I have edited the wishlist to drop the price a bit. I also left the two video cards on there as place holders for the 8800gtx card. It helps to keep the price a bit closer to what the actual total will be even though I believe it is about $150-200 less than with the 8800gtx. Anyway, I did add the monitor that you recommended and still have some room to play with. Maybe I will upgrade the CPU after I see how much the actual 8800gtx will be. If it is only $200 more, I could get the C2 Extreme 6800 and still be around my $3000 budget. I finally got a job (just seperated from the military) and can now start saving for a couple of months. Anyone know how much it will cost to upgrade to Vista? Thanks again for all the help. You guys rock. I just read an article in CPU magazine that said that the DDR2 800 won't be any faster than DDR2 667. Is this correct? If so, I am looking to save a couple of more dollars by getting the 667. Now, the only thing I need to do is to find out which set of sticks to get. The choices are between PC2 5300 and PC2 5400 . Please look at these links and let me know which ones are the best sticks. I'm assuming PC2 5400 with the lowest latency that I can get, but I am not familiar with these brands, and don't know which ones to choose. Any advice would help. At most, I would save about $50 over the RAM I have already selected.
around 300-400 for vista.(right out of the gate anyways, and thats for ultimate, i forgot, maybe xp upgrades are less, but if i were you id want a full install disk) What branch of the military and where are you located?
Could someone also explain why the RAM has different voltages? Is it a simple matter of ensuring that your BIOS is set to the correct voltage for your RAM? Would the Bios automatically detect the voltage, and what voltage is better? Of all the pc's I have built in the past, I never really had to look at that before. I want to make sure I am getting the right stuff and the best bang for my buck. So far, everything in my WISHLIST is what I am sure I am going to get. With the exception of the GPU's (waiting on the 8800gtx) and the RAM (looking to change to the DDR2 667).
It is the simple fact of the tolerable voltages it has for overclocking. My personal preference for RAM would go GSkill HZ, mushkin Redline, Crucial Ballistix.
If I am not planning on OCing, would it matter which sticks I buy then? I may OC this PC though if I can do it without having to watercool. I don't want the added expense. Could you recommend a specific set of RAM from the two links I gave in the previous post? I am looking at the Ballistix with the 3-3-3-12. I may stick with the CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) because of the fact that there is a rebate that would make it just as cheap. It may be over kill, but I could always utilize its speed better in the future if I ever upgrade CPU's to one that has a higher FSB. Then again, I don't really know what I am talking about. That's why I keep bugging you guys. Since starting this thread, I have really been able to narrow down the component list quite a bit. Thanks for all the help. Just a few more things to iron out though. RAM, GPU, and maybe MoBo. I'll work on the MoBo later. New Nforce 680i should be out soon. Maybe we will see a MoBo with it by the time I am ready to order. I wander what else will change by then.
A lot is going to change, but its good to have a baseline to work off of if youre going to buy relativly soon. Anyways, on the RAM, if you have 300-400 to spend on it id get good stuff for the fact that it can be utilized and if you get a decent board you can get good, cool, and stable overclocks with the C2D's.
just a note, ur mobo is rly bad at overclock.i got the nforce 4 version with c2d 6600 and highest stable was 2.95 : ( it is a dissappointment, to me at least. Also the nb cooling is terrible. but grafix is great and so is stability at stock speeds. I dont think u need watercooling and core 2s run mad cool, i have mine at 2.95 with infinty fanless runnign 45 c full load both cores. p180b case. GET a SILENT psu. you dont need watercooling, and air saves u money.
I was trying to stay around $300 for the RAM. What specifically would you recommend for me with that budget? Please link from NewEgg if you could. I'm trying to keep everything on one "wishlist" if at all possible. My other option aside from building a PC is to order one from the local gamer store. He has a great Warranty on anything he assembles. 3yrs parts and labor. If your CPU craps out and cost $300, then you get $300 for the next one and only have to pay the difference. I do know that there would be a premium for ordering it from him though. He has to make a profic some how. But it may in the end be worth it if I get the 3yr warranty. The PC's he showed me were using AMD because that is what he sells. He will build anything I ask for, but it will cost more. Sorry I forgot to reply to your question earlier about the military. I was in the US Navy and just relocated to Kentucky. I did just over 6 years as an Electronics Technician. I just got a job as an Electronics Tech locally, but it doesn't pay well. I will continue to look for better unless they decide to pay me more. Tomorrow is my first day at work. Just so happens to be my B-Day too. Yeah for me.
Yeah, I read the reviews, but am at a loss as to what board to get at this time. I still have a coupld of months to decide on the specifics, and will wait to see what comes out by then. That board is more of a place holder for now. At $250, it is high end, so if I budget for it, then I am sure I can afford any board that I decide on later. Mobo, GPU, and RAM are still open for suggestions right now. I am pretty set on everything else unless someone knows of any issues with the other items. I read that the HDD I chose may be a bit slow. May have to look into that too. I thought about raid, but decided on one HDD to save a few bucks. I don't LAN and don't consider myself a hard core gamer. I like my games to look good and play smoothly though.
if ur not ocing then ram dont matter 2 much. BUILD URSELF!!!! a good mobo is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130051, quad compatable and sli with hacked drivers. also try the Abit AW9D-MAX my opinion: if not ocing, go with air, best heatsinks out there are scythe infinity and tuniq tower. grafix get nvidia 7950 or saphire toxic 1950. case p180b. psu, a quiet 700 watt +. cpu- any kentsfield. monitor-22inch http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102062 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121017
or you can save some $ and get a system like mine. I can run anu game beautifully. all i need is more ram atm
I'm changing my mind of the ViewSonic Monitor due to MANY reviews indicating issues with dead pixels and DVI ports that stop working. I don't want to deal with that. I need to find another monitor that will cost $400 or less. I need it to be capable of displaying movies well along with games. XHD would be great. Guess I have more research to do.
Anyone know when THIS is comming out? This would be a great addition to my build. Especially if it isn't more than $250.
THIS is what my list looks like now. Unless there turns out to be issues with this MoBo, Then that is the one I want. It may change as more new MoBo's come out. I just picked one of the 8800GTX cards without actually choosing a brand because I am not sure which brand to get. They all seem to be pretty identical with the exception of the image printed on the heatsink. Also, I am looking for a really good monitor still. What do you think of the one listed in my wishlist? Please give me some more feedback to help me finalize the whole thing. Thanks again.
use the edit button. great list. overclock ur proc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i totally think that u should buy. edit: get a heatsink. gpu:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118117(keeps my 7900 at 36c idle 45c full load) for cpu:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835185027 the scythe infinity is the greatest heatsink off all time. my e6600 oc's to 2.95 it keeps it 40c fanless and 45c full load fanless
That wishlist you have now is quite good. Unless you want to spend 300 more dollars on a widescreen that does 1920x1200 resolution I'd say you're fine. Bits latest write up on the 8800GTX shows that it DESTROYS games at that resolution. So if you wanna tap that card for all it's worth (without buying a 30" screen) check out some 24" LCDs that can hit 1920x1200. Here's one
I would love to buy that monitor, but I really want to keep my cost as low as possible. I wish I could use the one I have now and still be able to play movies and games at a high quality. The monitor is one of the only items I have left to iron out. I'm thinking I may omit the monitor all together and see what it looks like on the one I have now. If it doesn't meet my needs, then I may purchase another one. I was looking at a viewsonic that got great reviews, but when I read revies on New Egg from people that bought it, it looked like a bad choice. I'm really at a loss as to what I should be looking for in a monitor. It looks like my purchase may be delayed a bit more anyhow. By the time I buy, I am sure better MoBo's will be out, and Vista will be available. i don't know if I will buy into Vista as of yet. Maybe. With the monitor you mentioned and Vista, I will be right at or above my $3000 limit.
Buy a dell 20" My new rig specs are very similar to yours and i udnerstand where you at right now http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-4688 check it out bro.
