Building new comp 1200$ limit Help???

I was thinking about spending about 1200$ max for a new desktop.
I was wondering what I should get to the most out of it???

 

Well, what were you thinking about using the computer for?

 

That depends on the usage. $1200 is a relatively high budget, so if unless you're a gamer you can get some top end gear, and even if you are you can go for a very respectable PC. Try something along the lines of:
Core 2 Duo E6750
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R
2x1GB Corsair XMS2 RAM
Radeon HD3870 Graphics
Corsair HX 520W PSU

 

Gaming...


Does it make a huge difference between 1X2GB and 2X4GB RAM??? What is 3200, 6400, etc?

Regarding Video Cards is it better to invest in Radeon or Nvidia? Does it differ for what you're gonna use it for like games, video editing, photo editing?

Sammorris is that what you'd get if you were planning to build a new comp???

I already have a monitor

 

Generally, there is no better brand in cases like that. It's a simple case of "is x better than y" - it varies depending on what sort of graphics card you're after.
Overall, I recommend the HD3870 graphics card. it produces the best quality image of any current graphics card, is very powerful, and the stock cooler is relatively quiet.
As for the RAM, I recommend going with 2 sticks, so just choose the size you need. If you want 2GB, get 2x1GB, if you want 4GB, get 2x2GB. If you can afford the latter, go for it. If not, stay with 2GB, but never drop below that or you may have trouble with some games.
3200, 6400 (and also 4200,5300,8000,8500) are speeds of RAM. Generally buy PC6400 or PC8500 stuff, and look for the lowest CAS Latency you can find.

 

Core 2 Quad Q9450
eVGA A1 780i
2x1GB Corsair XMS2 RAM
eVGA 8800GT SSC in SLi
Logitech Z-5300e/G15/G7

Would this be considered a better configuration than the one mentioned above???

Sammorris, I stalked your profile and saw your configuration. You have many computers.

 

The G15 and G7, while high quality stuff, may be a bit overkill for most needs. The Saitek keyboard and Razer mouse I use are excellent, and will probably set you back far less. The Z-5300 is a good set of speakers, of course the Z-5500s are even better...
As for the 8800s, I wouldn't bother with SLi, it's not remotely cost effective. I wouldn't even recommend that card. It's fast but it's not very up to date, and assuming you're not going to upgrade again soon you may as well get something that lasts, so I recommend you stick with the 3870.
Quad core CPUs are nice, but are you going to use one? Weigh up the pros and cons of that one.

As for my profile, heh, well three isn't many by most standards, and I haven't used the third for quite a long while. The first two are active every day though.

 

How much did your first configuration cost and when did you build it???
Why does one need to use more than 1 comp at a time??? :S

 

If you read, one's a gaming PC, one's a file server - I have 9 hard drives I use on a regular basis, I don't want half a dozen external hard drives so I have a separate PC manning my hard drives over a network.

The filePC was made out of older parts of my gaming PC, so I can only really say how much they cost together, which works out at a pretty astonishing £2000 (so approximately $3000 given that parts are more expensive over here). They're not worth anywhere near that much now unfortunately.

 

Here is my take on it. A little different from Sam's but whatever.

Thermaltake Armor Case
Core 2 Duo E6750
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R(Don't need DDR3 support, save yourself 40 bucks)
2x1GB Crucial Ballistix PC-8500(Fast RAM comes in handy for overclocing)
Radeon HD3870 Graphics
Corsair VX550
AC Freezer 7 Pro CPU cooler

 

E6750 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029 $190
GA-P35-DS3R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128050 $135.60
2x1GB PC6400 Corsair XMS2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034 $37 after rebates ($70 cheaper than the Balistix - the Tracers are out of stock anyway)
HIS HD3870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161212 $256
Corsair VX 550W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004 $85 after rebate
Thermalright Ultra-90 http://www.ncixus.com/products/21118/ULTRA-90-775/THERMALRIGHT/ $40
Nexus 92mm fan http://www.ncixus.com/products/12828/92MM/Nexus Technology/ $9
NZXT Lexa Blackline $104 after rebate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146038
NEC 20x DVD burner $24 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118003
Totalling

$881

 

I still don't agree with the RAM. So yeah it's a little bit more expensive, but it's VERY good for overclocking. The Tracer doesn't make a difference, it's just got some LEDs on it.

 

That's the only difference then? I wasn't sure whether the Tracers were a different kind of RAM.
The Crucial Ballistix is the worst performing mid-range DDR3 RAM, so it looks like the tables may be turning in that arena.
As for the PC8500 stuff though, it's CAS5, so the only gains are from having a high bus speed. At a 2x memory multiplier, you can run a 1600mhz FSB before you overclock PC6400, so that's 3.33Ghz to start with. Unless you're a high voltage freak, I don't see any harm in going with the Corsair stuff.

 

Well if you are getting a E6750 might as well try to go to 4Ghz right?

Anyway that's excellent ram and I'm sure it will let you run at 4Ghz at 1000mhz ram speed at 4-4-4-12.

 

1Ghz at CAS4? Hmm, it's only 1.066Ghz to start with and CAS5, so I'm dubious as to whether you could pull that off.
What sort of voltage do you need to pull 4Ghz?

 

Sam I've done it before. 1Ghz with cas4 with Ballistic PC-8000 RAM.

As for the 4Ghz, I don't know as my current ram can't go that high.

 

So you're currently only using PC6400?

 

Yeah that's what I'm using. So at 4-4-4-12 I can only pull off 4ghz. I don't want to increase the latencies, but I have done 3.8 Ghz when I changed to cas5.

 

So back to my original question - at what voltages?

 

I think at around 1.5 is what people get 4Ghz. Are you asking hwat voltages I run at? 1.42 is what I use.