Help Old dude with gaming pc

[rabban]

Whenever I get some free time I like to play games like Total War with high quality graphic setting.

My gaming PC just died so I'm looking to build a new one that I'll use for work and gaming (I bring work at home and yes I need to get a life).

Because of my limited time I thought I would just get a Dell Dimension XPS 710. But my wife reminded me that one of my girls is getting in private school in September and therefore I need to bring the price down a little.

I'm not building for the future because in 2 years or so this PC will probably end-up in some dumpster. No need for SLI I think.

I have no time for overclocking, watercooling, upgrading and most of all NO TIME TO TROUBLESHOOT. This thing needs to be very stable and somewhat silent.


Intel Core 2 Duo E6600

Mobo ??????
Cant figure that one out. I want quality, good sound, good for gaming, latest techno, good price and STABLE....

evga GeForce 8800GTX 768MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072
Is that overkill ?????

XP Pro 32 (upgrade to vista ultimate 32 in a few months)

2 x Mushkin PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146599

2x WD Caviar RE16 320GB RAID Edition (RAID1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822144408

Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

Silverstone Temjin E-ATX Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163035
Any suggestion for a super silent case ???

Scythe Mine REV.B Heatpipe CPU Heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185037
I sure hope it's silent...

Thermalright HR-05-SLI Copper Heatsinks only
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109131
I'm thinking one less little fan but is it worth the trouble ??

Coolermaster Ultra Silent Fan 120MM 13DBA (a bunch)

A dvd burner and a dvd drive.

That's what I have so far. I'm lost in all the Mobo options, I really need help on that one.

I want a silent pc but I'm not sure how to do it without watercooling. I usually end-up with PCs louder than my car. Any input welcome.

 

[miahallen]

You have some pretty good gear listed.

Here's a helpful guide you could easily build a nice rig for under $2000.

For tons of useful information concerning making a computer quiet, look here!

 

[NamronSllim]

I'm a 49 year old gaming dude these young whippersnappers allways pwn me in most of the stuff I play but it's a blast here are a couple I know about my son has the S3 Gigabyte board with no problems at all. Get the GTX I have one and it's a great card good for at least 3 yrs.




http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128015


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128042

 

[prof_chaos]

You could get an Antec P180 case. They're designed to dampen the sound of your rig + they're very nice.

 

[apt403]

2 x Mushkin PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146599

So you're getting 4gb? You need a 64bit to utilize 4gb of ram, a 32bit os will only be able to use ~3gb of it. So get 64bit Vista instead when you upgrade.

If you're not oc'ing why are you getting the HR-05? That's a north bridge cooler, which you don't need unless you're oc'ing.

Instead of the Coolermaster fans, get a couple 800 rpm Noctua ones. The Coolermaster ones are quiet, but they move a piss poor amount of air. The Noctua fan is a little louder, but it moves almost 4x more air.

If you want a silent hsf get a Thermalright Ultra 120 fromo Xoxide, only $10 more then the Ninja. It can be used a passively cooled hsf, so it's completely silent.

 

[Surferosa]

I'm not building for the future because in 2 years or so this PC will probably end-up in some dumpster. No need for SLI I think....

Thats a pretty kick arse-rig youve specd.. you could save a load of money on the cost of that (check out the budget builds thread). Having said that, if you price it out and can afford it- go for it.

The DS3 is probably the board to go for the price (Gigabyte). And the only way we cam say if the GTX is overkill is if we know what resolution your gaming at (for example, I use mine with dual-view monitors running at 1680x1050 and 1280x1024). If your using a single monitor lower than 1680 res- its overkill.

I have no time for overclocking, watercooling, upgrading and most of all NO TIME TO TROUBLESHOOT. This thing needs to be very stable and somewhat silent.

Ive built many pcs- and I cant remember one where I didnt have to troubleshoot. And for me overclocking = saving money. My E6600 kicks out the performance of a $1000 chip. You could get a E6300 that comes close with a little effort. So it depends on what objective is more important- saving money or saving time.

And I'll second the P180.. its a great case.

 

[Mousemonkey]

I'd like to put a vote in for the Abit AB9 Pro motherboard (Single PCI-e & silent heatpipes on chipsets!)

 

[rabban]

Thanks to everybody for your help.

The Abit AB9 Pro motherboard looks interesting, I saw great reviews.