New Computer

[Nablet]

So i've been running on my old Athlon XP 2k rig for so long now and its getting tediously tired and slow. I've been throwing around the thought of buying a new system and have done some searching around to find out whats half decent these days.

Proposed Parts:

Case - Antec Performance One P182
Motherboard - ASUSTeK P5K-E/WiFi-AP
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 - Dual Core
CPU cooler - i'll be using the stock cooler that comes with the CPU, i don't see this to be a problem if i'm not O/Cing.
System Drive - Western Digital Raptor 150 Go 10000 RPM 16 Mo Serial ATA
Ram - Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2 Gig (Kit 2x 1 Gig) DDR2-SDRAM PC6400
Graphics Card - MSI GeForce NX8800GTX
PSU - Still unknown, i'd like recommendations, i'm thinking at least 600+ watt is going to be needed?


These are all well within my price range and i can afford to addon $200-300 to my current total for any others that you can recommend, should it be needed ofcourse. The extras like sound card and network adapters etc are an after thought so i've not included.

What this will be used for:

-Gaming primarily
-I won't be overclocking this system as i really don't want or need to.

My PC is currently on all the time and is rather damn noisy, i'm aiming for a very quiet system, hence the antec case (although i'd like the p190, i feel its overkill for my needs) with as many fans as possible running at low RPMs. Due to real life commitments I don't have a huge amount of time to mess around setting this up, i really want to be able to "plug n play" and set this thing up quickly with as few problems as possible.

The main things i'm stuck on are the PSU and if theres a need for a third party HSF or if the stock will do. Any input regarding the parts is fully welcome, as i've only been going on reviews from various different websites.

 

[xitshsif]

Stock HSF will be fine if you're not OCing. Intel is not going to ship something designed to be used a factory specs if it does not work.

What resolution are you gaming at? Just asking because that video card might be overkill. Sounds like you're not too worried about money though.

 

[MarcVenice]

Corsair 520hx is plenty for your PC. I'd drop the raptor for a 500gb drive instead. You need the wifi stuff? Otherwise go p5k vanilla, or even gigabyte ds3l if you wanna save some bucks but still buy a good motherboard.

Good pick on the case Bought one myself, should be getting it tomorrow. Theres a p180b, which is basicaly a p182 * p182 is the 'evolution of the p180 * that's going for 90$ on newegg, that could save you a good 70$ or so. And it's in black. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129017

Oh and if quietness is a concern, definately invest 30$ in a arctic freezer 7 pro, it's a lot quieter then the stock hsf. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835186134

 

[Nablet]

I'm still a little undecided on monitors, those are going to be bought next month or the month after when i get my bonus .

Going for either a 22" Widescreen LCD 1680 x 1050 or i'm going to dual screen it with two 20" monitors running 1600 x 1200. I do have a temptation to go for a 24" running 1920 x 1200, but that will eat up the couple of extra hundred quid i have left for anything that could go wrong.

I do realise the graphics card is massive overkill, however it's always the first thing to get old in a computer so i tend to buy as topend as my budget can stretch to get the most out of it for as long as possible. (Last i bought was a Radeon 9800xt 256mb when they were new out, was expensive but its lasted me this long)

I've gone with the 150gig raptor as a i want a nice fast system drive, not needed maybe? i'll have an extra 300gig SATA II drive for additional storage, plus i've got a 400 gig IDE drive knocking around i can throw in for extra space if needed.

 

[MarcVenice]

Buying topend is never a good idea if you want it to last long. Spend HALF the money on a 8800gts 320mb, which is plenty fast for 1680*1050, I know, I've got that combo myself and review quite a few games so I'm pretty confident about it. Then, in another year, spend another 270$ on a new videocard. That way you have a mid-end/high-end videocard for 2 years. Now you're gonna have a high-end card for half a year, and a mid-end card for another half a year, and then it will be helplessly outdated allready.

 

[xitshsif]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
Buying topend is never a good idea if you want it to last long. Spend HALF the money on a 8800gts 320mb, which is plenty fast for 1680*1050, I know, I've got that combo myself and review quite a few games so I'm pretty confident about it. Then, in another year, spend another 270$ on a new videocard. That way you have a mid-end/high-end videocard for 2 years. Now you're gonna have a high-end card for half a year, and a mid-end card for another half a year, and then it will be helplessly outdated allready.

:thumbsup:

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
Corsair 520hx is plenty for your PC. I'd drop the raptor for a 500gb drive instead. You need the wifi stuff? Otherwise go p5k vanilla, or even gigabyte ds3l if you wanna save some bucks but still buy a good motherboard.

:thumbsup:

 

[Nablet]

Assume advice, thanks very much. i've re-priced most of it and added in the changes you've suggested including dropping down to a 8800 GTS 320 and it's knocked off a large chunk of change that i can put to good use on the monitors

What kind of FPS are you getting with that graphics card? Main games i play are CoH and CS:S, although i'm hoping to be able to run some of the better/newer First-person shooters after the upgrade

 

[MarcVenice]

BioShock is pretty much 40+ fps, same for MoH: AirBorne with everything maxed out. With high/medium settings and some aa/fsaa in CoH I always get 30+ fps as well. Those are minimum FPS, which imo are the most important CS:S should be a walk in the park for a 8800gts 320mb, everything maxed out.

 

[Nablet]

Oh one more thing i forgot to ask about, although this is technically a software rather than hardware question - Vista or WinXP? I'm tempted to stick with XP till i hear about a service pack for Vista, knowing microsoft there are problems hundreds of problems with their new flagship OS.

 

[xitshsif]

I'm running XP, so I can't say anything good or bad about Vista. Keep in mind if you want to use 4 GB of RAM, you'll need a 64-bit OS. A 64-bit version of Vista is the way to go there. Stay away from the 64-bit XP, far far away.

 

[drakore]

Are there any reasons you are getting the ASUS P5K-E?

I would get the new DFI Infinity Blood instead... much better

or get the Abit IP35-E if you want a good board for the money...

 

[Nablet]

I've personally always preferred ASUS boards and the other only manufacturer i've used in the past was gigabyte so i've very little experience with abit boards. I'd heard good things about the p5k-deluxe and although its an awesome board its too expensive and way too much for what i needed so i dropped down to the next pricing tier.

 

[Nablet]

I was looking at the PSU recommended and i see there is a 620x aswell, will the 520 really be enough when running the graphics card, at least 3 x HD plus all the cooling that i'll be running in the system (at least 4 x 120mm fans).