Hello

I am new to this forum and I would like to say Hello to everyone and thank you for providing such wonderful information for me to review.

I am trying to build a gaming computer that will be used solely for gaming. I hope all the components can last a good long while and maybe I would replace the graphics card in a year or two. I am getting a quad core so the system will be that much more future proof.

This is my first time building so I would like everything to work with very little problems. When I overclock, I plan to clock the Q6600 2.4 to about 3-3.2 max because people seem to say that is stable. I would like to play the current games out as well as upcoming FPS's.

Everything will be bought through Newegg, Amazon, and clubit.

Monitor: 22" Samsung 2253BW or 22" Dell 2208 - Newegg - $270
Case: LIAN LI PC-B25B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg - $230
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping - clubit.com - $224
GPU: EVGA 8800gts 512mb OC - Amazon - $270 (no tax, free shipping)
Mobo: ABIT IP35 Pro or GIGABYTE GA-EX38-DS4 or GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L - Newegg - $110-200.
PSU: Corsair 520HX - Newegg - $110
HD: WD 640GB 7200rpm - Newegg - $110
Memory: 4gb (2x2gb) G.Skill 800 - Newegg - $80
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek HDT-S1283 + Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - Newegg - $50
DVD Drive: Pioneer DVR-215DBK - Newegg - $30
OEM: Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM -$99.99

So I am sure the first thing I am going to hear is that the case is too expensive. I tend to agree. I however am very picky about my cases and I want something classy and stylish without being a floodlight in a bed room. I really like Lian-li cases as they are very well made and they seem to meet my minimalist design needs. Will everything fit comfortably in a mid-tower? Case recomendations would be great I'd like to just get the cheapest mobo as long as it will overclock to where I want but I have heard I should go for the other two I mentioned. Any comments on this issue would be great as well.

I have the perogative to save my money whereever I can but never do I want to skimp on quality. I just want the best bang for the buck and think I am pretty close.

Thanks again for the folks on this forum

For the Motherboard i'd go with the GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L, it will easily do what your asking.

As for a case, A really solid case, is the Antec P182. It's not super flashy, but sleek looking. It's 179.99 at Newegg, so a good deal cheaper then the Lian Li. I can personally say it's a great case, and a pleasure to build in due to it's handy cable management layout. And when i mean solid, i mean 40-50lbs solid once everything is in the case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] tec%2bp182

Also if your interested, i may be willing to part with mine for a reasonable price. (I'm more interested in the flashier Antec 1200) My e-mail is LuciusCyriacus@gmail.com, or you can PM me here. Again that's if your interested.

yes ga-p35-ds3l mobo. samsung monitor, i have the 20inch one, but its outside feels cheap but looks highend. image is amzing. osd is real gay. its buttons are gayly positioned. its not glass underneath, its clear plastic. real cheap feeling. basicly it feels cheap, the casing, but looks high end, image is amazing. ur spending alot on a case, why not get an antec 900 or something anzzier. 8800gt is better, its only 150 usd from newegg, even comes with company of heroes which is a AAA game title that costs 20 usd at a retail store. screw the hsf, get an arctic cooling freezer 7 pro for 27 bucks. get crucial ballistix which is compatible with the ga-p35-ds3l mobo, maybe the patriot is compatible, ud have to check. i would get a liteon 20dvd burner, better quality, best support, flashing it to newest firmware is easy, great brand, same 30 bucks. i got mine for 20 i think on sale? idk forgot, no coasters so far. fast burns even with old 8x media. gonna get 16x after i run out. installs from cds and dvds sooooo fast. i wouldnt pay more for an oc gpu, just save money on a stock gts 512mb and manually clock it urself using rivatuner or the control panel. get xfx, double lifetime warranty beats 30day or whatever step up. u can even oc, doesnt void warranty. good harddrive, its fast for its price. very fast, raptor fast.

This mobo form new egg you can bundle with a evga 8800gt and save a bit more. Also can sli later if you chose.
- EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
Also at the moment duel core are faster than quad i would wait for the new intel chip to release if you plan to quad.
Vista to is okay but in a year there might be a better more stable version (windows 7) also its supposed to be lighter on the system.
Another thing is you might want to invest in a bigger psu so you could later to water cooling cause i hear that quads heat up pretty good.
This is the one ill be running in my system - ZALMAN ZM750-HP Continuous 750W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 Modular LED Heatpipe-Cooled SLI Power Supply
-SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor That is really good lcd its about $289 on new egg but they have a 20 inch thats a flatt $200
This is a very good case that is cheaper -Antec Sonata Designer 500 Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case New egg sells for $150 Here is a video review by 3dgameguy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnBRl1UuREo OR goto 3dgameman.com).
One last thing is you might want to look into a asus xonar sound card the dx on new egg is $99 but from reivews it out performs the creative x-fi and runs perfectly on vista unlike creative. Im building a system and so far its about $1,800 the soundcard helps alot if you listen to music or play games. way better than on-board versions. Hope this helps!

He's gonna want a awesome cooler if he runs a quad. The Xigmatic is a top notch air cooler. Not saying the Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 won't cut it, because it will. It's if he has an above average ambient temp, or get's more ambitious with his overclock, then the best air cooler is a better choice.

he could buy a water cooling kit from newegg for 150 or so thermatake it has cpu and all

He could, although the "cheap" kits tend not to perform like we'd expect. And in a lot of cases crap out sooner rather then later.

It's best to piece a quality loop together.

Thanks for the comments.

Water Cooling is going to be too much for me I think. Since I do not plan to do that, is the 520HX good enough or should I go to 620? $50 difference.

So would everything fit into a mid tower case?

How much would the quads drop with the new chipset coming out?

As for the cases, I just really like Lian-li cases. Would another lower end Lian-LI case provide the same cooling and silence?

Oh and thanks noobkaboob, I'll probably get that sound card too.

PC-gamer - I've heard that memory is very good, I'll probably go with that!

Thanks for the responds




I think for the mobo, it is between the Abit IP35 Pro and the DS3L. There is a $60 difference... can I justify it for what I want to do with my computer?

IP35 PRO is a good board, and so is the DS3L. Both are solid, both overclock well.......the Abit is a bit better on the features.........so check the price difference. All things being equal, I'd go with the cheaper one and put that extra $60 into that Lian-Li instead

I lielan and antec booth cool good, but if you want great cooling for cheaper antec 900 cant be beat 4x 120mm fams and a big 200mm fan all for $109 on new egg