Building a Gaming Rig

[Unforseen]

Whats up fellas. I am looking to build a gaming rig this month and it will be my very first time building a computer if you don't count the time I built one 5 years ago. Anyway, I, like most others, have been doing a lot of research on this topic and have come up with a rudimentary list of parts. I only need the basics because most likely I will upgrade and add on parts later and some parts I already have.

-=[My Goal=]=-
Ideally, I would like to build a great gaming rig that runs cool, has reliable parts, is fast, and runs quiet. This computer will be used mainly for school and gaming. I have a budget of 1,400 but would absolute LOVE to keep it at or under 1,000 seeing as how shipping/handling and unexpected costs always come up.

-=[What I need]=-
Motherboard
CPU
Case
Video Card
Hard Drive
CD/DVD-ROM Drive
Power Supply
Memory
Operating System

-=[What I don't need]=-
Keyboard (Have it)
Mouse (Have it)
Monitor (Going to do a bit more research on this one)
Sound Card (Will probably upgrade later)
Network Card (Will probably upgrade later)

Here is the list of parts that I have compiled based on your recommendations and my preferences:

-=[Parts]=-
-=[Computer Case]=-
Thermaltake Swing VB6000BWS Black 0.8 mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811133172

-=[Motherboard]=-
ASUS P5B LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813131030

-=[Video Card]=-
EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130082

-=[Power Supply]=-
CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817139001

-=[CPU]=-
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819115003

-=[Memory]=-
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT667D2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145098

-=[Hard Drive]=-
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822148140

-=[CD/DVD-ROM Drive]=-
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827106057

-=[Operating System]=-
Microsoft Windows XP Home Upgrade with SP2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16837116194

Total: $1,099.82

-=[Questions]=-
Am I missing anything (large or small)?
Anything I should change or swap out?
Any price drops on the horizon which I should wait for?

If I think of anything else I will let you know. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

[HarshWinter]

Everything looks good, but u can save $25 on the corsair psu at zipzoomfly.com
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...uctCode=373100

[Staren]

I would definatly change the video card up to the 8800GTS 640MB version. You have the budget for it, and the boost would be worth it.

I'm going to go ahead and suggest the Asus P5K over the P5B. Now that I've done a build on one and know it's smooth I have no problem telling others to go for it. The big difference you'd notice right away is that it out of the box is ready for the the Penryn chips that will replace Conroe next year so you'll get a longer lifetime out of the board. They're also a little better built all around.

[Unforseen]

Originally Posted by HarshWinter Everything looks good, but u can save $25 on the corsair psu at zipzoomfly.com http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...uctCode=373100

Hey the PSU there looks to be a little bit different then the one newegg has. I'm not sure if that means anything. I don't mind paying an extra 20 bucks to keep everything ordered in the same place.

Originally Posted by Staren I would definatly change the video card up to the 8800GTS 640MB version. You have the budget for it, and the boost would be worth it. I'm going to go ahead and suggest the Asus P5K over the P5B. Now that I've done a build on one and know it's smooth I have no problem telling others to go for it. The big difference you'd notice right away is that it out of the box is ready for the the Penryn chips that will replace Conroe next year so you'll get a longer lifetime out of the board. They're also a little better built all around.

Hey, unfortunately I don't know if I can justify the cost of the 640 MB at this time seeing as how it is $100.00 dollars more. I may wait until the 8900's come out around christmas and just upgrade then.

On NewEgg, a search for the p5k gives 5 results each having different variations. Which one should I choose?

Also, I think I am going to go ahead and get a monitor so that will take my final price up to around $1,400 which is the max that I want to spend. Any suggestions?

[kmillerusaf]

Originally Posted by Unforseen Hey, unfortunately I don't know if I can justify the cost of the 640 MB at this time seeing as how it is $100.00 dollars more. I may wait until the 8900's come out around christmas and just upgrade then.

I agree the 320mb is the sweet spot especially for the budget you wanted which was right around $1000 dollars ($1100 currently)

Originally Posted by Unforseen On NewEgg, a search for the p5k gives 5 results each having different variations. Which one should I choose?

If you don't want all the added options like WIFI or Crossfire/SLI then I would try this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131180

Originally Posted by Unforseen Also, I think I am going to go ahead and get a monitor so that will take my final price up to around $1,400 which is the max that I want to spend. Any suggestions?

Any one of these 22" monitors would be great and right up your alley price wise. I don't know if you wanted a 22" monitor though
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2&name=SAMSUNG

[jer888]

Originally Posted by kmillerusaf Any one of these 22" monitors would be great and right up your alley price wise. I don't know if you wanted a 22" monitor though http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2&name=SAMSUNG

Those are great moniters, I have the 225BW.

I wonder why the standard P5K has 2 PCI-E slots

[kmillerusaf]

Originally Posted by jer888 Those are great moniters, I have the 225BW.

Yeah everyone I know who has had one has really liked theirs... Do you mind just writing what you like about it so much? Maybe it will help unforseen make a decision

[Staren]

Originally Posted by jer888 I wonder why the standard P5K has 2 PCI-E slots

Technically all of the P5K versions are Crossfire boards, but I think most people will end up using the second slot for multiple monitor set-ups down the line, if anything.

[whubbard]

Originally Posted by kmillerusaf Yeah everyone I know who has had one has really liked theirs... Do you mind just writing what you like about it so much? Maybe it will help unforseen make a decision

I have a samsung 244t and all I can say is that it is amazing. It has a refresh rate of 75Hz, looks great and performs great. I had no dead pixels...nothing. The color is balanced, and the edges are not brighter than the middle. Oh and the price is unbeatable too.

[Unforseen]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think its time I start narrowing down a final list of parts that I would like. However, first I would like to ask a few questions.

It would be really helpful if someone could tell me the top 5 brands for memory, power supplies, video cards, and hard drives. I know there is a list of "good" power supplies on the forums, but I was wondering if someone could tell me the top 5 starting from best to worst for each piece of hardware.

Before I actually buy the parts i'm going to do a final price check to see if I can get anything cheaper.

[thaigecko]

Originally Posted by Unforseen -=[Operating System]=- Microsoft Windows XP Home Upgrade with SP2 - Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16837116194

You may want to consider getting the OEM version of XP Home.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116056
Pros: $10 cheaper, stand alone version (instead of upgrade)
Con: No tech support

T

[Unforseen]

Originally Posted by thaigecko You may want to consider getting the OEM version of XP Home. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116056 Pros: $10 cheaper, stand alone version (instead of upgrade) Con: No tech support T

Hey, thanks for the link but I was looking at NC State's software distribution policy and I can actually buy it from them for 45 dollars so I will most likely go that route.

[thaigecko]

Ya! Dirt cheap Microsoft software through university licensing!

[jer888]

Originally Posted by kmillerusaf Yeah everyone I know who has had one has really liked theirs... Do you mind just writing what you like about it so much? Maybe it will help unforseen make a decision

Yeah Np

-Native widescreen resolution really works well with games that support it like company of heroes.
-Never any blurring or anything like that with Xbox 360 that is hooked up to it through VGA, if you think gears looks good on your TV, its AMAZING on this moniter.
-Simple interface, nothing is complicated, a simple button to switch between xbox and PC
-Looks tite with P180B

Originally Posted by Unforseen It would be really helpful if someone could tell me the top 5 brands for memory, power supplies, video cards, and hard drives. I know there is a list of "good" power supplies on the forums, but I was wondering if someone could tell me the top 5 starting from best to worst for each piece of hardware.

I won't do 5 but heres whats generally recommended:

Corsair for RAM, Evga for Nvidia videocard (also heard BFG is good), Seagate/Western Digital for hard drives

Originally Posted by Staren Technically all of the P5K versions are Crossfire boards, but I think most people will end up using the second slot for multiple monitor set-ups down the line, if anything

Oh ok, thanks

Personally i'd prolly stick with the P5B then, unless I was going to buy three more 225BW's

[LeftyAce]

To add to the 'top brands' comments, eVGA is who makes nVidias prototype boards, so they're as close to buying an 'nvidia' video card as you can get.

I've had good experiences with Corsair ram; the only stick that died on me they replaced (5 or 10 year warrenty or something crazy like that)....and overnighted it back to me!

[Unforseen]

What is your experience with dell monitors? My relative is a quality control manager for dell and I think he can give me a really good discount on any part I buy.

[jer888]

I usually stick with samsung but if you can get a good discount go for it.

[Staren]

The majority of Dell monitors actually use Samsung guts, so I'd have no problem going for one if I could get a deal.

[whubbard]

Originally Posted by Staren The majority of Dell monitors actually use Samsung guts, so I'd have no problem going for one if I could get a deal.

But not all...

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Unforseen What is your experience with dell monitors? My relative is a quality control manager for dell and I think he can give me a really good discount on any part I buy.

DELL LCD monitors are actually pretty good units. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if I could get a good deal on it.

Cricket

[LeftyAce]

My relative is a quality control manager for dell

If the quality of the monitor isn't up to snuff, you know who to talk to :-)

If you're getting a deal on it, I wouldn't hesitate. But make sure that the deal makes sense; if a 'reduced price' dell monitor is still more expensive than a Hanns G from newegg, then it isn't a deal, is it?