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I'm trying to build a new gaming rig. But, I need some suggestions. I don't plan to overclock too much. I would like some help with mobo, case, fans, video card, and anything else not listed that I have written down. I'm planning to have everything in about 2 months. So, here's what I got

Intel Pentium D 920
Sound Blaster Audigy 4
OCZ Dual Channel 2048MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Gold Gamer eXtreme Memory (2 x 1024MB)
XION Ultimate Engineering XON-002 Case

I like the case but I'm open to suggestions. I need something that won't overheat. Fan noise is not a problem with me. And, Watercooling I might look into later. But, anyway. Please help. I'm going to start buying most of these like in a week

personaly, i would get a x2 4200+, a evga 7900 (gtx if you have the money), this mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136009

asetec waterchill cooling system, and a thermalake tsunami case...as far as case fans..probably just a couple of low dec. 80mm and 1 big 120mm for the back and cut down on the memory to 2 sticks of http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Kings...oductDetail.do

but..if you have the money then you can better..power supply i would recc. a 500 W. antec

if you absolutely must have the computer within 2 months then get an X2 (4400 or 4800) or if you like intel then the 900 series you chose is good. For video cards the 7900GT or if you can spend $430 then definetely get an ATI X1900 series. everyone loves the 48 pixel shaders. If you just wait for 3-5 months then the new processors (AM2 and Intel Core Conroe) should be slated for market introduction. Then you can use DDR2 if you choose AMD and the Conroe is believed to beat the FX series at the moment.

The Conroe is supposed to outperform anything else out at the moment by a significant amount. And its just a few months away I'm waiting for that now.... my Northwood still holding up :P

if you're going to build a gaming rig, go with an Athlon64 (or X2 if you want dual core)

as far as the Conroe is concerned, nothing is certain yet. The hand picked unavailable Intel-configured test rigs showed about a 20% performance boost over the currently available off the shelf AMD (not the future unknown AM2 CPUs that will be released in a few months as well).

It looks as if Intel may finally have a chance to take the performance crown from AMD after years of second place, but there is no way to tell yet. we'll just have to wait a few months and see what both companies have to offer

Actually, "waiting for that" means I'm waiting for it to be released, and if its better, its Conroe time. If not, AM2 time

i totally agree

If the Conroe actually lives up to people's expectations, then Intel will be the way to go for gaming. But if you're building a gaming rig today (or even in 2 months), then AMD is still the more powerful processor.

so Dante13, as most people on this forum and others will suggest to you, go with an AMD setup, they outperform Pentiums when it comes to gaming and give you more bang-for-the-buck

...also, IMO separate sound cards aren't necessary anymore, sound does not take enough processing power and memory to make a significant difference, so I would suggest that you save your money and just use the onboard sound, almost all modern boards have at least 5.1 surround, and many have 6.1 and 7.1 which is more than enough.

Good Luck with your new rig, and happy building

Thank you all for replying to my thread. And, I was looking at AMD as my processor. But, they are kinda expensive. That's why I was leaning towards Intel P4's 900 chip series. I know that AMD procs are better than Intel right now. But, I also don't want to be spending too much on just the processor.

AMD low-end dual cores are more expensive then Intel's low-end dual cores. the cheapest AMD X2 (the manchester 3800+) is $295 on newegg.com which is still a more powerful processor than any 800 or 900 series PentiumD. so while it is true that you can buy an Intel dual core for less money, you are also getting less of a processor. just keep that in mind

within the next two months the prices of intels and amds dual core proccesors should lower quite a bit

that's a good idea. For gaming, one of the important things is the graphics card.

I would go with an AMD X2 processor and a GeForce 7900 GTX videocard.

Why is that?

AM2's and Conroes are coming out, which means dual-core will be more common and the X2s, FXs and Intels 800-900 chips will lower in price because they are now not the best processor on the market.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811103005

I just found this case.. blew my mind. its got a 250mm side case fan with as reported 80 CFM. Also has 2 spots for rear fans. Has a rather regular layout inside, though i don't know what u plan to add in addition to a video card.. Also its pretty low in price if u don't mind the noise. Since you're going for a high end machine, you'll probably get your own power supply anyway (since this has none).

But if ur getting water cooling. don't bother.

I've been thinking about it and I might choose to wait for the new processors to come out. I've heard great things about the conroes. And, I know that AMD beats out an Intel pentium d but the conroes are less power consuming. Which would also be a + to me. Since I am worried about my dad's bill. I think I'll just wait for the processor and mobo and get me a conroe and whatever motherboard would give it performance boost and not limit it.

I've been wanting a new comp for a while now. I still run a AGP 4x setup. So, I've researching everything I can about upgrading computers. I know that AMD is the better one right now. But, it's also cost more. I don't want to be spending a lot of money on the processor. AMD does price there chips a lot higher than INtel and even if AMD outperforms Intel in the cpu market I just want something that will be low in cost. I heard the conroes would be priced at about $200-500 so I think I'm going conroe instead of the P4 D that I was planning on getting.

Oh, and about the case it's a good looking case. I might buy that case. The one I was looking at was a Xion XON2 or something to that. And, well this one is cheaper. Anyway, I'm going to wait for the processors to come out later this year. So, I'm not sure if I should buy some of the components now and wait for the proc and mobo or just wait entirely.

don't bother buying components now.. just wait till you're ready for everything. You'll either change your mind, or else they go down in $$.

But a great way to sort things out is to make a quick **Notepad** list of components you need. Case, mobo, Vidcard, whatever else. And then copy paste links and short descriptions to parts you think you want on several websites. That way you can put 2-3 different items for every component, compare the different prices, and you can keep adding and subtracting them over the months.

Thanks for the advice. That's what I've been doing. I'll probably just buy a cheap video card that can run most games and then when I know more info about conroe and the the mobo then I will start buying components. Till then I'll just wait.

Your post before the last one was an extremely fine conclusion... But,keep in mind that your first choice is a dual core CPU Intel it is or AMD (here in my country everyone goes for Intel, AMD processors are extremely rare). Wait for the Conroe and the AM2, but DON'T buy a cheap video card, one of the members posted something about leaving room for a good video card after you said that you don't want to spend a lot of money on the processor and it is extremely right, for getting the video card is the second choice you go to after choosing the processor, never mind the fans,cooling, and the case as much as you care for the video card, it is the chip that either elevates your gaming or not!

i would reccomend waiting for the conroes, and am2's to come out, and then to buy a x2 4400+ because by that time the price should be very low (for its value) and then put the extra money into a better video card. imo..

for example a

4400+ & a Radeon X1900XTX would more then likely have better performance then a conroe & a 7900gt and still cost about the same...this is just my opinion..but cant prove it until the conroes are tested