[DairyCreamer]

Hi guys,

It's about time for another rig. Decision time...

First:

Do I go with Vista (Home Premium I assume) or stick with XP Pro?

Next:

My initial target system is based off a recent Ars Technica guide:

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400
2 Gigs DDR2-800 RAM
GeForce 8800GTS 320 Meg (get an OC'd core?)
Creative XtremeGamer Sound

It looks like I might be able to realize a little performance boost by upping the processor to, say, an E6420 Conroe over the E4400 Allendale for an extra $60. Would up the FSB to 1066, double the L2, and a fraction more on the GHz. Worth it? Considering the need to purchase the 1066 RAM?

Hell... an E6550 goes to 1333 FSB for only 50 more than the E4400?

I am more or less going to piecemeal this system together, starting with the case and the parts that aren't likely to change in price here in the near future. Any major considerations on the horizon?

This will be my first from scratch system in a while. Most of my prior stuff has been just occasional upgrades. I just want to make this baby right the first time. Thanks!

~Nate

[Chris]

Only contribution I have to this thread is, stick with XP Pro.

[MSP]

Originally Posted by Chris

Only contribution I have to this thread is, stick with XP Pro.

QFT. Vista just doesn't quite seem ready for prime time yet. Maximum PC just updated their dream machine and they chose to dual boot Vista with XP Pro, which should tell you something.

Otherwise the hardware you chose sounds pretty good.

[Mr. Ali]

looks good but get an E6*50 chip if you can afford it.

[DairyCreamer]

Roger on the E6*50 CPU

Any notable bottlenecks that I can fix with minimal $$$?

Seagate a good brand nowadays for the HDDs? Not sure I want to drop on the 10k RPM yet... but it would sound cool.

Ideas on good RAM, particularly if I go with the 1333 FSB?

I'm just looking for a solid system without significant bottlenecks that drag down the rest. My limited budget means I can't really toy with overclocking anymore, so... your help in setting up something meaningfully powerful without going nutso on cost. Well, to quote Lumbergh, "that would be terrific, OK?"

~Nate

[Mr. Ali]

i personally like Seagate since most their drives come with a 5year warranty.

[WoodButcher]

Yep, looks good, I'm playing w/ vista home premium now, installed clean tonight. I like it so far but we'll see what time tells. Even the "low end" Intels new cpus are quick as loose bowels when there is no paper around for the normal user but if your into the games and or video editing, number-crunching you'll be best off with a mid level or quad core. The board your looking at will run the quads so if you need to get the 4400 (it does a nice OC) and upgrade next year.

[DairyCreamer]

Quick as loose bowels eh? Holy shit, that's fast! haha... pun... nevermind :-/

I suppose my goal is important to consider.

Basically, I'm looking to run Flight Simulator X smoothly. That's probably the most intense application I will have. Beyond that, BF2 provides a lot of blow-shit-up action that I like. Maybe other FPSs down the line.

App wise, I'm trying to learn Illustrator a little, but nothing intense.

Anything else of import?

For the $50, I think I'd rather have the satisfaction of the 1333 FSB now and update to the quads next year easily. It looks like the MoBo should have a good bit of upgradability value.

~Nate

[mistawiskas]

Other fps's down the line? you'll want a DX10 capable assembly then. That leaves one good choice on OS's....vista. I didn't care for the vista64 Ultimate....at first. I really like it now that all the driver/hardware support issues are behind me. I went with the asus P5N-E SLi as it was one of the only mobo's under 200 bux that will support the 1333 fsb and penryn. i plugged an E6700 into it with 2 gigs of mushkin extreem with the vid card you mentioned. my objectives were to be DX10 capable, video/image editing and media center hungry. all works awesomely with the setup i put together...I'm realizing better than expected results. the main drawback of the board i used is the fact that there's only two pci and if I were to run SLi, I'd only have one. for that reason, periferals are in the form of USB sollutions. Works grerat, but I'm figuring on building some form of USB periferal rack, because I just don't want all this stuff on my desk anymore.