New build for review and suggestions

[GreenGhost]

Hi,

After pondering the Dell 530 and Vostro 410 offers, I decided to build it from scratch.
This will be my wife's World of Warcraft rig. She won't be using it for much else.
She tried WOW on my E4300 with a 7600GT at 1600x1200 and she was happy, so I think the new system will do well at 1680x1050.

All components new, no overclocking.

Total: $795

• GIGABYTE GA-P31-S3G LGA 775 Intel P31 ATX Intel Motherboard $65

Am I saving $25 in the wrong place by choosing the P31 over the P35?

• Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD $99

Do I really need Vista 64? Are memory access limitations similar to those of XP? Should I expect any problems? What about older games (which run on Vista 32)?

• EVGA 512-P3-N975-AR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $130

I'm open to suggestions in similar price range.

• Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model $120

Yes, it's $50 less than a E8400 or a Q6600. I'm torn.

• LIAN LI PC-A05B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $90
  Antec earthwatts EA500 500W ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $50
  G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory $66
  Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $70
  LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DH-20A4P-04 $23
  
  EDIMAX EW-7128G PCI Wireless Card $24

Suggested by JackMDS in an old thread. I have a Netgear adapter that works flawlessly but no Vista support. Although I have a -n router, I don't see the point in spending more. I need something reliable.

• Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black USB Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included $22

Luckily, she prefers the simple stuff.

Thanks for any input.

 

[shuji07]

Why not an HD4850 ati card over the 9800 GT?

 

[Roguestar]

^ I would have recommended that as a better alternative to the 9800GT, but that's still way too much to be investing for WoW. 4670 would do better.

Quick response: You are spending too much money and overbuilding.

Detailed response: Check out the Radeon HD 4670, it's like $70 and will max out WoW at 1680*1050 easily. It'll also do quite a few new games very well too if she fancies.

Vista x64 can pretty much run all the games and programs that 32-bit can.

A P31 motherboard will be fine, you don't need all the BIOS options for overclocking or other bells and whistles.

You're seriously considering a Q6600 for WoW? When 3 cores will sit idle? Go buy an E2180 and you'll get higher framerates than your monitor will even be able to display. Bear in mind your needs for this build and don't get carried away with bigger and better things that are going to be not only a waste of cash, but wasted on the use you are putting it to.

If you're going to buy a 500GB hard drive, you may as well get the Western Digital Caviar 640GB. Superior performance.

 

[GreenGhost]

Thanks for the replies. The video card is where I can save some bucks. The frame rates on my 7600GT were ok, not great, but probably any of the newer cards would do. On the older computer with a X1650, it's unplayable in some places, maybe because of the CPU of 1GB memory.

I'm don't have any ATI/nVidia bias, as I had one of each die on me this year. So I have the 4670, and the 9600GSO and 9600GT in the $80-$100 range. My case is small, the GT is huge, don't know about the GSO. Also I wouldn't have a clue about which brand to choose.

The E2180 will probably do. THe 7200 would go some extra years, though. I can spend those $50 later.

 

[Roguestar]

I say go for the cheap and cheerful 4670. $70. In terms of brand, one with the best warranty or an aftermarket cooler are generally better picks. If Visiontek have a 4670 they will likely have a lifetime warranty.