Advice Needed on new rig...

Is1ldur

Hi All,
Hopefully you guys on here can give me a few pointers. I'm going to build a new rig but there are a number of big gaps in my knowledge. The most I have ever done is upgraded mobo, processor and GPU. Obviously an 8800GTX is on the list as is an E6600 or the quad one (can't remember the name). HDD is probably standard 300 or 400GIG. Should I be looking at RAID, whatever that actually means? I have absolutely no idea about mobo's other than which socket they have (AM2/775, etc.). What is a good one to get and which RAM am I supposed to be looking at. I have no idea about RAM, all this 5300, 6400,8000 and 667mhz/800mhz, etc. I assume I will also need a Soundblaster X-Fi also, rather than rely on mobo sound? I wan't speed, but my budget will be in or around the 2K mark, and that includes a monitor.
Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.

BlackWizard

Looks like your after the same kinda PC as me. My budget is around 2k which will have to include a monitor.

For ram, Ill be going with something cheap. I'm not an overclocker or someone who runs benchmark tests every weekend. So something like this is what I'll be going for.

8T8

Here you go this is a pretty much top of the line system coming in at just over €2100

CPU: Core 2 Duo E6700 - Don't bother with Quad core not useful yet.

RAM: 2GB of DDR-2 800 - Some decent Corsair low latency RAM.

Mobo: Gigabyte P965 chipset - solid Intel chipset, supports future Intel Core 2 chips.

GPU: GeForce 8800GTX - Very best you can get.

Audio: Creative X-Fi - this is actually optional as mobo has built in HD audio but if you want the best then this is it.

HD: Western Digital 500GB HD - don't bother with RAID for the moment money better spent on other areas.

DVD: NEC SATA DVDRW Black - a SATA drive that is a good writer/reader.

Case: Antec P180 Black - again optional but this is a popular pick for many folks.

PSU: Tagan EasyCon 580W power supply - very high quality PSU with modular cables so easy cable management, quiet in operation too.

Display: Samsung 22" widescreen - one of the best displays on the market at the moment. Or save a bit of money to get to the 2K mark and get the 20" version instead.

BlackWizard

Awesome build!! I can't wait to get outa work to check all this stuff out.

Is1ldur

This is soooo helpful 8T8. Exactly what I needed. Someone to actually tell me what I need. Very, very much appreciated. I'm gonna order the whole lot tonight!! Can't wait to be able to play HL2 with all the goodies turned up, at a suitably high resolution!!

Is1ldur

Okay, thanks to 8T8, I have picked out all the gear. Anyone care to have a quick look to tell me if there is anything I need to change?

Qty Your Price Total
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.67GHz Socket LGA775, 4MB, BOXED w/fan

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 322635
Stock status: 24 pcs expected on stock 2007-05-22 295.01 295.01


Corsair TWIN2X 6400C4 DDR2, 2048MB CL4, Kit w/two 1GB Dimm's, E.P.P Technology

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 321028
Stock status: 14 stocked 168.00 168.00


Gigabyte GA-965P-S3, P965, Socket-775, ATX, SATAII, GbLAN, DDR2, 1xPCI-Ex16

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 324364
Stock status: 1 stocked 113.00 113.00


Club3D GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3, PCI-Express, HDTV-Out, HDCP, Dual DVI

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 329211
Stock status: Temporarily sold out. 549.00 549.00


Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Pro, 64MB, EAX ADVANCED HD

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 335480
Stock status: 5 stocked 134.00 134.00


Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 331024
Stock status: 50-99 stocked 115.01 115.01


NEC DVD±RW burner AD-7170S, SATA, Black (bulk)

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 331635
Stock status: 27 stocked 35.50 35.50


Antec Performance One P180 Miditower, Black, Aluminum (Without PSU)

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 322567
Stock status: 14 stocked 149.00 149.00


Tagan Easycon 600W, Modular Cables,135mm Fan, 4xSATA, ATX/EPS, SLI, 20/24pin

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 329153
Stock status: 23 stocked 166.00 166.00


Samsung 22" LCD Syncmaster 226BW TCO03, 1680x1050, 2ms, 3000:1

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 331034
Stock status: 175 pcs expected on stock 2007-05-03 409.00 409.00


Antistatic Wrist band including ground cord

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 317429
Stock status: 100+ stocked 7.95 7.95


Zalman CNPS9500AT Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler, Socket 775

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 320110
Stock status: 8 stocked 49.01 49.01


Logitech MX518 Optical Mouse, USB, PS/2

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 307658
Stock status: 42 stocked 43.50 43.50


Saitek PZ08A Gamers Keyboard Backlit UK Black USB Retail

- Surcharges 0.00 per item will be added.Article number: 313399
Stock status: 18 stocked 47.00 47.00



Surcharges: 0.00
Total: 2,280.98

The bits I am worried about are MOBO and Ram, Can I get better for a bit more money, or will these do me fine?

sebastianlieken

the only thing id recomend changing is the motherboard. get somethin that supports sli. (2* pci-express slots). its a bit more future proof should you decide to get another graphics card in the future, saves you buyin a new mobo if you want to do it at a later date. jus sumthin you might consider.

for jus a few extra quid, id get this http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=331973

8T8

Everything looks okay as sebastianlieken pointed if you want the SLI option then the NVIDIA board is a good choice though to be honest I don't think you'll be needing it with an 8800GTX and a 1680x1050 display as that card can easily handle that resolution.