building a computer
 

i'm about to build a new computer since i got enough cash to do it and since i'm borrowing the one i have at the moment :upset:

i've got plenty to spend makin it sice i've been savin up for it and have came up with a spec i would go for, but wanted someone elses opinion on it and they know if some other hardware is better than whats there
i just want the best pc with extreme performance to play games and watch videos
its gona dualboot xp and vista
heres the spec:

Asus CROSSHAIR
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 6000+, 3.0 GHz AM2 Socket
BFG NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX
Corsair Dominator 2GB memory
Gigabyte 3D Aurora Case Black
THERMALTAKE Toughpower 700W PSU
MAXTOR 500 GB SATA DRIVE
MAXTOR 250 GB SATA DRIVE
LiteOn 20X DVD WRITER +/- Burner SATA BLACK
ZALMAN Copper CPU Cooler For AM2
Asus PG191 Gaming Monitor

i'm not sure about the psu, monitor or the cpu cooler
i thought about getting it watercooled but i heard its expensive to maintain
what do you think is it ok or is there some other bits or hardware that can make it better? :confused:

Why AMD? At that price range C2D is the better buy, particularly if you're overclocking. I do hear rumours that the Barcelona will be released September 10 so cuts should be coming to the x2 6000. I hate Thermaltake PSU's, their shady business practices regarding low end PSU's turn me off. I'd prefer OCZ gamestream and Silverstone Zeus series in the same price range or cheaper.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...spx?i=3038&p=6
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=9323&page=1

TT PSU crappiness - in my noobness 2 years ago I learnt the hard way how crappy their products are
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/oth...u-roundup.html

Oh and I'd be checking out either an artic cooling freezer 64 (or its Intel variant) or Scythe Ninja. Abit IP35 motherboard or Gigabyte P35 for an intel mobo

so the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 wipes the floor with the amd x2 6000+ :eek:
but damn its over £500 a bit much for one chip but damn would it run fast
the last pc i built had a nvidia network card which stopped most my appz running :(

Before anyone else tosses a quote your way, what is your budget range?

£2500 maybe more if needed XP
the spec i listed in the first post i can get for about £1600

Ah, so you are ready to purchase a computer that will be powerful. Understood - this will help others find parts for you. ;)

the Abit IP35 motherboard looks pretty it might go well with the intel QX6850
unless there's somethin better

err the e6750 also beats the x2 6000 on almost all tests

yeh i know same as this review i found
http://xtreview.com/review212.htm
the e6850 costs $260
and the qx6850 costs $999
an when it comes to the games there's not alot of difference :eyebrow:
and its still alot better then the x2 6000+
only other thing that bothers me about it is the power idle chart at the bottom

There is no reason to get a the Extreme version of any Intel based processors at the moment. The regular version OC's to the same speeds with no problems. Save that money for a better video card or more RAM.

RAM and the graphics card are gonna help more than just the processor so if your think of playing games spend more money on those.

Either get a better monitor or a cheaper video card. There is no point in getting a 8800 GTX for 1240x768.

Ars System Guide. Use this as a basis and modify based on budget / taste.

this is the whole point of me askin
i'm not sure if the hardware i picked is best for what i wanna do or there's somethin better i can use instead
but theres so many monitor and stuff around i'm lost for choice :upset:
ppl sayin this is best and others sayin that is best :upset:
and yeh theres no point me buying a $999 processor when theres on $260 and only slightly slower
i haven't fully decided on a monitor anyway since theres to many out there -_-;

is this any good?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001234

I think there's a more practical reason why Intel would be a better bet than AMD for your CPU. It's got to do with possibly upgrading your computer in the future. Intel have stuck with their 775 socket for ages now...4 years I think? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but in the same time, AMD have gone from Socket A to Socket 754 to Socket 939 to AM2. And they have AM2+ and AM3 coming up in the not-too-distant future as well. It messes up with upgrading components, because if you want to upgrade a CPU, you would also have to upgrade your motherboard too.

Are you going to spend more time playing games or watching videos? If you're spending more time watching videos, then a quieter running video card would make sense. Something like a passively-cooled GeForce 8600GTS. You're still getting decent performance, and your viewing experience is going to be better without a loud-running GPU fan.

As for the hard drives...do you really need the space? My preference would be to have one fast-running 10K RPM drive (do Seagate make them? I know Western Digital make the Raptors, but traditionally WD have had problems with noise) for the OS and applications, and a larger hard drive for storage.

Cases...I like the Antec cases better, but then again it's just a personal preference thing. Have a look at the P180 (or the P182), they're really well designed IMO.

As for the motherboard...Are there any X38 chipset based motherboards out yet? I don't think so, but maybe they'd be pretty good. IF you don't need SLI capability, maybe a good motherboard choice would be one based on the nVidia 650i chipset.

Yeah, you won't need the 8800GTX unless you plan to play on 1920x1200 or larger. Or if you're going to play Crysis, of course =D

AM2+ and AM3 is rumoured to "work" on this generation of motherboards. However whether this generation of motherboards will be able to take full advantage of these processors remains to be seen. They will require bios upgrades at the minimum but as to whether the motherboard manufacturers will do that is highly unlikely.

There maybe slightly quieter 10,00rpm drives but none of them will be quiet. That's why most people only use them for O/S and game installs where fast loads are essential. But still there are solutions around this for under $50 (Scythe Silentbox). Or alternatively get yourself a Lian Li case if you're serious about silencing. (or a zalman TNN case for a bit of overkill)
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article632-page1.html

For 2.5k system an 8600gts is probably the most out of place component. It's too power hungry to be a HTPC solution but too crippled to be a serious gaming solution. You might as well save $50-$80 and get an x1950pro or 7900gs, because it's clear an 8600gts will be piss poor for dx10 gaming and at this stage these cards still outperform the 8600's

It's also a bit premature to call a chipset that hasn't been real world tested to be "good". Via and Sis keeps putting out crap so it is entirely possible this could be absolute donkey shite.

but what about the 8800gtx
is that any good
how does it compare to others
i thought the more memory the better it performs :confused:

8800GTX is pure ownage, compared to everything else on the market, save for the 8800 Ultra (but I don't think you're going to spend that much money, are you?)

I think this is something that should only be considered if you're a frequent upgrader. I upgraded my system (a Socket A) after five or six years; even if I could have used the same motherboard, finding RAM for it is nearly impossible, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to find AGP video cards. Seagate has also announced that they'll be discontinuing their PATA hard drives, so SATA ports will be essential soon.

I'm not saying that having a solid upgrade path isn't something that you should try to opt for when possible, of course. You should consider how often you upgrade, and/or how quickly your system will become underpowered for what you're trying to do. Gamers would definitely want something with an easy upgrade path, but I think that anyone else can get away with rebuilding entire systems every 4-7+ years.

E6750
MSI Neo2 P35 mobo (I have it, is just awesome)
2Gb Corsair 2x1gb RAM 667Mhz for 1:1 ratio
EVGA 8800GTX
Corsair 620W PSU
And get a bigger screen
Also watch about ABIT, some owners are complaining of some bios issue