Advice on computer build

[noah393]

Building a computer for the first time, wanted to get some input on the various parts, as well as if I would need anything other than a general toolbox to put it together.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. Games (mmo's, shooters generally).
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread. Looking to stay under $1000.
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. US
4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture. No brand preference
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. Have speakers and 24inch monitor.
6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. I've been reading for awhile, never posted.
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Would like to overclock the processor.
8. WHEN do you plan to build it? Plan to purchase in the next week.

Also would like a quiet to very quiet machine, if possible.

Here's the component list I picked out thus far:
Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 2.66 GHz $119.00
Antec 900 $109.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V $79.99
MSI R4850-512M Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 (would this be able to run 1920x1200?) $179.99 Also was looking at the Gtx 260 216.
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (wasn't sure if this system would benefit from 1066 v. 800) $44.00
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R $104.99
WD Caviar 320GB 7200 RPM $79.99
Scythe SCSK-1000 100mm "SHURIKEN" CPU Cooler $29.99
Total: $746.95

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention, I might be installing a sound card as well, depending on the quality of the on-board once I get it. I'm assuming there are enough slots to fit it in.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Well 1 note on the vid cards, you're considering the 4850 or the 260 core 216, but in terms of actual performance the 260 butts heads with with the 4870 1gb and the prices of each are pretty close too (the 260 is a bit more expensive depending on the card you get). As for your choice of res, I'm not really sure how the 4850 will stand at 1920x1200 since it only has so much vram to work with, the 4870 saw a nice performance boost with the 1gb model for a reason. So you might want to consider the 4870 1gb as opposed to the 4850.

As for the ram, the speed is usually determined by the motherboard's FSB when you start overclocking, since you fiddle with the multipliers. The only benefit of getting 1066 over 800 would be you could use a higher FSB and lower multiplier on the chip without actually "overclocking" your ram. If you get 800 ram from a good company, it'll likely hit 1066 or maybe higher. Worst case you lower the divider that the ram works with, in any case your choice is fine.

Aside from that, everything else looks pretty solid.

 

[jamie8dc]

If you've got room to spare on your budget I would definitely look at a 4870 1GB GPU, you're really going to want something with more than 512mb. I just bought a GTX 260 Core 216, those are great cards as well.

If you can afford it, I'd say the E8400 is a pretty big step up from the E7300, and might help future-proof your system considerably. Especially if you want overclocking headroom, like you say. But it's another ~$70.

Otherwise good choices. You're going with the same PSU, optical drive, and motherboard as I just purchased.


Edit: Oh. I'm not sure where you're looking but you've listed your 320GB WD Caviar drive as being $79.99, well here's a 500GB WD Caviar 7200rpm 3.0gb/s drive for only $64.99. If you aren't looking at www.newegg.com you can usually find good deals there. Cheers!

 

[yh125d]

Since you have a little extra room in your budget, I'd definitely recommend stepping up to either a GTX 260 C216 or a 4870 1gb, the extra juice will really help at that res

Also, I'd try to fit in an e8400 - the extra cache is very helpful in games, and it overclocks better than the e7300

I think the audio on that motherboard is the same on my P5Q, which I am VERY pleased with. Onboard sound is really quite good these days

 

[DSF]

The E7300 should go over 3 GHz without a problem, and you don't need DDR2-1066. I would step the RAM down a notch and leave the CPU where it is, personally. I can game just fine on an overclocked E4500 and that has even less cache than the E7300.

I agree with everyone recommending the 4870 1GB or 260 Core 216. The extra power will be welcome at 1900x1200, where GPU is generally a more important consideration than CPU.

 

[Paladin]

Very similar to what I'm in the process of getting. Instead of the 320 GB I'd recommend the Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM, Cache: 32MB. Better performance, same price too ($79 at newegg) here

I went with the Corsair Dominator that you list (was $39 last friday). wasn't going to complain over $15 vs the 6400.

 

[piasabird]

I have an E7200 and it is a very dependable processor and is built on the .45 die process. It is a call you have to make yourself about what other kind of options you want in a processor. In benchmaks the the E8400 will appear to run faster with a faster (full speed) top end video card. Just depends on how much $$ you want to spend.

I play older games on mine with an integrated VIDEO (Intel 3500X) and 2 gigs of RAM. Games like Age of Empires 2 or whatever.

 

[Denithor]

Welcome to the forums!

First off, you've made a couple of excellent selections: the case, PSU and motherboard are top-notch choices.

Next, let me point you to some other parts that will balance things out better.

E8400 (3GHz, 6MB cache) $165
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-800 $40 (XP32 - 1 kit; Vista64 - 2 kits)
WD6401AALS (Caviar Black - 640GB - 32MB cache) $80
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 $37 (one of the highest rated CPU coolers available)
Vista Home Premium OEM 64-bit $100

Video cards to consider:
ASUS 4850 $125AR
EVGA 9800GTX+ $145AR
HIS 4870 512MB $190AR
ASUS 4870 1GB $230AR
MSI GTX 260 (192 cores) $230 + shipping (no rebate)
Galaxy GTX 260 (216 cores) $230AR + shipping

I listed the cheapest 4850 & 9800GTX+ cards I could find but these really aren't quite enough card if you are a serious gamer on a 24" monitor. The 1GB 4870 or the GTX 260 (216 cores) are probably your best choices in GPU right now in your price range.

Priced out with the above components plus your choices in case/psu/mobo and a $230 video card you're looking at right around $1000 after rebates. And you will have a haulin' computer that will run anything out there smoothly.