How do I get the most bang for my buck?

[dt1000]

Hi there.
I'm putting together a new gaming rig as my old one got lost in the post (don't ask).

I've only got a finite amount of cash so I'm just trying to weigh up some options. Here is my ideal set-up...

CPU Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.66GHz / 4MB Cache / 1066MHz FSB
Mobo EVGA nForce 680i SLI NVIDIA Socket 775 ATX Motherboard
GPU XFX GeForce 880 GTX 768Mb
RAM Corsair 2048Mb DDR2 PC9500 (2x 1Gb pair)

Now unfortunately this is a teensy-weensy bit out of my budget so I was wondering, assuming I stick with the EVGA MoBo...

Which component do I downgrade in order to leave the best performance? Procssor, Graphics Card or RAM?

Is the superfast RAM worth the money?

Would dropping to a 2.4GHz processor hamper the graphics card?

If I get a GeForce 880 GTS could I add another one in SLI at a later date (i.e. when they are much cheaper and I have more cash) to really supe up performance?

Thanks for your help!
Yours,
Dan.

 

[Habeed]

This is easy. Drop the CPU down to an E6400, then overclock it up to 3.1 ghz. Get an 8800 GTS of course, because the extra $200 you save you can use to buy a new graphics card a year from now, after getting about $100-$200 back from selling your 8800 GTS on ebay. Doing it that way, you'll end up with a faster card than a mere 8800 GTX for the same money. (so in a year you'll buy whatever you can get for about $350-400)

Try Adata ram : it's cheaper but still good for overclocking. Same with the mobo : get a Gigabyte DS3 or an Asus mobo specifically for overclocking. Don't bother with SLI : again, so far it has been cheaper to just get single card solutions.

 

[Viceras]

Down grade the E6700 to the E6600, its basically the same chip, also wait a month for the DX10 budget cards. As for the RAM get the best you can it doesn't get out doubted quickly like Graphics Cards so it'll pay for itself.

 

[Bobsama]

Drop to an E6600 (recommended) or E4300 (half the price of E6600, similar OC potential). If you get the E6600, grab 2GB of Kingston Hyper-X DDR2 900. Its about $130/gig. Also, an after-market HSF for the CPU. If you get the E4300, get DDR2 800 or DDR2 667. The DDR2 667 has some value-RAM from Kingston. It is $85/gig and lets the E4300 overclock to at least 3ghz.

I would recommend the nForce 680i motherboard... you might want to wait a month and purchase a pair of GeForce 8600 Ultra's and put them in SLI. Numerous advantages; offload physics processing to the second GPU, 512mb-1gb of GDDR3 V-RAM (256bit), get 8800gtx-like preformance for $360 (compared to $600), and both cards are single-slot (iirc), so you'll save space.

I'd do the build in 1 month with...
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
2 x 1GB Kingston DDR2 667 RAM
nForce 680i motherboard (or 650i with all 6 rear audio jacks)
2 x GeForce 8600 Ultra in SLI
A good case
A low-end PSU
2 x 320GB Seagate Barracuda (7200.10 iirc) in RAID 0
DVD-ROM drive
DVD-R/RW/RAM drive
3.5" floppy and Flash combo reader

The 8800gtx is overkill unless you play on a 22+" widescreen. the 8800gts is the best bet if you do the build today. I would wait till early March and get the 8600 Ultra's as they're the most bang-for-your-buck and numerous advantages over a single card.

Don't forget to factor in Windows Vista for DX10 support and whatnot. Good luck!

 

[UAL3312]

Bang for buck. okay heres what i recomend

E6600 i have one at 3.4GHz stable very nice chip

eVGA 680i Motherboard. this board is FEATURE ridden the 680i chipset is amazing.

Corsair XMS PC6400 DDR2-800 on the 3-9-3-12 latency's fairly pricey near what the RAM you listed is. due to the low latencies this Ram will be good for overclocking plus it has really good timings.

as for Graphics go with the 8800GTX for sure, great card. go with eVGA though as they have a step-up program they have post poned it for 8800GTX users untill the 8900 is released! the way this works is they take what they're selling the brand new 8800 subtract that from the 8900 so 100 to 200 bucks or so you send your card back and walla!. new 8900 in the mail gotta love eVGA.