first build for gaming

[Mcee]

First build trying to get the most bang for my buck instead of spending it at alienware... this system is about 2300 usd any suggestions or comments are appreciated,,,, thanks

CASE Coolermaster Cosmos S Black E-ATX Aluminum Case 7X5.25 4X3.5INT Front USB & Sound (RC-1100-KKN1)

CPU COOLER Tuniq Tower 120 Universal CPU Cooler 120mm Cooling Fan and Fan Controller/Heatsink

PWR SUPPLY OCZ EliteXStream - 1 kW

CPU Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 / 2.66 GHz ( 1333 MHz ) - L2 12 will OC

RAM DDR3Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) X 2 FOR 8 GIG

VIDEO CARD BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCE GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

HARD DRIVE 150GB VelociRaptor SATA 3Gb s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive 10K RPM

MOTHER BOARD ASUS STRIKER II NSE LGA775 nForce 790i SLI

BLUE-DVD-CDLG Black 6X Blu-ray DVD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD

SOUND CARD Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer OPTIONAL WITH THIS MOBO

[tony_j15]

You're going to have to use a 64bit OS to utilize that RAM. Just FYI.
I'd add a second, larger hard drive for storage and recovery. You'd be amazed how quickly 150gb will dissapear these days.

[KarmaKiller]

That's a helluva system. But I gotta ask, why?
You could build a PC that would handle every game fine for half the cost.
Another thing to think about is Intel's new line of CPU's are coming out here in a month or so. And if nothing else, that is gonna lead to price drops on the current stuff out on the market now.
But I would wait for the I7, and the X58 boards. They are gonna be insanely fast..
Just my two cents

[RamonGTP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarmaKiller

That's a helluva system. But I gotta ask, why?
You could build a PC that would handle every game fine for half the cost.
Another thing to think about is Intel's new line of CPU's are coming out here in a month or so. And if nothing else, that is gonna lead to price drops on the current stuff out on the market now.
But I would wait for the I7, and the X58 boards. They are gonna be insanely fast..
Just my two cents

I'm confused... Mainly becuase his system does not appear to be over the top at all. It's very solid, for sure, but not over the top. Ram is insanely cheap, so 8GB is fine. He's going with a single GPU and a quad core that isn't an extreme edition.

Secondly, you advised a lesser system and then went on to recommend an i7 which would cost significatnly more than what he just put together.

[KarmaKiller]

I was mainly trying to hint at he should save his money till the I7 comes out. But if he was gonna build now, then he could do it for cheap.
We all know the price cuts are coming on Intel CPU's, so why not save a little, especially when it's right around the corner.

But I really do think this is probably over board for most people.
Unless he's aiming for a super high OC, there is no reason to buy the Mobo. Same goes for DDR3, it's still not worth the price increase IMO.
The power supply is also way overkill.

[RamonGTP]

Now that you mention specifics, I'd have to agree.

The PSU is overkill
DDR3 is virtually worthless right now
AND for your own sake don't get an nVidia based chipset! (would have mentioned that part myself earlier if I had noticed it)

[KarmaKiller]

Ramon, one of these days I will get you over your hatred for Nvidia chipsets..
But for now, I agree a X48/P45 chipset is the better bang for buck, along with ATI 48xx series cards. They perform better in their price brackets.

I will say that Nvidia cards are the way to go though if your a folder. They are much more efficient then ATI cards.
But I doubt that has any bearing here.

[RamonGTP]

Not gonna happen. I've used too many and have had problems with them to ever go back. Can't tell you how many nForce 4 boards I went through. They were absolutly great when they worked, overclocked well and had good performance, but they often cooked themselves over time. The 680i was even worse, taking your memory along with it.

The way I see it, why even bother when there is something better in every way. P45/x48 isn't only better bank for the buck, it's better, period.

[||Console||]

Dont get the q9450 they are EOL . Get the q9550 most places have them for the same price and they have the extra .5 multi that will help with overclocking 3.8-3.9 should be possiable from want i have seen on the q9550's

I also agree get a DDR2 MB I would also look in to teh ATI cards look @ teh games you play some the NVs win some the ATIs when ( more so when you start overclocking )

Every one on this fourm is of the option that ATI wins hands down . But to be it more depends on the overclocker in Forum Wars ( Benchmarking Comp ) I beat more than a few 260gtx's. 280 gtx ,4850's and 4870's with my single 8800gt .

I would love to play with cf 4870's and a 3.8+ghz quad
I would drop the raptor , if you are really looking for Speed grab 2 new Intel SSDs and raid 0 them . Now thats OS speed

[RamonGTP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ||Console||

Every one on this fourm is of the option that ATI wins hands down .

lol, I wouldn't quite say that. The competition in the video card catagory is pretty close and there certainly is no clear winner.