Finishing off a Gaming PC

[RyanW2050]

Here's what I have so far:
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115029
$190

VIDEO:
EVGA 8800GT Superclocked
Already Purchased

MOBO:
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127030
$180

RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122
$100

G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122
$100

HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822148288
$120

PSU:
450W FSP GROUP
already owned
$00

CASE:
AeroCool ExtremEngine 3T - BBA Black SECC 0.6mm ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811196021
$100



Notes:
This is used mainly for MMO gaming and some FPS on the side. Age of Conan, WAR, Crysis and whatever else is cool in the next 1-2 years.

Almost all of these items were picked casually from the newegg bestseller section. I don't have my heart set on any one. If you can suggest some reconfiguration of what i've chosen, i'm definitley all ears.

I plan on buying a SLI mobo so i can drop in another 8800GT down the road and boost the life of this machine without another major upgrade.

I want something quiet-ish. My old setup had 4 80mm case fans and it sounded like an airplane.



Questions:
Is a Raid setup worth it? I have some issues loading characters in WoW right away, I think that may be because of my PC3200 RAM or my IDE hard drive.

Is the 32mb of cache on that HD going to help me out much for gaming?

What should i stick in the above empty slots? Or even the already filled slots.
no hard budget, i'd like to spend less than 800 total though.

 

[DSF]

Does 800 count the video card you've already purchased, or not? If we're working with 800 - video card, I'd advocate shooting a little lower on the CPU. If you're willing, Core2Duos overclock very well.

The general consensus is that SLI isn't a very viable upgrade path. By the time you would want to drop the second one, you're better off just buying a newer, better card. It'll save you some money on the motherboard as well. Also, especially since you're trying to squeeze this in under 800, you don't need a 610W PSU. A quality 450-500W model like the Corsair 450VX or similar is plenty.

 

[RyanW2050]

The purchased 8800GT does not count toward the target of $800.


And if a 450W PSU will be ok, i already have a 450W FSP group PSU. It's 2 years old, but I was under the impression that it was quality when i bought it.

 

[DSF]

FSP is a good mid-range manufacturer. You'll want to check the amperage on the 12V rail(s) though, and make sure you have enough for an 8800GT. It should say the max current output on each rail on the label on the side of the PSU.

 

[RyanW2050]

It's got 2 rails at 18A each.

 

[RyanW2050]

I'm unsure about matching up the FSB speed with DDR800. Would it automatically switch to run like DDR2 667?

 

[RyanW2050]

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115029
$190

VIDEO:
EVGA 8800GT Superclocked
Already Purchased

MOBO:
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127030
$180

RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122
$100

G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122
$100

HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822148288
$120

PSU:
450W FSP GROUP
already owned
$00

CASE:
AeroCool ExtremEngine 3T - BBA Black SECC 0.6mm ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811196021
$100


I threw in another 2 sticks of ram, because having 8 gigs of it sounds awesome. Is that a waste of $100 or no?

 

[oynaz]

I seriously doubt that any modern game will take advantage of 8 gigs of RAM.

 

[chuckm]

I have to agree on the 8 MB of ram,WAY overkill. I would not go Raid . The ram will set up and you can change it bios.The only other questions I have;
What OS and are you planning to overclock? You may want to consider a CPU heatsink/fan.
Good luck and Happy New Year.

 

[Davegod]

ditch the extra 4gb ram, there's barely any games to utilise over 2gb. also isnt >4gb problematic without 64bit os?

I've been looking at 500gb hdd's myself recently and opted for the WD over the seagate, which doesnt seem to do as well in real-world tests. saves you $15 too.
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB

imo raid isnt worth it and neither is SLI unless you're rich.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: RyanW2050
I'm unsure about matching up the FSB speed with DDR800. Would it automatically switch to run like DDR2 667?

Yes. As long as your RAM is rated to run at least as fast as your FSB, you won't run into any problems. 8 gigs of it is a waste - just get 4. As someone else said, skip RAID.

Don't forget a DVD Burner, unless you're bringing one from your old PC.

One other point - do you need all the features on the IP35-Pro? In other words, would you make use of onboard RAID and firewire? If not, you could save some money by getting the IP35-E.

 

[RyanW2050]

Thanks for the responses.

The only reason i thought about going 8gig is because i plan on using this machine for another 2 years AND it's on sale for $99... I mean, for $99 i could just have it laying around as spare. The prices can't come down THAT much more.

What OS and are you planning to overclock? You may want to consider a CPU heatsink/fan.

I do not plan on overclocking it immediately. Would you say that having it overclocked 24/7 is part of the rage about c2ds? Will all of this do fine if i just plug it in?
I would be dualbooting XPpro and Vista business 64

I've been looking at 500gb hdd's myself recently and opted for the WD over the seagate, which doesnt seem to do as well in real-world tests. saves you $15 too.
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB

I chose the seagate because it had a 32mb cache. Think it makes any difference?

One other point - do you need all the features on the IP35-Pro? In other words, would you make use of onboard RAID and firewire? If not, you could save some money by getting the IP35-E.

I'd like to have firewire, just in case I want to use it in the future. I don't upgrade too often.

 

[DSF]

Ease of overclocking certainly is one of the perks of Core2Duos, but they run just fine out of the box. You don't need to overclock a E6750 even for the most demanding games, unless you want to.

 

[RyanW2050]

Yeah, 1.5 years down the road if my processor is being pushed, i'll probably strap a nice heatsink in there and go to town.

For right now i'll just let it be.