First build, Input needed

[Chewy]

Hello everyone. I’m looking for input for a suggested setup for my first real gaming PC.
This will be purely a gaming pc with little else being done on it and I’m going to be using Vista home premium so I would like a DirectX 10 compatible card. I’m looking to spend around $1300-$1700 Canadian and I’m hoping to get something that has a bit of future proofing so I wont have to start upgrading for a few years. So far I’ve been looking at http://www.canadacomputers.com and http://www.ncix.com and the prices seem to be reasonable.

This build was sent to me by a friend and was made on ncix.com using the “Entra II Bronze” build under “PC Configuration” and has some parts swapped from the original. One question I have about ncix.com so far is if I buy a pc from the “PC Configuration” list with parts swapped out does it come shipped already built with the OS and up to date drivers already on it?

- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...ufacture=Intel

- Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R ATX LGA775 Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...cture=Gigabyte

- Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-5400C4PT 2GB 2X1GB Dual Channel Memory
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

- EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800GTS 500MHZ 640MB Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=eVGA

- Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro AM2 S754 S939 S940 2200RPM 40CFM Heatsink Fan
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...ctic%20Cooling

- Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...ufacture=ANTEC

- Sparkle Power SPI ATX-400PN 400W ATX12V 20/24PIN Power Supply
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...20Power%20Intl.

-Seagate Barracuda SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=Seagate

- Samsung SH-S203B Black SATA DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=Samsung

- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 32BIT DVD OEM
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...ture=Microsoft

- Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtremegamer Professional Series Sound Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...reative%20Labs

All together it comes to $1,573.24 before shipping so if there is anything that can be done to save some money or get more bang for the buck I would love to hear it but if its worth an extra $100 or so for a necessary part I can save for a little longer to get it.

[shadowpr]

first thing is, if you're not oing to OC, then no need for the: Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro AM2 S754 S939 S940 2200RPM 40CFM Heatsink Fan

might want to get a little more HD space: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=Seagate i think that may be a little more bang for the buck.

this ram is actually cheaper after rebate: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

and you might want a bit more then 400w PSU. someone else might know better, but you can't go wrong with getting something in the 500 or 600 range.

[liambl]

Definately go for a PSU with at least 100 more watts. While that system may run on the 400w, it would probably be very unstable and PSU life would be signifigantly reduced due to the excessive load.

[scythe_god]

don't bother with the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtremegamer Professional Series, that $170 could be spent else ware. The basic one is more than enough for most people.

also, go for a DVD RW with LightScribe, LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe - Retail is probably the best bang for the buck right now.

[Katreat]

Go with the RAM shadow linked and I agree of both HD and PSU size, bet more bang for the buck with a bigger HD and definately go for 500W + on the PSU.

I would suggest skipping the sound card all together. On-board sound is very good these days and sound cards are very easy to install later if you find a need. Give the on-board a try first.

What size monitor are you using? You save about $100 dropping to the 8800 GTS 320 and from performance tests it is just as capable as the 640 (almost identical performance) on anything except very large monitors. So, unless you have something like a 24" + monitor you are spending $100 for little if any performance gain.

Agree with others that you dont need the aftermarket cooler unless you are building this system with a plan to try heavy overclocking. Even light overclocking can be done with the stock cooler and aftermarket cooling voids your cpu warrenty.

Kat

[Chewy]

Ok thanks for the help. I’ve swapped the parts you guys told me about and its looking good.

- Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB Dual Channel Memory
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

- Corsair VX550W 550W ATX 12V Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ATA100 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=Seagate

- Liteon LH-20A1S DVD+RW DVD-RW DL 8X 2MB SATA DVD Writer
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...facture=Liteon

I’m not planning to OC since I have no idea where to start so I dropped the cooler. I have also dropped the sound card and I’m going to give the on-board one a chance. By the way I don’t know if it will matter but I’m planning to get a Gaming Stereo Headset (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24617) so will the sound card have any major affect on it?

As for my monitor I think it’s a 19" and if what you say is true I will be going with a 320
Instead of the 640, and from what I can tell its not worth it to step up to the GTX although I might be wrong.

EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800GTS 500MHZ 320MB
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=eVGA

So now its at $1,414.22 just for the PC. If I messed up on anything or if there’s anything I missed please tell.

[Katreat]

The GTX is definately a more powerful video card. Worth it is a personal judgement. I have found nothing yet that I have had to turn down setting on with my GTS. I will, probably in 6 months or so, but for me it was not worth another $300 bucks to go a step higher. When I build I like to build a step below the top because you get the most performance for your $. That last little bit of speed costs alot .

check out this review to see the expert recommendations, it might make you feel a little more comfortable with your choice. It also discusses the issue between the GTS 320 and 640. It is not that having 640 is not better than 320, it is just that at lower resolutions you are not seeing much if any performance gain for your $100. It is hard to justify spending another $100 if you are not going to see an improvment.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/09/...for_the_money/

Kat