Was working on a config for a friend and was hoping to get some reviews/feedback on what I included. He was looking to put together a gaming/music system. He is very into his music and wanted the system to be good with audio. Would the built in sound card on the mobo suffice, or should he look for something extra? Anyway, heres what I put together for him, please let me know what you think and what could be reduced, what should be upgraded, what doesn't fit, etc. Thanks for the help!
It looks good, but there is some room for improvement. That motherboard should go. I'm not sure if you had a reason for choosing a micro-ATX board with on-board graphics, but you'd be better off with a P45 chipset. Here's a few options:
That video card is OK, but if you get a crossfire board you might want to check out the ATI 4850. It's a faster card and allows the option of crossfire in the future if you go with a crossfire motherboard.
I agree with shortstuff on the P45 board and the DDR2 800 RAM, both very sensible moves. I'd also think about going with an Antec 300 case instead of the 900 to save an extra $40-$45 depending on shipping costs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042 The PC Power and Cooling 610w is going for $60 after rebate right now, a great buy and plenty for that system, even if crossfired at a later date.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005 Also agree with shortstuff about a HD4850 instead of that 9800GT. Trying to get the budget down a bit because if your friend is a real audiophile he may not be happy with the onboard sound, research the Asus Xonar sound cards, I'd have him try onboard sound first, but try to keep a soundcard in the budget if he wants to upgrade it.
Thanks, I didn't notice that the mobo was a micro-atx, updated that with the Gigabyte UD3R, as well as switched the memory for some Corsair memory. Any recommendations for good sound cards?
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