Hey guys,

I am working on a build that I'd like to order by tonight or tomorrow. I have put it all together on Newegg here:

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio [...] itle=NewPC

Now, I do have some concerns:

1) Is the processor good for the system? I was looking for the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 or higher but I can not find them for sale. I'd be willing to spend around $500 on a CPU.

2) I decided to go with the 9800 GX2 for a few reasons. Most simply, I don't want to mess with SLI right now and I'd also like to have the ability to add another 9800 GX2 in a few months when the price drops.

3) Is my motherboard going to bottleneck my parts?

4) Is my PSU overkill? I figure it will be strong enough to power two 9800 GX2's eventually.

5) How is the monitor I chose?

6) How is the system overall? Are the parts a good fit? Am I including any outdated technology that has a better, available, counterpart?


My budget is $2000. I am willing to go a bit higher if necessary. I am building this PC for gaming exclusively, as I have other PC's for work. My main goal is to play Age of Conan (an upcoming MMORPG) flawlessly.

I have built my own PCs in the past, but I do not stay on top of the newest technology unless I'm going to be building a new system. So I'd like to have your advice on the strength of this build.

Thank you!

1. E8400 is good enough but why don't you try to consider a Xeon E3110? and $500 just for the cpu? hmmm.....a minute......what are you intending to do with it? hmmm....intel extreme series are more expensive than just $500 and normal proc costs less than $400.... If you are goin' after the future than go for quad, but if you are gonna play games....duo is enough.
2. SLI or crossfire is not worth it, if you ask me, but if you still wanna boost the performance, than yup SLI or Crossfire is your solution.
3. EVGA? I am not used using it. Why don't you find something like ASUS or Gigabyte?
4. 1000W? yup an overkill..I think you need not more than 750W.
5. Why not Samsung, HP, LG? I have bad experiences with ACER products (Laptop)! They get broken so easy and I had to run back and forward again and again to the service center. NO MORE ACER FOR ME.
6. Your system is a OK. And my opinion...your configuration will last at least 2 years in the future.

Here is what I'd do and save some $ for a GPU upgrade.

CPU - q6700 or e8400. q6700 has a 10x mulitplier (which makes for easier OC'ing). e8400 will be good too, but the quad would last longer, especially if you OC it, which will be pretty easy with the q6700. The q6600 is good too, but has a 9x mulitplier so you will be pushing the FSB on the mobo more.

Mobo - I'd go with a x38 or p35 based mobo. Been reading about problems on nVidia based mobo's recently and don't like what I've read. It might work out fine, but I believe the x38 or p35 based mobo would be your best bet and also would be cheaper with a p35 mobo. I'd consider the Gigabyte DS3R/Abit IP35 pro/Asus p5k series of mobo's. You won't be doing SLI with the p35 mobo's, but I believe you can just use a 3870x2/9800gx2/48xx GPU's. Any of those will be pretty good for 95% of builds.

GPU - 3870x2/8800gts (g92) would all be plenty for a resolution of 1680 x 1050, that you have selected. These options will also save you $ that you can use later to upgrade the GPU with.

CPU HSF - I'd get a Xigmatek s1283 HSF over most every other cooler, unless your going into extreme cooling. The Xigmatek cooler is going for $37 shipped at newegg, so it's the same cost as the one you selected.

Memory - 4 gb's (2x2 gb's) is a good starting point, which you have selected. Stick with at least DDR2 800mHz CAS 4 (4-4-4-12 timings), which will leave you room for OC'ing. You'd probably be around 400-425 mHz FSB, which most quality CAS4 800 mHz DDR2 will be able to handle (800-900 mHz).

PSU - I'd go with one of these: Corsair tx650w (4 x 6+2 pin PCI-e power connectors)/PCP&C 610w or 750w Crossfire/Antec 550w NeoHE/Seasonic 550w. All of these PSU's will easily handle any single GPU solution out there w/room to spare for upgrades later.

Case - Antec 900/Cooler Master 690 would be solid choices. They both have plenty of room and are designed well for cooling.

Take your extra $ that you'd save with this setup and upgrade your GPU every 12-18 months. This will allow you to have a kick a$$ gaming system for quite some time.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the advice. I've made some changes to the PSU, HDD, HSF, Optical drive, and monitor as per your (and others) suggestions.

Here is the new build:

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio [...] &ItemList=

A few notes:

- I checked out the P35 motherboards from Gigabyte and Abit, and they do not seem to be optimized for gaming systems. I think the layout of the eVGA board I have on my wish-list is a bit better. However, if you notice a major flaw on the mobo, please let me know. I have had good experiences with nVidia chipsets in the past (I have an nForce 3 now), so I'm not super-worried about that.

- I like the Thermaltake case I chose, as I my friend owns one and I really like the size of it. I currently have a Thermaltake case, and I really likie the company. The cases are very spacious and sturdy.

- Finally, I'm still deciding what to do about the GPU. I did not make the switch to 2x8800GTS's yet because there are so many different types of 8800's that it's hard to tell which will be the best (and equal to the 9800 - due to the fact that I am forgoing the 9800 because the 8800's will be near equal for ~$70 less).

Here is the 8800GTS I was looking at:

http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6814130337

If I buy two of those I will save roughly ~$70. However, at what gain/loss in performance, I am not sure.

I'd like to note that I do not want to skimp on the GPU purchase. When I will need to upgrade my GPU I will have the money, so I'd rather just get a top card now and when the time comes to buy a new one, I'll do it. It's not completely necessary for me to save money now for hardware I'll need to buy a year from now. That's not to say I want to spend as much money as possible (:lol , but I don't want to skimp on the GPU.

So, what do you think of the new build?

Thanks again for your help, guys. I really appreciate it.

Can't open up the link, so could you itemize them out for us?

How's this?

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio [...] itle=NewPC

NICE!!! What a nice build, $460 for the monitor, but otherwise a pretty nice build!

Thanks, Luny. I'm still working on the build. I think I'm going to stick with a single 8800GTS for now until the 9900 comes out. I'm also looking for a good motherboard that will give me the ability to go for SLI if neccessary.

I also replaced the monitor with one that looks a bit better.

Here is the current build. There are some components that are repeated as I'm trying to make a few decisions, so the end price should go down.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio [...] itle=NewPC