my planned PC build

[sintan]

this is a build for a pc i want to buy, maybe in Jan.

i'm on a bit of a budget so gonna overclock. i would appreciate any advice about specific components as i'm not 100%. thanx

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R or Abit IP-35E

Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 - overclocked to 3.5mhz. apparently this can be achieved with stock cooling...

Tuniq Tower 120 - would this be more than i needed for the overclocked cpu?

Seagate Barracuda 250gb

EVGA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB Superclocked "Crysis Edition" or EVGA 8800GTS 640MB - i've read online that the GT out-performs the GTS...

GeIL 2GB 6400C4 or G.Skill 2GB 6400C4 HK or G.Skill 2GB 6400C4 HZ. the price of these rises with each option. i want to overclock the ram for compatiblility with cpu, but don't know which one i should/must buy

Antec NeoHE 380W Modular ATX2.0 PSU - i'm really not sure about this, i know it's a good brand, but dont know if im goin overboard with power or if i need more

monitor/dvd/input - i'll worry about these later as shouldn't be too hard

thanks for any input!

 

[b1gapl]

That looks like a great start. Glad you're wanting to overclock.

Yes, the Tuniq tower is a bit much for that processor. But if you're going to be upgrading to a quad core soon, it would be a good idea to get one. Another note, you should also get aftermarket thermal paste, as the one included with the Tuniq isn't that good. So I would suggest either AS5 or MX-2.

The PSU is ok, but I would recommend you get a PSU with a little more kick, to keep it upgrade friendly. Like an Antec True Power Trio 550, Corsair 520HX or 550VX.

Have a look at my thread, for further recommendations:
http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/recommended-pc-components-159027/

 

[Toryn]

That looks like a great start. Glad you're wanting to overclock.

...

The PSU is ok, but I would recommend you get a PSU with a little more kick, to keep it upgrade friendly. Like an Antec True Power Trio 550, Corsair 520HX or 550VX.

Ahh how often do you get to say those two things when giving advise, usually its 3 pages of explaining the merits of OC'ing and what need for it, and why they could step down the PSU

Back on topic, thats a solid budget build. You might be able to save a bit more by getting a normal edition 8800GT and overclocking it yourself (and yes the GT outperforms the current GTS). As for the RAM I'd suggest Crucial Ballistix but thats because I have no experience with Geil or G.Skill.

Aside from that its all good, either mobo will be great.

 

[sintan]

thanks for the advice. i'll look into the psu and crucial ballistix. i'll let you know if i get stuck again

 

[ShaolinDreams]

i would change..

PSU Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail

RAM Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

looks good thou mate. Goodluck

 

[veedubfreak]

By january the new chips should be on the horizon and the q6600 should have come down a bit more in price. Also, by then, the x38 boards will be more affordable. Also, the e2180 isnt a huge heat monster. I have one in my media pc with the 20 dollar AF7, i'm going to see how far it overclocks on stock voltage when i get home from work today.

 

[Prophet]

I dont see the x38 boards coming down enough in price to start being suggested to budget buyers. Most companies are trying to make the x38 chipset the enthusiast's motherboard, higher end boards coming close to the 500$ mark.

its a great board, but most x38 boards cant compete for price/performance compared to the DS3R and 35E.

I'm still in shock at how expensive the maximus extreme is....

 

[veedubfreak]

ds3r is 149, the abit x38 board is 229, thats far from a 500 dollar board. Read up on the abit x38 board, thats goign to be my next board when i get my hands on 2 3870s

 

[Wildside]

So I would suggest either AS5 or MX-2.

isnt the MX-2 really sticky? I read about this in some reviews that it is sticker then AS5 but is well worth buying over AS5.

 

[Invisible]

i have mx-2 and have absolutely no problems with it, for a few extra degrees its definatly worth the extra $3 over as5 imo