Hi All! First-time building an ultimate gaming pc...

[C2G]

Oh, absolutely will do haha

[hercules71185]

Just some input. It's a gaming machine right? With 1500 dollars. Including monitor? Or without? 1500 is a nice budget. My only thing is I wouldn't get the i7 just because it is a gamer rig only. Won't you get more from the q6600 with a 9600 gso for physics and gtx 280 or maybe even a pair of 260s with that budget? I spent about 1150 not including the case or windows since I already have that and I have an i7 with the 280. I'll post a build in a few and you all can either smash it or let him have it. (gangster) lol.

[hercules71185]

PS the way to build a pc. Just remember when you were in Kindergarten. That spherical block they give you with all the shapes cut out of it. Remember how to put the the shapes in the block? it's as simple as that as long as you make sure it's all compatible.
ALSO even though the hexagon fits in the square with force. DONT DO IT!! lol. If it fits good. You shouldn't need to use wd40 to get it together.

[hercules71185]

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30 - OEM
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BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCE GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
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Nvidia Gift - OEM
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CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
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mushkin 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 998658 - Retail
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EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
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Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
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Intel Drawstring Backpack Gift - OEM
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$19.99
Subtotal: $1,411.91

I chose that ram because it was the only decent type I could find that had the right voltage for the x58 boards.

[martini161]

core i7 beats core 2 quads in anything and everything. there are very few games that will actually use so much physx that you need an accelerated card to do it. 4870's way better bang for the buck

[vicaphit]

Is the 4870x2 too expensive for the performance? I heard that beats anything else.

[martini161]

4870's bythemselves are cheaper than a single 4870 X2 right now and he wont really lose anything by going my route except an extra slot or two

[C2G]

Here it is folks!


SAMSUNG 20X DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model TS-H653N - OEM
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Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
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$139.99
$109.99




Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
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ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor

ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
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ASUS EAH4870 DK/HTDI/512MD5 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

ASUS EAH4870 DK/HTDI/512MD5 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
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PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
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Patriot Viper 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PVT33G1600LLK

Patriot Viper 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PVT33G1600LLK - Retail
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GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
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$298.99




Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
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1

Intel Drawstring Backpack Gift - OEM

Intel Drawstring Backpack Gift - OEM
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Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
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$99.99

Subtotal: $1,656.90

[hercules71185]

What's with the people saying the 4870 is good? I thought it barley held onto the gtx 260 core 216

[haaaam]

hey guys i'm finally upgrading my computer as it's becoming to become a pain as it really is a dinosaur. My girlfriend just bought me a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS4P Motherboard for christmas so im going to buy the E8500 myself. Not 100% sure on the ram yet but i want it to preferably be OCZ and since the mobo supports DDR2 1200 a fast 4 g kit is what im looking for. I have my old 650w coolermaster psu which is stiill kicking so thats taken care of and im still deciding between the Ultra 120 Black or the Coolermaster V8 to cool the cpu. I would like a modest overclock to just 4GHz as i have my pc downloading almost 24/7 so if anyone has a good already done a similar overclock that they feel is really good i'd appeciate the tips and configs.

Finally we come to GPU. I will admit I am a little bit of an ATI fanboy but i will inevitably go with what makes sense. Unfortunately prices of the 4870 have climbed by about $70-100 in Australia. This coupled with the release of the new 180 drivers make the gtx 260+ very attractive as its price is no on par with the 4870 1g. My trusty monitor that I've had for nearly 2 years now is a 22" Asus MW221U so im gaming in 1680x1050. Ive also considered getting 2 4850's as this roughly works out to be the same price wise and really ive always wanted to run crossfire (even with its difficulties). I only really used to play BF2 and now WOW but im pretty keen to play left 4 dead and replay through the witcher with the settings cranked.

[Skippman]

What's with the people saying the 4870 is good? I thought it barley held onto the gtx 260 core 216

4870 is the best single card on the market right now after the 4870X2. The X2 is still very much overpriced but it would give you the chance to use 4 GPU's on a 2 PCI Express board. I'd be worried about heat though.

Most people who don't like ATi complain about the same thing. Not that the cards slow or not feature packed (ATi's always had more "features" than nVidia). It's that people complain about the driver support. That's really improved here in the last year or so. If I had the money I'd get the ATi, which I did.

As for the prices people are quoting you, make sure thier totals are not after rebates. Otherwise you may find yourself spending $2K to wait on a couple hundred in rebates. Not being from Australia I don't know what major electronics vendors you have down there. Does NewEgg have an Australian presence?

[C2G]

Alright I purchased all this:

Antec 900: $109.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129021
PCP&C 750w100 power supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817703009
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128362
Patriot Viper 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PVT33G1600LLK - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820220362
Intel Core i7 920: $299.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115202
WD 1TB Caviar Black: $119.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136284
Asus 4870 w/ better heatsink than reference board x2 for crossfire $380 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814121290
Samsung DVD burner $23
Vista Home Premium x64: $99.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6832116488

plus a Samsung monitor.

Do I need to purchase a wireless card? What about a sound card? Anything else I need?

[Sparky]

Your mobo has 8 channel on board sound so you can use that at no extra cost.

Wireless card is your call. Do you have access to a hard wired connection or are you running a wireless network only? If you're wireless only then yes, you will need one as this board doesn't have an on board wireless chip.

[C2G]

Your mobo has 8 channel on board sound so you can use that at no extra cost.

Wireless card is your call. Do you have access to a hard wired connection or are you running a wireless network only? If you're wireless only then yes, you will need one as this board doesn't have an on board wireless chip.

OHH ok, so no sound card needed, but yes, I am not hard-lined, so I'll need a wireless card.

Any suggestions? How will I know what is compatible? Thanks

[Sparky]

As far as the wireless card goes, just be sure to get one that's compatible with the format of your router (i.e.: 801.11b or 801.11g, 802.11 n draft etc...)
I can't really recommend any brand or give advice on the advantages of a PCI vs. USB based adapter. I've always used PCI based cards and have used D Link, Belkin, Lynksys among others and the only advice I have is when you install it, use their drivers only, the software just seems buggy on all of them. Windows always took care of helping me configure it for my encryption and connection just fine.

[C2G]

As far as the wireless card goes, just be sure to get one that's compatible with the format of your router (i.e.: 801.11b or 801.11g, 802.11 n draft etc...)
I can't really recommend any brand or give advice on the advantages of a PCI vs. USB based adapter. I've always used PCI based cards and have used D Link, Belkin, Lynksys among others and the only advice I have is when you install it, use their drivers only, the software just seems buggy on all of them. Windows always took care of helping me configure it for my encryption and connection just fine.

Hmm, ok, how's this one look?
Rosewill RC-400-LX 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI V2.2, 32/64-bit, 33/66MHz Network Adapter 1 x RJ45 - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6833166017

That's what I'm looking for right - will grant me wireless access to the internet (like through Verizon Wireless, which we have at my house, for example)? Also, is this compatible with my current parts?

Thank you so much.

edit- oh and is that compatible with Vista? Seems some have problems

[DMB2000uk]

Thats a wired NIC LAN card!

You need a wireless one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... toreType=0

I'd recommend something from Linksys or D-Link.

Dan

[hercules71185]

What's with the people saying the 4870 is good? I thought it barley held onto the gtx 260 core 216

4870 is the best single card on the market right now after the 4870X2. The X2 is still very much overpriced but it would give you the chance to use 4 GPU's on a 2 PCI Express board. I'd be worried about heat though.

Most people who don't like ATi complain about the same thing. Not that the cards slow or not feature packed (ATi's always had more "features" than nVidia). It's that people complain about the driver support. That's really improved here in the last year or so. If I had the money I'd get the ATi, which I did.

As for the prices people are quoting you, make sure thier totals are not after rebates. Otherwise you may find yourself spending $2K to wait on a couple hundred in rebates. Not being from Australia I don't know what major electronics vendors you have down there. Does NewEgg have an Australian presence?

I thought it was at first I was wanting one. But after seeing reviews on this site and on tom's saying that the 216 ousted it in most games.

[martini161]

As far as the wireless card goes, just be sure to get one that's compatible with the format of your router (i.e.: 801.11b or 801.11g, 802.11 n draft etc...)
I can't really recommend any brand or give advice on the advantages of a PCI vs. USB based adapter. I've always used PCI based cards and have used D Link, Belkin, Lynksys among others and the only advice I have is when you install it, use their drivers only, the software just seems buggy on all of them. Windows always took care of helping me configure it for my encryption and connection just fine.

Hmm, ok, how's this one look?
Rosewill RC-400-LX 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI V2.2, 32/64-bit, 33/66MHz Network Adapter 1 x RJ45 - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6833166017

That's what I'm looking for right - will grant me wireless access to the internet (like through Verizon Wireless, which we have at my house, for example)? Also, is this compatible with my current parts?

Thank you so much.

edit- oh and is that compatible with Vista? Seems some have problems

you dont have an ISP?

[DMB2000uk]

like through Verizon Wireless, which we have at my house

Pretty sure that means he has an ISP

Dan