2k for a Gaming Rig! plz help!

[Fayt]

Hello I need help building a Gaming computer. I have $2,000(USD) to work with.

Things I dont need:

Keyboard
Mouse
Soundcard unless Audigy 2 ZS is really bad now a days. But i use headphones anyways ><.


Requirements:
I might plan on overclocking.
22" Widescreen Monitor - Heard its really good for gaming.

[Ob1]

i would look at the core2duo intel processor line
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=&srchInDesc=

asus motherboard

save your money on getting the raptor hard drives and go with a seagate 7200.10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140

stock up on 2 gig's or more of ram (the more the better!!!!)

look at a dell 2407 widescreen, one of the best monitors out there
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...4&sku=320-4335

Video Cards-someone else should be able to answer this as to which one is best for your situation.

I'm just giving you general guidelines cause im not a gamer, but have read a lot of reviews and posts on this forum pertaining to the items i listed above.

[hitchface]

Gaming rig? Don't bother with SLI...just get one stinkin' good card, and it'll outperform SLI any day. Most benchmarks will show you that one 8800GTX (though expensive) will nearly double the performance of 2 7950s in SLI, and it creams anything in Crossfire. Basically, don't go with anything below a GeForce 7600GT. eVGA has a good warranty, but a loud fan.

HDD...go with what Ob1 said. I have a Seagate, runs quiet and fast.

Case: Look up the Antec p180 or the 900. I have the 900...a little cramped, especially if you want to fit in an 8800, but it blows air like nothin' else.

RAM: If you are gonna overclock, go with Kingston...they have a NQA warranty that you can't beat.

CPU: If you are gonna run single threaded games and won't be multi-tasking much, don't bother with the C2D processors. Go with an AMD Athlon FX series. However, if you wanna be ready for those multi-threaded games, go C2D all the way. I'd recommend a Zalman CPU cooler too.

You can see my rig in my sig...I can run Far Cry, F.E.A.R., Medieval 2 and H.L. 2 full tilt without a skip.

[TimPoet]

When I get more time I'll come up with a newegg parts list on a Core2 Duo setup unless someone beats me to it.

Originally Posted by Ob1 look at a dell 2407 widescreen, one of the best monitors out there http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...4&sku=320-4335

But on this monitor I wonder what the response time is? It has some good reviews but I'd like to see if it's around 4 or 5 ms.

[flanzig1]

As shown on the page Mr. F linked, that Dell is listed as 16ms black to white and 6ms gray to gray(under tech specs/features).

[TimPoet]

Originally Posted by flanzig1 As shown on the page Mr. F linked, that Dell is listed as 16ms black to white and 6ms gray to gray(under tech specs/features).

Thanks for pointing that out, now I have to edit my last post!
ANyways, that is a good response time. Let's see if we can fit it into a $2000 budget....

[TimPoet]

Okay, here goes from newegg:

ATI Radeon X1950XTX 512MB GDDR4 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Video Card - Retail
$399.99

SILVERSTONE SST-ST50EF ATX12V 500W Power Supply - Retail
$87.50

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
309.00

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Memory- Retail
$269.00


Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$94.99

SAMSUNG 225BW Black 22" 5 ms (GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height
$379.99


That leaves about $250 for the rest of the build.

[hagatha]

Stay away from DX9 video cards... old news! for the $400 bucks into a 1950/7950 you can get a 8800GTS (DX10) that comes close to smoking 2 of those other cards in SLI. They are about $429. The rest of the components look OK.

The $250 left over will get you a nice case...

Lee

[TimPoet]

Originally Posted by hagatha Stay away from DX9 video cards... old news! for the $400 bucks into a 1950/7950 you can get a 8800GTS (DX10) that comes close to smoking 2 of those other cards in SLI. They are about $429. The rest of the components look OK. The $250 left over will get you a nice case... Lee

Problem with dx10 is you are forced to get Vista which may not be wise this early in the game.

[newbuilder14]

Tim's list is fine. How about a beefier power supply, the 700w OCZ?

[Alaron]

No reason not to buy a DirectX 9 card. True Dx10 is coming, so you don't want to spend an excessive amount on one, but they will still play games for some time.

And Tim, you are not required to use Vista with one of the 8800 cards. You only need Vista for full DirectX 10, they will still work under XP.

[Fayt]

Ok heres a list i put together on Newegg.com. Tell me what you think or if you have suggestions please let me know.

Thermaltake Armor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133021 - 169.99

ASUS P5B Deluxe - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131028 - 196.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003 - 309.99

Arctic Silver 5 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007 - 5.99

ZALMAN CNPS9500 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118223 - 53.99

G.SKILL 2GB DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231087 - 219.99

eVGA GeForce 8800GTX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130072 - 629.99

Antec True Power Trio 650W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371001 - 124.99

2x WD 250gig for Raid 0 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144701 - 159.98

SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151136 - 31.99

Total - $1,938.47 (After Shipping!)


I think i can live with my Audigy2 ZS and I think ill live without the monitor for now although i would really love to have this one -

SCEPTRE 22" Widescreen - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824112005 - 359.99



So what do you guys think? If you have other suggestions like ex: a cheaper PSU thats just as good or if you think i dont need 650W and maybe only 600W and it saves be 20-50 dollars then by all means TELL ME! lol.

[TimPoet]

Originally Posted by Fayt and I think ill live without the monitor for now although i would really love to have this one - SCEPTRE 22" Widescreen - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824112005 - 359.99

Well, what are you going to use for a monitor? It'd be a shame to invest so much money for graphics and put it on a lousy monitor....

[Fayt]

Well gaming obviously ^_^.

I know its a shame but idk where to fit it in. Right now im using a 17" CRT Dell montior....idk if it can get worse then that...

BTW the 8800GTX is now 599.99 so now im down to almost 1900 even after shipping!

[Fayt]

so what does everyone think?

Any suggestions?

[TimPoet]

Originally Posted by Fayt so what does everyone think? Any suggestions?

I'd get a monitor. Viewsonic has a well rated LCD monitor for $200. It has a great response time. With your rig we're talking it is all about eye candy!!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824116014

Just a suggestion.

[Katreat]

If you are not just going for bragging rights, having the fastest and best, I would suggest you drop down on the video card and get that dream monitor you want.

DirectX 10 is very new and will not really take off for a year or so. If video cards follow current trends, the 8800 will drastically drop in price within a year. Radeon will be cranking up the competition and DirectX 10 games will start hitting the shelves. Unless money is really not an issue, it just does not pay to buy at the top of the market.

If you stick with the X1950XTX you originally posted you would have an extra $200 to spend on a really nice monitor. To be honest, I personally would step down to the below $300 range and go with the X1950XT (around $250). This is a fantastic card and will play all current games at very high resolution. It would save you $350 and allow you to buy a fantastic monitor today.

My point is basically to spend the cash where it impacts you the most. I think you will enjoy your new computer much more if you are sitting back watching it on your new 22-24” widescreen display.

[Mr.Ferrari]

I agree with that^^

If you do stick with your current list I suggest this powersupply instead:
Corsair 520W HX

And swap that ram out for some of this:
2gb Corsair PC6400

And I highly suggest against two raptors in raid 0. It might give you a little bit of an extra performance boost, but your doing that with a high risk of data corruption. In fact I dont even suggest a raptor. Your money is better spent on a Seagate 7200.10.

[Fayt]

I never said i wanted to get a X1950XTX nor did i say that i should get raptors >< WD is just regular Western Digital HDD's as for the videocard statment i think i might just go with a GTS b/c as of now my total is at 1898 or something like that so that 100 plus 200 for downgrading my videocard isnt accually a bad idea.

I dont know about the memory issue i plan on overclocking.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Those corsairs will be enough if you dont plan on any super major overclocking. Otherwise if you do really want to overclock then neither the corsair or g.skill will be sufficient.

[andper10]

I haven't heard of Sceptre, and if I put over $300 into a monitor, I would go with a well known brand. Yes it has the best specs, but who knows, they could be exaggerated. I would get one of these instead:
$339 - BenQ FP222W BK Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1 -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824014131

$320 - Acer AL2223Wd Black-Silver 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 800:1 -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009102

Prices (w/o Shipping):

$309 - C2D E6600 2.4 Ghz 4MB L2 Cache - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003

$269 - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590

$100 - XCLIO GREATPOWER X14S4P4 600W Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817189007 - This beast has 4 18 Amp 12V Rails, 30A 3.3V, and 28A 5V, all for $100. The reason that it is on sale is because it has a built in fan control that is suppossed to run the fan for a minute after shutdown to cool off the PSU, but it does not supply enough voltage to get the fan spinning after shutdown, so it buzzes for about a minute after shutdown.

$440 - eVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130071 - It wouldn't be that much of a downgrade from an 8800GTX, and plus using a 8800GTX with a 17" Monitor vs. a 8800GTS with a 22" Monitor, I think that the 22"/GTS would look way better.

$320 - Acer AL2223Wd Black-Silver 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 800:1 -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009102

$160 (2 x $80) - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148144 - Or if you want a single 500GB: ($210 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148136)

$31 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106013 - The LiteOn Drives are highly recommended in these forums. Plus, they come with Nero (burning software) and Power DVD (DVD watching program). If you absolutely must have the 18x, then the Samsung would be ok. Liteon has recently released an 18x too, but it doesn't have the best reviews.

$197 - ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131028

$52 - Tuniq Tower 120 - Best Price: http://www.jab-tech.com/product.php?productid=3593 - Newegg Page for reviews (they are out of stock): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835154001 - If you are overclocking, get the turniq tower. It is about the same price as that Zalman (actually a few dollars less), but it will cool your CPU much better.

$170 - Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133021 - I know someone with this case, and it is absolutely amazing.

$6 - Tube of Artic Silver 5 Thermal Paste - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

$90 - Microsoft Windows XP Home Sp2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116169

That comes out to $2144 before shipping. If you get a single 250GB or 320GB HD, then that will save you some money there. If you get the non-deluxe P5B, then that will save you some money too. You could get DDR2 675 instead, but I am not sure how far you will be able to overclock with it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145015 . I know that you want a 22" monitor, but if you got a 19" LCD Widescreen like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009091 , you would save over $100. You could also get a X1950XTX, or even an X1950XT, but they would not preform quite as well on a 22" monitor. Hopefully you will be able to get a good balance of price and preformance worked out.

[glc]

That Sceptre monitor is actually one of the better 22" jobs out there. It just happens to be the only one that's HDMI-compatible too.

You don't need an aftermarket cooler for that processor.

[Fayt]

really? why not?

I do plan on overclocking though. I must say I have never done it but im sure there is some place to ask questions.

As for the monitor suggestions glc is right the SCEPTRE is accually a really good monitor. The ones you suggested are nice but for a gaming monitor you should stick to over 800:1 contrast ratio.

I think ill love that thermaltake armor case, it looks like it will work wonders for overclocking.

I need 2 hard drives for raid 0. Was there something wrong with the 2 WD HDD's I suggested?

I think im going to drop down from a GTX to a GTS to squeeze a monitor in the build I think it would be well worth it.

Someone suggested this PSU to me and said they had it and it was rock solid and worked really good. - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341001

ive been thinking maybe i should switch to this chipset - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188009 but idk i heard some people have problems with it but the ones that dont say its one if not the best chipset for core 2 duo!

[Mr.Ferrari]

Well if you are overclocking, then get the Thermalright Ultra120 or the Sunbeam Tuniq tower..

The corsair psu is still better then the OCZ/Fsp.
Corsair HX 520W

Raid 0 is a risk like I said earlier. Do so if you must for the minimal performance boost. But you are taking a big chance for lost data. If thats important to you I would shy away.

If your going with 680i then get the Asus P5N32-E SLi and no other. 680i is having major issues with its raid controller. Thats something you might wanna think of before using it. And by the way, you will need a much beefier power supply if you ever plan on SLI.

[andper10]

I am not seeing how a more expensive Corsair 520 Watt PSU w/ 3 18A 12V Rails, 24A 3.3v, and 24A 5V is a better choice than a less expensive OCZ 600 Watt PSU w/ 4 18A 12V Rails, 36A 3.3V, and 30A 5V, especially since both brands are good quality. I noticed that the Sceptre had better specs, but I had never heard of that brand before. If you think that it will be a good monitor, then go for it by all means. The 250GB Seagate 7200.10 Hard Drives cost exactly the same as your WD choice, but the Seagates are faster. Raid 0 isn't really a very good idea from what I have heard. If you need 500GB, then just get a 500GB Seagate 7200.10. It will probably preform just as well as, if not better than two 250GB WD's in a Raid 0, without the risk of loosing your data.

[Fayt]

hmm so why do they have raid 0 then?

idk maybe i shouldnt go for raid 0!

idk why your suggesting a 520w PSU thats more expensive then a 600w >< then after you suggest the 520w you told me that i need a better one if i want to SLI heh.

anyways i honestly think 500GB is worthless right now i have 80gigs and i still have over 20GB left with not much wanted to put on it so if raid o is really that bad then maybe i should go with the 250GB Seagate.

I noticed that with the 680i, some people are having problems, but for the other 95% of the people say that its the best motherboard for C2D and its just amazing...idk = \.

I did find a site that compares motherboards here take a look, its pretty interesting - http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/sho...px?i=2869&p=11

on that page the ASUS P5N32-SE SLi accually is better at rendering and benchmarks. If you hit the next button it compares them in games and the 680i accually is on top for everything. it does seem like the ASUS is a good 2nd choice but the 680i just seems SO good idk what to do!!!

[Mr.Ferrari]

Originally Posted by andper10 I am not seeing how a more expensive Corsair 520 Watt PSU w/ 3 18A 12V Rails, 24A 3.3v, and 24A 5V is a better choice than a less expensive OCZ 600 Watt PSU w/ 4 18A 12V Rails, 36A 3.3V, and 30A 5V, especially since both brands are good quality.

Thats true, both brands are quality. But the Seasonic made Corsair is of higher quality then the OCZ. And more rails doesnt always mean its better. The Corsair is also quieter, better built, has a modular interface, and gives out cleaner power. The FSP made OCZ is a good. But it does have a ripple problem when put into high loads. Ripple is the slight fluctuations in the output of voltage. Too much ripple is bad for the longevity of the motherboard and components.

The Corsair also has 480w dedicated to the 12v RAILS. The OCZ has 425W dedicated to those rails. Like I said, more rails doesnt always mean more raw power.

To top it all off. The Seasonic designed Corsair has in reality, a single 12v rail. Even though it states three on the spec page, Seasonic got the blessing from Intel to not set any limiters on the rail. So, since the Corsair acts as a single 12v rail. It will handle higher differentiating loads easier.

Originally Posted by Fayt hmm so why do they have raid 0 then?

Its for people who want max performance and dont care about their data.

Originally Posted by Fayt idk why your suggesting a 520w PSU thats more expensive then a 600w >< then after you suggest the 520w you told me that i need a better one if i want to SLI heh.

Look at what I said above. The 600w would be ok. But the 520w would be better AND have more power. You can still go for the 600w if you want. If you want to go sli you will need ALOT more power.

I did not say anything bad about 680i performance. Look over my statement again. It is having issues with its raid controller. This chipset is new and still has bugs. If you want you can still go for the 680i.

[glc]

Sceptre has been in the monitor business for many years. It is not one of the more well known brands, but they are a decent quality manufacturer. In fact, their first LCD monitor came out in 1993. My only issue with them is the 1 year warranty. They used to make CRT's with a 5 year warranty.