Possible new/first build. Opinions Please

wordy · 4 Apr 2008 at 11:15

I'm looking to build a new PC for gaming and have come up with the following.

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 & DDR3 Motherboard
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-8000C5 1000MHz ReaperX HPC Enhanced Bandwidth Edition Dual Channel DDR2 (OCZ2RPX10004GK)
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
Western Digital RE2 320GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (WD3201ABYS
Enermax Liberty 500W ELT500AWT ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case
Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7191A 20x DVD±RW IDE Dual Layer Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM

The thing I'd like to know I'm not going to be getting it until late may, would it be worth holding on to see how much the 8800 GTX drop by or would a 9600 be better than either a 8800 GTS or 8800GTX?

Thanks

mp260767 · 4 Apr 2008 at 11:54

what size monitor are you running ?

don't expect the 8800gtx to drop that much, more than likely just be phased out rather than really under priced.

also, you haven't included an aftermarket cooler as you've specified the oem q6600, likes of tuniq tower , noctua will do you.

wordy · 4 Apr 2008 at 11:59

mp260767 said:
what size monitor are you running ?

don't expect the 8800gtx to drop that much, more than likely just be phased out rather than really under priced.

also, you haven't included an aftermarket cooler as you've specified the oem q6600, likes of tuniq tower , noctua will do you.

I've got a dell 2405 24" monitor.

Thought the OEM Q6600 would come with a cooler, in that case I'll probably buy the full retail verson of the Q6600.

1kiwi · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:15

Get the OEM CPU and a Tunic Tower / 120. That way if you decide to overclock in the future, you will have a heatsink that allows you to do so.

spb251272 · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:25

Don't bother with the retail if it's just for the hsf, just get a freezer 7 pro instead. This will give you much more headroom in overclocking.

closeratio · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:48

Yeah the freezer 7 pro really is a good cooler for the price.

And I've got the same mobo and case as in your spec and I can vouch for both of them. I've heard some stories of this board sometimes having memory problems with certain brands of memory but I think it was all just down to incorrect voltage settings.

And the Antec 900 is a bit of a dust magnet, but I reckon it's worth the sacrifice for the amount of airflow you get (it's like a mini wind tunnel

)

wordy · 4 Apr 2008 at 14:53

What about the gfx cards, are 9600's better than 8800GTS/GTX ?

closeratio · 4 Apr 2008 at 15:53

I think when reading some of the comparison charts for these cards, the (G92) 8800GTS was faster than the 9600 and obviously so was the GTX. I think the 9600 is just a bit slower than the 8800GT on average. I reckon about the same speed as the Ati 3850, maybe even the 3870.

mp260767 · 4 Apr 2008 at 15:54

go with an 8800gts/gtx over the 9600's.

edit xfx 8800gtx on offer at the mo for £177, so may time you might still be able to get a deal.