New Gaming Rig

[blank98]

Ok guys im finally building my first high end gaming rig but before I start ordering parts I want to first make sure im getting the right parts, my budget is ganna be $2000 CDN.

PSU- http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=4514
CPU- http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=4777
GFX- http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=5137
RAM- http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=4785
Hard Drive- http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=4211
DVD/CD- http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=5182
Case- http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=3879
Cooling- http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=5452
Mobo- http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=5449

I would get an e6600 Core 2 but I just don't see a point in spending another 100 because eventually I will be upgrading to Intel's quad core, same goes for my video card probebly around the same time ill get a new DX10 card but I just don't see a point getting one now seeing as there are no DX10 games to take advantage of. I also chose the Raptor I have heard great things about them, I for one can not stand long loading times it should cut down a few seconds off my loading times. Also I might pick up an X-Fi sometime in the future. Any other recomendations would be appreciated.

 

[imported_RedStar]

get the p180b --it is a slight upgrade and it does come in silver also.
some of those links are not coming up for me.

get the 7900gt for only 20$ more

i assume the PSU is looking ahead to quad core and sli

 

[blank98]

umm what does the p180b have that the p180, I thought it was just the color.

 

[imported_RedStar]

sorry for the delay:

Please read this thread for the differences:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=37&threadid=1912296&enterthread=y

 

[caberguy]

Given the review that just went up about the 680i mobo and how crazy stupid fast you're going to be able to OC your processor, I'd get the e6300 and some cheaper RAM (OCZ, G.Skill, etc.) and put some more money into your video card, even with a moderate OC on an e6300 on that board you won't be CPU bound by any current games.

That could about bump you to a 7950GT or a X1900XT which would make a much bigger difference in terms of gaming.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Originally posted by: caberguy
Given the review that just went up about the 680i mobo and how crazy stupid fast you're going to be able to OC your processor, I'd get the e6300 and some cheaper RAM (OCZ, G.Skill, etc.) and put some more money into your video card, even with a moderate OC on an e6300 on that board you won't be CPU bound by any current games.

That could about bump you to a 7950GT or a X1900XT which would make a much bigger difference in terms of gaming.

That's some pretty good advise. The 680i motherboard has an option where you can set memory speed independent of the FSB. Get some el cheapo RAM (from a good manufacturer, of course). Overclock the CPU, go easy on the RAM. Save some moolah - use funds for better GPU.

Also, you can buy a 500GB or two 320GB 7,200 rpm drives as opposed to the 150GB Raptor. Seriously, save money on the Hard Drive/RAM and consider a bigger, better GPU.

In addition, if this is going to be a single-GPU machine with no near-future upgrades (like PPUs or SLI etc.), you might even want to consider a much cheaper motherboard (like a P965 DS3 or a P5B), save significant money and see if a 8800GTS is within reach. Just a thought...

 

[chizhz]

i love the p180, excellent choice.

 

[pkme2]

Nice rig.

 

[blank98]

What is the point in spending a lot of money on a GFX card right now, im ganna get a cheap 7900GS and get a DX10 card sometime next year. It makes no sense to spend $400 on a 7950GX2 or a 1950 XTX 512 when new DX10 cards are right around the corner.

 

[caberguy]

The point is that:
a) you want to play games on it, and if you reallocated around $80 (from ram and cpu as I suggested) you could get a better overall gaming experience with higher frame rates with one of these cards (http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=5135 or http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=5141) than the one you selected and be at roughly the same bottom line
b) the difference b/t spending extra money on an e6400 and an e6300 when you can expect to be able to clock the e6300 to 3.6-4.0 Ghz seems trivial, especially since no current games will even come close to bogging down that much cpu power
c) It's going to take quite sometime before the DX10 standard is fully utilized, to say nothing of supported. If you're ready to buy a copy of Vista when it first comes out and get on the dx10 bandwagon right off the bat, then why bother building a gaming system at all right now... why not just wait, or why not just go and buy a used 6800GT and see how that works for you if you're really that worried about saving money on the front end, even though you fully expect to upgrade in the very near future. From that perspective it seems like the 7900gs is still an aweful lot of money for something that you're just going to get rid of in a couple of months anyway, but that you wouldn't probably enjoy as much in the mean time. If your dead set on switching to the 8800Gxx solution right off then why not buy a nice eVga card and plan on taking advantage of their upgrade program (I assume it's valid in Canada) in 3 months when you're ready to make the move to dx10, that way the money that you spend on a video card now will be more like a down payment on what on really want anyway.