Greetings all, going to be building a new gaming system soon and wanted to check and see if I've made any glaring errors or omissions seeing as I've not built a new system strictly for gaming in the last few years. Pretty sure I have a good idea of what I want/need but I'm still looking for any comments or suggestions on improving my choices. Let's get the sticky answers out of the way first so I don't get yelled at hmm?
1. Mainly gaming, along with the usual net surfing/email stuff. Maybe some occasional light photo work, but nothing strenuous or professional.
2. Like to keep it around $1000. A modest deviation isn't a big deal, under preferred vs over of course but a slight swing isn't a deal breaker.
3. USA. Regarding stores, I use Newegg in all of my links for convenience, but if you know of a better deal elsewhere please post it here.
4. No strict preferences, but everything I've read says Intel/Nvidia is the way to go these days.
5. Got in on that 24" Soyo LCD deal last month so that's in, minor things like speakers/KB/Mouse will most likely be reused.
6. Of course, both here and on other sites. I'm here checking up to see if I've missed something major as it's been a while since I've built new.
7. Some mild overclocking is fine, nothing too extreme as I want this system to last a bit.
Ok, now on to the good stuff...
CPU
Primary Choice
E8400 - $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115037
Alternate #1
Q9450 - $350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115039
Alternate #2
Q6600 - $240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115017
Commentary: Since this is primarily a gaming system, clock speed should be at a premium given that most games right now don't really take advantage of quad core processors for the most part at this time. Alan Wake and others supposedly will do so, but they aren't out now so no one knows for sure. Also, the E8400 should overclock into the 3.2G ~ 3.6G range fairly easily on basic air cooling from what I've read which would be fine with me as I'm not looking to set any records. Q6600 could be had for ~ $190 the other day in Hot Deals, but... I kinda like the cool running and power specs of Peryn. The Q9450 is more of a best of both worlds type of item but it comes with a significant price premium over the 8400 at this time that I'm not sure is justified given what it'll be used for. I'm still torn here to a degree, but I'm definitely leaning towards the 8400 so... convince me otherwise.
Thermal Compound + CPU Cooler (needed for OEM CPUs)
UNKNOWN
Commentary: I've read a lot in forums and product pages, but nothing has caught my eye really as just right. Looking for something that can handle mild overclocking as I've said while staying as quiet as can be. Nothing too expensive, other than that recommend something for me if you could. Also I have a tube of Arctic Silver 2 thermal paste laying around, still good enough or will I require some newer paste? Not a big cost issue really but good to know one way or another if it needs to be added into my order.
Motherboard
Primary Choice
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128059
Alternate #1
MSI P35 Neo2-FR - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130098
Alternate #2
ABIT IP35 Pro - $170 - $30 MIR = $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127030
Alternate #3
ASUS P5K-E - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131225
Commentary: Everything I've read says the DS3L is a solid overclocking board for not too much money. The only thing it's missing for me is eSATA ports, hence the 3 alternative boards I've listed here that have them built in. Sick to death of slow USB transfers to external hard drives so hopefully a nice large drive plus an eSATA enclosure will be the answer to my external backup speed needs. Any reason to go with the alternates that come with built-in ports over the Gigabyte board and a PCIe eSATA card for use with external hardrives? I don't see anything wrong with the DS3L for my needs aside from that item so if there's no problem I'll probably end up going that route with it. One other consideration is quad-Peryn support, assuming I get that E8400 mentioned above. Any problems with any of these board choices if I want to throw in a hopefully cheap 3.5G+ quad core Peryn around this time next year? Of course then there's Nehalem on the horizon... sigh.
RAM
Primary Choice
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122
Alternate #1
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - $76
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145184
Alternate #2
A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - $74
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820211188
Commentary: Nothing much to say here really, plan on using 4 GB along with Vista HP x64, these kits caught my eye. Always used Corsair and have never had problems, the G.Skill is cheaper with slightly better timings, but nothing too drastic. Never heard of A-Data before, reviews of it seem fine. Each of them are pretty even, so it's really a 'u-pick'em' type of choice.
Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136218
Commentary: No alternatives listed here, as everything I've read indicate this drive has the best mix of price/performance/capacity out of all drives currently available. Been a fan of the WD Raptor for years but latest tests shows these 7200rpm drives beating out the old enthusiast standard drive so this looks like a good choice. Quiet as well which will be nice as the system will reside in my bedroom.
Case + Power Supply
Antec Sonata III w/Antec 500W EarthWatts PSU - $120 - $30 MIR = $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129024
Commentary: A quiet system is a high priority for me after dealing with a massively noisy system in my room for years now and this case has some great reviews in that respect. Kinda bland in terms of looks and I'm not a fan of doors over the external bays but I can deal with it if it lives up to the quiet billing. Good price and the psu is a quality one and more than sufficient for my needs I believe. A minor concern is the cooling setup - there's only a single 120mm rear exhaust fan and no intake fan for this case. Given my other components, purchasing a second 120mm fan and mounting it in the front may be required for optimal cooling - agreed?
Video Card
MSI NX8800GTS 512M OC GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB - $225 - $30 = $195
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127325
Commentary: Ah the eternal video card debate. Typical usage during games will be at 1900 x 1200 with the 24" Soyo I mentioned above so I wanted more power than a 9600GT or an 8800GT and this 8800GTS MSI card is the cheapest available right now and it comes with a free game in Witcher as a bonus. Higher priced Nvidia or ATI solutions don't seem to make sense right now if I'm analyzing things correctly but correct me if I'm wrong. Also not looking to go for SLI/Crossfire with this or lesser cards or spend > 400 on one of the dual video cards solutions like the GX2 or the similar ATI offerings so this seems like the best bang for the buck. I know the new stuff is "coming soon" this summer from both Nvidia and ATI but I'm tired of waiting and this card will hold me for at least another 6-12 months or so I figure and hopefully longer. If the new cards blow everything else away, however, and don't break the bank when it comes to price I may even be willing to splurge a bit on one of them so some slight resale value is an issue here as well. Another option I suppose is to look into an EVGA or XFX card for use in their step-up programs if the new cards really are close enough to qualify (are they?).
Game Commentary: Am I wrong here, as this is one of the main sticking points in my mind before pulling the trigger - whether or not the 8800GTS can handle 19x12 in most modern games. I know that Crysis may be a slight issue, but I can always turn down a few of the more power intensive settings if need be right? I haven't played anything more graphically demanding than Oblivion so all modern games of recent vintage are on the table when considering this question. My Oblivion experience wasn't all that good on a AGP 7800GT / AMD 3500+ system from 3 1/2 years ago to be honest so I'm looking for a significant upgrade here. Tried to run Supreme Commander at one point as I was a huge fan of TA but it didn't go all that well needless to say. Most game genre's are possible when thinking about performance - RPG, RTS, Strategy, FPS, maybe even a MMORPG at some point if something catches my eye.
Optical Media Drive
SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - $34
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827151154
Commentary: Need a drive to install programs along with the occasional burning job, this one seems good enough. Might use the Lightscribe feature at some point, if not meh it's only a few dollars difference. Never saw any slot load drives in this flavoring, used to love those but apparently they never really caught on or fell out of favor hmm? Shame.
Operating System
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116204
Commentary: Would get the version with SP1 already integrated into it but Newegg wants an additional $10 for that one for some mysterious reason, other than profit gouging of course. Big time fail on that one Newegg, I'll download the updates myself thank you very much (unless I'm missing something here?). Other than that not much to say, getting tired of XP and want to try out the new shininess of Vista x64 so I can use all 4GB of my ram. Compatibility is not an issue really as I have other systems that can use any odd piece of hardware that doesn't have drivers for Vista such as an old scanner I have laying around.
Current Final System Cost Totals (primary choices only):
CPU - $210
Motherboard - $90
RAM - $75
Hard Drive - $120
Case / PSU - $120
Video Card - $225
DVD Drive - $34
OS - $100
------------------
SubTotal = $974
Mail in Rebates - 2 x $30 = $60
--------------------------------
Total = $914 (not including final S/H total)
Additional wants/concerns not directly related to the above:
1. UPS Battery Backup
Not really related to this system directly, but I need a good quality one after my last one died a few months ago. Been holding off after it died but if I'm going to get a lot of nice new stuff it should be well protected right? Not really needed in terms of run-time off of main power, but mainly as protection from power issues with the system running off the battery and being constantly recharged via wall power. Any recommendations/thoughts here would be appreciated.
2. Sound Card
Everything I've read about the current state of on board sound as well as changes in how Vista deals with sound issues says on board is just fine for all but the music professionals despite some good recent cards that compete with the fiasco that is Creative Labs these days. I saw ASUS has a new card that gets good reviews for ~$90 but is it really needed these days for a gaming system as outlined above?
3. Speakers
I have some of the famous Klipsch 4.1 speakers I paid a pretty penny for some time ago that still work great for the most part. The headphone jack mounted on the control unit speaker has gone bad and is full of static instead of sound but other than that they mostly work. Just curious if there's any reason to swap them out for a modern 5.1 system? Been out of the audio game for some time in terms of what's up with current tech in that area.
4. Headphones/MIC
Mostly for online gaming, been using the bundled wired headphone/mic combo that came with the UT2004 collectors edition for my gaming needs and they still work ok despite some moderate wear and tear over the years. Cords are very annoying when trying to game, however, so anything reasonably priced in the wireless usb flavor (or any other) in that department so I can get rid of the cords when gaming online?
Well this is approaching novel length for a forum post so I think I'll end it here. Any comments/critiques/alternative options would be appreciated if you've taken the time to read this far. Thanks again.
1. Mainly gaming, along with the usual net surfing/email stuff. Maybe some occasional light photo work, but nothing strenuous or professional.
2. Like to keep it around $1000. A modest deviation isn't a big deal, under preferred vs over of course but a slight swing isn't a deal breaker.
3. USA. Regarding stores, I use Newegg in all of my links for convenience, but if you know of a better deal elsewhere please post it here.
4. No strict preferences, but everything I've read says Intel/Nvidia is the way to go these days.
5. Got in on that 24" Soyo LCD deal last month so that's in, minor things like speakers/KB/Mouse will most likely be reused.
6. Of course, both here and on other sites. I'm here checking up to see if I've missed something major as it's been a while since I've built new.
7. Some mild overclocking is fine, nothing too extreme as I want this system to last a bit.
Ok, now on to the good stuff...
CPU
Primary Choice
E8400 - $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115037
Alternate #1
Q9450 - $350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115039
Alternate #2
Q6600 - $240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115017
Commentary: Since this is primarily a gaming system, clock speed should be at a premium given that most games right now don't really take advantage of quad core processors for the most part at this time. Alan Wake and others supposedly will do so, but they aren't out now so no one knows for sure. Also, the E8400 should overclock into the 3.2G ~ 3.6G range fairly easily on basic air cooling from what I've read which would be fine with me as I'm not looking to set any records. Q6600 could be had for ~ $190 the other day in Hot Deals, but... I kinda like the cool running and power specs of Peryn. The Q9450 is more of a best of both worlds type of item but it comes with a significant price premium over the 8400 at this time that I'm not sure is justified given what it'll be used for. I'm still torn here to a degree, but I'm definitely leaning towards the 8400 so... convince me otherwise.
Thermal Compound + CPU Cooler (needed for OEM CPUs)
UNKNOWN
Commentary: I've read a lot in forums and product pages, but nothing has caught my eye really as just right. Looking for something that can handle mild overclocking as I've said while staying as quiet as can be. Nothing too expensive, other than that recommend something for me if you could. Also I have a tube of Arctic Silver 2 thermal paste laying around, still good enough or will I require some newer paste? Not a big cost issue really but good to know one way or another if it needs to be added into my order.
Motherboard
Primary Choice
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128059
Alternate #1
MSI P35 Neo2-FR - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130098
Alternate #2
ABIT IP35 Pro - $170 - $30 MIR = $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127030
Alternate #3
ASUS P5K-E - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131225
Commentary: Everything I've read says the DS3L is a solid overclocking board for not too much money. The only thing it's missing for me is eSATA ports, hence the 3 alternative boards I've listed here that have them built in. Sick to death of slow USB transfers to external hard drives so hopefully a nice large drive plus an eSATA enclosure will be the answer to my external backup speed needs. Any reason to go with the alternates that come with built-in ports over the Gigabyte board and a PCIe eSATA card for use with external hardrives? I don't see anything wrong with the DS3L for my needs aside from that item so if there's no problem I'll probably end up going that route with it. One other consideration is quad-Peryn support, assuming I get that E8400 mentioned above. Any problems with any of these board choices if I want to throw in a hopefully cheap 3.5G+ quad core Peryn around this time next year? Of course then there's Nehalem on the horizon... sigh.
RAM
Primary Choice
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122
Alternate #1
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - $76
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145184
Alternate #2
A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - $74
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820211188
Commentary: Nothing much to say here really, plan on using 4 GB along with Vista HP x64, these kits caught my eye. Always used Corsair and have never had problems, the G.Skill is cheaper with slightly better timings, but nothing too drastic. Never heard of A-Data before, reviews of it seem fine. Each of them are pretty even, so it's really a 'u-pick'em' type of choice.
Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136218
Commentary: No alternatives listed here, as everything I've read indicate this drive has the best mix of price/performance/capacity out of all drives currently available. Been a fan of the WD Raptor for years but latest tests shows these 7200rpm drives beating out the old enthusiast standard drive so this looks like a good choice. Quiet as well which will be nice as the system will reside in my bedroom.
Case + Power Supply
Antec Sonata III w/Antec 500W EarthWatts PSU - $120 - $30 MIR = $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129024
Commentary: A quiet system is a high priority for me after dealing with a massively noisy system in my room for years now and this case has some great reviews in that respect. Kinda bland in terms of looks and I'm not a fan of doors over the external bays but I can deal with it if it lives up to the quiet billing. Good price and the psu is a quality one and more than sufficient for my needs I believe. A minor concern is the cooling setup - there's only a single 120mm rear exhaust fan and no intake fan for this case. Given my other components, purchasing a second 120mm fan and mounting it in the front may be required for optimal cooling - agreed?
Video Card
MSI NX8800GTS 512M OC GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB - $225 - $30 = $195
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127325
Commentary: Ah the eternal video card debate. Typical usage during games will be at 1900 x 1200 with the 24" Soyo I mentioned above so I wanted more power than a 9600GT or an 8800GT and this 8800GTS MSI card is the cheapest available right now and it comes with a free game in Witcher as a bonus. Higher priced Nvidia or ATI solutions don't seem to make sense right now if I'm analyzing things correctly but correct me if I'm wrong. Also not looking to go for SLI/Crossfire with this or lesser cards or spend > 400 on one of the dual video cards solutions like the GX2 or the similar ATI offerings so this seems like the best bang for the buck. I know the new stuff is "coming soon" this summer from both Nvidia and ATI but I'm tired of waiting and this card will hold me for at least another 6-12 months or so I figure and hopefully longer. If the new cards blow everything else away, however, and don't break the bank when it comes to price I may even be willing to splurge a bit on one of them so some slight resale value is an issue here as well. Another option I suppose is to look into an EVGA or XFX card for use in their step-up programs if the new cards really are close enough to qualify (are they?).
Game Commentary: Am I wrong here, as this is one of the main sticking points in my mind before pulling the trigger - whether or not the 8800GTS can handle 19x12 in most modern games. I know that Crysis may be a slight issue, but I can always turn down a few of the more power intensive settings if need be right? I haven't played anything more graphically demanding than Oblivion so all modern games of recent vintage are on the table when considering this question. My Oblivion experience wasn't all that good on a AGP 7800GT / AMD 3500+ system from 3 1/2 years ago to be honest so I'm looking for a significant upgrade here. Tried to run Supreme Commander at one point as I was a huge fan of TA but it didn't go all that well needless to say. Most game genre's are possible when thinking about performance - RPG, RTS, Strategy, FPS, maybe even a MMORPG at some point if something catches my eye.
Optical Media Drive
SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - $34
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827151154
Commentary: Need a drive to install programs along with the occasional burning job, this one seems good enough. Might use the Lightscribe feature at some point, if not meh it's only a few dollars difference. Never saw any slot load drives in this flavoring, used to love those but apparently they never really caught on or fell out of favor hmm? Shame.
Operating System
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116204
Commentary: Would get the version with SP1 already integrated into it but Newegg wants an additional $10 for that one for some mysterious reason, other than profit gouging of course. Big time fail on that one Newegg, I'll download the updates myself thank you very much (unless I'm missing something here?). Other than that not much to say, getting tired of XP and want to try out the new shininess of Vista x64 so I can use all 4GB of my ram. Compatibility is not an issue really as I have other systems that can use any odd piece of hardware that doesn't have drivers for Vista such as an old scanner I have laying around.
Current Final System Cost Totals (primary choices only):
CPU - $210
Motherboard - $90
RAM - $75
Hard Drive - $120
Case / PSU - $120
Video Card - $225
DVD Drive - $34
OS - $100
------------------
SubTotal = $974
Mail in Rebates - 2 x $30 = $60
--------------------------------
Total = $914 (not including final S/H total)
Additional wants/concerns not directly related to the above:
1. UPS Battery Backup
Not really related to this system directly, but I need a good quality one after my last one died a few months ago. Been holding off after it died but if I'm going to get a lot of nice new stuff it should be well protected right? Not really needed in terms of run-time off of main power, but mainly as protection from power issues with the system running off the battery and being constantly recharged via wall power. Any recommendations/thoughts here would be appreciated.
2. Sound Card
Everything I've read about the current state of on board sound as well as changes in how Vista deals with sound issues says on board is just fine for all but the music professionals despite some good recent cards that compete with the fiasco that is Creative Labs these days. I saw ASUS has a new card that gets good reviews for ~$90 but is it really needed these days for a gaming system as outlined above?
3. Speakers
I have some of the famous Klipsch 4.1 speakers I paid a pretty penny for some time ago that still work great for the most part. The headphone jack mounted on the control unit speaker has gone bad and is full of static instead of sound but other than that they mostly work. Just curious if there's any reason to swap them out for a modern 5.1 system? Been out of the audio game for some time in terms of what's up with current tech in that area.
4. Headphones/MIC
Mostly for online gaming, been using the bundled wired headphone/mic combo that came with the UT2004 collectors edition for my gaming needs and they still work ok despite some moderate wear and tear over the years. Cords are very annoying when trying to game, however, so anything reasonably priced in the wireless usb flavor (or any other) in that department so I can get rid of the cords when gaming online?
Well this is approaching novel length for a forum post so I think I'll end it here. Any comments/critiques/alternative options would be appreciated if you've taken the time to read this far. Thanks again.
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