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Mid-Range gaming rig, input needed

Joined
Jul 17, 2007
Messages
4
First off, I would like to say hello to everyone. I saw this site awhile back on Digg and have been prowling the forums like a creepy stalker ever since. Although, today, I finally have something to ask. I'm building a new computer soon. I guess you would call it Mid-range though from the looks of it it's gonna be the most powerful one I've ever built (I usually stay within $700 but this time I'm splurging)

Motherboard - ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz
GPU - EVGA 640-P2-N825-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB
Memory - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Heatsink - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm
And Of course - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
Case - Coolmaster

Comes out to around 1,200 which was what I was aiming for. Of course, I'm gonna wait till 7/22 to maybe bumb the CPU up to the E6850 3.00GHz or at least get a better deal on the E6700. I'm not planning on massivly overclocking it (Maybe bump up the FSB a lil bit to get some more juice), I just really don't like the stock coolers. I'm interested in SLI'ing the graphics cards later on down the road so that's why I picked the ASUS mobo.

Any suggestions/comments?

Also, anyone know of a decent cheap soundcard? I'm not a crazy audiophile so I don't need some high-end Soundblaster one. Something modest would do.
 
Well unless you are planning on SLI then don't get that MOBo.

Have you considered the Q6600?

I would reccomend the Tuniq Tower 120, Scythe Ninja or Thermalright 120 Ultra over that puny Freezer Pro.

Oh and welcome to the [H].
 
Onboard sound should be fine until you can make up your mind or something especially shiny comes along.

Go with the eVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 or -T1 (lifetime warranty with the A1, 3 year with the T1, and a slightly smaller bundle) if you want a 680i board. The NF68 part is important. NF63 boards are older revisions with various problems. Also avoid AR/TR boards for the same reason. ASUS customer support is iffy at best, eVGA's is arguably the best in the industry. Dan_D will back me up on this, I think -- SLI and Intel, right now eVGA is the only way to fly. eVGA will also cross-ship if you ever have to RMA, just make sure to register the board on their website within 30 days of purchase (same with your graphics card). No one else does this, so far as I know.

E6750/6850 is a good plan, yeah.

I'd seriously consider spending the extra $20 or so for a Scythe Ninja Rev B or Sunbeam Tuniq Tower, either of which will beat the hell out of that Freezer 7 Pro, and with an E6850 should allow you a 4+Ghz OC.
 
If you are planning on simply bumping the FSB speed, without adding more voltage, you may aswell go for the 6750 rather than the 6850. Saves a bit of cash, and they are the same CPU (virtually).

Skythe Ninja, Thermalright Ultra 120/120 Extreme, Tuniq Tower, all beat the Freezer Pro. The Freezer Pro is only good because it is WAY better than the rest of the budget coolers, but it isn't as good as the above 4.

Yeah, the EVGA T/A1 boards are the ones to go for. Basically, everybody has said the same thing.
 
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