The Perfect (almost!) $1500 Conroe Gaming Rig!!!

[deusex]

YAYYY!!!! FInally!!! A new rig!!! (my fx5200 and P4 2.4 and ughhh..beige case are coughinggg)

I'm obviously going to wait until the so-called "conroe" cores coming out (why the hell are they called conroes??? should of chosen something more sleek sounding, i mean...)
And, as you see, i have a ~$1500 budget. With that, I'm probably getting the E6600 (2.4 ghz. for those late comers XD). Im almost certainly getting the parts from newegg, maybe one or two from zipzoom...

MY PARTS LIST (the ones with 2 or more choices are open to suggestions)

CPU------------Conroe Intel E6600

MOBO----------??? the ones on newegg look seriously crappy....so open...

GPU------------eVGA 7900 GT CO 256MB (500/1500) or X1800 XT 256MB
(Saphire)
RAM------------Corsair XMS DDR2 800 pc6400 2 GB

CASE-----------Cooler Master Cavalier 3 (silver)or CM Mystique...

PSU-------------Enermax noisetaker 485W or antec truepower 480W

HD--------------Seagate Barracuda SATA II 7200 RPM 160 GB wth NCQ

LCD-------------Viewsonic VX922 2ms r.t. or VX924 3-5ms r.t.

Speakers-------Logitech X-530 5.1 70Watts RMS

Thanks XD, and WIDE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS!!!!

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

For the HD I'd go for a Raptor 150GB just because it gives higher performance for gaming.

 

[shadowduck]

Closer to release more motherboards will come out. Conroe is the code name. THe offical product name is "Core2 Duo".

 

[Giraffe]

only get the rapter if u can afford it as it is quite expensive

id get the 7900gt not the x1800xt as it is faster/better value/cooler/less power usage

as for the lcd i have never seen the vx924 so i cant comment on it but i know that the vx922 is an excelent moniter for gaming.

as for the m/b they r all mostly the same unless u r gonna o/c which idk if u will

BTW y do all you americans get your parts delivered from newegg?
dont u hav local stores everywhere that would be cheaper?

 

[rochin]

only get the rapter if u can afford it as it is quite expensive

id get the 7900gt not the x1800xt as it is faster/better value/cooler/less power usage

as for the lcd i have never seen the vx924 so i cant comment on it but i know that the vx922 is an excelent moniter for gaming.

as for the m/b they r all mostly the same unless u r gonna o/c which idk if u will

BTW y do all you americans get your parts delivered from newegg?
dont u hav local stores everywhere that would be cheaper?

Local computer shop? You must be joking! I live in Dallas, Tx and the cheapest computer shop around here is www.newegg.com. Even with shipping its cheaper than going to best buy. As far as an small business computer shop, they are usually expensive if they even carry the parts you want. You could call and drive around looking and talking to the smaller shops, by that time your stuff would be here from Newegg. We do have a chain store called Fry's, but they are more expensive than Newegg and they never have the "New" stuff when its still "New".

 

[Ycon]

Id say you should get the new revision of the 74GB Raptor and a 20" widescreen monitor and the X1800 XT (has 512MB, better image quality, way better in games like Oblivion).

 

[Giraffe]

well in australia there are probly 10-20 local stores within 15mins drive that all have the newest parts as soon as they come out at very cheap prices.

 

[Giraffe]

you cant just tell every1 to get a rapter hdd and a 20.1" lcd
havnt u heard of a BUDGET!

 

[Crimson_Yachiru]

if you don't want to get a raptor, you should at least look into getting another identical HD so that you can put them in RAID 0. The increase in performance is very noticible in games, particularly in loading times. Also, the 7900GT is a better choice than the X1800XT, its faster, smaller, and cheaper where i've looked.

 

[Giraffe]

the only noticible difference is in loading times not playing
the difference is there but not noticible in most cases
so it only benifits impationt ppl

rapters and raid are for ppl with high budgets only

 

[Ycon]

Well, I didnt calculate prices but yes, its clear that he will be a bit above the budget with those parts but I do think they are worth buying if the price not too much above the budget.

You dont need DDR2-800, DDR2-667 will do just as well plus theres a possibilty the E6400 will also have 4 MB of L2 Cache so you might also get that one rather than the E6600.

 

[tmac]

Closer to release more motherboards will come out. Conroe is the code name. THe offical product name is "Core2 Duo".

I'm personally waiting to see ATI's RD600 motherboard. - But I'm
building sometime in the November time frame - - WAITING is a bitch.

Waiting on ATI's R600 (dx10) graphics board... But I'll get a cheaper board - to hold me off.

Does anyone know, how easy it is to sell used (but almost new) parts
on ebay? Lets say I buy x1900 series card - two months later - What
percentage can I get back?

 

[wingsofzion]

Ok, if your going to build a gaming rig a $1500 budget is a good start. Last rig i built cost around $1600 or so and it runs like a champion. Your first list of parts look ok but below i've listed an alternate version for your parts. All found on NewEgg. Click on the names to view the product.

Thermaltake Armor Series Case
This is a really good case. Not super huge but leaves alot of space inside for good cable management. It's very customizable interms of bays (even has a detachable HD tray which can be placed near the PSU). Good exhaust system and is all alluminum. Remember than some 7900 Cards are long so your gonna need a good case that'll leave ample space between where the card ends to where it meets your HD bays.

Asus P5W DH Deluxe
This is really the only good mobo i found that'll support your chip. The ones on newegg are crappy cause they dont sell any mobo's now that'll handle your Concroe. Had to get this mobo's info straight from the Asus website. Check it out.

EVGA 7900GT KO Card
This is a very fast card. Will eat up whatever game comes on the market for a long while. I suggest EVGA since they are one of few companies that offer lifetime warranties on some of thier cards.

Antec NeoPwer 550W SLI PSU
If your going 7900 then you need a good PSU. This particular PSU is modular. Basically plug whatever cables you need and leave out whatever cables you don't. Makes good for very nice cable management without the clutter of non-used cables existing in the case interrupting air flow. It's a SLI PSU so you have 12v rail connectors for your 7900 card.

Crucial DDR2 2GB Memory Kit (Dual Channel)
This is a very fast memory kit. I have it myself and i have had no problems with it. I use my gaming rig also as a Photoshop workstation. This memory boots applications up very fast and can handle mutiple big wig apps running at once without slow down. Really fast memory and fits your budget perfectly.

Western Ditigal 320GB 16mb cache Caviar Drive
This is one of thier newer drives. For my gaming rig i went with 2 drives. One Raptor Drive for gaming and one big drive for running apps and storing back ups. If you want one drive to hold all your apps and games then this one is a good choice.

Western Digital 150GB Raptor X (10K RPM) Drive
Western Digital 150GB (10K RPM) Drive
Western Digital 74GB Raptor X (10K RPM) Drive
If your looking for a fast gaming experience and can squeeze this in your budget then go for it. Very fast drive, will run and handle games like a champion. Raptor drives are good drives but i'd only suggest them if your budget can handle a purchase. Going with one huge drive for all your applications is a good idea but if you want a good gaming experience with fast perfomance a raptor drive is a good choice. Absolutely nessesary? Not really but it helps run games smoother and better. The extra RPM's will come in handy since many games on the market today are just resource hogs. For your budget purposes I included more than one option for this drive.

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

Well if I were you I wouldn't go with the Raptor X since it's basically just a Raptor with a clear-cover and an added like $50. If a larger Raptor is out of the budget I think they still make a 74 and 36 gig raptor if you want to RAID those together.

 

[jaguarskx]

For the HD I'd go for a Raptor 150GB just because it gives higher performance for gaming.

At far as I know, the Raptor only improves load times, not frame rates.

 

[wingsofzion]

Well if I were you I wouldn't go with the Raptor X since it's basically just a Raptor with a clear-cover and an added like $50

Yep, the Raptor X is nothing but the same 150GB raptor just in a different casing and not worth the extra $50 bucks. Thats why i included more than one choice for this drive since i saw nothing different between the two.

For the HD I'd go for a Raptor 150GB just because it gives higher performance for gaming.

At far as I know, the Raptor only improves load times, not frame rates.

Yeah that's right. FPS is a video card thing. A Raptor will only help in loading the game faster and won't help the FPS at all. That's what the 7900GT is for :twisted:

 

[deusex]

Hey Guys, The X1800XT is cheaper (256mb) by like 30 bucks, though, and i heard it does better on oblivion, which currently owns my soul...


and....i don't think i can afford a thermaltake armor, so which of the two above should i get?


Thanks

 

[jaguarskx]

Hey Guys, The X1800XT is cheaper (256mb) by like 30 bucks, though, and i heard it does better on oblivion, which currently owns my soul...


and....i don't think i can afford a thermaltake armor, so which of the two above should i get?


Thanks

Yep, it does play Oblivion better than the 7900GT.

 

[wingsofzion]

its a coin toss to me. The Nvidia 7900GT outperfoms the X1800XT in some games/areas and the X1800XT does the same in some games/areas. I'm a Nvidia man myself. I went ATI only one time cause it came with a Dell PC i purchased. I dont know if it was the Dell but when i tried to update the drivers for the card it was screw up the entire system. I'm an Oblivion addict myself and i have it running on a 7800GT and it handles that game like a champion. Like i said it's just a coin toss. Comparting ATI to Nvidia is like the old Intel vs AMD wars. Two great cards that all really depends on your preference. I myself like that i can get all that power from a 7900GT and not have to waste a 2nd bay because the 512mb version of the x1800XT is a dual slot card. I always HATED those kinds of cards. Like the poster said the 256 version is $30 bucks cheaper. But it's summer time and many retailers like NewEgg, ZipzoomFly and TigerDirect are doing alot of deals on cards right now. I'd take advantage of that.

 

[Multiplectic]

The NVidia 500 Series chipset for Intel shouldn't support the Conroe? :?:
That would be a kick-a$s platform for that kick-a$s CPU... 8)

 

[deusex]

Oh. and guys? NO Raptor, just too much - the most I can do is almost certainly $1550.00 (including monitor, speakers, etc...but no mouse or keyboard, i already have some logitech ones

Do you think this is a good idea: get a 7600 GT for right now, and upgrade to a Nvidia 8xxx DX10 in a few months (I don't think i can wait until dx10 to get my comp...)


Thanks

 

[Multiplectic]

Certainly a 7600GT would be a great bang for the buck. I recommend it.
Of course, it isn't going to be as fast as a 7900GT or a X1800XT.

 

[jdamon]

Nice....... just a thought on corsair memory with intel chips sets,
there have been issures with the timing latency.... u might be interested
in Kingiston hyper memory......
I have Been to the Abq plant thats what intels uses...

 

[Nitro350Z]

For the HD I'd go for a Raptor 150GB just because it gives higher performance for gaming.

Higher performance? It will only take off a second or two off load times, there will be other difference. You will not see an increase in FPS or anything like that.

That and its really expensive($/GB) and for about the same price, you can get similar performance with 2 hd's in raid 0 with only a tiny difference in access times and you get more than double the space.

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

Oy vey, I know it's only good for load times and I know it doesn't give higher FPS. I just commented on that since he said he wanted a gaming rig so go figure I thought why not tell him that it look give better performance as far as load times, sorry if I made that unclear...