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1st Build, need advice, for gaming, budget about 2.5k




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 Thread : 1st Build, need advice, for gaming, budget about 2.5k
 
Profile: stranger
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This is my first build. My goal is to be able to play games on high settings without problems.

CPU - Core 2 Duo E6700 CPU

MoBo - ASUS P5B Deluxe MoBo

GPU - BFG Tech Geforce 9750GX2 GPU

Power - OCZ GameXStream Power

RAM - Crucial Technology Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit System Memory RAM

Hard Drive for gaming and the OS - Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFDRTL 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 HD1

Hard Drive for storage - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD4000KD 400GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 HD2

******************

I'll be running Windows XP Pro. I'm fairly certain all this is compatable, that is one of my fears...

Any advice or comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for looking!!

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Profile: newbie
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The 7950gx2's aren't that great unless you plan on playing your games on a really Hi-res screen, if you have more than a 21" monintor then you might need it but if you just plan on playing on a normal sized computer screen then the 7900gtx will be your better option.
And for the raptor, they are a gross waste of money, just go with 2 or more (the more the faster) smaller cheaper drives such as one of thesedrives .

Profile: Honorary Poster
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Suggested Changes:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 <-- There is no reason to get an E6700. They are only clocked higher than the 6600's which can be VERY easily OC'ed to match the 6700. You save about $130 here.

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 <--- Kentsfield support with this board, and SLI is a waste of money unless you're going to be gaming over 1600 x 1200, OR if you can get both cards within 2 months of each other. And speaking of wasting money....

Video Card: eVGA Geforce 7600GT <--- Get this for now and wait until the DX 10 cards come out. You won't be disappointed. The 7950GX2 is a waste of money anyway. It's a power hungry card which is going to be obselete in 6 months or so when DX 10 arrives.

Power Supply: Antec Truepower 550W <-- The OCZ supplies are really good quality, but 700W is overkill. You don't really need the 7950GX2, which means you also don't need a 700W supply.

RAM: That Crucial set is WAY overpriced. This Corsair XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800 is identical to the Crucial stuff you picked, but costs $100 less.

Hard Drives: 2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 drives in RAID will give the same performance as a single Raptor, plus you end up with a LOT more storage space. Grab a third one if you need even more room. You'll still end up spending less money on hard drives.

Profile: stranger
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Thanks for the advice. If the E6600 can be overclocked to the specs. of the E6700, can I just as easily overclock the E6700? Also I think you are quite right about the graphics card.

Profile: Honorary Poster
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The E6700 overclocks just as well, but it's not worth an extra $130. These chips perform incredibly well, and when you get one, you may not even want to overclock it. If you do feel the urge to OC though, the E6600 can go WELL beyond the stock speed of the 6700.

Out of curiosity, besides swapping the video, which of my other suggestions were you planning on taking?

Profile: stranger
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Most of them to tell you the truth. I'm a push-over, no not really I just need some help and your advice is very helpful. The mobo I'm not sure why you suggested it really, but it seems nice but so far I'm staying with the original. Also the HD's I love those thing! :D I've seen some people say that the card you suggested works with Oblivion (which is really important to me :D) even though the game says it doesn't. Do you know anything about its compatibility with Oblivion? I have been back and forth with the card, I'm just sick of my computers never being able to handle games... thanks again!

Profile: Honorary Poster
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A general rule when buying hard drives, always get more space then you think you'll need. It's always better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Profile: stranger
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What is special about the Nforce5? I've googled it a couple of times but don't get much. Thanks for the post!

Profile: member
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Hey I'm also getting e6700 but the delay of shippment made me reconsider getting e6600 and spend the difference on a hard drive or something. Would it be worth it? Also it's true that e6600 also have 4mb cache right? I need 2mb extra for my maya app.

Profile: Honorary Poster
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Quote :

Hey I'm also getting e6700 but the delay of shippment made me reconsider getting e6600 and spend the difference on a hard drive or something. Would it be worth it? Also it's true that e6600 also have 4mb cache right? I need 2mb extra for my maya app.



The E6600 is a MUCH better value, and yes the 6600 does have 4MB of l2 cache. Spending the difference on a hard drive or to upgrade something else would be a great idea. Your other option would be to just keep the cash.


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