Powerhouse build < $1,200.00

Pimp

Think about this setup:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 LGA775 'Yorkfield' 2.66GHz 12MB-cache (1333FSB)

Motherboard: Asus P5N-T Deluxe nForce 780i (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2

OR

Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6 Intel X48 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2

Memory: If your going to get 8GB and DDR2 i assume then get 8500+ (1066MHz)

Graphics Card: 8800GT would do the trick

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATA-II 32MB Cache

Sound Card: There has been some very good reviews on the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Sound Card

PSU: Coolermaster eXtreme Power 650W PSU - ATX 12V V2.01 120mm Fan 20+4pin

As for case that's up to you to decide on and other small matters like optical drives but as for CPU cooler you can get a decent cooler like an Arctic Freezer because the Q9450 uses less power then the older quad core (the new ones are 45nm) but you can go water cooling if you want then you can overclock the baby to very high speeds

Hope that helps

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Onur

#pimp

All good but it would be better buying DDR3 in place of DDR2. Because you've made a great system and DDR2 goes a bit slower. And in place of 8800GT you would buy 8800GTX. Belive me better performance on games!

Ashton

you should probably get a 9600 GT for better value (or two, which is the same price as the GTX but much more value)

I don't think they make 2GB DD2 modules past 800mhz yet, but it should be fast enough if you don't overclock that much

see this article on 8GB of ram:
Vista Workshop: More RAM, More Speed | Tom's Hardware

50th post btw yay

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Pimp

That's true mate but the thing is you need 1600Mhz or 1800Mhz to get a huge boost in performance from DDR3 and that costs like £400 for 4GB so not worth it ATM but hopefully in the future.


A super clocked 8800GT is better performing then a 8800GTX check this out: EVGA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB AKIMBO Superclocked

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Pimp

Yes the 9600GT is cheaper but it's rubbish in terms of performance compared to a 8800GT so in my opinion your wrong because you get a lot of Bang for Bucks with 8800GT. 9600GT is rubbish because it's the lower end of the new gen cards.

There are plenty of DDR2 that are 1066MHZ and faster most i have seen is 1150MHz

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Ashton

I was talking about 2GB DDR2 Modules, read the post!

Also the 9600 actually beats the same number of anything else including 3870 and 8800 when put in SLI, SLI has improved heaps in the 9 series.

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Pimp

Ok sorry but the thing is they still do make them in 2GB modules that go past 800MHz

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gazaway

Wow guys lol.
1. DDR3 is not much of a performance boost over DDR2. It is most DEFINATELY not worth the price associated. I would never, ever, ever recommend that to ANYONE untill the price drops.
2. DDR2 goes WAY WAY past 800MHz. It's harder to find in 2gig sticks but there's more than enough to choose from. Newegg.com - GeIL Esoteria 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail is just a single example...
3. There is no need for him to get a 780i board. What a gigantic waste of money.. He is just going to game in his spare time which means that he just needs a single gpu. A 8800GT or, yes, even the new 9600 would be more than suffice. That means you can get away from that overpriced chipset board and just get a p35 board. Here's a more realistic, more to your needs build:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 LGA775 'Yorkfield' 2.66GHz 12MB-cache (1333FSB)

Motherboard: ASUS P5K-E LGA

OR

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L (cheaper and I pref Gigabyte over any mobo.)

Memory: GeIL Esoteria 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)

Graphics Card: 8800GT or a 9600

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATA-II 32MB Cache

Sound Card: If you are getting Vista 64 bit you shouldn't need a sound card.

PSU: Coolermaster eXtreme Power 650W PSU - ATX 12V V2.01 120mm Fan 20+4pin

Goliath666

well as of right now i've not decided on which os but im thinking XP 64 instead of Vista 64 .

would dual GPU help in the process of Video Editing cause it is definite that ill be doing HD Video on the computer.

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new rigg complete

gazaway

HD encoding is rediculously easy now a days with current generation video cards. An 8800GT or 9600 would still be more than enough.

Now you said you plan on using just XP 64.. 8gigs of memory on XP64 is definately an overkill.. You could go with 4 and be fine.

Goliath666

soo you are saying that if i stick with XP 4 gbs is plenty wouldnt that mean that i wouldnt need to get XP 64, the 32 bit supports up to 4gb of ram and i would have less issues with finding 64 bit software and drivers! correct?

or are there more benefits to 64 then what ive come to understand soo far ?

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new rigg complete

gazaway

With XP 32bit you would only get 3.2-3.5 gigs recognized. The reason for this is that the different pieces of hardware use a certain amount of memory at al times. There is a way to change this, but it includes bios changes and patching. But with XP 3.2-3.5 gigs is plenty imo..

Goliath666

so you are saying that the XP64 and the 8GB of ram are unnecessary even with all that im trying to do?

we just picked up the Canon XH-G1 to handle our HD shoots so i cant be crawling when it comes time to transfer and edit everything.

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new rigg complete

gazaway

Yes. It isn't completely necessary. If you are worried you could go with XP64 with 4gig, bit 8 gig is definately an overkill. Now if your programs haven't got much 64-bit support then 32 bit with the 3.2-3.5gigs would definately be best.