Gaming Rig for AoC

[PC_Caveman]

I'm building a computer for a family member and he is wanting it primarily for Age of Conan that is set to come out in Mid May. He has giving me a $1,000 budget and needs a complete build, Tower, Monitor, OS the works. He can go without a keyboard and speakers/Headphones. But other than that he is looking for it all. If any of you can help me find the right prices, i looked around Newegg and could only get it down to about 1200.

Case
Mobo
CPU
PSU
Ram
Hard drive
CD/DVD
Monitor
GPU
Heatsink that will fit in the case.

[b1gapl]

Case - Your/his choice...
Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 2.2GHz
Motherboard - Gigabyte P35-DS3L
Memory - 2 x 1GB Crucial Ballistix Tracers DDR2-800
Graphics cards - EVGA 9600GT 512MB
Power supply - Corsair 550VX
Hard drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 320GB
Optical drive - Samsung 20X SATA DVD Burner
Monitor - Hanns·G HW-191DPB Black 19" 5ms
OS - Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit OEM or XP Home OEM

Total comes to $899.91 without shipping, and case (more of a personal preference, so that's why I didn't suggest one).

[Dakaggo]

B1gapl's list is good.

Curious though would it be better to get this:

Newegg.com - PALiT NE/9600T+0152 GeForce 9600GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics

It seems to be pretty much the same with good reviews. Only problem is that it takes up two slots but the mobo only has one so....

Also I think the OS is kind of dependent on the person as well. A lot of people prefer XP.

[b1gapl]

That Palit looks to be a good price, especially after MIR. But I'd consider EVGA over Palit, because of their reputation as the top brand for Nvidia cards, as well as their superior warranty.

I'll add XP to the list for choices.

[Dakaggo]

Right well depends on if you expect it to break really >_>.

I was just thinking that personally I would save the $40 there and spend some extra on the processor.

Maybe this one

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

I was kind of surprised that the reviews for the EVGA one were actually worse than for the other one. I didn't read them all but anything with 18 5/5 and 2 4/5 seems like a good deal to me.

[b1gapl]

Newegg reviews are stupid, and are not to be trusted.

He doesn't need the E4700, when the E4500 can easily overclock past that, and be cheaper.

[Dakaggo]

Originally Posted by b1gapl

Newegg reviews are stupid, and are not to be trusted.

He doesn't need the E4700, when the E4500 can easily overclock past that, and be cheaper.

I don't know enough about overclocking but if thats the case how high does the 4700 overclock. I wouldn't think its LESS than the other one. Unless its the same.

Also he didn't mention overclocking did he. Its kind of important to know whether or not he intends to overclock it isn't it?

[b1gapl]

The E4700 can overclock further, because it has a higher multiplier. And even if he doesn't intend to overclock, a 400MHz difference between the processors' stock speeds, isn't significant enough to be noticed, by let's say the average user.

I just think it's better to get the EVGA over the Palit, because of their reputation and warranty service. Most members here would probably pick EVGA over Palit too.

[Dakaggo]

Originally Posted by b1gapl

The E4700 can overclock further, because it has a higher multiplier. And even if he doesn't intend to overclock, a 400MHz difference between the processors' stock speeds, isn't significant enough to be noticed, by let's say the average user.

I just think it's better to get the EVGA over the Palit, because of their reputation and warranty service. Most members here would probably pick EVGA over Palit too.

Probably.

A 20% (actually %18.18 repeating) increase in processor speed really doesn't make a noticeable difference? I thought it would since it seems like a significant percentage but then computers are weird like that.

[PC_Caveman]

Thx you guys that list helped me narrow my search. The game recommends a dual core 2.4 but im sure i can OC it to about a 2.4-2.6 without having to worry about the Vcore or temps. and if all else fails we can pay a little bit more for the E4700.