First budget gaming build- can you guys check it over?

[MichealDLR]

This will be my first build, upgrading from an old P4 Dell

A friend has a 2.7ghz Opteron 165/s939/7900GS setup that seems fast enough to me. He said that I can get better performance for less money now that RAM and CPU prices are down. He said the Core 2 processors are superior, but the cheapest one I found was the e4300 for $114, and $40+ for an aftermarket HSF.

Anyways, I would like to keep it around $800.

Here is my list from Newegg.com:

$60 - AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane 1.9GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103036

$40 - Scythe SCNJ-1100P 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835185038

$100 - EVGA 122-M2-NF59-TR Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813188016

$75 - GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820144062

$270 - PNY VCG88GTS32XPB GeForce 8800GTS 320MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814133193

$77 - FSP Group Blue Storm II 500 ATX 2.2V 500W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817104034

$80 Seagate 320gb SATA 7200rpm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148140

$3 18" SATA cable
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812104150

$8 - Dynatron 80mm PCI Slot Case Cooler (under the 8800GTS)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811999704

$6 - Arctic Silver 5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

$5 HDD cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835185003

$5.50 Anti-static band
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261005

$55 - Rosewill 0.8mm SECC Screw-less Dual 120mm Fans Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811147038

I really like these aluminum cases, but I don't know if I can handle the $100 price tag. Are they really worth it? Do they look better in person (I know brushed looks great, any hi res photos somwhere?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112068
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112022

I'm also debating if I should just go all out (for me) and spend the extra $100+ and get the e4300 and the aluminum case?

My friend said that Crysis and another game will take advantage of quad cores and that Intel is supposed to release a cheap quad core later this year. Does AMD have anything like that planned?

Either way I would like to overclock a fair amount.

He also said that I'll need Vista for the new DX10 games and that I might think about getting 4gb in dual channel since Vista need like one minimum. Is he right? If so can I use 4x1gb sticks or is 2x2gb better?

Any opinions or helpfull hints?

 

[JamieMole]

hey dude, ill do up a list of things i would get if i was on an $800 budget. btw, do u already have a monitor, k\b n' mouse?

 

[prof_chaos]

cpu - go for the e4300 cpu, especially since you want to overclock. I got one of them up to 3.2ghz easy on stock cooling.
memory - 2gb will be fine. just get that much and buy another set if you decide you need 4 later on.
psu - $60 for a 550W rosewill psu on newegg.
case - don't get sucked into the hype and get a $100 case when you're on a budget. if you're worried about cooling, just do what i do & leave the side panel off

 

[JamieMole]

CPU: Core2Duo E4400 (it has a nicer mutiplier) $139
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 ( great to overclock with) $119
Ram:GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR26400 ( was nothing wrong with this selection ) $76
Video Card: MSI X1950Pro 512mb ( i wouldn't bother with finding a Dx10 card rite now as the performance is pretty crappy on lower end models, this card will tide you over till you can afford a nice new model.) $159
HDD: WD 320gb 7200.10 (didn't know if u wanted one or not) $80
DVD Drive:SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R Black SATA (same with this) $25
PSU: Silverstone ST60F 600w (great powersupply, ive got one ) $119
Case:Thermaltake SOPRANO VB1000BWS Black (mate has one and its decent enough) $80

Total is $797

Pretty damn decent build IMO. any critics are welcome. Hope this helps you with choices, and aluminum cases are nice

 

[bigblack]

The E4300 on stock cooling is fine until you reach 2.6-2.8 Ghz. After that it is risky and you need a better cooler.

The Gigabyte 965 DS3 will suit you fine, but get a P35 mobo for future proof.

Don't get a fancy case, a $50 Centurion will fit everything and look cool

The memory you have selected is ok for any build.

Don't go cheap on the PSU, select something good from here:
http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&all=1&t=222154&postdays=0&postorder=asc
Look for 40 A on the 12V rail.

Get a cheap 1950Pro or a 7900GS for now, until DX10 games are out and tested against various hardware. By new year's time you will do a better selection with new models around and real benchmarks to help you choose. It will also be cheaper! The guessing game and hyped announcements can lead you to a bad choice and waste of money.

A sata DVDRW and a sata disc of your choice.

Ready to go...