gaming pc specs

[mikeyg]

alright ladies and gents. its time to bring out the computer building skills.
i am interested in building my own gaming pc. i have been doing extensive research into the different parts and pricings. typically the system i spec out comes out to around 2000 dollars which is a little more than i was hoping to spend. so now i ask all of you. please email me or post specs to your current pcs, a new pc you had i mind, or just your dream specs. the only specs i have truly made my mind on are the graphics card and cpu. for the graphics card i am looking at the geforce 8800 GTS (the GTX is just a little too pricey), if not the 8800 then one with comporable abilities, directx 10 (crysis baby!!!). and as for the cpu i have been thinking the intel core 2 duo E6600 (nice specs and still in my price range). but again everything is up in the air. all i really want is to rock out crysis to its full potential. so please, lend me your thoughts, from one gamer to another.

i thank you

 

[sprite]

Current:

AMD 3500
Epox EP 9NPAJ SLI
1GB PC3200 RAM
X800XT
160GB HDD
18X DVD RW
Hiper Type R 580w
Case

Planned: (next week )

E4300
Gigabyte DS3
2GB 800MHz RAM
X800XT (Unitl 8600 Ultra)
Same as above

 

[sweetpants]

My specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo e6300 - 184
Gigabyte 965-P DS3 - 120 (roughly)
2x512MB PQI DDR2 533 - had it lying around
ATI Radeon X1900XTX - 240
Rosewill 600w PSU - I believe this was 89
Seagate 300GB HD - about.. 89-100?
this - as a case. - which came in at 90 bucks.
I've been recycling my optical drive for about 4 years now but it finally gave up on me. Which is fine. First time a Lite On has finally failed on me.

I found the system to be well within my budget. The only thing that might not fit in a tight budget was the X1900XTX but I was able to gnab it a few months ago for 239.

Also may want to factor in that 2GB of DDR2 memory is going to run you about 240.

If you're into overclocking, the e4300 prices will be dropping, and it's a huge contender if you want to overclock. If not, the e6420 would be a nice one too, a good bit of L2 cache.

If you want the DX10 now, by all means grab the 8800. I don't know how soon DX10 is going to be implemented into... well.. anything so I'm in no hurry to grab a DX10 card (considering there is only 1).

 

[Cerro]

My last build (which has now died after 3 years):

P4 2.8Ghz
Abit IS7 Mobo
2x512Mb Corsair XMS DDR Ram
Sapphire X1600Pro 512Mb (Was originally a Gainward FX5600 Ultra 256Mb)
2x 120GB Maxtor S-ATA (Raid 0)
Sony Combo Drive
MSI Dual layer DVD writer 16x/8x
Cheap case and PSU
- Added: 300Gb Maxtor

Planned Build (as soon as I can get it)

E4300 (overclocked target of 2.8Ghz)
Nforce 680i Mobo (see my thread about the 680i mobo's for what one)
2x1Gb Corsair Dominator DDR2 1066
74Gb Raptor
3x Samsung Spinpoint 500Gb (Raid 5 - with any luck on a 680i)
Gigabyte 7900GS 256Mb (eventually going to a DX10 Card SLI setup)
Hiper 730W PSU
Gigabyte Aurora Case (black)
- Taking my DVD drives across until S-ATA opticals start arriving but the new ones will be LiteOns
- E4300 will eventually be replaced with a Quad Core FSB1333

 

[sweetpants]

sounds like a good plan and setup...

Are the 680i boards pricey? Maybe I'll be saving up for the next couple of months and just give my g/f my current setup so that it gives me an excuse to build another one

 

[Cerro]

sounds like a good plan and setup...

Are the 680i boards pricey? Maybe I'll be saving up for the next couple of months and just give my g/f my current setup so that it gives me an excuse to build another one

680i boards range from around £150-230. Although if you wait a couple months they will surely come down in price and will be more reliable with the next revision. However if you want a cheap one and don't need SLI you can just go with a 650i, depends what you want in the future. The Gigabyte board I really want should be around £170-190