Can Someone Recommend Parts?

[xilinnz]

Okay so I've built a computer for a friend before but this time I'm building one for myself. The computer is going to used for mostly gaming, homework, and watching videos. Thing is, I don't know what parts to get and I have a TIGHT budget of only $1100. Can someone please recommend me the best parts for gaming I can get for that price? Thanks in Advance.
*And I mean the all the current released games I can play.
Edit: I need everything new except for the OS that I have already.

These are what I'm thinking so far...any recommendations? I need a tower and what else do I need?
Is it possible to use a DELL dimension 3000 tower with these?

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.33GHZ 1333FSB 4MB Retail (BX80557E6550)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115030
$179.92

MotherBoard:
XFX Nforce 680i LT SLI Conroe LGA775
99.97$

Video Card
EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130318
$249.99

RAM
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034
$75.00 ($35.00 after $40.00 Mail-In Rebate)

PSU:
Cooler Master Extreme Power 550W ATX 12V V2.01
37.99$ (after 20$ of mailin rebate)

DVD
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 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106057
$30.99

HARD DRIVE
Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000JBRTL 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136185
$109.99

[Devastator]

Case is your choice.

If you can afford an E6550 get one of those.

You could probably save money by switching motherboards, SLi isn't worth it, look at the ASUS P5K range.

Good choice of graphics card.

With RAM i'd switch that to Corsair if I were you and make sure its CAS 5 as its more stable.

PSU is OK, but for your system and Corsair PSU would be better, or if your struggling on budget look at FSP.

Hard drive - go for Seagate, make sure its SATA. (250 or 320GB has the best $:GB right now) Same with DVD-RW, make sure its SATA and we recommend Lite-On round here.

[Katreat]

Whenever someone says "Gaming" I like to direct them to the 8800 or 3850 video cards. The 8600 IMO is just not a good compermise if gaming is your target. If gaming is your goal then really try to sqeak one of these into your budget. Check out this review for other choices.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/01/...ming_graphics/

I agree with Devestator on the CPU MoBo also, the 6550 would be a better CPU for a gaming build and you just dont want to mess with SLI on a budget. The fact that the 680i is an older chipset which is being replaced with the new 780i also pushes me to recommend a newer board. The Asus P5K serieis is an excellent choice.

Does "everything" in your edit include a monitor? A monitor will add ~ $200 minimum to just about any build. It is possible to build a respectable gamer for $1000 but that is not including the monitor. To build a decent gamer for $800 is a struggle.

Kat

[hitchface]

An 8600GT will still do games quite well though. High end gaming rigs can afford high end cards which will get high end graphics. Budget rigs are just that...budget. Either way, for that price of a video card, I'd bump up to the 3870 or an 8800GT myself. There isn't much of a price difference there.

If you are struggling to get a good video card with that budget, then bump down the CPU. Most dual core units still have a good amount of horsepower to handle todays games, and the video card IS still the heavy hauler.

[Masaki 7-11]

A HD3850 sells for only $10 more than the video card listed above and is a lot faster. AMD has been pushing prices down aggressively, you can probably get a good gaming computer for as low as $700 or $800 without the monitor.

[xilinnz]

thanks for the replies. and i meant $1100 for just the parts inside the computer, i have the speakers and monitor already. sorry for the confusion

recommendations on specific PSU, MoBo, (a fan?) and maybe tower would be nice. Thanks in advance again

[xilinnz]

These are what my friends recommended me to get but advice and suggestions are welcomed

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.33GHZ 1333FSB 4MB Retail (BX80557E6550)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115030
$179.92

Video Card:
EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130318
$249.99

Memory:
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034
$75.00 ($35.00 after $40.00 Mail-In Rebate)

Optical Drive:
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 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106057
$30.99

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000JBRTL 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136185
$109.99

Tower (Comes with PSU): [Is the PSU good enough or should I get them seperately?]
Antec Sonata III Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129024
$129.95

Mother Board:
ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131196
$149.99

Fan (For the front of the case): [Would this fan fit with the tower?]
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing / Transparent CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835887011
$47.99

[Are everything compatible with each other?] Thanks.

[Katreat]

Your list looks great. The antec sonta III is one of the few cases that DO come with a GOOD PSU so you should be fine. I have not heard of people having problems with over heating on a standard build so I would skip the extra fan. I have not followed the link (am at work and they dont like us vising stores) but since it says CPU cooler I dont think that is a case fan anyway. Either way you dont really need an extra fan.

Kat

PS.... dont forget an OS

[shadowpr]

Get the sata version of the hard drive.

[xilinnz]

Blehhhhh my friend gave me a US site I found most of the parts on DirectCanada so here's the updated one. There's a few changes to the MoBo, Video Card, RAM and the Optical Drive because I can't find exact ones. Please have a look at those..

Mother Board:
ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 P35 DDR2 1333FSB 2PCI-E16 3PCI 2PCI-E1 SATA2 Sound WLAN Motherboard
$159.30

Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache Ncq Hard Drive
$113.88

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.33GHZ 1333FSB 4MB Retail
$179.92

Video Card:
XFX GeForce 8800GT 512MB 625MHZ 1.8GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out DIRECTX10 Video Card
$255.58

Memory:
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-5400 DDR2-667 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory
$45.74

Tower with 500W PSU:
Antec Sonata Iii Black Atx 16IN Mid Tower Quiet Case 3X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5IN 500W 120MM Fan
$115.04

Optical Drive:
Liteon LH-20A1S DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 8X 2MB SATA DVD Writer Black Beige Retail Box
$33.70

[shadowpr]

I would try to find the memory with a cas 5, and ddr2-800.

Other then that, it looks like a good build.

[Tin]

That memory will be fine. The CAS5 thing was with pre-P35 boards. The P35 and X38 both fully support CAS4 without issues.

[xilinnz]

Well theres a
OCZ Platinum XTC REV.2 PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$67.02

Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory
$94.70

Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-18 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory
$75.60

I really can't tell the difference b/w them so can you please help me pick one?


I'm also thinking of adding this in and overclockin the CPU [is it recommended? and to what speed]

Thermalright ULTRA-120 Extreme 6 Heatpipe Cooler LGA775 Heatsink *Fan Not Included*
http://www.directcanada.com/products...e=THERMALRIGHT

[shadowpr]

I would go with the last one personally.

That heatsink is supposed to be great, but it's huge. Just make sure it will fit in your case first. If not, look at the Ultima-90.

If you overclock the cpu, then you void the warranty, so it's up to you. You could probably push it a bit. I would probably say 3.0ghz would be nice for that processor, and posibly a bit more, but it would take work.

[DSCHIEF]

Check this one out,
I have 2 on P5K-E boards, W/Q600's

Very easy to install,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134

[Dave21]

If you're in Canada, I say try getting parts from NCIX.com. They are a bit cheaper and more reliable than directcanada from my experience. Also if you want to future proof, you might want to dish out another $90 or so for the Q6600. I also recommend http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...A&promoid=1001 for the video card. Right now it's not a bad deal and it's the best card for the dollar right now with the new G92 chip.

[xilinnz]

a few other changes again to the tower and PSU
Which would be better?
[Coolermaster Extreme Power 550W ATX 12V V2.01 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan] or
[Corsair CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX 12V 33A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan]?
Also, would these fan even fit in the tower? O_o
This is what I'm building and do I need a separate heatsink or do these parts already come with it?

Coolermaster CM 690 Mid Tower Black ATX Case 5X5.25 5X3.5INT No PS Front USB Sound Firewire & eSATA

Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-18 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory

Liteon LH-20A1S DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 8X 2MB SATA DVD Writer Black Beige Retail Box

ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 P35 DDR2 1333FSB 2PCI-E16 3PCI 2PCI-E1 SATA2 Sound WLAN Motherboard

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache Ncq Hard Drive

Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.33GHZ 1333FSB 4MB Retail

XFX GeForce 8800GT 512MB 625MHZ 1.8GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out DIRECTX10 Video Card

[Katreat]

The retail CPU comes with a heatsink. If you do not plan on OC'ing it should be fine for your build. You can even do mild OC'ing with a stock cooler but I am no expert on OC'ing so will leave that to others. If you plan on serious OC'ing then an aftermarket cooler is required, but it will void your CPU warranty. So will the OC'ing though so it is kind of a mute point.

I have never used a coolemaster PSU so cant help much with that. I have a corsair 520 and it is a very nice and stable unit, and it is quiet which I like. 450 w IMO is a little on the light side for your build, I would shoot for 500+ just to give yourself a little head room.

Kat

[hitchface]

Coolermaster makes decent units. They are a big enough name that you won't likely have any issues.

As for the vendor, I know this'll screw things up a bit, but I'd recommend NCIX. They are always timely with delivery, have loads of selection and are very reliable. I consider them to be the Canadian Newegg

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by xilinnz Which would be better? [Coolermaster Extreme Power 550W ATX 12V V2.01 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan] or [Corsair CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX 12V 33A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan]?

Between those two, the Corsair is a much better choice. In stress tests Cooler Master power supplies tend to fail when pushed to their wattage limit. Better brands (like Corsair, Fortron Source, PC Power & Cooling and Seasonic) will easily run at their wattage limit and often times will put out more than their rated wattage.

Cricket

[xilinnz]

okay im pretty much ready to buy my parts but i still have some questions and need suggestions if any. Will the PSU be able to power up the system w/o problem? Will everything fit inside that tower? And are everything compatible with each other? Thanks in advance.

Mother Board:
ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 P35 DDR2 1333FSB 2PCI-E16 3PCI 2PCI-E1 SATA2 Sound WLAN Motherboard

Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache Ncq Hard Drive

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box

Video Card:
XFX GeForce 8800GT 512MB 625MHZ 1.8GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out DIRECTX10 Video Card

Memory:
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-5400 DDR2-667 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory
Edit: Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-18 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory

Tower:
Coolermaster CM 690 Mid Tower Black ATX Case 5X5.25 5X3.5INT No PS Front USB Sound Firewire & eSATA

Optical Drive:
Liteon LH-20A1S DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 8X 2MB SATA DVD Writer Black Beige Retail Box

PSU:
Corsair VX550W 550W ATX 12V 41A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan

[Katreat]

List looks good but you will need to add an OS if you dont have one already. Hate for you to build the whole thing and not be able to boot it up.

Kat

[shadowpr]

Get ddr2-800 ram. That will let you run the memory a bit faster, and gives you a bit of room if you decide to overclock later on. It's relatively cheep too, so might as well get it.

[daveyp225]

Originally Posted by xilinnz PSU: Corsair VX550W 550W ATX 12V 41A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan

Good choice... I bought that PSU literally minutes ago. Buy.com has it for $88.24. Theres also a 5% off coupon floating around and a $15 MIR. Not sure if they'll ship to Canada.

[hitchface]

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

[xilinnz]

yes im getting that, its only $88 on DirectCanada. to tell you the truth, i find the stuff on directcanada to be cheaper though they might not have a wide range of products are ncix

[hitchface]

NCIX price-matches, and you get points. Not to mention free shipping on a lot of items. http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/s...d.php?t=472251

Rumor has it that the two are actually owned by the same people/person, which is odd...