I decided about 3 weeks ago that I was going to start doing the research and build my own gaming machine. I think I have spec'd out all of the hardware I want and at this point I am looking for some advice or possible suggestions to my selections. This is my first build in a long time and I am confident that I don't know everything in terms of pros and cons. Anyway here goes...and thanks in advance for suggestions...
Purpose : Solely gaming. I have another machine for productivity. I play World of Warcraft, World in Conflict, Company of Heroes, and some First Person Shooters...
Requirements : Trying to make the best gaming PC I can for the money. I don't mind spending extra if it is warranted, but an extra $150 for 3 more Frames Per Second is not an ideal scenario. I would like to have the option for dual-video cards if the games I play will take advantage.
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Case : LIAN LI PC-X500B
Motherboard : EVGA NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI
Processor : E8500 Core2 Duo
RAM : Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 1066MHz
Power Supply : CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W
CPU Fan : XIGMATEK HDT-RS1283 with optional screw bracket
Graphics Card : EVGA GeForce GTX 260 FTW Edition
Hard Drive : Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200 RPM SATA
DVD Burner : Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner
OS : Vista 32-Bit Premium or 64-Bit Premium?!?
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I went with the E8500 because I read that Quad Core just isn't worth the MHz-hit dollar for dollar when it comes to gaming...and the E8600 is a huge jump in price. I also stayed with nForce 750i because the benefits of 780i seem negligible unless you want to do tri-SLI (and I don't)...and 790i jumps the price way up in both mobo and RAM. The GTX 260 FTW is overclocked to 666MHz and bests out most 280's in reviews I have read and for $304 from NewEgg I just can't argue. I am still conflicted on Vista 32-Bit vs. 64-Bit. I assume I will not have 64-bit hardware driver problems since all the hardware is new, but I am unsure. I have read that there are performance benefits to running games in a 64-bit OS and I would even be willing to toss in another 4GB of RAM (to a total of 8GB) if it will help, but there is such little information out there on this. Last thing I want is problems with any of my games.
Again...thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions...
Exodar
Purpose : Solely gaming. I have another machine for productivity. I play World of Warcraft, World in Conflict, Company of Heroes, and some First Person Shooters...
Requirements : Trying to make the best gaming PC I can for the money. I don't mind spending extra if it is warranted, but an extra $150 for 3 more Frames Per Second is not an ideal scenario. I would like to have the option for dual-video cards if the games I play will take advantage.
==========================================
Case : LIAN LI PC-X500B
Motherboard : EVGA NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI
Processor : E8500 Core2 Duo
RAM : Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 1066MHz
Power Supply : CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W
CPU Fan : XIGMATEK HDT-RS1283 with optional screw bracket
Graphics Card : EVGA GeForce GTX 260 FTW Edition
Hard Drive : Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200 RPM SATA
DVD Burner : Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner
OS : Vista 32-Bit Premium or 64-Bit Premium?!?
==========================================
I went with the E8500 because I read that Quad Core just isn't worth the MHz-hit dollar for dollar when it comes to gaming...and the E8600 is a huge jump in price. I also stayed with nForce 750i because the benefits of 780i seem negligible unless you want to do tri-SLI (and I don't)...and 790i jumps the price way up in both mobo and RAM. The GTX 260 FTW is overclocked to 666MHz and bests out most 280's in reviews I have read and for $304 from NewEgg I just can't argue. I am still conflicted on Vista 32-Bit vs. 64-Bit. I assume I will not have 64-bit hardware driver problems since all the hardware is new, but I am unsure. I have read that there are performance benefits to running games in a 64-bit OS and I would even be willing to toss in another 4GB of RAM (to a total of 8GB) if it will help, but there is such little information out there on this. Last thing I want is problems with any of my games.
Again...thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions...
Exodar