First Build, Budget of $1500

[Guest]

Hey everyone, long time lurker, first time poster. Well I just graduated from college and decided it's time to build my first computer. I realize how much money I wasted after high school buying a gaming computer from one of the big name companies. So with that in mind I want to build a pretty good gaming PC with some upgradeability for future work. I didn't include a monitor because I have a 19" Widescreen Samsung I'm really happy with. Here's a link to the Public Wish list on Newegg. Also please note besides the LED lights everything should be a quantity of one.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11788907

I wasn't sure what OS to go with so I figured Vista 64 bit. Please advise on anywhere I can increase performance without increasing cost by too much or where I might be spending too much.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mihirkula]

Nice build ....though:

You won't notice any difference in performace between Q6600 and Q6700 ... theres a price difference of nearly $80

That PSU is cr@p ... get the Corsair 750TX instead ... $130 on newegg . Just $100 on buy.com

http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearchresults.asp?querytype=home&qu=corsair+750tx&qxt=home&display=col

You don't need an external sound card... your mobo has an excellent onboard card.

The new Radeon 4870 and Nvidia GTX260 is just around the corner ... you might want to wait for a couple of weeks and get one of them instead ....both largely outperform 8800GTS

Regarding mobo i'm not a fan of SLI ... theres a long sad history of nvidia SLI board drivers.... IMHO Crossfire and X38 are a much much better investment and performer compared to SLI ...especially since the new Radeons cost considerably less than the new Nvidias.

 

[ausch30]

I would go with Home Premium instead of Ultimate. This is a better case but case selection is a very subjective thing and obviously your looking for a little bling http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

Change your PSU to this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
For an extra $15 you go from crap to the best.

Unless my eyes are playing tricks I don't see a motherboard? I agree with the above poster though that the sound on modern motherboards is better than the card you chose. The only reason to buy a sound card is if you have a great set of speakers or headphones and a very discerning ear.

 

[aevm]

Is this supposed to be a SLI build? If yes, the Silencer 750W is a great choice indeed, and I'd pick an XFX 780i motherboard or an Asus P5N-D 750i.

If one video card is enough, this Corsair 650TX PSU would also be good: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=650tx
and the motherboard could be GA-EP35-DS3L, GA-EP35-DS3R, aBit IP35 Pro, depending on what features you need.

 

[Guest]

Just to clarify a bit. This isn't going to be an SLI build atm since I only have a 19" widescreen Monitor. I was wanting an SLI capable mobo though in case I got a better monitor later on but I'm leaning against that atm.

New mobo is DFI LP LT X48-T2R LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard. Chose the Corsair 650 PSU. Switched to Windows VIsta Home 64 bit.

Not sure why the mobo disappeared from the wish list but it should be in there now. Also something to note is It's going to be at least 2-3 months before I buy everything, I'm just trying to get some price estimates right now. I know I'll probably have to do everything from scratch since 2-3 months in the world of computers might as well be 2-3 years.

 

[aevm]

Nice... the AMD HD4850 and the nVidia GTX 260 should be out soon, and hopefully they'll be faster than the 8800GTS G92 and not much more expensive. Keep an eye out for them. Or maybe the 8800GTS and 8800GTX will become cheaper and you'll get one of those. Ask again when you're ready to buy.

 

[ausch30]

Also the P45 should be available by then and with the new video cards you might want Crossfire upgradability rather than SLI. Intel chips are more stable than Nvidia anyway so you might want to look into that.

 

[clay12340]

This might make for a better cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

If you're not going Crossfire, then save some money and buy an X38 board. Lots of nice ones out there

The samsung S203B DVD drives have been rated extremely well and are a few bucks cheaper than that Lite-On version.

I have to agree on the Q6600 vs Q6700 comment. Same chip with a minor factory overclock for $80 more. Also look for an OEM CPU as you'll save a few books on not buying a retail cooler you won't use.


It also looks like you've got a keyboard, but no mouse. A good gaming mouse can run you $50+, so if you're not carrying one over that's worth considering in your budget.