Please help me build a computer.

[lifelease]

Ok, so far I have this for a computer set up:

Mother board:

EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

$200

Processor:

Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 Allendale 2.4GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

$120

Video Card:

EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

$190

RAM:

CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

$90

Hard Drive:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

$80

I found them all one Newegg. Is that a decent computer?


PS, I'm a compleeeeeeeete noob. But, I want to build a computer. My price range will be between 600-850. I'm looking to run crysis, or at least new games like COD4 coming out.

I want the most efficient computer for my money.

[staffsMike]

You need to steer clear of that motherboard, it's what I have and it's old (and expensive) news now.

We're mostly based in the UK so prices are a bit of a guess.

Abit IP-35 dark raider
Intel E7200
2GB Pc6400 DDR2 (corsair is fine as are most others)

for the hard drive I would get the western digital 500GB AAKS or 640Gb if you can afford it. The new 320GB single platters from samsung and western digital are great to.

Case and PSU?

Coolermaster CM-690 and a Corsair 520W HX would do very nicely. You could also look into aftermarket CPU coolers like the scythe mine

The 8800GT is OK but the new ATi cards will be out next week, might suit your budget.

As I said prices have to be a bit of a guess but I think that will work.

[BUFF]

I honestly wouldn't recommend an nF680i chipset board to a noob.
Something with an Intel P35 chipset imo would be better for you.
I'm guessing that you don't need RAID but are there any features that you do need like e.g. firewire?

the RAM is probably a bit over the top for you too - I doubt that you need PC8500.

& don't forget that you need an OS too (buy the OEM version with your hardware).

[lifelease]

What would be the best rig for me, then? What motherboard/ video card/ CPU would be most in my budget range, and get me the best results?

[BUFF]

so, it's primarily for gaming?
do you have any specific "must have" feature requirements?

[lifelease]

so, it's primarily for gaming?
do you have any specific "must have" feature requirements?

It has to be able to run Crysis. Basically, I've never had a decent computer, and now I'm able to get one, so I want the best in my price range for games.

[TAKTAK]

Just as a starting point, you might want to have a little read through Bit-tech's £400 gaming PC (just a point of reference for you to go on from)

You can find that HERE

most people on this forum do tend to speck things up on UK sites (as this is a UK forum)

and as others have said.... remember to include the price of an operating system ~ £60

(also, DO remember that tech tends to be cheaper in the states than in the UK so prices that we may spec may not be a total reflection)

But a good starting point would be: (P.S prices are guesses, they may well be out of date.....)

Mobo: Abit dark raider ~ £60
Proccy: Intel q6600 + scythe mine/Thermalright ultra 120 extreme ~£150
PSU: corsair HX520/enermax modu82+ ~ £65
RAM: 2GiB Corsair pc6400 ~£35
HDD: WD AAKs £60
Case: (personal preference really... i like Lian Li's... but have a look around) ~ £50
Optical Drive: DVD DL RW ~ £15

that comes to a total of £435 without an O/S or GFX card
with an OS being ~ £60
and a GFX card ~ £120 ish

[staffsMike]

My post must be invisible... i'll shut the door behind me lol

[TAKTAK]

My post must be invisible... i'll shut the door behind me lol

i realised mine is basically a copy of yours after re-reading it

[BUFF]

mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138075
CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115052
RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231122
gfx http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150304
optical drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151153
HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136218
case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042
PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703005

An OS (either XP Home OEM or Vista Home Premium OEM)

you are looking at ~ $800 shipped after rebates.

You can save a bit by going for a slightly smaller HDD, a different case or a slightly different RAM but they have all been selected for a good blend of quality/performance at their price points.

[lifelease]

Can I use dual SLI with the mobo I listed?

[staffsMike]

i can't get newegg to load but if it's a P35 board then no. You don't need to anyway, single current GPU setups will be better than SLi'ing old cards.

[BUFF]

No. (staffsMike, odd NewEgg is working fine for me - anyway it's a Biostar Tforce P35 - the IP35 is rare in the US for some odd reason)
Unless you are using very high settings at 1600 or higher on a 24" monitor or larger SLI is unlikely to benefit you.

You have to bear in mind that your budget doesn't allow for top end kit (the cheapest 750i mobo would add about $40 & we would still recommend the P35 over it) & as a noob we aren't going to recommend nVidia chipsets on Intel to you because they have their issues.

[lifelease]

No. (staffsMike, odd NewEgg is working fine for me - anyway it's a Biostar Tforce P35 - the IP35 is rare in the US for some odd reason)
Unless you are using very high settings at 1600 or higher on a 24" monitor or larger SLI is unlikely to benefit you.

You have to bear in mind that your budget doesn't allow for top end kit (the cheapest 750i mobo would add about $40 & we would still recommend the P35 over it) & as a noob we aren't going to recommend nVidia chipsets on Intel to you because they have their issues.

Why is the BIOSTAR TForce TP35D2-A7 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard better than the EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard?

And the 9600 better than the 8800?

[staffsMike]

It's the newer chipset. The 680i can be difficult to overclock and have all sorts of RAM issues. Take it from me.. it's what I have lol

Mine has actually been very well behaved but upgrading to quads is dodgy and 45nm chips are a no no.

P35 will just give you far less problems in the long run.

The 9600GT isn't better than the 8800GT for performance (but there isn't much in it). It is better on power consumption and probably noise though, it's cheaper as well which is probably why he chose it

[BUFF]

The 680 chipset mobos have lots of issues & as a noob you probably don't want(let alone have the knowledge to) deal with them.
Suffice to say that they are well known not only for dying themselves but often killing RAM.
& they are overpriced for what they are.

The 8800GT is ultimately a little better than the 9600 but in vfm terms the 9600 is noticeably better.
If you switch to an 8800GT you'll blow your budget (but 8800GT prices are expected to go into freefall in a few weeks).