Opinion/advice on my new build?

[rlancel]

Hi everybody. I was hoping someone might please help me out with a build I'm considering.

I'm trying to build a gaming PC that will play any game with video/sound settings optimally set to look and sound great, with great response times (I don't want my gear putting me at a competitive disadvantage in any online game).

I want it to be viable for the next few years (I know, stop laughing) with minor additions (i.e. add a new/extra video card or RAM) without having to replace something major like the motherboard.

I am willing to spend some money; I know I'm asking for a lot. But, I'm not rich, so if something on the list is priced beyond the point of diminishing return, please let me know and give me a recommendation of a better option, if you wouldn't mind.

I am also concerned about compatibility. The last time I built a PC, there were no dual or quad core processors, no SLI, no SATA, etc. I'm really behind the learning curve unfortunately. I am trying to catch up, but I could really use your help and expertise to avoid wasting a lot of time and money.

Case: COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119138

PSU: Antec NeoPower 650 ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply 100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371011

Motherboard: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188013

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115017

HDD: Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136011

RAM: CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145043

Sound card: Creative 70SB046A00000 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102005

Video card: XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150252

Monitor: Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP support 300 cd/m2 700:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009094

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116202

Thanks for looking at this.

[flanzig1]

Would drop the Raptor and get a Seagate 7200.11, they are almost as fast a Raptor and you will get more storage per buck.
For the Quad 6600, DDR2 667 ram works the best unless you do some OC to get the CPU to match the ram FSB. Could go with one of the newer Duo core like the E6750 that has a faster FSB and is cheaper. You wouldn't lose any gaming CPU power.
If not doing Sli, would look to the Asus P5K series of motherboards and pick one with the features you want/need.

[rlancel]

Thank you for taking the time to help me. I have some followup questions, if you have a minute.

You wrote: "For the Quad 6600, DDR2 667 ram works the best unless you do some OC to get the CPU to match the ram FSB. Could go with one of the newer Duo core like the E6750 that has a faster FSB and is cheaper. You wouldn't lose any gaming CPU power."

Since I have to match the FSB on the CPU to the RAM speed, does it have to be an exact match, or does one have to fall within the limits of the other? For instance, does the CPU have to be at least as fast or faster than the RAM, or vice versa?

Additionally, it was easy to find the FSB in the specifications of the CPU's, but I couldn't find anything like "FSB" on any of the specification pages of the RAM I was looking for. Is there another number that I am trying to match? Could you give an example, please?

Thanks for your time.

[Alaron]

The best way to match your RAM to an Intel chip's FSB is to cut the FSB in half and go up one more notch. So take the 1066Mhz FSB on the Q6600, chop it in two to get 533Mhz. Then go up one notch to get the 667Mhz that flanzig mentioned.

All that being said, we have been recommending that everyone pick up DDR2-800 right now. Prices are low and you'll have headroom for overclocking or a CPU upgrade later.

[rlancel]

So, if I take the E6750 that Flanzig mentioned:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115029

with an FSB of 1333 MHz

and the DDR2 800:

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098

Is 800 one notch up from the 666.5 that is half of the 1333 on the E6750? In other words, are these two well matched? And, do they go OK with the motherboard I have above:

Motherboard: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188013

I noticed that under the specifications for this MB, it says 1333/1066 under FSB. Two different numbers. Does this mean I'm going to have to mess with overclocking to get the upper number, or is this a good match out of the box?

Also, a friend of mine suggested this "new" video card:

EVGA 512-P3-N862-AR GeForce 9600GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130328

Is this a good match for this gear, and can I add a second one of these now or at a later date with this gear? That is SLI, right?

I appreciate your patience. If I'm getting too tedious, please let me know. I don't want to take advantage of your help.

[shadowpr]

yes, that ram is a good match for the e6750, and they will both work with that motherboard.

That is a nice video card. I'm not sure how it competes with the 8800gt though. I think the 8800gt still performs better.

You can get two of either card and use them in SLI. Most suggest that sli isn't really worth it though.

[alex530]

If you don't plan on going SLI, something in the P5K series would probably be better for you. If the main purpose of your build is gaming, I would go with the 8800GT if you can afford it. It's about 12% faster than the 9600GT, on average. I would also not recommend getting SLI, one good video card is always better than two mediocre ones and it is also a very poor upgrade path.