Need Help WIth Gaming Rig

[Xoidie]

Hi Im new to [H]ard and need help with a gaming rig.
this will be my first build and I have a 2,300U.S budget.
Im going to be playing Crysis,Wow,GuildWars, 2142,Bioshock etc.
Im looking for a med-high end rig.
also need to make sure everything works together.
Need a monitor on no budget just nothing rediculous.
Any feedback is greatly appereciated.

I wont be Ocing because as I stated I am new to Computer building
If an easy to follow guide comes into my possesion I may consider it

COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail


EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail


EVGA 768-P2-N881-AR GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W Power Supply - Retail


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


Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA804 - Retail

Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM

Creative X-Fi 30SB073000000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Blaster - OEM

Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail

Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6190032

 

[Menelmarar]

Depending on your desire to try and over clock, you could go much cheaper on your RAM selection.

Your soundcard choice is overly expensive. Unless you have specific needs for all of the front panel or breakout box shit that the Fatality comes with, I'd recommend just getting a regular XtremeGamer card. Has everything the XtremeMusic had, same hardware acceleration xfi processor, same 7.1 audio, same audio DAC and ADCs, newer revision on a smaller pcb. Only thing is lacks is some creative branded software bloatware, and the connections for those extra breakout boxes.

 

[Markyip1]

You should ditch the 680i platform unless you intend to go SLI. Keep in mind that SLI is only worth while if a) you're prepared to buy two of the best cards available today (GTXs or Ultras) and b) you have a monitor with a resolution of at least 1920x1200 to game on. SLI as an upgrade path (buy one card now, another later) is almost always a bad idea, as you can simply replace the first card you bought with something newer for the same (or slightly more or less) money, and have performance that outclasses two of the older cards in SLI. For $2500 not including a monitor, you can do SLI if you price components right. However, you'll need to spend at least $500-$600 on a 24inch lcd monitor.

Note that if you do SLI, the Asus Striker Extreme is a poor choice. It's overpriced and it underperforms. It also has a less than stellar build and compatibility history. For a 680i board, the best choice is the EVGA NF-68-A1. It's the best 680i board on the market, hands down, and EVGA has among the best warranty and customer support around. You'll find that on [H] and at other enthusiast communities, a good majority of new SLI rigs are built on EVGA A1 boads.

If you don't need SLI, consider a P35 based board instead. The ABIT IP-35 Pro and E are two of the best (and most popular) models. The Gigabyte DS3R is also a very well regarded mid-range choice. For the ultra high end, consider the ASUS Blitz Extreme or the P5K Deluxe WiFi (although it comes with features most desktop users probably won't need or care for.)

Mark.

 

[engiNURD]

Im looking for a med-high end rig.

It looks like you spec'd out a high end rig... not a med-high end rig, lol.

You should ditch the 680i platform unless you intend to go SLI. Keep in mind that SLI is only worth while if a) you're prepared to buy two of the best cards available today (GTXs or Ultras) and b) you have a monitor with a resolution of at least 1920x1200 to game on. SLI as an upgrade path (buy one card now, another later) is almost always a bad idea, as you can simply replace the first card you bought with something newer for the same (or slightly more or less) money, and have performance that outclasses two of the older cards in SLI. For $2500 not including a monitor, you can do SLI if you price components right. However, you'll need to spend at least $500-$600 on a 24inch lcd monitor.

Note that if you do SLI, the Asus Striker Extreme is a poor choice. It's overpriced and it underperforms. It also has a less than stellar build and compatibility history. For a 680i board, the best choice is the EVGA NF-68-A1. It's the best 680i board on the market, hands down, and EVGA has among the best warranty and customer support around. You'll find that on [H] and at other enthusiast communities, a good majority of new SLI rigs are built on EVGA A1 boads.

If you don't need SLI, consider a P35 based board instead. The ABIT IP-35 Pro and E are two of the best (and most popular) models. The Gigabyte DS3R is also a very well regarded mid-range choice. For the ultra high end, consider the ASUS Blitz Extreme or the P5K Deluxe WiFi (although it comes with features most desktop users probably won't need or care for.)

Quoted For Truth... Another board to consider is the Asus P5K-E.

Ditch the GXS 700W... it has ripple at high loads. There are other, better choices out there. I suggest the Corsair 520W or 620W if you're not needing SLI. If you are, the Silverstone 750W Olympia or the 850W Zeus, or the PC P&C 750 QUAD. Here are some other PSU Suggestions:
http://jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103 << high end
http://jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460 << sub $150

You don't really need the ballistix if you're not OC'ing. BTW, theres a good OC'ing guide int he OC'ing subforum. If you'd rather not deal with a rebate, pickup any DDR2-800 kit for around $70, like the G.Skill NQ kit.

What size monitor do you plan on getting? These are my minimum recommendations for gaming, taking price to performance into account:

15" - 17" (1024x768): 7600GT or 8600GT
17" - 19" (1280x1024 or 1440x900 ): 8800GTS 320MB or X1950GT
20" - 22" (1600x1200 or 1680x1050): 8800GTS 640MB or X1950XT
24" - 27" (1920x1200 or 1920x1080): 8800GTX or Ultra, or GTX's in SLI
30" (2550x1600): 8800Ultra or 8800GTX SLI

Raptors are nice, but not very cost effective:

78MB/s: WD Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB, $160AR
65MB/s: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB, $80
65MB/s: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3300620AS 300GB, $60
52MB/s: WD Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB, $70
112MB/s: RAID0 'cuda's, 600GB total, $120 (ICH9R on P35-DS3R)

As you can see, the 'cuda is twice the size and half the cost, for nearly the same performance. Stick them in RAID0, and you've got an even more cost effective solution. Though, you can't beat the seek time of the raptor, so if you have money to burn, a raptor isn't a bad place to burn it.