# Building My First High-End Gaming PC



## Overwatch (Nov 5, 2007)

Hey guys, my last two computer have been from Dell and both have ended up failing me at one point or another. The current one I have is starting to give me hell, so I figure it's time for me to get a new computer. I was originally looking at getting one of their new XPS computers with the liquid cooling, but decided against it when I saw the price tag attached to it. So I've opted to instead try to build my own computer and hopefully shave off a few dollars.

Now, I have little to no clue as to what I'm doing, but I do have a rough idea of the parts that I need to get for this machine to work, I think.

Here's a list of the parts I'm looking at buying eventually. I'm planning to go with a SLI setup, hence the dual 8800 GT video cards.

Anyway, here goes nothing.
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Budget: I have a total of ~$3,000.00 I can spend, but I'd prefer to not spend that much on a computer if I can help it. Preferably something around the $2,800.00 to $1,500.00 range or lower, but whatever.

Brands: Since this will be my first computer that isn't from Dell, I have no idea what brands to avoid, and which ones to shoot for.

Multitasking: If I can use Zune Marketplace or Windows Media Player 11, have MSN and Xfire running, and play Supreme Commander or something like Crysis on all high without any slowdown at the same time, I'll be good to go.

Gaming: I'm a fairly hardcore gamer, and I'd like to be able to play many of the newer games on all high with an above average FPS. I'll be playing games like Haze, Supreme Commander, Company of Heroes, etc.

Calculations: Well from what I've heard, Supreme Commander does a lot of heavy calculations when you have a ton of units on the screen fighting one another, otherwise I don't know.

Overclocking: N/A

Storage: I'm not entirely sure how much space I need. I know that I currently only have around one 144 GB HDD and haven't even come close to filling it up yet. A bit more space might be nice to have though in the long run. More than likely I'll be storing _lots_ of music, videos, pictures, Microsoft Word documents, and games.

Legacy Support: N/A

Operating System: I was thinking of going with Windows XP for now and later upgrading to Windows Vista, but if I can go with Vista now to save myself the trouble later then I'd like to. I'll take whichever option is better.

Case: Basically, I would like a case that helps keep the system cooled, and has enough space to fit everything I need/want in it.

Accessories: Clearly I'll need a new keyboard/mouse. They don't necessarily have to be a gaming set, since I can always buy a gaming-orientated keyboard/mouse later on if I feel the need to.

Recycled Components: N/A

Monitor: A nice 24" monitor with a native resolution of 1280x1024 would work, since that's what I have now. To be honest, a larger one couldn't hurt, but if it's going to set my pocketbook on fire then I'd prefer to go for the less expensive solution.

Stores: Newegg or possibly TigerDirect, whichever one has what I need for a better bargain and is reliable.

Location: United States of America
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EDIT: Whoops, forgot to actually include a link to the list of parts I'm looking at right now.


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## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

Ok have a look at this

*Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail $280*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115028


*ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $220*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131182


*Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM $185
*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136011


*Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $70*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262


*XFX PVT80FSHE9 GeForce 8800GTX Extreme 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $485 ( after rebate )*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150232


*CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $68 ( after rebate )
*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145177


*PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, ULC, CE, CB, RoHS - Retail $180*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009


*Open Box: ViewSonic VX2435WM Piano Black 24" 8ms Widescreen FULL HD 1080p HDMI (w/HDCP) LCD Monitor 500 cd/m2 1000:1 Built in Speakers $500*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116079R


*Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan - Retail
Weekend Special Savings, while supplies last $124 ( after reabte )
*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133021


*Logitech LX300 Black 86 Normal Keys 34 Function keys Function Keys PS/2 RF Wireless Standard Desktop Mouse Included - Retail $41
*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126156

* Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM $140
*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116059

*Total $2293*


I have included 2 hard drives, 1 is a 10,000rpm raptor to install the operating system on and the other for storage.

I would also stick with XP if you are a gammer as I am not sure of how compatable vista and games are. But if you really want DX10 then you have to go vista

*Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM $180*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116213

*ViewSonic VX2835WM Piano Black 3ms(GTG) Widescreen FULL HD 1080p HDMI (w/HDCP) LCD Monitor 500 cd/m2 800:1 Built in Stereo Speakers - Retail $680*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116084


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## pharoah (Aug 28, 2006)

just to add about vista.i have only had one compatibility problem on vista.midnight club2,and vista dont mix.ive run games as old as diablo to as new as the crysis demo,and have only had a problem with that one game.


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## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

Thanks pharoah,

I am not a big gamer and have only really played BF2142 on vista and NFS underground.

Always good to hear from the gaming team


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Blackduck listed a kick-butt spec for you! ray:
he didnt even leave a crumb for me to nibble on! :laugh:


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## Overwatch (Nov 5, 2007)

Thanks, blackduck30! I like the price and the components offered in that list, very nice deal.

I just have a few quick questions, though.

First, would there be any advantage in going with dual 8800GT's instead of a single 8800GTX card? If so, would this motherboard be a suitable replacement for the one offered in the list, assuming I'm seeking a dual 8800GT solution?

Also, a friend of mine suggested this set of RAM and wanted to know if there would be any advantage offered by it if I were to go with that set over the one you listed?

My friend would also like to know if clocking an E6600 to E6850 speeds with similar/better performance is possible?

Again, thanks for the help guys! I'm definitely considering going with what you've listed so far, I was just curious about the above. Thanks again! :grin:


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Evga boards are normaly to be avoided


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the trouble is really good SLI boards that overclock well are horribly expensive like the Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6 {although that might be a crossfire board which means dual AT video cards) but regardless


high quality SLI boards are insane expensive the gigabyte GA-680-sli comes to mind


I dont think the wee increase from sli with two GTS would be worth what marginal if any improvement over the GTX would be ???? certainly not worth the extra motherboard cost ???


as for quad core Q-6600 / there are very few games that are truely able to use four cores, most games are quad compatible which is a far cry from quad optimized!!

I would go with the E6850 for now later if you get Quad fever you will be able to pick up a 6600 mcuh cheaper than now


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## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

Well personally I think 2 X8800GTX's is a waste of money and the then you add the cost of a bigger power supply and also SLI is not always a dream in terms of stability.

I also preferr the P35 chipset over the 680i. The P35 has shown itself as a wonderful performer.

I would never own a EVGA board over an ASUS. I see there only really being 2 boards to look at ASUS and Gigabyte.

OCZ ram is ok, I generally stick to corsair as it is more compatible with a lot more boards.

As for overclocking, if you can afford a 6850 it will always be better than running a 6600 above what it was released at, sure you can do it but a 6600 running at 6850 speeds will run hotter, plus with a 6850 you then have the option to run an overclock on that starting from a higher base point.

I would own what I have listed ( I drool over the 28" viewsonic )

*EDIT: As usual linderman, great words of wisdom and typing faster than me :grin:*


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

your ram link didnt work 



I am goign to assume your buddy is talking about 1066 ram ??????


it will offer you nothing but a higher price tag than the DDR2-800 linked by blackduck


the other day I posted a screen shot of my system when I was running 5 resource hogging applications simultanously to get and keep my E6850 "pinned" down at 85% to 100% CPU usauge >>>>> it was only using 25% to 35% of my memory ?????? therefore why get faster memory if you cant use what i got now ???????


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## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

RAM link

OCZ SLI-Ready 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820227198


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I agree with Blackduck *Asus or Gigabyte & P35 *


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## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

I like the E6850 as it has for 1 the 1333 FSB were as the E6600 is only 1066
Also with a base line of 3GHz, it is a nice performer stock

From what i have seen the P5K deluxe is also a nice board and is considered better than it brother the 
P5K Premium. also with native 1333 FSB. The Wi-Fi is a good bonus as well

I am hanging to setup my own system on a Raptor but it is not economical for me as I already have way too many drives but if starting from scratch a raptor will make a nice addition spinning away at 10,000rpm as opposed to 7200

As i have mentioned before i would rather go an 8800GTX over 2 X 8800GTs mainy due to power consumption extra heat and for me , not being able to run dual monitors when running SLI

The PC Power and cooling power supplies are a nice quality unit

I use viewsonic monitors myself and they have been great ( 20" & 22" ) When i get the money saved i will get the 28"

I also have a variation of the armor case and they are great for cooling and have plenty of space


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## Overwatch (Nov 5, 2007)

Alright then. Thanks a bunch for all the help blackduck30 and linderman, I really appreciate it!

By the way, I was referring to the newer 8800GT cards and not the 8800GTS or 8800GTX cards, just in case there was any confusion there. The lone 8800GTX along with a P35 motherboard seems like the best choice though, so thanks again guys.

I'm not entirely sure when I'll end up buying this set or not, so I may be back later to see if any of the parts should be updated before I make a final purchase. Anyway though, thanks again (I know I've said it way too many times, lol)!


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

enjoy the research thats half the fun :wave:


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## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

No prob Overwatch, we are always happy to help out were we can, look forward to hear of any updates


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## pharoah (Aug 28, 2006)

blackduck30 said:


> Well personally I think 2 X8800GTX's is a waste of money and the then you add the cost of a bigger power supply and also SLI is not always a dream in terms of stability.
> [/B]


sli is good for games that support it,but will slow down games that dont.so overall i agree its really not worth it.also i love the p35:grin:


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Really though i saw a 8800gt get to 90c under load o.o


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

wont last long at those temps !


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

That was during a review that it was posted....and they had good airflow....


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## wintersnow (Aug 30, 2007)

Hey I think you can have a look at the AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor :
http://www.dealstudio.com/searchdeals.php?deal_id=61631
And this Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131013


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## wintersnow (Aug 30, 2007)

And I know that Gateway FHD2400 is a good monitor :
24" viewable ,16:10 aspect ratio,1920 x 1200 ,400 cd/m² ,1000:1 ,3 ms response time .


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

The E6850 will out perform the 6400 especially if overclocking is considered >>>> also the FSB of the 6850 = 1333 mhz what is the FSB of the 6400 ??


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## auronmotomo (Nov 8, 2008)

wow, you can build this computer for about 1500-1800 now.

pretty god parts and good price.

sorry for bump, but this is a really good set-up


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## Lemonio (Nov 17, 2006)

chuck the 8800 and get a HD4870
good stuff


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