Computer Use: recreation/gaming primarily. Some software development work as my mood wills.
Budget: ~$1500, but I can do more if I deem it necessary (and if I get a satisfactory build with less, super). I'll be using 32-bit Vista.
I won't be overcloking. I don't tend to jump on the bleeding edge FPS games like Crysis, but I'm still going to get a rig with powerful graphics capability. The first games I'll be playing are Age of Conan, Bioshock, and Civ IV. I like to enjoy things with as much detail as I can, though I usually build my machines well behind the graphics curve (moreso than the rest of the box).
Case: Antec P182 ($135)
Mobo: Asus P5E ($224)
Processor: E8400 ($195)
Memory: Kingston DDR2 800 2x2 GB
PSU: Corsair 520HW ($139)
GPU: XFX 8800GT ($189)
HD:
1. Western Digital Velociraptor ($299)
2. WD Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS ($129)
Optical: DVD read/write. No Blue Ray.
$1390 or so as is. There are a few rebates in there as the pieces stand, I think, but nothing crazy big.
Where I'm unsettled:
:Mobo. I should probably go with something cheaper, I can't remember why I specifically went and switched whatever I had (P5K-E or something) to an X38 board when I originally started setting up the wish list. Gigabyte would be the other main option, as their stuff gets rave reviews everywhere. I'd probably do better goint to a $100 board, I dunno.
Hard drives: really unsettled here too. I just added in the velociraptor for fun, but I'm not sure if that's the direction I'm going to go in. I'm inclined to get 2 drives right now, sticking the OS and a few other items on the primary and everything else on a bigger drive. The Velociraptor is probably overkill, particularly since it's not going to be a huge performance boost over a normal raptor (and I'm seeing lots of newer hard drives get rated close in terms of performance anyway). But I was drawn to the anandtech review that noted it was quiet and pretty easy on power.
Video vard: undecided. When I made this list up the GTs were all the rage. I'm not clear if going to something else is worthwhile or not, I need to do more research.
Ram: I know I won't be able to use it all. But I don't want to go the extra trouble to run 3 GB dual channel, and I want to stick as much on there as I can even if most games won't benefit. And it's cheap, so four GB.
Processor: seemed like the E8500 wasn't worth the extra scratch. And I went with the "fewer cores, more clockspeed" theory since I do a goodly amount of gaming.
Sound - I'll stick to onboard.
Anyway, I usually build (this will be box 3.5 roughly) my machines trying to give myself a reasonable shot at good longevity (even if that means a limited upgrade path, e.g. not going with a DDR3 Mobo/Ram). The need for that isn't as great as it used to be, but it's a habit I intend to make a reasonable stab at keeping. So, any advice and feedback would be great. I'm not opposed to going with a DDR3 setup, but when I researched this a few months ago I wasn't sure it was worth it. Really, I just want to make sure I spend smartly. I'm hoping to get this in the next couple of weeks.
Budget: ~$1500, but I can do more if I deem it necessary (and if I get a satisfactory build with less, super). I'll be using 32-bit Vista.
I won't be overcloking. I don't tend to jump on the bleeding edge FPS games like Crysis, but I'm still going to get a rig with powerful graphics capability. The first games I'll be playing are Age of Conan, Bioshock, and Civ IV. I like to enjoy things with as much detail as I can, though I usually build my machines well behind the graphics curve (moreso than the rest of the box).
Case: Antec P182 ($135)
Mobo: Asus P5E ($224)
Processor: E8400 ($195)
Memory: Kingston DDR2 800 2x2 GB
PSU: Corsair 520HW ($139)
GPU: XFX 8800GT ($189)
HD:
1. Western Digital Velociraptor ($299)
2. WD Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS ($129)
Optical: DVD read/write. No Blue Ray.
$1390 or so as is. There are a few rebates in there as the pieces stand, I think, but nothing crazy big.
Where I'm unsettled:
:Mobo. I should probably go with something cheaper, I can't remember why I specifically went and switched whatever I had (P5K-E or something) to an X38 board when I originally started setting up the wish list. Gigabyte would be the other main option, as their stuff gets rave reviews everywhere. I'd probably do better goint to a $100 board, I dunno.
Hard drives: really unsettled here too. I just added in the velociraptor for fun, but I'm not sure if that's the direction I'm going to go in. I'm inclined to get 2 drives right now, sticking the OS and a few other items on the primary and everything else on a bigger drive. The Velociraptor is probably overkill, particularly since it's not going to be a huge performance boost over a normal raptor (and I'm seeing lots of newer hard drives get rated close in terms of performance anyway). But I was drawn to the anandtech review that noted it was quiet and pretty easy on power.
Video vard: undecided. When I made this list up the GTs were all the rage. I'm not clear if going to something else is worthwhile or not, I need to do more research.
Ram: I know I won't be able to use it all. But I don't want to go the extra trouble to run 3 GB dual channel, and I want to stick as much on there as I can even if most games won't benefit. And it's cheap, so four GB.
Processor: seemed like the E8500 wasn't worth the extra scratch. And I went with the "fewer cores, more clockspeed" theory since I do a goodly amount of gaming.
Sound - I'll stick to onboard.
Anyway, I usually build (this will be box 3.5 roughly) my machines trying to give myself a reasonable shot at good longevity (even if that means a limited upgrade path, e.g. not going with a DDR3 Mobo/Ram). The need for that isn't as great as it used to be, but it's a habit I intend to make a reasonable stab at keeping. So, any advice and feedback would be great. I'm not opposed to going with a DDR3 setup, but when I researched this a few months ago I wasn't sure it was worth it. Really, I just want to make sure I spend smartly. I'm hoping to get this in the next couple of weeks.