Old enthusiast trying to get back in the game - help plz

[xodustrance]

Ok, I have been an on and off enthusiast for some years.

My last mega build was an AMD 3200, 9800 pro, audigy 2, cl2 DDR 400.

Im trying to buy a system for christmas, and I was hoping to get some advice.

The components I have put together are:

2x mushkin 512MB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) System Memory Model 991509 - Retail 3-3-3-10 timings

ASUS P5N-E SLI Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 1066/1333 FSB

EVGA
eVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail

Does this seem like a logical build?

Does anyone know of any issues or reasons to change a component?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I have been out of building pc's for a while. And when NF2 AMD chipsets were it, I new quite a few ways to save money without sacrificing performance, so maybe I missing something nice with all this new hardware.

 

[xodustrance]

First thing I noticed just now, the vid card has PCIe power connectors. So Im assuming I need a new PSU as well.

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Not only that, but enough to power the thing. You should be looking at a 650watt or higher PSU, but everything else looks good!

What case are you going to go with? or will you be keeping the same one?

 

[xodustrance]

I am gonna use my case now cuz it is pretty big, and build and HTPC around the AMD.

thanks for the headsup on the PSU wattage. Im looking at an Thermaltake 600W or higher.

 

[mapex]

for the vid card make sure that the power supply has +12 Volt current rating of 28 Amps, more would be better as that's just the minimum listed for the GTX. Are you planning on upgrading to Vista when it comes out? Personally it i was to get a dx10 card now, i'd get the GTS as it's fairly comparable at $190 less.

 

[leo2kp]

Honestly I'd go with the 8800GTS and get another 1GB memory, or just get 2GB memory with the 8800GTX (if money wasn't an issue). I wouldn't go anywhere under 2GB if you're gaming, and it looks that way with the kind of card you're looking at.

I play an online MMO with 512mb video and 2GB RAM and I'm using 1.4GB on the game alone. I think you'll really appreciate the extra RAM.

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

which one if I might ask? WOW?

 

[jsc]

That is very similar to what I just received from newegg. Biggest difference was that I went for the 8800GTS and 2 GB of RAM.

 

[skyguy]

I agree. Even downsize the 6600 to a 6400, downsize the GTX to a GTS, and get another 1 gig of RAM.........you'll appreciate it far more than the performance "loss" of the other components. Unless you're gaming at ultra-high resolutions, the GTS will do just fine. You'll need the 2 gigs RAM more than a GTX for anything 1600 rez or lower by far.

"Any" PSU that's 600w or great will likely handle a GTX (and certainly a GTS). Just gotta make sure that the amperage on the 12V rail(s) is/are adequate. Most of them at that size and price range are.....but make sure. So it simply depends how much you want to spend at that point........OCZ, Seasonic, Corsair are some respectable PSU's that won't break the bank and can handle your system specs. The OCZ 700w, Seasonic 650/700w and the Corsair 620w should do the trick.

 

[leo2kp]

which one if I might ask? WOW?

Nope, Darkage of Camelot hehe. 1.4GB memory used with Windows XP Pro, AntiVir, AIM, and DAoC up.

I have a friend who's getting divorced cuz of WoW

 

[milnyckyj]

I also think 2 gigs of ram are a must.

 

[leo2kp]

I'd like to add that getting an E6600 would be benneficial for you for a number of reasons. First, it has a slightly higher OC potential. Second, it comes with 4MB L2 cache vs. 2MB L2 on the E6400, which translates from 2-17% performance increase in all areas of computing.

For a gaming rig like yours, the E6600 is the lowest I'd go. Up to you though!

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

I was hoping you were going to say Lineage 2. I played that until i reached top teir.,. always fun to meet someone from my server.

 

[PX7800GT]

a few things from me :
1- 2Gb PC6400 or DDRII 800 (2x1Gb)
2- GeForce 8800GTS instead of 8800GTX
3- i don`t know a thing about nForce650i chipset , but i`m going to upgrade to E6600 too & i`m not gonna spend lot on Motherboard...for me something like Gigabyte DS3 is enough...correct me if i`m wrong.
...ah , whatever...

 

[leo2kp]

Ah nope haven't played that one. I'm stuck to DAoC till Warhammer comes out /flex