hi guys, I am interested in building a new computer for myself which i will be using for some softcore gaming, running some music programs, basic stuff, and downloading/burning. i've been doing some research and have got the basic gist of things but would like to run my components list by the experts and see if you could give me a better option or advice. M/B: Gigabyte GA - P35 - DS3P Processor: Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz Power Supply: AMD 550W (supports SATAII and Core duo) RAM: 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 Hard drive: Seagate 320GB SATA II 16mb Video Card: eVGA Geforce 8600GT 256mb PCI-e (need advice on this) the totall price range should be around about $1000 AUSD with a case and maybe a sound card. If you spot any problems or think i could make this better somehow all advice is welcome. thanks in advance
I know you can save a lot of money by buying a C2D that's rated at 1.8Ghz, and then overclock it to 3Ghz, since they are very good at overclocking, but then you would need to invest in an after market cooler. As for the graphics card, an 8600 is not so fast, I would rather you go with a nVidia 7950, or possibly an ATi x1900 series. The 8600 is more of a budget dx10 card, and although you'll miss the Dx10 goodies with the other cards, they will still be faster in the same games. Also, the PSU like sam said isnt very good. I dont think the AMD PSUs are that great, but the Corsairs are pretty good, so try to give them a shot.
Agreed, if you fancy overclocking, go for an E4300 and a Freezer 7 pro cooler. If not, stick with the 6750 you've chosen. The Graphics card depends on what sort of games you play, if it's nothing complex, things like online poker and miniclip games, then you don't need a powerful GPU at all. If it's games like FEAR, Stalker, Rainbow Six Vegas, Crysis and so on, you need something powerful, moreso than an 8600GT. Perhaps an X1950GT?
thanks for all your help, i will be playing fairly new games so your graphics card help has helped alot. also there is talk of the power supply, this is it here http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI...m=330168264078&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=014 also, i am not very good with computers and i would have no idea how to overclock, or what overclocking is, so i would probably prefer to just get the 2.66GHz thanks
looked at more graphics cards suggested, the 7950 one is way to expensive for my budget, how about this one http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-ATI-Rade...ryZ40156QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem is that a good price??? thanks
Don't use ebay for computer components, it's a bit risky. That's not especially cheap for an X1950GT either. However, they are good value cards, so shop around. The onya power supply is also rubbish I'm afraid, you'll need to get something like this. if money's tight, get the power supply BEFORE you buy a new graphics card, and save up again. Trust me it's important.
I agree with sam. START with a good power supply it will save you tons of headaches and possibly cash in the end. From experience I can say a bad psu can fry componets in a millisecond! I run the psu that sam mentioned it is a good one! It looks like your considering an e6750 or e6700, you can save a little cash with a e4400. I have run the 4300 and now the 6420. The 6420 is very close to a 6700, 5oo mhz difference and much cheaper depending on where you buy. The difference is minor unless you run benchmarking software! As for OC'ing it easy to do with the bios options on the new boards and the new c2d's run cooler anyway. Scrape off the crap compound on the reatil cooler and use some artic silver instead. you could do a 5 to 10% OC and run faster for less money, IF you wanted too. I still recommend the AS compund either way!!!! Try this site to compare hardware lots of customer reviews.
Where did the link go? lol http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001&Tpk=corsair+520W Take newegg reviews with a pinch of salt, a lot of people only comment if they have something negative to warn people about, and a lot of people on there are complete idiots, use your head and you can figure out whether a product is any good or not, but it's not straightforward.
thankyou all for you help, i will go look at sum graphics cards in stores and will buy the psu you all suggested once again thanks
