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lil help ~2k to spend

Last response: in Systems
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Hey Guys,

The time has come for me to finally upgrade the pooter, so any advice is appreciated.
I like most people don't have a fortune to throw at it, but i don't mind spending some moola (0-2k, closer to 0 is better =) )



I think the old rig (about 5 years old) has a couple parts I can salvage:

P4 3.06 processor
MSI 865pe neo-2
ATI 9600
2 gb ddr ram
500 gb wd cavier hd (sata) (newish)
160 gb HD
Some nameless mid case
Thermaltake big typhoon
700w ocz gamerxtream psu (newish)
scythe 120 fan
10 TT 80 fans
Fan controller
Floppy drive
BenQ/Phillips DL dvd burner
Generic Cd burner
Generic dvd player
Soundblaster Audigy
Ram cooler (crabby thing)

I was thinking:

asus striker extreme (300) or eVGA a1 nForce 680i SLI (240) or EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 780i (300)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (g0 step) (280)
eVGA 8800GTS G92 512MB (320)
Crucial Ballistix 4GB (4 x 1GB) (150) or G.SKILL 4GB (4 x 1GB) (250) or OCZ Titanium XTC 4GB(2 x 2GB) (230) ddr2
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD (30)
2 x Seagate Barracuda 500gb (240) RAID-0 setup or 1 more WD Cavier 500 (110) and a WD raptor 10k 150gb (170) as a game drive.

Now as for a new case, I don't mind spending around 200 for it as long as it lasts me a few builds:
Thermaltake Armor W/ 25cm fan (140), Thermaltake Armor Plus (200), COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 (160), COOLER MASTER COSMOS (145)
I like the plus because of the 10 slots at the back, which makes it quadsli ready but I'm not sure if I can justify a $60 difference between the + and the Armor.

I was thinking of buying dual gts's but i only play games on a 20" monitor, so will I not see much of a performance increase to justify the money?

So does this setup sound ok, or should I maybe hold off a little while longer and see what the future brings?


Suggestions welcome!

cheers

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For mother board go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
^Great board for OCing, and also because I have heard that the ASUS board that you mentions has some problems. Go with 2*2GB Corsair, OCZ, Crucial DDR2 800 RAM. Get a 8800GT-512MB card like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
As for the case its mostly a personal preference, but I personally like the Thermaltake Armor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
As for the HDD set up is smiler to set ups that I have done (but with out RAID) and it works very well (esp. for Photo editing work). Every thing else looks good.

Shadow, you're recommending the GA-X38-DQ6 which doesn't support SLI, only Crossfire. I like that board, but you need to tell him to buy HD 3870 cards for it, not nVidia.

First of all, a 20" monitor doesn't really need two video cards. You could get a GA-P35-DS4 (or DS3R) and a single 8800 GTS G92 512MB and be just fine. Still, if you do want the option to add a second card later, I would go for the eVGA 680i+8800 GTS G92 512MB, or GA-X38-DQ6+HD 3870.

The PSU, sound card, HSF, Scythe fan and hard disks can be reused all right. Add a WD7500AAKS or Samsung Spinpoint F1.

I would prefer Crucial Ballistix RAM, DDR2-800. 2 GB is enough for most things, but get 4 GB if you can.

Those are all good cases. Also look at Antec 900 or Silverstone TJ09.
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Thanks for the posts.

Those cases both look great (tj09 is a bit much!)
Quite a lot of people recommend the 900, but it is a mid case. Is it big enough on the inside? Looking at the dimensions, it isn't too far off the armor.

P182 is most people's favorite. It is classified as mid but is actually quite roomy.

Corsair Powersupplies like the 620HX are a good choice if you haven't yet narrowed one down.

Go with the Crucial Memory, great overclockers, even if you get 4x1gb.

I personally prefer ASUS mobo's, so any X38 or P35 should do you right, I myself am getting a Maximus Formula after extensive research.

Get one nice graphics card and ditch the SLI and crossfire, you won't need it on less than 22" monitor. I'm on a 19" and have no increase in SLI, which I was upset about a couple years ago.

If you're buying soon, get an EVGA and step-up to a new card when they're out within 90 days.

Cheers.

I love the P182. It's good looking and quiet. Antec 900 is better for a SLI/Crossfire rig because it cools better, but for a build with a single video card the P182 is VERY nice. BTW, the P182 needs a PSU with longer cables than average, and the 620HX has them. It's also a good match for the P182 because it's a quiet PSU.

Your psu is more then enough. I currently have a p182 and its a great case for the money but i got really pissed off when the usb in the front fell out... I also like a lot of bling on my cases so if your like me i would go with the new Xaser http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=CA-VG4KSWA&c=fr&pid=a3...
I'm planing to do this with my next paycheck. If i where you i would probably go with a x38 or even a x48 ddr2 based? board and buy one 8800gt and step up to next gen if it comes out in the next 3 months.

The next gen is supposed to come out in late February or in March. 9800GTX and 9800GX2, about $450 apparently. ATI will also have something based on two HD 3870 glued together. TBH I think the 9800GTX sounds better than the other two because it won't rely on SLI or Crossfire, but it's way too early to tell. If you can hold off until March I think you should.

I think the x38/x48 (and 780i) idea is very good, because the new cards might actually work better in PCI-E 2.0 slots. Again, too early to tell.
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