building my very first system. i've been using this dell 8200 for about 5 years or so and i'm just realizing now that i have an outdated system. i spend a good amount of time on the computer, so why not go out and splurge a lil. i'm pretty much new to all of this and have been trolling the forums for a while now, which might i add is full of useful info as well as great members! plan is to make a pretty good gaming rig. i play mmorpg and fps games. also, going to overclock a bit. don't really have a budget, just don't wanna spent a crazy amount. let's keep it under 2k. listed the parts below along with some colorful commentary. all tips, advice, and comments welcome. thanks!
* case: antec nine hundred
looks are subjective, but this case grew on me the more i saw it. cooling on it seems great and i got it for a steal at $100.
* mobo:
eVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
i'm not sure which motherboard to go with. i know tons of people have gone with the p5w and have been successful with it, but i've read a few great reviews of the evga nforce 680i and it's great ability to overclock. the price different isn't much so i'm confused on this one. also wanting to go evga 8800gtx graphics card later, so i'd be nice to match mobo with gpu. i like to coordinate. which mobo should i go with? :O k ended up buying the evga nforce 680i.
* cpu: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775
* cooling: ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball Blue LED Light CPU Cooler
i know everyone rates the scythe brands better, but this thing is soooo sexy. can't resist it! not sure if it'll fit the evga n680i board though.
* gpu: PNY VCG7900SXPB GeForce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
got this card for $150. i was originally going to go for the x1950 pro, but it's going for $180+, so this was a much better deal. i am planning to upgrade to the 8800gtx later on anyways.
* psu: OCZ / GameXStream / 700-Watt Power Supply
i think 700w is overkill, but got some rebates with this at tigerdirect and it was cheaper than the 600w at newegg, so i thought what the hell.
* ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
this looks to be the ram to get with oc'ing. read lots of members getting good results with this one.
* hdd: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
may add another driver later, not sure what the fuss about raid setup is all about. isn't that for servers? me thinks i don't need it.
* dvd/cd writer: NEC Black 18X DVD Burner
* speakers: Logitech X-530 70 watts RMS 5.1 Black Speaker System
* mouse: RAZER Copperhead Blue 7 USB Laser Tempest Gaming Mouse
this mouse looks great, the equivalent logitech mouse doesn't look as nice. it has that weird burnt orange look that's just fugly.
* keyboard: Logitech G15 2-Tone 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Keyboard
toss up between this and the saitek's eclipse 2. i think this one just looks better with a bit more function.
* monitor:
Acer® 22" Flat Panel Display Monitor (AL2216WBD)
wanted the dell 24' lcd monitor, but price is way too high at the moment. got this for about $300+. may return it if i find a better deal on black friday.
:lol:
* case: antec nine hundred
looks are subjective, but this case grew on me the more i saw it. cooling on it seems great and i got it for a steal at $100.
* mobo:
eVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
i'm not sure which motherboard to go with. i know tons of people have gone with the p5w and have been successful with it, but i've read a few great reviews of the evga nforce 680i and it's great ability to overclock. the price different isn't much so i'm confused on this one. also wanting to go evga 8800gtx graphics card later, so i'd be nice to match mobo with gpu. i like to coordinate. which mobo should i go with? :O k ended up buying the evga nforce 680i.
* cpu: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775
* cooling: ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball Blue LED Light CPU Cooler
i know everyone rates the scythe brands better, but this thing is soooo sexy. can't resist it! not sure if it'll fit the evga n680i board though.
* gpu: PNY VCG7900SXPB GeForce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
got this card for $150. i was originally going to go for the x1950 pro, but it's going for $180+, so this was a much better deal. i am planning to upgrade to the 8800gtx later on anyways.
* psu: OCZ / GameXStream / 700-Watt Power Supply
i think 700w is overkill, but got some rebates with this at tigerdirect and it was cheaper than the 600w at newegg, so i thought what the hell.
* ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
this looks to be the ram to get with oc'ing. read lots of members getting good results with this one.
* hdd: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
may add another driver later, not sure what the fuss about raid setup is all about. isn't that for servers? me thinks i don't need it.
* dvd/cd writer: NEC Black 18X DVD Burner
* speakers: Logitech X-530 70 watts RMS 5.1 Black Speaker System
* mouse: RAZER Copperhead Blue 7 USB Laser Tempest Gaming Mouse
this mouse looks great, the equivalent logitech mouse doesn't look as nice. it has that weird burnt orange look that's just fugly.
* keyboard: Logitech G15 2-Tone 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Keyboard
toss up between this and the saitek's eclipse 2. i think this one just looks better with a bit more function.
* monitor:
Acer® 22" Flat Panel Display Monitor (AL2216WBD)
wanted the dell 24' lcd monitor, but price is way too high at the moment. got this for about $300+. may return it if i find a better deal on black friday.
:lol:
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