Building up a Gaming PC -- Help!

Monyet

Member
Jul 13, 2005
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Hi guys..
I'm going to build my PC up this Winter 2006/2007 or Summer 2007, however, since this is the first time I'm going to actually build up my own PC, do you guys have any suggestion on what kind of specification should I have for a good gaming PC? Well, that's not all what I'm gonna do, I'll also do it to programming codes, software, etc

Also, should I be aware with some hardwares that will not be able to be compatible with one another? is there that kind of hardware? Although I assume that there may be some of the, but I just want to make it sure here... I'm also aiming for Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and some big LCD monitor if possible but not necessary, 19" is pretty big I think.. haha... anyway... please help me with some information on how much budget should I have for one of your particular specification recommendation too, Thank you so much for helping me! I'm also aiming for 512 GeForce VGA Card.

Thanx Thanx Thanx
 

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
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It really depends on how much you want to spend. Some will spend $2000+, others half that. Somewhere in the middle will get you a good gaming PC.

Off the top of my head...

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 or E6600
Asus P5B Motherboard
2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 667

Video card depends greatly on your budget. X1950 for mid-range, 8800 GTS for high-end, X1950 XT for something in the middle.

Power supply could depend on your video card and budget. It's quite important that you get a good brand, i.e, Fortron, Seasonic, someone else can give you a better recommendation than myself.

But one thing I will say that is your choices for a few items may change drastically by the time you are ready to buy. Video cards for one is a good example. New cards and price changes are likely to occur.
 

pkme2

Diamond Member
Sep 30, 2005
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Building your own rig sometimes could be very trying. All you need is patience and opportunity.
You got PM.

Hope you do well at midnight with "Black Friday" prices.
 

Juno

Lifer
Jul 3, 2004
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what, a video card with VGA ports?!

dvi > vga. and you can get dvi to vga adapter. you know, vga is the next agp when new technology comes, putting old technology's production to an end.
 

Smartazz

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2005
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What's wrong with an ati card? If you really want a 512MB geforce go for a 7950GT unless you could find the 7900GTO. Would you be willing to pay around $450 for the 8800GTS?
 

Monyet

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Jul 13, 2005
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Hey, btw... I just got these yesterday from the Black Friday..

ATi Radeon X1600 Pro 512MB for only 99$
Pioneer DVD-RW (DVR-710) for 29.99$
ST3250623A (Seagate 250GB, 7200rpm, Ultra ATA 100, 16MB chache) <== is this PATA? What's the difference between ATA, SATA, and PATA?

What do you guys think with these starting parts?

Thanx
 

Monyet

Member
Jul 13, 2005
113
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I'm about to choose a motherboard now, I'm thinking to may go for
GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965
I heard that there are two types motherboard for Intel Core 2 Duo rite? 965 and 975? I don't know what's the difference, so is there anyone that can please help me to distinguish the difference between two of them? THANX, Very appreciate it!
 

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
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Originally posted by: Monyet
I'm about to choose a motherboard now, I'm thinking to may go for
GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965
I heard that there are two types motherboard for Intel Core 2 Duo rite? 965 and 975? I don't know what's the difference, so is there anyone that can please help me to distinguish the difference between two of them? THANX, Very appreciate it!

The 975X is actually an older chipset, though it has been revised a bit for C2D support. The 965P chipset is rather new, and is, IIRC, based on the 945P chipset, but natively supported C2D.

The Gigabyte board you mention is a good board, one that I would recommend.

The hard drive you mentioned above is PATA, and the motherboard may only have one PATA connection, which is usally used for optical drives. To use it, you may need a PCI EIDE card which will have at least one PATA connection on it.
 

Monyet

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Jul 13, 2005
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I've a question regarding to GA-965P-S3,
What kind of RAM could I use for this motherboard ???

It says there on the product specification that it supports DDR2 800 RAM, does that 800 means in the determination of RAM choosing?

Power supply could depend on your video card and budget. It's quite important that you get a good brand, i.e, Fortron, Seasonic, someone else can give you a better recommendation than myself.

doesn't power supply usually come with the case? I'm thinking this one is for the case, what do you think?
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119106
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
 

Monyet

Member
Jul 13, 2005
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Nevermind, the product specification stated that the Power Supply does not included in the price.. :(

Then, how much "Watts" do I need for the Power Supply? Do you have any recommendation? I looked up on this one, seems good..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953
FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX400-PN, RoHS, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, 20+ 4 pin, PCI Express, 400W Power Supply
 

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
61
You can use DDR2 533, 667, or 800 with that motherboard.

If you are not OC'ing, get 667, it should be your best bet, price-wise. I think ZZF has a 2GB kit of Corsair DDR2-667 for about 202 shipped.

Most of the time the PSU's that come with cases are junk. I think Antec is the only exception, and even then, it depends on the model.
 

Monyet

Member
Jul 13, 2005
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Originally posted by: bamacre
You can use DDR2 533, 667, or 800 with that motherboard.

If you are not OC'ing, get 667, it should be your best bet, price-wise. I think ZZF has a 2GB kit of Corsair DDR2-667 for about 202 shipped.

Most of the time the PSU's that come with cases are junk. I think Antec is the only exception, and even then, it depends on the model.

Ok, what does that mean by DDR2 533 or whatever number after the DDR2 represents? Because I occasionally met that RAM usually is written like 2GB PC-2700 DDR2...

How can I see whether the RAM that I'm going to buy would be DDR2 667 or 800 or 533? And what do I have to get, in the sense of PC-XXXX wise? (XXXX = for ex: 2700, 333, etc) I'm not experienced at this, this is the first time I build my own PC, thanx

Also, would PC-XXXX in a RAM also have a determination on how fast is a RAM? Does that also determine one RAM is stronger than others?
 

Monyet

Member
Jul 13, 2005
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HEY, check this out...
http://www.svc.com/cac-ec5-uwc.html

It includes 350W PSU, which I don't think is enough for my box..? But oh well, the price interest me, and so I bought that case. Shipping is $10.67 with UPS, Total $59.37. Now just need to send the Mail-In Rebate..