buying a new gaming PC

[ramks6]

i want to buy a new gaming pc. what are the ideal combinations i can go for(with latest in technology). for me cost is not a matter. please guide.

 

[abracadabra]

motherboard: ASUS A8N32 SLI Deluxe a good option at 215$

 

[Maximilian]

Do you want to overclock?

 

[Yoshi911]

the answer to overclocking is DO IT.

but you want the BEST VIDEO CARD AVAILABLE, (personally I like price\proformance)
my vote on the GeForce 7900GT , if you find a good one it can OC higher than a GTX I'm sure.

BUT, OVERCLOCKING IS THE WAY TO GO!!!!

With my XP-90-my Opteron 144 right now is OC'd to 2.9ghz BF2 temps of 47-49max (thats not even it's max, waiting for my RAM to finish RMA and mine's been tested stable 3.1ghz)
$200 (Opty 144) vs $800 (Opty 154)
Opterons are the best though, If you have money I'd go for a Opteron 170 Dual core (shop around for good stepping)

RAM=2gb OCZ (find a good model, run you around 170-200 for a nice pair if you shop) I also hear good reviews about Mushkin's REDLINE set (basically preference to company)

Go with 2gb unless you want 1:1 at 300+ HTT in which case you'd wanna try to find some OCZ PC4000 Gold VX or OCZ Rev.2 1gb set (both can go over 300+ if you find don't get a DUD)


Motherboard=depends if you want SLI or not, PCI-E dual 16x on the A8N32-SLI is slightly better than dual 8x, maybe around 5%.. ?? (correct me if I'm wrong anyone) but not THAT much, anyway.. if you want to overclock though, DFI motherboards are a MUST.. of which the best of them would be the DFI Lanparty UT SLI-DR Expert

Hard Drive= Go for a 75gb Raptor as your boot drive (150gb if you have cash to spend, and 2x150gb if you have TONS of cash to blow) and a Large GB seccondary (250-500gb) /w 16mb Cach

If you don't wanna go with the raptor the next best puppy is the 500gb Hitachi drive, Model 7k500 check out some reviews

Case= Whatever you get, make sure it has plenty of airflow (makes a huge difference to preformance)

PSU=OCZ 600w Powerstream, or Enermax Liberty (theres other stuff, and if you don't want to spend tons the OCZ 520w powerstream is pleanty fine even for SLI but no reason to go with an unknown when companies like this give such good products)

BTW: If looks are Important OCZ's Modstream model's are nice, check out neweggs reviews for stuff on anything you buy, they're usually accurate and helpfull


Cliffs:

HIGH END Video: 7900GT
Opteron 170
MB:ASUS A8N32-SLI for SLI non OC
DFI Lanparty UT SLI-DR Expert
OCZ 2gb or Mushkin Redline
150gb Raptor or 7k500
CASE:AIRFLOW!!
600w OCZ Powerstream

MEDIUM... END.. lol
7600 GT
Opteron 144
Dont Skimp on the Motherboard go with High end
1gb PC4000 Gold VX
7200rpm 16mb Cach HD
Case: See High end recomendation...
OCZ 520w Powerstream

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

Since cost is no option, how about:

AMD X2 4800+ (or X2 3800+ and Overclock it, or Opty 170 and overclock it) or FX if you really want to spend alot

Video: either 7900GTX or X1900XTX (Nvidia or ATi, take your pick, look at benchmarks on whatever games you like)

MB: Asus A8n32, (nforce4), Epox 9npa (I think that is right name, non-SLI nforce4) or maybe one of the ATI crossfire boards just coming out. Or DFI expert

HD 150Gig Raptor, please don't use RAID 0, it's dangerous and doesn't help for day to day use. Don't get the 74Gig raptor, it is an oder model and isn't as fast. Throw in a 400-500Gig WD or Hitachi for storage if needed for a 2nd drive

Cooling: Scythe Ninja

Case: Very subjective. I like the Antec P180 mid tower (quiet, but a bit cramped). Or a full tower lian-li

RAM: 2Gig of OCZ (or mushkin or G.skill) DDR500 3-3-2. IF you don't want to worry about 1-3% gains, just get any good 2-3-2 DDR400 RAM, and use a divider to keep the RAM around DDR400.

PS: Seasonic 600W, it's quiet. OCZ is good as well. PCP&C is great, but expensive and louder

I wouldn't trust newegg reviews, they are screened by newegg (read the fine print), so it isn't a true representation of the reviews, as well as a lot of them of written by clueless people I think.

Do you have a monitor already? That will help determine video card options. (Bigger minotr = more pixels = need more powerful video card)

 

[imported_fx]

ASUS A8R32-MVP Deluxe Motherboard
AMD Athlon X2 4800+
ATI Radeon X1900XTX
Mushkin Redline 2GB RAM
Western Digital Raptor 150GB (Dont get Raptor X)
Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS9500
Case: Do you want "Bling, Bling" Case or just plain, quiet case?
PSU: ENERMAX Liberty ELT500AWT 500 watts
Creative X-FI XtremeMusic Sound card

Or

Future Proof:

ASRock 939Dual-SATA2
AMD Athlon X2 3800+ (You'll might not use it for long till AM2 release)
X1900XTX (Indeed futureproof)
Enermax Liberty 500watts (You'll love it!)
Western Digital Raptor 150gb Hard Drive
Mushkin Redline 2GB RAM
Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS9500
Case: Upto you.
Creative X-FI XtremeMusic Sound card


Need Monitor, Input devices (Keyboard or Mouse?), Speakers, or etc?