Please Help Me Build a New Rig

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satchmo

satchmo

Posts: 81   +0
I am building my next rig. My current setup is almost five years old--Athlon 3200+XP with Radeon 9800 Pro. It's ancient by today's standard, but it was a real work horse back in the days (ahh, Half-Life 2, Mass Effect).

The machine is going to be used for gaming (mostly FPS games).

Here is what I have so far:
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Antec NeoPower 650 Blue 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Antec NeoPower 650 Blue 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Model #:NEOPOWER 650 BLUE
Item #:N82E16817371010
Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$139.99 -$50.00 Instant $89.99

EVGA 512-P3-N873-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

EVGA 512-P3-N873-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #:512-P3-N873-AR
Item #:N82E16814130376
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$204.99 -$12.00 Instant $192.99

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:Nine Hundred
Item #:N82E16811129021
Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$139.99 -$30.00 Instant $109.99

Intel BOXDX48BT2 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel BOXDX48BT2 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #:BOXDX48BT2
Item #:N82E16813121338
Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$249.99 $249.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
Model #:BX80570E8400
Item #:N82E16819115037
Return Policy:processors (CPUs) Return Policy
In Stock
$164.99 $164.99


CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X2G1600C9DHX

CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X2G1600C9DHX - Retail
Model #:TW3X2G1600C9DHX
Item #:N82E16820145199
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$123.00 $123.00

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:ST31000340AS
Item #:N82E16822148274
Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$119.99 -$10.00 Instant $109.99

Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-116DBK

Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-116DBK - OEM
Model #:DVR-116DBK
Item #:N82E16827129023
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$29.99 $29.99

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #:ACFZ7-PRO
Item #:N82E16835186134
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$36.99 -$10.00 Instant $26.99


Subtotal: $1,097.92
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Any suggestions?

I opted for DDR3 mobo because I don't want to get stuck with limitation in upgrade a few years down the road. As a trade off, I am only going to have 2 GB instead of 4 GB of memory, to save some bucks now.

I prefer Nvidia because I don't know the future of ATI now that it's a part of AMD. ATI drivers have been behaving poorly lately.
 
I like the Antec 1200 case better.

I understand your hesitance with ATI, but would recomend you look at the 4850, or the 4870.

I would consider a BluRay drive with this system.

I would get a Velociraptor HD from Western Digital

And maybe a higher wattage(stay with a good brand) PSU, to allow for future growth.

Nothing I said is cheap, and will probably increase the cost to you by 500-750 dollars.

You have a pretty nice rig for 1k.... If you want to spend a few more bucks, I would look into some the other stuff i listed.
 
im currently building my first rig, and have the same CPU and video card picked out.

but as DaMak mentioned, i would take a look into the 4860 or the 4870 if you decide on an ATI card.

I was going to get the 4870 but decided against it just cause ive been wanting an nvidia card.

everything looks good though, good rig for that price range.

i wouldnt worry too much about a blu ray player and the like, but thats just me.

good luck with your build.
 
Modified

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I have made some modifications. Here is the updated list:
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GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #:GA-EP45-DS3L
Item #:N82E16813128345
Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$102.99 $102.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model HH80562PH0568M - OEM
Model #:HH80562PH0568M
Item #:N82E16819115018
Return Policy:processors (CPUs) Return Policy
In Stock
$179.99 $179.99

EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #:896-P3-1260-AR
Item #:N82E16814130370
Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$279.99 -$40.00 Instant $239.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Model #:CMPSU-650TX
Item #:N82E16817139005
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$159.99 -$50.00 Instant $109.99

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX - Retail
Model #:TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX
Item #:N82E16820145177
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$54.99 -$5.00 Instant $49.99

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:Nine Hundred
Item #:N82E16811129021
Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$139.99 -$30.00 Instant $109.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:ST31000340AS
Item #:N82E16822148274
Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$119.99 -$10.00 Instant $109.99

Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-116DBK - OEM
Model #:DVR-116DBK
Item #:N82E16827129023
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$29.99 $29.99

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #:ACFZ7-PRO
Item #:N82E16835186134
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$36.99 -$10.00 Instant $26.99

-----
Subtotal: $959.91


What do you think? Which OS should I get? XP or Vista? Vista is more costly with usurping resources when it comes to gaming, at least that's my understanding.
 
I'd recommend this build instead:
Grand Total = $1015.93 before rebates and without considering shipping (which is free on most items). The case I leave upto you.
 
Why did you get a board made by intel? They arnt very good at all. Intel make ok chipsets but there motherboards are not good at all, i recommend gigabyte or asus, but i personally wud go for asus. Its completely up to you though.
 
SAPPHIRE 100270SR Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail - $389.99 after $20 rebate
Click to expand...
lol 4850x2 :D. That card seems a tad expensive at $400. His initial build was only ≈$1000 total. Then you could cut back on the power supply too.


Yes i personally would wait it out with XP until a newer better OS than vista comes out.
~cough~windows7betabuild6933+~cough~
 
ATI video cards are the way to go right now. However, I'd hold off on this purchase until you can get a Core i7 Nehalem for socket 1366 at a decent price. It'll last you a lot longer as you won't need to upgrade your motherboard next cycle.
 
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