My computer is 3 years old... I need a new one.

[gulp35]

3 years is the age of the newest component... it is embarrassing :(.

I have a plan setup though I would like you people to give it a look and give some constructive criticism.

HDDs
2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA 3.0Gb/s (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148140)
MoBo
Gigabyte 965P-DS3 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128012)
CPU
E6400 C2D (http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115004)
HSF
Thermaltake Big Typhoon (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835106061)
RAM
Buffalo Firestix DDR800 CAS5 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820150054)
PSU
SilverStone SST-ST56ZF (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817163111)
GPU
EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071)

Total = 1350$ USD + shipping.



Questions:
BigTyphoon or should I try to get a Tuniq Tower?

Is the ST56ZF enough power? Any Cheaper and roughly equal quality PSUs?

I currently have a 20" Widescreen Monitor (trying to play my games at 1680x1050 really motivated this *upgrade*)
Is the 8800GTS too much if I am usually playing HL2*and its mods*, UT2k4, and Spore when it comes out?

I'd like to OC the Conroe as much as possible... my goal being 3.5GHz
I have not been keeping track of how well these have been clocking, so is this a do-able amount?

*obscure* I have a "old" LittleRiver Cascade lying around... would it be possible to use it on the Conroe?

PS the price is already more than I would like to spend...

[LagunaX]

What is your case? The Tuniq tower will not fit inside cases with a side 250mm fan. If you go Big Typhoon then get the TTBT VX as it is less of a pain in the ass in install - plus it has a higher cfm fan.

Here are 3 links for you to consider:
$170 150gb 10k rpm raptor hd
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=132711&highlight=bestbuy
$128 Supertalent 2gb ddr2 677 cas5 ram
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=133101
$9.99 Coolermaster Centurion case after $30 rebate
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=129338&highlight=centurion

[Kobalt]

You could take out one of the hard drives if you're spending too much already.

For power supplies, check this guide. http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088&highlight=PSU Yours is listed under Tier 1, so it should be fine.

[gulp35]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112067

My case a Lian Li PC-G70...it is in my sig

I need at least 320GB of space... I have about 330GB right now and 256GB of that is taken...

[Kobalt]

You should consider getting a fast main hard drive like the one you linked or a raptor, with say two really cheap ATA drives for storage. This way, your applications, OS, and frequently accessed data goes on a fast drive while anything you need to store goes on the slower drives. This is very cost effective and makes reformating really easy. You could probably find a 160GB hard drive for 30$ either used or new with rebates.

[adamsleath]

you sure are going to notice a huge difference with the new setup; have fun!:) i highly recommend the gts for that res..it's spot on as far as i am concerned.

[gulp35]

OK I splurged and bought the 150GB Raptor... I have always wanted one (both a Raptor and a HDD with a Window)... I might just take my 250GB from my current computer till I find another good deal on a HDD.

[adamsleath]

well done:)

[LagunaX]

OK I splurged and bought the 150GB Raptor... I have always wanted one (both a Raptor and a HDD with a Window)... I might just take my 250GB from my current computer till I find another good deal on a HDD.

I love my raptor. Hey man, here are 2 sata-300 HD's @ Tigerdirect:

$150 500gb Maxtor no rebate:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2839958&Sku=TSD-500M2

$80 320gb Hitachi after $20 rebate:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2573810&Sku=TSD-320H

[gulp35]

Bah Humbug!!!
BestBuy had the Raptors in stock last night, yet this morning I wake up to read an email from them saying that they are backordered.

another question:
When the R600 is released... will the card around the 8800GTS have a better price?

[Omastar]

Bah Humbug!!!another question:
When the R600 is released... will the card around the 8800GTS have a better price?

Likely. Especially if R600 outperforms G80 by much. ;)

[dekruyter]

You said: "PS the price is already more than I would like to spend..."

Then why mess with the R600, the Raptor, etc. I think you've got a reasonable build there; it's so easy to keep talking yourself up one notch; do that for every componant and you'll add another $1,000 -

I saw those Seagate 320's for $65 bucks w/ rebate just the other day!

[Spawne32]

I took the liberty of altering a few of your parts on your list there, check this out, tell me what you think, these particular parts are the same parts that are on my list for my new build, and im on a very tight budget also..i also changed your PSU cus quite frankly i dont feel safe going that small :) if you ever wanna do SLI that will NOT cut it, and i feel that going under 600watt will still not cut it with the 8800 series card... so i picked this one out for you..

FSP Group (Fortron Source) FX Series FX700-GLN-E ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V cUL, CSA, CE, CB, FCC - Retail $144.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104033

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail $187.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005

ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $129.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131142

[gulp35]

I have no intentions to ever go SLI, and considering that the people over on the PSU forum think that these are good ones... the next step that i would go (if i decided to take it) would be to the ST65ZF

http://www.eastluna.com/hardware/details.php?id=0577

In fact... That is the same price as the ST56ZF... Is this one (the 65ZF) not an etasis made PSU?

[Spawne32]

650watt would be an excellent choice, i lowered you to a 6300 because theres no difference in the design, just the overall speed, and if your gona overclock it, it makes sense to go with the 6300 and save some money.

[Kobalt]

650watt would be an excellent choice, i lowered you to a 6300 because theres no difference in the design, just the overall speed, and if your gona overclock it, it makes sense to go with the 6300 and save some money.
ditto

[Kumakichi]

GTS sounds like a good choice for the resolution your trying to run. The Tuniq Tower is very tall. It just barely fits inside my case and I have a 25cm fan. It actually touches the top of the Tuniq when the door is closed. As for the HD choice yea the 150gb Raptor spins and accesses faster but at a $225 price tag (last time I was pricing them) it was a little beyond my budget considering everything else I had to buy. I think I paid $80 for my Seagate. As someone mentioned its easy to get caught up with bumping items up a notch but it can get you overbudget pretty fast. As long as the core components (mobo, ram, vid card, psu) are solid you can always upgrade down the road. And if your goal is to hit 3.5ghz your probably going with watercooling so there is another $200-400 depending on what you need to buy vs. what you have already.

[gulp35]

I've decided to make this more of a "What computer would you buy with 1200$" thread.

My only real requirements are that it have 2GB of memory and can overclock decently (3.3-3.5GHz) (and no HDD is needed).