comments on this build

[memory]

I have been looking at building a computer for the first time. This build is going to be used for playing games such as Crysis, COD4 and some other ones. I will also use it for internet, multimedia and what not. I have been doing a lot of research and this is what I came up with so far.

Wish list details


I know there are 3 different rams in there. Which one would be the better one? I thought about going with a quad core but I heard many games do not yet support quad core so I am going to wait on that.

What do you all think about this setup?

 

[NightSurge]

Well, in my opinion after building quite a few computers for this same basic purpose, I would suggest you go with the Core 2 Duo processor as the quad core is basically an unneeded luxury at this point. Hold off a year or 2 until you fully devote to quad core systems as many games and applications out right now do not even come close to fully supporting all that processing power. Also, you may want to just find an XFX or EVGA 8800 GT (512MB) card. It is cheaper than the one you are using and plenty capable of playing Crysis and CoD4 on high settings.

The 700W psu is a bit overkill as well. I would suggest between 500-600W at the most... you still won't come close to using all that power and it will save you some money!

Now, as far as the RAM, I would go with the 4GB of Corsair. You may want to look around for something that is highly rated and a bit cheaper. I think I just built 3 systems with 4 GB of 5-star speed and quality RAM for only $90.

After you make those changes your system should be perfect for Crysis and much more affordable.

Hope this helps,

 

[Trotter]

Surge's advice is pretty near to my own. I would suggest going with a 9600GT for now, preferably an EVGA so you can use their step-up program a little later. The 9600's performance and price make it a good choice, and it should have some overclocking headroom. You can step-up to a 9800 later on down the road (you get three months).

I would go with the E8400 over the quad for now, just as Surge said. Same with the RAM and PSU. Newegg has a nice FSP 500W for $70 right now.

 

[ThirdLeft152]

i completely agree with both of the previous suggestions.

 

[memory]

How do I know if the ram or anything is highly rated?

That is what I figured about the CPU. I am going with the E8400.

Does it hurt to have a larger PSU than I need besides cost? The reason I am going with a 700 watt is so I will have room to upgrade in the future. Is this a bad idea?

When I get this system built, I am going to sell the system I am using now to help pay for it. I was wondering how much I could get for it. Here are the specs:

Dell Dimension 9100
Intel Pentium D 820
PNY Geforce 6800GS GPU
1 Maxtor 250gb hard drive
1 WD 200gb hard drive
Sound Blaster Audigy 4 sound card
2 dvd burners

 

[NightSurge]

Well, just check for the 5 orange colored dots. If it has all 5 (and has been rated more than just a few times) then chances are it is a great buy. Oh and good tip on those new 9000 series cards.

The 700W couldn't "hurt" per say... but I doubt any future upgrade you would apply would need that much power. Unless you plan on going multi-quad core processors, with triple SLI graphics cards and basically turn your system into a powerful server, then you shouldn't need that much power. The choice is yours in the end. With new technology these days, who knows. Maybe in 5 years the 700W will be the minimum requirement for gaming computers.

 

[KNiGHTMaRe89]

How do I know if the ram or anything is highly rated?

That is what I figured about the CPU. I am going with the E8400.

Does it hurt to have a larger PSU than I need besides cost? The reason I am going with a 700 watt is so I will have room to upgrade in the future. Is this a bad idea?

When I get this system built, I am going to sell the system I am using now to help pay for it. I was wondering how much I could get for it. Here are the specs:

Dell Dimension 9100
Intel Pentium D 820
PNY Geforce 6800GS GPU
1 Maxtor 250gb hard drive
1 WD 200gb hard drive
Sound Blaster Audigy 4 sound card
2 dvd burners

Well if you go to NewEgg, you can see what is highly rated or not. I usually set those reviews as guidelines, even though usually their more like opinions. I never had a problem with following reviews on NewEgg.

Anyway, I would say, if you want to spend the money go for the Corsair 720, but if not, the 520hx will do the job. Like the other guy said, 500 - 600 is enough, anything more is overkill. Your not running a server or multiple hdd's or anything...

As for everything else, I would put the majority of the cash on a decent CPU, board, memory and graphics card. I would concentrate primarily on the CPU and Graphics for now. Try to get a graphics card which will be good for the forseeable future and the same with a CPU. You don't need Quad Core, just like you don't need 64 bit Vista. I would flow with 32 bit XP or Vista for now, and max your memory out at 3gb for now and upgrade those parts later.

That's how my current rig is set-up. Granted I have 4096 of memory installed, but 32bit vista business only sees 3022. Although my rig is outdated, (its 939, ddr1 and pic x 1.0) it's still pretty decent for current and possible future stuff. I have a 3ghz cpu, 4gb of mem, 300gb of storage, 8800gts, as you can see, I am pretty mcuh set for anything you could throw my way. Im going to be buying another 8800gts soon to put it in SLI. Then if you think about it...what more could you want? I dont see what else you could need, unless software drastically changes and every software we know of pulls a vista and become memory and graphics hogs...

anyway, those are my .02 cents. just something to think about...

 

[ThirdLeft152]

How do I know if the ram or anything is highly rated?

That is what I figured about the CPU. I am going with the E8400.

Does it hurt to have a larger PSU than I need besides cost? The reason I am going with a 700 watt is so I will have room to upgrade in the future. Is this a bad idea?

When I get this system built, I am going to sell the system I am using now to help pay for it. I was wondering how much I could get for it. Here are the specs:

Dell Dimension 9100
Intel Pentium D 820
PNY Geforce 6800GS GPU
1 Maxtor 250gb hard drive
1 WD 200gb hard drive
Sound Blaster Audigy 4 sound card
2 dvd burners

well if you stick to crucial, ozc, g. skill, or corsair it'll be quality stuff for the ram.

the e8400 is an excellent choice (you might want to check microcenter if you have one near you, i believe they're still selling e8400's for $190 and q6600 for $200)

well its really just a waste unless your going to be going sli with many optical drives and lots of hdd's and fans and stuff. a 500W would do you fine with an average system (average being 1-2 gpus, any processor with an OC, pretty much any case with plenty of fans, 1-2 optical drives, and 1-2 hard drives). I have a 520W and it powers everything in my system easily (1 gpu, a decent OC on my cpu, 3 hdd's, 2 optical drives, and 4 120MM fans and 1 180mm fan)

i would say your system is worth $200-400 tops.

 

[memory]

Well I ordered everything off of Newegg except for processor last night. Here is what I bought:

Wish list details

Now I bought the processor off of Dealiverable.com. I bought it last night and now today I get an email from them saying my order is canceled because the item is out of stock. This really makes me mad because on the item page it says it is available. If it's not available they should say on that page. This really burns me up

I have been looking around to see if I can find any some where else and have not found any that is not overpriced. Looks like if I buy one now, I am going to have to spend $250 or wait until Newegg gets them back in stock. Even Newegg is a little high compared to some other places.

 

[Ste]

Memory if you want a top notch power supply that has a long warranty and will last you a long time, through several builds or upgrades.
The Red or Black PC Power and Cooling 750 Silencer.
Any Corsair or silverstone power supply would be fine as well..