Please Advise on a $1500-2000 gaming build

[Soundwave]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Heavy gaming (WoW, modern FPS games like HL2 etc., RTS also). Photoshop / Graphic Design / Web Design. Listening to music. A lot of web-browsing. Possible music recording / editing and video editing (although I understand there are different pieces of hardware desired for "professional" results). Basically, this is going to be my new main system, and I want it to be well rounded and capable.


2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

I'm shooting for the $1500-$2000 range (including shipping, not including sales tax - I live in California). Really, I want to build a system that is "smart" and that gets the classic "bang for the buck" sweet spot. I'm willing to spend if it's going to be a good return in quality, or I'm willing to cut corners where it won't matter as much. I think the parts I'm currently looking at will show this.



3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA... probably 99% from Newegg.


4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.

Intel, nVidia.


5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I have a set of 5.1 creative speakers, a Canon Pixma printer, and a Func mousepad that I'll be carrying over... otherwise it'll be a brand new system.


6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Extensively...


7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I've avoided overclocking on my last two builds, but I think I'm interested in doing some *mild* overclocking this time around. Nothing major or that would necessitate major cooling or limit the PC's lifespan (I'd like to use it for 3-4 years before building another).


8. WHEN do you plan to build it?

As soon as I get some good feedback. So I'd like to order the parts within the next 48 hours.


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Here are the items I'm looking at. I'll list what I'm leaning towards and then list the other items that I've considered or researched as other options.


CPU:


Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115043 ~$284.99


OPTIONS:

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 ~$219.99

OR

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115037 ~199.99


**NOTES**: I'm not sure where to go with the CPU. If I decide to future-proof with a quad-core, is the Q9300 worth the money over the Q6600? Is it smarter to just go for the e8400 dual-core? I'm looking for performance... mainly gaming, but in other applications as well (such as photoshop).


MOTHERBOARD:


GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128086 ~129.99


OPTIONS:

ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813127030 ~139.99

OR

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


**NOTES**: The Gigabyte is what I'm leaning towards, although it doesn't have firewire (which isn't an immediate concern, but it's the sort of thing that sucks to not have at the moment when you need it..). Both the Asus and ABIT have great reviews, but also have a number of people claiming compatability issues on their newegg "customer review" section. Any feedback on which to choose?


GRAPHICS CARD:


MSI NX8800GTS 512M OC GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127325 ~194.99


**NOTES**: This is the cheapest version of this card on Newegg. Is MSI a solid enough brand?


RAM:

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231145 ~89.99


**NOTES**: I had never heard of this brand (last PC I built was over three years ago), but I've seen it recommended around these parts many times. Previously I was a Corsair or Crucial buyer. But G.SKILL is quality, right?


HARD DRIVE:


Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136218 ~109.99


**NOTES**: Seems to be the sweet-spot purchase. May consider buying two, actually, and possibly dual-booting Vista and XP.


OPTICAL DRIVE:


Samsung SH-S203N DVD Burner (OEM) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151154 ~33.99


**NOTES**: Would there be a conflict in my system if I decided to purchase and run TWO of the same drive? Someone in the Newegg comments said there would be and it would screw everything up.


CASE:


Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Nine%2bHundred ~119.99


**NOTES**: Nothing much to say here - I dig the case


MONITOR:


SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001268 ~279.99


OPTIONS:


LG - 22" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Monitor L227WTG-PF - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1201913867539 ~339.99 (from Best Buy)

OR

SAMSUNG 245BW Black 24" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height Adjustment 400 cd/m2 1000:1 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001234 ~419.99

OR

BenQ G2400W Black 24" 5ms DVI HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 1000:1 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824014158 ~389.99


**NOTES**: I have a lot of questions here and am pretty much undecided between these four monitors. Should I make the jump to one of the 24" monitors? If so, is my system powerful enough to get good FPS and power a 24" (I'd heard this is a concern) or do I need a better GFX card if so? If I go to 24", is the BenQ a good brand to be trusted? Really up in the air here - any input is very helpful.


KEYBOARD:


Logitech G11 Silver & Black 104 Normal Keys 29 Function Keys USB Standard Gaming Keyboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126009 ~58.99


**NOTES**: I already own two ergonomic Natural Elite keyboards from Microsoft, so I thought I'd try out a gaming keyboard. If I end up not liking it, I could dump it to one of my other two systems and use the Natural Elite on this one (instead of purchasing a THIRD of the same keyboard! haha).


MOUSE:


Logitech MX518 2-Tone 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB + PS/2 Wired Optical 1600 dpi Mouse - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104178 ~29.99


**NOTES**: This seems like a solid gaming mouse and what will feel best in my hand, as I've been using Logitech gaming mice for 7 years now.


POWER SUPPLY:


CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817139001 ~109.99


OPTIONS:

CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139002 ~149.99

OR

Antec NeoPower 650 ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371011 ~139.99


**NOTES**: This decision simply comes down to how much power I need for this system. How much do I need? Is the corsair 520W plenty? I know not to skimp on a power supply (although in my last system my damn Antec NeoPower died exactly three years and ONE day after I purchased it... thus no warranty!)


SPEAKERS:


Logitech R-20 12 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - Retail - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836121128 ~18.99


**NOTES**: These are just cheapy speakers I'm putting on my oldest system so I can shuffle my current 5.1 set to this new build.


COOLING:


Do I need any? I plan to only overclock a little bit. Is the stock CPU cooler quiet? If so, I've heard good things about the XIGAMATEK HDT-S1283 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233003 is the way to go? Combined with Artic Silver thermal compound, right?

Also, the Antec 900 has room for another 120mm fan. Would I need one to keep this system running cool?



FINAL THOUGHTS:

I asked most of my questions on the individual parts, so if you read those over you'll see what I'm curious about. I'd like to make sure I'm on the right track, which is why I'm posting this here. Also, what part is this system's bottle-neck for gaming? The graphics card? Would that be the logical upgrade, were I to spend money? If so.. what card would you guys go up to over the 8800 GTS 512 g92?

And finally... what would you guys recommend as an OS? I am an XP Pro user. It's my understanding that if I stay on XP I will not be able to take advantage of my full 4 gb of RAM and also will not be able to use DX10. So... Vista 64? Dual boot of XP and Vista? Can XP 64 use DX10 or 4 GB Ram?

Adding up the parts I have listed puts this system around $1,500. I don't mind spending more (up to $2000 or so) if it's going to be worth it on the individual upgrades.


Thanks in advance for all of your advice! And sorry for the long message - I prefer to be thorough

[jon_e_33]

A few quick thoughts I had:

For the Hard drives, you may consider the Seagate 7200.11 HDD as they have a 32mb Cache which will help a bit.

Samsung optical drives haven't always been quality. Try a Lite-on. Also, if you buy a Retail dvd burner, it will include burning software for free.

G.Skill seems to be quality RAM, but in my case I always am personally a bit leery of trying new things when I know Corsair RAM is going to be top notch. Don't let me dissuade you on that though since I haven't tested g.skill and it seems pretty popular.

And ya for a gaming build you want to spend your money mostly on a top-notch graphics card. Maybe a 9800GTX

[Dave21]

The 520 W PSU might be pushing it. Try the 620 W from Corsair.

G. Skill is good but we recommend Corsair xms2 around here. Generally your preference.

For videocards, I recommend sticking with evga for their service and quality. You might want to get the 9800GTX and step up to the new 9900GTX cards when they are released some time in June. Or if you want to save on money, the evga 8800GT will do you just fine.

For the processor, if you do a lot of multitasking, go with the Q9300. If not, then the E8400 will be more suitable.

The asus p5k board is quality.

Your kb and mouse is to your preference.

In regards to your monitor, the higher the resolution, the greater the fps lost. Refer to this guide to help you: http://forums.anandtech.com/messagev...&enterthread=y

Only Vista has directx10. Your best bet is to dual boot and see how the 64 bit os is.

[shadowpr]

I would get:

MB: Asus P5k-E
CPU: Q9300
Video Card: 9800gtx
PSU: Corsair 650
Hard Drive: Seagate 7200.11 500gb sata
Ram: G. Skill ddr2-1000 2x2gb (I have that one now, and it's great.)
DVD: Lite-on or Asus dvd burner, sata, retail.

If doing some overclocking, then you will also need a heatsink.

[alex530]

From what you have listed, I believe you will benefit from a quad-core. MSI is a good brand, and that card is known for its silence. However, its warranty is not as good as EVGA or XFX. For what sounds like a mild overclock, I would just stick with DDR2 800. However, you could choose the more powerful RAM if you decide to push your over clock further in the future. The samsung is a fine DVD burner and quieter than a Lite-on. You can check out reviews for both on cdfreaks.com. I am not a huge fan on the 900, but to each their own. Take a look at the Cooler Master RC690. A monitor is a more long term purchase. It is worth it to go for 24 inch if you plan on keeping it for a long time and you have the budget. My personal choice would be the DELL ULTRASHARP 2408WFP I believe the other monitors you have selected are TN panels, which are not as good quality as other panels.
I'd stick with the 620HX.
You could also buy an OEM processor and save some money since you are getting an aftermarket heatsink. I believe you void the warranty by replacing the stock heatsink anyway, so might as well save some money.
Since you have such a killer set of speakers, it might be worth it to look into a sound card. I like the ASUS Xonar DX
But, always try on board sound first.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide! Another thing I've noticed is different boards all have different perspectives. May want to post your build also at techreport.com, anandtech.com, and hardforum.com

[Katreat]

CPU: If you are primarily gaming the E8400 is probably the best bang for the buck. It is fast, games get no advantage from quad, and you can always upgrade down the road if that changes. If you do a lot of multi tasking or don’t want to mess with future upgrades then the quads are more future proof. The fact is that all three processors are “fast enough” for current games. With all three processor choices it will primarily be your video card determining the quality of your gaming experience.

MB: I have used both Asus and Abit MBs. Have never built with Gigabyte but have never heard any horror stories either so I would not hesitate to use them. I think all of the boards are good brands. My last build was with base P5K and I personally highly recommend that board for easy of build.

GPU: I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the name brand 8800 GTS cards and MSI is a respected brand. I went with EVGA which is another great company but have not heard anything negative about MSI.

RAM: I generally have used Corsair but G.SKILL is a well respected brand so you should be fine. I would personally recommend sticking with 800 speed. From everything I have read you will get no advantage with the faster ram unless you are into heavy over-clocking. Faster ram will just step down to your CPU speed and CPUs are just not that fast.

HD: My last few builds have used Seagate. Great company and they have a 5 year warranty instead of 3. WD is a quality brand also. I would try for the newer 32 mb cache version though. For Seagate that’s the 7200.11 series, pretty sure that WD has one also but don’t know the numbers.

Burner: Personally have not had a Samsung burner but a lot of people on this site have had issues with them. All three of my last builds have used Lite-on and they have been problem free. Also, if you buy retail for about $3 more with Lite-on you get a full copy of Nero. Never heard of problems running two but all my builds only have one burner so no expert on that. If you just want a second optical just put a reader in for the second and save a few bucks.

CASE: Great case. I found it easy to work with and it looks sharp. My only issue with it at all is it collects dust, but that is a result of fantastic cooling so really cant complain. Keep a can of air handy and it is a minor issue.

MONITOR: Samsun comes highly recommended for monitors on this site. Personally I shop monitors by price more than reputation. The off brand in my signature has been fantastic but I have never had a chance to compare it side by side with a Samsung.

With a 8800 GTS video card I don’t think you will have resolution problems with a 24” monitor. From what I have read, it is the HUGE monitors, like 28-30”, that really benefit from resolution improvements from SLI. If you are still worried you could look at the older 8800 GTX which comes with 768 mb of ram. This card, which is still faster than any of the GTSs, definitely has an advantage with higher resolutions because of the amount of on-board memory.

Never owned or used a BenQ so cant recommend on that one, but like I said above I personally would not hesitate to buy one if the price was right.

KEYBOARD: Fabulous choice, use it myself and love it.

MOUSE: Same as keyboard, have it and love it. The 518 from tests is a bit slower than some other gaming offerings but for the price it is a bargain and its large size is very comfortable.

POWER SUPPLY: I would go with the Corsair 620 or 650. The 520 and 550 will handle your system but who knows where video cards are going for future upgrades. I hate changing PSU for upgrades so I tend to build with head room. I would also watch for sales on the CORSAIR, they seem to come on sale often and the price you list on the 620 looks a bit high.

SPEAKERS: Sounds like you have this figured already. Personally I use headphones most of the time so cant help much with speakers anyway.

COOLING: I would start with stock and upgrade if you need to when you start OCing. The stock heatsink will handle mild OCs from my understanding so unless you really push it you should be fine. I don’t OC so am just repeating what I have heard.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The 8800 GTS is a great card but if you had to pick something to improve this would probably be the spot. I like to buy at the sweet spot because spending for the last little bit of performance can get expensive, but if it fits the budget the new 9800 GTX will give you a performance boost. The older 8800 GTX is a bit slower than the 9800, but has some advantages with resolution because of the higher cache. But with either you will pay a hefty fee for pretty minor improvement.

I would still recommend Vista 32 home premium. It will not report all 4 GB of ram, but since most everything is optimized for less than 2 GB having 3.2 showing is probably plenty. I would have stayed with XP but I wanted to experience 10x in Crysis and you cant do that with XP. IMO 64 bit still has some issues. A friend of mine went 64 bit and ended up having significant driver issues with his new 8800 GTX. I think the issues have all be fixed but it showed that 64 bit driver support still lags behind 32 bit support. He also has issues with older games that load just fine on Vista 32. But others have had great results so it is up to you.

Kat

[Doom]

A lot of your build is very similar to what I recently did for my home build, so I can vouch that this setup will be able to play today's games flawlessly. Here are specific thoughts:

- If your budget can afford it... I think the Q9300 is nice...but most people seem to prefer the E8400. Like Katreat said above, any of your choices are fast enough as long as you have a good graphics card. As a result, you may be better off in the end if you save $100 on the CUP and put it into the graphics card.
- Corsair has the best reputation for RAM that I've seen on this site (and in practice). They're a great brand for the PSU...stick with them.
- I've got the Antec 900 case and stock cooling in it is fine to start out with. I was expecting it to sound like a vacuum... but it's rather quiet and is keeping cool with all fans on low and a basic CPU fan.
- SAMSUNG has a bad rep for optical drives... but a great rep for monitors. For the optical, I had a LITE-ON in my last rig for 6+ years with no problems. They're solid.