Please Help Novice w/ New Build

[smar65]

Hi Guys,

I need a good mid-range system for general use and casual gaming. I'm not a serious gamer. The only thing I would probably play on it would be Sims 2 and 3 and their respective expansion packs (don't laugh--I'm a girl!). I want the best GPU I can get within my budget so I can run the games on the highest settings with no problems.

I'm stuck on an Intel/Nvidia system with XP-pro. I don't necessarily need a quad core, I think a duo would be fine for my purposes. I'm not putting it together myself, just acquiring the parts.



APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (the closer the better) BUDGET RANGE: (example: US$1000-1100)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: (surfing the internet, gaming, watching movies)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type-- See Above

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: ?? - What do you think I need?

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[computersss]

so are u building it from scratch or not ? do u have a keyboard,mouse or a speaker ?

 

[smar65]

Keyboard, mouse and speaker don't need to be in the budget.

Thanks!

 

[computersss]

i need to know what is your maximum budget with all the things so that i can suggest you the best keyboard mouse and speaker that fits in your budget

edit:are u sure u don't want to get an amd build because if you aren't going to overclock the amd phenom II 940 would work faster at the stock speeds

edit:with a 1100 $ without monitor and etc you can get an i7 system easily do u want or you want to stay with a core 2 duo ?

 

[kubes]

What he means to actually ask is Does this build need to include an Operating system, and monitor, since you already answered the question that you have keyboard moust and speakers covered.

 

[computersss]

yah actually to make it easier for us here in the forum tell us ur maximum budget for buying all the parts, you would appreciate if you made it easy for us

 

[smar65]

I'm sorry I wasn't clear. I do want new everything--OS, keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, etc. I told him he didn't need to include the keyboard, mouse and speakers in the budget because I figured they were pretty cheap and I could pick them up anywhere. I can go $1100 for everything, give or take a few dollars, but if I can get what I need cheaper, that would be great!

I do want to stick with Intel/Nvidia. Sorry--I know you guys love your AMDs I've just always had good luck with Intel and I'm afraid of change <LOL>.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your expertise. I hope this cleared things up a bit.

 

[smar65]

What do you all think of this setup? It's a little over budget, but I can live with it. I haven't decided on the OS yet. With Vista Home Premium this is about $1187. Do you think I can do any better considering I want to keep the Intel/Nvidia setup?

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI 600W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341001

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black USB Ergonomics Keyboard and Mouse - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109156

Creative Inspire 245 4 Watts 2.0 Speaker - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116030

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145

(2) KINGWIN 15.74" SATA Data & Power combo cable Model SAC-04 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812226004

 

[computersss]

this is a very good build but you can make a little improvements and make it a little cheaper

get the COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail (it is cheaper and it is very good)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

for the Hard Drive get Western Digital

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM (it has 32 mb cache so that it is faster)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

you don't need the sata connector as ur power supply has a sata connector so that it will me able to power the Hard drive and your optical drive other than that you are good to go for the os get the windows 7 beta and get it when it is released

Microsoft Gift - Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 x64 64-Bit - OEM it is for 10$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16800996054

important note:i have to tell you that this is a beta so it won't be 100% stable

 

[kubes]

If you don't mind going a bit over budget its really not that bad of a build. I do heavily agree with computersss to grab the WD Black 640 instead of the one you've got posted up there.

I would feel a bit more comfortable having the crosair 650Tx powering my rig but what ever works.

To comment on the Windows 7 Release Canditiate it's pretty good right now. Yes its not 100% stable but you most likely won't run across this issue. That would save you a nice bundle for the operating system.

Might also want to look at combo deals between components. Might be able to save yourself a few dollars with that as well.

 

[computersss]

+1 to kubes i thought of the 650 tx too but the ocz would be good too but when it comes to the psu i would never buy any psu except from pc power&cooling ,corsair or antec these 3 makes the best psu on the market especially pc power&cooling and corsair,i would get windows 7 but i had to tell her about the risk but IMO windows 7 is excellent and stable

 

[smar65]

Thank you so much for your help. I made the suggested changes and ordered my parts from newegg.

 

[kubes]

glad we could help...post back when ya get a chance and show us pics and tell us how it went