Help on gaming rig(3.0ghz e8400 + 8800gt)

MercyFlush

first question about this is; do you live in the U.S.? i ask because i want to know which websites i should post in my links here to show you what some good parts are. also, what exactly is the price range?

a good case is the antec 900

this isnt a bad power supply

and i personally prefer evga motherboards, but i dont know what your price range is, so im posting one thats a little cheaper. its made by asus and is here

and for RAM, i would reccommend getting 2 sets of these

MercyFlush

oh and if you need a case from the list you supplied, the thermaltake armor cases are usually pretty good

dirtydfl

Oh sorry guys, USA, I've been using newegg up till now if that matters

dirtydfl

Thanks for the replies. I've narrowed it down further now, now its time for you guys to fine pick.

Decided:
GeForce 8800GTS 512mb(faster/newer/better then 8800gt, 30$ more)
Intel Duo E8400 procs.
Rocket Fish Case(full tower Lian Li case for 50$ at best buy!!!)
A p35 chipset motherboard
4 GB(2x2GB) DDR2-800

The Questions:
1)Which p35 motherboard will run the above with no hassels/compatibilty issues(ex. I don't want
to have to spend 10 hours getting it to post)? Gigabyte is a favorite thats been thrown at me but newegg shows Gigabyte as having like 10 different p35 boards/revisions. Asus was also recomended to me. But which specific model should I get? I just really don't want to have to go through the BS of flashing bios..etc before I can even boot to windows.
2)Haven't gotten to break apart and get down to PSU's yet, so keep that discussion up
3)Ditto with the brand of ram I'll buy, but its down to the regulars(g.skill, OCZ, Crucial, Corsair)

Also now getting slightly OT - but I have no moniter, so I'll need to buy one. If you guys come upon any deals let me know. I just want something in the same budget lines as above, with resolution above 1024x768(can't game in that anymore guys, hurts the eyes lol), light/not heavy screen, but most importantly something that will due justice to spending the $ on the new psu/gfc card/mobo. Basically I've been gaming on my 17 inch widescreen laptop up till now, I'm not used to playing games in uber high resoulutions/extra large moniter screens, so you know pretty much anythings an upgrade =)

MercyFlush

this is a nice cheap widescreen monitor thats 20.1 inches made by sceptre

and this one made by samsung is one that i own and use as my gaming monitor. i have had no problems with it at all and i love this thing. great monitor with a decent price

dirtydfl

I apologize, I meant I've grown up on a 14 inch widescreen and 17 inch regular(like 13 inch viewable lol). Anything over 19" would be too much for me to adjust too. Is there such things as good Lcs's under 19" or is that the lowest really now?

MercyFlush

basically any of the ones newegg has listed here
wouldnt be too bad. narrow it down to a few options and if possible, try to see the monitors you like in person, such as at a store or a friend's house. this is a good way of rating the performance of it and deciding

Big B

Motherboard: Look at the abit IP35 series like the IP35-P, a Gigabyte P35 board like the GA-EP35-DS3R, or something in the Asus P5K line like the P5K SE.

Power supply: Corsair makes some excellent units, and basically anything in their inventory would work. I'd shy away from the VX450, but only because I'd be worried the 30A +12V rail might be a bit lean for your system. Their HX1000 might be out too as it's plain overkill. I have been hearing on [H]ard|Forums about some deals on their TX750 for $100 if you keep your eye's peeled.
I'd also look at an Enermax ModU +82 or Infiniti unit.
Others:
-PC Power & Cooling Silencer
-Seasonic S12/M12 series 500-600W
-Silverstone 500-600W
-Thermaltake Toughpower 600-700W

Stay away from:
-Q-Tech/Q-tec
-Powmax
-Logisys
-Ultra (mixed bag, so some are good, but they seem to be sliding on quality)
-Apevia (formerly Aspire)

RAM:
OCZ or Corsair, especially if it's with a rebate. Both companies are very good about getting these to you, unlike some companies (I'm looking at you, Foxconn). If you get Crucial and go with their Ballistix stuff, keep in mind that you will need to have airflow over this stuff. Both the original DDR and DDR2 modules require good air to continue to operate happily. Their RMA process is excellent, but I'd personally avoid the Ballistix as I've gotten tired of doing an RMA every few months.

As far as good LCD's under 19", yes there are, but 19" seems to be a bit of a sweet spot in the budget real-estate area. Going with a 17" doesn't seem to be that great of a deal these days. LG, Samsung...good brands, although the KDS and Hanns-G monitors are pretty good despite not being a brand people think of to start with.

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