YABB - Yet Another Budget Build

[boltz man]

Hello fine denizens of [H]ard. It's come time for me to once again assemble a budget gaming rig and I've come here to seek your sage advice. I've done my research, but come up short when it comes to a few small details.

I'm running a 19" WS at 1440x900.

HDisk: Seagate 7200.11 320 (newegg)
CPU: E7200 (newegg)

Motherboard: MSI P35 Neo2-FR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813130098R OR BIOSTAR TForce TP43D2A7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138122

I've checked CPU support lists for both and they work with the E7200

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148076

VGA: Newegg is running a combo deal with an HIS 4850 and the above ram for $40 off regular price (putting the 4850 at $160)

OR 9800 GTX w/ COD4 for $240 (seeing as how I would purchase COD4 for $50 this would put the card at $190)

My concerns are as follows:

Regarding the motherboards/cpu/ram, I'm attracted to the MSI board from numerous good reviews and the nice cooling, as well as the solid P35 chip. The Biostar P43 also sounds solid, and is tempting for the newer chipset, PCIe 2.0, and FSB support. My concerns are for the future. Now, I don't see myself wanting to run SLI or XF (and these boards don't support either), but the possibility for CPU and RAM upgrades/overclocks is plausible. Seeing as how both motherboards are relatively cheap, If one doesn't work out in the future, it's not a big loss. But, say I wanted to run the E7200 at 9.5*400FSB (or 3.8Ghz - apparently reachable with air) would either of these boards stand out?

Also, and I know card performance is highly contested right now and no one has the best answer, should I be concerned about the high running temperature of the 4850? The 9800 GTX seems to have more OC overhead, but the 4850 is cheaper and still blazing fast. I know I really can't go wrong with either, but I'm just trying to watch my ass.

Thanks for any advice. This "buyer's" market can be confusing with all the options. I just want the best bargains.

Edit: I just spotted the Neo3-F P43 board - should I consider this as an alternative to both? Is it worth the $40 over the p35 board?

 

[rennyf77]

if you intend on trying crossfire, there is no reason to abandon the p35.

 

[boltz man]

I'm not trying to be confrontational, but did you even read my post?

I have no intention of running crossfire.

 

[cnick79]

I think he's saying go with the P35, which makes sense in your case.

 

[rennyf77]

a single pci-e slot p45 brings nothing significant to the table above a p35. again, unless you're interested in cf there is no reason to abandon p35.

 

[tiraides]

You need to fix your links; the hyperlinks that you've posted are the exact same links that are coming up in my address bar (or: you need to include the full link from the original site).

I'm going to assume that you haven't bought anything yet, and I'm going to make a couple more suggestions.

Instead of the Seagate 7200.11 320GB HDD, I suggest going with the WD3200AAKS. You may luck out and get one of the newer single-platter models, which run much faster and are a bit quieter than the 7200.11 drives.

Since you intend on overclocking, get an aftermarket CPU cooler. The Xigmatek HDT-S963 would be enough for the E7200, and the HDT-S1283 doesn't cost that much more (before MIR). To make the CPU cooler easier to mount onto your motherboard, I suggest that you also purchase the LGA775 mounting kit. (Xigmatek has one of its own, but it's currently out of stock.)