New Gaming PC

[KAMAZON]

Heya back in the DURON 750 OC'ed to 1ghz and GeForce 2 MX 400 days I was teh awesome @ building gaming rigs, that was the last time I did it and I don't even know what's good anymore. I'd want this to play Flight Simulator X with a lot of eye candy. It seems like a good trasnitional time to wait on upgrading as not many vendors are optimizing code for dual core support, so it seems like a waste to get it. However, there are some awesome deals out there and I'm too damn trigger happy, so what would you get if you wanted to blow some cash on a new PC?

I'd get something like:
a high ghz dual core CPU
4 gb of matching ram optimized for that CPU
a 500-800 watt PSU (A good one like Antec)
a GeForce 8800 with a SLI motherboard so I can upgrade it to 2 later, or do you recommend ATI?
An Antec quiet case
maybe water cooled.
A seperate audio card so I can free up those extra 5 frame rates from the CPU
some teh awesome speekerz
I already got monitors
I might get a new keyboard/mouse but maybe not.

ANY SUGGS? Thanx.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'm waiting for the rumored end-of-February updates to nvidia's line, but the 8800GT 512MB is a very nice card for the money.

Check the motherboard and video forums for parts suggestions. Watercooling seems like a waste of money with the core duo cooling quite well with a $50 HSF. They run fast enough at stock speed that I'd rather skip the effort and not overclock.

 

[Fenixgoon]

personally, i'd go with a Q6600 (should be easy to OC) at this point, and 8800GT's (not GTX or Ultra) if you want SLI. RAM is cheap.

yeah, the best air coolers (thermalright ultra 120 and tuniq tower) are tough to beat.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: KAMAZON
I'd get something like:
a high ghz dual core CPU E2140/2160 ($60-80) > E6550 ($150) > Q6600 ($270) depending on budget
4 gb of matching ram optimized for that CPU 2 x 2GB of DDR2 800 from G.Skill, AData, SuperTalent for $80-100
a 500-800 watt PSU (A good one like Antec) Lots of good 500-750W PSU for $60-100, check hot deals forum
a GeForce 8800 with a SLI motherboard so I can upgrade it to 2 later, or do you recommend ATI? 650i SLI can be had for $100 or less, otherwise I'd go with P35 w/ no SLI option
An Antec quiet case Antec 900 is great, although some would say it isn't that quiet. Sonata or P182 might be better for your needs but also pricier.
maybe water cooled. Cheaper than before, but air cooling is so much better than before and less hassle too.
A seperate audio card so I can free up those extra 5 frame rates from the CPU Onboard HD Azalia is very good, otherwise X-Fi Xtremegamer for $80-100
some teh awesome speekerz Idk, anything less than 5.1 receiver/speakers doesn't appeal to me
I might get a new keyboard/mouse but maybe not.Nostromo n52 for $5 after MIR at Newegg

ANY SUGGS? Thanx.

 

[badnewcastle]

E6750 OC's well and has 4MB of L2 Cache (1333 FSB Standard for slight OC to 1600 and run 1:1 with descent pc6400 ram) save's $100 from the Q6600 andhas better gaming performance for current games then the Q6600.
MOBO P35 with some OC abilities maybe get one of the ABIT ones.
8800GT or new GTS, both awsome performers for the $$$
Ram wise get something with CAS 4 or less @ 800mhz and has good ratings with 50+ reviews on newegg.
Antec makes good cases.

For Sound you could go with an extra sound card or I have had very good luck with MSI P6N Diamond with X-Fi onboard, if you want to go with nVidia chipset though it likely won't be compatible with the next generation of quad cores.

 

[alm4rr]

xp or vista?

 

[TheVrolok]

I just put together my new gaming system.

Q6600 @ 3.2 with an Arctic 7 Freezer Pro, 4GB (2x2GB) A-DATA DDR2 800, 500 GB WD SATAII, Nzxt Lexa Blackline (red) case, 620W Corsair HX modular PSU, XFX Alpha Dog (bigger fan) 8800 GT, Asus' P5N32-E Plus (hybrid 650i/680i) board, some case CCFLs for lighting. Cost me around 1300-1400 with shipping. Could always put another 8800GT in when prices go even lower if I feel like it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I think that FSX is optimized for multi-core CPUs, so get a Q6600, and OC.

 

[KAMAZON]

Hi Everyone thank you for your posts. I could wait until the end of Feb too so I might do that. IT seems like watercooling lost it's appeal over the years and the Antec cases run cool and quiet.

Do you guys really think quad core is worth it? It's not like I'll be doing video editing or music production on this PC, it'll probably be games and eventually run Vista or whatever OS MS releases if they decide to give Vista the "Win ME" treatment.

I've noticed the dual core Intel mobos are running at 1033 MHZ but accept 800mhz ram. Is that the case?

I haven't been able to verify if FSX finally got multicore optimized code or not, I believe it wasn't at first.


I believe I'll run XP first then Vista eventually, although I wouldnt mind trying a Ubuntu image and see how that goes too. Thanks everyone for your updates.

 

[TraumaRN]

Originally posted by: KAMAZON
Hi Everyone thank you for your posts. I could wait until the end of Feb too so I might do that. IT seems like watercooling lost it's appeal over the years and the Antec cases run cool and quiet.

Do you guys really think quad core is worth it? It's not like I'll be doing video editing or music production on this PC, it'll probably be games and eventually run Vista or whatever OS MS releases if they decide to give Vista the "Win ME" treatment.

I've noticed the dual core Intel mobos are running at 1033 MHZ but accept 800mhz ram. Is that the case?

I haven't been able to verify if FSX finally got multicore optimized code or not, I believe it wasn't at first.


I believe I'll run XP first then Vista eventually, although I wouldnt mind trying a Ubuntu image and see how that goes too. Thanks everyone for your updates.

Dont worry so much about Vista. Problems are exceptions now.

My new rig(see my sig) hasnt had one problem. Actually I lie, I had one audio problem but that ended up being my fault, not Vista. And if you want 4GB of ram you need 64bit OS.

You can get Vista Home Premium 64bit for about 105-110 bucks OEM.

And if you have the extra money get a quad core. My GO stepping Q6600 is sitting pretty at 3.51Ghz(an 1100mhz OC). And in the future more and more games will support Quad Core.

And I agree with the ram choices put forth as well.

And air cool your CPU, Tuniq Tower 120 or Thermalright Ultra 120 for your best cooling bets.

 

[KAMAZON]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm more informed now and can make a better decision.