Looking for Advice on Gaming Comp

[Martyrdom]

Hey, This is my first "High End" gaming comp i've put together, after doing some research and reading I came up with a system I hope is suffient. I was hoping to get some input, just to make sure the parts are gonna match up and all work =p

Proc - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Motherboard - EVGA NFORCE 680I SLI LGA775
Memory - Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS26400 PC2-6400 Dominator 800mhz
GPU - BFG 8800GTX
Power Supply - Thermaltake Toughpower 700W
HardDrive - Raptor 150gig 10,000RPM OR 250gig WD Caviar 7200/16meg
Case - http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Chassis/midtower/matrixvx/vd3000bwa.asp#
Optical Drive - Plextor 18X DVD±R DVD Burner

The only thing im really worried about is the case. Should I be going to a full tower or will the mid tower give me enough room?
and, perhaps the MB, I really do like the 680i Chipset but maybe going with the 975x is the safe bet.

Thanks a lot for your input! its really appreciated.

 

[qwazzy]

The X6800 isn't worth its money. My E6600 can OC beyond the X6800's speed. The E6600 is the "sweet spot".

 

[i_hate_flying]

Definitely not. Using the E6600, one doesn't even need any special cooling or expensive ram to at least meet the speed of the X6800 (surpassing that of the E6700 in the process).

 

[phamily]

yea, the x6800 is definately not worth the money when even the 6300 can even surpass the 6800. I'd say what they are saying.. e6600 FTW!

 

[Theangryurchin]

Why not get the 6300 or 6400 overclock it like hell spend 50 bucks on a fan and use teh rest to get the 8800gtx


I mean look at the stats with that Cpu you might only get 2-4 % increase FPS wise, but by spending that money on a Video card you can get a whole shit load, i would never go above the 6600, and the only reason i'd suggest that is so you get the 4mb cache.

 

[Martyrdom]

Thanks, I've made the changes to the specs of my machine. I think i will go with the 6600 now, Perhaps the 6700 if there is room in the budget.

How does everything else look now that we've found the best proc.

 

[donnagual]

That is exactly the same mobo, cpu and ram I am currently using.

I am currently using stock cooling, and have overclocked to 3.0Ghz (faster than the E6800). It will overclock much more but I don't want to push it with the stock cooling, and 3.0Ghz is plenty fast.

 

[akhilles]

Drop the case. Heck, skip all micro/mid towers. Get yourself a full tower case. Install the drives on lower bays if the case is on a desk/table. Aluminum would be great.

 

[i_hate_flying]

Drop the case. Heck, skip all micro/mid towers. Get yourself a full tower case. Install the drives on lower bays if the case is on a desk/table. Aluminum would be great.

I LOVE my Matrix VX. It has fit everything I need so far. I've got two hard drives in there, a DVD burner, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum with the front I/O hub, a floppy disk/card reader drive, the 8800 GTX, and the rest that you're planning on getting (ram, psu and mobo) without problems. It also has 8 usb ports, six in the back and two in the front. As for firewire, I've got that too: one in the front and one in the back. The case is aluminum, it's really light (like 3.8kg or 8lbs), lots of large 120mm fans (the case comes with two, plus add in the one from the psu, the one on the graphics card, and the one on the aftermarket cooler!). Best of all, the case is not big and can fit anywhere. I've seen the mid- and full-towers and they're ridiculously huge. PS: you can get the Matrix VX with a side window, or just an aluminum side with air holes.

Hope this helps you.

 

[outlw6669]

Thanks, I've made the changes to the specs of my machine. I think i will go with the 6600 now, Perhaps the 6700 if there is room in the budget.

How does everything else look now that we've found the best proc.

If there is room in the budget get a better HS, not a E6700.
E6600 + 680i mb = way past X6800

Don't waste your money on anything more than a E6600.

BTW
Full Towers Rock

 

[enforcerfx]

Hey, This is my first "High End" gaming comp i've put together, after doing some research and reading I came up with a system I hope is suffient. I was hoping to get some input, just to make sure the parts are gonna match up and all work =p

Proc - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Motherboard - EVGA NFORCE 680I SLI LGA775
Memory - Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS26400 PC2-6400 Dominator 800mhz
GPU - BFG 8800GTX
Power Supply - Thermaltake Toughpower 700W
HardDrive - Raptor 150gig 10,000RPM OR 250gig WD Caviar 7200/16meg
Case - http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Chassis/midtower/matrixvx/vd3000bwa.asp#
Optical Drive - Plextor 18X DVD±R DVD Burner

The only thing im really worried about is the case. Should I be going to a full tower or will the mid tower give me enough room?
and, perhaps the MB, I really do like the 680i Chipset but maybe going with the 975x is the safe bet.

Thanks a lot for your input! its really appreciated.

Change/Add a few things.

Case: Drop that for the Thermaltake Armor or Kandalf. Your insured that it will have much more room than a matrix will for the 8800. Not to mention better cooling.

Harddrive: Consider getting one of these as a backup storage. Believe me, if your into games, 150GB are gonna go quick:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140

Its also fast too.

As for your processor. Keep the 6600. With a Arctic cooler 7, some thermal paste or a Scythe Ninja, expect to exceed the X6800's performance by a long shot.

By the way, what monitor do you plan to use on this beast? I would recommend any monitor providing 1600x1200 resolution or better.

Have fun.

 

[Martyrdom]

Thanks! This helps a lot.
As for a Monitor! thats a whole different post. But i've just got a 26" Samsung Widescreen LCD that is doing the trick for me right now.
Some games support the widescreen others dont. But it does the trick preatty well. I'll take a couple suggesions for a new one though =)

 

[enforcerfx]

26' LCD huh. Well no adjustments there. Your set. Have fun