jfuze

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After thinking it over the past week, i've decided to build another system. :D

My budget is $1,500. The monitor and Vista OS have to be included in the budget so it kind of brings it down to $1,100.

!Power Supply - $110
OCZ GameXStream 600W Power Supply
This is the biggest concern I have. The power supply looks fantastic, but is there any way I can go cheaper here but still get a good PSU to power everything? Please give me some insight and opinions on this.

!Memory - $120
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
I really want to start off with 4GB of RAM since im going to be running 64bit Vista. But is $120 too much when I can get G.SKill memory $30 cheaper? I'd prefer to go cheaper here, but can someone help me out with this and give me advice?

Processor - $240
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale
I've been researching quite a bit and this seems to be the right choice. This will be better than a C2D E6600 correct? I just want the absolute best CPU in the $230-$300 range for the money.

!Motherboard - $90
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775
This seems to be the go-to motherboard,... but is it possible to get a decent SLI board in the $150 range that a Wolfdale cpu will work on? An SLI board would be nice because I could drop in another 8800GTS in a year or so.

GPU - $290
EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 512MB (G92)
Can someone re-confirm for me this is the card to get at around the $300 price point?

Hard Drive - $70
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB
Not much to say here. 250GB is plenty for me and this HDD fit my price.

OS - $100
Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit

Monitor - $320
SAMSUNG 226BW 22" Widescreen monitor
I actually bought this last year but sold it to my friend because my current computer couldnt run the resolution well in games. It is awesome.


Case
- $100
NZXT LEXA Mid Tower Case
Not much to say. I dig the Lexa look.


That's about it. How does it look? Any major changes I should make or advice? I put a red ! next to my biggest concerns.
 
Looks awesome mate
well first of all definitely go for the OCZ REAPER RAM it has better cooling + better timings than that G.SKILL

For CPU
Yes, E8400> E6600

For GPU:
A 8800gts 512 is a solid choice for its price


For motherboard, first of all forget SLI if u want to do it in next 1 or 2 years because for then a second 8800GTS wont be good, also for 1680x1050 i dont recommend SLI
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/245454-15-crossfire-faqs

GIGABYTE P35 DS3L is a solid choice, another good MotherBoard for OC'ng is ASUS P5K-E WIFI
 

rgeist554

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!Memory - $120
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
I really want to start off with 4GB of RAM since im going to be running 64bit Vista. But is $120 too much when I can get G.SKill memory $30 cheaper? I'd prefer to go cheaper here, but can someone help me out with this and give me advice?
If you don't plan on OC'ing, then it really doesn't matter what you chose. It really won't have that much of a real-world impact on performance.

Something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145177 Is cheaper than the OCZ Reaper and it actually has better timings (4-4-4-12 of Corsair vs. 4-4-4-15 of OCZ).

Just check newegg under the specs tab for the fastest timings and cheapest price. (GSkill, Geil, Crucial, OCZ, and Patriot are all great brands)
 

sprucebr1

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I just wanted to say that the $$ for the monitor seems a little high. I've seen 20" LCD's for $229(CAD). So, the $300+ for 22" seems a little much. Other than that, this is a solid build. And I second that the P35 DS3L is a good board. I own one.
 

rgeist554

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I just wanted to say that the $$ for the monitor seems a little high. I've seen 20" LCD's for $229(CAD). So, the $300+ for 22" seems a little much. Other than that, this is a solid build. And I second that the P35 DS3L is a good board. I own one.
That's actually a decent price for the 226BW. It retails here with an average of $330+ around here.

Also, the cost of monitors really starts to shoot up after 20 inches. You can look to spend about $100 for every two inches. Really, my 245BW is almost exactly $100 more than the 226... lol >_<
 

jfuze

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The RAM you linked is only 2GB though. The one in my post is 4GB.

So RAM really doesnt matter unless I plan on doing some major OC'ing?
 

rgeist554

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Yeah, that 500W PSU is more than enough for any single-card setup. It's also got plenty of Amps on the +12v rails.

It is compatible as well. It's just a standard ATX PSU.
 

Go SLI mate, don't take any notice of those that haven't tried it and don't know what they are talking about, 200+ fps in COD4 @ 1680 x 1050 with max eye candy is more than some get with a single card. Here is a cheap but current SLI mobo http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_i...=9674&osCsid=3f35ad1b73cdaf8700f419c15aa06d46


COD4 @ 200+fps
 
Yeah i know i know nothing and u know every thing lol

have u seen Crysis with 3 sli ? even in some sitatuations a single 8800GTX beats 3 8800GTX

also its not just me many Gurus in this forum agree with me about Dual cards VS single cards
 

jfuze

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I'm wanting to go SLI but it doesnt seem reasonable in my budget.

Any help finding an SLI board in my price range that will support the Wolfdale cpu?
 

rgeist554

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Most SLI boards are going to be at least $160+. (The cheapest that supports Wolfdale is probably the 680i)

Also, if you've never updated a MB BIOS or don't want to, you'll have to spend even more on a 780i board. (I'm fairly certain that all 680i boards, unless noted on the manufacturer page, require a BIOS update to support Wolfdale CPU's)
 

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