Need advice on system build.

[Arzon]

Id like some advice and suggestions please. I'm going to be building a new rig for gaming. I was planning on waiting a couple months for the new nvidia mobos and then grab a conroe chip. However my current game rig has decided to give up the ghost and my plans need to be stepped up. I am thinking of going with a less expensive CPU/Mobo for now then switching it out for conroe by the end of the year. Heres what I have so far:

nec 3550a burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827152058

seagate SATA HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148105

Enermax Whisper II 535W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817103512

saphire x1900xt video
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814102025

2GB Patriot Ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820220095

Windows XP pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102062

I need suggestions for a mobo/cpu combo. I want to spend as little as I can at the moment and still get decent gaming till I get the conroe. I was thinking of going with a celeron like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819112203

Can anyone suggest a good mobo that will support the items I have listed? Also, does anyone else think that its worth the wait for later conroe mobo's? Or should I just go ahead when the conroe (maybe) becomes available later this week and build? Any help would be greatly appreciated,

*edit* How about an am2 mobo with a 3800 amd64? Wouldnt the same memory work there as well?

Arzon

 

[Howard]

Budget?

 

[Arzon]

Well, im not on a strict budget but I'd like to keep it under 1400.00 for the parts I have listed + mobo/cpu. I already have monitor,speakers, mouse keyboard etc. However, if I dont go conroe right off the bat, I'd like to save as much as possible and still get decent gaming, if that possible. I'd just sale off the old mobo/cpu when I go Conroe.


Arzon

 

[Howard]

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 - $212 + shipping
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 - $150 + $7 shipping
G.SKILL 2x1GB DDR2-667 - $147 + $5 shipping
Connect3D X1900XT - $390 + $7 shipping, $100 MIR
Samsung SP2504C 250GB SATA-II - $70 + $5 shipping
Pioneer DVR-111D - $33 + $5 shipping
Windows XP Pro SP2 - $138 + $5 shipping

Couple of choices for PSU:

Fortron FSP400-60GLN - $44 + ~$10 shipping
Enhance ENP-5150GH - $67 + ~$10 shipping
Sytrin Nextherm PSU460 - $70 + $? shipping
Seasonic S12-430 - $75 + $? shipping

You have a case?

 

[Arzon]

I have a case, yes, but I want a new one, the old one is getting pretty beat up. So you dont think I should give conroe mobos a little time to "mature" before getting one then?

Arzon

 

[Howard]

That's hard to say. I haven't heard of any abnormal stability problems so far.

 

[996GT2]

Whatever you do, don't go with a celeron system in your budget range. That would probably end up being a bottleneck in games anyway. My suggestion is to go with at least an Athlon X2 3800+ or a Core 2 E6300/6400. For AM2, definitely get DDR2-800 if you can, and for the Conroe system even DDR2-533 or 667 should be ok as well. Conroe mobos seem to be ok so far; I got my AM2 system when it first came out and my Rev 1.0 MSI K9N Platinum has had ZERO problems to date. Just keep the BIOS updated regularly and you will be fine.

 

[bobdelt]

The Gigabyte DS3 has been having problems with G.Skill ram. Many people have reported problems with it, including myself (possibly), and it hasnt been linked to just a certain model. If getting that board, don't get G.Skill, better safe than sorry.