New gaming build. Need input...

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hdawg06

2[H]4U
Joined
Nov 12, 2006
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I am going to be building a new gaming rig here in the next month or so, maybe early January at latest. I was thinking of trying to keep it below $1500 and then get a DX10 card once they go down in price and Vista has been released.

***This computer will have Vista installed when it is released.

Possible Specs(UPDATED):

CPU: Intel Core2Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4ghz
Motherboard: Asus P5B Deluxe
Video Card: PNY GeForce 7900GS 256MB
Ram: Crucial Technology 2gb(2x1gb) DDR2
Hard Drive 1: Seagate Barracuda 320gb
PSU: Thermaltake ToughPower W0128RU 650W.
Case: Antec Performance 1P180B Black
HSF: Tuniq Tower 120
DVD-RW: Samsung DVD Burner
DVD #2: Not sure.

I am still unsure what CPU I want. I am debating on the E6600 or E6700. I would eventually like to get near 4.0ghz, and be a great gaming PC.

I am wondering about a few things. What PSU should I go with, and I want it to be able to support a DX10 card without having to upgrade. Would upgrading the HSF on the E6600 be a good thing to do from the start? I think I would over-clock it a decent amount. Is that ram good, or should I look for something with tighter timing? Is the case very good and can it stay cool very easily? I don't know anything about Raid Controllers. Would the Raptor make a big difference or should I just get the single HD?

I also have a Sharp 19" LCD and a really nice pair of Altec Lancing Headphones.
 
That PSU looks pretty nice. I was told to go with Antec, Thermaltake, Enermax, and Seasonic from another site. Also, is there anything lower, maybe under $125 that is good?
 
hdawg06 said:
Would this be a good PSU, Thermaltake 700watt?
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I think that Thermaltake Toughpower is the only thermaltake psu recommended by jonny guru, lol. Stay away from their other psu's unless you plan on using them way under spec. I'd go with the corsair overclocker578 suggested or a 600W OCZ.

On a 19" LCD, you shouldn't need crossfire/sli. Though, I think the 7600GT would last you a bit longer, which will give you time to make the switch to vista. Personally, I dont switch to a new Windows version until at least SP1. I don't like to beta test for MS. I leave that up to people who don't mind troubleshooting issues on a regular basis. ;)
 
Yeah, I actually am going to swap the graphics card out for a BFG Tech 7600GT 256mb card. I have heard nothing but good things from that card, and it is $113 at the moment. I also decided to opt for the OCZ GameXStream 700W. From what I have read on them, they seem very stable, and will be able to hold quite a bit of power with the 4 12v rails@18A each. I'm not sure if modular cabling is that big of a deal or not, haven't built any computers using it, so I am unaware on that issue. Also, the case I will probaly buy has the PSU located on the bottom, is that a problem, or should I opt for another case?
 
why not get the Lite-On sata dvd burner? I want to get one just so I can get rid of my last IDE cable!
 
gurgle said:
why not get the Lite-On sata dvd burner? I want to get one just so I can get rid of my last IDE cable!
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I'm looking into that. While looking at the Lite-On, I found it wasn't a DVD-RW, just a DVD-Rom. The actual DVD-R/W I was looking at getting, but somehow got changed to the Lite-On was a Samsung IDE. Is there a big difference in the SATA to IDE drives, or is it just getting rid of that long ugly cord?
 
gurgle said:
why not get the Lite-On sata dvd burner? I want to get one just so I can get rid of my last IDE cable!
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Are they out yet? I cant find the Lite-On SHM-165S6S-11C anywhere, not even on their site. The only SATA Optical drive at the egg is Lite-On's combo drive and plextor's sata dvd burners that are ridiculously overpriced.

I don't think there are any performance differences. The samsung 18x rips rather slowly. I havent read about the NEC one yet, though.
 
enginurd said:
Are they out yet? I cant find the Lite-On SHM-165S6S-11C anywhere, not even on their site. The only SATA Optical drive at the egg is Lite-On's combo drive and plextor's sata dvd burners that are ridiculously overpriced.

I don't think there are any performance differences. The samsung 18x rips rather slowly. I havent read about the NEC one yet, though.
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What's the best DVD-RW for around $30 then?
 
RAM : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820231098

Case : Good choice, but buy from bestbuy for $80

Video Card : almost a waste to get such a quality rig, then top it off with a 7600. Go with a 7950 or 8800. If you're on a budget, save some money and get the 6300 CPU and put the extra money twoards a video card. Should be the biggest investment in your rig.

Also - not sure you need a 700W PSU if you're not going SLI, so might want to save a few bucks there. Good suggestion list in the PSU forum stickies.

IMO raptors are awsome, and there is a noticable difference.
 
andru said:
RAM : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820231098

Case : Good choice, but buy from bestbuy for $80

Video Card : almost a waste to get such a quality rig, then top it off with a 7600. Go with a 7950 or 8800. If you're on a budget, save some money and get the 6300 CPU and put the extra money twoards a video card. Should be the biggest investment in your rig.

Also - not sure you need a 700W PSU if you're not going SLI, so might want to save a few bucks there. Good suggestion list in the PSU forum stickies.

IMO raptors are awsome, and there is a noticable difference.
Click to expand...

The ram that I am planning on buying is very good. It has extremely tight timing, and will over-clock VERY well. People have been known to run 4+ghz on E6600 with it. I think I will likely stick with that. Also, the GPU I have is just a place holder. I plan on upgrading to a DX10 card when the 2nd generation comes out in probaly 6-10months. I just have a feeling that the cards may change once Vista is actually released, so I would rather wait and just be safe.

I'm not on a budget really, just need to stay under $2,000 for the case and all components inside. I was almost leaning on getting the E6700 though, and over-clocking that, instead of adding an additional 320gb HD. I have heard that the 2x 320gb SATA drives run incredibly fast in Raid0, and aren't that much slower than the 10krpm raptors. That is just what I have heard from multiple sites, and multiple people. I was also debating on whether or not to get 2x CD/DVD-Rom drives and a floppy drive, or save the money and put it somewhere else.

In fact, at the moment, I am leaning higly on getting the E6700, but ditching the sound card for the time being. That saves $75 minimum, and from what I have heard, the integrated sound card on the motherboard is quite good. Another thing, would I be better off going with a different motherboard if I plan to go with the E6700? I know the P5B Deluxe is excellent for over-clocking, and I was wondering if it would over-clock past 4ghz well?
 
Uh, raid0 doesn't make them magically faster. They're just as fast as any other 7200RPM drive, and no, they can't touch a 10k drive.

Everyone else is right about the video card. If you even are thinking about gaming, it doesn't matter if your processor can do 6GHZ, if you've got a 7600GT, thats your bottleneck. Drop to a cheaper proc and move up to a high end 7 series or low end 8 series Nvidia card.
 
To satisfy your gaming needs, the 7900GS is only $165AR at the egg.
 
taylorwilsdon said:
Uh, raid0 doesn't make them magically faster. They're just as fast as any other 7200RPM drive, and no, they can't touch a 10k drive.

Everyone else is right about the video card. If you even are thinking about gaming, it doesn't matter if your processor can do 6GHZ, if you've got a 7600GT, thats your bottleneck. Drop to a cheaper proc and move up to a high end 7 series or low end 8 series Nvidia card.
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Do you not understand that I am going to upgrade to an 8series after in 1/2 a year or so? I have stated that over-and-over again, and I don't want to drop to a cheaper CPU just to upgrade that in 6months and then still have to get the 8series card. I am going to be sticking by the 7600gt for right now, UNLESS I can get a 79xx for around $140.

EDIT: As for the PC I have currently(see top) with the E6700 instead, with the 8-series GPU, 1x hdd, 1x cd/dvd-rom, and floppy, I am looking around $1750 once I sell the 7600gt on ebay for like $60.
 
you can pickup a 7900 GS for around 150 at best buy until the 18th i believe
 
V3|!UM said:
you can pickup a 7900 GS for around 150 at best buy until the 18th i believe
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Mail in rebate or instant? I have had a lot of trouble with BestBuys and Office Max's Mail in Rebates.
 
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