hey everyone, first time builder

[Finrir]

Hey everyone. my name is zach, i'm 20 years old and in the USAF. i'm in the desert right now but when i get back home (only 1 month left) i'm gonna build my first gaming pc. i'm gonna need a little help with it so that's why i came here. i have a pretty good understanding of computers and i've been researching and reading Maximum pc magazine.
so i've decidied it's gonna look something like this:
Case: antec 900
Mobo: EVGA 680i
Ram: 2 gig 800Mhz DDR2
CPU: intel Q6600
GPU: EVGA 8800GTX
PSU: dunno
Sound Card: dunno prolly just some budget Creative sound card
Cooler: i was looking at the thermaltake V1 but i might just use stock

[gvblake22]

Looks like you've got a great start on a solid gaming system there Zach. right off the bat there isn't really much I would change. For your PSU choice, I would recommend looking into the Silverstone Olympia or Decathlon series 650W power supply. Read our review of the OP650 and DA750 for some more information. There are also plenty of other great units around to choose from, but the OP650 and DA650 are probably two of my more favorite PSU's currently available.

You might also want to look into some of the newly released P35 based Intel motherboards as an alternative to the expensive 680i motherboards. Gigabyte already has a very nice lineup of these new motherboards, as does Asus. The case is something that is mostly a personal preference, but the Antec 900 seems to be getting rave reviews all over the place, so you should be happy with that.

What resolution will you be gaming at? Unless you are running on a 24" LCD, an 8800GTS 640MB or 2900XT might be worth saving the bit of cash over the 8800GTX.

Finally, I would like to point out that while the Q6600 is now at a very attractive price point for a quad core processor, the slower clock speed will not perform as good compared to similarly priced Core 2 Duo processors with a higher clock speed. Games have yet to be able to take advantage of four cores (let alone two), so don't expect to get massive performance improvements out of the quad core. For gaming (and most everything else), it really usually comes down to clock speed with other features and specifications being secondary; the exception to this would obviously be specific multithreaded applications. I'm not saying to avoid the Q6600 (I actually think it's a great deal), but I just wanted to make you aware of the fact that (overclocking aside) you can get a faster dual core processor for the same price as the quad core.

You should also make sure to keep an eye on your Hardware Recommendations page for some of the latest and greatest hardware worth buying.

Oh yeah....
Welcome to HardwareLogic!!! :wavey:

[[Dr. V]]

*bam*

-Jon

Now, as for your system - I like it! All the recommendations made by blake are fully supported by me as well. As for quad core, check out this thread - great discussion there to help you make a decision.

Blake's mention about video cards is something you should look carefully at. Also, for a PSU, mine (OCZ GameXStream 600W) is amazing and extremely stable. If you wanna go modular, look at OCZ's ModXStream line. That's my recommendation.

[garetjax]

Hey Zach, welcome to HL! Glad to see you here. Blake's post pretty much touched on everything, and I agree with his choices as well as his reccomendations. However, the one thing I would do if I were you, is that since you are going to be spending money on a great motherboard (that EVGA 680i is simply awesome!) why not try out its onboard audio first and see how you like it before spending money on a soundcard?

These days, the onboard audio on quality motherboards are quite kick ass, and its footprint on your processor cycles are almost next to nothing, especially when paired with a dual core processor. In either case, I'd like to see you save some money (AF pay isn't all that great!) and at least try it out and see how you like it. I wager that you will be hard pressed to tell the difference between onboard audio and a Creative Soundblaster solution.

And by the by, how did you hear about HL? We have quite the military presence here at HL, a lot of the members either currently serving or have served (like myself) in the US military for many years. Tell us a little about yourself and make yourself at home.

BTW, what is your AFSC? I was 2A373B for ten years in the AF. =)

[One4yu2c]

Welcome to the forum, Zach! It's apparent you did your research, you've got a good start on your upcoming build. And good timing with your return, as you'll be able to take advantage of Intel's price cut on that quad-core processor.

For some advice on the components up in the air:

RAM
There are a lot of comparable RAM kits out there, and your best bet is to look at the pricing situation when you're ready to hit the 'submit order' button. If that were today, the easy recommendation would be a 2GB kit of Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 for around $94 shipped after rebate (sold for $299 shipped back when I reviewed it earlier this year). A month from now, it could just as easily be a kit from Corsair, OCZ, G.SKill, etc.

Power Supply
OCZ's GameXStream line is a long time favorite, with a great bang/buck balance. For a bit more, we've been very impressed with Silverstone's Olympia line. Or if you're looking for something modular, consider Corsair's HX models, Seasonic's M12 units, or Silverstone's Decathlon series (I'm currently running the rig in my signature on a Silverstone Decathlon 750W).

Sound Card
Start with onboard sound and work your way up from there. People are divided on this issue, with some swearing by add-in soundcards, and others just as content with onboard. It used to be that onboard could bog down system performance for gamers, but today's rigs (including your proposed setup) pack enough power to make this essentially a moot point. I personally have used Creative's soundcards in every rig I build for myself, but I view it more as a novelty than a necessity.

Cooler
Figure out the goals of your system first. For example, do you plan to overclock? Are you looking for a quiet cooling solution? Which is more important, ease of install, or total performance? Do you want to stick with air cooling, or are you willing to dive into water?

[Yellowhello]

Welcome Zach!!! I like everything that you mentioned. As for a PSU, the Silverstones that Blake said are great.

As for the CPU cooler, don't use stock. I'd recommend the Coolermaster GeminII. You'll need two 120mm fans to go with it, though.

[Finrir]

alright first of all i wanna thank all of you for your insight. you all helped with some of questions that i had, but i'm gonna reply to your posts and clear up anything i failed to mention in my first post. i'm just gonna answer the questions as they come.

about mobos you're probly right. there probly are better boards out there but i don't really know much at all about mobos. i just know that the 680i is a good board and it supports all that i need. i wanna keep the option of SLI open to me in the future. my reason i'm useing a 8800 GTX is because it supports DX10.
the monitor i was looking at was dell's 20" ultrasharp widescreen flat panel monitor.
as for the quad being at only 2.40ghz i have read that it easily OCs to 3Ghz. hense the thermaltake v1 cooler.

BTW, what is your AFSC? I was 2A373B for ten years in the AF. =)

imma cop. i wanna retrain into comm or something. i wanna deal with computers. what AFSC is 2a373B?

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by Finrir

imma cop. i wanna retrain into comm or something. i wanna deal with computers. what AFSC is 2a373B?

2A3X3B is Tactical Aircraft Maintenance... in this case on F-16's. You're an SP? I used to be assigned SP augmentee duty quite frequently out at Edwards AFB. I gained a lot of respect for you guys and the shit you guys went through on a daily basis. Made a lot of good friends who bailed me out of trouble a time or two while speeding down Rosamond Blvd. ;)

Also, how did you hear about HardwareLogic? =)

[Pete]

I think you should go with the V1... But thats just me...

My cousin and her finance is in the USAF. She's some medical person and he's a fighter pilot. If you need anything Thermaltake of have any Thermaltake questions, feel free to PM me. If I cant help you then I can try to find someone that can.

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by TTPete

If I cant help you then I can try to find someone that can.

Like the CM rep?