1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
I'm gearing the build for gaming (Starcraft 2 when it comes out) and other misc games, NFS/Far Cry 2. It'll be for school too, but everything runs MSOffice etc.
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
~1000 CAD before tax.
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Canada - I am currently planning to buy from NCIX pricematching from other places... Though I'm willing to try Newegg.ca if it seems better... But i haven't heard much about them outside of newegg.com is pretty highly regarded in the US.
4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.
No preference really, really just looking for price/performance and I think AMD is winning in this.
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
No my computer is ~5 years old now, so I've finally scraped up enough to build a new one. Don't need an OS though. I have a monitor though 22 inch 1680x1050 (might get a new one but that'll be a separate purchase from this one) and keyboard mouse etc. Don't need to buy new ones yet.
6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
There are a bunch of budget builds but I currently plan on an AM3 system and I haven't seen anyone go for one yet.
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I have heard the Phenom II X3 720 is good for overclocking and I'd like to do a bit but don't plan on doing too much.
8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
In the next month or so.
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So my current plan is...
AMD Phenom II X3 720 - 173.69 at newegg
NCIX.com - Buy AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Triple Core Processor AM3 2.8GHZ 7.5MB Cache 95W 45NM Retail Box - HDZ720WFGIBOX In Canada.
ASUS M4A78T-E ATX 790GX - 173.99 at newegg
NCIX.com - Buy ASUS M4A78T-E ATX 790GX Socket AM3 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI HDMI Video Sound GBLAN Motherboard - M4A78T-E In Canada.
Video card and PSU
I want to be able to crossfire it in the future. I'm still debating between 4850 and 4870 1gig or 512meg based on price and what I can fit in my budget. The problem is that I don't know how to calculate power consumption, don't know how much power I'll need. I was thinking the Corsair TX750, would that be enough to OC the CPU and xfire 4870's?
Case
The Antec 300 seems like a good buy in terms of price and capabilities... I don't really know what will fit in what so recommendations are welcome as well though I guess I just want something that'll have good spacing and air flow.
HD
This one has been pretty generic i see the western digital 640 gig recommended alot, but i don't really know why. So I'd like some info on this too.
RAM
I don't know much about RAM timings and the like so I'll need some help here. Noting that i plan to run XP so i think 4 gig is the max for it.
Heatsink/Fan
CPU cooler recommendations?