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T

Torn

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 21, 2004
Messages
433
Hey folks. Been awhile since I posted, but I think I'm ready to pull the trigger some time in the next 30 days or so on a new system. Yes, my sig is correct. Its painful. Looking at right around $1000. Doing mostly gaming with some PhotoShop in their too. Anyway, here is my initial thought. All prices NewEgg and are mostly what are given the customer awards.

Core2Duo E8500 $190
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P $135
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $50
XFX GX260NADFF GeForce GTX 260 $260 (I hate rebates cause I always forget them)
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $100
Western Digital Caviar SE 250GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $48
LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM $25
RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme Case $75
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit -OEM $100
TOTAL: $983 + shipping ($35 or so) or tax (8.5% in Seattle)

All this running my 20.4" LCD BenQ at 1680x1050. As I said, gaming is my priority. Nothing in particular, but would like to run Crysis at something approaching what it deserves. I would LIKE to shave the total cost down a bit if possible, otherwise will hold of an extra month to get my credit payed down first. Any input greatly appreciated!

[edit]Oh, forgot to say I plan on upgrading with a second video card later (thus the mobo) and would like to make sure the PSU is up to the task as well.
 
Ok, here's a build which will give you more bang for the buck.

Case: Cooler Master Elite 330 - $50.00 w/ FS
Cases are very subjective. I like the way it looks, and it has free shipping, which can save you $15-20 in shipping charges.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L - $80.00
This motherboard allows you to overclock well and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It doesn't have Crossfire support, but at the resolution you're running at, Crossfire isn't needed.

Power Supply: Corsair 650TX - $100.00 w/ FS
Nothing changed here. Good choice!

Processer: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor - $165.00 w/ FS
The E8500 costs an extra $30 for a 160MHz speed bump. That's not worth much when the E8400 can often be overclocked to 4GHz+. Even if you're not overclocking, that extra speed isn't worth the money IMHO.

Hard Drive: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA Hard Drive - $75.00 w/ FS
Faster, quieter, and holds more data than the drive you chose. It's a great hard drive which is often recommended around here.

DVD Drive: Samsung WriteMaster SH-S203F - $25.00
Samsung drives are a bit quieter than their Lite-On equivalents.

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 - $40.00
Nothing changed here.

Cooling: Xigmatek HDT-S1283 w/ mounting bracket - $42.00
If you're planning on overclocking, this cooler will perform very well for the price. If you don't want to overclock, you can drop this (though it should be quieter than the stock Intel cooler). The retention bracket isn't needed, it just makes mounting the cooler easier.

Video Card: XFX GTX260 216 Core - $260.00
Nothing changed here.

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium OEM 64-bit - $100.00 w/ FS
Nothing changed here.
---------
Total: ~$940 before taxes and shipping (FS = Free Shipping)

EDIT: I've added an explanation for each component now.
 
Thanks, Dan. Insight as to your choices would be wonderful as well when you get the opportunity.
 
Ok, I just saw your edit about the 2nd video card.

First off, that motherboard won't help too much, since you need an SLI compatible motherboard for two Nvidia cards. You would need to either get an SLI compatible mobo or swtich to ATI cards. Between those two, I would recommend using ATI cards since there is nearly no difference in performace, and the Intel chipsets are more stable.

However, at the resolution you're running at, there's not a whole lot of point in going with either SLI or Crossfire. By the time you'll need to upgrade from the GTX260, there will be another single card out there which will outperform SLI GTX260s.
 
Thanks a bunch, Dan! Was thinking about OCing, so I think money would be better spent on a HS/F than a faster CPU. Have not played with OCing anything since my Athlon XP 2500+ (which will not OC anymore after so many years of abuse), so any guide to OCing that processor would be great, too.

About the dual video cards, at that res, with that card, would AA and AF be achievable (say 4x-8x each) in most games? Thanks again!
 
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