help with new build

[srob]

hi, Im hoping to build myself a new gaming pc, my budget is around $1,200 amd I already have a CPU and a monitor.
The CPU is a pentium 4, and my monitors a decent 1.
I was thinking of this mother board to go with the processor: http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Ha...ws/p5k_deluxe/
(would this one work with the processor?)
and I was thinking of a GeForce 8800 GTX
Im not sure what sort of wattage i'll need to run these either so I havn't chosen a psu yet.
any advice would be great, thanks

[noneoftheabove]

The p5k line is a great line of motherboards and the evga 8800gtx is as good as it gets. Which operating system are you looking at using?

[LeftyAce]

What do you want to do with this computer?

With a $1200 budget it doesn't make sense to hold on to a P4. Here's a comparison between a high end P4 and one of the new Core2Duo e6600 cpus: http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.ht...=453&chart=169

If you get a C2D, get either an asus P5B or P5K (P5B is proven reliable, P5K is newer and thus more future proof).

You'll need DDR2 667 ram. A 2GB kit (2x1GB ) of Corsair ValueSelect ram is good.

We recommend Seagate harddrives (the 7200.10 is quite fast).
Lite On for opticals, and get a retail SATA version (comes with burning software).

The Corsair 520HX PSU will power a C2D and an 8800GTX just fine.

[srob]

iv got vista so I was goin to use that.
I want to get a realy nice gaming computer that I won't have to upgrade too much in a year or 2, so I suppose ditching the p4 and using it elswhere probably makes sense.
so use a core 2 duo?... o and what about these new quad cores? are they worth worrying about??

[LeftyAce]

Either the Core 2 Duo, or consider that the intel q6600 (quad core) is set to drop in price in a month, so if future-proofing is what you're after, I'd wait that long and get it. Not very much software utilizes even 2 cores, but in the next year or so you'll start to see much more multi-core optimized stuff. (And of course if you want to do four different things at once, the quad will be really fast).

If you've already got vista, give it a try. We generally recommend sticking with XP until the first Vista service pack (so they can get all the bugs ironed out) but a couple people on these forums report no problems with vista, and since you've already got it, stick with it.

For gaming, the video card you listed in your first post is great, and everything else looks good. With the quad core cpu, get the ASUS P5K motherboard.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by srob I already have a CPU and a monitor. The CPU is a pentium 4, and my monitors a decent 1.

Which exact P4 do you have? And is it a Socket 478 or Socket T (LGA775) processor?

Cricket

[srob]

all right great. I have 775 p4. though if it makes more sense i will use the dual core (or quad)
and maybe build my brother a comp with the other.

so your saying wait till the quad cores drop an maybe get 1 of those.
ok so the Core2Duo e6600/intel q6600
for the ram i have 2 gbs on my current comp so i could use those.
btw what is a good price for a q6600 at the minute and how much are these set to drop (do you know?)

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by srob for the ram i have 2 gbs on my current comp so i could use those.

What type of RAM do you have? And what speed? For a C2D you'd need DDR2 667 or faster.

Cricket

[LeftyAce]

newegg lists the q6600 at $480 right now. I think it's supposed to go down to below $300 towards the end of July.

Assuming your ram is of the correct type, you could go ahead and build this with a P5K motherboard and your current P4 processor, and add the q6600 in late July, if you don't feel like waiting that long to put the computer together.

[srob]

ya!! tanx il probably do that! lol
my rams onli 533 mhz will that do?

[blue60007]

It'll work for a Pentium 4 or a Core 2 that uses a 1066MHz FSB. It looks like the Q6600 uses a 1066 FSB so you should be OK.

[srob]

al right gr8 gud gud!! il go ahead with this then!
thanks for the in put guys!