Mid level gaming rig

[Topper]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming, surfing, some light 2d/3d mechanical design

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread. ~ $1000

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture. No fan boi action here.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Peripherals (mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers)

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. Yes, think I have this nailed down

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. mild OC

8. WHEN do you plan to build it? This week

I'm looking to put together a rig very similar to others of late.

Antec Sonata III Case/psu - $79.99
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L - $89.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - $199.99
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro - $21.99
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - $84.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA - $99.99
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - $26.99
XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI - $179.99

A couple questions.

Any known issues with this ram and the MB ?
Is the MB picky ? Should I stay with 1.8-1.9v ram ?

Worth it to up the Vid Card to a GTS for the extra exhaust from the case ?
Running this on a 22" monitor.

I'm only planning on doing a mild OC to 3.6 with the processor.

Thanks in advance for your infinite wisdom.

 

[DSF]

RAM and motherboard should be fine together. If you buy RAM that needs more than 1.8-1.9V you're going to need to adjust the voltage yourself. Doesn't necessarily mean it's incompatible with the motherboard though. (Since you're only going for a mild OC, may as well stick to standard voltage RAM anyway.)

The 8800GT's cooling system is not that big of a deal. Your temps will be fine either way. If you upgrade to the 8800GTS, do it for the performance.

 

[Sharkie13]

The difference in performance between the 8800GT and the new 512mb GTS isn't enough to warrant nearly another 50 or so bucks. Just OC the GT and you'll be on your way.

 

[Twsmit]

Looks like a perfect build. Only get a GTS if the price is right, otherwise don't worry about it. Looks like you did you homework.

My only comment is to make sure you have a good enough PSU, the Antec stock PSU is most likely fine but it could effect future upgrades or beefier video cards down the line.

 

[AshPhoenix]

Perfect choices IMO.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Twsmit
Looks like a perfect build. Only get a GTS if the price is right, otherwise don't worry about it. Looks like you did you homework.

My only comment is to make sure you have a good enough PSU, the Antec stock PSU is most likely fine but it could effect future upgrades or beefier video cards down the line.

It's a 500W Earthwatts unit, it's pretty solid. About the only case with an included PSU one can really recommend buying.

 

[Roguestar]

Some quality research done. It's a pleasing change to say just "everything seems great" instead of having the OP argue with you . :thumbsup:

 

[Denithor]

Do you need the AF7P for cooling or would stock cooler be sufficient to handle a moderate (~3.6GHz) overclock?

Looking for an answer for myself as well as the OP, I am building my replacement system with IP35Pro/e8400/2x2GB Mushkin and wonder if I need the AF7P (which is louder than the stock cooler) for a moderate OC.

 

[Roguestar]

The stock cooler is ok for a mild overclock but up to 3.6GHz I'd personally get an aftermarket cooler like the AF7Pro. It's not too noisy, according to reviews.

 

[Topper]

Thanks for all the input.

I'm about to order my parts tonight and noticed that newegg has their

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - $74.99

on sale cheaper than their

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - $84.99

that I was going to get.

My question is does anyone know if the Gigabyte DS3L board will post with the DDR2 1000 memory since it requires 2.1v ??

This will be the only ram atm I will have to use in this board.

Or should I just pay the extra and buy the DDR2 800 ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[PolymerTim]

Originally posted by: Topper
Thanks for all the input.

I'm about to order my parts tonight and noticed that newegg has their

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - $74.99

on sale cheaper than their

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - $84.99

that I was going to get.

My question is does anyone know if the Gigabyte DS3L board will post with the DDR2 1000 memory since it requires 2.1v ??

This will be the only ram atm I will have to use in this board.

Or should I just pay the extra and buy the DDR2 800 ?

Thanks in advance.

Funny you should ask since I just happened across the answer to this question last night. I just bought the G.SKILL PC2-8000 for $90 less than one week ago and thought it was a steel then. I sure wish I could see the future .

I'm still shopping for my mobo and was reading reviews on the DS3L when I cam across this:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...lay/ga-p35-ds3l_8.html
At the bottom of that page, the reviewers note that the DS3L not only set the correct timings from SPD settings, but also the assigned voltage. According to the reviewers, it is not common to find MBs that properly set the SPD voltage.

So, they didn't use the same RAM, but I would say you've got a pretty good chance it will work automatically. Better than with most other boards.