Looking for some build advice

[ohlmsjm]

I am in the market to begin building a new pc and would like to get some feedback from the experts here.

I am an avid gamer (FPS/MMORPG), graphic designer, and I dabble in a bit of audio editing so that should help with the use that this system will receive.

I will toss out a few requirements for digestion that might help piece this monster together:

Core 2 Duo CPU (leaning towards E6600), no plans to overclock
At least 2 gigs of memory
All of my pc use is done at 1600x1200 resolution on a Dell 20" LCD
Will use onboard audio
I would prefer Nvidia graphics as I have had good luck with their products but if it would make sense to use Crossfire, I would certainly be open to suggestions.

There's no reason to list out hard drives, optical drives, network (will use the onboard), or external peripherals in this list as I will attack that issue later.

My budget will be between $1200 and $1500.

Thanks all, I appreciate your help.

 

[Bobthelost]

Drop the 6600. It's a great CPU but you'll want to spend that money on the graphics card instead.

RAM: DDR2 533 (low latency if you want to spend money for negligable results). Faster RAM than that does not help, 667 is slower than 533 at stock although 800 is a touch faster (but it's not worth the price by a mile).

Motherboard: Meh.

GPU: 7950GX2 / X1950XTX as a stab in the dark.

Peripherals: Meh.

PSU: Depends on graphics cards chosen. Xfire X1900XTXs merit a 600W, Xfire X1950XTXs 500W, SLI 7900GTX 500W, everything else 400-450W.

Case: Meh.

I'd work out a rough budget for the periperhals and HDs, say $100 for case, $120 for PSU, $150 for opticals and HDs. Then take out the cost of a motherboard, 2GB RAM and 6400. Then look at how much you've got left and what GPUs you can get with it. If you've got plenty left then maybe get a 6600, but see what graphics cards you're losing out on if you do that first.

 

[Skeeedunt]

Good PSU selections include Enermax Liberty 500W and Enhance ENP-5150GH.