New build Mid Level Gaming Rig

[jbarr]

New build Mid Level Gaming Rig
Reworked after some advise from the forum

I will be ordering parts this week and would like some advise on this $800 budget box.
I already have a 22-inch ViewSonic VG2230 1680 X 1050 monitor, keyboard and mouse.
OS will be XP Pro 32bit, E8500 overclocked to 3.6ghz to start with, no sli or crossfire.


GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro (I already own this cooler)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

LG Black 22X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

Antec Nine Hundred
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

EVGA 01G-P3-1155-TR GeForce GTS 250 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130469


Your thoughts and advice would be welcomed

 

[Helloworld_98]

first go vista 64 it owns xp on higher end pc's

second there isn't a graphics card on that list, I thought you were gaming, drop the antec 900 for a coolermaster 690 and a 4750 when they come out.(supposedly next month.)

third go for an amd 7xx, the extra core will help in future games and they oc better than the e8xxx's.

and finally, isn't an e8500 to 3.6mhz a downclock? and wow the aspect ratio on your monitor is high, like 11:1.

 

[WR2]

Are you buying the $ 150 EVGA GTS 250 as a place holder just for now?
For about $20 more (after rebate) you could get a XFX GTX 260 Core 216.
(also get free shipping which the GTS 250 doesn't have - makes that about a $14 difference)

@ $10 more than GTX 250 - Factory OC'd MSI GTX 260/216 $160 A/R with a free copy of Far Cry 2

The blue LED fans in the case and red LED fan in the PSU - is that the look you're going after? If not check to see if the PSU fan LED can be switched off. Or you could swap out the blue for red case fans - Antec has some listed on it's website.

 

[Why_Me]

Nice build! I can't find any holes in that build...very nice. Ok one obvious change to that build and that's all I see. It's your cpu. You mentioned a clock of 3.6 so the obvious choice on that is the E8400. A nice mild bump for that cpu is (9 x 400) which puts you at a nice 3.6 @ 1600 fsb and that chip isn't breaking a sweat, also you save a few dollars.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037 $164.99 Free Shipping*
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

btw, I'm guessing you already have the XP seeing how it wasn't on your purchase list. If not, then as the above poster mentioned... Vista 64 Home Premium OEM is the way to go.

 

[jbarr]

GeForce GTX 260

System Requirements & Power Requirements: Wont work for me at this time
Non-SLI: 630W Minimum Power Supply
SLI: 680W Minimum Power Supply
One 6-Pin Power Connector
One 8-Pin Power Connecto

Red led works for me

Thanks for your input

 

[Why_Me]

GeForce GTX 260

System Requirements & Power Requirements: Wont work for me at this time
Non-SLI: 630W Minimum Power Supply
SLI: 680W Minimum Power Supply
One 6-Pin Power Connector
One 8-Pin Power Connecto

Red led works for me

Thanks for your input

Actually it will work with that OCZ. The always put the high psu specs on there seeing how a lot of nubs get these crappy arse psu's like Rosewills, and Raidmax just to name a few, and expect them to push gaming rigs with high end cards...sans the reason Nvidea, and ATI put those specs on there. The OCZ comes with two PCI-E connections for SLI ...it has a 6+2 connector ...check the "specs" on that psu on newegg. Also that psu runs two 12v rails @ 25A each...that's going to give you enough juice to push that card and leave you plenty left over for extra's such as over clocking. With the money you saved on switching the cpu, that card that WR2 linked you to fits your budget.

 

[WR2]

Not sure what's up with the XFX 260 power requirements - maybe they're for the top end Black Edition

Here are more realistic GTX 260 power requirements:
GTX 260 recommended power requirements are 500 watts and 36 Amps +12V 1 PCI-e connector
GTX 250 recommended power requirements are 450 watts and 24 Amps +12V 1 PCI-e connector
from the EVGA website: http://www.evga.com/products/prodlist.asp?family=GeForce+200+Series+Family

GTS 250 & GTX 260 power draw tested

 

[jbarr]

Ok…Price difference is not to bad, but what will I be gaining in performance?
Size is a little larger… NewEgg review “Remember this card is 10.5 inches long. I had to move around my SATA drives in my Antec 900 case to give it room. Just something to keep in mind.”

Heat… NewEgg review “Super hot card, I have to run my card's fans at 100% when running Crysis”

So, is the performance increase going to out weigh the con’s?

Thanks for your input

 

[WR2]

Yes;
And there might not be any cons at all.
What case was the "super hot card" in? Probably a case with very poor circulation.
Unless you're loading up on HDDs - more than 4 - you won't have a problem if you plan ahead on where to install the drives. You wan't them as low down in the HDD case as you can get them to reduce power cable clutter.

 

[Why_Me]

Here is a few reviews on the gts 250 1gig concerning frame rates, heat, power consumption, etc.... also the gtx 260 is listed on there.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/16504

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/913/1/

 

[WR2]

The THG GTS 250 review has some good 1680x1050 benchmarks to look at:

More than 35% improvement in this example (your mileage may vary)

 

[jbarr]

What about the SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 vs GeForce GTX 260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

 

[WR2]

Take 2 - they're small.
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P

 

[WR2]

Maybe I'd better explain that
The 4850 is really not a bad card for 1680x1050 resolution. If you want to get one now - it's not a bad move.
But if this were my money I'd do a $15 upgrade on the motherboard to the UD3P just to have the option to add a 2nd GPU in CrossFire, just in case the one of the new, late 2009 games you "can't live without" isn't playable with just a single 4850.

"more GPU and less CPU" is a good guideline for gaming builds if there is a budget crunch.
Also - "upgrade the parts that make a PC faster and downgrade the parts that don't" (ie., a case)

 

[Why_Me]

Maybe I'd better explain that
The 4850 is really not a bad card for 1680x1050 resolution. If you want to get one now - it's not a bad move.
But if this were my money I'd do a $15 upgrade on the motherboard to the UD3P just to have the option to add a 2nd GPU in CrossFire, just in case the one of the new, late 2009 games you "can't live without" isn't playable with just a single 4850.

"more GPU and less CPU" is a good guideline for gaming builds if there is a budget crunch.
Also - "upgrade the parts that make a PC faster and downgrade the parts that don't" (ie., a case)

Not a bad idea, but then it would call for a psu change, and that would put that build out of the intended budget I would think.

 

[WR2]

He should be good to go. A good 550W PSU will get the 2x 4850 CF job done:
http://www.sapphiretech.com/us/products/products_overview.php?gpid=244&grp=3

 

[WR2]

What do you think about trading the E8400 for a E7200 and trading up on a single GPU?

 

[jbarr]

Thanks for all the info

 

[jbarr]

Thanks for all the info……I will be ordering everything Wednesday, only change will be

EVGA 01G-P3-1156-TR GeForce GTS 250 Superclocked Edition 1GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130470

Thanks again