PC Building Help

[Inferno]

It's that time for me to get a new rig and I'm looking for some help. I'll be using it not only for gaming but for stuff like graphic/web design. I have almost everything figured out except the case and power supply unless I missed something else.

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Platinum FATAL1TY Champion Series 7.1 W/ Black Front Audio Bay & Remote $180.40
DVD Burner: LG GSA-H62L Black SATA DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 DL 10X Lightscribe OEM DVD Writer W/ SW: $34.45
Graphics Card: NVIDIA 8800GTS 512MB OEM 650MHZ 512MB GDDR3 1.94GHZ PCI-E Dual DVI-I *1YR NCIX Warranty* $384.99
Memory: OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL5-4-4-15 DDR2 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit $142.11
Motherboard: ASUS P5K Premium WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 P35 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA RAID Sound WLAN 1394 Motherboard $206.70
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive: $119.99
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box $265.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM $124.92

Total: $1,459.56

I'm willing to hit the 2k mark for this. I've already ordered a Samsung 226BW 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor from NCIX so all I need now is the rig itself. I was gonna get everything from there but found a place that sells cheaper besides the monitor. The only downside is I have to build it myself which really isn't that big of a problem cause my buddy can help me if I have problems.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

edit: looks like I had two hard drives listed.

[Azure]

http://redflagdeals.pricecanada.com/

Check this out for the best prices in Canada.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Azure

http://redflagdeals.pricecanada.com/

Check this out for the best prices in Canada.

Yeah, that's actually what I've been doing. That's where I found where I could get the monitor cheaper at NCIX.

I'm just not as knowledgeable as some people when it comes to computer parts. I've been waiting for my buddy to get on MSN to help me but he hasn't been on the last few days most likely because it's the holidays and his daughter's first one.

[Bobblehead]

I've always had luck with Antec cases. Antec has had an issue with their power supplies, but some of their stuff is OK. Or you can try the P182 and then get whatever power supply you want. The P182 is a bit more expensive, but it was designed with the help of the guys at Silent PC Review, so it was built to be quiet.

[Vulcan]

Make sure you got to the sales page on NCIX, otherwise their prices are just so so. Their Boxing Week sale has some good deals if a person is willing to go with what's on sale rather than a particular named product. Like now you can get an Galaxy 8800GTS for $268.88 after rebate, not that I'm recommending Galaxy. Your quad core is $249.99 and Vista HP 64 bit is $103.99 on the Sales page so make sure you go there.

[Burninator]

Heh, I have the same motherboard, hard drive, processor and monitor. Nice selection!

For power supply I went with a Corsair 620. Researching online I found that the Corsair line of power supplies got excellent reviews and came highly recommended.

For case I went with the Antec 900. It's more of a flashy gamers case. It has 5 fans including a monster one on top, so it'll keep your computer running cool. It also has a side window to show off the fancy insides. The build quality of the case is excellent. The only downside is it does have blue LED lights on three of the fans (two in front, and one in back). My computer is in my bedroom and it's impossible for me to sleep with the computer on because of the light. The only other case I would have gone with would have been the Antec 180/182 like bobblehead said.

[Inferno]

Are there any upgrades I should consider?

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Inferno

Are there any upgrades I should consider?

I assume you already have a good speaker set-up?

Otherwise, you may want to spend less on the sound card and put some extra cash on your video card. As a gamer that is where your bottleneck will be (not that the card you selected is poor, just that a year from now that is where your limitation will be)

And while I love the quad core processors, the best bang for the buck right now would be with a faster dual core chip. Not much of what you mention will use all 4 cores, so you may see better initial results with a faster dual core chip. But if you are expecting to try an run this rig hard for 3 or 4 years, maybe you do want to keep the quad core just to future-proof your system.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

I assume you already have a good speaker set-up?

Otherwise, you may want to spend less on the sound card and put some extra cash on your video card. As a gamer that is where your bottleneck will be (not that the card you selected is poor, just that a year from now that is where your limitation will be)

And while I love the quad core processors, the best bang for the buck right now would be with a faster dual core chip. Not much of what you mention will use all 4 cores, so you may see better initial results with a faster dual core chip. But if you are expecting to try an run this rig hard for 3 or 4 years, maybe you do want to keep the quad core just to future-proof your system.

Just some of my ramblings.
The thing is as far as upgrading his Video Card, as far as I know, there isn't really anything out there that would be much better on his 22" monitor. The 8800GTX would cost more but from what I've seen in reviews, it only outperforms the new 8800GTS at the highest resolutions. I've heard there will be some new cards early in the new year but who really knows.
That MB is maybe Crossfire so he may be able to go with two 3750s but I don't know if that will be much better than the new 8800GTS.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

I assume you already have a good speaker set-up?.

Yeah, I have surround sound.