Need advice on new gaming system

[Dindas]

In about a week i'm going to have the money to build myself a new gaming system. I will have $1000 to spend, and that is including shipping....

I used to build alot of PCs but haven't messed with it in about 3 years or so, so i'm kinda out of the loop on all the new technologies. From what i have been reading i *really* want one of the new 8800's for the DX10 support. And i know that my wife is not going to let me spend ANYTHING on computer stuff for quite a while after this... so i want the DX10 card so i can play the new games coming up later this year.

This is what i was looking at far....just kinda tossed some stuff together to see where i landed. I came up to about $950, but that is also without Vista which i want to get for the DX10 support.

BFG GeForce 8800GTS $409.99

GIGABYTE GA-M55SLI-S4 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 89.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ $115

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) $100

SAMSUNG DVD Burner $29.99

Thermaltake TMG A3 92mm Enter CPU Cooler $19.99

Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $79.99

APEVIA X-CRUISER-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
COOLMAX "PCI Express" CXI-400B ATX v2.01 400W Power Supply
$104.98 for case/PS

So, that is where i am sitting....anyone have some suggestions?? Thanks in advance for the help!!

Jay

 

[akhilles]

newegg.com

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ AM2 $99.00
ASUS M2N-E Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP $92.99
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP $49.99
COOLER MASTER SAF-S12-E1 120mm Case Fan $7.99
HIPER HPU-4M480-PS 480W Power Supply $55.99

I'd get these instead. The 8800gts requires 400w & 26a. The Hiper should be enough for this.

 

[Dindas]

Thanks alot!! I was just looking around new egg and found a different setup...

What do you think of this instead?

CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103735

Mobo http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813127008

DVD Burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827151136

Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119077

HD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148142

Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814127225

Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817371002

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820231102

But i would like to save some money somewhere in here, cause i really would like to puchase Vista also. And it looks like i can get it from Newegg for $119 for the Home Premium version.

Thanks!!

 

[akhilles]

Home Prem is the best the average home user can ask for.

Your specs are much better. Sorry I picked the single core. Stick with X2. You're not a big fan of Asus. The board is about the same. How about this ram?

GeIL 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
$114.99
($99.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)

Brand GeIL
Model GX21GB6400UDC
Type 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
Capacity 1GB (2 x 512MB)
Speed DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Timing 4-4-4-12
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144027

The lower timings will make a difference.

 

[Dindas]

Thanks for the advice!! I was just wondering exactly what the timings do,a nd how do they make a difference? Like i said i have $1000 limit, with shipping, and i'm already about $36 over as it is...

Also, I have the Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V 550W PS in my price currently, but i see you suggested the HIPER HPU-4M480-PS ATX12V v2.2 480W Power Supply.

Would it be smarter to go with the antec, or the Hiper??

Also, can anyone see anyway for me to save money anywhere so i can afford Vista also? I'm gonna be bummed if i get this DX10 card, and i can't use DX10...

Thanks!!

 

[akhilles]

No problem.

To oversimplify, the lower timings mean it takes less time for the data to be processed. For the best results, lower timings should go with higher speed. i.e. 4-4-4-12 at DDR2-800Mhz. I believe it's quite important to encoding/decoding/compressing & decompressing. i.e. convert videos or unzipping files. But it also depends on the hard disk & cpu.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAM_latency

The Antec you picked isn't bad, but you can buy something cheaper & adequate for less.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

The 480w you mentioned is fine for 8800gts. If you upgrade the video to something more powerful down the road, it might be a good idea to get a 500w+ psu. If you're dead set on the 8800gts & no upgrade, 480w it is.

580W 38A combined
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817128003

480W 34A combined
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817128005

530W 37A combined
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817128006

500W 36A combined
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817811002

485W 32A combined
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194015

535W 34A combined
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103512

I don't know where you can cut corners. IMO, Vista is not ready yet. I'd wait for service pack 1/2. The main thing is driver support. I'd want stable drivers, not beta/alpha.

 

[alcattle]

it sounds like mama will close the window so if he does not get Vista now, it might be a couple years. You always help the beta team and the service are free except for a few more days of your time chases fixes.

I would really shop for the 8800 card, many places will be getting more models and prices will drop slightly, but not $125, sorry

 

[akhilles]

I'm aware of that. So he'll be stuck... with her?

The only area he could cut corners is video.

SAPPHIRE 100186L Radeon X1950XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 VIVO HDCP Video Card - Retail
$244.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102067

Or even an X1950PRO. He'd have over 100 bucks for Vista. That would defeat the purpose of Vista - DX10.

$1000 is way too little for a DX10 setup with Vista.

 

[Dindas]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm just gonna wait on Vista as it seems buggy as can be right now, and there won't even be any DX10 games out till later this year.