Gaming PC

[Berserk_Fury]

Well, I had some unexpected income, so I will probably end up building a gaming computer for myself in the summer. I know it may be a bit too early to pick the hardware not at the speed with which it gets outdated, but I still want to do some research.

Anyways, I am looking to spend $1,000 to $1,500, preferably with a decent 19" monitor. The one part I am pretty sure about is the nvidia 8800GT GPU, due to its low price and high quality. I know that some people AMD/ATI fan, but I do not know anything about AMD CPUs, so I will need you to explain some details to me. I also am not sure whether to go for quad core or it is too soon. Out of Intel quad CPUs, I believe the only affordable one is the Q6600 or something of the sort. Would that be a good choice? Finally, I know nothing about motherboards, so could you please give me some detail on which ones are better as well?

That price range does not need to include an OS. I get get Vista Home Premium for $90 from my college.

[samestory98]

alright, you're building it yourself?

here's some main parts:

For CPU, i'm going intel, as theyre what my computer uses atm, and what i plan to use.

Q6600 Quad Core (its 2.4, and you can OC it to 3 or more if you want to. it's the same price as the high end Duo)

also, i would go with a Quad Core. Well, go with a Duo, and you might want to update in a year or so, but with this Quad being the same price, you might as well!

Also, if you want to pay...i think a hundred or few more, go with the Geforce 8800GTS (G92). This is the newer version, and it's 512MB. don't go with the 640mb i think it is, or the 320mb.

For motherboard, Nvidia's new 790i mobo is coming out, but you can just get a 680i, and that should be good. If you want to do tri-sli, i'm pretty sure the new 780i can do that, and it's a little more expensive than the 680i on newegg.


all in all though, i'm probably building one around the same time as you. they're releasing more Quad Extremes, working their way down from their flagship QX9650.

[Berserk_Fury]

Originally Posted by samestory98

alright, you're building it yourself?

here's some main parts:

For CPU, i'm going intel, as theyre what my computer uses atm, and what i plan to use.

Q6600 Quad Core (its 2.4, and you can OC it to 3 or more if you want to. it's the same price as the high end Duo)

also, i would go with a Quad Core. Well, go with a Duo, and you might want to update in a year or so, but with this Quad being the same price, you might as well!

Also, if you want to pay...i think a hundred or few more, go with the Geforce 8800GTS (G92). This is the newer version, and it's 512MB. don't go with the 640mb i think it is, or the 320mb.

For motherboard, Nvidia's new 790i mobo is coming out, but you can just get a 680i, and that should be good. If you want to do tri-sli, i'm pretty sure the new 780i can do that, and it's a little more expensive than the 680i on newegg.


all in all though, i'm probably building one around the same time as you. they're releasing more Quad Extremes, working their way down from their flagship QX9650.

If I remember correctly the 8800GT is actually newer than the GTS, and it can rival the power of even the GTX. When I looked at the hardware comparison on Newegg, the GT and GTS were nearly identical, so I do not think it is worth the upgrade.

About the processor. On another forum I was told that Core2Duo may be a better choice than Quad, because most of the duos right now have 1333mhz FSB, compared to 1066mhz of the Q6600. Sure there are Core2Extreme Quad cores which have 1333mhz FSB, but all of them cost around $1,000 or more, which is far above my range.

[samestory98]

well, it's all your preference. Duo's are better for gaming right now, but Quads are more future proof.

yes, the GT is better than the original GTS, but there's the GTS with the G92 core, which is the newest of the 8800 series, if I'm correct. too. here's a link. The GT is still cheaper though, and there's not TOO big of a difference, although there is one.

here's the best duo

here's the quad i was talking about

[VAMP]

If you can afford it, you might want to think about getting a GeForce 9800 instead of the 8800.

Also, whether you get a quad or duo, make sure it's at least 3 GHz with 4mb cache.

As for memory make sure you at least get 2 GB shared dual channel DDR2.

[Berserk_Fury]

Originally Posted by VAMP

If you can afford it, you might want to think about getting a GeForce 9800 instead of the 8800.

Also, whether you get a quad or duo, make sure it's at least 3 GHz with 4mb cache.

As for memory make sure you at least get 2 GB shared dual channel DDR2.

Uh, the 9800 has only been announced, there isn't even a release date, let alone a price.

Also, do you have any idea how much a 3 GHz Quad costs? The only ones like that are the Core2Extremes, and those cost around $1,000 all the time.

[samestory98]

get the Q6600 if you get a quad. you can easily OC it to 3.

[VAMP]

Originally Posted by Berserk_Fury

Uh, the 9800 has only been announced, there isn't even a release date, let alone a price.

Also, do you have any idea how much a 3 GHz Quad costs? The only ones like that are the Core2Extremes, and those cost around $1,000 all the time.

Yeah, but you said you're gonna build your rig this summer, it should be out by then.

And 'bout the 3 GHz Quad price, that's why I said, "If you can afford it, you might want to think about getting" and "whether you get a quad or duo". Also, by this summer, they should come down to a reasonable price.

These really are some specs you should consider if you can, they will ensure you're rig will be good for a while.

I was just trying to look ahead a bit, sorry.

[Berserk_Fury]

It is extremely unlikely that Core2Extremes would drop down to my budget by the summer, especially counting with the way they have been going. I've never seen a Core2Extreme sold for under $800. It appears that they are able to sell all their stock at high prices, and then they replace them with the newer models, instead of simply adding new model to the older ones like they do with all the rest of the processors.

Also about the GPU, even if the 9800 is released by the summer, it will probably be at the price level of the 8800ultra, which is also far outside of my $1,000 to $1,500 range.

[samestory98]

i heard they're working way down from the qx9650, so maybe we will so some cheaper extremes by the summer. also, if you want ideas, check out my thread titled 'Yo'. everything is added up to roughly 2000 dollars at the moment, off of newegg.