Computer Build (approx AUD $1400-$1500)

[gibbo90]

Hi guys what do you think of this build: (I'm from Australia btw and I intend to purchase from MSY as they seem to be the cheapest in Sydney)

Processor: Q9550 $335
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q3 DDR3 $194 vs Gigabyte EP45-UD3P DDR2 $185 (Will a DDR3 motherboard make a better build with the q9550 in comparison to the DDR2 one or are there any others from MSY you could recommend)
Graphics Card: 896mb GTX 260 Inno3d $239 vs Gigabyte $255 (any differences besides brand names?)
Hard Drive: Seagate SATA 1TB $125
Ram: 4GB Kit DDR3 1333 G-Skill PI $92 (for DDR3 mobo) or 4GB Kit DDR2 1066 Kingston $89 (for DDR2 mobo)
DVD Drive: Sony SATA Dual Layer DVDRW $39
Sony Internal A-I-O Card $15
Case: Antec 902 $196
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650w $149 (power supply give me ability to upgrade in the future or if i want to mildly oc is it enough?)
Total: $1470 (adding $70 for putting it together)

I'm looking for value for money and the ability to play high quality games for the next few years.

Also I know alot of people recommend AMD but i'm quite certain I want to stick with Intel

Thanks for any input.

 

[kufan64]

If you want something that will last a long time, going with Intel's LGA 775 probably isn't the way to go. Intel has moved on to LGA 1366 (Core i7) and they won't release any new chips for LGA 775 which means you'll basically be stuck. An i7 machine WILL run you a bit more money, but will last longer and be more upgradeable. I built an i7 platform that I hope to keep for at least 5 years before I replace everything again. My build (or something similar) should be in your price range, but I'm not an Aussie, so I'm not 100% sure.

Here's a link to my parts list:
CLICK
Note: Prices are in USD, so add roughly 25% to costs for AUD

Let me know if you have any questions. I'd probably recommend a different case, as the cooling potential of the one I selected may not be enough if it really gets as hot down there as I hear it does. The sound card is also somewhat unnecessary, I'm a bit of an audiophile though. The HDD's come in bigger, better sizes now too, so I'd recommend the 640GB or 1TB versions.

Good luck.