Advice on a New Build

[ModemManCJ]

So I'm looking to upgrade my aging 939 system. For your convenience:

1. 1. I mainly use my system for surfing the web, listening to music, and playing games.

1. 2. My price range isn't really solid yet, but I would say somewhere around $550 tops.

1. 3. I'm in the US and plan on buying from either Newegg, TigerDirect, or ZipZoomFly (whoever has the best deal, of course).

1. 4. I'm looking into an Intel build, and I've always used nVidia cards, but I'm not sold on either if you can convince me otherwise.

1. 5. I intend on keeping my monitor (24" LCD), speakers, peripherals, hard drive, optical drive, (hopefully) my PSU, and perhaps my case. Other than the PSU and case, I'm sure they're all compatible with the build I'm looking at.

1. 6. I've been reading through these forums for a while now, and almost all my listed parts below are from this thread. Great thread, by the way. :thumbsup:

1. 7. I do not intend to overclock.

1. 8. I'm itching to build it ASAP, hehe.

I'm currently running a Biostar 939 motherboard with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+, 2 gigs of RAM, and an XFX nVidia GeForce 7600 GT. The parts I'm liking at the moment are:

• GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L

• Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale

• G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800

• EVGA 512-P3-N802-AR GeForce 8800GT

Something along the lines of these items would work great I think, but I'm open to better suggestions. I would like to max settings on TF2 (which I'd imagine is my most demanding game). As far as my thoughts (woo, another list):

1. 1. Is the E8400 worth the extra money over the E7200?

1. 2. I'm always lost on graphics cards. I hear that the 8800 GT is somehow equivalent to a 9800? I know that the manufacturer comes down to warranties, customer service, and such, and I know that EVGA is one of the better companies for it. What about all this superclocked nonsense? I hate shopping for video cards.

1. 3. My PSU is a concern for me. While I'm not exactly sure what I have, I'm pretty sure this is it. I know it's 500W for sure. Is this enough for the above items? Like I said, no overclocking planned. I just don't want my PC to die on me when everything is going full blast.

1. 4. I know graphics cards have gotten bigger since my humble 7600 GT. Should I be concerned about space in my case? I doubt anyone here knows the specifics of my particular case. I have tired of all the fancy lights on it a bit, though, so I might as well throw out a request for (fairly) cheap but quality cases that are a bit more subtle.

I think that's about it. If I've missed anything, let me know. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Boobs McGee]

The 8400 will be faster if you don't plan on overclocking. I am considering the same mobo myself. I have not heard anything bad about it. It looks pretty solid and stable.
Memory looks good. You don't need to go any faster since you won't overclock. You will probably get quite a few suggestions to check out the ATI 4850 because the 8800GT you picked is 155 bucks. The 4850 is viewed by many as the best bang for the buck card. They are around the same price, maybe a few bucks more.You should check out some places other than the egg as their lowest right now looks to be 179.

I don't know anything about your PSU. I would say check out the Power Supplies forum.

 

[Joeydubbs]

Originally posted by: Boobs McGee
The 8400 will be faster if you don't plan on overclocking. I am considering the same mobo myself. I have not heard anything bad about it. It looks pretty solid and stable.
Memory looks good. You don't need to go any faster since you won't overclock. You will probably get quite a few suggestions to check out the ATI 4850 because the 8800GT you picked is 155 bucks. The 4850 is viewed by many as the best bang for the buck card. They are around the same price, maybe a few bucks more.You should check out some places other than the egg as their lowest right now looks to be 179.

I don't know anything about your PSU. I would say check out the Power Supplies forum.

I agree with Boobs (who wouldn't?). The ATI 4850 is currently the go to card in that price range but if you want nvidia the 8800gt I hear is a good performer too. If you aren't going to overclock, the 8400 is probably your best bet. Also (someone correct me if I'm wrong) P43 boards aren't built with overclocking in mind so if you change your mind later, you are SOL. I would imagine your PSU would be fine...good luck with the build!

 

[Roguestar]

The E7200 isn't as fast as the E8400 but it'll still not bottleneck you in games and you can always overclock it a little if you'd like. The P43 isn't made specifically for overclockers but I'm sure it'll still withstand a mild overclock if you decide to later on. As has been mentioned by Boobs (Boobs = great), you should definitely consider the ATI 4850. Your other component choices are very good.