my next and first build =]

[mokkzzz]

okayy i've been watching the prices and products for around a year and a half now and still havent decided on when to purchase my next computerr..mainly because of all this directx10, vista, conroe duo or quad, hdcp videocard and monitor commotionsss...god is it annoying. well, heres my build for someone who's on a budget (around $1500) price/performance. any recommendationss are welcomee thanks!

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz
Price: $385.00
http://www.atic.ca/index.php?page=LongDesc&sku=30917

Motherboard: ASUS P5W-DH-DLX S775 i975X
Price: $259.00
http://www.a-power.com/product.php?p...re_language=US

Video Card: EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900 GTO
Price: $269.00
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=eVGA

Memory: OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN
Price: $269.00
http://www.a-power.com/product-2461-...4fb4d1-US.html

PSU: OCZ GameXStream 600W ATX12V 24PIN SLI Ready Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black
Price: $132.68
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...Z%20Technology

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 16MB SATAII
Price: $99.00
http://www.a-power.com/product.php?p...re_language=US

Case: Logisys Acrylic UV Blue Clear Case
Price: $68.17
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...sys%20Computer

Subtotal: $1481.85
Tax: $192.64
Total: $1674.49

Well, obviously its gone past my budget but oh wellsss. I'm still not sure about the power supply, because I wouldn't need SLI, since the 7900GTO will be gone forever in the next week. It's a great deal actually, only a bit slower than the 7900GTX yet its half the price of it ~ one of the reasons why I want my computer now. But then again, directx10, vista and hdcp is just around the corner, and christmas is pretty near too. I'm not planning to purchase another computer for the next 5 years or so. So what do you think???

EDIT: Prices are Canadian so its rather high hehe =]

[Mithosphere]

as countless people have told me and i have viewed comps of others . . . you could probably get away with the e6300 or the e6400 and overclock it to the desired speed, that is if oc'ing is your thing . . . and youre probably going to want an aftermarket heatsink/fan

Psu-wise check the Recommendations Page.

The memory is IMO a bit costly, you should look at some G.Skill, it seems to be fast and cheaper.


AS for everything else, looks good to me . . .

You can really get a good computer for about a grand if you look around a bit more, one of my friends recently built one with similar parts as you have given.

EDIT::::
Do you really need the wi-fi?

[Capper]

Check out the Recommended Hardware lists.....they are a great place to start.

From my personal experiences thus far, the E6600 is an awesome CPU, and unless you are going to go all out and buy top of the line support components, its a very good choice to run at stock, or mildly overclocked speeds. If you want to OC, and want to spend the extra money on supporting hardware and cooling, the E6300 is the way to go.
As to the motherboard.....the P975 boards all seem to be very good (I really liked the DFI Infinity 975X, but the bundle was lacking)......you could save some money and buy a P965 board, they feature many of the benefits of the P075 boards (at least most of the benefits that really matter), a lot of people here have very good opinions regarding the Gigabyte boards.
As to memory, OCZ and Corsair should always be at the top of your short list, but G>Skill, Crucial, and Mushkin all also make very good kits....it should come down to the best value between like kits

[gvblake22]

Very good points there Mitho. The only difference between the E6600 and the E6400 is twice the L2 cache, a little faster clock speed (270 MHz), and an extra $100. If you are on a budget and don't mind overclocking a bit, you can save yourself some cash and get the E6400 (or even E6300) and tweak it to your liking.

And yes, that motherboard is rediculously expensive. I say go with the more reasonable Asus P5B or Gigabyte 965P-DS3.

[polobunny]

The PSU, while being a very good power supply, seems to be a bit "too powerful" for your needs.
While people will say that a stronger power supply doesn't hurt, it is true, but don't plan on holding onto it for 5 years or even throwing it in another build after a few years.
In all honesty, I don't see alot of power supplies that will hold that long, and those who do live that long will have lost almost 30% to 40% of their power rating by then. No brand makes exception, though some brands lose less of their power.

The case looks great, but on the other hand it has 4x80mm fans for cooling. You might want to invest in a case that will fit 120mm fans if your computer is close from where you sleep, or modify it yourself to fit 120mm fans. 120mm fans will also cool better than 80mm fans. Acrylic cases are cool because they can be transparent, but acrylic in itself is not the best material for thermal dissipation.

As others pointed out, the E6600 is a great CPU. You could however go with the E6400 and cut a bit on the spendings without a big difference on performance.

The board is somehow expensive for what it sports, you can put the blame on both Asus and the Intel 975x chipset. The Gigabyte 965P-DS3 should suit you and while it doesn't pack the 975x, the performance hit again is minimal (if a performance difference there is between both chipset...).
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...cture=Gigabyte

[mokkzzz]

Thanks for the replies. =] I agree, I think it is a better idea to save on the $100 and get the E6400, because I can always get Jonathan (Tyreal) to overclock it to higher speeds than E6600 hehe (what a nice friend). As for the motherboard, i do think the P5W-DH is pretty expensive (just didnt know which other board is a better choice), as i wont be needing SLI, wifi and some other features. So, i guess the gigabyte 965P-DS3 is a great board actually (just read the review). I also want to save some cash on the PSU since i wont need a SLI PSU. Any recommendation on which psu to gett?? thanksss. and omgg RAM prices skyrocketed thru the roofsss, i heard that prices wont drop until end of 2007?

BTW, is it possible to overclock the E6400 to about EE speeds with the Thermaltake typhoon?? i might want a good cooler if im planning to o/c past E6600 speeds.

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by mokkzzz

BTW, is it possible to overclock the E6400 to about EE speeds with the Thermaltake typhoon?? i might want a good cooler if im planning to o/c past E6600 speeds.

Most probably, yes.

You might want to look into the Fortron Blue Storm 500W, should retail around $90.00. A good power supply that will be able to run your hardware without any overkill.

[Tyreal]

Originally Posted by mokkzzz

Thanks for the replies. =] I agree, I think it is a better idea to save on the $100 and get the E6400, because I can always get Jonathan (Tyreal) to overclock it to higher speeds than E6600 hehe (what a nice friend). As for the motherboard, i do think the P5W-DH is pretty expensive (just didnt know which other board is a better choice), as i wont be needing SLI, wifi and some other features. So, i guess the gigabyte 965P-DS3 is a great board actually (just read the review). I also want to save some cash on the PSU since i wont need a SLI PSU. Any recommendation on which psu to gett?? thanksss. and omgg RAM prices skyrocketed thru the roofsss, i heard that prices wont drop until end of 2007?

I told you that you should get the E6400...and didn't I recommend the DS3 as well? And for godsakes... Do you really want a clear case??? Think of all those wires everyone will see.

[Capper]

I'm using the Big Typhoon with an E6600, and it OCs just fine, i run my system 24/7 at 3.2GHz....idles 36C Load 44C

[RangerXLT8]

Originally Posted by Capper

I'm using the Big Typhoon with an E6600, and it OCs just fine, i run my system 24/7 at 3.2GHz....idles 36C Load 44C

3.2Ghz seems to be a sweet spot for many Core 2, that's where I run my E6400 at.

@ the OP: For PSU I recommend a single 12v rail unit. Seasonic makes some good ones. PC Power & Cooling Silencer are an excellent choice. Antec Neo line hold up ok if you do not get a dud. That's a nice box you have planned out, so get a good PSU. I recommend against OCZ out of personal experience.