ThomasCovent

a) what do you want to do with this new system / if you game how serious a gamer are you ?

Gaming/Multimedia

b) which level do you "want" your system to be mid-level / performance / ultra performance

Ultra performance/Longevity

c) anticipated budget >>>> we can give suggestions for complete builds in the $1000.00 range all the way to the Uber $2,800.00 machine

2000-3500 USD

d) what are the specs of the system you are using now ?

MotherBoard: P5N32-SLI Premium

RAM: 4 gigs in 1 gig sticks of Kingston 667 DDR2

Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 7950

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600

Hard Drive: Maxtor 500 gig SATA HD

Power Supply: Sorry don't remember the wattage off the top of my head. It is an Antec true power though.

1. Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?

2000-3500 USD


2. Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want?


I prefer Nvidia over ATI for video and I love ASUS boards but have noticed that their Maximus board is crossfire.



3. Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much?


I plan on running Ventrilo and 2-3 Instances of World of Warcraft along with a media player for music and Having a few reference web pages open.



4. Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games?


Mostly WoW and other MMO's but I am starting to get the FPS itch again so I would like to keep my options as open as possible.



5. Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding?

Not Planning on it this Comp will mostly be for fun not work.



6. Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?


I do not plan on overclocking as I feel I will need to do more research to do it right.



7. Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing?


I currently use a 500 gig SATA drive and it is at about 73% that is with my 500 gig External drive at about 56% and both of my 80 gig USB drives full.


8. Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices?

No


9. Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility?



I hate to say this but I will probably use Vista for DX 10 nativity.



10. Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it?



I would love a case recommendation and honestly the bigger the better I have lots of space.



11. Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included?



A gaming mouse recommendation would be great have not found one I am happy with yet.



12. Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have?

No



13. Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen?



I have always just used a 20 inch LCD after leaving my CRT behind years ago. A nice gaming monitor recommendation would be great.



14. Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from?

No



15. Location: What country do you live in?


United States

ThomasCovent

Please excuse me I am using a Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 not a E6600.

themisiek1

My suggestion is to wait alittle bit for the new 45nm quad core cpus to come out if your really want to hit hard. They aren't going to be 1000s of dollars either which is nice. I think a 2.66Ghz with 12MB L2 cache at 45nm is estimated to be $350. Supposed to be released sometime around March.

ThomasCovent

Thank you for the recommendation and I am definitely willing to be a little patient. I just have missed about the last six months of market and am now looking to build a machine mainly for fun, but also to be able to do any of the college work I need to do to finish my networking degree.

Yet again thank you and I think I will be patient.

ThomasCovent

Was thinking about this setup if I get greedy what do you think? A case some cooling, prefer not to water cool if I do not have too, and maybe another drive recommendation would be wonderful.


CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...%2bDuo%2bE8400


OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116140


MB: ASUS Maximus Extreme

URL: http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1...62&modelmenu=2


RAM: Patriot 4GB (Going to get 2 of these eventually)

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220278

PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower W0132RU ATX12V / EPS12V 1000W

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153053


Video Card: EVGA 768-P2-N881-AR GeForce 8800Ultra

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130090


Case: ????


Hard Drive: HITACHI Deskstar

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822145141


DVD: LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106073

HawMan

Yummy. Looks a beast so far.

take a look at the Thermaltake armor case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133021

ThomasCovent

Would I be able to fit this Power supply into that case however?


PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower W0132RU ATX12V / EPS12V 1000W

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153053

ThomasCovent

Think I may have found some cooling tell me what you think please?

CPU FAN: ASUS V-60 92mm Vapo Bearing CPU Cooler

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835101011

TheMatt

This fan was extremely well engineered and will do you fine:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835150082

For less than the X38 motherboard and the 8800 Ultra you can get an nForce 780i motherboard and dual 8800GT G92 cards which will give much better performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131255
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125081 x 2

I would also go with a Q6600 and upgrade later based on your response for the multitasking question.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115017

Don't splurge on DDR3 yet; it has great potential but it will take time for the speed to be worth the higher latencies.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227252