Need input on this build...

[Steven T]

It's been a while since I was up to date with computer parts. My current build runs off an e6600. Im thinking about taking a look at quad core for this one.

The machine is for a friend. Not much of a gamer, he's a musician and will be using it for recording. The machine needs to be snappy while running cpu intensive DAW programs, multiple tabs in firefox, and tons of stuff left open all the time.

Anyway, here's a link to my newegg list. Im trying to do the best I can with a $650 budget (after rebates).

https://secure.newegg.com/Wish...etail.aspx?ID=12443707

OH, and there are 2 graphics cards because I'm not sure which to go with. Not a serious gamer but will play some from time to time.

 

[DSF]

Are you planning to overclock? If not, get DDR2-800 which will be cheaper. If you are, get DDR2-1000 which will save money but still have plenty of overclocking headroom.

 

[Steven T]

Yes, he wants to overclock a bit. We're all about getting the most for our money.

 

[DSF]

Then I'd actually go with the E7200 and DDR2-800, which will overclock very well. Poke around in the CPU forum, but some people are hitting 3.8GHz on air with the E7200. If his applications are multithreaded, then I would go with the Q6600 and DDR2-800.

How big is the monitor and what kind of gaming does he do when the urge strikes him? An 8600GT will play a lot of things at so-so quality, but it's not really meant for a game like Crysis if he wants to dabble with resource-intensive games. If you can find a good deal on an HD3850 it would be noticeably faster and should still be under $100. Nvidia's 8800GS or 9600GT would be two other options - check the Hot Deals forum to see if there are any specials going on.