Building an $800 budget Rig (Canadian)

[Tomikans]

Alright I decided to make another computer since the one that I'm currently using right now can barely run HL2 and i keep getting D3D errors. It was a huge wake up call when my laptop ran orange box while my computer even had a hard time loading the game. Now i did some researched, browsed some websites and looked at reviews.

I was a big on AMD when i was making my current pc, but soon found out that intel was wholeheartedly beating them at every aspect. Decided to go with the Intel route.

I still don't know what to buy right now when it comes to Radeon's or Nvidia's. I know that the nvidia's are on top but i still want some money left in my pocket..haha

I have no idea to OC' but i keep on reading the reviews on these cpu's that are "Easy to OC". Maybe i should try..

I want this Rig to last at least 2-3 years, since i scarcely buy games for my pc .. and the only games right now that i'm playing for sure are COD 4 and Orange Box.. maybe World in Conflict when i have to dough.

Alright, the parts i have right now are the Case, DVD drive, and the Hard drives (I'll get more space later)

Here's my list

Motherboard - Gigabyte P35 ds3l $103
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25369&vpn=GA-P35-DS3L&manufacture=Gigabyte

CPU - Intel e6750 $190
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25298&promoid=1019

RAM - Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB $65
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18581&promoid=1019

GPU - Palit GeForce 8800GT $240
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27142&promoid=1019

PSU - OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W $65
http://www.ncix.com/products/index....00SXS&manufacture=OCZ Technology&promoid=1019

Total = 663 dollars without shipping and taxes

I'm still deciding if i should get a little more cheaper card (HD 3850) and some cooling for OC..

Though the palit 8800GT is on sale.. i don't know that much about their brand..

I would also like to buy parts for my computer from the same source (ncix)

i'm trying to see if i can build the bare minimum.. pinching every penny.. while making it still easily upgradeable eg. Q6600's

 

[seabreeze]

Unless you're waiting on the new technologies (CPU/GPU/mb) that are due soon (or not), this configuration is a good, solid platform. It is likely to work for 2-3years or longer, but I doubt it will keep up during that time without some additional upgrades along the way. That's likely to be a CPU+mb upgrade, plus more memory (or even more if the new board is DDR3 only), then a new GPU. Oops, we've practically got a new computer again.

I'd say this configuration is good for a year, but hey!, you might be perfectly happy with how it performs in 2-3 years with the games that are out then.

Stock cooling should let the E6750 get to 3.2-3.6GHz, so keep the 8800GT if you can instead of paying for more cooling. Palit is a good brand.

You didn't mention OS, but if XP the 2GB RAM is fine, and will also let you over clock the CPU to 3.2GHz without over clocking the memory (ie just FSB over clocking at 8x and at syncronous rates).

 

[96Firebird]

I don't get why the Canadian prices are more expensive at NCIX compared to NCIXUS, I thought the Canadian dollar was now worth more than the American?

Anyways, build looks good as for as I can see, looks similar to mine. If you're like me and are fine running games at medium settings, then it should last you the 2-3 years you are looking for.

 

[lunyone]

Looks pretty good there. I'd prefer the Corsair PSU, since It has longer cables, but not sure that really matters to you or not. It's $10 more after $10 MIR, so not sure if you like that or not. Just thought I'd throw that our there for you. It also has a 5 yr. warranty too, so that might/might not make any difference to you either.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25472&vpn=CMPSU-450VX&manufacture=CORSAIR