New Build

[xalar]

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

Gaming only. Mainly World of Warcraft & hopefully Warhammer Online when it is released.

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

$400-$500 USD

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

USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.

I have no brand preferences.

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

Windows XP Home
SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS
Enermax 535W PSU
Antec Plusview Case w/ 5x 80mm fans & 1x PCI card fan ( 2x 80mm )

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

I have.

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

I intend to do light overclocks on the CPU and GPU.

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?

As soon as I order & receive the parts.


Anyway, my 3 y/o gaming rig recently passed away, and I'm looking to put together another, using a few of the leftover parts of the previous rig ( see above ). I have a strict budget of $400 to $500. I run a 17" CRT, and generally game in 1024x768 resolution.

So far this is what I have come up with....

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
EVGA 384-P3-N851-AR GeForce 8800 GS
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA

...looking for feedback from the experts. Decent for $450~? Think the 3 y/o Enermax 535W will be sufficient ( 20A max on the 12Vs )?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jellyrole]

I would get an 8800GT for only $50 more, it performs a lot better than the GS and has been the most popular card for the average gamer for a while now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150252

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

+1 for the 8800GT

 

[ccubed]

But the 8800 Gt listed is about $150 after mail in rebate, and you can get an ATI Radeon HD 4850 for about $165 after MIR. That seems like a better long term deal since the 4850 has DX 10.1 support (and it's a better card.)

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

lol +1 for the 4850

 

[alimoalem]

does the $400-500 include tax/shipping/etc.? if it doesn't, i'd highly recommend somehow getting the 4850 (so +1 for 4850)

 

[DSF]

20A on the 12V rails is light for a modern gaming card. It would probably work, but it's borderline considering manufacturer recommended specs.

 

[xalar]

Thanks for all of the feedback.

The $400-$500 does include tax & shipping.

I was thinking an 8800gs would be sufficient for 1024x768 res gaming, you think I'll actually notice any difference between that and an 8800gt at that resolution?

The PSU is actually +18A on both of the 12v rails. Grand total of 36A? From what I've been seeing in my Newegg browsing of PSUs, this is on par for 500~ watt PSUs being sold now. Am I missing something?

 

[DSF]

12V amperage ratings are not generally additive. Do you have a link to to your exact PSU model, or can you look at the label on the side of it?

 

[heyheybooboo]

DIAMOND Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3: $195

AMD X2 5400+ Brisbane 2.8GHz 65W: $87

ASUS Black 20X DVD Burner: $27

BIOSTAR A740G M2+ AMD 740G mATX: $65

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800: $53

With your Seagate hard drive you are looking at $482 ($457 AR)

If you are feeling frisky with your cash ...
MSI K9A2 CF-F V2 AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX Motherboard: $104

$496 AR