[SteveGTA]

Hey. I'm building a new gaming rig and am looking for some suggestions on what to get. Here is what I've come up with so far.


[Motherboard] - GIGABYTE DS3 - link

[CPU] - E6600 Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz - link

[GPU] - eVGA 8800GTS 320MB - link

[Memory] - 4 1GB sticks of OCZ Platinum DDR2 4800 - link

[Hard Drive] - 2 160GB Seagate Barracudas in RAID 0 - link

[PSU] - OCZ GameXStream 700W - link

[Case] - Thermaltake Soprano DX Black - link

[OS] - Windows Vista Home Premium - link

[Optical Drive] - LITE-ON DVD+-R Drive - link

Thanks

[impact]

IMO stick with XP as your OS, at least until all the bugs with vista and most games are ironed out

[b1gapl]

I don't think you need 4gb of ram, unless you're video or photo editing. 2GB of is good enough. Then just add more when you need it.

[mrfluffles]

Stick with 2GB RAM. You might want to upgrade the 640MB GTS especially if you play with resolution higher then 12x10 for future proofing.

[darksideleader]

you also might want an SLI board, just for the option in the future.

[SteveGTA]

i only have a 19" monitor so I think 320 would be good but I don't want to regret not going with the 640. Anyone know if 320 is enough for a 19" monitor?

As for RAM, I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I am going to be working with Creative Suite 2, Studio 8 and possibly a 3D app in the future. Does this warrant getting 4GB of memory?

[Sora]

ALI is NOT worth it in that situation.

Downgrade the PSU as 700w is OVERKILL for ANY single GPU. I would get a Corsair HX620 for that price or you could get 550w PSU or something instead. The Gamestream's rails aren't very stable either but they do have 4 of them so it makes up.

I never liked the Thermaltake Soprano as it does look nice but there are quite a few cases better for the money as there actually isn't much room inside the case. However it will work well enough I guess if you have your mind set on it.

OCZ ram isn't BAD but there are chips Sticks that are much faster than them at the exact same price. Ask anyone and they will tell you G.skill HZ's are the way to go. As everyone else said 4GB is OVERKILL. 2GB is plenty even for vista and gaming. Get one set of these.

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail



EDIT: With only a 19 inch monitor the 320 is plenty good enough. If you plan on upgrading that card within the next year again when more memory starts to matter, save yourself some money and stay with the 320.

As long as you aren't doing any kind of visual design or something then 2GB should be enough in XP. Vista you would want more but Vista also is very bad for games and programs right now and by the time you would want to even put vista on, you would be due for an upgrade I think. Vista looks and sounds great until you learn how many games won't even install on it or run. Certain programs also have a problem with it as well.

[SteveGTA]

also, is nVidia still on top when it comes to GPUs? A while ago when I was active here they were, but are they still? If not, what is a good GPU from ATI for ~$300?

[SteveGTA]

Originally Posted by Sora

ALI is NOT worth it in that situation.

Downgrade the PSU as 700w is OVERKILL for ANY single GPU. I would get a Corsair HX620 for that price or you could get 550w PSU or something instead. The Gamestream's rails aren't very stable either but they do have 4 of them so it makes up.

I never liked the Thermaltake Soprano as it does look nice but there are quite a few cases better for the money as there actually isn't much room inside the case. However it will work well enough I guess if you have your mind set on it.

OCZ ram isn't BAD but there are chips Sticks that are much faster than them at the exact same price. Ask anyone and they will tell you G.skill HZ's are the way to go. As everyone else said 4GB is OVERKILL. 2GB is plenty even for vista and gaming. Get one set of these.

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Now use the money you've saved by downgrading and UPGRADE the video card.

Thanks for the feedback. Do you have any suggestions for a specific case? And what do you think I should upgrade the GPU to? I had looked at that G.Skill before but chose the OCZ because I already have the older plats (pc3200) and they are cheaper (after rebate) but I have heard a lot of good things about GSkill so I think I may go with those. Do you still think I'll only need 2GB if I am working in CS2, Studio 8, and possibly a 3D app?

Thanks

[b1gapl]

Currently Nvidia is on top with their 8 series. But in a few months, or next month, I believe ATI will be top. Also try and see how well 2gb of ram, works with you using CS2 and the other programs. Even though 2gb is plenty. If you see that you need more, then get more ram.