Motherboard/CPU

[SuAside]

as requested: CPU/MB/Mem/Video

this is all in the assumption you aren't terribly adverse of a little overclocking btw. there is no reason whatsoever not to overclock a C2D at least lightly.

so lets start off with the CPU

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail $225.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029

or

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail $345.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115028

your choice really. i'd go with the first & overclock it for value. the second can be overclocked as well obviously, but in my opinion it isn't worth the extra $120.

further there are Quad cores
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017R

they say Crysis will be able to take advantage of it, but atm no game nor program takes any advantage of it and it clocks far lower and overclocks worse than any C2Ds. i dont think i'd bother with that yet.

motherboard

ASUS P5K3 DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $246.99 or if you take the OEM $227.72
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131181
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131181R

it is to be noted, that with this kind of mobo, the mobo itself benefits from a cooler blowing down, and not sideways (like for instance a towercooler or a zalman 9500. these coolers are extremely good, i own one myself, but the motherboard is slightly hotter that way.)

overall a very good gaming motherboard and good overclocker to boot, but has no SLI. it has crossfire, but still. it is up to you to figure out in the future if there is a chance to put SLI or crossfire. i always thought it possible to get an extra card 'later', but in reality i likely will never put in SLI or crossfire myself. i'll go on from the assumption you dont care about SLI/crossfire.

HOWEVER! this type of motherboard requires DDR3, which is more expensive atm.

if you want to use the much cheaper DDR2 listed further down, you'll need to get a motherboard that supports DDR2. like a ASUS P5N32-E version with 1333fsb support!

as for the gfx, remember: NONE HAS PROVEN THEIR DX10 WORTH!
Leadtek PX8800 GTS TDH 320MB Extreme $294.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814122022

pretty good bang for buck gfx card. however, with the budget you gave me, we got plenty $$ to spare. either way, the card listed above is the 'prudent' choice, as none of these cards have ever been tested in dx10.

if you're feeling a lil' nutty, you can get an 8800Ultra and still be in budget. (but be SURE to have a PSU that can haul that mastodont and a case that can house it)

MSI NX8800Ultra-T2D768E-HD-OC GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail $614
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127288

or if you're feeling slightly more moderated:

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail $546.99, but only $486.99 after full rebates etc)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072

the memory... fuck! harder choice than expected. i don't really see why to buy expensive DDR3 memory yet, as the latencies are too high atm and DDR2 is becoming dirtcheap (especially with the Mail-In rebates thing on newegg). amongst the best value are these:
(please note that the listed memory sticks are quite high, so watch out when buying custom CPU coolers, it might interfere.)

OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $180.99 (only $140.99 after Mail-In rebates!)
this memory is the best bang for buck, guaranteed. also overclocks nicely, but has trouble if trying to lower latencies (so overclock the fsb, without lowering latencies).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227191

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $230 ($200 after rebates)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145173

OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1150 (PC2 9200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227196



that's about it. do note that this is not an end all be all rig or whatever. it is what appears to me to be good bang for buck with reliable hardware. truly digging to find the best of the best would require hours if not days. as such, my words are advice and not gospel.
and as such, my advice holds no legal ground for you to sue my pants off if it blows up in your face.

 

[Pope Viper]

You have truly gone above and beyond, even to the depths of space.


Thank you very much.

 

[SuAside]

no prob. been building pcs and giving advice to people about this kinda crap for years & years now.

Woozy & i are the resident techheads, i think. and since Wooz is off chasing mexican chicks down the beach and tequila down his throat, i'm picking up the slack!

 

[Pope Viper]

Yea, I've been PC's and servers for enterprise users, I've just not been able to keep current on the technology as of late.

Stupid 2 year old child of mine.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

I've got a Compaq Presario with a MSI AHI2, AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3400+ @2200MHz NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache~256MB and 2 x 512 DDR-SDRAM.

I was thinking, another 1024 of memory and a better graphics card, but I'm having trouble finding sdram on the pc world website. Is it still worth upgrading?

They have some reasonable Packard Bells though I'm hesitant about dropping a grand or more on a new pc when there are so few games coming out (that I'm interested in).

 

[Kyuu]

I've got a Compaq Presario with a MSI AHI2, AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3400+ @2200MHz NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache~256MB and 2 x 512 DDR-SDRAM.

I was thinking, another 1024 of memory and a better graphics card, but I'm having trouble finding sdram on the pc world website. Is it still worth upgrading?

"SDRAM" just means "Synchronous Dynamic RAM," it's just a standard that would involve a long and boring explanation. Basically, all RAM manufactured at this point in time is SDRAM (unless you're unfortunate enough to own a system that uses RDRAM, more commonly known as Rambus RAM).

Your comp uses DDR, which is the important thing to pay attention to. You can still find DDR memory pretty much anywhere, and dirt cheap to boot. If you've got some spare cash, upgrading to 1.5GB or even 2GB certainly couldn't hurt. Anything more than that is really a waste.

As far as your card goes, it could certainly use an upgrade. That "TurboCache" nonsense basically means it's stealing memory out of your RAM to use as VRAM, rather than having its own on-card memory, which is both slower and, of course, lowers the amount of RAM available for use by the rest of your system. If you have a PCIe slot definitely upgrade. If you have AGP, there are still some good cards out there made for it, but you might be better off just saving up a little more and upgrading your whole system if you're looking to run the sort of games they're releasing nowadays.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

Yeah I know what the Turbo Cache does, but it's worked uptil now. I could run Stalker (without the lighting) but 4th mission into GRAW2 even with everything turned off it keeps freezing and crashing on me. I do have PCI-E, I was thinking about a Geforce 7600GT 256MB.

I've got two free banks left for memory, so I'll go 2gb if I can. Though do I have to get the same frequency/clock speed? The two I've got are 200MHZ only one's I'm seeing are 333 or 400MHZ.

but you might be better off just saving up a little more and upgrading your whole system if you're looking to run the sort of games they're releasing nowadays.

Money is no object I'd love to get a Rock Laptop which would suit my mobility needs. What is a hurdle is I no longer have a credit card or bank account so I'm reduced to whatever I can pick up across the counter for cash.

The other hurdle is I'm a miser with cash, give me a credit card and I'll get to my limit within a couple of hours but with cash I'm very reluctant to hand it over. There's so few games coming out that I'm interested in and won't also be available on a console, I don't want to buy a shit hot machine that'll gather dust.

 

[Kyuu]

I do have PCI-E, I was thinking about a Geforce 7600GT 256MB.

The 7600GTs I'm seeing are just over the $100 mark, so if that's what you're looking at spending, the 7600GT is a good card, but the 8600GTs such as this one are slightly better performers, as well as being DX10 compatible. That particular one even has a nice mail-in-rebate that puts its price point under $100.

I've got two free banks left for memory, so I'll go 2gb if I can. Though do I have to get the same frequency/clock speed? The two I've got are 200MHZ only one's I'm seeing are 333 or 400MHZ.

You can mix the memory speeds, but they default to the speed of the slowest memory, so those 333/400MHz sticks will only run at 200MHz. Not a BIG issue, but if you can afford it, you might want to replace all those sticks with some 400MHz ones (also assuming your mobo supports it, but it should if it's new enough to have a PCIe slot).

The other hurdle is I'm a miser with cash, give me a credit card and I'll get to my limit within a couple of hours but with cash I'm very reluctant to hand it over. There's so few games coming out that I'm interested in and won't also be available on a console, I don't want to buy a shit hot machine that'll gather dust.

Totally understand. That's why I only keep one credit card around, and it's STRICTLY for use when I NEED to buy something that I can't quite afford with what's in my account. I also put an occasional non-essential purchase on there and then turn around and pay it right off just because it looks good on your credit report. For most everything, it's always cash/debit card for me.

Yeah, if there's not that much you're looking forward to, then the RAM and vid card should hold you over just fine with a minimum expenditure. Hell, I'm still going along on my 4 or 5 year old rig with an Athlon XP 3200+, 1GB of RAM (albeit very nice, dual-channel, low latency memory), and an AGP 6800GT (that's an upgrade, not the original card of course).

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

They have a 8600 GT that's only £10 more than the 7600 but I thought what's the point in getting a DX10 compatible card when I doubt I'll be running Vista on this machine.

After all I'm trying to improve performance.

 

[radnan]

i havent seen DX10 in action (havent got vista)
but so far the 8800 GTS (Sadly there was no money for better )
is the best video upgrade i have had in all my years
(excluding maybe the voodoos a 100 years ago)

my advice is .. dont compromise for lower models then the GTS - the bang is huge .. and the buck in time is reasonable

 

[Stag]

I have. And it is glorious. Buy Vista.

 

[Kyuu]

They have a 8600 GT that's only £10 more than the 7600 but I thought what's the point in getting a DX10 compatible card when I doubt I'll be running Vista on this machine.

After all I'm trying to improve performance.

Because you never know, and in any case, the 8600GT is a better performer at the same price point.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

Sod it! I went to get my parts today, and let me say can they make the ram any harder to plug in?

But I've made a right cockup. I picked up the 8600 GTS instead of the GT and the GTS needs a 400W power supply and mine's only 300w. Now is the difference worth the price of a new psu or should I return it?

 

[Stag]

You need a new PSU anyway.

 

[DirtyDreamDesigner]

Yeah, do it, Stag is right, 300W is little.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

300W is little.

As I said to my ex, it's always been sufficient uptil now.

 

[Stag]

Time for an implant, though.

 

[Kyuu]

Sod it! I went to get my parts today, and let me say can they make the ram any harder to plug in?

But I've made a right cockup. I picked up the 8600 GTS instead of the GT and the GTS needs a 400W power supply and mine's only 300w. Now is the difference worth the price of a new psu or should I return it?

RAM hard to plug in? It does take a bit of force to get it snapped in, I suppose. Be glad you didn't to do it back in the days when you had to worry about banking and snapping off delicate little pins off your sticks of RAM. And if you think that's an uncomfortable amount of force to be using around delicate computer parts, just hope you never have to try and snap on a heatsink onto your CPU.

Anyways, as far as I can tell, the 8600GTS is about the same as the GT but with slightly faster clock speeds. If you don't mind having paid a little extra for something you could've accomplished by overclocking the cheaper GT, then there's no worry.

You really should upgrade that PSU, though. 300W is rather inadequate, especially with a performance video card. Even if it does manage to actually supply the parts with power, it's going to be seriously overtaxed and is going to start causing problems (freezes, crashes, random reboots, can all be caused by PSUs going bad) before long, if it doesn't outright fail. You want at least 400W, the higher the better though. Anything over 500W starts to be overkill unless you're running SLi setups with overclocked everything. A feature called Active PFC is a good thing to have too, makes the PSU more efficient and provides cleaner power to your components.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

RAM hard to plug in?

It was as much the fact every thing else was in the way, I couldn't get to the two free banks without very fiddly maneuvering or dismantling half the machine. Then I couldn't get the clips to snap into place, or once I did the ram still didn't register so I had to open it up and start over.

If you don't mind having paid a little extra for something you could've accomplished by overclocking the cheaper GT, then there's no worry.

It did get bundled with a copy of Rainbow 6 Vegas so that does even the price out, but that's without factoring in the cost of a psu.

Grrr I hate changing psus, with my previous machine once the original psu died I had to replace the psu 3 times, almost once a year for the remainder of it's lifespan. Sod it I might just pay someone to do it for me.

 

[Kyuu]

It was as much the fact every thing else was in the way, I couldn't get to the two free banks without very fiddly maneuvering or dismantling half the machine. Then I couldn't get the clips to snap into place, or once I did the ram still didn't register so I had to open it up and start over.

Ah yes, sometimes the case and/or mobo design can make it a right pain to get to certain components. As far as getting the clips to engage, just make very sure that you have the RAM stick oriented the right way around (double check those notches), and you have to press rather firmly. If the clips are engaged and the RAM isn't crooked, then it should be seated correctly. Anyways, I'm sure you figured this all out messing with it, which is the best - if also the most aggravating - way to learn. I take it you did get the RAM to register yes?

It did get bundled with a copy of Rainbow 6 Vegas so that does even the price out, but that's without factoring in the cost of a psu.

Free games are always nice, assuming that you actually want to play them of course. And you need the new PSU anyway!

Grrr I hate changing psus, with my previous machine once the original psu died I had to replace the psu 3 times, almost once a year for the remainder of it's lifespan. Sod it I might just pay someone to do it for me.

I would try and convince you to do just do it yourself, but seeing as how I'm going to be trying to get a job doing that sort of thing for people very soon, I probably shouldn't be trying to discourage business by telling people most of the stuff is actually very easy to do yourself. *salesman mode* But hey, what you're really paying for is peace of mind, *salesman mode off* since if the techie screws up, then the shop is liable for fixing it!