[MinorInfluence]

I am currently buying a new computer, did some research. Found about everything I needed except for what motherboard to get.
What Im afraid is of a computability issue.

My current build is:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400 CPU @ 3.0GHz 1333FSB 6MB L2 Cache 64-bit

2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory

NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 1GB 16X PCI Express

320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD

MSI P43 Neo3-F P43 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1333 DDR2/800 SATA2 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio

I went to tomshardware.com to compare hardware.
I just really havent kept up to date on motherboards, I read some articles but I am still confused.
I mostly use Photoshop and play games like Battlefield 2, WoW, Medieval Total War 2...i dont know if thats necessary to list but it might give you some direction on what I'm useing the system for.
Oh and is it worth getting 8800 GT 1g over the 512mb? And is SLI/Crossfire really worth it at this point.
Are Western Digital Raptor 10,000RPM worth it?
i did read about SLI and a benchmark on Crysis with Dual 8800gt's I just dont know if its worth it.
My budget is around 800-1200, any input would be appeciated.
Thanks in advance.

[Evolv]

You need a good P45 board to go with that E8400. This is a great board for the money, everyone recomends it:
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TPower I45 LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
And it holds the record for the highest overclock with a E8400.

Raptors are not worth the money, it's better to just get a bigger hard drive for what you would spend on a Raptor. It would also be better to get a 4850 or 4870 depending on what size monitor you'll be using. Both cards hold better value.

[alvoss]

At your price level I wouldn't bother with Crossfire/SLI. It does obviously improve performance but it would be more beneficial just buy a single more expensive card.

Before you buy anything though you may want to list what you are planning on buying complete with brands. People around here can give some helpful suggestions.

For example for your motherboard I would go BIOSTAR TPower I45 LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

Videocard: HD4870 or 4850 depending on budget.

Memory: 2GB would work but getting 4 is pretty inexpensive. Also, model and brand is very important here. OCZ Reaper is pretty good, but so are some others so post what you are looking at.

Hard Drive: I would go with the Seagate 640mb as its faster.

CPU: Your choice is fine.

PSU: You didn't post this but make sure you get a quality PSU. On buy.com for a corsair 750watt for like $80 which is a great deal. Although you probably will only need a 550watt supply. Just get a good brand there is a stickied thread about good power supplies you can read.

[MinorInfluence]

Thanks a lot for the info both of you.

*I read up on that mobo "BIOSTAR TPower I45 LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX" and it has very good reviews. This will be my choice.

*I will try for the 4g ram, any advice on if i should go with DDR3 vs. DDR2 at this point, or does that mess with being compatible or not?

*Ill look into the 4870 and 4850 cards as you both suggested

You said Brands are very important, ill keep that in mind. I appologize if this is a stupid question but I have been afraid of getting a bigger HD because the bigger it is, the longer it takes the HD to find the data, i know there is different speeds but is there a point where you wouldnt go any bigger yet because of the current technical limitations from whats on the market? I have a decent computer now; though its getting old, as you can see why im buying a new one, i will use it to store most of my crap that i dont "really" need on my main system. Because of this reason should i go with a smaller, faster, HD instead of a big one (im sorry if this is a open ended question because some of these things always "depends" on what the user wants it for). I just dont want a big (gb wise) HD slowing down my gameing if that makes any sense.

Thanks in advance

[Puddle Jumper]

You have to get DDR2 ram since that is what the I45 supports. These G.SKILL PI Black's are good.

Newegg.com - G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

A big hard drive won't slow down your system, in fact this WD 640gb is as fast as the raptors.

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

[vernong1992]

Dang nice RAM find there Puddle

[maroon1]

Also look into 9800GTX+, GTX 260 and GTX 260 Core 216

[MinorInfluence]

Final Build:

Apevia X-Telstar Junior Case w/ Temp Display and Fan Control

600 Watts Power Supply

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400 CPU @ 3.0GHz 1333FSB 6MB L2 Cache 64-bit
with Thermaltake MaxOrb Enthusiast CPU Cooling Fan

Biostar TP45 HP Intel P45 CrossFire Chipset LGA775 FSB1600 DDR2/1066 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

ATI Radeon HD 4850 PCI-E 16X 512MB Video Card

500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD

LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER

3D WAVE ON-BOARD 5.1 SOUND CARD

Logitech (BLACK) X-540 70Watts 5.1 Configuration Speaker System

INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer

Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition w/ Service Pack 2

Any other suggestions?

Before i Order this Thang! =)

[Puddle Jumper]

What power supply is that?

[vernong1992]

Seriously that looks he's buying from Cyberpower.. exact same words and all the same useless bundles they give..

Build it yourself fellow enthusiast!