Okay, since my other pc caught fire when the motherboard shorted, I am saving up for a new one.

 

This one will be for gaming (Wow, Lotro, etc.), for graphics, flash, and web design, and just to use as a normal pc.

 

 

 

I already have a monitor, so, thats taken care of.

 

 

 

• 
   
  [*:6st6egpl]

Case -Looks sweet --$169.99 USD
 
[*:6st6egpl] Motherboard -Nothing special, supposed to be good with overclocking --$149.99 USD
 
[*:6st6egpl] Video Card -Nice card, 640MB --$379.99 USD
 
[*:6st6egpl] CPU -2.66ghz QUAD CORE, gonna try to overclock to 3.1 --$579.99 USD
 
[*:6st6egpl] Memory -2gb Dual channel, plus the 2gb dual channel I have at home --$82.99 USD
 
[*:6st6egpl] HD -1 TB --$359.99
 
[*:6st6egpl] DVD/CD Drive -Nothing special --$27.99 USD
 
[*:6st6egpl] Wifi Card -b/g/n my router's n, so thats good --$59.99 USD
 
[*:6st6egpl] Windows XP -Its an OS...(with a small partition saved away for gentoo) --$286.99

 

 

 

The whole thing totals out to a nice $2,097.91 USD.

 

 

 

Suggestions?

 

Comments?

 

Reccomendations?

Will be quite the beast once you get it built. The only thing I would suggest is getting an OEM copy of XP pro instead of retail. Will save you $150.

Will be quite the beast once you get it built. The only thing I would suggest is getting an OEM copy of XP pro instead of retail. Will save you $150.

 

 

 

Whoa, thanks for that.

Will be quite the beast once you get it built. The only thing I would suggest is getting an OEM copy of XP pro instead of retail. Will save you $150.

 

 

 

That, and also a few other things. :P

 

 

 

Don't waste your money on a quad-core processor. It really just isn't worth it. You could easily spend that money on something more useful, like a better case, better RAM, and getting a better power supply than the one that comes with the case you chose (which I personally wouldn't get)

 

 

 

Power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817256020 - ($250 for a 1k watt power supply made by a very well-known brand. Modular cables are to power supplies what the air conditioner is to a car on a hot summer day. The cables are also fully sleeved.

 

 

 

As far as hard drives go, I wouldn't really go with a Hitachi if I were you. Also, buying a product on Newegg with no reviews is always a bad idea.

 

 

 

Hard drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148134 (trust me, you do not need a 1TB hard drive)

 

 

 

When it comes to cases, you'll want one that not only looks great, but also that works great. It's what's inside the case that really counts. Take a look at this:

 

 

 

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811119121

 

 

 

For the amount of money you're going to spend, you seriously should get a case with a removable motherboard tray. This case has one. :-s Also, this is one of (if not the) roomiest case I have ever seen. You won't have to worry about making everything inside the case neat, because there's so much space it won't be a problem. This case + modular power supply = heaven. No more obstructed airflow! :D

 

 

 

Anyways, back to the processor. THERE IS NO REASON FOR YOU TO GET A QUAD CORE PROCESSOR. It's the biggest waste ever. Anywho, what you should do is get a much cheaper processor which will give you in the end pretty much identical performance. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115030

 

 

 

You will need a 3rd party heatsink. It's a must.

 

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835118019

 

 

 

I have the 92mm version of this heatsink and let me tell you, it gives a lot of cooling at a quiet noise level. As long as you install it properly and use a good thermal material, you'll be set. But speaking of which...

 

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835100007

 

 

 

Be careful, only use one small drop. I mean ONE SMALL DROP. A little dot on the bottom of the heatsink where the CPU will touch it. Spread it around with a lint-free cloth. DO NOT USE YOUR FINGER. If you do you will send your temps to hell. Next put a small dot on the heat spreader of the CPU and spread it around like before. Attatch the heatsink and you're done. :D (don't let Arctic Silver sit on the surfaces of the heatsink bottom and the CPU heat spreader for too long unattatched. Once you have the Arctic Silver applied to both surfaces you should attatch the heatsink. And once again, DO NOT TOUCH EITHER SURFACE WITH YOUR FINGER.

 

 

 

If you have any questions feel free to ask. ;)

Do you really need that case? It's really expensive. Although I do have the Antec P182 which is the best case ever which is expensive.

 

 

 

The power supply that comes with that case will not cut it will that graphics card and a quad core. Get something 650+ watts. Good brands would be Antec, OCZ, Enermax, and Thermitake.

 

 

 

You could save some money by dropping down to the Q6600 thats only $300. It will overclock to 3.1 easily and it's a lot cheaper. I don't agree with the above poster that it's a waste because some program use them, such as encoding and new games will use them (crysis, Unreal Tournament).

 

 

 

If you want to overclock it you will need a better heatsink. Don't be cheap on this.

 

 

 

Your spending all this money for the best system and only going with XP? Get Vista Premium atleast.

[Tons of helpful advice]

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

I took your advice on the HD, power supply, and the heatsink, but I kinda like that case, and am really set on getting a q-core.

 

 

 

[More helpful advice]

 

 

 

I like that case, though, and without the included power supply, (which is what I had before), it drops down about 50 bucks.

 

 

 

I'm also going with the 1k power supply, it's only a little bit more than a good 650, so, why not? I also got the heatsink. I might as well get the Q6600, too, cause 3.1 is all I'm aiming for. And, yes, I am getting XP, I don't like vista, at all.

[Tons of helpful advice]

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

I took your advice on the HD, power supply, and the heatsink, but I kinda like that case, and am really set on getting a q-core.

 

 

 

[More helpful advice]

 

 

 

I like that case, though, and without the included power supply, (which is what I had before), it drops down about 50 bucks.

 

 

 

I'm also going with the 1k power supply, it's only a little bit more than a good 650, so, why not? I also got the heatsink. I might as well get the Q6600, too, cause 3.1 is all I'm aiming for. And, yes, I am getting XP, I don't like vista, at all.

 

 

 

Get vista, have you ever tried it? It would be kind of a waste to buy a really nice DX10 enabled card and not even be able to play games in DX10.

 

 

 

I mean I got XP for my machine, but mostly because its still a DX9 machine. I kind of regret not getting vista for it though.

[Tons of helpful advice]

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

I took your advice on the HD, power supply, and the heatsink, but I kinda like that case, and am really set on getting a q-core.

 

 

 

[More helpful advice]

 

 

 

I like that case, though, and without the included power supply, (which is what I had before), it drops down about 50 bucks.

 

 

 

I'm also going with the 1k power supply, it's only a little bit more than a good 650, so, why not? I also got the heatsink. I might as well get the Q6600, too, cause 3.1 is all I'm aiming for. And, yes, I am getting XP, I don't like vista, at all.

 

 

 

Get vista, have you ever tried it? It would be kind of a waste to buy a really nice DX10 enabled card and not even be able to play games in DX10.

 

 

 

I mean I got XP for my machine, but mostly because its still a DX9 machine. I kind of regret not getting vista for it though.

 

 

 

I tried it at a friends house, and don't like it, but I suppose that change could be a good thing, and I would need more time to get used to it. Would all of my programs and stuff be able to work on vista? Like a lot of the adobe suite, office 200* (the one that comes after xp, but not 07), and all of my skins and widgets?

In vista ultimate, what's the difference between 64 bit and 32 bit?

The difference between vista 64 and 32 is that 64 bit uses data units that are twice as wide as a 32 bit system. All this really means to you is that some programs will have problems with 64 bit, but It is the future of operating systems, and also that while the 32 bit version of vista has a memory cap of around 3 gigs the capacity for 64 bit os's is practically limitless (100gb or some crazy number). Though some programs have problems running on vista, the vast majority run just fine and you won't have a problem. If you get xp. a year or so from now when all new computer games require DX10 and thus vista, you will wish you bought vista.

 

As fas as parts go, I would change a few things if I were you. You said you were planning on over clocking the processor. If you are, It would be wise to go with a Nvidia 680i chipset motherboard, as opposed to the P35 one you had listed. They tend to be better over clockers and all around faster boards, particularly when it comes to gaming, which looking at your build seems to be a big function. This board, made by EVGA is a very good one:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813188012

 

note that the only difference between this board and the EVGA board that is $20 more is that that one comes with more cables then this one does.

 

 

 

As far as the graphics card, the 8800 gts 640mb is a great choice, but If I were you I would go with an EVGA card. Here this card is identical to the one you listed, and is the same price, but EVGA offers a better warranty on their cards (a lifetime one as opposed to 3 years) and their service is some of the best in the business. (No indian call centers, everyone speaks English)

 

 

 

As far as RAM goes, unless you are planning on pairing your memory sticks with an older pair of sticks, thus holding the stats to the older sticks numbers, there is no need to get older, slower RAM like the ones you have listed. This RAM is faster and has better timings then the stuff that you listed, for only $20 more.

Okay, thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna go with vista ultimate 64 bit.

 

 

 

Here's the new list

Okay, thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna go with vista ultimate 64 bit.

 

 

 

Here's the new list

 

 

 

You still have the PNY video card in that selection. :P I agree that you should go with EVGA, as they are pretty much the top brand when it comes to video cards. Also, they offer a 90-day step up program, which means that within 90 days after you buy your video card, if you want to buy a better video card all you have to do is send them your old video card and pay the difference between the new one and your old one. :D

Now I don't ^_^

Okay, thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna go with vista ultimate 64 bit.

 

 

 

Here's the new list

 

 

 

Aside from the graphics card, it looks good. One other thing, though. While your DVD drives listed will work just fine, going with a SATA based drive, like your hard drive will help eliminate clutter in your case. This is a good one, and its only a few bucks more then the one you have listed. Believe me, smaller, easier to manage cables go a long way in making a nice looking computer. Plus, it has lightscribe, which is useful in making professional looking labels on cd's. (if you don't know what lightscribe is, here it is. Its kinda cool actually)