Extremely new to gaming PCs

[zionprophecy]

I have never built or even considered building a gaming pc until i tried to play oblivion and had to disable my sound card for some reason to get it to run and even then everything on low settings...So i came to the conclusion that im going to invest some money, learn a about PCs and build my own.

Now i went to Tiger Direct to look at what parts to buy, pretty much went through the categories and choose things that were widely used and had high ratings. But here i am to give you a confusing Cart order from there for you guys to go through and add, take out, or just change a bit some of the components.
Any, and all advice is extremely welcome.
Again let me stress, I know my way around a computer, but to build one and which current things to use etc i haven't the slightest idea. I want a gaming PC, one that i can upgrade if later on nessecary, but can run any game smoothly and at highest settings with no hiccups.
Thanks again. Heres the jumble of a mess i have at tiger direct:

Product Description QTY Price



L12-1142 OEM :: Lite-On DH-20A4P-04 SuperAllwrite OEM DVD Burner - 20x DVD±R Burn, 16x DVD±R Read, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD±R DL, 12x DVD-RAM, 48x32x CD-R/RW, PATA, Black 2 $24.99




ULT40064 :: Ultra X3 ULT40064 1000-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, PCI-E Ready, Energy Efficient, Modular 1 $299.81




TC3J-2341 :: Apevia Black/Black X-Plorer ATX Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Fan Controller, Front USB and Firewire Port, PowerUp 800-Watt PSU 1 $119.99




A179-2204 :: Acer AL2216WBD 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Ultra-fast 5ms, WSXGA+ 1680x1050, DVI, VGA, Black, VESA 100mm - Free Shipping 1 $209.97




P56-9802 :: PNY XLR8 GeForce 9800 GTX Video Card - 512MB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV 1 $179.99




TSD-500M4 :: Maxtor DiamondMax 21 500GB Hard Drive - 7200, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM 1 $69.99




O261-8038 :: OCZ SLI-Ready Dual Channel 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2x2048MB) 1 $100.99




CP2-DUO-Q6600 :: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor HH80562PH0568M - 2.40GHz, 8MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB, Kentsfield, Quad-Core, OEM, Socket 775, Processor 1 $189.97




E145-2034 :: EVGA nforce 780i SLI Motherboard - A1 Version, NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, Dual Gigabit LAN, S/PDIF, USB 2.0, Firewire, Serial ATA, RAID 1 $249.99


TOTAL: 1,570.67

 

[jeb1517]

Lesson 1) shop at www.newegg.com

Even if the price is a little higher (which it probably won't be) the customer service and fast shipping make it worth it.

 

[jeb1517]

C184-28428 :: Cables To Go Cable Network Kit with 500-Foot CaT5e UTP, RJ45 Micron Connectors and Crimp Tool - Gray 1 $99.99

????????

 

[zionprophecy]

Alright fair enough, im in ontario canada if that changes anything. But even at newegg.com what things in my list do i need to adjust, add, or take? Like i said internal components I need quite a bit of help with.

 

[pulasky]

get HD 4870 it is much better

 

[rubix_1011]

Ultra PSUs aren't known to be the best, and for that price, you would be better served with a PC Power and Cooling, Corsair or Thermaltake in the 600-700w range. Check the tier list at

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

It might be a little outdated, but in general, most will still apply. I know I have seen a newer version somewhere, but I don't have it bookmarked.

 

[zionprophecy]

Lol, like i said though.....not a clue with the differences, I'm pretty much asking to be led through the whole process, from the best casing, to the motherboard and CPU combination. Eveyrthing, My budget sits around under 2000 canadian. I don't if this seems to be asking a lot but like i've stated I dont know about half of this stuff.

 

[BustedSony]

Alright fair enough, im in ontario canada if that changes anything. But even at newegg.com what things in my list do i need to adjust, add, or take? Like i said internal components I need quite a bit of help with.

We can't deal with Newegg quite yet. If you're in Canada I very highly recommend Ncix.com. Ncix's site is down at the precise moment I type this, but it'll be back. Look for the limited specials that are posted every Wednesday at 9PM EST. You can build half your computer at way less than retail.

The power supply is overkill, avoid Maxtor and go for WD or Seagate instead, particularly their 640s. For video Consider the ATI HD 4850/70, which I can tell you from experience is particularly good at Oblivion. And since you want a 775 board get an Intel chipset such as 38, 45, or 48. And OCZ memory is good among other brands, but never mind "SLI-ready." Any matched pair will do.

 

[crabdog]

I agree that the PSU is a bit overkill. Go for something around 700-800W which is more than ample and perhaps a higher tiered brand.

Also, unless you're planning on using a 64 bit version of XP or Vista, you won't be able to use 4GB of RAM.

 

[BustedSony]

I agree that the PSU is a bit overkill. Go for something around 700-800W which is more than ample and perhaps a higher tiered brand.

Also, unless you're planning on using a 64 bit version of XP or Vista, you won't be able to use 4GB of RAM.

I still recommend 4 gigs of ram, because you can use up to 3.2 gigs in XP32, and the only way to get 3 gigs is to use four sticks, which is slightly less reliable than using two sticks, and there is no real difference in price between 2 X 2 gigs, and 2 X 1gig + 2 X 512 megs.

 

[Jpain]

1. 4GB DDR2 800
2. 4870 512MB cant go wrong with that on..
3. 750W +80 power
4. 500GB 32MB or 750 GB 32MB
5. 24" TFT
6. DVD-rw x 22, SATA
7. Vista 64

You will go on "long" time with this setup...

 

[BustedSony]

1. 4GB DDR2 800
2. 4870 512MB cant go wrong with that on..
3. 750W +80 power
4. 500GB 32MB or 750 GB 32MB
5. 24" TFT
6. DVD-rw x 22, SATA
7. Vista 64

You will go on "long" time with this setup...

Yes, whatever else one can say Vista 64 IS good for gaming.

Choose a PVA panel over a TN.

Consider the LG Blu-Ray reader, which is also an excellent DVD writer. Games are already coming out that need BD-Roms. In fact BD WRITERS are becoming affordable.

The 640 gig WD and Seagate drives are faster than anything out there except Raptors.

 

[rubix_1011]

ASUS,eVGA, Gigabyte P35/45 board

+1 on the WD640, 32mb cache very desirable for SATA HHDs.
+1 on 4GB, 2x2gb if you can, 4x1 is OK...just leaves less room for expansion
+1 on SATA DVD burner

 

[surfbum]

I would strongly consider getting a motherboard with an intel chipset rather than an nvidia. Look at the X48 or P45 chipset motherboards.

Especially if you go with the ATI HD4870 or HD 4850 (with i also strongly suggest), the intel chipset mobos will allow you to use crossfire (two ATI GPUS together)

 

[killyou400p]

Hey I'm from Ontario, Canada too. Hey mate. Anyways, +1 on the video card, At least 4850, 4870 is better.
Also newegg.ca For canada is coming out somewhere this year. Sept-Dec. So im waiting till newegg.ca comes out to buy my parts. And of course e5200, etc. Sadly there is no Ncix stores in Ontario, but i believe their prices are the best in canada. Also if you live in te GTA, (greater toronto area) look at DirectCanada and Canadacomputers.com.

Heres what i came up with for you In NCIX

Case: Antec P182 ATX Black Mid Tower Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB Audio Firewire =$140
PSU: OCZ Elitexstream OCZ800EXS 800W ATX12V 20/24PIN Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black = 145$
Cooling: Cooler Master Neon Blue LED 120MM Case Fan 3PIN 22DBA 1220RPM 42.734CFM 3PINS = 7$
Thermaltake Blue Orb II Aluminum Heatsink S754 S939 S940 LGA775 120MM LED Fan 1700RPM 17DBA 77.85CFM = 44$
RAM: G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ PC2-8000 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Ki = 100$
DVD drive: Samsung SH-S203N Black SATA DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL18X/12X Lightscribe DVD Writer OEM W/ SW = 35$
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB Hard Drive OEM 3YR MFR Warranty =100$
Mobo: ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 P35 DDR2 1333FSB 2PCI-E16 3PCI 2PCI-E1 SATA2 Sound WLAN Motherboard = 168$
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 64BIT DVD OEM = 212$
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box= 226$
Sound card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer 24BIT Sound Card 7.1 PCI Retail Box Bilingual =101$
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 4850 625MHZ 512MB 1.986GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card = 195$
LCD: Samsung 2220WM 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor Glossy Black Finish 1680X1050 1000:1 5MS VGA DVI Speakers =270$

Any corrections can be made, The sound card is a little bit extreme but he has the money.
The total comes down to 1743$
This was + the Operating system Vista Ultimate 64 bit, without it, it comes down to
1531$, still cheaper than yours and i believe better.
Just found out that in Tiger Direcet the q6600 is cheaper by around 40$. So you can buy the CPU there if you want to save some money.

 

[rubix_1011]

I was under the impression that Newegg Canada was up and available? Is this not the case? Newegg is great...hope you guys can get it soon!

Sound card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer 24BIT Sound Card 7.1

Yeah, a little on the extreme side. I have the same board you suggested, ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 P35 and the onboard sound really is great unless you run high end speakers or use it for high quality surround. For headphones...it works very well.

Then again, it really depends on budget, use and expectations.

 

[mythor20]

Don't waste money for the above PSU if you plan to crossfire later, get at least 750w upwards so you don't have to fork out more money later

This all depends which GFX card you end up getting, I would also go for the 4850 or much better the 4870 if you can afford it.

 

[eklipz330]

if yoru gaming, i prefer a 24" monitor, an x38/x48 intel chipset with an OC'd e8500 cooled by a xigmatek s1283 or a sunbeam core contact freezer...4gigs of ram is most preferable with a 64-bit OS

you can Crossfire[sync two or more gpu's] a pair of 4850's, a pair of 4870's or wait for the upcoming 4870x2 which has positive reviews as of yet...you'll get great fps in everygame, although it won;t be as good at multitasking as a quad core, but you just can;t beat the overclockability of a dual core

as for a case, i personally would get a nzxt tempest of antec 900, both have a similar build

 

[rubix_1011]

but you just can;t beat the overclockability of a dual core

The q6600's OC like crazy with enough cooling and if you get a good VID.

Mine is at 4ghz on water.

 

[shadowthor]

You can try www.infonec.com, www.canadacomputers.com, have better pricing for some stuff.

 

[royalcrown]

dualcores are faster than quad cores in most games...no matter how much ppl tout quad core...get an e8400 for now !

 

[BustedSony]

Hey I'm from Ontario, Canada too. Also newegg.ca For canada is coming out somewhere this year. Sept-Dec. So im waiting till newegg.ca comes out to buy my parts. And of course e5200, etc. Sadly there is no Ncix stores in Ontario, but i believe their prices are the best in canada. Also if you live in te GTA, (greater toronto area) look at DirectCanada and Canadacomputers.com.

Heres what i came up with for you In NCIX

Case: Antec P182 ATX Black Mid Tower Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB Audio Firewire =$140
Mobo: ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 P35 DDR2 1333FSB 2PCI-E16 3PCI 2PCI-E1 SATA2 Sound WLAN Motherboard = 168$
Sound card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer 24BIT Sound Card 7.1 PCI Retail Box Bilingual =101$
LCD: Samsung 2220WM 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor Glossy Black Finish 1680X1050 1000:1 5MS VGA DVI Speakers =270$

Any corrections can be made, The sound card is a little bit extreme but he has the money.
The total comes down to 1743$
Just found out that in Tiger Direcet the q6600 is cheaper by around 40$. So you can buy the CPU there if you want to save some money.

Shipping by Purolator is always overnight to me in Mississauga, so I wouldn't worry about Ncix being in the west, AND you don't pay PST! DirectCanada IS Ncix, their commercial distributing arm.


I would get the case locally, to save the cost of shipping. However Ncix frequently offers ground shipping entirely free if one buys Vista or a particular piece of hardware. The Q6600 is often on sale for cheaper than Tigerdirect ever offers it. Also the 9450 and 9400 are worth considering. You can pay $150 to become a "Premiere Partner" and save up to 25% off major items. The P182 is my favourite case. I have a P180 equipped with water cooling, which is worth thinking about.

The Samsung is a TN panel; for good colorimetry and no banding I'd recommend an 8-bit PVA panel, it costs more but that can be gained by bypassing the sound card. The "1.5 ms" timing for the Samsung is a hyped-up figure, using overshoot and flashing lights. Anything under 10ms is good for gaming, espeically since LCD panels are limited to 60 fps refresh anyway. Someone with a TN panel might think it's good, until they get a gander at a PVA, such as my LG 246W!

The P5K-E has had issues. The OP should read reviews on various motherboards.

 

[His Shadow]

I would take a look at sharkyextreme.com - they have a buyer's guide that specs out various recommended gaming systems and I believe where to buy components as well.

I would also seriously consider saving your money and just getting a console to game on. With rare exception, every top-shelf game (including Oblivion) is also released on consoles, and quite often, months before it is released on the PC. Not looking to deviate off topic, just something to consider, unless you mostly play RTS and MMO games on the PC.

 

[royalcrown]

consoles suck...booooo lol...nah, i like my xbox for some things, but other games suck because of the controller ! I'd build the pc and get a console after xmas, let them get cheaper

 

[hopkiller]

if your looking for a good crossfire ASUS board use the one i do it is a great

MOBO: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

its a great board