budget gaming build

[bvoid]

i will be buying it this weekend from ncix.com, CAD$700-800.
it will be for gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies, homework. I already have a keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS i might try to overclock it.

Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.8GHZ 1066FSB 3MB Retail $140

4GB mem ram -$70-> this depends on what is on sale when i buy it, $70 budget, but it will be something along the lines of Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB DDR2 2X2GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-18 240PIN Memory Kit

NZXT Beta ATX Tower Case 4X5.25 5X3.5INT No PS Front Audio USB eSATA Black $60

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc 3.5IN SATA Hard Drive OEM 5YR Mfg Warranty $78

Gigabyte EP45-UD3L ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 PCI-E 2PCI SATA2 HD Sound GBLAN Motherboard $114.35

BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE55 590MHZ 896MB 1.998GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I Video Card $180
or
EVGA E-GEFORCE GTS 250 756MHZ 512MB 2.2GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card $150

OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W ATX 20/24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 135MM Fan Active PFC Power Supply $84
or
Silverstone Strider ST50F 500W ATX12V 24PIN Power Supply W/120MM Fan Active PFC $78
or
OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W ATX 20/24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 135mm Fan 80PLUS Power Supply $95

Im not too sure on which PS and video card i should get. Suggestions on the rest of the build would also be appreciated.

[gingerbee]

upgrade to the 8400 if you can get it on sale it's not much more then 40$ more then what you got. NCIX.com - Buy Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 3.0GHZ Wolfdale 1333FSB 6MB Retail - BX80570E8400 In Canada.

[SugarJ]

I'd get the GTX260 for the extra FPS, and the Silverstone PSU, if I was you.

[Mr. Gruntsworthy]

Though it costs a tad more, for the case i'd get a CoolerMaster CM690. I've worked with one, and they're very easy to work with and it's my favorite case (i like it even more than my Antec 900)

[rapmaster]

I say keep the Beta,have a lot of feature for such a budget case and Black interior is sexy. Just don't forget to get a couple of fans

[Il Duce]

I'd strongly recommend the CM690 as I find it a lot better than most ricer cases. Fit a vendetta 2 cpu heatsink+fan and it fits a huge gtx260 too.

[bvoid]

would the silverstone 500w psu be enough to power the gtx260?

[SneakySnake]

Originally Posted by bvoid

would the silverstone 500w psu be enough to power the gtx260?

My Corsair VX 450 Watt powered my E6300 @ 4 GHz and 65nm GTX 260. So assuming that the silverstone is efficient it should

[5ILVgeARX]

Yes it will be able to handle the gtx 260 and a dual core, even with overclocked hardware.

i would recommend a minimum 600W PSU for such a set up, just in case you get a quad core. even tho the 500W can handle the quad and gtx 260 but its good to have breathing room.

[DrPepper]

if u plan to buy within 3 days for the PSU, theres an OCZ modxstream 700W for 65 bucks after rebate at ncix

here:
NCIX.com - Buy OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W ATX 20/24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 135MM Fan 80PLUS Power Supply - OCZ700MXSP In Canada.

[bvoid]

how much of a performance increase if I replaced the
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB DDR2 2X2GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 with Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-8500C5 4GB 2X2GB PC2-8500 DDR2-1066 ?


thanks

[Realityshift]

Id say drop the corsairs for some G.Skill DDR2 8000/8500s instead, they will be cheaper and probubly overclock better. You will see very little difference between those 2 ram speeds and with the E7400 you could probubly overclock 1:1 up to 400mhz with the DDR2 6400s and higher.