Advise on Build please

[convo]

Hey everyone,

I been out of the loop for about 6 months so I am looking for advise for a good gaming comp. I don't know a ton about all this anyway. I did some research and decided on this build. Hope I don't look too much like a noob with the build but I would rather ask you guys them waste money. I mainly want to play mmorpg's. I want to a bang for my buck system. I doubt I will be over clocking anything but crossfire is an option down the road. . Any advise is welcome. Prices are from Newegg.


Case:
COOLER MASTER CM Stacker STC-T01-UWK Black/ Silver Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case -
$149.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119039

Mobo:
ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$139.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131196

Video Card:
VisionTek 900202 Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$249.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814129100
PS:
Thermaltake W0116RU Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version 750W Power Supply - Retail
$189.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817153038

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6850 - Retail
$279.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115028

Memory:
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail
Model #: TWIN2X2048-6400
$67.00
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145590

HD:
Seagate Barracuda ES ST3320620NS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$94.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148215

DVD ROM:
Sony NEC Optiarc Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1615/B2s - OEM
$17.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827101131

Burner:
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DH-20A4P-04 - OEM
$25.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106228

Sound Card:
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
79.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16829102006

OS:
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
$109.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16832116202

total: $1,405.90

 

[majorpain1588]

It mostly looks good although I would suggest this Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
It is only $10 more than the one you had and is 500GB.

Also, go for a SATA DVD/CD drive instead of an IDE.
Such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151153
You really only need one DVD drive, just get the burner. The DVD Rom is a waste. Your motherboard I think will only have one IDE port so getting two IDE optical drives wont work. Just get one SATA DVD burner.

This power supply IMO is of better quality and is a tad cheaper and still 750W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

 

[rockyjohn]

I think you have a great build.
I agree with major in switching the power supply to the PC Power one on sale. However I prefer the Seagate HD and see noting wrong with using IDE on optical drives as there is no real performance issue and the IDE drives consume a little less power. One port on the motherboard will support two devices on one line - a master and a slave. An if you want to spend an $20 for DVD redundancy - why not.

 

[nhobo]

E6750 and XP Pro.

 

[convo]

Thx for all the suggestions so far everyone. I do have a question on the OS. What's the difference in performance with 32 and 64 bit Vista? Is there any reason for me to go for the 64 bit? I hear a lot of people prefer XP still but I figured Vista is not going anywhere so I might as well get it. Anything else I should consider on my build? I was actually thinking of waiting till after the holidays in hopes the price will come down. What do you guys think?

 

[majorpain1588]

64 bit Vista will allow you to have 4GB or more of RAM. If your going to go Vista you might as well go 64 bit for future proofing. If you do 32 bit you might as well just stick with XP. XP does run games faster currently and is why a lot of people prefer XP still. I think SP1 should help improve Vista's performance. I think that is supposed to be released at the end of the year.

 

[convo]

2gb of ram should be more than enough for the 64 bit tho right? Why we are talking about ram I heard something about most ram is actually build by samsung? The other companies just buy from them and reconfigure it or something? Any truth to that?

 

[ibleet]

You will run into compatibility issues with any type of 64 bit OS.

 

[lunyone]

Vista = DRM in general, I don't like the thought, especially if what I've been reading about more DRM in the SP1? Don't know for sure.
XP = Solid build, not sure how much longer M$ is going to support it, but there are a still a ton of people not wanting to switch to Vista. If you have some older software programs that you have to run, XP might be a better option for you.
Okay on the build, here is my suggestions.

Case - You have several options that are cheaper and still pretty good. Here is an example for $50 - $30 MIR (only good through the 7th) = $20!! Even if you don't get it with the rebate, this is still a solid case!
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Mid Tower Case Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006342

Mobo/CPU/GPU all look pretty good. You could get the q6600 and have a quad core, but in general the e6850 is pretty good too, especially if you OC it!

Memory - $80 shipped - $25 MIR = $55! Definately faster than your 5-5-5-15 Memory you selected, plus this memory will OC better than yours, if you decide later to OC them.
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565

PSU's - Now here is where you need to weigh your options. I wouldn't want to spend $170+shipping on a PSU, when $100-130 can and will do the job! Here's what I'd recommend:

$109 shipped - $10 MIR = $99! SLI certified and is nice and efficient!
Corsair HX Series CMPSU-520HX 520W Power Supply Retail ***Free Shipping***
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=373100

$128 shipped! Nice and solid!
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, cUL, CE, CB, TUV - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

$165 shipped! If you really want to spend that much, this is what I'd get. It'll be hard to find a quality PSU with this much power for this amount of $.
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Crossfire Edition) EPS12V 750W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, RoHS - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

I'd drop the sound card, unless you are really going to use it. Most onboard sound these days are quite good and worth at least a try before you go out and spend hard earned $ on a dedicated sound card, IMHO.

I'd also keep both the DVD ROM and DVD Burner, especially of your like me and burn about 15-20 DVD's a month. I like just putting in both disks and then just walk away and come back later.

If your set on Vista I'd at least get the 64bit version of it. You'll thank us later when you upgrade to 4+ gigs of DDR2. 32 bit versions won't recognize more than about 3.2gigs. If you want to stick with XP, there is a 64bit version too, if you think that you'll upgrade later to 4+ gigs of DDR2.

Edit: Forgot to mention that these changes could save you from ~$100-180 or so, depending on case and PSU selections. This $ could be put into a new LCD screen (if you don't already have one) or into several new games!