Gaming Rig Build Sheet - Please Review/Suggest

[foolios]

Drive
2x - Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - Retail

Memory
Mushkin 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail Cas 5-4-4

Video
EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - Free Crysis game included, while supplies last

MB
EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Manufacturer

ROM
ASUS Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 14X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - Retail

PSU
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail

CASE
Antec900

 

[rgeist554]

Looks pretty good, only thing I see that you may be missing is an aftermarket cooler for the Q6600. You may also want to order from ClubIT or somewhere that guarantees the G0 stepping version as you can OC better on stock voltage.

Also, what OS are you using? If it's not 64bit, then there really is no point in getting more than 2GB of RAM since 32bit won't address more than 3.5GB and on top of that, most 32bit apps won't ever use more than 2GB regardless of the amount that you actually have.

Other than that, everything looks good.

 

[foolios]

I was going to go with Vista(32-bit). Should I go with 4 gb or 3gb?

Thanks for the cooler recommendation.

 

[rgeist554]

I think you can upgrade to 64bit for like $10 or free if the upgrade program is still active. If it is in fact still up, go with the full 4GB, otherwise just go for 2GB.

 

[geofelt]

Your list is good as it is.

4gb is better than 2gb, even if you only see 3.3gb of it. Why not just start with vista 64-bit? With all new parts, dirvers should not be an issue. Only 16 bit dos programs will not work if you have any.

Are you planning on raid for the raptors? If so, you might be disappointed. Raid will not really improve games. Change out one of the raptors for a large storage drive instead.

Q6600 is a good processor, but very few games can make use of more than two cores today. For the same price you could make use of the higher clocked E6850, or even the E8500 which is supposed to be launched soon.

Are you planning on SLI? If not, you can save some money on a less expensive motherboard. If you are planning on sli, consider the possibility that it might be better to step up the evga card in a month or two when a higher end vga card is supposed to appear. SLI does not give yoy 100% improvement, it is more like 10-50%, depending on the game.

I would also second the rgeist554 suggestion on an aftermarket cpu cooler. It will allow the cpu fan to turn at lower rpm and result in a quieter system. The very best today is the thermalright ultra 120 extreme.

---good luck---

 

[foolios]

Thank you for the suggestions. I will look at making a list for a dual-core system without SLI. I will start with the processor you mentioned.