FatCobra

I am making a new Gaming Rig since my current PC is over 4 years old and I can't play any new games at all, and current games such as BF2 or Americas Army have to be played at the lowest settings possible. Was wondering if the one I made is a good deal for what it is.


**** UPDATE: ****
Semi-Final Version of the Computer

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OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium
CASE: Xion III Gaming Mid-Tower 420W Case with Side Window
CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6600 CPU @ 2.4GHz 1066FSB 2x2MB L2 Cache EM64T
MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core Supports) Asus P5N32-E nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2
MEMORY: 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Optical Drive: SONY CDRW 52X32X52 EIDE
SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI XtremeGamer 24-BIT PCI Sound Card
POWER SUPPLY: Apevia 680W BEAST POWER ATX Power Supply
SPEAKERS: Creative Labs Inspire P7800 7.1 Surround Subwoofer Speaker System
WIRELESS 802.11B/G NETWORK CARD: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card


Total Cost - $2197.00 ( Not Including Shipping & Handling )
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The only question I have left really is should I stay with the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB Video Card or is it just not really needed, and should Down-Grade and save myself $150 - $300 on a cheaper one, such as the 7950 GX2 1GB or the 7900 GS 256MB.

Also, any other Improvements that you could think of are still greatly appreciated.

B. Clawhammer

um, yeah, that's a pretty good build lol.

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|TG-33rd|Clawhammer
[squadl] [sniper][unit]


BF2 Rules & SOPs

corporate

If you are going with 2 video cards consider a more powerful power supply. I'd go in the 550+ range for dual 8800's.

420 Watt's might be ok if it's a high quality name brand. If it's a generic 420W supply then I wouldn't trust it to do that job.

FatCobra

All right, thanks for that advice. Would an Apevia 600W DARK SIDE POWER ATX Power Supply be enough for it?

Also, would anyone be able to kind of... guess at how long this PC would last before it becomes Absolete? If thats even possible, since I wouldent want to spend $2,500 just for a good pc that only last a year or so.

Trooper

My only advice is get one Graphics card now and when the Dx10 cards are released, then get 2. No sence in spending that kind of cash and need to update again for the new DX10.

But it looks good. Id say it will last a while.

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that sounds like a good idea trooper.
-Vulcan

FatCobra

Would I need to get an Entirley new Graphics card when the new DX10 comes out?

Zoopy_T

The 8800s are dx10 compatible. I think Trooper means that there are no current dx10 benchmarks for these cards so no one knows how well they handle dx10 applications.

FatCobra

Oh all right, then I guess I will just get one for now, is there a different Video Card you would reccomend instead?

DigitalAssassin

Get one 8800 now since it will run current games perfectly fine at high quality. Then, when the 8800 drops in price you can grab the second one. No game currently available is going to take advantage of dual 8800s enough that you'll notice it so why not wait for a price drop.

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FatCobra

All right, thanks a lot, I would never of thought of that.

Quick Question, do all current games support 7.1 Surrond sound since the Speaker for the PC will be 7.1, or do only Certain games have 7.1. Will I be able to use 5.1 if that's all a game has?

Any other items that perhaps could be upgraded if they are not of very good quality, or am I all set to go?

xTYBALTx

Cobra,

Are you building this PC yourself? If so, I have some recommendations for you:

I would highly recommend going with one of Inte's Core2Duo processors. They easily outmuscle AMD's offerings when it comes to gaming (and most everything else).

I would highly recommend getting only one 8800GTX. In six to eighth months, use the $550 you saved to buy the brand new top of the line card (9800GTX?). The only times I'd recommend running SLi are when: A) Someone intends to spend $2400 a year on graphics cards alone or B) You have a large (as in more than 1600x1200) monitor. If you meet either of those conditions, then by all means get the dual 8800GTX's now and upgrade to dual 9800GTX's this summer.

I highly recommend spending the money on a 500GB HDD. It's not much more than a 320GB model, will be faster (an emptier disk is a faster disk), and is big. You're already spending the money anyways.

I highly recommend, higher than anything on this list, that you get a very high end power supply. It will not cost much more than the models you're already looking at. In no particular order:

PSU #1
PSU #2
PSU #3
PSU #4

If you want to splurge on a power supply, get this. It's in a league of it's own.

Finally, I recommend getting a SoundBlaster soundcard. This is not high priority.

If you are not building your own PC, but you do know your way around a PC, I recommend going for it. It's fun and easier than you'd expect. At least it was for me.

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Current good song: Justice - Stress

FatCobra

Yeah, it's for myself, I'm already pretty high on the budget, I'll see what I can change around without bringing it up much higher in price. Thanks

Edit:

The best I can upgrade for power is an "Apevia 680W BEAST POWER ATX Power Supply"

Changed the HDD to the "500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD"

Only question I have is that it says the PC already comes with an "HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO" so should I really buy a Sound Card?

Trooper

That right there would be a great buy, even if its an audigy 4. No sence in getting a high end machine and just useing a onboard sound card, they never sound the same and it takes processes away from the Proc.

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that sounds like a good idea trooper.
-Vulcan

xTYBALTx

If you're not running a high resolution, I'd really recommend cutting one of the 8800GTX's. It's fun to run SLi, I know, but it's just not cost efficient - you pay 100% more money for 50% more performance. That will save you $550 right there, leaving plenty of room to up the power supply quality.

And I recommend taking a look at the E6600 and E6400 Intel processors.

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Current good song: Justice - Stress

FatCobra

I can't build a Computer part by part, and the current website that I am using is http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/infsligtc2d.asp?v=d so those are the only parts I have to choose from, unless their is a better site to make a PC from. The MAX I can spend is around ~$2,200, give or take a few hundred.

Changed the CPU to an "Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6600 CPU @ 2.4GHz 1066FSB 2x2MB L2 Cache EM64T"