Quad Core, Gaming System for Operation Flashpoint

[OpTicaL_ByTE]

My current system well its about at least... 5+ years old..
AMD 64 3200, ATI Radeon 9600 128MB AGP.. 1GB memory (very old E-Machine)

My type of games are FPS, and i want to try to take advantage and kinda future proof my system for a couple of years (if not easy upgradable later on)

I want to play COD4 at MAX if possible, and Operation Flashpoint.

Operation Flashpoint is going to support Quad Core, Dual GFX cards.
I dunno if anyone is into type of games like OPFP... any of you building a new computer to get the most out of it? for when it releases.

I would of went with a Dual Core but i do alot of multi-tasking as well, plus i would like to take advantage of OPFP supporting Quad Core technology

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What im looking for, or planning for

CPU: Quad Type

MOBO: XF Compatable (Maybe Onboard sound? not sure because at one point i would like a Creative X-FI type card.. but will it even fit? with Dual XF GFX Cards?)

GFX: Going with a "Single" card for the moment later one i will buy a new card to go XF (was thinking of 4850... any ideas?)

MEM: 4GB at most (possibly 800mhz?)

CASE: I was thinking of a Antec Twelve Hundred because its really nice, alot of room and the air filters are a nice touch

PSU: Good quality type, that will support a good XF

HDD: SATA, fast, roomy too

THINGS I DONT NEED: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Mic ...

BUDGET: What i have to spend is $1,000 USD

 

[calinkula]

Budget?

 

[faster3200]

Based on what you asked for I cam up with a system for just over $1K and actually less than if you include MIR, go for a special deal at the egg.

Parts:
Samsung DVD Burner ($28)
Antec Twelve Hundred ($165) - You could save money here by choosing a different case.
WD 640gb AAKS (84.99) - This is the fastest consumer hd on the market other than the raptors.
Palit 4850 ($170 - $30 MIR)
Intel Q6600 OEM ($185)
Cosair 750w ($120 - $20 MIR - $30 Q6600 combo)
PQI 2x2gb DDR2 800 ($63)
Asus P5E Deluxe ($220) - Either X48 or X38 is necessary for crossfire
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer ($40 -$5 MIR)
TOTAL: $1,046 ($995 MIR)

NOTE: I rounded all of the prices

 

[OpTicaL_ByTE]

faster3200, im gonna check this out. Thank you for your response

Curious question, is Raid 0 faster? or single HDD? some ppl say if Raid 0 failes you have to replace both HDD's?

I havent heard of PQI Memory sticks, mostly ive heard is either Corsair, OCZ, and G.Skill

 

[johnyeah]

A P45 motherboard also works for crossfire (x38 and x48 is "not necessary"), you can either try the P5Q PRO from Asus or EP45-DS3R from Gigabyte, that should bring the prices to lower than $1,000.

You might want to try a Mushkin 2x2GB DDR2 800 RAM, it runs at the standard 1.8V (generally more stable).

 

[faster3200]

A P45 motherboard also works for crossfire (x38 and x48 is "not necessary"), you can either try the P5Q PRO from Asus or EP45-DS3R from Gigabyte, that should bring the prices to lower than $1,000.

I would argue that X38 or X48 is necessary for full performance. While you can technically run Crossfire on the other chipsets your pcie slots will run at 8x instead of the full 16x. This creates a bottleneck robbing you of the full performance of your crossfired cards. With X38 and X48 it will run at the full 16x in crossfire mode.

My memory choice was just the cheapest DDR2 800 I could find. They aren't super great but they will get you to 3.6ghz no problem if you go for the Q6600. If you really want good ram go for the G.Skill DDR2 1000. They are cheaper than the Mushkin as well. BTW 1.8v stock voltage usually means the ICs being used are not Micron ICs (the best OCers). The G.Skill I recommend aren't Micron either (they are Powerchip) but they at least guarantee a 1000mhz speed.