Hi,
I haven't upgraded properly for a few years now so it's time for a complete overhaul.
I want a good value gaming system that will run games at 1920x1200 (just got a nice HP LP2475W) and be a bit futureproof.
This is what I've come up with so far:
core 2 duo E8400 (to OC to about 4Ghz) £140 cooled by Scythe Kama Angle £31
Biostar Tpower I45 £114
Corsair Dominator 2x2gb (PC2-8500, 1066mhz, 5-5-5-15) £56
Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB £70
Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 650W £97
Antec Nine Hundred Two £95
Sony Optiarc/NEC AD 7200S-0B DVDRW £17
+ a £200 graphics card = £820
Don't think I'll be overclocking anything except the CPU.
As for the all important graphics card, I can't decide between the GTX 275 and the HD 4890 because they both win depending on which review you read.
The 4890 does seem to have the performance edge though. I really don't want the noise of the stock 4890 fan but I don't know whether to wait for Sapphire's quiet Toxic or Vapor-X version (don't know what the diff is). but then that might be a lot more than £200. Or should I get my own fan for the normal 4890?
A problem with getting the GTX 275 is that the best upgrade route in the future could be getting another 275 for SLI, so that would mean choosing a different mobo as the Biostar only does Crossfire.
I've been out of the loop for ages so any thoughts welcome