Hello There
As the title said, this is my first building project. I have recently purchased computers from Dell and Alienware but want to make the switch over to custom building them myself. I have installed a few ram and VGA upgrades but nothing major in the past. That being said, I have tried to read as much as I could on the subject. I'm going to lay out my goals and current plan on my new computer. I would appreciate any advice that you guys could give me, especially if there are some glaring problems.
My goal is to create a top end gaming machine that has the ability to upgrade itself in the future. However I also don't want to spend twice the money for upgrades that will only give me 10% more performance. I am pretty much settled on a quad core Intel processor, as I have been reading that many of the future applications and games will be able to maximize its potential.
I also would like to dive into water cooling. Even though this is my first system build, it’s something I would like to learn how to do. I was thinking of going with a pre installed case, just to help me get started.
Another area I am anxious to explore is over clocking. I am not going to push any limits, but I do plan on taking advantage of the water cooling and at least getting a semi-decent over clock on this new machine.
Those are my goals, and after a lot of reading I have put together a system on newegg.com, which I will post below. Please offer any advice, not just limited to compatibility between the parts. If there are any major upgrades I should get, or pieces I should downgrade. Please keep in mind that I want decent, not great, value for a higher end gaming machine.
Here is the list below. I really need help with the Power supply, Ram, and hard drive options as those were the ones that I understood the least when reading about this process.
Thanks for you help
Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1 Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model AD-7170S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827152079
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$33.99
1 Thermaltake Kandalf VD4000BWS Black Chassis: 1.0mm SECC Front door: Aluminum ATX/ BTX Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811133024
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$279.99
1 WINTEC AMPX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-2048K - Retail
Item #: N82E16820161030
Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$40.00 Instant
$129.99
$89.99
1 PLANTRONICS .Audio 550 USB Connector Circumaural Ultimate Performance Headset - Retail
Item #: N82E16826265014
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$59.99
1 EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813188013
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$219.99
1 Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136011
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$204.99
1 Logitech LX 710 Laser Black USB Cordless Standard Desktop Mouse Included - Retail
Item #: N82E16823126011
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$8.00 Instant
$64.75
$56.75
1 ViewSonic VX2835WM 28" 3ms(GTG) HDMI W/ HDCP Widescreen LCD Monitor Built in Speakers - Retail
Item #: N82E16824116084
Return Policy: [LCD] Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$30.00 Instant
$699.99
$669.99
1 Logitech G7 Black 6 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB RF Wireless Laser Mouse - Retail
Item #: N82E16826104203
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$72.99
1 Thermaltake toughpower W0117RU ATX12V / EPS12V 750W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817153036
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$15.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$189.99
$174.99
1 Creative 70SB046A00000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series - Retail
Item #: N82E16829102005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$139.99
1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
Return Policy: Consumable Items Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$5.99
1 MSI NX8800Ultra-T2D768E-HD-OC GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814127288
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$15.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$614.99
$599.99
1 KOOLANCE CPU-300-H06 Cooling Water Block - Retail
Item #: N82E16811155986
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$39.99
1
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115017
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
Add this combo to your cart
WINTEC AMPX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-2048K - Retail
Item #: N82E16820161030
Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy
-$40.00 Instant
-$15.00 Combo
$609.99
$554.99
Grand Total: $3,204.61
As the title said, this is my first building project. I have recently purchased computers from Dell and Alienware but want to make the switch over to custom building them myself. I have installed a few ram and VGA upgrades but nothing major in the past. That being said, I have tried to read as much as I could on the subject. I'm going to lay out my goals and current plan on my new computer. I would appreciate any advice that you guys could give me, especially if there are some glaring problems.
My goal is to create a top end gaming machine that has the ability to upgrade itself in the future. However I also don't want to spend twice the money for upgrades that will only give me 10% more performance. I am pretty much settled on a quad core Intel processor, as I have been reading that many of the future applications and games will be able to maximize its potential.
I also would like to dive into water cooling. Even though this is my first system build, it’s something I would like to learn how to do. I was thinking of going with a pre installed case, just to help me get started.
Another area I am anxious to explore is over clocking. I am not going to push any limits, but I do plan on taking advantage of the water cooling and at least getting a semi-decent over clock on this new machine.
Those are my goals, and after a lot of reading I have put together a system on newegg.com, which I will post below. Please offer any advice, not just limited to compatibility between the parts. If there are any major upgrades I should get, or pieces I should downgrade. Please keep in mind that I want decent, not great, value for a higher end gaming machine.
Here is the list below. I really need help with the Power supply, Ram, and hard drive options as those were the ones that I understood the least when reading about this process.
Thanks for you help
Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1 Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model AD-7170S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827152079
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$33.99
1 Thermaltake Kandalf VD4000BWS Black Chassis: 1.0mm SECC Front door: Aluminum ATX/ BTX Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811133024
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$279.99
1 WINTEC AMPX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-2048K - Retail
Item #: N82E16820161030
Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$40.00 Instant
$129.99
$89.99
1 PLANTRONICS .Audio 550 USB Connector Circumaural Ultimate Performance Headset - Retail
Item #: N82E16826265014
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$59.99
1 EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813188013
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$219.99
1 Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136011
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$204.99
1 Logitech LX 710 Laser Black USB Cordless Standard Desktop Mouse Included - Retail
Item #: N82E16823126011
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$8.00 Instant
$64.75
$56.75
1 ViewSonic VX2835WM 28" 3ms(GTG) HDMI W/ HDCP Widescreen LCD Monitor Built in Speakers - Retail
Item #: N82E16824116084
Return Policy: [LCD] Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$30.00 Instant
$699.99
$669.99
1 Logitech G7 Black 6 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB RF Wireless Laser Mouse - Retail
Item #: N82E16826104203
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$72.99
1 Thermaltake toughpower W0117RU ATX12V / EPS12V 750W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817153036
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$15.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$189.99
$174.99
1 Creative 70SB046A00000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series - Retail
Item #: N82E16829102005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$139.99
1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
Return Policy: Consumable Items Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$5.99
1 MSI NX8800Ultra-T2D768E-HD-OC GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814127288
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
-$15.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$614.99
$599.99
1 KOOLANCE CPU-300-H06 Cooling Water Block - Retail
Item #: N82E16811155986
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$39.99
1
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115017
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
Add this combo to your cart
WINTEC AMPX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-2048K - Retail
Item #: N82E16820161030
Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy
-$40.00 Instant
-$15.00 Combo
$609.99
$554.99
Grand Total: $3,204.61