That Time of the Year Again

[Tormentor]

Now that the summer is here and I was able to snatch a job with my city Tech Department (w00t), I can finally go back to tinkering with computers. And, of course, with a job comes money, and with money comes a savings accou-... new computer! So basically I wanna set myself up with a gaming rig for around $2500. I can go over if it's really tempting, but I'd prefer to stay around that limit. I'm already set for a monitor and sound system but just about everything else I'll need some suggestions on. Here's what I had in mind...

Processor: I was considering the Q6600 when the price drops to $266 later but for the same price the upcoming E6850 also seems appealing. [$266]

Motherboard: Asus Striker Extreme, but at $330, alternatives are more than welcome. [$330]

Memory: Oh man, I can't even tell the difference between half of the different series Corsair and OCZ are putting out... suggestions, please?

Hard Drive: As alluring as the 1TB beasts and 10k rpm speed demons are, I think a 320GB Seagate Barracuda should be sufficient, no? [$80]

DVD Burner: LITE-ON SATA 20x DVD Burner [$42]

Graphics: I know I want an 8800 GTX, but which one? [$600]

Sound: Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer [$90]

Wireless Network Adapter: I have no idea what's good here, but I know I'd prefer if it were PCI based.

Power Supply: The Antec TP Quattro 850w looks solid, but I'm rather interested in a PC Power & Cooling unit too. [$250]

CPU Cooler: Something quiet, but with some overclocking ability.

Case: Silverstone TJ09-BW [$290]

OS: Windows Vista Ultimate OEM [$190]

Peripherals: For a keyboard and mouse I was looking at a Microsoft/Razer Reclusa/Habu combo.


Sorta kinda maybe grand total: $2138

Please, post any suggestions on changing this setup you may have as none of the above choices are final.

[Capper]

First, make sure you check out our Recommended Hardware Lists, they are updated at least monthly, sometimes more frequently depending on the releases and price changes.

Your list looks okay, but I'd definitely consider a few changes. If you can wait a month or two, INTEL's new flagship chipset will be out (X38), and it'll be a good one. if you are looking at now rather than later....check out these boards:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DQ6 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
MSI P6N Diamond LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard
EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit
OCZ Reaper 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit

Graphics:
eVGA or BFG

PSU:
OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply
FSP Group (Fortron Source) FX700-GLN 700W RoHS Quad. SLi Power Supply
ePOWER EP-750P3A ATX12V / EPS12V 750W Power Supply

Case:
COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 Evolution RC-830-KKN2-GP Full Tower Computer Case
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan
SILVERSTONE TJ09-BW Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Also look for Zalmans new Z-Machine GT1000, which I'm currently writing up....its an upgraded FC-ZE1 (Biggest improvement? it doesn't have "Fatality" stamped everywhere).

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by Capper

Also look for Zalmans new Z-Machine GT1000, which I'm currently writing up....its an upgraded FC-ZE1 (Biggest improvement? it doesn't have "Fatality" stamped everywhere).

Yup, that is a sweet ass case you are reviewing Rich. And you are totally right, it's largely because of the lack of branding that's all over it. By the way, is anyone else totally stoked and excited to see Intel's price cuts next month and Intel's new tech coming out as I am? I've got that crazy upgrade bug again. ;)

Also, it's nice to see that Silverstone continues to be one of the few manufacturers that do not use stamped grilles for their fans. I am defnitely impressed with their workmanship and dedication to providing quality products to computer enthusiasts.

[[Dr. V]]

That's an awesome rig.

IMO grab a BFG, XFX, or eVGA 8800GTX. You're save with all those companies, XFX having the greatest warranty though.

As for the RAM, any of the kits Capper mentioned (I like the Ballistix Tracer, and the Plat Rev2 Kit's nice, too) is awesome, and get 4GB for that <BEAST> (yep BEAST is what they call me).

I like the OCZ GXS 700W PSU, too. Cases are totally up to you. You can always count on Capper to give you a great list to choose from, so they're all good parts, you'll be perfect with any combo.

Good luck, can't wait to see this thing go!

And YES, I can't wait for the price drops! I may just go full out QUAD!

[Capper]

Originally Posted by ST!X

That's an awesome rig.

IMO grab a BFG, XFX, or eVGA 8800GTX. You're save with all those companies, XFX having the greatest warranty though.

As for the RAM, any of the kits Capper mentioned (I like the Ballistix Tracer, and the Plat Rev2 Kit's nice, too) is awesome, and get 4GB for that <BEAST> (yep BEAST is what they call me).

I like the OCZ GXS 700W PSU, too. Cases are totally up to you. You can always count on Capper to give you a great list to choose from, so they're all good parts, you'll be perfect with any combo.

Good luck, can't wait to see this thing go!

And YES, I can't wait for the price drops! I may just go full out QUAD!

I'll heartily recommend either eVGA or BFg over XFX. I recently RMA'd an XFX card and it was a serious pain in the ass.

With memory prices starting to rise again, unless you are running a 64-bit OS, I'd skip the 4GB kit and go with the most aggressive 2GB kit....and you can never go wrong with OCZ

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by Capper

I'd skip the 4GB kit and go with the most aggressive 2GB kit....and you can never go wrong with OCZ

Aye, I would never consider any other RAM other than OCZ. Their RAM (much less their prodcuts) have never failed me. =)

[[Dr. V]]

I've only ever owned two brands of memory: Corsair, and OCZ. I've had many 1GB and 2GB kits, even one 4GB kit to build a friend's computer. Never ONCE has any of the (at least) 15 different kits given me any problem - I mean at all. All the ones I've used for myself have been retired to upgrade (and passed on to friends), and all the ones used for others' computers have never ever came back with a problem to RMA or anything, and at least 6-8 of them have a steady overclock. Never any compatibility issues either. I just love both brands to no end.

As for the 4GB kit, if you can afford two aggressive 2GB kits, that's the only time you should do it. Capps is definitely right about the rising prices, and look into a 64-bit OS for sure if you're gonna go large. If not, still pick a kit from that list...again, I recommend the Tracer or the Platinum Rev2 kit.

Also, I can be very very certain in saying that DDR3 won't be mainstream for at least a year. You can feel good about grabbing nice DDR2 kits, rather than feeling you're grabbing "old technology". I'm adding another 2GB to my computer next week, and upgrading to Vista Ultimate 64-bit from my current 32-bit...I guess I should have installed it off the bat lol.

[Yellowhello]

I'd recommend Corsair and BFG. Both are great companies. If you have $2500 to burn why not the Striker Extreme? Hmm. Quad core or dual core. That is a tough choice. I would almost say that you should go with the E6850 because quad core is not really needed, but you never know!! How's this PC Power and Cooling Unit: Newegg.com - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad - Copper EPS12V 750W Power Supply 90 - 264 V UL, ULC, CE, CB, RoHS - Retail

As for the CPU cooler, I just bought a Coolermaster GeminII. Looks to be great. If you go with the Striker, that board has passive cooling, so the GeminII will help with that. Also it can be as quiet as you want becuase you choose the 120mm fans that go on it.

Oh yes, and I would say that the Stacker 830 with the GeminII would be interesting. i you were to put four 120mm on the door, you might be able to get away with having the GeminII fanless!! Interesting idea......

[[Dr. V]]

Yep, my buddy built a case the exact same way that yellow just described. Works awesome too! The four door fans are all exhaust, and his GeminII is fanless, still keeps the temps for his C2D E6600 at about 40 MAX load. That's insane!

[Capper]

Originally Posted by yellowhello

I'd recommend Corsair and BFG. Both are great companies. If you have $2500 to burn why not the Striker Extreme? Hmm. Quad core or dual core. That is a tough choice. I would almost say that you should go with the E6850 because quad core is not really needed, but you never know!! How's this PC Power and Cooling Unit: Newegg.com - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad - Copper EPS12V 750W Power Supply 90 - 264 V UL, ULC, CE, CB, RoHS - Retail

As for the CPU cooler, I just bought a Coolermaster GeminII. Looks to be great. If you go with the Striker, that board has passive cooling, so the GeminII will help with that. Also it can be as quiet as you want becuase you choose the 120mm fans that go on it.

Oh yes, and I would say that the Stacker 830 with the GeminII would be interesting. i you were to put four 120mm on the door, you might be able to get away with having the GeminII fanless!! Interesting idea......

Why spend money when you don't have to?
Instead of buying a more expensive memory kit and motherboard (That won't affect performance at all), why not spend that money on a better processor? Why not upgrade to a high end dual or quad core?