New system suggestions needed

[mindgam3]

I haven't had a custom PC for a while as I've been forced to have a laptop only. However looking to build a new PC (all components needed) for around the £1500 mark. I've specced up something I reckon I could go for within my budget (roughly). I want this to be a mainly gaming machine, and to be as future proof as possible. Is there anything you would change on the list below to get the price down a bit or for better components?

Any suggestions and comments much appreciated.


CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6400

Mobo - Asus P5N32 SLI Premium (Need a SLi board for future proofing.. is there many alternatives?)

Memory - 2GB CorsairTwinX XMS2

GPU - 768Mb BFG Technology 8800GTX

HD - 250 Gb Samsung SP2504C (Cheap and big, does it for me)

DVD - Sony AW-G170AB2

Case - Silverstone TJ09B (Any other decent cases about, what about lian li's offerings?)

PSU - 600w Seasonic S12-600 (Enough power for more HD's and SLI etc?)

Monitor - 20.1" Dell E207WFP (Considering going 22" or maybe 24", is it worth it for the extra cash?)

 

[semi-pro waster]

If I was going to blow £1500 I'd possibly opt for something like this. I don't think there is any point in SLi (or Crossfire for that matter) with any monitor less than 24" or at resolutions less than 1600x1200, particularly when an 8800GTX will play everything maxed out comfortably. I personally would rather get the Dell 2407 and an 8800GTS but since you requested the 8800GTX I've left that in instead.

NEC AD7170A 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £18.50
(£21.74) £18.50
(£21.74)
Samsung SpinPoint P SP2504C 250GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM £42.99
(£50.51) £42.99
(£50.51)
Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - OEM £177.99
(£209.14) £177.99
(£209.14)
BFG GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £384.99
(£452.36) £384.99
(£452.36)
Gigabyte GA_965P_DS4 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £99.99
(£117.49) £99.99
(£117.49)
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC) £149.99
(£176.24) £149.99
(£176.24)
Asus MW221U 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Silver/Black £239.99
(£281.99) £239.99
(£281.99)
Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Black £48.99
(£57.56) £48.99
(£57.56)
Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-520HXUK) £61.99
(£72.84) £61.99
(£72.84)
Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 - Black/Silver £29.99
(£35.24) £29.99
(£35.24)
Sub Total : £1,255.41
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £14.95
Vat : £222.31
Total : £1,492.67

 

[mindgam3]

Thanks for the reply.

I understand that the GTX should be fine on its own but I'm thinking about in a year or twos time when I can just put another in when I need to. In which time I may opt for a 24" monitor (I may splash out a bit more initially for this anyway)

I see the main difference in your list is that you've gone for slightlly cheaper mobo, case etc to fit the E6600 in.

Is the E6600 really worth it over the E6400? It seems not much more for a lot more cash? Whats the overcloability of the E6400 if i need to?

Are there any major new technologies due out in the next few months that I should wait for before buying?

Cheers

 

[semi-pro waster]

The 6600 has 4mb L2 cache rather than the 2mb of the 6300/6400, I tend to take the view that you can overclock both but you can't add more cache. I think that the extra cache is roughly equivalent to a 400mhz overclock if memory serves which is easily achieveable on a 6400 or even a 6300 as many will reach well over 3ghz but then so will the 6600 and it still has double the cache.

The motherboard is cheaper but is a better overclocker from what I know, if you really want SLi then I think you have to go for an nforce680i based motherboard, which will set you back around £200 or more.

I can't think of anything in the immediate future that is worth waiting for as quad-core will remain pricey for a while and isn't likely to be utilised much in the near future anyway so you could wait forever if you keep looking for things "just around the corner".