New build, please review

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alex530

n00b
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May 30, 2008
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Hello, I am working on selecting the parts for my first build. My budget is around $1500 which includes the monitor and OS. My budget is somewhat flexible though. The main purpose of my build is to be a good all around computer for gaming, school work, DVD burning, listening to music, multi-taking, etc. I will not be over clocking. All parts will be ordered from newegg. Here is what I have come up with after a lot of research. Please let me know if you would recommend something different and why.

Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128086

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

RAM:
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 - $84
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146692

Video Card:
MSI GeForce 8800GTS (G92) - $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127325

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218&Tpk=WD6400AAKS

Optical:
SAMSUNG SH-S203B - $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151153&Tpk=SH-S203B

Case:
Antec P182 - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025&Tpk=p182

Power supply:
Corsair 520HX - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001&Tpk=520hx

OS:
Vista Home Premium 64-bit SP1 OEM - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Monitor:
BenQ G2400W 24" - $400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014158

Speakers:
Logitech X-230 - $39
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121123
 
Well if you're not looking for the extreme max settings with full AA and AF on, that's a decent build. The video card should still allow you to play games at 1920x1200 at reasonable frame rates and decent settings.

Oh and if you't really care for modularity, you can get the higher wattage but non-modular Corsair 750TX PSU for cheaper here:
Corsair 750TX 750W PSU - $101

Other than that, looks good to me. If you're planning on overclocking, I recommend getting any of these HSF:

Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $37
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $50
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $50
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Noctua NH-U12P HSF - $60
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
 
Danny has you covered. Good build over all, if, as he said, you're willing to drop settings or resolution in some titles to get playable framerates.
 
Thanks for the quick replies. So are you suggesting the video card might be a bottle neck? Keep in mind I'm not an extreme gamer. I just want to keep the option open in case something new comes out that I'd like to try.
 
alex530 said:
Thanks for the quick replies. So are you suggesting the video card might be a bottle neck? Keep in mind I'm not an extreme gamer. I just want to keep the option open in case something new comes out that I'd like to try.
Click to expand...

An 8800 GTS 512MB should be fine for 1920 x 1200. Don't forget that the next generation of video cards will be released starting in the middle of June. If you were to purchase your video card from a company like eVGA or BFG Tech, you could use their Step-Up program to get one of the new GTX260 or GTX280 video cards, which would be even better for 1920 x 1200 gaming :)
 
What will be the pricing for the GTX260?
Will it be a better value than the new offerings from ATI?
 
alex530 said:
What will be the pricing for the GTX260?
Will it be a better value than the new offerings from ATI?
Click to expand...

What Toaster Oven said. However, we won't know exactly how well the new cards perform until they are released.
 
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