starting over

[lego]

right on, its time to build a new machine that will be able to get it on with new games coming out, i want my pc to fuck girls like peter north would.

im trying to drop $1200, new case and psu. I HAVE A MONITOR .

grim, brain

[lego]

GUYYZ

[grim reaper]

E6420, Asus P5B Deluxe, 2Gb of value RAM (Assuming you don't want to overclock), 8800GTS 320mb, Corsair 620w HX and what ever case takes your fancy that isn't shit. I personally use the Akasa Eclipse 62 but I don't think that's available in the US.

[lego]

i want nicer ram than that, and what about a harddrive?

[lego]

Antec Performance One P180B Black

ASUS P5B Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power

Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model

OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K

Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound

Subtotal: $1,378.93

how does that look?

[grim reaper]

It looks $178 over budget. The RAM you have specified is also standard DDR, it wont work and you will need DDR2. There's no point in getting anything fancy if you don't want to overclock. As long as its DDR667 it wont be limiting performance. Unlike with the A64 architecture theses C2D chips don't benefit from low latency RAM. P180 is a nice case so no problems there.

Raptor X is also a little excessive, they're very nice but a WD AAKS drive will give you the same sustained transfer rate (higher seek time) and loads more storage for 50% less. I personally have a 150gb Raptor but they're very expensive for little gain. Don't bother with the X version as the MTBF is 50% less and it's more expensive for a silly cosmetic add on.

[Amraam]

Originally Posted by grim reaper

It looks $178 over budget. The RAM you have specified is also standard DDR, it wont work and you will need DDR2. There's no point in getting anything fancy if you don't want to overclock. As long as its DDR667 it wont be limiting performance. Unlike with the A64 architecture theses C2D chips don't benefit from low latency RAM. P180 is a nice case so no problems there.

Raptor X is also a little excessive, they're very nice but a WD AAKS drive will give you the same sustained transfer rate (higher seek time) and loads more storage for 50% less. I personally have a 150gb Raptor but they're very expensive for little gain. Don't bother with the X version as the MTBF is 50% less and it's more expensive for a silly cosmetic add on.

Yup looks like a good selection. I have the P180 case in silver, it's nice but it is noisy with the provided 120mm fans. I have four 120mm case fans and it's pretty noisy.

The front cover is a feeble and easily gets knocked off. It came pretty warped too.

Also, I wasn't a massive fan of where the PSU has to go, makes it complicated to install PSU withs on the top or bottom.

Other than that its a nice case. Would recommend it

[Random Ping]

I went with the Antec Nine Hundred case instead of the P180 because it had more cooling (bigger fans) and seemed more sturdy. I got mine for about $115, but I saw them go as low as $100 at Frys.com, so you would have to check around for the best price. Newegg has it for $130 (if your not into doing rebates), but check on pricewatch.com for a different vendor with a cheaper price if you are interested. There is always someone who has a slightly cheaper price, just make sure they are reliable.

Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

As Grim mentioned, you should go with the DDR2 ram. The value ram of PC9200 was about $200 last time I checked at Newegg.com (its now about $215)

Newegg.com - OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1150 (PC2 9200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Here is a couple cheaper options:

XMS
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Standard Crucial:
Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

The E6600 quad core also had been coming down a bit lately if your interested in that as well.
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail

This also means that the dual cores are going to be cheaper, so it really depends on how much you want to spend.

When you get a power supply, make sure it's a reliable brand (Antec, Coolermaster, Thermaltake, etc.). I have had a few default ones (came with old case) that blew out after about 4 months. Also, look for one with a high power efficiency (around 80 percent), it will last longer usually. At least that is what all the experts say. My PSU (85% efficiency) has been running strong for a year now without even a hint of a problem.