Greetings - I have been lurking for a time and so far I have been able to construct a common build based on the recommendations given to others. The last time I built a rig was in 2001, which lasted me until this month. I have repaired it so many times before, I feel as though it is finally time to retire it and join the cool kids with today's technology. No budget, but I'm not trying to waste cash...:freak: It is doubtful that I'll do any video editing or intensive photoshop but I'd like to be able to do anything else. Yes, I want to play games! I have no intentions of overclocking at first, but I'm not specifically opposed to it.
MoBo - Gigabyte P35-DS3R
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
***I am a little worried about not having a second PCIeX16 expansion slot. In the future, a tangible upgrade would be a second GPU - I'd rather make the upgrade initally than buy a new MoBo at that time, although I've read enough to know that depending on how they decide to handle DDR3, I *might* want a new MoBo in a couple years anyway. Conclusion: This MoBo looks great, I am just wondering if there's something a step in a beefier direction. Also - only 3 PCI expansion slots?
RAM - Crucial Ballistix - Two 1 GB sticks 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
***Is this the right RAM to get? Are there alternatives with pros/cons?
GPU - EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Newegg.com - EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
***This vid card is highly recommended and looks great to me. I have bought EVGA in the past. Eventually I might want 2 of these.
Monitor - SAMSUNG 216BW Black-Silver 21.6" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 3000:1 - $259.99
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 216BW Black-Silver 21.6" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 3000:1(1000:1) - Retail
***This monitor looks great! the 226bw is also nice.
HDD - Haven't found one yet.
***In the past I have had issues with my gigabyte mobo & my HD being >137GB, required a PCI IDE card to recognize it. I assume this isn't going to happen this time!
PSU - Haven't found one yet.
Soundcard - Haven't found one yet.
Keyboard (prefer split)
Sorry that my build isn't complete. Some stuff I don't know yet, like what kind of juice I'll require in a PSU or how many additional system fans I'll need. I guess those would both (to a degree) depend on the ergonomics of my case.
MoBo - Gigabyte P35-DS3R
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
***I am a little worried about not having a second PCIeX16 expansion slot. In the future, a tangible upgrade would be a second GPU - I'd rather make the upgrade initally than buy a new MoBo at that time, although I've read enough to know that depending on how they decide to handle DDR3, I *might* want a new MoBo in a couple years anyway. Conclusion: This MoBo looks great, I am just wondering if there's something a step in a beefier direction. Also - only 3 PCI expansion slots?
RAM - Crucial Ballistix - Two 1 GB sticks 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
***Is this the right RAM to get? Are there alternatives with pros/cons?
GPU - EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Newegg.com - EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
***This vid card is highly recommended and looks great to me. I have bought EVGA in the past. Eventually I might want 2 of these.
Monitor - SAMSUNG 216BW Black-Silver 21.6" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 3000:1 - $259.99
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 216BW Black-Silver 21.6" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 3000:1(1000:1) - Retail
***This monitor looks great! the 226bw is also nice.
HDD - Haven't found one yet.
***In the past I have had issues with my gigabyte mobo & my HD being >137GB, required a PCI IDE card to recognize it. I assume this isn't going to happen this time!
PSU - Haven't found one yet.
Soundcard - Haven't found one yet.
Keyboard (prefer split)
Sorry that my build isn't complete. Some stuff I don't know yet, like what kind of juice I'll require in a PSU or how many additional system fans I'll need. I guess those would both (to a degree) depend on the ergonomics of my case.