I need your expertise!

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Mantra002

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First off, I would like to mention I did do some searching to try and find a similar thread already in existence, and failed, so if such a thread exists, I apologize. That said, I would like to spend somewhere around $1250, plus shipping and tax. So, without further ado, my current plans are:

Antec Super Lanboy Aluminum ATX Case - $79.99
Aprevia (Aspire) ATX-AS500W-GN PSU - $59.99
OCZ Platinum 240-pin DDR RAM x 2 1GB Sticks - $264.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz Socket T (775) - $316.99
eVGA 512-P2-N635-AR GeForce 7950GT - $285.99

Money Left: $242.05

Some of you may have noticed I left out the motherboard, this is because I don't know what to buy! Help! I need my motherboard to do a couple things...

1) It has to support 1066MHz FSB.
2) It has to support 800MHz RAM.
3) I would like a SLI slot, just to have it.
4) It has to have a T (775) Socket.
5) PCI-Express...
6) I couldn't care less about onboard sound.

Hmm, suggestions and comments welcome, encouraged even. The only thing I've decided on for sure is that I will be going with a Core 2 over the AMD equivalent. So if you have a superior component to recommend that is a comparable price to the one I have listed, please do tell. I'm also quite unsure of what to look for in a case, so the Antec one I chose is basically just based on a few reviews I read. Also, the eVga "step up" program seems too good to be true. Is there a catch I am missing?

Thank you for your help and assistance!
 
Heres a selection of mobos that meet your criteria. Also I suggest a better PSU, from brands like Antec, HIPER, Forton, or OCZ. And for a cheaper price you can get a better graphics card, specifically the 7900GTO which outperforms the 7950GT.
 
switch from the 7950 to the 7900gto which is 30 bucks cheaper, then use that thirty bucks to upgrade your psu to an antec truepower 550watt. and for a motherboard perhaps an Abit aw9d if you dont mind just one pci slot
 
Ahh, yes, the 7900GTO is definitely a good find, thanks for that. I will also look into a different PSU. From what I've read all these that are built into a case are basically junk, is that correct to assume?

And that Conroe Build that Atomic Tofu looks very similar to what I am looking to buy, plus he includes I/O Drives and a HD, which is nice, but since I already have some I/O drives, would that money be better spent on getting SDRAM 800? Also, is the Asus P5N32-SLI worth the high price?

Thanks for you help!
 
when you do some searching and lots of reading around...general consensus from more technical people is that 800 ram is unneeded. Though, you know with avg consumers they just like to have all the high numbers :D

That's why I topped out where I did

In my experience the psus in most cases even cheap ones are fine. But just keep in mind what is what. For example, don't stick with a stock 400psu if you plann to have SLI or overclock all the time. If you have a system with all the ram slots taken, a conroe, 2 cd drives, 2-4 hdds, and a "standard" gpu, 400 is perfectly adequate.

If you have that config but have a monster gpu, then you'll need more. (you are looking at monster gpus) :) You can always go this route, which I did...better future proofing I think:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Power/PurePower/w0099/w0099.asp

(there's another brand out there for auxilliary psu units but a bit more pricey, more modular though I believe)

gimme a link to your asus...since I'm lazy and don't want to search :D
 
Here is a link to the ASUS product page Here and a link to the NewEgg page Here .

Hmm, yeah, that supplemental GPU power supply looks quite neat. Only $50 and I should need to buy a upgraded power supply? So, in your opinion, if I went with that case you had listed (which has a motherboard tray?! Great feature in a $50 case), and that Purepower deal, I shouldn't need to buy a separate PSU upgrade?

And thanks for the tip on the 800 RAM, that saves about $100 that can go into that new HDD :D!
 
I'm going to have to check that asus link from work...broadband and all. Yes I still use dialup! :D

for now check this guide out:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/07/18/pushing_your_ddr2_ram_to_the_max/

last page paragraph sums it all up for me.

Again, always base things on your own experience compared with external reviews, that can either re-affirm your opinion or open you up to new "possibilities".

If I have an assumption based on real world test experience and read other guides...I go with what prevails :)

I think tomshardware might even review your mobo...but again, 56k :p
 
Okay, so I added most everything to my NewEgg Shopping cart and will be ordering within the next few days unless one of you all notice some glaring flaw.

Thanks for your help!

1 OKGEAR SATA II cable with metal latch,UV BLUE Model GC18AUBM12 - Retail
Model #: GC18AUBM12
Item #: N82E16812123111
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$3.99

1 RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: ATX-612WBP
Item #: N82E16811156062
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$74.99

1 SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM
Model #: SFD321B/LBL1
Item #: N82E16821103203
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$6.99

1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3320620AS
Item #: N82E16822148140
$94.99

1 eVGA 512-P2-N573-AR Geforce 7900GTO 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: 512-P2-N573-AR
Item #: N82E16814130065
$253.99

1 OCZ Gold Series 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ26672048ELGEGXT-K - Retail
Model #: OCZ26672048ELGEGXT-K
Item #: N82E16820227078
$214.99

1 ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium/WiFi-AP Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P5N32-SLI Premium
Item #: N82E16813131071
$269.99

1 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E6600
Item #: N82E16819115003
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

$315.00

Subtotal: $1,234.93
Shipping: $35.61
Total: $1,270.54
 
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