New Build v.2

C

compnub2

New Member
Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115003 ($310)

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128012 ($135)

Graphics Card - eVGA 256-P2-N624-AR GeForce 7900GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130056 ($160)

Memory - Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC22G5300LLK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820220095 ($219)

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822144701 ($75)

Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119068 ($45)

Power Supply - Thermaltake W0093RU ATX 12V 2.0 Version 500W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817153028 ($60)

CD-ROM - SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model SH-S182D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827151133 ($31)

Keyboard & Mouse - Microsoft FA6-00010 Black USB Wired Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16823109161 ($33)

-Cost is a little under $1100 shipped, I don't want to go much higher.
-This is my first build.
-Primarily used for gaming.
-Planning to have this about 4 years.
-Don't plan to overclock.
-Haven't done anything with BIOS.
-Plan to upgrade in future (graphics card, memory possibly).

Notes/concerns

-Compatibility
-Wondering if 2.4 Core 2 Duo is worth the $90 over the 2.13, keeping in mind longevity.
-Memory volts are compatible with motherboard (1.8v stock) but the timings don't appear to be, I'm guessing this would be easy to change in BIOS?
-How much of an increase is DDR2 800 over 667?
-Will stock cooling be sufficient or should I look into some additional fans?
-Went with a relatively cheap graphics card so I can upgrade to a DX10 card when they come down and when Vista does not impair gaming. Edit: Hoping to take advantage of Evga's step-up program and get an 8800 in a year or so.

Anything I'm missing or should be concerned about?
All info/input would be greatly appreciated =)
 
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Well you have definitely done your research.

I do think that the upgrade to the E6700 (I think) is worth it, I beleive there is some extra cache that will make a difference.

I think you should either downgrade to a 7600GT and get an E6700 or upgrade for ~$30-$50 and get a 7900GT. Now that I read about you upgrading to DX10, then nvm.

I dont think you will need sufficent cooling, you wont be overclocking and the Core 2 Duo does not run very hot.

I think it should be great.
 
I believe the C2D E6600 is worth it. You're not only paying for the extra 300mhz or so, but you're also getting 4mb of L2 cache instead of 2mb.
 
Apparently the stock heatsink/fan on the CPU is not so good so I added

Cooling - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835186134 ($30)

I am still not 100% sure I want an Intel, from older threads/sources it seems AMDs were superior gaming wise, but from what I hear now, Intels have caught up, if not surpassed in some reguard. I have read some of the stickied threads relating to the issue and have checked out AMD processors on newegg. However I am not that sure what I should be looking for, I saw a few (what looked to be nice) AMD processors on newegg, but they were out of stock.

It seems that it really won't matter what I get, performance difference will be minimal, still I'd like to get the best for the money I'm going to spend.

Thanks
 
Intel For The Win

Get the E6600 Core 2 Duo. It's faster than any AMD chip out right now. Your build looks good. :D
 
Build looks great, stick with the E6600, you might want a 7900GT/7950GT/X1950 Pro/X1900XT instead of the 7900GS.
 
You'll want to upgrade the PSU. That Thermaltake unit will not do so well with a DX10 video card.
 
Yeah I will need to get a new power supply and maybe mobo when I go to DX10 card. For right now though I just want some stuff that will work, I don't plan on the DX10 card for at least a year. This is my first build to, I don't want to buy the most expensive parts then have it screw up =P
 
About the memory, I have the same sticks and I was able to raise the speed to DDR2-823 extremely easily, you should be able to as well.
 
compnub2 said:
Yeah I will need to get a new power supply and maybe mobo when I go to DX10 card. For right now though I just want some stuff that will work, I don't plan on the DX10 card for at least a year. This is my first build to, I don't want to buy the most expensive parts then have it screw up =P
Click to expand...

If you aren't planning on upgrading to a DX10 card for another year, then I would suggest investing a little bit more into a better GPU to hold you off until then.
 
I think if I bought a lower end card like the 256/256 I have in this setup, I'll be more apt and less hesitant to go for the DX10 sooner. If I get a $250 card, (being as cheap as I am), I probably would try to hold off a lot longer with it. Any upgrade I get, be it 150 or 250 is going to look amazing compared to the POS I have now (Dell 2400, 64mb card, 2x512ram).

I will still think about it, because if I do spring for the expensive card, I have another Evga in line, (looking forward to their step-up program)
 
Decided to look at what I could get for a few hundred dollars more, this system would be about $1500 shipped, includes cooling and OS that was not in the original.

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115003 ($310)

Motherboard - EVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188009 ($250)

Graphics Card - eVGA 512-P2-N637-AR GeForce 7950GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO Superclocked Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130066 ($270)

Memory - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034 ($248)

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822144701 ($75)

Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119068 ($45)

Power Supply - OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817341002 ($125)

CD-ROM - SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model SH-S182D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827151133 ($31)

Keyboard & Mouse - Microsoft FA6-00010 Black USB Wired Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16823109161 ($33)

Cooling - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835186134 ($30)

Operating System - Microsoft Windows XP Home Sp2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16832116169 ($90)

Different GPU, Power Supply, RAM and motherboard. I figure when I go to a DX10 card, I'd have to/want to upgrade those anyways, so why not save some money possibly and just go for that stuff now. The PS is overkill for this system, but I think I'd need something along those lines for the DX10 card and possibly 2g more ram.

I doubt I'll spend this much on my first build, but I do plan to upgrade and it is something to consider.

Thoughts?
 
I would go with the x1950XT instead, since it does perform better in some games and is a bit cheaper.

I like you're choices though, I have the same mobo and it is quad-core ready, as well as being able to use chips with a 1333Mhz FSB. The PSU may be overkill now, but if you want to SLI the G80's, or use newer DX10 cards, you'll need that extra power.
 
Is the x1950XT only 256mb? I know other factors come into play, but that would run games better then the Evga 512? Also, I would like to take advantage of the Evga step-up program, if that means buying a little more expensive now, I think it would be worth it. Again though, you guys now a whole lot more then me.
 
Sites and thoughts

compnub2 said:
Is the x1950XT only 256mb? I know other factors come into play, but that would run games better then the Evga 512? Also, I would like to take advantage of the Evga step-up program, if that means buying a little more expensive now, I think it would be worth it. Again though, you guys now a whole lot more then me.
Click to expand...

Check out some reviews on www.tomshardware.com or www.anandtech.com , www.extremehardware.com , www.firingsquad.com , www.tweaktown.com . They should have comparisons of the cards. Also note that each site my use a different and/or faster CPU than you are looking at getting. I'd personally step up and pay more for the 8800GTS instead of stepping up. But thats me :P
 
compnub2 said:
Is the x1950XT only 256mb? I know other factors come into play, but that would run games better then the Evga 512? Also, I would like to take advantage of the Evga step-up program, if that means buying a little more expensive now, I think it would be worth it. Again though, you guys now a whole lot more then me.
Click to expand...

Yes the X1950xt is only 256MB, and since eVGA 7950GT Superclocked is much faster than stock 7950GT then I think X1950pro should outperform it by small margin.

If you want to take the advantage of Evga step-up program then get 7950GT
 
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Did you see my build that I posted three times, its exactlyyy the same????

Now I can get input without posting my own, sweet!!

As for the video card, do whatever you please, for the margin of difference is very small.
 
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