My friend is looking to upgrade his power supply from his stock 300W to something that'll run his Geforce 8800GTS. He's looking around 550W just to be safe, even though they say the 8800GTS only needs 450 or so.
But... I'm not sure what brand power supply to recommend for him. He's trying to keep his cost down but I don't want his power supply to blow up on him. I recommended Coolmax at first because I have one and it's been going great, but, for one, we can't find the same one I have, and I've also been reading some customer reviews at NewEgg saying their Coolmax power supplies blew up after a year or are underpowered.
So basically what I need to know is what's a power supply around 550 watts, under $70, that'll run a Geforce 8800, and not die after a year?
Right, after many revisions I think I've finally got my rig worked out. Decided on the Duo rather than a Q6600 because I'm mostly going to be gaming and it seems like there's not much benefit to the Quad at the moment - can always upgrade later if this changes. 8800gtx seems to be the way forward at the mo - seems like the performance increase with the 9800gtx is negligable, and the AC Accelero should take care of the heat/noise issue (may be able to overclock it slightly too).
With that setup you might benefit from using the Antec 1200, has much better room (Larger than the 900, which of course is large than the 300) it also has some great cooling and basically fixes everything wrong with the 900.
I also wouldn't be dropping my cash on 8800GTX right, the GTX280/260 are dropping in like 3-5 weeks, and they'll be quite the upgrade.
could anyone take a quick gander at my build and feel free to make any suggestions. this isn't a high powered gaming PC it's mostly for video and photoshop but it'd be nice ot play a few games too.
I've already got a monitor and a SATA HD that's going in it.
could anyone take a quick gander at my build and feel free to make any suggestions. this isn't a high powered gaming PC it's mostly for video and photoshop but it'd be nice ot play a few games too.
I've already got a monitor and a SATA HD that's going in it.
I'd upgrade to a 8800GT, apparently its worth the jump in price.
I'd also get the
# Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
# GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Retail
combo, as the Gigabyte is ~$30 cheaper, and its an additional -$25 past that.
Ugh, I ordered all of my parts last Saturday with 3-day shipping from Newegg, and everything but the case is waiting for me back at my apartment. Apparently the case doesn't get here til tomorrow. :x
With that setup you might benefit from using the Antec 1200, has much better room (Larger than the 900, which of course is large than the 300) it also has some great cooling and basically fixes everything wrong with the 900.
I also wouldn't be dropping my cash on 8800GTX right, the GTX280/260 are dropping in like 3-5 weeks, and they'll be quite the upgrade.
The 1200 is a bit big and showy (trying to avoid windows/big glowing fans tbh) - do you think space is going to be an issue in the 300? If so, could you recommend another large case at around the same price point as the 300? Pushing my budget as it is, and the 300 is about a third as expensive as the 1200.
I chose the 8800gtx extreme for its bang for buck - at around £240 it seems like the top dog at the moment - and I want this machine up and running next week really. If I hold off buying just cos something shinier is going to come out in the near future, I might as well not buy at all (there's always something better on the horizon..)
Edit: OK, it looks like a 9800gtx might be the way forward after all.. god this graphics card shit is confusing..
machineisbored on
There is hope in honest error, none in the icy perfections of the mere stylist.
Alright guys, first post here. I am considering building my first computer soon, think I would get more for the money and it would be a good experience. So heres what I have so far:
HD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
All this plus an operating system runs about $1300. Im looking for a solid machine that will last me for a good 3 years and can play not just the current generation of games but the next generation as well. 1300 is around my maximum budget.
Did I miss anything? Will all this work together once I put it all in the case? Do I need a heatsink? Any help, criticism, or tips for putting this thing together would be a help.
Now I'm looking to run Conan, Warhammer and Spore is hella tempting, as well as Crysis.
UberEd over in the Conan thread suggested upgrading my card, but to be honest I'm fairly clueless when it comes to the tech side of computers.
Whats a decent card that'll last me for a couple of years? I'd like to upgrade so I can run most stuff for another two years if possible and while I figure that 2 gig of RAM should last me, I think the graphics card is probably what made STALKER and Oblivion chug.
I do live within Australia, so if anyone knows of any particular deals going I'd be interested. The other option is that I pick up a new rig, since my brother pesters me constantly to get a new one and give him the current one rather than actually saving up for one himself.
Got my guts in, and got them slapped together (Man that 600gig hd took forever to format); got the OS install and am copying over my steam directory so I can benchmark a few games. A few things to note.
-This is probably the simplest, but most elegent heating solution I've had in a long long time. Basically it's a huge ass heatsink with a fan on the side which pulls air through the heatsink and straight out to the back exaust fan.
-My cabling is an utter mess and I doubt I'll be able to do much to clean it up. Also, the motherboard manufacturors are crazy. The IDE port is on the other side of the friggen board from where your IDE drives are, so I actually had to move my DVD player down a rung in order for the cable they shipped the board with to be able to reach over my vid card
-I really need to research things better. I bought 8 gigs of ram because it was cheap and my motherboard could handle it, only to find out I need a 64bit OS in order to use it all. Bleh. Is there any way for me to cheat my way around that? Also, could I install a 64bit os even though I don't have a 64 bit processor? What kind of perofrmance hit would there be? (I have an Intel E8400 duo 2 processor)
Got my guts in, and got them slapped together (Man that 600gig hd took forever to format); got the OS install and am copying over my steam directory so I can benchmark a few games. A few things to note.
-This is probably the simplest, but most elegent heating solution I've had in a long long time. Basically it's a huge ass heatsink with a fan on the side which pulls air through the heatsink and straight out to the back exaust fan.
-My cabling is an utter mess and I doubt I'll be able to do much to clean it up. Also, the motherboard manufacturors are crazy. The IDE port is on the other side of the friggen board from where your IDE drives are, so I actually had to move my DVD player down a rung in order for the cable they shipped the board with to be able to reach over my vid card
-I really need to research things better. I bought 8 gigs of ram because it was cheap and my motherboard could handle it, only to find out I need a 64bit OS in order to use it all. Bleh. Is there any way for me to cheat my way around that? Also, could I install a 64bit os even though I don't have a 64 bit processor? What kind of perofrmance hit would there be? (I have an Intel E8400 duo 2 processor)
They don't really expect people to still be using IDE drives with new motherboards :P (for an optical drive there's no performance hit or anything so don't be worried, but really it wouldn't surprise me if they removed IDE completely soon)
There's no way around the 32 bit ram limitation, however the e8400 is a 64 bit processor so you can install a 64 bit OS no problem.
Got my guts in, and got them slapped together (Man that 600gig hd took forever to format); got the OS install and am copying over my steam directory so I can benchmark a few games. A few things to note.
-This is probably the simplest, but most elegent heating solution I've had in a long long time. Basically it's a huge ass heatsink with a fan on the side which pulls air through the heatsink and straight out to the back exaust fan.
-My cabling is an utter mess and I doubt I'll be able to do much to clean it up. Also, the motherboard manufacturors are crazy. The IDE port is on the other side of the friggen board from where your IDE drives are, so I actually had to move my DVD player down a rung in order for the cable they shipped the board with to be able to reach over my vid card
-I really need to research things better. I bought 8 gigs of ram because it was cheap and my motherboard could handle it, only to find out I need a 64bit OS in order to use it all. Bleh. Is there any way for me to cheat my way around that? Also, could I install a 64bit os even though I don't have a 64 bit processor? What kind of perofrmance hit would there be? (I have an Intel E8400 duo 2 processor)
They don't really expect people to still be using IDE drives with new motherboards :P
There's no way around the 32 bit ram limitation, however the e8400 is a 64 bit processor so you can install a 64 bit OS no problem.
Oh thank peas-'n. I'm guessing y'all recommend Xp 64 (if I can find a copy in stores these days) over 64 Vista, right?
And the reason I am still using an IDE disc drive is because I had no reason to replace it. It works perfectly fine still. :P
Got my guts in, and got them slapped together (Man that 600gig hd took forever to format); got the OS install and am copying over my steam directory so I can benchmark a few games. A few things to note.
-This is probably the simplest, but most elegent heating solution I've had in a long long time. Basically it's a huge ass heatsink with a fan on the side which pulls air through the heatsink and straight out to the back exaust fan.
-My cabling is an utter mess and I doubt I'll be able to do much to clean it up. Also, the motherboard manufacturors are crazy. The IDE port is on the other side of the friggen board from where your IDE drives are, so I actually had to move my DVD player down a rung in order for the cable they shipped the board with to be able to reach over my vid card
-I really need to research things better. I bought 8 gigs of ram because it was cheap and my motherboard could handle it, only to find out I need a 64bit OS in order to use it all. Bleh. Is there any way for me to cheat my way around that? Also, could I install a 64bit os even though I don't have a 64 bit processor? What kind of perofrmance hit would there be? (I have an Intel E8400 duo 2 processor)
They don't really expect people to still be using IDE drives with new motherboards :P
There's no way around the 32 bit ram limitation, however the e8400 is a 64 bit processor so you can install a 64 bit OS no problem.
Oh thank peas-'n. I'm guessing y'all recommend Xp 64 (if I can find a copy in stores these days) over 64 Vista, right?
And the reason I am still using an IDE disc drive is because I had no reason to replace it. It works perfectly fine still. :P
Got my guts in, and got them slapped together (Man that 600gig hd took forever to format); got the OS install and am copying over my steam directory so I can benchmark a few games. A few things to note.
-This is probably the simplest, but most elegent heating solution I've had in a long long time. Basically it's a huge ass heatsink with a fan on the side which pulls air through the heatsink and straight out to the back exaust fan.
-My cabling is an utter mess and I doubt I'll be able to do much to clean it up. Also, the motherboard manufacturors are crazy. The IDE port is on the other side of the friggen board from where your IDE drives are, so I actually had to move my DVD player down a rung in order for the cable they shipped the board with to be able to reach over my vid card
-I really need to research things better. I bought 8 gigs of ram because it was cheap and my motherboard could handle it, only to find out I need a 64bit OS in order to use it all. Bleh. Is there any way for me to cheat my way around that? Also, could I install a 64bit os even though I don't have a 64 bit processor? What kind of perofrmance hit would there be? (I have an Intel E8400 duo 2 processor)
They don't really expect people to still be using IDE drives with new motherboards :P
There's no way around the 32 bit ram limitation, however the e8400 is a 64 bit processor so you can install a 64 bit OS no problem.
Oh thank peas-'n. I'm guessing y'all recommend Xp 64 (if I can find a copy in stores these days) over 64 Vista, right?
And the reason I am still using an IDE disc drive is because I had no reason to replace it. It works perfectly fine still. :P
Wait for someone else to confirm it, as i'm not 100% sure, but I believe 64 bit XP is still a complete clusterfuck, with driver problems and performance issues everywhere. That was due to it getting pretty much zero adoption as MS didn't push it. Vista 64 bit on the other hand is actually pretty good.
So I have a pretty old computer (maybe 4 years old or more) with specs I'm too embarrased to tell and decided to pick up Age of Conan.
After reaching level 12 I decided to get a new computer and these are the parts I have selected... keep in mind I've been really out of the loop and I've tried researching as much as possible into these things...
I'm not too sure but from what I've read around here and other places, I may not need a Quad core... infact, I guess I might not be using it to it's full potential?
I'm getting this computer mostly for gaming, Age of Conan, would like to try out Crysis, and run Starcraft II when it comes out... although I'm sure I'll be able to run it with these specs.
Also, how is onboard sound for motherboards these days? Should I include a sound card in my list?
any critics would be highly welcomed and appreciated.
Go easy though, I haven't assembled a computer in quite sometime.
Unless you're doing something like video processing, most things are not optimized for Quad Cores, and won't take full advantage of them. If you plan on using that CPU for a while though, betting on new games and applications down the road taking full advantage of those cores is a pretty safe assumption (at least from my point of view).
I would get this mobo, this PSU and this HDD instead of what you have listed
I would also pick an e8400 over the q6600 if all you are doing is gaming. I prefer the look of Antec P180/182s over the Antec 900. The Coolermaster RC690 and Centurion 590 are also nice cases for less money. Don't forget to get a decent HSF.
I'm looking to upgrade my PC for the purpose of gaming and also doing some 3D work (when I bother buying a copy of 3DS Max from school). I'm not so good when it comes to hardware. I know I need a new video card but that is about the extent of my knowledge.
Current specs:
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0 GHz
2 GB RAM
Sapphire RADEON X700 Pro (128 MB)
180 GB HDD
Windows XP SP2 (I would rather like to avoid moving to Vista for as long as possible)
I would like to hit that sweet spot between price and quality, since I don't have a whole whack of money to be spending on this. I just want something that will run things fairly well for a few years. I don't need to be running Crysis on full.
...also I guess I'll probably need a new case. The one I have is small and everything -barely- fits in it.
So I'm overlocking my ATI radeon x1300. I currently have it set at 540/279 while the default is 450/270. No artifacts found after 5 minutes, how much higher do you think I can get it?
So I'm overlocking my ATI radeon x1300. I currently have it set at 540/279 while the default is 450/270. No artifacts found after 5 minutes, how much higher do you think I can get it?
Any particular reason? You could just buy a better card for $30
Posts
But... I'm not sure what brand power supply to recommend for him. He's trying to keep his cost down but I don't want his power supply to blow up on him. I recommended Coolmax at first because I have one and it's been going great, but, for one, we can't find the same one I have, and I've also been reading some customer reviews at NewEgg saying their Coolmax power supplies blew up after a year or are underpowered.
So basically what I need to know is what's a power supply around 550 watts, under $70, that'll run a Geforce 8800, and not die after a year?
Rebate is instant. Jump on that man!
He's ordering that one now. He's had his Geforce sitting around for a few days and hasn't ordered the power supply yet, so he's getting anxious.
Antec and Thermaltake are the current leaders of quality at the moment. OCZ and Corsair are also good brands.
Any thoughts?
Antec Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case
XFX nForce 780i SLI (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-N780-ISH9)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 3.00GHz (1333FSB) - Retail
Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5 TwinX (2x2GB) Supplied with Airflow Fan (TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF)
Samsung SH-S203PBEBN 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM
Samsung SpinPoint F1 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD502IJ)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775)
Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme 8800 VGA Cooler
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g)
XFX GeForce 8800 GTX Extreme 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (PV-T80F-SHE9)
OCZ StealthXStream 600w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 Power Supply
Acer P223W-D 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Logitech G9 Gaming-Grade Laser Mouse - OEM
I also wouldn't be dropping my cash on 8800GTX right, the GTX280/260 are dropping in like 3-5 weeks, and they'll be quite the upgrade.
could anyone take a quick gander at my build and feel free to make any suggestions. this isn't a high powered gaming PC it's mostly for video and photoshop but it'd be nice ot play a few games too.
I've already got a monitor and a SATA HD that's going in it.
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=7852366&WishListTitle=new+pc
Same price as the sonata after rebates but generally much more silent and with better cable management.
(Looks are a plus too!)
I'd upgrade to a 8800GT, apparently its worth the jump in price.
I'd also get the
# Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
# GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Retail
combo, as the Gigabyte is ~$30 cheaper, and its an additional -$25 past that.
Also has no PSU so that effectively adds 100 dollars to the price
Also, does DDR3 memory work in a DDR2 supported MoBo?
Thanks guys.
The 1200 is a bit big and showy (trying to avoid windows/big glowing fans tbh) - do you think space is going to be an issue in the 300? If so, could you recommend another large case at around the same price point as the 300? Pushing my budget as it is, and the 300 is about a third as expensive as the 1200.
I chose the 8800gtx extreme for its bang for buck - at around £240 it seems like the top dog at the moment - and I want this machine up and running next week really. If I hold off buying just cos something shinier is going to come out in the near future, I might as well not buy at all (there's always something better on the horizon..)
Edit: OK, it looks like a 9800gtx might be the way forward after all.. god this graphics card shit is confusing..
EDIT: You can have a look at the CM 690 too.
i have the CM 690 and it has plenty of room and it is near silent with the stock fans
Here's the current (shamelessly stolen parts from other posters mostly) list I've been thinking about:
Case: RAIDMAX O2 ATX-302BP Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 420W Power Supply - 44.99
Mobo: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - $119.99
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - 219.99
GPU: XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - 179.99
Ram: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - 75.99
HD : Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - 64.99
(Not too worried about this as I have other harddrives sitting around, I just wanted a clean one to start with because I'm suspicious about my old ones)
CPU Heatsink: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - 26.99
Extra Fans: MASSCOOL FD08025S1M4 80mm Case Fan - 1.99 x 2
Total Comes out to under 800 depending on taxes, rebates, and such.
My biggest concern lies with the case / power supply combo, and I'm always paranoid about motherboards after having some bad experiences in the past.
Any suggestions and advice would be much appreciated!
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
MOBO: EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188026
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
Power: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002
Memory: 2x Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model
Graphics: 2x XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150252
HD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
All this plus an operating system runs about $1300. Im looking for a solid machine that will last me for a good 3 years and can play not just the current generation of games but the next generation as well. 1300 is around my maximum budget.
Did I miss anything? Will all this work together once I put it all in the case? Do I need a heatsink? Any help, criticism, or tips for putting this thing together would be a help.
Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.80GHz (2 CPUs)
2Gb RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS
Now I'm looking to run Conan, Warhammer and Spore is hella tempting, as well as Crysis.
UberEd over in the Conan thread suggested upgrading my card, but to be honest I'm fairly clueless when it comes to the tech side of computers.
Whats a decent card that'll last me for a couple of years? I'd like to upgrade so I can run most stuff for another two years if possible and while I figure that 2 gig of RAM should last me, I think the graphics card is probably what made STALKER and Oblivion chug.
I do live within Australia, so if anyone knows of any particular deals going I'd be interested. The other option is that I pick up a new rig, since my brother pesters me constantly to get a new one and give him the current one rather than actually saving up for one himself.
edit: 8800GT btw, is probably the card you want.
-This is probably the simplest, but most elegent heating solution I've had in a long long time. Basically it's a huge ass heatsink with a fan on the side which pulls air through the heatsink and straight out to the back exaust fan.
-My cabling is an utter mess and I doubt I'll be able to do much to clean it up. Also, the motherboard manufacturors are crazy. The IDE port is on the other side of the friggen board from where your IDE drives are, so I actually had to move my DVD player down a rung in order for the cable they shipped the board with to be able to reach over my vid card
-I really need to research things better. I bought 8 gigs of ram because it was cheap and my motherboard could handle it, only to find out I need a 64bit OS in order to use it all. Bleh. Is there any way for me to cheat my way around that? Also, could I install a 64bit os even though I don't have a 64 bit processor? What kind of perofrmance hit would there be? (I have an Intel E8400 duo 2 processor)
There's no way around the 32 bit ram limitation, however the e8400 is a 64 bit processor so you can install a 64 bit OS no problem.
Oh thank peas-'n. I'm guessing y'all recommend Xp 64 (if I can find a copy in stores these days) over 64 Vista, right?
And the reason I am still using an IDE disc drive is because I had no reason to replace it. It works perfectly fine still. :P
No one recommends XP64.
The only thing I couldn't get working was Oracle 10.2g, but that's because of the ODBC drivers.
Driver support is XP 64s major weakness, and why Vista 64 gets recommended over it.
After reaching level 12 I decided to get a new computer and these are the parts I have selected... keep in mind I've been really out of the loop and I've tried researching as much as possible into these things...
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
EVGA 512-P3-N802-AR GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
SIGMA SHARK SP-635 635W ATX12V V2.01 Power Supply - Retail
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
I'm not too sure but from what I've read around here and other places, I may not need a Quad core... infact, I guess I might not be using it to it's full potential?
I'm getting this computer mostly for gaming, Age of Conan, would like to try out Crysis, and run Starcraft II when it comes out... although I'm sure I'll be able to run it with these specs.
Also, how is onboard sound for motherboards these days? Should I include a sound card in my list?
any critics would be highly welcomed and appreciated.
Go easy though, I haven't assembled a computer in quite sometime.
I'd go with a 512 GTS rather than a 512 GT, eg:
MSI NX8800GTS 512M OC GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
If you plan on OCing your CPU, you're probably going to want to get an aftermarket cooler rather than stock.
If you're picky about sound or have a nice sound system, you probably will want a sound card to complement it. If not, I wouldn't worry about it.
I would also pick an e8400 over the q6600 if all you are doing is gaming. I prefer the look of Antec P180/182s over the Antec 900. The Coolermaster RC690 and Centurion 590 are also nice cases for less money. Don't forget to get a decent HSF.
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=827549
One of the fastest 8800 GT's I think.
Current specs:
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0 GHz
2 GB RAM
Sapphire RADEON X700 Pro (128 MB)
180 GB HDD
Windows XP SP2 (I would rather like to avoid moving to Vista for as long as possible)
I would like to hit that sweet spot between price and quality, since I don't have a whole whack of money to be spending on this. I just want something that will run things fairly well for a few years. I don't need to be running Crysis on full.
...also I guess I'll probably need a new case. The one I have is small and everything -barely- fits in it.
Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa.... Do... Re.... Do...
Forget it...
WD6400AAKS hard drive
4GB Corsair RAM
DFI LANPARTY motherboard
Core 2 Duo E8400
Vista 64-bit Home Premium (should I get Ultimate or go for 32-bit?)
EVGA Geforce 8800 GT 512MB
Thermaltake 600W Power Supply (is this enough? too much?)
I'm not going to be doing any overlocking or anything, I'm just looking for high performance at a reasonable price, out of the box.
Any particular reason? You could just buy a better card for $30