posted my thread, I would have said q6600. But now with reports of high vcore's and barely hitting 3.2 or 3.4, I'd jump to i7 (assuming you don't want to go midrange in price which is what I did with the 9550). Also, if you do stick with the q6600 you'll be fine with ddr2 800.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know the i7 blows the Q6600 away, but I'm not sure it justifies the price difference when you consider all the new components I'll have to buy. Also, I was originally going with an E8400 but I went to the Q6600 because I heard quad-core was better for video editing (which I might try doing). So the Q6600 is already an upgrade in itself. I know this won't be the greatest build ever, but I'm sure I'll be satisfied considering the last computer I played games on was a Dell that could barely handle Age of Empires.

Casper312 said:
Make a thread for the build log falcon! We need some more photo goodness around here even if its as simple as putting a rig together :cool:
Click to expand...

Are you talking about a worklog? I guess I'll do that. When should I start? When the parts arrive?

Thanks!
 
in my build it came to about $150 difference and if we account for the price difference between the q6600 and the q9550 we're looking at still less than a $240 difference. I suppose it depends on how long you're keeping the system for. Another thing to think about is those benches were the i7 920 kills even when its not OCed. If your total system is aiming to be less than 1000 maybe not worth it, but if you're close to 1500 you might as well step up I think.
 
jterp7 said:
in my build it came to about $150 difference and if we account for the price difference between the q6600 and the q9550 we're looking at still less than a $240 difference. I suppose it depends on how long you're keeping the system for. Another thing to think about is those benches were the i7 920 kills even when its not OCed. If your total system is aiming to be less than 1000 maybe not worth it, but if you're close to 1500 you might as well step up I think.
Click to expand...

Awww, why do you gotta go and confuse me now? I was SOOO close! Alright, I'll look into it. The only thing is, I feel that in building a gaming rig that if I'm stepping up my CPU I should also be stepping up my GPU. Is that the wrong way to look at it? I definitely have the money to spend (up to $2700, actually), but I was going to save a little money just in case I want to spend some cash on other things (clothing, food, etc.; nothing big). However, if you think I'll really be able to get enjoyment (and I do love video games) out of spending more on this rig I'll take your word for it.
 
I only say that because I realized after receiving all my parts, that upgrading afterwards as far as the processor goes would involve an entire rehash, mobo, proc, mem, whereas if you had i7 platform already you wouldn't need to do as much. Of course in my case I doubt I will be upgrading for at least..2years? hah who can really say though.
 
jterp7 said:
I only say that because I realized after receiving all my parts, that upgrading afterwards as far as the processor goes would involve an entire rehash, mobo, proc, mem, whereas if you had i7 platform already you wouldn't need to do as much. Of course in my case I doubt I will be upgrading for at least..2years? hah who can really say though.
Click to expand...

If I went with a Core i7 920, how many years do you think it will be before I have to completely re-do my system as opposed to the Q6600?
 
falconxxxpunch said:
Yeah, I know the i7 blows the Q6600 away, but I'm not sure it justifies the price difference when you consider all the new components I'll have to buy. Also, I was originally going with an E8400 but I went to the Q6600 because I heard quad-core was better for video editing (which I might try doing). So the Q6600 is already an upgrade in itself. I know this won't be the greatest build ever, but I'm sure I'll be satisfied considering the last computer I played games on was a Dell that could barely handle Age of Empires.



Are you talking about a worklog? I guess I'll do that. When should I start? When the parts arrive?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

yup
 
falconxxxpunch said:
If I went with a Core i7 920, how many years do you think it will be before I have to completely re-do my system as opposed to the Q6600?
Click to expand...

lol actually if you do get i7 you may be inclined to make small upgrades earlier since you would have a compatible socket, mem, mobo, whereas with the q6600 upgrading would be a more involved process. So by spending more, you would have a superior system, which would actually still tempt you into upgrade earlier since it would be easier.:p
 
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