Time for a new rig, please critique!

[xerin7]

My pc died a few months ago and I've been limping along with a laptop, waiting for R600. After today's announcement of yet ANOTHER delay, I decided it is time to pull the trigger. This PC will be used ONLY for gaming (no office applications, no movies, no music). Please share your thoughts, and if you know of any better prices I can get on parts let me know.

CPU: Intel Core2 E6600, $314

HSF: Scythe Ninja?, $44
(looking for a quiet but effective HSF for mild OC to 3.0GHZ, not sure on this one because it is so big and may be hard to install on a non-removable motherboard)

Video Card: EVGA 8800GTX, $585

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (P965 chipset) *V3.3*, $133

Memory: (looking for recommendations - I am leaning toward 4GB, which I believe will help more in Vista than 2GB. Would you recommend 2x2GB or 4x1GB?

Sound Card: Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty, $84 (already bought)

Hard Drive 1: WD Raptor X 150GB (ADFD version with 16MB cache), $199

Hard Drive 2: Seagate Barracuda 320GB, $95

DVD Burner: Samsung 18x, $45

Case: Lian Li-777, $252 (already bought)

PSU: Seasonic m12-600, $160

Operating System: Vista 32 or 64 (would love to go 64 if it works with these components and Vanguard, LOTR online, Crysis)

Monitor: (looking for recommendations on a quality 24" lcd...Benq FP241VW if available, Samsung 245T, Dell 2407WFP?)

Mouse: Logitech G5, $41

Mousepad: (recommendations for a good gaming mousepad?)

Keyboard: Logitech G15, $72

Thanks!

 

[akhilles]

All other selected parts look good. Is this the case?

http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/Memorial_model/M_M_PC-777.htm

Scythe Ninja is a very good HSF. It beats out the majority of 775 coolers in terms of cooling & noise. The other good ones are TT Big Typhoon, Zalman 9500/9700, AC Freezer Pro 7, etc. You can google them & you'll find Ninja at the top or near the top of the lists.

This is fine for light to moderate overclock (267-333Mhz FSB). At 333mhz fsb, the cpu will be at 333 x 9 = 2997 or 3Ghz. Get 2 of this kit:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145015

32-bit windows won't see more than 3.5gb of memory. 4gb will help multitasking.

From what I've heard, R600 may not be out in April. Knowing Ati, they'll have delays. You could also buy a cheap x1950pro/7900gs & upgrade to R600 when it comes out.

 

[ibigfire]

Personally, I love anything from http://www.xtracpads.com/ They have something to suit your exact preferences. I'm in Canada, so I only know that tigerdirect.ca carries all of their pads, but they have links for wherever you wanna buy it from.

 

[xerin7]

Yes, that is the case - I wanted something different this time around and really like this one.

My only concern about the Scythe Ninja is that it takes a lot of space and can be difficult to install if the mb isn't removable. Are there other HSFs with similar silence/cooling that are easier to install?

Thanks for the link to the Corsair memory and the Xtracpad site

Any other advice/suggestions/criticism?

 

[Lazarus7]

I personally like the cyber snipa mousepad

http://www.atruereview.com/cyber_snipa/mouse_pad.php

Kinda cool looking too

 

[alcattle]

Your case is much deeper than normal, so no problem on the HCF, I got a G50B and thought it was very wide but your is 80 mm more. Nice looking, but unusual. Good luck on the build.

 

[xerin7]

Cool, I may go for the Scythe then...any thoughts on the 2GB/4GB question or which 24" monitor to go with?

 

[alcattle]

Unless there was a burning need to buy 4 GB now like you got the dough and won't have it again for 2 years. 2 GB is fine for alomst anyone, and gaming would be NP.

Monitors - no clue I buy whatever is on sale :?

 

[xerin7]

Do you think I can comfortably get to 3GHz on the stock HSF without needing to by an after-market cooler?

 

[enforcerfx]

Hard to say. The Scythe should fit though, seeming your case is rather large.

Go for 2GB for now. If you feel you need more, buy another set.

The Dell 24' monitor seems the best choice as for monitors in that range.

For mousepad, I like the Steelpad 5L:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817114706

In my opinion on Vista, I would wait till a Service pack is released with Vista. Usually more if not all the bugs are gone by then, and should be efficient enough. Your choice on 32 or 64 bit though.

Overall, a nice setup. Have fun

 

[xerin7]

Thanks for the tips If I do go with 4GB, what do you think about this 2x2GB kit from Geil:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144060

DDR2 800
Cas 5
Timing 5-5-5-15

Anyone know if this will work with the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3?

 

[akhilles]

No reason it won't work. It's 1.8v. Works with every ddr2 mobo out of the box.

 

[xerin7]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your input! I ordered my parts over the weekend and am looking forward to building my new rig soon