[MoMetal]

This is a first time build project but I want a good gaming computer for a budget of around 1k. On the plus side I was given a Nvidia 8800 Gt Oc graphics card.

I am a gamer and this is the main use of my pc. I'm a former Warcrack player and now I'm getting into Age of Cocain and Starcrack II's just around the corner. I need to be able to hook these to my veins with enough power to get my fix. But again, staying around $1000

So here's the list...

DFI LANPARTY DK X48-T2RS LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6850 - Retail

Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N6/2G - Retail x 2

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

LITE-ON Combo Black IDE Model DH-52C2P-08 - Retail

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S202J - OEM
*note these drivers were just selected based on review and price on newegg, more than open to suggestions

Sunbeam Transformer IC-TR-BA Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail ...it's purdy though any other suggestions are welcome

need input on an operating system and the power supply.
As far as the OS goes, I hate vista but I'm hearing some say that the 64-bit Xp pro ain't so hot. On the flip side I've heard that vista's a resource hog and theres some goofy stuff you need to do with the RAM to get better performance (something about 3g's being better than 4?)

Also, if you can, with any alterations or other input please give me a little "because" as I'm so new at this I squeek.

Thanks alot!

Matt

Edited by MoMetal, 02 June 2008 - 04:57 PM.

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Hi,

I advise you not to make fun of Starcraft cause its my favorite game, lol. Also the system looks good except I would go for a Quad Core since games coming in the future are going to optimize all four cores. The 3gb and 4Gb thing is about XP and not Vista, XP 32-bit can only handle 3.5Gb or around there since its only 32-bits, but the 64-bit versions however does not have any problems with that. Also I advise getting vista for DX10 support. For the PSU I would go with something in the likes of THIS.

Soorena

[SOORENA]

Hi,

I advise you not to make fun of Starcraft cause its my favorite game, lol. Also the system looks good except I would go for a Quad Core since games coming in the future are going to optimize all four cores. The 3gb and 4Gb thing is about XP and not Vista, XP 32-bit can only handle 3.5Gb or around there since its only 32-bits, but the 64-bit versions however does not have any problems with that. Also I advise getting vista for DX10 support. For the PSU I would go with something in the likes of THIS.

Soorena

[MoMetal]

Thanks for the advice!

Ps. Not making fun of starcraft in any shape or form, just admiting an addiction much like one would do in AA

[kamille316]

I would also suggest a different DVD-burner as what you have selected are IDE and not SATA drives.
If you're sticking with Dual Core processor, I suggest getting an Intel E8400.

Kamille

[MoMetal]

Nice catch on the SATA drives, exactly what I was hoping people would spot. Any reason the E8400's better?

[Troy]

Hi there,

The E8400 is from the newest release range from Intel. It's based on the 45nm architecture (opposed to the E6850's 65nm), so it's smaller and thus, runs cooler.

It also has a slightly larger cache.

Troy

EDIT: Get this RAM, it's a matched set and has better timings. I also like the heatspreaders.

And you call that case pretty? Of course, cases come down to personal preference, but I can't stand it! I think this one is much nicer.

Edited by troy, 05 June 2008 - 03:56 AM.