New System - Need help

[Sameer]

Hello all...

First off, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to respond to this.

I am building a new system and plan to buy all my parts and what not on the 16th of April. Since I am posting here for help, it is safe to assume that I am a complete noob. I've only built 3 systems in the past and I really want this one to be good. Is April 16th a good date? I don't mind waiting another 2 weeks or so if there someone believes that the prices will drop due to some new release.

I've got a budget of about $3,000.00 and I want a gaming rig that will run any game I choose to play flawlessly at high fps rates. I also want a system I can brag about :p. I do plan to overclock this system to the absolute best of my abilities (with your help).

So far, based on the reviews I've read, I have decided to choose the following:

CPU:
INTEL Conroe E6600 2.4GHz FSB1066MHz 4MB LGA775 Dual-Core (E6600)

MB:
Debating between 3 of them: P5B-E, P5N32-E SLI Plus, Striker Extreme

Video Card:
8800GTX - BFG/XFX/ASUS/EVGA - Whichever is the cheapest

Sound Card:
On-board should be fine for my Logitec Z-5500 which I plan to use still.

HDD:
Two Raptor 150's in Raid 0.

Memory:
There is SOOO much to choose from, I don't know which is best for overclocking with my setup.

PSU:
OCZ GameXStream Power Supply (SLI Ready) 700W (OCZ700GXSSLI)
(Is this a good choice?)

Case:
Thermaltake ARMOR Silver Aluminum full tower ATX case w side window (VA8000SWA)
(Is this a good choice or are there better/cheaper alternatives?)

KB/Mouse:
I'll use my current

CD/DVD Drive:
I'll decide on my own.

Monitor:
NEED MAJOR HELP HERE!!! I want at least 21" and I have no idea what kind of monitor would be best. I prefer fast response rates and excellent quality. I'm also looking at LCD.

Also, I plan on buying from:
Infonec
Canada Computers
PC Canada
Any I am missing?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks in advance,
Sameer

Also, I plan on buying from:
Infonec
Canada Computers
PC Canada
Any I am missing?

[Babrbarossa]

Welcome to the forum, Sameer-

That's a nice budget for a build- very exciting!

Good choices on the components, although I would probably not get the Striker - if you want a 680i, I would go fo rthe evga- great service, lifetime guarantee, and the bios is maturing nicely- You seem to be limting yourself to ASUS, but there are lots of decent competitors out there, and ASUS' service is really shitty.

I would also probably skip the raptors and get seagate barracudas 320GB as they're only 100 bucks each and there's not mych of a performance difference, and for me, 150GB just isn't big enough. If money's not an object, you could always just add a 320GB in addition to the raptors.

There's some patriot pc8500 memory on sale right now at NCIX for 239 after rebate that runs 5-5-5-9 sale is ending soon, but it will be on sale again soon. MAke sure your memory is compatible with whatever mobo you choose.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...t&promoid=1008

Also, you DEFINITELY want to check out the prices at NCIX and Direct Canada- very competative, and great service at both places. NCIX does price matching while checking out, so if you found something cheaper elsewhere, there's no need to order from two places.

[Eldonko]

Mushkin XP2-6400 uses D9GMH chips and will clock very well for you. Its reasonably priced as well, u can order direct from Mushkin for $221 US + shipping. I also agree you should check ncix for your parts. memoryexpress is good as well.

XP2-6400 DDR2 - Mushkin Enhanced

[Sameer]

Wow... You guys are awsome!

I must ask though, is there a way to tell which RAM is best for your mobo? Also, I hear that your RAM has to be very fast in order to really OC your PC. Is the RAM you suggested good enough for that?

How about the other components? Do they seem okay? Any ideas on a Monitor... I know you must get this a lot, but I just want to be as prepared as possible.

Thanks again,
Sameer

[sswilson]

Where are you?

If you're close to a futureshop (I know.... hear me out first..... :) ) you should check out their prices for monitors.

I wouldn't buy computer parts from them, but their volume gives them good prices on consumer items like monitors.

[Sameer]

I live in Toronto and my friend was actually telling me to check out the "big" names for monitors... Like Dell, Futureshop, etc... I think I'll look into Futureshop first, since I'm not a fan of the customer service at Dell. Any ideas on which monitor is actually good for gaming?

[sswilson]

The samsung line have gotten some good reviews, and I really like the one I'm running.

If you're looking for top of the line, I've got some bad news for you..... seems dell has some pretty kick-ass monitors.... :)

Best bet is to see what's out there and figure out what you want to spend and then go from there.

[Sameer]

Boo for Dell, but I think it's the best bet also...

[Eldonko]

Originally Posted by Sameer

I must ask though, is there a way to tell which RAM is best for your mobo? Also, I hear that your RAM has to be very fast in order to really OC your PC. Is the RAM you suggested good enough for that?

It's true RAM can be a limiting factor for your cpu oc, however if you have a chip with a higher multi its not really an issue. Using a 1:1 ratio you aren’t really going to need more than 400-420 fsb because of your 9x multi (400x9=3600mhz which is about an avg oc for E6600). The advantage D9 gives is tighter timings and higher speeds, so you could likely run 400x9 @ 3-3-3, or run async so you can run a 500+ 4-4-4. Hi speed + tight timings = best. ;)

Cant really help you with a monitor, my expertise is with ocing and other hardware, Ive been using this 20 inch benq for a long time now. :D

For motherboards, the asus boards are ok, Ive had a few p5b deluxe and vanilla and they worked fine. But if you are buying asus I would go with commando, it’s a decent board and you don’t need vmods to get the voltages you want. Or if you can find DFI Infinity 965 that is a good option as well.

[mo' power]

Hello and welcome Sameer, since you live in Toronto, the cheapest place for monitors is Canada Computers. I have been dealing with them for app. 6yrs. If you purchase from them, it will save you the hassle of RMA should a problem arise. The two main things you want to look for are the contrast and refresh rate. Contrast will look something like 700:1, 800:1 or even 1000:1 on the spec. page. Generally, the HIGHER the number the better the contrast. The other is the refresh rate which will look like 2ms all the way up to 8ms on the spec sheet. Generally, the LOWER the number the better the screen refresh rate will be. For gaming, I would recommend 5ms or less. The general idea is to find the balance between the best refresh rate, the best contrast, monitor size you are looking for and price.