Need some recommendation on new gaming pc

[zinsae]

Well, it's a day after Christmas and went out to look for a deal and grabbed me some of the things I will need for my new gaming pc.

From Fry's -

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 + ECS P965T-A Motherboard (Combo) = $298.00

EVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-EXPRESS = $79.99 (After $70.00 rebate)

Now, those are the three I have so far. I'm a noobie when it comes to building a pc. What else do I need to build a gaming pc. Any recommendation would be greatly appriciated.

What kind of PSU do I need?
Is 250GB Serial ATA ok?
What kind of memory do I need and how many 1GB or 2GB?
What type of tower?
What kind of cooling system?
What type of DVD+-RW drive should I use?

Sorry for all of the questions, but any help would be appriciated. Thank you.

 

[Crassus]

Hmm, dime-a-dozen question. Please read up on similar questions before asking this the one-hundredth time.

PSU: A working PSU would be a good idea. Regarding Wattage, I think your rig isn't going to draw too much power, so something in the 350W range should do fine.
HDD: That really only depends on what you want to do with it. Do you want to store tons of stuff on it? Or just the OS and two games?
RAM: Again, depends on what you want to do. You'll need DDR2 RAM, everything else depends on usage and money available. Don't be lazy and read the bazillion threads and articles about it before asking.
Case: Depends on what you want to put in. Ask the friendly sales associate at Fry's.
Cooling: Air :c)
DVD: Check the Anandtech reviews and see what they used. I'm not aware of any products out there that are head and shoulders above the competition. I'm happy with my NEC.

If you want to do enjoyable gaming at current resolutions, I think the 7600 was not such a bright idea. I wouldn't go below a 7900GT.

 

[themisfit610]

Okay. So you will need a few things.

Is your processor OEM (no cooler), or retail boxed with a heatsink? If it comes with a heatsink, then don't worry about upgrading, unless you're going to overclock a lot. The stock HSF has some headroom. If you don't have a HSF, then get something reasonable for socket 775. I'm partial to Zalman, as they are REALLY quiet, but they cost a lot.

As far as a Power Supply, your system is not high draw, but do yourself a favor and get a high quality unit that gives you headroom to expand. 350w is a bit skimpy, I would really suggest a high quality 400W+ unit, like something from Antec or Enermax. Don't get a $20 Fry's special. It will probably work, but not for long, and has the potential to damage other components when it goes.

a 250 GB drive is definitely the sweet spot for $/GB these days. If you need more, get more. Drives are really easy to add down the line! If you don't collect a lot of media, and just play games, then a 160 might be better. You can get a 160 for ~ $60 and a 250 for $90. I have a lot of digital media so I would definitely go for the 250, but it's up to you!

If you're gaming, then get 2GB. Most games show improvement enough to make it worth it, and we all know that more RAM is better. Don't waste money on superfast RAM unless you plan to overclock. Get yourself some decent DDR2 667 @ CAS4 or DDR2 800 @ CAS5. Anything that has good statistical performance on newegg is a safe bet (star rating)

For a case, I really really like the Antec SLK3000B. Admitedly I'm an antec fanboy, but this case just gets it right. It's got subdued styling. It's black, it has a 120mm fan with a bracket for another, it has removable hard drive racks, and is very well built. It's practically silent, and has room to grow. I use them all the time for builds, and they rock. They are less than $60 too!

DVDRWs are all the same these days. Seriously. Get one that matches the color of your case. I have had great luck with NEC and LiteOn drives, but these days they are ALL the same! :

That should pretty much get you squared away. Note that if you really want to save some $, then you can get the Antec 1650 case, which is basically a 3000B with a nice 350w PSU included. It costs as much as the 3000B so it's basically a free power supply.

I'm assuming that you have a OS lying around. A copy of XP or 2k is all that you need. Don't mess with x64 🙂

Good luck on your first build! It's good fun!

~MiSfit

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: themisfit610Don't mess with x64 🙂

Good luck on your first build! It's good fun!

Signed. Never again will I install a 64-bit OS until I find a good reason to use one, and I spend a month making sure there are drivers for everything I need.

 

[zinsae]

Great information... I really do appriciate your suggestion and thanks for taking your time to write them out. I'll follow them because it seems like a great built for the budget. 🙂