Upgrading, ordering new parts, compatibility issues?

S

Strize

New Member
Im currently going to upgrade my pc, im an advanced computer user, but when it comes to hardware im low-intermediate. I'm just asking for some help, as far as compatibility in between the parts that i've selected based on budget/performance, or possibly some suggestions from some of you experienced pc builders.

Im keeping all of my drives at the moment and my case, and am going on canadian pricing. I will probably order from www.tigerdirect.ca, due to good prices and service from what i've seen and heard from others. My budget is about 1400$ canadian, here is what i've come up with:

Motherboard:
ECS nForce 570 SLIT-A v5.1 NVIDIA Socket 775 ATX Motherboard / Audio / PCI Express / S/PDIF / SLI Ready / Gigabit LAN / USB 2.0 / Serial ATA / RAID
A quality motherboard for a cheap cost, SLI-ready incase I want to pursue that later on. Got everything I really need as far as on-board stuff.

Processor:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.40GHz / 4MB Cache / 1066MHz FSB / Conroe / Dual-Core / Socket 775 / Processor with Fan
Most of my budget goes into this, I definately want to go with Core 2 Duo, but the performance jump to the E6700 for the cost is not worth it in my opinion, but want as much power as possible in my processor.

Ram:
Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz E.P.P. Memory (2 x 1024)
I've heard good things from corsair. Good price for brand name ram at the link also. But surely open for suggestions.

Power Supply:
OCZ / GameXStream / 700-Watt / ATX / 120mm Fan / SATA Ready / SLI Ready / EPS / Active PFC / Power Supply
All the power I need for a new system, lots of 500/600W for around the same price, I was willing to pay the extra 40$ for an extra 100W.

Video Card:
EVGA GeForce 7300 GT / 512MB GDDR2 / SLI / PCI Express / DVI / VGA / TV Out / Video Card
As far a video card goes, I'm just trying to get a very cheap one for now until the 8800 GTS get a little cheaper. Would like something from nVidia to match chipset. As far as video requirements at the moment, im just playing WoW mostly.


Any further suggestions or tips would be great :)
I'm also worried about compatibility issues, would some of these parts work sub-par with others?
 
The motherboard you selected does not support the speed of the ram you selected....the mobo runs at DDR2 667, the RAM at DDR2 800...not a big deal, the ram will just run slower, however, ECS isn't exactly a "trusted" brand...I strongly recommend either Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, or eVGA (some). Other than that, looks like a good build, excellent RAM, PSU, and CPU...GPU is crap, as you mentioned, but as long as you're planning to upgrade, it's fine.
 
Thanks alot for replying. I would never have noticed that ram/mobo difference. I'm definately going to have to change the mobo.

When i upgrade my GPU it will most likely be a 8800GTS so im not really going to need SLI, but having the option is surely nice. Going up to a 610i board is a price jump, would the performance boost be god enough for the price if i was not planning to go with dual-video cards?

Quick seaching i came up with these:
MSI P965 Neo-F Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard / Audio / PCI Express / Gigabit LAN / USB 2.0 / Serial ATA
or
Asus P5B Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard / Audio / PCI Express / Gigabit LAN / S/PDIF / USB 2.0 / Serial ATA / RAID
Anyone have other suggestions?

I have one other question I forgot to ask. Im a bit new to overclocking, have wrked with bioses but never to really overclock. Are these going to be easy enough to overclock a bit?
 
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I'd go with the Gigabyte 965P-DS3 myself. Overclocking with a Core 2 Duo is quite easy to do. Take a look at the OC101 guide for a lot more info.

As for the video card, it may be quite a while before the 8800GTSs drop enough for you to recoup the $100 you will spend on this video card.
 
ceewi1 said:
I'd go with the Gigabyte 965P-DS3 myself. Overclocking with a Core 2 Duo is quite easy to do. Take a look at the OC101 guide for a lot more info.

As for the video card, it may be quite a while before the 8800GTSs drop enough for you to recoup the $100 you will spend on this video card.
Click to expand...


I agree. I think you should go cheap on the gpu and spend the extra cash on the mobo. Then later on, upgrade to that 8800gts

man things are expensive up there. $177US for a ds3 :eek: Still not as bad as the UK but i mean come on, the ups guy has already crossed the border.
 
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I've come across an extra 600$ or so for my budget last night, so might go with the Gigabyte 965P-DS3, and a 8800gts. Does anyone have an a suggestion to brand? PNY, EVGA, etc. (theres a bunch, a have no idea what brands are good as far as video cards go. I'll probably be looking for the 640mb edition one.

With this upgrade, i'll most likely need some more cooling. I'm planning on putting it in my current case. Aspire X-Cruiser case(From what I understand, air flow is great in this model, with its standard 120mm fan in the back, 90mm fan out the top. No fan on the side window but it has a cpu funnel type thing for heat escape. Anyone have a suggestion for a 1 product solution, im not real enthusiastic about water cooling at the moment.
 
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