Hi all,
I haven't built a system in years, but I've decided it's time to upgrade. I've learned a lot reading this forum, so I thought I would post my shopping list so far, and see what kind of feedback I can get.
I'll be using this machine for gaming, programming, video editing, and of course surfing the Interwebs. My budget is flexible, and I want a snappy, responsive system, but I don't need the most power in the world, and I don't want to throw away money. So here's what I have planned, along with prices in Canadian $.
Intel Conroe E6300 Core2 Duo (1.86Ghz) $ 231.00
BFG4 GeForce 8800GTS 320MB PCI-e OC Edition $ 399.00
ASUS P5N32-E SLI - MB-AS-P5N32-E SLI $ 281.00
Corsair 520W Power Supply $ 121.00
Seagate 320GB Barracuda SATA 3Gb/s $ 99.99
Seagate 320GB Barracuda SATA 3Gb/s $ 99.99
RAM: 2GB ??? ???
I've chosen the most basic Core 2 Duo because I know the Core 2 kicks ass and I believe it'll be adequate for most games. I'm considering bumping it up to an E6400 for $50. But I'm not interested in the E6600 mainly because it's an extra $100, and as a developer I don't want to spoil myself with the larger 4MB cache. A couple years from now, I'll upgrade at least to a quad core anyway, but it's not necessary today.
Chose a basic 8800 also because I know the 8800 kicks ass and is DX10 ready. But I think the low end is enough for me. I'm wary of games needing more than 320MB and if they do, I'm not likely to play 'em. (Honestly, right now I'm just thinking of finishing Half-Life 2.) And I don't think I need more stream processors or a higher clock because I don't need a super FPS edge. I know this is already a great card. Plus the BFG is clocked slightly higher than other cards at the same price, and there's a $30 mail-in rebate on it right now. A couple years from now, I'm sure I'll be upgrading again too.
Chose this particular mobo because I'm attracted to the nForce 680 chipset. I like the integrated Gigabit ethernet. I hope this means that when I'm transfering files, it won't tax my CPU as much compared to other chipsets. For video editing, in my mind RAID 0 is a must. It's a pricey motherboard compared to many alternatives but I think it'll have legs - I'll be able to plug new components for the next few years. It already supports a 1333 MHz FSB.
Took two HD for RAID 0. I don't need fault tolerance here, just performance. I have a network backup anyway. Amusingly, my backup machine will have less storage than this machine. But these HDs are just so cheap. Chose the Seagate because it has a 16 MB cache compared to 8 on a 320GB Western Digital.
I haven't researched RAM yet. There are so many different types out there now... All I know is that I want two 1 GB sticks. This is the next thing I have to figure out. It's fairly important because RAM is always a system bottleneck, but I don't want to waste money either.
Being a programmer I'm going to want to triple-boot Vista, XP and maybe some kind of Linux. Maybe older Windows too, for compatibility testing. Going to explore virtualization, but I figure I can sort that out later.
Another thing too is the case. I haven't seen any that I like. I know I want easily disassembly, front USB (maybe audio?), good circulation and sturdy build. And I don't want a folding front cover panel - pretty tired of those things, they just seem to get in the way.
I'd love it if anyone can comment on any of these choice. I still have a little research left to do, but maybe someone can help save me time, or educate me on better choices I'm overlooking.
Thanks!
I haven't built a system in years, but I've decided it's time to upgrade. I've learned a lot reading this forum, so I thought I would post my shopping list so far, and see what kind of feedback I can get.
I'll be using this machine for gaming, programming, video editing, and of course surfing the Interwebs. My budget is flexible, and I want a snappy, responsive system, but I don't need the most power in the world, and I don't want to throw away money. So here's what I have planned, along with prices in Canadian $.
Intel Conroe E6300 Core2 Duo (1.86Ghz) $ 231.00
BFG4 GeForce 8800GTS 320MB PCI-e OC Edition $ 399.00
ASUS P5N32-E SLI - MB-AS-P5N32-E SLI $ 281.00
Corsair 520W Power Supply $ 121.00
Seagate 320GB Barracuda SATA 3Gb/s $ 99.99
Seagate 320GB Barracuda SATA 3Gb/s $ 99.99
RAM: 2GB ??? ???
I've chosen the most basic Core 2 Duo because I know the Core 2 kicks ass and I believe it'll be adequate for most games. I'm considering bumping it up to an E6400 for $50. But I'm not interested in the E6600 mainly because it's an extra $100, and as a developer I don't want to spoil myself with the larger 4MB cache. A couple years from now, I'll upgrade at least to a quad core anyway, but it's not necessary today.
Chose a basic 8800 also because I know the 8800 kicks ass and is DX10 ready. But I think the low end is enough for me. I'm wary of games needing more than 320MB and if they do, I'm not likely to play 'em. (Honestly, right now I'm just thinking of finishing Half-Life 2.) And I don't think I need more stream processors or a higher clock because I don't need a super FPS edge. I know this is already a great card. Plus the BFG is clocked slightly higher than other cards at the same price, and there's a $30 mail-in rebate on it right now. A couple years from now, I'm sure I'll be upgrading again too.
Chose this particular mobo because I'm attracted to the nForce 680 chipset. I like the integrated Gigabit ethernet. I hope this means that when I'm transfering files, it won't tax my CPU as much compared to other chipsets. For video editing, in my mind RAID 0 is a must. It's a pricey motherboard compared to many alternatives but I think it'll have legs - I'll be able to plug new components for the next few years. It already supports a 1333 MHz FSB.
Took two HD for RAID 0. I don't need fault tolerance here, just performance. I have a network backup anyway. Amusingly, my backup machine will have less storage than this machine. But these HDs are just so cheap. Chose the Seagate because it has a 16 MB cache compared to 8 on a 320GB Western Digital.
I haven't researched RAM yet. There are so many different types out there now... All I know is that I want two 1 GB sticks. This is the next thing I have to figure out. It's fairly important because RAM is always a system bottleneck, but I don't want to waste money either.
Being a programmer I'm going to want to triple-boot Vista, XP and maybe some kind of Linux. Maybe older Windows too, for compatibility testing. Going to explore virtualization, but I figure I can sort that out later.
Another thing too is the case. I haven't seen any that I like. I know I want easily disassembly, front USB (maybe audio?), good circulation and sturdy build. And I don't want a folding front cover panel - pretty tired of those things, they just seem to get in the way.
I'd love it if anyone can comment on any of these choice. I still have a little research left to do, but maybe someone can help save me time, or educate me on better choices I'm overlooking.
Thanks!