Advice on Build

[zzglenn]

I do mostly gaming and its been a few years since my last upgrade. I am trying to stay a bit ahead of the curve with a p35 board and quad chip. I would like the option for raid later on, and I plan to OC the chip to 3ghz. I am new to OCing and would like the easiest path to travel. Any thoughts on my choices? I would like to keep the price around $1200. Less is always better too

PSU: Antec earthwatts EA500 ATX12V v2.0 500W Power Supply - Retail $78.99

CASE: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $50.00 Mail-in Rebate $119.99

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail $279.99

Cooler: Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail $45.99

MB: ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $179.99

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (4x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ $99.98 ($49.99 each)

VIDEO: Nvidia 8800GT 512 something? Still waiting on a good deal. $280?

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $119.99

DVD: SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM $33.99

 

[teclis1023]

Can I make some suggestions?

CASE: You might want to consider downgrading the case to something less fancy. I know, I know , the Nine-Hundred case is nice to look at, but you'll get similar performance from something even as simple as the CoolerMaster Centurion 5. Now, I know it's not a particularly exciting case, but it is well-built, has good airflow, and it's quite quiet.

COOLER: The CoolerMaster TX-2 will give you fantastic performance for about 1/3 of the cost of the Tuniq. It's relatively quiet and keeps my Q6600 at 29*C

MOTHERBOARD: The Asus P5K-E/WiFi motherboard has a lot of features, and you'd be saving nearly $40. It's stable and is pretty rich in features.


Well, those are just my suggestions. No matter what, ENJOY!

 

[MarcVenice]

The TX-2 is good bang for buck, the Tuniq owns it though, looks better, and isn't all that expensive for 45$. The Antec 900 is a pretty good case for 70$, 120$ no, 70$ yes. The CM 690 is pretty good too btw, and does cost less. You should lose the PSU, and get a antec earthwatts 500w, or a corsair 450/550vx or 520hx. Why the abit pro btw ? You can save nearly 100$ if you go with the abit ip35-e or a gigabyte ds3l. Videocard, either a 8800gt for 230$, or a HD3870 for 210$.

 

[zzglenn]

Originally posted by: teclis1023]
Can I make some suggestions?

CASE: You might want to consider downgrading the case to something less fancy. I know, I know , the Nine-Hundred case is nice to look at, but you'll get similar performance from something even as simple as the CoolerMaster Centurion 5. Now, I know it's not a particularly exciting case, but it is well-built, has good airflow, and it's quite quiet.

COOLER: The CoolerMaster TX-2 will give you fantastic performance for about 1/3 of the cost of the Tuniq. It's relatively quiet and keeps my Q6600 at 29*C

MOTHERBOARD: The Asus P5K-E/WiFi motherboard has a lot of features, and you'd be saving nearly $40. It's stable and is pretty rich in features.


Well, those are just my suggestions. No matter what, ENJOY!

Thanks for the advice. Saving money is always good. I will take a look at the cases and coolers again. I like Asus boards, but the majority of reviews on motherboards especially here on this site seem to favor abit and gigabyte. Does any one over take the other gaming wise?

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
The TX-2 is good bang for buck, the Tuniq owns it though, looks better, and isn't all that expensive for 45$. The Antec 900 is a pretty good case for 70$, 120$ no, 70$ yes. The CM 690 is pretty good too btw, and does cost less. You should lose the PSU, and get a antec earthwatts 500w, or a corsair 450/550vx or 520hx. Why the abit pro btw ? You can save nearly 100$ if you go with the abit ip35-e or a gigabyte ds3l. Videocard, either a 8800gt for 230$, or a HD3870 for 210$.

Thanks for taking a look. I will upgrade the PSU. I am torn between motherboards. I went with the ip35 pro for the ability to utilize raid and DDR3 in the future. I was hoping to squeeze a few more months out of it. Would it be better to go with a ip35-e, gigabyte ds3l, or Asus P5K-E instead? I do want to OC a bit, but make it as easy as possible. Any thoughts on which route to go? Also where can I find 8800gts for $230? Should I wait on this build until closer to christmas?