Building a computer, advise please

[Silenced_Coyote]

That IS a VERY nice board. Just because it is by EVGA, who isn't a major motherboard maker, it doesn't mean that it is some crappy, reference rebranded motherboard. The board is an overclocking beast; it will overclock your Core 2 Duo very well. There are a lot of BIOS options too. Another good thing is that it is price relatively cheap compared to the soon to be announed Asus Striker Extreme ($400 at ZipZoomFly... and $375 at places that I never heard of when I searched Froogle).

[Arden]

WOW, thats alot of money on a MoBo. What does it do that is so much better? When this "DX10" comes out, will I be able to run it? How long will it be "cutting edge?"



What i'm really getting at is: Is it worth 170 bucks more?


Edit: Okay, i'll get it. Here is my current setup, any more suggestions? I still need an optical drive recommendation.

BFG Tech BFGR7950512GTOCE GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - $269.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143071

eVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - $259.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188009

OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227139

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 2M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - $221.50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115004

PX-755SA 16X/8X/16X ,DVD+write/dvd+rewrite/dvd-read, 16X/6X ,dvd-write/dvd-rewrite - 119.99
http://www.amazon.com/PX-755SA-DVD%2...6?ie=UTF8&s=pc

Enermax EG701AX-VE-SFMA 24Pin Power Supply / Noisetaker 600W - $127.95
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556018988.html

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $94.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140

APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-Plorer ATXB8KLW-AL Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -$59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144103

D-Link DWL-G510 IEEE 802.11b/g 32bit PCI2.2 2.4G Wireless Adapter up to 54Mbps Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, 802.1x, WPA - $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833127145

MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal USB 2.0 digital card reader with Floppy Drive Model FA404M BLK - 18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16821104104

Dual Blue Cold Cathode Kit - $7.99
http://www.xoxide.com/bluecathode.html

BELKIN F8E093 Anti-Static Wrist Strap -$5.49
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16899888207

18" UV Sensitive Single Device Round IDE Cable - $3.49
http://www.xoxide.com/uvsesichidec.html

Microsoft Windows Vista- Unnanounced
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/

[Silenced_Coyote]

So you are willing to pay $800 for a water cooled 8800GTX from BFG, then you would have to pay another $100-$300 (depending on what water cooling parts you buy) but you aren't willing to fork over $250 for a motherboard?

The EVGA motherboard will make your Core 2 Duo E6400 (overclocked) perform better than a X6800 (stock). This also applies to the E6300.

Nothing is cutting edge for long. But that really doesn't matter. This board will stay with you for a long time unless you are a ver frequent upgrader with a lot of cash. But even then, you would just be wasting your money. This board can take Intel quad core and future Intel products that require a 1333 MHz Front Side Bus. So you still got a very good upgrade path that is available to you. The board can take 3 GPUs, so you are ready when NIVIDIA is going to launch their "Quantum Physics".

Save about $115 if you drop down to the E6300, a IDE CD/DVD burner, and forget the anti-static wrist strap. Money better spent on a motherboard.

[Arden]

Thanks, thats what I was asking. Now do you havve any recommendations on an optical drive.

[xdxforever]

I would like to point out that it would be much easier and cheaper to get a standard fan cooled 8800GTX. the performance One of these cards gives in current games IS BETTER THAN ANY SLI SETUP! read a review on anandtech.com for clarification.
If you cant justify the price for one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130072
then you can still get similar performance with the GTS for $200 less: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130071

for a dvd burner this will do: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151133
its cheap and has the best speeds, there are NEC drives for the same price i would reccomend and you can always get a different color face.

returning to the topic of motherboards: if you really want SLI and good overclocking with the C2D then the 680i boards are the only way to go. if you are willing to have a worse OC then get a 570 board (way cheaper), if you are willing to not have SLI but have a good OC then there are many choices with an Intel 965 being probably the best (also much cheaper).
Personally i would give up the SLI because you will get great performance without it and once you need more performance new tech will make upgrading a better choice.
#1: the EVGA mentioned above
#2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813127014
#3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131032
between 2 and 3 would be a P965 intel but i dont like them really myself, you have to get memory that will boot at low voltage... they cost $150.

[Arden]

Thanks, I swapped the optical for the one you suggested. As for the motherboard and GPU it seems like there is a bit of a disagreement between you and some other member, so i'll wait for more opinions.

[Arden]

err...bump....any more suggestions?

[jreffy]

Again, save your money and go with a moderately high GPU. Right now it's not critical to get the "top of the line" GPU as there are diminishing returns the higher up you go.

In my opinion, you're not getting the best bang for your buck buying a card that's specifically made for Dx10, when Dx10 is NOT released and won't be for a few months, and furthermore there are no games that will be released for Dx10 within the next 6 months.

Wait it out, save your money. The other reason is that these 8800 cards that are "the best thing out there" right now, will drop severely in price over the next few months, while still being kick ass cards.

[Arden]

Okay, thanks for all the suggestions. I am going to post my final setup. I ask for one more read through from all of you. Any suggestions or alterations?

BFG Tech BFGR7950512GTOCE GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - $269.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143071

eVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - $259.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188009

OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227139

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 2M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - $221.50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115004

Enermax EG701AX-VE-SFMA 24Pin Power Supply / Noisetaker 600W - $127.95
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556018988.html

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $94.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140

APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-Plorer ATXB8KLW-AL Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -$59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144103

SAMSUNG Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache E-IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner - $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151133

D-Link DWL-G510 IEEE 802.11b/g 32bit PCI2.2 2.4G Wireless Adapter up to 54Mbps Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, 802.1x, WPA - $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833127145

MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal USB 2.0 digital card reader with Floppy Drive Model FA404M BLK - 18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16821104104

Dual Blue Cold Cathode Kit - $7.99
http://www.xoxide.com/bluecathode.html

BELKIN F8E093 Anti-Static Wrist Strap -$5.49
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16899888207

18" UV Sensitive Single Device Round IDE Cable - $3.49
http://www.xoxide.com/uvsesichidec.html

Microsoft Windows Vista- Unnanounced
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/

[jreffy]

Everything looks fine to me. And in retrospect I really do like the idea of forking otu the extra money for the 680i Motherboard. It may be a bit expensive, but it sets you up for any upgrades that will come out for the next year +. So you won't have to bother putting in a new mobo for any new GPUs or processors that come out.

Good luck with your build!