Gaming Rig Build

[TigerBite]

Hey,

I'm trying to stay under $1000 and was wondering if anyone would be able to help me with my build. I'm not really computer literate, but I have been researching and reading everything on this site and have came up with, what I think, a reasonably "able" gaming PC. My specs are basically a combination of the "Mainstream Recommendations" and recommendations posted on the forum.

- CoolMaster Centurion 532 - Black Aluminum
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
- EVGA 122-CK-NF66-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i
- OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB
- OCZ StealthXStream 600W
- ThermalTake 120mm
- Lite-on Lightscribe 2MB
- EVGA 8800GTS 320MB

Couple of questions:
- Will I have to buy sound/network cards?
- I've noticed that CyberPowerInc has changed all their E6600 to E6550 and am wondering if the E6550 is better. I know it's cheaper.
- My cousin told me something about making sure the optical drives (cd/dvd drive?) are compatible with one another, something about "parent drives". The computer I have now has two drives, one for cd/dvd and another for, I think, regular disc operations. If I wanted to have another cd/dvd drive, would it be possible to get two Lite-on Lightscribe's or would I need to get something else?

Any recommendations/input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance

[Yellowhello]

Welcome to HL!

Unless you want wireless internet, you don't have to get a networking card, as it's already built onto the motherboard.

The E6550 is newer than the E6600, but it is slower. However, you could overclock the E6550 to E6600 speeds.

I think that is a very nice build.

[simple_inhibition]

Have you considered the E6750? its slightly faster that the E6600 and its also cheaper (around $200 for the E6750 compared to about $230 for the E6600)

[One4yu2c]

Q: Will I have to buy sound/network cards?
A: No. Your motherboard will built-in networking/Ethernet, and unless you have high end speakers, today's onboard sound is generally sufficient.

Q: I've noticed that CyberPowerInc has changed all their E6600 to E6550 and am wondering if the E6550 is better. I know it's cheaper.
A: The E6550 drops down from 2.4GHz to 2.33GHz, but increases the frontside bus from 1066MHz to 1333MHz. What's this mean? In terms of real-world performance, it basically means nothing. You'd be more than fine with either chip, and given the price difference, stick with the E6550. If you're going to spend upwards of $200, then start looking at the quad-core Q6600.

Q: My cousin told me something about making sure the optical drives (cd/dvd drive?) are compatible with one another, something about "parent drives". The computer I have now has two drives, one for cd/dvd and another for, I think, regular disc operations. If I wanted to have another cd/dvd drive, would it be possible to get two Lite-on Lightscribe's or would I need to get something else?
A: Back before optical drives moved to a SATA interface and instead utilized PATA connections, you would need to set jumpers on your opticals (Master, Slave, Cable Select). You could hook two opticals to a single IDE cable, but one would need to be designated as the master, and the other as a slave. Compatibility was never a problem, so long the jumpers were correctly set.

Fast forward to today, and it all goes out the window. Anyone buying an optical drive should make sure it's SATA. With that in mind, you can plug in as many opticals as you have SATA ports on your motherboard. In short, yes, you can certainly add a second Lite-On Lightscribe burner to your system down the line.

[TigerBite]

The E6750 does seem a lot better of a deal. I'm glad you brought it to my attention. I'll look into it.

Thank you all for the info, greatly appreciated.