[guttermanek]

I need advice on the new PC i'm building. Here are the specs. PLEASE leave any and all advice you have! I plan to purchase in a month, and I'm still open to suggestions (or objections!).

* I've also included prices and item numbers from Newegg.com, as of 1/16/08) *

** I already have the case, Antec Nine Hundred (bought it on Black Friday for $69 **


Mobo:

ASUS P5N-T Deluxe LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P5N-T Deluxe
Item #: N82E16813131247
$299.99

Vid Card:

BFG Tech BFGE88512GTOCE GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: BFGE88512GTOCE
Item #: N82E16814143118

$279.99

PSU:

RAIDMAX RX-700 ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: RX-700
Item #: N82E16817152033

$149.99

Processor:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6850 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E6850
Item #: N82E16819115028

$279.99

RAM:

Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC22G8500ELK - Retail
Model #: PDC22G8500ELK
Item #: N82E16820220161

$123.99

HD:

SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: HD501LJ
Item #: N82E16822152052

$109.99

Keyboard:

Microsoft Comfort Curve Black USB Wired Ergonomics Keyboard 2000 - Retail
Model #: B2L-00002
Item #: N82E16823109149

$19.99

Mouse:

Logitech G5 2-Tone 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail
Model #: 910-000093
Item #: N82E16826104076

$49.99

CD/DVD:

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S - Retail
Model #: LH-20A1S
Item #: N82E16827106057
$34.99


SUBTOTAL: $1,348.91

[ChicagoJack]

I am going thru the same process on around about a $700 budget. So your budget seems a little higher but what do you plan to do? is the question I have for you...

I am planning on general office/school type work, web browsing, video editing and a little gaming on the sly. I opted to spend a little less for a 8600GTS (Get DDR3 rather than DDR2 models) and go without the SLI mobo and spend a little more for the Intel Quad Core Q6600.

I am told that most programs cannot take advantage of all 4 cores but that video editors and a lot of those types of production software have been multi threaded for a long time and that the Q6600 takes it laying down!

As for the gaming, only a few newer games are able to multi-thread but that more are coming in the future. If I have time for it then, I will be ready for them I hope. I might even be ready to upgrade the mobo and go SLI because I got a SLI 8600GTS card.

The price tag is really what sold me. You can have the Q6600 "Go Stepping" OEM version delivered for $260 from ClubIT.com. The Retail E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz BX80557E6850 SLA9U is about the same as Newegg…$290 delivered. You can actually save $30 going to a Quad core!

I love Newegg and they have a great following and reputation but if you decide to go with the Q6600 they will NOT send the preferred "Go Stepping" Q6600. They send out the "MO Stepping" version. I am not exactly technically sure why but the “GoStepping” is an advanced chip.

I also heard that the Q6600 over clocks really well as long as you have the power supply to handle the needs of all 4 cores. One discussion said “you may need as much as 200W! just for the processors when at the top clock settings.” Throw a little SLI with that and you will need to add a $250-$300 power supply onto your order.

Go for the Quad core and save $30! Be ready to do more even if you might not need to today.

[net_newsy]

just an advice/opinion...

always go for midrange desktops $750-$1500

PROCESSOR: look at CPU one or two steps down from the fastest for the power you need at a good price
MEMORY: best starting point is 1GB, though 2GB is ideal
GRAPHICS: atleast 128MB, if you are on video editing/3D gaming 256MB-512MB
HARD DRIVE: two hard drives of atleast 160GB, configured in a RAID Level 1 to ensure your data is always protected
MONITOR: high featured LCD

[guttermanek]

Thanks for the advice! I'll keep that in mind.

I'm going for more of a gamer machine, so that's why I picked the high end compenents. I want high-end, but not so high end as to break the bank. Basically, it's like buying a new car. If I want brand new, i'm going to be paying out the wazoo, but if i buy a 2006 or 2007, it's still good, just cheaper.

Thanks!

[sunnyeagle]

I would go for the OCZ power supply, two hard drives (250 gb each) instead of one (what if one goes bad and then no back up) and go for a better dvd burner like Samsung, Pioneer, or LG. Just my choice on dvd. I have tried them all, even Sony.
One more thing, you might want to go with eVGA 8800GTS 512mb (G92), they have a step up program, great warranty, a better cooler fan and they even through in a game. Almost every one is complaining about the small fans on the GT. Some are ripping them off and putting on better ones