Critique my new build

[Chelsey]

My computer finally died and I'm building a new one. I have pretty much decided on parts but before I order them I'd like to make sure that the general consensus is a good one. I'm not a super gamer or anything, but I do like to play the Sims 2 (I'm a girl...). I am incredibly impatient and faster is better, although pretty much any computer out there now will be faster than the one that just died (it was 4 years old). Anyway, here is my parts list, please feel free to comment but play nice.

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX

RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel TWIN2X4096-6400C4DH

Motherboard: ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E840

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI Interface

Videocard: MSI N9800GT 512M OC GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported

Thanks in advance for any help you can give


Chelsey

 

[DSF]

If the Sims 2 is the only game you play, you're overspending on the video card and PSU. (And RAM and CPU, for that matter, unless you do some CPU or RAM intensive work.)

 

[Chelsey]

I'd like to be able to do some other gaming if I feel like it, and I also do quite a bit of photoshopping/that kind of stuff, which tends to slow things down, or at least it did on my old computer.

 

[disports]

Looks good. Do you really need the sound card?

 

[Chelsey]

It would be nice...I've got a relatively nice sound system for my computer, so I might as well have the nice sound card to go with it.

 

[Chelsey]

Anyone else before I order parts tomorrow?

 

[betasub]

Looks good, nicely balanced. P35 boards tend to be solid, but most new build recommendations are for the latest P43 or P45 boards.

Might be worth trying out the onboard sound first before ordering the sound card: modern onboard solutions are pretty good (good enough for most - unless you are a serious audiophile).

You don't list an OS: Vista64 is usually recommended for a new build, but this would be okay with XP32 if you already have it.

 

[rodrigu3]

Originally posted by: betasub
You don't list an OS: Vista64 is usually recommended for a new build, but this would be okay with XP32 if you already have it.

Is Vista64 still having driver compatibility issues, or has this been resolved for the most part?


To the OP: I would dump the sound card, you won't notice the difference. I have that same motherboad and it has good isolation so you don't hear any interference, especially if you use the digital channel.

Also, if you're just a casual gamer, I would downgrade the video card to a 9600 or 9500 that you can get for less than 90 bucks.

Ram is fine and cheap anyway.

I would go down to the E7200 for you. You'll save 50 bucks and won't notice the difference with the programs that you're running (especially if you were able to bear running your stuff on a 4 year old computer).

You could probably get a setup that suits your needs for under $600 and run pretty quickly.

 

[betasub]

Originally posted by: rodrigu3

Originally posted by: betasub
You don't list an OS: Vista64 is usually recommended for a new build, but this would be okay with XP32 if you already have it.

Is Vista64 still having driver compatibility issues, or has this been resolved for the most part?

Firstly, the recommendation of Vista64 is usually for new builds = new components and (hopefully!) new drivers.

Secondly, yes, hardware manufacturers seem to be getting their recent drivers Microsoft certified and fully compatible. However, legacy hardware without manufacturer or software support is likely to remain a problem.

 

[Chelsey]

I'll be using Vista for my OS.