Final ~$2000 build list

[KPC84]

Ok, just waiting for my tax returns to come in, but here it goes. Purpose of the rig will be next gen DX10 gaming and HD entertainment. And yes, I am trying to do some future proofing, as you can see with my choice of mobo and ram.

XCLIO A380BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower Computer Case

EVGA 132-CK-NF79-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI DDR3 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor

PALiT NE/88TSSXT302 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

CORSAIR 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

SUPER TALENT INT-AIN1-C All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader

LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe

LITE-ON Black 16X DVD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-16D2S-04

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD

GIGABYTE GN-WP01GS IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Adapter Up to 54Mbps Data Rates 64/128 bit WEP, WPA, 802.1x, AES

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

Questions or comments please.

Thanks.

 

[mep916]

Why not get the 780i?

 

[KPC84]

Why not get the 780i?

Because I want DDR3 memory for the future. And the 790i ultra has better support for 45nm cpu's.

 

[mep916]

Because I want DDR3 memory for the future.

Okay. Do you plan on upgrading to speeds greater than or equal to 1600 MHz? If not, you should get the 780i and some good DDR2 RAM.

And the 790i ultra has better support for 45nm cpu's.

Are you referring to the native 1600 FSB support? Do you plan on buying the QX9770 in the future?

 

[KPC84]

Okay. Do you plan on upgrading to speeds greater than or equal to 1600 MHz? If not, you should get the 780i and some good DDR2 RAM.

Well the mobo says it can support ddr3 up to 2000 MHz, so in time when this one starts to bog down it's good to know there is plenty of space for more performance.

Are you referring to the native 1600 FSB support? Do you plan on buying the QX9770 in the future?

Well I plan on upgrading the CPU when I need to. A Q6600 is fine for now, but 2 years from now I might need more firepower and it's nice to know this mobo has plenty of head space for upgrading.

 

[mep916]

Well the mobo says it can support ddr3 up to 2000 MHz, so in time when this one starts to bog down it's good to know there is plenty of space for more performance.

The prices on DDR3 will obviously decrease, so in a year (maybe even six months), you should be able to get something fast and affordable in the RAM area.

Well I plan on upgrading the CPU when I need to. A Q6600 is fine for now, but 2 years from now I might need more firepower and it's nice to know this mobo has plenty of head space for upgrading.

Two years from now that CPU socket will be obsolete.

The only differences between the 780i and 790i are DDR3 support and the native 1600 FSB (and one onboard eSATA slot). The 1600 FSB doesn't matter since you're getting the Q6600. Anyway, it looks like a good board and the rest of your build looks awesome.

Good luck.

 

[KPC84]

Two years from now that CPU socket will be obsolete.

Maybe so, but the best Yorkfield chip will still be a huge upgrade from my Q6600 Kentsfield, and by the time I need it, I'm sure it will be much more affordable as well. I just think the setup I have listed above is a powerhouse now, yet still has huge room for upgrades, thus futureproofing myself atleast for a while.

My current PC is a Gateway 450 that I got as a freshman in college 5 years ago with a p4 2.0, 1 gig of ram and a 128 geforce 4400. So If I can squeeze 5 years out of that one, I'm sure I could get a similar lifespan out of this build, especially with all this upgrade capability. And let's not forget that the 790i ultra SLI also supports triple SLI as well.

 

[mep916]

Maybe so, but the best Yorkfield chip will still be a huge upgrade from my Q6600 Kentsfield, and by the time I need it, I'm sure it will be much more affordable as well. I just think the setup I have listed above is a powerhouse now, yet still has huge room for upgrades, thus futureproofing myself atleast for a while.

Fair enough.

My current PC is a Gateway 450 that I got as a freshman in college 5 years ago with a p4 2.0, 1 gig of ram and a 128 geforce 4400. So If I can squeeze 5 years out of that one, I'm sure I could get a similar lifespan out of this build, especially with all this upgrade capability. And let's not forget that the 790i ultra SLI also supports triple SLI as well.

I see what you're saying. Before I built my first rig, I was running similar specs.

The 780i supports Tri SLi as well. You know, the 9800 GTX is suppose to debut the first week of April. In fact, it's already for sale in Germany ( Link ). It's suppose to be around $349 here in the US. That would be better than the GTS, in my opinion.