Gaming Computer Advice Please, Buying Computer Soon.

[pollenpaul]

Hello everyone, I have a few things that I am set on, but don't have the links right off hand. But I have a Coolermaster case, PSU (Antec TruePower 550W) and am still bouncing back and forth about what monitor to pick, if I need widescreen or not. So I need some advice on this computer. I will basically be using this exclusively for surfing the internet and playing World of Warcraft, as well as other FPS that I pick up along the way. I also plan on sending video to my 26" HD TV with the computer too, to watch movies or videos. So Here are my questions

Should I go with the AM2 3800 or get any of the X2 processors? The thing to keep in mind really is what would be best for games now, and a little into the future (I don't plan on upgrading the processor in less than a year unless the prices I just can't pass up, but I wouldn't be opposed to OC'ing any processor I buy in the future).

As far as Video Card, I need a decent card, was looking at the 7600GT or the 7900GT. I've read a lot of people talking about DX10 cards, but I know I will not upgrade my video card, right when they come out, I would wait for some time. Basically like the CPU wouldn't really want to upgrade in less than a year.

Need advice for Ram and HD, would like 2GB of ram, most bang for the buck, and HD, don't really need a huge drive, as I'll just add another for media if I feel the need.

Last question, regarding resolution with widescreen LCD Monitors. From the video cards I look at, they don't seem to have the widescreen resolutions supported, is this a problem? I'm a big fan of widescreen because I really like that viewing style, but want what will work best.

Lastly, I would like the most bang for the buck system, one I can upgrade in the future, and the one that makes the most sense now. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I appreciate the help.

Thanks,

Paul

 

[muffins]

well u might have a problem if its a 550v PSU rather then a 550W PSU lol.

as for ram id suggest somethin from corsair or mushkin....somethin along those lines

 

[pollenpaul]

Fixed, thanks, lol.

 

[The_Prophecy]

Since I don't know wxactly what your budget is, i'll just throw out my suggestions....

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300

Mobo: Abit AB9 Pro or Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3

RAM: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800

Video Card: eVGA Geforce 7600GT, if you can afford it, go for the eVGA Geforce 7900GT KO. If you have a lot of room in the budget, then go for a Sapphire Radeon X1900XT

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2

Power Supply: Antec Truepower 480W

 

[pollenpaul]

Thanks so much for the suggestions, I was just going to ask about Core 2 Duo, because after reading about the entry level Core2 Duo chips, they seem pretty awesome, and the articles and benchmarks I've looked at with overclocking those entry level core 2 duos are very impressive.

As for my budget I'm looking to keep around the $1200 range complete system.

Any more input or advice would be great. Thanks

Paul

 

[The_Prophecy]

The system I listed above with Gigabyte board and eVGA Geforce 7600GT comes to $908.95. Go for the 7600GT for now and upgrade to a DX 10 card when they arrive.

I found the Acer AL1916W Ab for $195.99

If you were thinking of a different monitor, please let me know.

 

[pollenpaul]

I like the monitor and the cost especially, I was also possibly looking at the Viewsonic VA1912, but it seems like that Acer has better specs. My only concern is the resolution, is it going to be a problem because I don't see that 1440x900 is listed with the graphics card on their site?

Overall it seems like a pretty good system, is either motherboard easier to overclock? I'm really new to that right now.

Thanks,

Paul

 

[The_Prophecy]

The max resoultion for both cards is 2560 x 1600.... should be able to get close to 1440 x 900. The Abit board should be a decent overclocker.