Gaming spec opinion needed - please

[john64]

Hi dad here building a new gaming rig for my kid or should i say game system as he only seems to play counterstrike. Had a computer since the 8bit days and built a couple of systems over the years but don't kept abreast of the lastest tech hence asking the opinion of you guys.

Looking at a system that has some furture proof - his paying and the spend is upto 550.00.

Already got the graphics card HD 2900 XT 512MB - his choice his mates told him to get it

Arctic Cooling AC-FRZ-7P Socket 775 CPU Cooler - seems a good name and has good reviews.

ASUS P5W DH Deluxe SKT 775 dual-core Core2Duo - got everything i need but mixed reviews.

Antec P182 Gunmetal Grey - fairly certain i will get this one.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4ghz) Socket 775 FSB1066 - to keep the price within spend - he can always buy a new in a year or so when he has more cash.

Western Digital WD1600JS Caviar SE 160GB 7200RPM SATAII/300 8MB Cache - OEM x2 because they have a good review and cheap - as their OEM will i need to buy some cables or will they come with the Mobo.

Antec TruePower Quattro 850W Modular PSU - maybe overkill - but least expensive psu i could find with PCI-Express 8-pin - don't know why getting a 8pin PCI-E i suppose sounds kind of future proof.
i do like the Hyper Type R 580w - may not have enought power for future upgrades.
memory - 2gb of some type yet to pick.

Anyway opinions most gratefully recd

[crazy]

you're better off with an E6750 instead its cheaper (last time I checked) and better than the E6600

[Colossous]

A quick "rough" add up puts that bundle at about £850 i'd say !!!!

[john64]

As stated already got the graphics card - so not included in the spend

[john64]

oh and will take alook at the e6750 - thks

[crazy]

as for the oem hard drives, they probably wont come with the sata cables, but these will probably come along with the motherboard.
will your son be overclocking?

[Andy3536]

Your mainboard should come with 2 sata and an ide cable so you shouldn't need to buy them, other than that the psu is way overkill and it's not really somthing you should worry about being future proof as there so easy to change.
Go for a cheaper option now, you probobly wont need to change it for a few years anyway.

[aidanjt]

2900XT is a complete waste of money, a) the 8800GTS 320Mb out performs it for at least 50 quid less, and b) counterstrike would run like a bat out of hell with even a cheapy x1950Pro.

[john64]

Is having 8pin pci connectors important - or are the 6pin connectors just as good.

[john64]

The 2900xt was not something i would have picked myself but hey its his money and i could not him to pick another option - mates aleady turned his head that way. but look on the bright side at least they did not turn him to drugs

[cotswoldcs]

Western Digital WD1600JS Caviar SE 160GB 7200RPM SATAII/300 8MB Cache - OEM x2 because they have a good review and cheap - as their OEM will i need to buy some cables or will they come with the Mobo.

Antec TruePower Quattro 850W Modular PSU - maybe overkill - but least expensive psu i could find with PCI-Express 8-pin - don't know why getting a 8pin PCI-E i suppose sounds kind of future proof.
i do like the Hyper Type R 580w - may not have enought power for future upgrades.
memory - 2gb of some type yet to pick.

Anyway opinions most gratefully recd

You will get SATA cables with the motherboard so don't worry. You will also get molex to SATA power connectors but your PSU will include at least two anyway. Why not go for 1 x 320Gb instead of 2 x 160Gb. Is it for backup or are you planning to put them in a RAID 0/1 array? Personally I would stick with a single 320Gb or 500GB drive as it will be faster and quieter than 2 160s.

Not sure about your choice of PSU. A Corsair 620W would be my choice - should be more than sufficient even with that graphics card. If you want more watts then look at the Seasonic S12-700 (link). Cheaper isn't necessarily better.

What about Optical Drives, OS, keyb, mouse, speakers, etc.

[Andy3536]

Is having 8pin pci connectors important - or are the 6pin connectors just as good.

Having an 8 pin connector is piontless unless your graghics card has it, and unless you'll be planning on upgrading your graghics card to one that has an 8 pin slot in the next year then don't bother and save money on the psu.

[john64]

All the missing bits coming off the old system - he already has special gaming mice, keyboard and headphones. I will take alook at your options thks.

[NightshadowUK]

What display's it gonna be hooked up to?

Will you/your son be overclocking?

[aidanjt]

You'll need a PSU with either an 8-pin PCIe connector or 2x6-pin PCIe connectors with converters to run the 2900XT (yes it is a big, power hungry, slugish beast).

[john64]

I will leave the overclocking to him and his mates - but at this point the step up from his old system should be sufficient to keep him happy for a while.

Aidanjt any opinion on a different power supply or you happy with the one i picked.