what should i do here.

[hitman24]

ok so this week i was offered a new pc but i was given two choices

dell xps 630 prebuilt
specs
q6600 cpu
windows vista home premium
for ram i can get 2X1gb at 667 mhz or 800mhz i was thinking about getting 2 800mhz and getting another 2gb from newegg.
320gb
geforce 8800gt 512mb
for $1,249

built from the ground up.
case: antec 900
mobo- GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard
video card-evga 8800gt 512mb (i think superclocked)http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16814130319
psu-Ocz stealth 600W
cpu-E8400 (i cant seem to find one to order)
ram-G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
h/d-320gb western digital sata 3.0gbs
os-windows vista home premium 32 bit.
$928 with rebates so i could spend more money on a better motherboard with sli.

they said they would pay up to 1,000 of it since i helped them with there house. and i can shell out about 300 bucks. i really want to play bioshock, cod 4, crysis on med/high. so will i be able to play these games at say 60fps on high if crysis isn't high thats ok i just want to play it nice and smooth. is there anything i should change on the built from the ground up pc to give me better performance besides the motherboard? So what do you feel is the better option to go with. And were can i get my hands on an E8400 since i can find that Cpu anywhere. thank you very much.

 

[ImajorI]

I like option 2 better, you know the parts are very good. In my sig you can see a similar build and I've played all those games. My system played them smooth on my res 1440 x 900. Right now people like the 8800 GTS 512 better for just a bit more $ dinero. For the cost of ram go 2 x 2 GB and consider Vista 64 Ultimate. I liked bioshock and COD4 better than Crysis, but they're all very good.

 

[hitman24]

is the 8800gts 512mb better then the 8800gt 512mb? well i thought most programs don't work with 64-bit OS. and also how well can you run crysis?

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

The gts512 is a better gpu. As for Vista64 look here http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/249302-33-recent-benchmark-vista Also if you cant find a 8400 you could also get a e3110. Even tho it says server on it, its the same chip, just like the old athlons and opterons, full compatability

 

[hitman24]

yea so it seems i can get a e8400 or a e3110 thanks for that little info. there the same thing just one says xeon and the other doesn't? and if i were to bump up to gts 512mb how much fps would i gain if you had to guess? i'm still wondering though about the 64 bit windows. i guess its running 32 bit apps ok and that with 64 bit i can get 8gb of ram would games use all 8gb or would windows only see the 3 gbs?

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

With 64bit, itd see and use all 8Gigs. The GTS is around 10+% faster, runs cooler and has a better cooling solution (keeps your case cooler) Yes theyre both the same cpus, just a different name on top

 

[hitman24]

what 8800gts should i get then?

 

[0gab0ga]

i like the evga gpu's. they are good, + you are given the possibility of stepping up to a newer card within 3 months.
A3 version comes with crysis if you dont have it. if you have it already get the AR version.

 

[lunyone]

The 2nd option is the best one to start with. You know the components are good and you don't have any additional "Crap" ware on it to start with.
* I'd stick with the 8800gts (g92) if you can afford it. It generally runs cooler and is about 10% faster than the 8800gt. If you had the wiggle room, which I think you do, you could even get the 3870x2!! That would be the best GPU option, aside from the 9800 gx2 which is too expensive.
* OCZ makes okay PSU's, but I'd rather have a Corsair vx 550w/tx 650w PSU instead. The 600w Stealth has about 36A on the 12V rail's and only has a 1 yr. warranty. The Corsair PSU's have 5 yr. warranties and are made very well. OCZ is getting better too, since they recently bought PCP&C, but I'd rather spend the same amount of $ or less and get a better PSU. The Corsair vx550w PSU (41A on the 12V rail) is going for $65 after $20 MIR, so it's a steal right now! The tx 650w PSU (52A on the 12V rail) is going for $97 w/no MIR's, but is a gem for the $. The OCZ Stealth is going for $90 at Newegg, so you can see where I'm coming from here.

Corsair VX 550W ATX Power Supply - CMPSU-550VX
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-vx-550w-atx-power-supply/q/loc/101/205852646.html

Corsair TX 650W ATX12V Power Supply - CMPSU-650TX
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-tx-650w-atx12v-power-supply/q/loc/101/206178324.html

 

[hitman24]

ok thaks about the psu. also this is the video card that is better then the 8800gt right http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130312

also my ram and motherboard are ok as well or should i change them? and i thought the 3870x2 wasn't as good as the 8 series. here are the links to motherboard and ram

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813128059

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16820231098

 

[0gab0ga]

if you want a modular psu get the corsair 620hx for 115$ at buy.com or zipzoomfly.com
any sli mobo is going to cost you 250$+ (evga 780i) so that will bust your budget
the mobo you have is fine, just remember it does not support raid or firewire (and it doesnt have a 8 pin cpu power connector, but thats not that important)
i wouldnt care that much about sli or crossfire, just because when the games require more than your single gpu, there will be other single gpu's out that will perform better than two old ones in crossfire or sli
the 3870x2 is two cards in one so it is better than a single 8800 series card. nvidia have released their equivalent, 9800gx2
however, both of thes cards are expensive and at least as of today, two 8800gts sli perform better than 9800gx2 for less money

 

[hitman24]

yea im not going to be using raid or firewire so im good. im just bummed out that the videocard and cpu are out of stock at newegg. is there any place with the same price and maybe the free crysis game. i dont care so much about the free game its the price for hardware.

 

[0gab0ga]

newegg have the gpu in stock for the same price but without crysis. its still cheap though, but if you want crysis thats 40$ extra later on
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130325
the e8400 will be in stock sometime in april so if you absolutely want dual core instead of quad youll have to wait and the gpu with crysis might be in stock again

 

[hitman24]

heres my wishlist https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.asp?ID=5985305

will everything work together? will it come with everything i need? any last minute changes and will it keep me happy for the next year and a half?

 

[0gab0ga]

cant see it

 

[hitman24]

i hit share and it doesn't show it my bad ill fix that in one minute

 

[hitman24]

hermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-P35-DS3L
Item #: N82E16813128059



EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: 512-P3-N841-A3
Item #: N82E16814130312

Rosewill RP550-2 ATX12V v2.01 550W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: RP550-2
Item #: N82E16817182017




Intel Xeon E3110 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E3110 - Retail
Model #: BX80570E3110
Item #: N82E16819117165

Update
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
Model #: F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
Item #: N82E16820231098

Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD3200AAKS
Item #: N82E16822136074

Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S - Retail
Model #: LH-20A1S
Item #: N82E16827106057
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Model #: 66I-00715
Item #: N82E16832116202

for $1036

 

[0gab0ga]

i wouldget 2x2 gb ram even though you are buying 32 bit and get a better psu like the 620hx or similar from buy.com
combo vista with your mobo and get 20$ off

 

[hitman24]

so get 4gb total then right. and combo on newegg. is the 620hx overkill for my system?

 

[0gab0ga]

yes; yes; no

 

[hitman24]

is the e8400 a bad choice? i mean i heard most games and stuff only use two cores not all 4.

 

[0gab0ga]

quad cores will eventually take over, probably within the year when it comes to games. its just a matter of the programmers making games and apps utilizing all cores. the q6600 has been out for over a year now so most programs/games are being developed for 4 cores
if gaming performance is most important get a e8400. if you want a more future proof / multitasking (that also runs games good) computer get a q6600 or q9450

 

[hitman24]

i want it for games but also future proof. if i get the q6600 i can get it all this weekend and not worry about when the e8400 is back in stock . what do you think is better.

 

[0gab0ga]

i am just about to build a system and i was thinking of going for the q6600 cause i want quad core, but you decide. many will say get the e8400, many will say get the q6600. you wont notice a life and death difference either way cause you will be able to run most games at max anyway. if you get the q6600 oc it to 3.0-3.6ghz. its real easy, just look around on other threads and google it. there is even a speciifc ds3l oc guide. then again many oc the e8400 up to 4ghz. just make sure you get a good cpu coler.
if you really dont want to oc, then get the e8400 for 3 ghz stock
the e8400 will probably be in stock in a week or two. its really the old quad vs dual question. if you dont mind waiting the q9450 will be out soon which will utilize the 45nm technology the e8400 uses but it will probably be around 350$+ for the first months. but really the only advantage of the q9450 will be less heat whic = more oc, which unfortunately needs an expensive mobo because of the x8 multiplier. its a tough choice but either way you cant go wrong and you will get a nice system. as mentioned, i am leaning towards the q6600 to be future proof and because i like multitasking without lagging, but the e8400 would probably last until 2010 when the nehalems have settled and a full upgrade of your comp is needed if you want to keep up performance wise

 

[lunyone]

so get 4gb total then right. and combo on newegg. is the 620hx overkill for my system?

The hx620w PSU is overkill, but it will leave plenty of room for upgrades later. I'd still go with the vx550w PSU that I linked earlier. It's still cheap and can't be beat for what you get at the price it is at now.