Please critique my new potential order list....

[jaythe]

I have some parts already, such as a case, psu, 500gb WD hdd. This rig will be pretty much solely for gaming, so here goes:

MOBO
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 Rev. 2.0 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813128064

GPU
EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $289.99($259.99 after mir)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16814130325

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail $239.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16819115037

Memory
CORSAIR XMS2 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $124.00($84.00 after mir)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16820145176

HDD
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $129.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16822136218

OS
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16832116204

CPU cooler
Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16835154001

ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail $6.99

Subtotal: $1,120.93

Parts I already have:

Case
Thermaltake Armor series VA8003BWS
http://thermaltakeusa.com/product/Chassis/fulltower/armor/va8003bws.asp

PSU
BFG Tech BFGR800WPSU ATX 12V Ver.2.2/ EPS 12V Ver.2.91 800W Power Supply 100 - 240 V CE, FCC, TUV, CUL - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702004

HDD
Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136178

Some questions I have are, would I need the Tuniq tower for this setup? Should I get the 640GB HDD or go for something lower? Does the memory look good for this setup(i'm thinking to upgrade to 8gigs down the road)? And(I know this will be funny but...) does anyone know of a place to get the E8400 CPU or has anyone heard when it might be restocked anywhere? Other than that I welcome all suggestions and critiques, thank you very much for the help!

 

[jaythe]

Bump...could really use some advice on my build.

 

[0gab0ga]

i would consider getting a x38 mobo so you can take advantage of your gpu's pci-e 2.0 and get max performance. also are you going to use evga's step up plan to get a 9800 series card? they are out in a couple of weeks i think

is quad core not an option?

 

[chuckm]

I would get a cooler if you plan on overclocking, if not stock should be fine. I'm not so sure about the PCI-E 2.0 thing, I think that's for the next platform like DDR3. This just my opinion. Check out this cooler;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
Good luck on finding an E8400, Tigerdirect had some OEM, but they don't now. That was the last place I found them

 

[aevm]

Some questions I have are, would I need the Tuniq tower for this setup? Should I get the 640GB HDD or go for something lower? Does the memory look good for this setup(i'm thinking to upgrade to 8gigs down the road)? And(I know this will be funny but...) does anyone know of a place to get the E8400 CPU or has anyone heard when it might be restocked anywhere? Other than that I welcome all suggestions and critiques, thank you very much for the help!

Very nice list. The BFG PSU is not one of the best but it's good enough.

You don't really need PCI-E 2.0 for the 8800GTS G92. It would add about 3% or so to the speed, nothing serious, and only in certain games. Still, if you want to pay $20 more and get the GA-X38-DS4, why not... Not so much for PCI-E 2.0, but for the Crossfire feature.

If you do upgrade to X38, and with a powerful PSU like that, I'd suggest getting an HD 3870X2. That would cost more than the 8800GTS G92, but you'd get better performance, plus the ability to add a second video card later for Crossfire.

If you're absolutely sure you will never want two video cards, check out the aBit IP35 Pro. Just as good as the GA-P35-DS4 and sometimes cheaper.

Tuniq Tower is a great cooler, but do you really need it? If you're not planning to overclock then just stick with the stock cooler, or get a (cheaper and quieter and easy to install) Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro.

WD's 640GB model has the highest density platters in WD's history. That should lead to incredible speeds when handling large files. Just look at the benchmarks of the Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB, another hard disk with the same density. It also has a fantastic price/GB. Go for it.

Memory - that's a good brand, and 2x2GB will allow you to reach 8GB.

 

[jaythe]

Thank you all very much for the replies! I was at one point going to go with a 780i motherboard, but after reading

about how the 775 chipset is going away soon I figure i would settle for a simpler upgrade now and go for

something better after the nehelem(sp?) is out. The E8400 I have read is better for gaming right now, which is

why I'm not going quad-core. And as for now I have no plans to overclock, perhaps down the road maybe but i'll

stick with stock settings for the moment.

I'll go with the WD harddrive then, for the price it's not bad at all. Seems like the Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro is a better choice then since i don't plan on oc. Again, thank you for helping me narrow down my choices. I've been going back and forth for weeks now on what to get and I believe i finally have it down to this list. Now I just need to find a dang E8400.

 

[aevm]

Good thinking about the E8400. A higher-clocked dual core is better than a lower-clocked quad in all games today except Flight Simulator X.

I tried a few online stores, nobody has it in stock. Best price I saw was at www.buy.com, by the way, $212 with free shipping. I think it's OEM, i.e. no cooler, but that's fine since you're getting the Freezer anyway.