From AMD to Intel....My new gaming build?

[msgko]

A sure sign of the apocalypse, I seem to have descended the depths to Inteldom...

Here is my planned upgrade for my gaming rig. I am looking for any and all feedback I can get!!!

- Antec Nine Hundred ATX Gaming Case (w/ an extra 120mm for the vid card)

- PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W (updated)

- ASUS P5Q SE/R LGA 775 Intel P45

- Intel® Core 2 Duo E8400

- mushkin 4GB DDR2 800 5-4-4-12 (updated)

- Seagate Barracuda ES.2 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s

- VISIONTEK Radeon HD 4870

And I am keeping my

- Sony DRU840A 20x Multi-Format DVD±RW Recorder

- Sound Blaster Audigy 2ZS (update: there is a 64 bit driver but many features seem disabled...I may leave this out)

Oh and I will be upgrading from XP to Vista basic home 64.

Thanks for the look and in advance for any comments.

 

[skywalker9952]

Looks good but are you sure you want a dual core instead of a quad? Not sure what your budget/ upgrade cycle/ target games are but you may want to seriously consider a quad core over the e8400. Q6600 and 9850BE are both ~$190 only ~$20 more then your e8400. (and if you went for the phenom you could stay out of the inteldom)

 

[eklipz330]

...

intel e8400 is fine, get a nice xigmatech or sunbeam cooler, oc it to maybe 3.4ghz with no problem, and you should be set

if you don't plan on adding a second card, you might wanna consider a p43

 

[doomturkey]

That old audigy might not work, I've heard they don't make drivers for vista. They make X-fi drivers for vista though.

 

[Proximon]

Why the memory with the awful timings?

Get: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731

I really wouldn't put that PSU on that system. It's not bad as far as I know, but not ALL Antec PSUs are great, and you want to protect your investment.

This one is a great deal right now and would be the minimum I would consider:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

Only slightly more cahs for a bit more power:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

 

[msgko]

Wow...see this is why I love this forum...Proximon you singled out the only two things I bought some time ago, before I educated myself further: (memory and PSU)...I will modify the build post haste.

As for the dual vs quad core: I did debate this for some time. The Phenom was my first choice. Then I did some serious looking at what I actually do. I don't play Crysis and I don't have any higher end demands. Originally, I had the Penom picked with the 4850 vid card. With this build, I could afford the 4870 by dropping down to the E8400. By the way, the E8400 is $150 at a local shop.

I picked the P45 board in case I did want to X2. I also liked the RAID feature on the board. I will look into the P43 though, as I doubt I will crossfire with the 4870. I picked the board before I changed from the 4850.

I did not even consider the Audigy/Vista issue. I will look into that as well.

Thanks guys...update coming

 

[msgko]

Updated!! I noted that I may leave out the sound card. Even though there is Vista driver, it looks like none of the software features will work. I may do some more resarch or just use the on-board card.

Thanks again!