New Gaming System Build - Thoughts & Advice Please!

Just to date my old system, it has a GTX 7800 graphics card...needless to say its time for an upgrade (I wanna play newer and upcoming RPG's, MMO's, and FPS on this machine.) I have done some recent reading and wanted to build a good system without going overboard. I will list the system here and my questions, appreciate any advice and thought you may have.

MB: ASUS P6TD Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131403
Graphics: BFG Tech BFGEGTS2501024OCE GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814143188
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115202
RAM: (2x - so 12 GB total) Kingston 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR1333D3K3/6GR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820134854
Power: SILVERSTONE ST70F 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817256045
HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148433
Case: ABS Diablo ADV Black Finish + Titanium bezel Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811215013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811215013
Drive: LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136167
Cooling: Thermaltake CLP0533 70mm 1 Ball Bearing CPU Cooler + Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835106138
Monitor: ASUS VK246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236048

1. Can I get away with cheaper RAM? Do I need this much for gaming? (this will be a gaming only rig)
2. I have a 2 year old 600W Nice Silverstone Power Supply, could I use this instead?
3. There is a more expensive (by 20-30 bones I think) HD with the same specs, but I don't know what extra it adds - is this HD sufficient?
4. Is this thermaltake fan sufficient to overclock my rig with?
5. There is a monitor with HDCP support that seems to be the same one as this but this version has a webcam - does this monitor support HDCP (dont even know what it is or if I need it)
6. One area I have always had complications with in the past are high end audio cards, so my last machine I just used the onboard audio, and was planning to do this again, is that wrong?

Well guys that's it, I am looking to finalize this purchase very soon so your feedback is greatly appreciated. Total price for everything comes to $1,600 - hopefully a decent machine for the money.

The only suggestion I will make is for audio. I put a auzen 7.1 prelude coupled with a very nice pair of sennheiser's ( I had these first) and the sound improvement over onboard (# Realtek ALC885 8-channel HD Audio Codec
# High-performance DACs with 106dB dynamic range (A-Weight), ADCs with 101dB dynamic range (A-Weight) ) was astounding.

I have literally set up ambushes for people as I could now hear them long before I could see them. I re watched movies as the sound was now so much better.

As my system is a little old, do some research on the new sound cards and headphones. In this category, you get what you pay for.

Gaming is a very visual medium no question, but add realistic sound for a total package. Nothing gets your heart beating faster than hearing something before you see it.

Make sure to disable on board audio in the bios. I have had zero problems with my card.

evga is one of the best companies good service,support an excellent quality you dont get much better then evga

The evga motherboard listed above is probably better if you are sticking with Nvidia graphics cards. This one is a bit cheaper and will SLI Nvidia or Xfire ATI cards (the evga doesnt say it supports xfire, so I assume it doesnt).

MSI x58 Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130226

The ATI graphics card to get is the HD 4890 which is comparable to the Nvidia GTX 275.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102848

I defer to lljones on the sound stuff. Im perfectly happy with onboard sound and a $10 wal-mart headset (no speakers).

So What Would the Other Option Be For CPU? Would I change the MB as well and how much is the cost difference? Thanks.

well if you dont need the absolute best here is a second opition

•CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ965FBGIBOX - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103674

•MOBO: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131363

•RAM patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220286

•HSF: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 3V%20120mm

•HDD:samsung f3 1tb

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185

•PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

•GPU: EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130475

•DVD: SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151188

•Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119160

•Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835100007

extension cable

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812706004


ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236049

os

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116677


mouse: RAZER DeathAdder RZ01

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826153007

key board :Microsoft Natural Ergonomic

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823109148

one thing tho you can only use 2 ati cards on this rig as an upgrade in future not 2 nvidia cards so i'd suggest switching too a 4890 but you dont have to

Personally I'm liking the i7-920 as you don't need to overclock to get the performance anymore.

what I think people building on budgets should cut out are aftermarket CPU coolers unless there's a good reason to move off stock, which handles stock speeds just fine.

That said, I just picked up a Hyper 212 plus for $22 which is much quieter than stock while providing better cooling according to many reviews (that was my reason, I want a quiet, powerful computer since I use it for work more than play).

obsidian86's alternate AMD build is good, except that it makes absolutely no sense to pair an Nvidia GPU with a 750W PSU and high-end 790FX motherboard that doesn't support SLI. If you decide to go the AMD route, I would swap the motherboard for the 790GX board suggested by DNDHATCHER and get an ATI HD4890 so you have the option of adding another GPU in crossfire later on.

SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $199.99

Just one clarification off-topic. All X58 boards are Crossfire enabled. Only for SLI you need a key in the BIOS (companies have to pay $30.000 to Nvidia plus a tantum every board to enable it). So no need for specification of CF, it's always there .

Thanks, I didnt know that.

Between that and ATI seeming to have their act together now they are with AMD I am thinking they may become the GPU of choice for the next few years.