Building 1st Comp, help choosing GPU!

[UsernameTaken]

ok i'm new here and i'm building my very first computer! i have chosen every component except the GPU, so i'm not sure if this goes in general hardware or graphics cards.

am I allowed to post newegg links? that's where i'm buying from

i don't play games too often, but my friends and i sometimes play some older games. we play AvP2, warcraft 2/3, starcraft [& 2 when it comes out] and counter strike.

so here is my config:

Case
Cooler Master Elite 330- $39.99

PSU
Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W SLI Ready-ATX 12V V2.01 Power Supply- $74.99

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 Conroe 1.86GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail- $165.50

Mobo
EVGA 122-CK-NF63-TR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard- $158.99

RAM
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM - $74.99

Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB - $79.99

Optical Drives
LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R - $32.99

LG Model GSA-4167B- 35.99
i know open-box isnt the best, but i wanted this exact model for a specific reason
Other
Rosewill RCR-102 52-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader- $9.99

EDIMAX EW-7128G IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card- $20.99

Saitek Slim Eclipse USB Keyboard- $39.99

SCEPTRE X9WG-NagaV Black 19" 8ms DVI Widescreen HD Ready LCD Monitor - Retail- $179.99

total so far: $916.38 without rebates, tax, shipping, etc
and missing a GPU! besides that pretty good

so i had a few ideas. i know i dont need dx10 yet. the games i play arent graphically intensive, its not like im playing crysis or anything. so i was thinking of getting a cheap card, like under $50. i could always upgrade later when prices are more reasonable. my mobo has PCI, and PCI-E x1/x16, which doesnt matter because AGP is pretty much gone now. the sticky says to get either the 7600GS or X1650 pro, but im wondering if those could be overkill for my uses? how about one of these?

Sapphire Radeon X1050 512MB HyperMemory (128MB onboard) 64-bit DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card- 35.99

ZOGIS ZO71GS-DLTC GeForce 7100GS 512MB (256MB on Board) 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail- $43.99

SAPPHIRE 100172L Radeon X1550 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail- $49.99

oh, one last thing. i have a gateway that i bought this past august, and my brother uses it for WoW. it has onboard video, and i was going to upgrade that. i planned on just getting 2 of whatever video card i get for my new computer.

 

[kaotao]

The 7600GS or X1650pro will be fine. Stay away from anything that says hypermemory or turbo cache. Those cards you listed are crap. What games do you play?

 

[Shadow703793]

Get a 7600 or if you want a more future proof card get a 7900GT

 

[UsernameTaken]

What games do you play?

AvP2, world of warcraft, warcraft 2 and 3, starcraft, counterstrike, and world of warcraft.

 

[Konut]

I'd buy this if you really want to stay at about $50.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102098

But if you want to future proof a bit, like be ready for starcraft 2, this card is a real steal right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102061

 

[Xazax310]

PSU
Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W SLI Ready-ATX 12V V2.01 Power Supply- $74.99

Rest of your system rounds good but that PSU.

I would get that X1950PRO Konut posted for 100$ thats a hell of a deal.

I had a Rosewill PSU 450W running my 8800GTS no problems, until one day when the power suddenly shut off when trying to restart the computer i got random lock-ups in windows hell even in BIOS my whole system when boom because i bought a 450W Rosewill at newegg.com for 35$ needless to say i bought an OCZ 700W GAMESTREAM NO PROBLEMS EVER plus it look really cool and very silent... my case fans are louder.

114$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002&Tpk=OCZ%2b700W

 

[UsernameTaken]

But if you want to future proof a bit, like be ready for starcraft 2, this card is a real steal right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102061

thanks, i'll pick up 2 of those then. there were a lot of complaints about the heat/noise, should i get a fan like this one?

i noticed there are a TON of complaints about the case i had picked earlier. would this be better?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147057

 

[UsernameTaken]

anyone can help me?

 

[marlborosmoker]

Honestly mate? I mean instead of buying a no name PSU and case and only save $10 or $15, why not spend $150

and get this case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024
with a reputable and reliable PSU?

 

[UsernameTaken]

that's 500 watts and the Rosewill is 600. don't know if i'll need the extra 100W but isn't it good to have legroom?

i'm just so confused, people are suggesting things here and there and they're always different.

edit: i was also suggested this

edit: maybe i should start a new thread in a more appropriate forum for better coverage?

 

[marlborosmoker]

Look not going to argue with you, if you want to chuck in a no name brand to power stuff you worked hard for by all means do so. I learned the hard way. Someone else has said something about that brand of PSU in this thread but if that's not enough, well I wish you good luck.

 

[UsernameTaken]

well i'm not sure if i should use the Antec case/PSU or another case and the OCZ PSU. the Thermaltake was recommended to me on another forum.

 

[marlborosmoker]

I will never buy a thermaltake prduct after this review got proved the hard way
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/other/display/thermaltake-psu-roundup.html
Of course, the older power supplies from the TR2 series – the XP480 and the XP550 (W0070) – look least attractive of all. They are not so very bad by themselves, but their original wattage ratings were 250W and 300W, respectively, and were transformed into 400W and 430W after they were branded as Thermaltake’s products. Quite naturally, none of these power supplies can give you the specified output power. They burn out at much lower loads, although they would have received better feedback from me if Thermaltake had been more modest. As you may guess, I’m disappointed when a power supply doesn’t perform that well in my tests, but I’m just raging when I find that a power supply’s characteristics differ radically from what is specified by the manufacturer!
Well guess what, I did fry a tr2 430w (300w)and it took a HDD with it.

Stick with Zalman, OCZ, CoolerMaster and Antec. Most people will recomend these as they're a known quantity and generally very reliable and stable.

Don't skimp on your PSU, it's connected to everything in your PC. If it goes down, it will more than likely take something with it on the way. I;m not trying to scare you here but that's just the truth.

 

[UsernameTaken]

thanks i think i'll go with the antec, it's got an eSATA port which i don't use now, but might be useful in the future. on the other hand. OCZ has a 3 year warranty which soudns good for a PSU. but i dont know.

 

[UsernameTaken]

will i need one of these fans for the video card? all the reviews says it gets hot and the fan is loud.

any last opinions on antec case/PSU versus rosewill case/OCZ PSU?

 

[mgtech]

If you can wait until July 22 for your build, DO. INTEL WILL HAVE PRICE CUTS. I would say for that same $165 you could easily get an intel e6550, which will run at 2.33 ghz and have a 1333 fsb that you 680i motherboard will support. Have you looked into getting a P35 motherboard? I will be getting an Sapphire x1950 PRO 512mb, but you probably won't need that much video processing power. Don't get DX10 yet the cards that are any good are very expensive and the cheap ones have terrible performance. There isn't even a middle option, performance wise.

 

[Heyyou27]

But if you want to future proof a bit, like be ready for starcraft 2, this card is a real steal right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102061

thanks, i'll pick up 2 of those then. there were a lot of complaints about the heat/noise, should i get a fan like this one?

i noticed there are a TON of complaints about the case i had picked earlier. would this be better?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147057
You're going to buy two of those? If you're already going to spend that much money, you could get an even more future proof 8800GTS 320MB.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130082

 

[UsernameTaken]

If you can wait until July 22 for your build, DO. INTEL WILL HAVE PRICE CUTS. I would say for that same $165 you could easily get an intel e6550, which will run at 2.33 ghz and have a 1333 fsb that you 680i motherboard will support.

great i'm always looking to save money! how do you know they'll cut prices?

Have you looked into getting a P35 motherboard? I will be getting an Sapphire x1950 PRO 512mb, but you probably won't need that much video processing power.

i haven't looked into a different mobo, but basically everyone agreed that my mobo is great for my uses. i asked on different forums and they helped me set this config up, i just came here for the video card because i think they were getting annoyed with all my questions

i wasnt planning on getting dx10.

 

[UsernameTaken]

You're going to buy two of those? If you're already going to spend that much money, you could get an even more future proof 8800GTS 320MB.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130082

i'm buying one for this build, and one for a gateway i bought this past august.

 

[UsernameTaken]

so this is my end result configuration:

Case
Rosewill R5717-P SL 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case withTool-Free kits - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147057 - $34.99

PSU
OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002&Tpk=OCZ+700W - $139.99

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 Conroe 1.86GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115015 - $165.50

GPU
SAPPHIRE 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102061 - 126.99 x2

Mobo
EVGA 122-CK-NF63-TR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188019 - $158.99

RAM
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145015 - $74.99

Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148140 - $79.99

Optical Drives
LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106070 - $32.99 x2

Other
Rosewill RCR-102 52-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820223073 - $9.99

EDIMAX EW-7128G IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315041 - $21.99

Saitek Slim Eclipse USB Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175104 - $39.99

ASUS VW192S Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 330 cd/m2 800:1 Built in Speakers - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236008 - $194.99

$1241.37 WITHOUT:
rebates, tax, shipping
however that is with 2 video cards. 1 is going into this system, 1 is going into the gateway i am using right now.

BUT everwhere says that Intel is cutting prices on July 22. and this site says that they are cutting prices again on August 26. if i wait until then, i'm sure i could save a few bucks