New Q6600 build ... i am nub and need advice

[mkc842]

Believe it or not, my gaming bottleneck is the CPU speed (in late Rhye's / Civ4 games wait time can be a few minutes).

So it looks like the Q6600 will be a big improvement on this Pentium D 2800. I don't need extreme graphics. In fact, I know that the 7600gt is sufficient.

I am new to picking and matching components, so your advice is appreciated!

Here is what I am thinking:

MOBO - $155
ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P5K-E/WIFI-AP

CPU - $280
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80562Q6600

RAM - $100 (-25 MIR)
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model NE2KIT12864AL804 - Retail
Model #: NE2KIT12864AL804

HDD - $70
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD2500KS

I need a recommendation for the PSU, fans video card, and anything I am forgetting. Video card - $130 max, please. For the hard drive, I'll get another and go RAID 0 if I need more space or speed.

A couple GFX cards I looked at on newegg:

$115 SAPPHIRE 100199L Radeon X1950GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
$126 SAPPHIRE 100218L Radeon HD 2600XT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
$110 EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Can I take advantage of the 256 bits on the 1950gt?

And don't forget the PSU -- I want something affordable that is not likely to die soon.... no idea what features or brand to look for.

Thanks!!

 

[graysky]

Corsair 620 HX is what I have... I love it.. modular cables so you can only use the ones you need which helps minimize clutter/air flow, etc. Dunno about vid card fans. Did I miss where you talked about a HS? I'd recommend an ultra-120 extreme. Also plan to lap the IHS as well as the base of your HS for maximum heat transfer. Doing so dropped by load temps by ~ 10 °C on my Q6600 @ 9x333.

 

[MarcVenice]

520hx would be PLENTY of power for him. And a q6600 is nice, it's kind of overkill for the videocard you are going to match it with. A e6750 will be plenty of cpu power for your gaming needs. I'd rather step up the videocard a little. To bad the 2900pro is so expensive in the US, it costs 215euro's here in Holland, where as the 8800gts costs 270 euro's. Anyways, with a better videocard you could actually play other games too, or you just save some money on the cpu, because like I said, the q6600 is overkill for a 130$ videocard. I suggest this videocard btw, it's the cheapest thing I would get right now: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102061

 

[Acanthus]

Late 18 man games with a lot of AI only eat up like 30% CPU on my Q6600. It does use all 4 cores however.

 

[o1die]

Fry's.com has some ocz 6400 ddr2 for $40 after rebate with free shipping. The link is at slickdeals.net. And HP is still selling ddr2 667 with a $40 rebate on each 1 gig stick up to 5 sticks at various venders. The link at slickdeals is a few columns down or at the hot deals section of this forum. Net cost is about $15 per gig. Newegg also has an antec trio 650w true power for $80 after rebate. I've had good luck with antec. Got my sonata II case for $35 shipped after $50 rebate. I've received 2 $50 rebates on cases or power supplies from antec.