First off, I want to say thanks to everyone here. I've been browsing these forums for a few days as I learn and piece together my potential machine.
I'm looking to build a gaming machine, maybe something that I can overclock (somewhat). It's been several years since I've upgraded my PC, and I thought it is time. Any suggestions/comments would be great. Well, here is what I have so far.
As for the CPU, I read that everyone here recommends the E8400 but I'm finding out (as you all have) that it is pretty hard to find anyone who has that in stock. The Q6600 or the E6750 are what I read as good alternatives. I've picked the E6750 because of the price, but if you guys recommend something different let me know.
The general consensus is that the GA-P35-DS3L is a good motherboard.
As for memory, I'm not exactly sure. I've read on the forums here that the 1066 is a waste and I should go for the 800 instead?
And finally, a video card. I haven't been following the video card market for years so I'm a little out of sync. Any recommendations? People are saying wait for the 9 series of Nvidia, but people seem to be getting the 8800 series. I'd love to hear what you guys recommend.
Just wait a week or so until the E8400 is in stock somewhere, if you keep having problems finding one just go for the Q6600.
Memory wise, DDR2-800 will suite you fine and will probably overclock to 1066 anyways if it's of good quality.
Card wise, the 9x00 series so far hasn't been showing that it's worth waiting for to upgrade. They aren't horribly ahead of the 8x00s. A GT, GTS, or GTX would suite you fine depending on your price bracket. If you do choose a GTX though, you'll probably need a PSU with a single 12v rail with high amperage.
I personally hate Rosewill and would recommend a different case, but you can't really mess a case up too much.
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Asus Maximus Extreme : 2x Sapphire HD 3870 in Crossfire 850/1126 : QX9650@4.2Ghz : 2GB OCZ Platinum DDR3-1600 : PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750w : Samsung 22" 226BW 1680x1050 : Thermaltake ArmorPlus : WD 150GB Raptor : 2x Custom Watercooling Loops
I'm probably one of the few who have actually used Rosewill cases, but I go for the ones with 2-120mm fans, basically the 56XX series, They are pretty good cases. This is $20 more, but with 2 fans it's worth it;
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6811147083 I agree that you should wait for the E8400, if you have a Microcenter near by, and if they have them in the store they've been selling them for $199. Heard good things about this cooler;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003
Message edited by chuckm on 02-26-2008 at 10:06:51 PM
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Opinions are like asses,everybody has one.
Stop looking for e8400 online cuz there is only so much stock. You're not the only buyer. Look for it in your local computer stores. That's where I found mine.
The reason 1066mhz ram is a waste is that:
1066/2=533
It's not easy to overclock to 533mhz FSB. I'm at 450mhz FSB. My ram will max out at around 1000mhz. I'd need better chipset cooling (which I already have) to push the FSB to 500mhz. However, 1066 ram has headroom for overclocking. You wouldn't be bottlenecked by the ram.
