Christmas pc help

[Vinjo]

If there are any pc building enthusiasts out there, i hope you wont mind assisting me.

here is what i got so far for new pc.

-THERMALTAKE XASER3 LANFIRE - case
-SEAGATE BARRACUDA 7200.7 SERIAL ATA 120GB HARD DRIVE EIDE 7200RPM - HD
-NEC ND-3500A DVD+-RW 16X4X16 DUAL LAYER+R - dvd-burner
-PLEXTOR PLEXWRITER PREMIUM 52X32X52 ATAPI CD-RW - cd-rw
-OCZ DUAL CHANNEL OPTIMIZED 2X512MB DDR PC3200 CAS2
W/ COPPER HEAT SPREADER - Memory

still deciding on the geforce6800 vs ati x800..... - videocard


it all comes down to mobo and processor...

can anyone help me out with that?

Budget = roughly 1500$ CND (possibly 1700$-1800$ CND in a week )

and this computer will be used as a combo... need it mostly for school work and learning 3d max6(3d render and animation) (as a beginer top notch pc works... when i get more professional i will take my animations to a real lab for rendering). as well i'll be gaming World of warcraft and Counter-Strike source.

 

[biostud]

There's a search function on these forums

 

[Vinjo]

for the mobo and processor?

 

[stevty2889]

There is a pc building guide in the forum, so you could look at that. As for CPU and motherboard, you have to tell us what you are doing with the computer, before we can help you figure out what you need. Looking at the video cards I am guessing you will be gaming, in which case the a64 would be a better choice. But you didnt' give a budget either, so again, kinda hard to make suggestions...

Buying guide

 

[Vinjo]

ok sorry i left that info out, jus edited it in... here it is again.

budget = 1500$-1800$ CND (i'd like to try and stay under that so i can use the saved money for other things of course, but thats what i have allotted if i must)

btw 1500-1700 just for the pc case... nothing else... screen, keyboard, etc... thats all on its own seperate tab... i am just interested in the case! to me, its like a car.... and i like souped up cars. just as much as i love souped up computers. computers only cost less...


i will use the computer for school and rendering... (3d studiomax 6).. but i love gaming and will have 2 games.... in all likleyhood... HL2 and WoW.

 

[MasterMorpheus]

try at www.overclockers.com they might have something you might like.

 

[gsellis]

Why two CD burners? You should not need the Plextor with the NEC in the box. As a savings, you might consider the nVidia 6600GT? The PVP works better than the one on the 6800. Also, the framerate appears to be very good, especially for the price.

 

[Vinjo]

ones a dvd burner and the other is a cd burner.

i just found on general principle that dvd burners were slower at reading off of regular cds. especially when it comes to installing things. so i opted for both cd burner and a dvd burner.

this way i get the best of both worlds.

this will fill up the cases only 2 slots, however i dont intent to put in a floppy so its not a big deal.

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: Vinjo
ones a dvd burner and the other is a cd burner.

i just found on general principle that dvd burners were slower at reading off of regular cds. especially when it comes to installing things. so i opted for both cd burner and a dvd burner.

this way i get the best of both worlds.

this will fill up the cases only 2 slots, however i dont intent to put in a floppy so its not a big deal.

Both burn CDs, but one burns DVDs also. The NEC reads and writes at 48x. The Plextor reads and writes at 52x.

But, it is no big deal. I put a 16X DVD-ROM drive with a DVD writer in one of my units in the past.