Buying new custom built pc... plz look

[warlord12345]

Hi all at Tom's Hardware im about to get a new gaming computer and these are the specs the shop close to me gave me:

Coolermaster CM 690 case
Intel Core 2 duo E6850 (3.0Ghz)
3Gb corsair ddr2 800
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 motherboard
Gigabyte geforce 8800GT 512mb
Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular Silent PSU
500GB HDD
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
pioneer 20X +/-DVD R/RW
8 x USB 2.0 ports

All fitted and ready to collect in 5 days (around £730-£750)
what i want to know is...
am i getting my money's worth
will this build allow me to customize the pc further in the future(ddr3 ram,dual gfx cards,processors in the future and so on)
will the PSU be able to handle 2 x 8800GT 512mb if i decide to get another in the future
should iw ait a while before going over 3gb ram with vista 64bit
oh and also is it worth over clocking the processor

i am asking you instead of the shop this since they have only just opened and there are alot more of you guys
some help would be much appreciated

(sorry if this is in the wrong section, i am terrible at finding the right part)

 

[itotallybelieveyou]

looks good if you get Vista might as go all way with 64 bit and 4GB of ram besides that if you want sli you'll have to get a sli board. 680i is a nice choice. Might want to Q6600 too. I believe Yorksfield and Penryn are both LGA 775 sockets so yeah on CPU. DDR3 i dont know too much. No you'll bigger PSU if you want SLI 8800GT SLI. Yes overclocking is worth it.

 

[geofelt]

Looks like a good package. I can't comment on the pound value, I understand $. The only component I don't know about is the cd/dvd. It's probably good, and I can recommend the samsung SH-203 as a good quiet sata unit.

3gb is a bit of a strange size, but it is about what you need. With memory prices so low these days, why not go with 4gb, and vista home premium 64? They are probably talking about an OEM vista license, so it is better to get the 64-bit version up front instead of paying for it double, to upgrade later.

Don't plan on ddr3; you should not want to. It is very expensive, does not perform better, and the mobo won't support it.

The E6850 is a fine choice, particularly if your main use is for games. There are almost no games out there that will benefit from more than 2 cores. Most games are vga card limited. Only if you do lots of multitasking of cpu intensive tasks will a quad processor be better. The next generation of processors (nehalem) will require a new chipset and mobo. There is no futureproofing possible there. You should be fine with the improved penryn processors, but they are not such a big jump that you will want to upgrade.

Don't plan on upgrading to sli. You will need a different mobo that is likely more expensive, and a stronger power supply. You will not get double the performance. If you need a vga upgrade in the future, get a stronger single vga card, and sell the 8800GT.

If you have any money left over, invest it in the best monitor you can afford, It is the most future-proof component I can think of.

I am not much in favor of overclocking unless:
1) You actually need the increased cpu power
2) You don't mind voiding your cpu warranty
3) You don't mind the increased noise from the stronger cooling requirements.
4) You bought a cheap c2d because you can't afford a E6850
---good luck---

 

[skittle]

... It's probably good, and I can recommend the samsung SH-203 as a good quiet sata unit...

I love my S203B, but one thing is for sure... No drive is "quiet" when burning, and this one is no exception. Its about as loud as an Xbox360 drive when writing at 18x. It is very quiet and smooth when watching movies though.

 

[warlord12345]

well i was originally going to get 64bit vista and 4gb ram but i was told that it has many bugs just like when vista was first brought out, now i dont if this is true

also ive looked around the internet and people 680i boards have been having troiouble with quad core and 4gb ram so stook with a p35 chipset which has been rated strong/reliable/great performance

and i wasnt sure on the drive i just knew it was pioneer xD

what does SLI technology actually do to your games gfx performance?

 

[warlord12345]

oh and also i am getting 22" samsung screen
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0447326243.1196030440@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccddaddmimimjiicflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=086906&category_oid=-27763

but it will be a while before i get it, im only 15 its hard to get this money xD

 

[warlord12345]

im confused, you need a sli board to get 2 gfx cards?

 

[warlord12345]

can the motherboard Asus P5N32-E SLI support dual nvidia gfx cards, and the next generation of 45nm cpu? because this board is around the same price as the GA-P35-DS4. is Asus just as good as Gigabyte for processors?

 

[geofelt]

SLI(scalable link interface) is a technology that lets you combine two graphics cards to work together as one. You will get up to twice the graphics performance, depending on the game, and the resolution you are playing at. More likely, you will get more like 50% improvement, sometimes, none at all. To get an estimate of the value of SLI, look for benchmarks of the games you will play, and the resolutions you will use. Tom's vga charts are a good start on this. This is different from the ability to use two or more vga cards to drive multiple monitors. It is much simpler, and more cost effective to get better vga performance by using a single higher powered card.

ASUS is a good brand, as is gigabyte. Unless you insist on sli, I would get a P35 based board.

Most of the problems with Vista were caused by incompatibilities with older devices and software that did not adhere to standards. Vista-64 is no different. The only problem I have had with vista-64 is that it won't run old dos based programs like civ2-2.42. Driver support is not an issue with current devices, and certainly not with what you are ordering. Vista-64 will see and use all 4gb, while any 32-bit os will see only about 3.3gb. MY perception is that it feels snappier. I like it.

 

[warlord12345]

So really 64bit vista is as up to date as 32bit vista? still minor bugs on older programmes. i am insisting on a SLI board because i know im not going to get the nvidia 9 series cards and since this pc is only gonna really keep me entertained for the next 2 years then ill be doing serious college work. So i will go to 2x 8800gt in about 1 yr time

thanks for the reply geofelt xD you just helped me over a big confusion in my motherboard theory xD