First system build - soliciting opinions

[seam123]

I'm still running an eMachines Athlon 3000+ from several years ago with 1.5GB RAM and a 256MB 7600GS. You'd be surprised how well it runs Oblivion, though.

With that said, it's time for an upgrade. And I've kind of always wanted to put together my own machine. Especially since it gives you a good platform for future upgradability.

I'll be sticking with my current monitor, keyboard and mouse. I'm not really an overclocker (except for a tiny bit squeezed out of my GPU with Rivatuner), so that's not important here. Yeah, I admit that would be fun, but I'm building something with a budget here. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but I'd like to be able to play Alan Wake (and improve my Oblivion settings). Don't care much about Crysis and the like, not really my style.
Also, do not want see-thru or lit-up cases. Definitely not my style.
And finally, I'm still running XP Home. All the crap I've read about Vista has me nervous about going that route. Talk me in to it or out of it.


This totals out to 679.00 minus 80 bucks for rebates. Pretty sexy, eh?

But that's just the opinion of a noob. I'd like to get other's thoughts.

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S202J - OEM $24.99

Rosewill R624-P BLK Black SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $23.99

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $49.99

XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT XXX 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card -$17.00 Instant -$30.00 Mail-in Rebate $109.99

Antec earthwatts EA430 ATX12V v2.0 430W Power Supply $30.00 Mail-in Rebate $54.99

A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K $10.00 Mail-in Rebate $40.99

ECS P35T-A LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $10.00 Mail-in Rebate $74.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6750 $189.99

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD $109.99

 

[WR2]

I'm not in love with your motherboard choice. I'd rather see you spend $25 more and get the Gigabyte P-35 DS3L $90
If you need to "balance" your budget you can consider the E6550 $175 or even the E4500 $125
The better motherboard will safely "auto-overclock" either CPU to meet or beat the E6750.

I also think the video card you picked with be the "limiting factor" in your new system. For about $40 more you can get a really nice upgrade to a HD 3850 $149 after rebate.

I think you'll be fine with Vista & your new system. I'd worry a bit if you were upgrading your older hardware with Vista. I've been running XP & Vista side by side for over a year now and I've never had problems with either.

 

[seam123]

Thanks for the info, I will definitely take your suggestions into account as they make a lot of sense. I've seen a lot of bad things written about the 8600 series, so it may be best to avoid.

By the way the card you suggest is PCI 2.0, is that backwards compatible? And does GDDR3 make that big of a difference?

 

[WR2]

PCI-e 2.0 is backwards compatible. GDDR3 video RAM is pretty much standard now, even 8600GT's use it. It's not that the 8600GT is a bad video card - it's more that that HD 3850 is so much better for only a small increase in price. Check the THG video charts for some comparisons of 8600GT vs 3850.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=1061&model2=855&chart=277

 

[seam123]

Wow, the 3850 is an as*kicking card for that price. Certainly in comparison to the 8600GT. From these results, it seems like ATI owns the mid-level marketplace.

 

[CNeufeld]

Don't get the E6750, look for an E8400. Should be pretty close to the same price, but higher performance and runs cooler. The E8x00 series is the replacement for the E6x50 series.

Clint

 

[Hozer]

One small suggestion would be the hard disk space. Your 160 is ~$50, and you could get double the space for just ~$30 more. I just know that depending on your overall usage, I know I chew through 160gb rather quick.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074

That would be purely preference though.

 

[seam123]

It's a thought, but knowing my own usage habits it's really not necessary for me. I also have an external 250GB drive.

 

[seam123]

Small update... thanks for suggesting that card. It was too good to pass up at that price (plus free shipping) and with the reported performance. So, I jumped on it. Will be assembling other components along the way.