Artsy Fartsy/Starcraft2 computer <$800 suggestions?

[kakapoopie]

Hi all I'm building a computer for mostly Photoshop painting and probably 3d modeling/rendering down the road, and Starcraft2/maybe crysis for fun.

Heres my build as of now, I'll be using an old case and logisys 550W PSU (will this be able to handle things?)

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail$26.99

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996599 - Retail $134.99

GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $89.99

ZOTAC ZT-88TES3P-FCP GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $184.99-$30 rebate

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail $209.99

Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3500320NS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $109.99

Total $756.94

i was thinking of doing the E8400 instead...what do you all think? is the memory overkill for the Q6600?

 

[aziraphale]

For the RAM; it depends on what system you are going to use. If it's XP32 2GB will be enough.

 

[kakapoopie]

ittl be vista 64. i was reading up on the OC guide and I guess I'll be going with 800 memory instead if the fsb on the quad cores is lowish

 

[minimad127]

pc 6400 (800mhz) ram is is good for most things since a lot of motherboards cant handle the FSB required to use all the band width of higher ram (simply put operational ram speed =fsb*2 due to the 'double data rate') so to get the most out of the 1066 ram you will have to be having a fsb of around 500, ok so its a tiny bit more complicated than that but its just a rough idea for you.

so if you are planning on OC'ing the nuts of the computer then the 1066 is better, however since you are using an old case i guess you are not planning on a massive OC. so would say save some money and get the 800

on the note of OC'ing if you want to OC the q6600 you will probably need a slightly better HSF as although the pro 7 is the best value cooling around it is not the most affective when it comes to OC'ing 4 cores. however if you are not going to OC a lot the pro 7 is the way to go

since you mentioned 3d rendering i would also say you would be better going fo rthe q6600 over the e8400 as it gives the added increase to multie tasking, if it was just for gaming i would have said the e8400 but definitely the q6600 for what you want to use it for

your PSU should be able to handle things however i would check what the out puts are on the rails against what is needed for the 8800gt

 

[jerb]

Very nice build a+ i think for your needs. The only thing caught my eye was the psu.

I would make sure to buy at least a teir 2 PSU for your system. I forget the exact links to show all the psu's, but basically stick to enermax/silverstone.


Go for the Quad!!! and do a modest, easy, and fun Over clock and skip the wolfdale e8400 (which i bought) but i am a primary gamer.

Ohh and no need to go beyond ddr2 800 for a nice OC if u choose the e8400, but i cannot speak for the quad that you are interested in.

 

[kakapoopie]

thanks for the advice all, Im switching to
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model

i was having trouble weighing pros cons with the CPUs but I'm set on quad core now! Ill probably stick to a modest OC since I'm new to OC and I value stability over anything as this will be a mainly work computer. thanks all, off to order tonight!!