Please advise, first time poster.

[Tyran]

I am in the process of building a new computer for gaming purposes. But I am not an extreme gamer, I just want any games I play to run smooth.
I have no interest in running SLI / crossfire. I tend to dabble with Oc'ing on past comps but that is not a huge concern of mine.

Here is what I have in mind :
CPU : C2D 6400 2.14 Ghz Budget ~$240

Ram : 2GB DDR2 800 budget ~ $300

Mobo:I would really like some advice here. I prefer an Intel chipset, 965 or 975, not sure which is better for my apps. Integrated sound. and Integrated ethernet for cable connection. Budget ~ $150-240

Video : 7950 GT 512mb or 7900GS
- I prefer Nvidia, they have never disappointed me in the past. I don't want to spend more then ~$300 on a vid card with the understanding I may want a new card after DX10.

Display: Samsung 20" LCD native 1600 x 1200 resolution ( I am currently using this now)

Case and P.S : please recommend something here. It doesn't need to be fancy, but if lights up or looks neat, that's a bonus. Budget ~$100-150 max

DvD : 16x DL RW with all the +'s and -'s
- suggestion for a reliable DvD would be appreciated budget ~ $100-125


H.D. please recommend, I don't need anything more then 160Gb as I have an older 80gb IDE drive with over 50% free. I just need something faster that won't create a bottleneck for me. Budget ~$70-100

Total budget ~ $1200- 1400 but that's not in stone. I could go higher if I underestimated something I would really need.

Thanks in advance for taking your time to help me out.

- tyran

 

[aggiemt]

I'm in the same boat, so let me tell you what I am building. All of this was recommended by a friend that does some serious gaming, and understands that I want a system that will last.

Processor: Core 2 Duo 6700 ~ $500

MOBO: ECS nForce 570 SLIT-A Mobo ~ $95 (yes it's cheap, but it fits my needs)

Memory: Kingston Hyper X 1GB ~ Not sure what the regular price is, my friend gets a discount because he works for Dell.

Case: Yup, it reminds me of the 80's!

http://3btech.net/alchx9gacawi.html

Dvd: Lite-On SHM-165H6S ~ $50

HDD: Western Digital Raptor 74 GB ~ $160

You could get any of the SATA WD or Maxtor drives for under $70 with more than enough space for your needs.

Video: I am having the same debate with myself, so I have no suggestions there.


Please let me know which video card you decide on and why.

To all those out there that delight in being mean, please think about how it reflects on Tom's Hardware.

 

[The_Prophecy]

Suggested Changes:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 <--- The only 2 Core 2 chips worth buying are the 6300 and 6600. They can easily be overclocked to the clock speed of the next highest chip. Saving the cash here is definitly worth it IMO.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3

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

Video Card: If you're interested in DX10, DO NOT GET A HIGH END CARD NOW. You're only throwing money away by doing that. Save yourself a lot of cash and get a 7600GT for now.

Case: Antec Sonata II

Optical Drive: NEC ND-3550A <--- Best burnable DVD's I have found are those made by TDK. not once have I ever had a bad burn because of the disk itself with them.

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160GB SATA