Gaming freak here...

So..I finally got my last dollar in the pig(gy bank that is ) and of to the computer store with me..I intend on purchasing this build and need some relevant opinions regarding its value (gaming value that is)..I have to mention that the budget I've been talking about (n.r. piggy bank) is of about 1.400$ to the cent.. So, what do you think? Does it fit well together? Is the PSU sufficient? Can I get another system that is better then this one at the same price?..I have to mention that I am not from the US..I'm from Europe..so certain taxes and commercial add-ons make the prices a little bit (and by a little bit I mean "a lot" ) bigger then in the States..Can't wait to hear your comments..


Motherboard: Asus P5KC, Socket 775

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0GHz, FSB1333, 4MB, socket 775

HDD: Seagate 160GB 8M cache SERIAL ATA-II (300MB) 7200rpm with NCQ (Native Command Queuing)

DVD-RW: Pioneer DVR-112BK black SuperMulti DVD+/-R 18x, DVD+/-RW 8x6x, DVD+/-R9 10x DL, DVD-ROM 16x, DVD-RAM write/read 12x, CD-R/CDRW/CD-ROM 40x32x40 ATAPI bulk

Case: RAIDMAX SIRIUS WB Black RMX-SRS WB

RAM: Kit Dual Channel Corsair TWIN2X 2x1024MB DDR2, 800MHz, 4-4-4-12

Power source: Chieftec ATX P4 560W

Video card: BFG Tech GeForce 8800 GT OC 512MB

I think you should drop the E6850 and go for the E6750.
Although the E6750 is 2.66GHz, you can easily overclock it to 3.0GHz and its like $100 less.

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

Use this sight and see if your PSU will suffice the amount of stuff you have.
And make sure its at least 50W more for safe insurance with %>80% efficiency for max results.

[quotemsg=1756005,1,300042]
Motherboard: Asus P5KC, Socket 775
The P5KC makes you pay for DDR3 support, you don't need that. Get the P5K or even better GA-P35-DS3L.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0GHz, FSB1333, 4MB, socket 775
A Q6600 will do better in some games and worse in others, right now. In the future, most games will do better on the Q6600. I'm guessing that you're not planning to buy a new CPU next year. Get the Q6600, it's future-proof.

HDD: Seagate 160GB 8M cache SERIAL ATA-II (300MB) 7200rpm with NCQ (Native Command Queuing)
Good. Also see what WD has, get whatever is cheaper. In my experience both are good, WD a bit quieter.

DVD-RW: Pioneer DVR-112BK black SuperMulti DVD+/-R 18x, DVD+/-RW 8x6x, DVD+/-R9 10x DL, DVD-ROM 16x, DVD-RAM write/read 12x, CD-R/CDRW/CD-ROM 40x32x40 ATAPI bulk
The only DVD burner I ever hated was a Pioneer. Also, ATAPI means IDE, and what you really want is a SATA burner. Get an LG or Samsung or LIte-On, and make sure it's SATA.

Power source: Chieftec ATX P4 560W
Read this thread. http://forums.techguy.org/hardware [...] upply.html
Then read this one and pick something more reliable. http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiered+PSU+Listings

Does your computer store have a Web site?

@aevm: yes it does..but I doubt you will understand the language, maybe just the base words..anyway --> http://emag.ro/componente_pc Btw: the connotation for the power supply is "surse" if that is what your are looking for..I saw an Sursa Antec TruePower Trio 550W that could be better..Plus that, it may have been a fluke accident..Chieftec is a good brand (or so I've heard)..

@ mrmez: I'm a gamer..Only need to store games. If I'll need more gb on the HDD, I'll just add another one..Also, I made it so the PC would cost less..Already exceeded the budget..I don't know..

Thanks for posting you guys

No worries about understanding the language. Last month I put a list together from a site in Norway, and before that there was one in Dutch It's more fun this way.

Not a bad site, but it could use a custom builder like this one for example.
http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/configurator.php?cgid=6

Here's what I'd pick:
http://emag.ro/placi_baza/placa-de [...] -pP35-DS3L
http://emag.ro/procesoare/procesor [...] 80562Q6600
http://emag.ro/hdd/hdd-western-dig [...] WD1600AAJS
http://emag.ro/dvd_writer/dvd-writ [...] -S203BBEBE

http://emag.ro/surse/sursa-corsair [...] MPSU-550VX
The Antec you found is also very good.

The RAM you picked is great.

The case is totally a personal choice. Make sure you get one with excellent cooling. The 8800GT is hot and needs it.
This one would be great:
http://emag.ro/carcase/carcasa-ant [...] INEHUNDRED

Good luck!

i suggest you look under Antec Corsair and Fortron

based on the price of your last one...maybe this would be a good option
http://emag.ro/surse/sursa-antec-e [...] -pEA-500EC

Also depending on what your case costs the Antec Sonata III may also be a good option as it also comes with a decent 500 watt PSU(in fact the same one above)
http://emag.ro/carcase/carcasa-ant [...] 3/ad--4152

According to the PSU calc, your system will have more then enough power.....hell i even added dual hard drives and a 8800GTX....4 usb devices ect. So even with some upgrades you should be fine....
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

I would give more options, but you money is confusing.... so its not easy to see whats a good deal...

EDIT

aevm has recommended an excellent system.

*also..forgot to ask..How important is a heatsink? do I really need one right now or can I add it at a later date (when I get more money since now I'm flat broke )

*the Corsair power supply has an 120mm fan while the antec one has only a 80mm one..That will affect the cooling overall I think..Also, whats the deal with th 12v rail(s) that I keep reading about..I just don't get it..(I know I asked a s*** load of questions but I really want to learn )

That Sonata 3/Earthwatts sounds great, do it. Seagate is also good, can't go wrong with them.

The P5KC you wanted costs 416 RON. The GA-P35-DS3L I recommended costs only 310 RON. The Asus supports Crossfire badly, i.e. one of the video cards runs at x4 instead of x16, so if you want Crossfire it's not a good choice.
Also, the GA-P35-DS3L does support quads and does not have integrated video - you sure you're looking at the same board as me? You really don't need DDR3 support, trust me. Not with DDR3 price and performance where they are these days. Also, why would you want Crossfire support if you're getting an nVidia card? You can only use Crossfire with two ATI cards.

If you're serious about adding a second video card later you need to start over, and with more money. Sorry! You would need a bigger PSU, a really well cooled (and bigger, preferably) case, and a more expensive motherboard (based on the 680i chipset for nVidia cards or the X38 chipset for ATI cards). You don't really need two video cards unless you have a screen resolution of 1920x1080 or more, IMO.

If you can afford more money for the motherboard look at these too:
http://emag.ro/placi_baza/placa-de [...] -775--pP5K
http://emag.ro/placi_baza/placa-de [...] -pP35-DS3R
http://emag.ro/placi_baza/placa-de [...] -pP35-DS3P
All of them have some additional features over the DS3L. If you don't need those features stick with the DS3L, why pay for stuff you won't use.

Heatsink - add it later, or never. If you don't overclock you can stay with the stock cooler for ever, it will be fine.

sure does....but i do not see a .45nm bios out as of yet...its out for the P35 DS3r, should just be a mater of time for the DS3L

http://www.gigabyte.co.nz/Products [...] uctID=2599

@ AnOniM - I have both the Antec Sonata and Sonata II and the psu's they came with work just fine to this day. The 500 watt earthwatts(this psu is far better[powerful] then the ones that came with the first 2 cases, so power will not be a problem at all) will power your system without any problem....

The Only reason i do not still use my Sonata II(it has another computer in it) case is that it lacked room for 6 hard drives.

My only word of waring for the P35 DS3L is to make sure you ram is good, i have found that board to be picky with some crucial(rendition) ram....The Corsair you have selected should work like a charm....

Just in case you did not know what corssfire was all about?
Its an ATI specific way to run dual(or even more in the future) video cards in a way that they work together for games. Since you are looking at a single 8800GT crossfire is not needed nor will it work with Nvidia cards.

The DS3R also has a newer on-board audio chip, and better cooling. I noticed the price difference between DS3L and DS3R was small on that site anyway. Maybe he should get the DS3R.

Good build.
Only thing I would tweak is to pick up some pc-6400 ocz reaper memory.
For the reason that its lifetime warrenty (even if u over volt to 2.2v.) And it can hit pc-1000's speeds and still run stable.
its about 100$ US
Just my 1 cent worth.

As for the DS3P, it's very similar to P5K (FireWire, two cards, one running at 4x).

The current crysis demo is not yet ready. It does not seem to take advantage of quad quite yet. Crysis should do high with an average FPS
in the 30's(30-35 or so), Some people are more or less sensitive to game fps.

Currently more games have dual core support(even more still use one core) then quad, but since you plan to have this for a while the quad core recommended above is still a good bet. If you plan to over clock you can get a free boost from 2.4 to 3.0 on the Q6600(just make sure you keep an eye on the temps and run your fan full speed). If you do not plan to OC then a faster dual core may serve you better for now and a fast quad when they come down(in price) in the future. Only you can make that decision.

What are you upgrading from?

Well parts can come defective. Lets hope you do not get any like that, Do note that in some cases games may have a flickering(in the far distance) texture here and there due to less than stellar game programing(and not a card issue) and drivers....

The parts you are looking at should all worth together....

My current system is

Case: Antec 900
PSU: OCZ 700watt
Board: P35 DS3R
CPU: Q6600 @ 3.00
CPU cooling : Zalman 9500 @ 500-2200 rpms(PWM)
Memory: 2x 1024MB ,2X 512MB @ 4,4,4,10
Video: 8800GTX 600(core) 1400(shader) 900 x2(memory)
Storage:
2x WDC 250gig (Raid0)
2x Seagate 320gig(Storage)
2x Seagate 500gig(Storage)
1x 500gig Seagate (Backup-external)
Optical drive: Samsung SH-W162
TV card: PVR 250
Sound: Creative SB Audigy 2zs
Screen: Samsung 950b (LCD)
Speakers: Altec Lansing Select 641

So for the most part i am sure you will have no problems, and if you do, we will help

One thing to note is that my WinTV + 4 sticks of ram + xfire = funky stuff....
and 1 stick of ram + winTV = cannot start tv card, so i cant say there have not been any issues, but i have seen the same things with other(Asus) boards too....

Looks good...

When the newer quads drop in price a year or more from now you may be able to get one of those and just drop it in....

Also when you are get it all together do some test and post back your temps and whatnot.......

Enjoy....

yeah....the computer can wait....get the "little health problem" fixed up first....

will keep an eye out for your updates....

Cool! I had to wait 3 weeks to get all the parts I wanted. Nice to hear that Romania can do better than that

Good luck with the surgery, by the way!

Just curious, is The Witcher rated 14+ or 18+ in Romania? The USA have a censored version, rated 14+. The UK and Germany have uncensored versions, rated 18+. Not that it really matters, I'm just trying to figure out if the USA is the only country in the world censoring games.

Thanks!

It's going to be one expensive bottle of water man

Am I to understand that you are not American?..

Yup..and we have many more tasty and good things here in Romania..We are just (some of us) still clinging to making money rather then taking care of what we have and should protect..We are a land of contrast..Really smart people alongside really dumb ones..Lamborghini Gallardo next to a RABA..A gorgeous countryside but no promotion..We have mountains, an opening to the sea (the Black Sea) but our infrastructure only lately started to breathe and perform, showing others what we can offer..If you didn't see this already: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pq_zURoxBpU ...What can I say..We fought the turcs and by doing this protected western Europe for centuries..and many, many more facts (not fiction or hearsay).. Enjoy the film! I can't wait for your reply..

its good that you are patient, I have been known to pay way too much to get it NOW.....

As for your youtube video. My friend had sent me that

Loved the video.

Vlad Tepes is exactly what we need in Canada to lower crime rates and recidivism and taxes. I saw a movie once where they showed very clearly how his system worked. A bit gross, but very effective.

Hey, I wasn't criticizing, I admire the guy. He lived in very nasty times and managed to succeed anyway.

I also liked that part about Romanian being the second most used language at Microsoft. Is that for real?