Bulding gaming computer ~ $800

[tzacharu]

Hi, I'm new to building computers, but I've been educating myself over the last few months and mulling over some of Newegg's parts to get the perfect computer for me.

This will be a gaming computer. Here's what I have thus far:

Case: NZXT Guardian 921 CS-NT-GD921-B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
GPU: HIS Hightech H487F1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
RAM: mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Mobo: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English

I'll be using my old CD drives and monitors.

One thing I was wondering about: my PSU has two PCI-E connectors, 1 x 6Pin and a 1 x 6+2Pin. My GPU requires 2 x 6Pin. Can a 6+2Pin be used as a 6Pin connector? Same thing goes for my mobo, which requires a 24Pin, but my PSU has a 20+4Pin. Will that work fine?

My mobo and PSU are pretty cheap compared to everything else I'm buying, I'm just wondering if they will be enough to run the GTX and my CPU well enough to game at decently high settings on a 1600x1000 resolution.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[wdcook]

The 6+2 and 20+4 Means you can either use it as a 6 or 20 pin connector along with 8 or 24

And for the PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182067

Good PSU, no MIR and would work well if you ever wanted to SLI/Crossfire

Also, heres the combo deal for you CPU/Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.147991

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The Raidmax is the first thing that must go. You need to use a reputable company for your PSU. PC Power & Cooling, Corsair, most Antec, OCZ, Zalman, etc... Raidmax is considered one of the worst PSU manufacturers. Here's one to consider:

PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005 $94.99 - $35.00 MIR

That hard drive is quite a bit slower than the current models. Consider stepping up to a 640GB drive. It's a matter of speed more than capacity.

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008688&prodlist=celebros $68.99

That GTX 260 is one of the original slower models. The motherboard you chose is crossfire compatible. You should check out the ATI HD 4870 since it will give you the option of crossfire in the future.

There's really no need for 1066 RAM for Intel CPU's. Pick up a quality DDR2 800 set with tight timings and low voltage. These are two very good kits:

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731 $49.99 - $20.00 MIR

or

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209 $49.99

Nice choices on the CPU, motherboard, and OS.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The 6+2 and 20+4 Means you can either use it as a 6 or 20 pin connector along with 8 or 24

And for the PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182067

Good PSU, no MIR and would work well if you ever wanted to SLI/Crossfire

Also, heres the combo deal for you CPU/Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.147991

Rosewill PSU's aren't really any better than Raidmax. It's best to avoid both manufacturers unless you like smoke and burned hardware.

 

[tzacharu]

Ok, thank you for the help and suggestions. I looked on Newegg for some similar parts to those suggested, but cheaper, and got the following:

RAM: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
GPU: HIS Hightech H487F1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5

I've been debating on whether or not to get the HD4870, and the only thing that made me go with the GTX was the lower price. I think I'll be going with the 4870 now and CF when the 4870 is lower in price.

Do those 3 parts look OK and trustworthy?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I'd stick with the mushkin RAM. It has tighter timings and runs at a lower voltage. There's nothing wrong with that Corsair RAM, but if I had to choose between the two I'd pick the mushkin kit.

That PSU only has 2 6-pin pci-e connectors. If you're planning on crossfire 4870's you might want to consider one of these:

PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009 $124.99 - $25.00 MIR

or

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=750tx $119.99 - $20.00 MIR

Both of those GPU's have 60A on the 12v rail and 4 pci-e connectors so they're ready for crossfire 4870's.

I really like this GPU. The cooler is awesome and it's a good price.

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801 $239.99 - $15.00 MIR

 

[tzacharu]

OK, I'll go with Mushkin. Now that I think about it, I think I'll just stick with a single GPU.

I would go with that GPU, but Newegg doesn't have it in stock. If it's in stock within the next few days, I'll switch to that. I'll have to order my PC the 15th so all the parts will be back at home by the time Christmas vacation rolls around. That'll give me 10 days to build it, before it's back to college, and RMA anything that comes dead on arrival.

Thanks for the help everyone. Any further comments are appreciated.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

That's a very popular GPU. It keeps going in and out of stock multiple times per day. It was just in stock when I checked on it an hour or two ago. Keep watching it and snag it up when you see it come back in stock.

 

[tzacharu]

That's a very popular GPU. It keeps going in and out of stock multiple times per day. It was just in stock when I checked on it an hour or two ago. Keep watching it and snag it up when you see it come back in stock.

Will do. Thank you.