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CallMeTheStig

n00b
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Oct 29, 2007
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Hey everyone, I'm upgrading from a 4 year old PC, I'm keeping my old speaker system and I already have a new mouse and keyboard. My budget for this build is ~$1,800 CDN

I'm not sure about the motherboard, I want to get something that supports DDR3 RAM so I can future-proof my system, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. Let me know, if it's not worth it I'll downgrade the motherboard to one that only supports DDR2.

Case:
Cooler Master Mystique 632 Aluminum Mid Tower
http://www.canadacomputers.com/main.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=011145&cid=CS.664

PSU:
Corsair TX750W 750W Power Supply
http://www.canadacomputers.com/main.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=015709&cid=PS.808

Motherboard:
Asus P5E3 Deluxe
http://www.canadacomputers.com/main.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=016057&cid=MB.157

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850
http://www.canadacomputers.com/main.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=014822&cid=CPU.84

RAM:
Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2 1066Mhz 2GB (Until the price of DDR3 falls)
http://www.canadacomputers.com/main.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=014300&cid=RAM.346.754

Video Card:
XFX 8800GT
(no link)

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Raptor SATA 74GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Buffer
http://www.canadacomputers.com/main.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=010669&cid=HD.443.877

Monitor:
LG L226WTY-BF 22" LCD
http://www.canadacomputers.com/main.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=016197&cid=MT.282

If I'm missing any info, let me know.
 
IMO I'd ditch the hard drive, psu, and cpu. If you really want a raptor get the 150GB version, but if you can live without one get a bigger hard drive. Also you don't need all that power. Save a few bucks and get the Corsair HX620 it should give more than enough extra power for you. As for the cpu why not go quadcore?
 
Sorry, I forgot to mention, I have 2 500GB drives for storage from my old computer, so storage is not an issue.
With regard to the CPU, quadcores I've seen only support a 1066MHz FSB, the DuoCore I'm lookin at has a 1333MHz FSB, better, no?
Sorry I'm not an expert, correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Then if thats the case go for it :D

Also you really sure you want that x38 board. It doesn't support sli since it's a crossfire board , and you're not getting ddr3 sticks yet so why not stick with a p35 board. Then again that's just my 2 cents in on this.
 
Oh I thought it did support SLI, thanks for pointing that out! Can you recommend a board that supports SLI that would be good for my setup?

I only care about DDR3 RAM because I'm assuming it'll become the standard in the future and I don't want to be left behind, I've cheaped out on motherboards before and I've regretted it :(


Edit: I'll take you up on switching my PSU, I'll get the version you recommended instead. Thanks!
 
Well you could play the waiting game for the new 780i boards to come out which I personally don't know when they are coming out, or get a 680i board. I would recommend an evga board.

Edit: Here is the evga board I found on the website you are using.
 
I've taken a look at the eVGA 680i LT boards, they are essentially a less feature rich version of the 680i board, different cooling of the bridge chipsets as well as less fancy LED indicators, etc. This board runs about $160 on newegg and still has two full bandwidth PCI-E lanes for SLI just like the 680i.

The other thing to consider would be to get a P35, since it doesn't look like you are going SLI to begin with. I would also recommend going with the 6750 which tends to OC to the same level as the 6850 or very close.

Also, why go with 2GB of DDR2 1066 when C2D's don't really need over 800 for most multipliers. For example, the 6750 can do 8x400 which would be 3.2ghz and would give you a nice stable overclock, and you could get 4GB of DDR2 800 and run that on a 64bit OS to get the benefit of the extra memory. I think this would be especially useful for people who do a ton of multi-tasking.

I would also recommend listing your common activities on the PC, i.e. 40% gaming, 20% movies, 20% photo editing, 20% general multi-tasking/browsing/etc. This will give people an idea of whether or not a Q6600 might be more appropriate. Hope this info helps.
 
Couple of things,

Don't waste the extra money on the e6850, especially if you're OC'ing. Even if you aren't do you really think you're going to be able to tell the 333mhz difference betwen the two?

You don't need 1066 Tracers or Ballistix. 800 Ballistix are all you need since most can reach 1066 speeds. Also, you understand that the only difference between Tracers and Ballistix are LED's. Right?
 
mosmef06 said:
Also, why go with 2GB of DDR2 1066 when C2D's don't really need over 800 for most multipliers. For example, the 6750 can do 8x400 which would be 3.2ghz and would give you a nice stable overclock, and you could get 4GB of DDR2 800 and run that on a 64bit OS to get the benefit of the extra memory. I think this would be especially useful for people who do a ton of multi-tasking.
Click to expand...

I agree. I found a DDR2 800 version of the memory you were looking at.
 
thanks for the responses guys, they're all very helpful, I've got a lot to look into now!

In response to the earlier question, I'll be going 75% gaming, 25% multi-tasking (web, word processing, movie editing etc)
 
All I kept thinking when reading your OP was, "waste of money, waste of money, waste of money..." but I don't have time to explain why right now. Search for some of the other build threads and check out other alternatives. I'll come by later and provide a more helpful post when I have time.

In short, you don't need a 750W PSU, DDR3 support isn't worth it right now because DDR3 itself isn't worth it right now, the E6850 is overpriced (get E6750 or Q6600 instead -- OC whichever one you get), you don't need DDR2-1066 RAM -- just DDR2-800, Raptors aren't worth the price premium (so get one only if you have money burning a hole through your pocket).
 
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