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For fun and learnin':

Intel P4 2.5 GHz
512 MB DDR PC2100 SDRAM
Some random DVD ROM drive, 16x
Lite ON CD-R/RW 48x drive
120 GB HDD
Realtek PCI Ethernet card
NEC Multisync 75 17" monitor

Also, have 2 USB 1.1 ports on the front, 4 in the back, but I'm wondering if I can add a PCI card that will let me add a couple USB 2.0 ports. Cuz that'd be nice.

Add a stick of RAM to double it, add a 320 GB HDD, get a new monitor, and good to go for a few more years? No gaming, but at the rate programs are expanding to take up all the memory new computers are coming with, I think I could use it.

But is the CPU going to handle newer applications as well as it can right now, or am I better off getting something newer, like a Core Duo?

fgalkin wrote:Choose a gaming rig for me, preferably one that does not require me to use my nonexistent computer repair skills in putting the whole thing together.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

I should check this thread more often.

Send me $2k, and I'll send you a near top of the line gaming machine.

Really, you need a price point to be able to set up a spec list.

In related news, what should my next upgrade be? I've got:

E6600 Core 2 Duo
4GB DDR2 800 RAM
P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP MoBo
450W Seasonic S12 PSU
XFX Geforce 7950GT passive GPU
X-Fi sound card
2x300GB HDD
1x500GB HDD
2xDVD drives
Dell 2407WFP + Viewsonic G90fb monitors
Sonic Impact T-Amp driving:
av123 Rocket ELT LRSs
Razer Copperhead
Saitek Gamer Keyboard

All in a Antec Solo Case (which isn't going away).

Everything on that rig is still pretty much top of the line. If you absolutely felt the need to upgrade, I suppose an 8800 GTX would be in order.

Get the case chromed. 'Cause chrome is cool.

Seriously though, I would love to have that rig. If you're gonna get a beefier graphics card, or do some upgrading soon, you might want to check if the power supply can handle it.

A 450 W SeaSonic should be able to handle anything short of SLI'd 8800 GTX or GTS's.

Hey, I'm about to build my first gaming rig, and I need all the help I can get. I'm talking parts lists, prices, advice on where to get said parts, the works. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

There's a decent guide here with example builds tailored to differing budgets. I would caution, however, that contrary to their guide, there are better power supplies to get than Antec. (Seasonic is generally well-regarded, as are Tagan, Fortron, Enermax, and PC Power and Cooling. Corsair also makes high-quality power supplies, albeit at even higher premium than PCP&C)

If you live in the United States, Newegg is a generally highly-regarded internet parts retailer. TigerDirect is also good, and even sells in Canada (something which Newegg still hasn't gotten around to).

If in Canada try www.ncix.com my brother got a geforce 8800 gts 640 for 350 cdn, what a steal.

Actually looks like it's still up, good shit. But only until May 31st, so better hurry lol.

Crazy Immortal Samurai wrote:Hey, I'm about to build my first gaming rig, and I need all the help I can get. I'm talking parts lists, prices, advice on where to get said parts, the works. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

What's your budget?

Three thousand dollars, but I'd prefer to keep it under $1500.

Crazy Immortal Samurai wrote:Three thousand dollars, but I'd prefer to keep it under $1500.

How long do you want to wait? July 22 will bring significant price cuts but right now you can buy a quite powerful machine if you need it ASAP.

Here's a quick build:

$223.90 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU
$209.99 - Intel BOXD975XBX2K (Bad Axe 2) Motherboard
$079.99 - Patriot DDR2-800 2x1GB RAM
$329.99 - eVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB (588MHz variant) GPU
$129.99 - Seagate 7200RPM 500GB HD
$032.99 - Lite-On 20X SATA DVD+/-RW
$018.99 - Mitsumi Floppy Drive/USB Card Reader
$099.99 - Antec SOLO Case
$129.99 - Seasonic S12 (Energy+) 550W PSU

Total: $1255.82 + S&H

Where'd you find all that? Where would I be able to order it?

Probably it's off of Newegg

I can't find that motherboard anywhere.

Wait a minute, is this the same thing? http://www.intel.com/products/motherboa ... /index.htm

Feel free to adjust as you see fit - that's a pretty high-end motherboard and you might well be able to use a less expensive one - Intel is pretty stable and bulletproof but Asus and DFI are better if you want to explore overclocking. Tyan and Supermicro are typically very stable, conservative designs with a price premium.

If you want a big case, the Antec P182 is a fine design (if a bit challenging to work with!).

There are various speed grades of eVGA's GeForce 8800GTS; you might also consider the version with 640MB of RAM or even splurge for the mighty 8800GTX.

Some people like to use 10000RPM hard drives for applications and the operating system (Western Digital has a 150GB drive in that configuration). Then they use larger but slower drives for data - and sometimes in RAID 1 as well (i.e. two large drives that are mirror images of each other - if one goes down, you don't lose your data). 500GB drives are pretty good price-wise, but if you need the space there are 750GB and 1TB drives available

Finally, if you want a quiet design, prepare to do some work.

Something to note is that the 8800GTX won't fit into all cases. It won't fit in my Antec Solo without modding the drive cage (not possible, don't have room for my drives if I do so).

Beowulf wrote:Something to note is that the 8800GTX won't fit into all cases. It won't fit in my Antec Solo without modding the drive cage (not possible, don't have room for my drives if I do so).

Well, obviously he should spend more money and get the P182

Thanks for the heads-up, I was planning on placing the order tomorrow.

Crazy Immortal Samurai wrote:Thanks for the heads-up, I was planning on placing the order tomorrow.

You might want to post what your final proposal is so someone here can do a last-minute check for anything that may be wrong.

It's the same build you suggested earlier, but with a different case and a bigger hard drive.

Bigger hard drives aren't cost effective yet. They cost too much per GB. Might as well just grab another 500 GB drive. Which case are you getting, BTW?

the p182