Yet Another Computer Build

[qp]

I'm just building another middle of the road computer based off the popular hardware choices. Here is my tentative list, I'd just like some quick input - mostly on gpu.

ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3750640AS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
GeForce 8800GTS

So my main question is; what video card should I get? I'm pretty certain I want an 8800GTS just because that is my general price point. The problem is, there are so many different flavors of that card that I don't want to end up with the crappy version. Which one is the best bang for my buck in that class?

Another question - is it worth the extra $26 for a hard drive with 32mb cache vs 16mb?

I really appreciate any advice!

 

[bamacre]

Q6600
http://shop2.frys.com/product/5101696

Samsung 750GB w/32MB Cache
http://shop2.frys.com/product/5601091

I think new video cards will be out fairly soon, may want to hold off.

 

[DSF]

You want the 8800GTS 512MB version. However, as bamacre said new video cards are supposedly coming out on the 18th of this month. (That doesn't guarantee availability.) Some people are waiting to see what the new cards can do and how they affect the market.

By the way, 7200.10 is a generation old. 7200.11 are the newest Seagates. However, the best performing drive in that size range is the WD Caviar 640 GB right now.

 

[qp]

Thanks for the input! That's what I figured about the 512MB version, but I won't pretend I understand why. On the surface it just looks like 640MB > 512MB, so it should be better, but obviously there's more to it than that (PCI-E 2.0). I don't stay on top of all these tech specs - I just browse what all you people are buying and pretend I know what I'm doing when it's time for a new system.

So now I'm looking at these 2 cards:

ECS N8800GTS-512MX - $159.99 AR
EVGA 8800GTS 512MB - $214.99 AR

Is that EVGA really worth $55 more than the ECS? What's the real difference here other than the EVGA being overclocked (which I should be able to do myself with the ECS) and perhaps having a more trusted name?

 

[qp]

Ok, I've bought the hdd (WD 640), case (Antec p180b) and CPU (Q6600) because I found good deals for them. So now I'm in, no more putting it off. For GPU I'm going with either a 9800GTX or GTX+ (price of 9800GTX is almost down to what I was going to pay for 8800GTS and will likely drop a little more pretty soon).

Given this, can you recommend a good motherboard and RAM (go with what I had or this for $5 more)? I've never overclocked anything, but this time around I figured I might as well do some minor overclocking (not pushing any limits). Therefore I'd like a recommendation for a good board and RAM that could handle that, but still for a reasonable price since I don't need the highest end stuff. I figured I should probably go with a P45 board?

Now with all that in mind, would an EA500 500W be sufficient?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Urtho]

1. For how you intend to overclock, the DDR2-1000 sticks should be more than sufficient for your needs. Only those who intend to max out their overclocks really need the high end ram you mention there. Even the -1000 sticks are probably more than you need but it's easy and cheap peace of mind so you don't have to worry about your ram crapping out on you when you attempt to OC.

2. PSU should be good enough, fairly well respected brand/model. I prefer Corsair units myself, but the one you have there should be fine.

3. A P45 MB is not required as they offer few if any real improvements over a proven P35 board. The DS3L from Gigabyte for $90 is a popular choice and should handle your mild overclocking needs easily.