Building a Computer...buy now or wait?

[Burninator]

I am interested in building my own computer. I've decided to select my own parts from online retailers, and then eventually assemble everything myself. It'll be the first time I've done both of those. I have a decent understanding of computers, but when it comes down to the specifics I'm less knowledgeable. It'll be a computer I use for typical stuff with an emphasis on gaming. I play a lot of FPS's which are usually pigs to run. So I don't want anything weak. Here is what I have selected so far.

Case:Antec P180 Black ATX Mid Tower Aluminum Case - $145.65

Power Unit:Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620W - $164.99

Motherboard:ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 P35 DDR2 1333FSB 2PCI-E16 3PCI 2PCI-E1 SATA2 - $254.22

CPU:Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $289.99

Heatsink:Scythe Ninja Plus REV.B Heatpipe Fanless Heatsink - $42.67

Memory:OCZ Platinum XTC REV.2 PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 - $132.68

DVD Writer:Samsung SH-S183A Black SATA DVD+RW - $37.27

Hard Drive:Seagate 500GB Barracuda 7200.10 SATA II - $119.95

Video Card: XFX GeForce 8800 Ultra 612MHZ PCI-E 768MB 2.16GHZ - $674.35

Operating System:Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 32BIT DVD OEM - $99.00

Speakers:Logitech Z-4 Speakers 2.1 40W RMS SILVER-BLACK - $87.47

My total currently is around $2200 (not including a $100 worth of mail in rebates). And I would prefer to keep a budge of around that price, hopefully no more. Any suggestions? Things you would change? Things you would add? Like I said I am not really in the know when it comes to computers these days. So any help would be appreciated. I have a 22" Samsung LCD monitor and the MX revolution mouse, and I'll probably just pick put a keyboard somewhere, so all that is covered.

Another question I have is, is it worth while to wait? Is there anything coming down the wire that I should hold off for? I don't unnecessarily need the computer right away (the one I am using now is decent, but is not mine). If so what kind of timeline would I be looking at? Keeping in mind I would still like to stick to that $2000 budget.

[Hack&Lube]

Do you want a full tower? You could save yourself a bit and still get a portable computer with something like the X-Qpack and keep all that hardware except the full size mobo?

Question 2: Are you going to be overclocking?

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Do you want a full tower? You could save yourself a bit and still get a portable computer with something like the X-Qpack and keep all that hardware except the full size mobo?

I think I am set on that tower. I like cooling and sound benefits that it has. And I also like the look of it. My plan B is the Antec 900. But what mobo would you suggest?

Question 2: Are you going to be overclocking?

I am not very familiar with over clocking, but I have been reading about it. I am not sure if I would over clock or not, but it's something that I am considering. So I would like my components to be able to handle it, hence the heatsink, CPU choice etc.

[MarchHare]

Another question I have is, is it worth while to wait? Is there anything coming down the wire that I should hold off for?

There's always something coming out in a few months that's better than what's available now. It's just the nature of the business. If you wait for the next great thing to be released, you'll never end up buying anything.

My advice is to just buy the parts now and enjoy them.

[TheDragon]

I'd say now is a good time to buy. Parts have gradually come down in price over the last couple of months, so we might see one or two new hot buys in the near future - but with the system you've got yourself plotted out right there, one wouldn't really have to worry about upgrading them for some time.

Originally Posted by MarchHare

There's always something coming out in a few months that's better than what's available now. It's just the nature of the business.

Indeed. Competition sparks innovation, and since the competition for PC parts is so broad - there's lots of freaking innovation.

[worth]

Case: Good

Power Unit: Good

Motherboard: Go for the Premium version. Only a few more $ but better components

CPU: Good

Heatsink: Everyone is going for the Thermalright Ultra 120's now, but the scythe will probably do fine.

Memory: Should be fine but you can probably find cheaper. I bought 2x1 gb of corsair 6400c for $90 with rebate.

DVD Writer: Good

Hard Drive: Good

Video Card: Should be able to find for cheaper. Got my ultra for around $600 with rebate from EVGA.

Operating System: I went with Vista Ultimate OEM for $200

Speakers: Should be fine

These components would be great for a good gaming rig for a while. You can always play the waiting game. There is always new stuff coming around the corner, but eventually you have to take the plunge.

X38 mobos should be out within the month if that's something wyou would want to look into. I think the P35 board is fine. That's what I have.

New AMD and Intel chips should be out soon as well, but <$300, how can you go wrong with a quad core.

DDR 3 is still a ways off to be any challenge for DDR2. Price point for DDR2 is excellent.

New Nvidia cards should be out sometime this fall. I've heard November. If you want, get an EVGA card which has the 90 day step up program where you can upgrade your card if something better comes out within the 90 days. But i've also heard the new cards are going to be midrange, not high end, so by the time the 90 days are up, the Ultra will still be at the top of the food chain.

Also, make sure you check the sales section of NCIX:

http://www.ncix.com/promo/promosale....id=session2007

Some of the parts you are looking at may be on sale, and you don't get them for the sale price unless you go through the sale link.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Prices on vid cards and processors are going to drop in a couple weeks when the new stuff comes out. I was advised to wait until the last week of September before buying anything new as I am in need of a new vid card (currently sporting a Radeon X700 PCIe which is badly outdated). I would imagine the vid card you are looking at will get slashed as well. Man,that thing will slap down any high end game atm, nice card. Wish I could drop that much on a new one. Something else to consider is ATI cards, in particular the ones with the cross fire (think that's what it's called) as they have the ability to pair up with another card so you are running dual video cards (assuming your mobo has dual PICe slots, doesn't look that way) and you should get the same if not better performance than the one you are looking at.

The below link is fantastic for comparing two vid cards side by side, handy tool

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php

[worth]

I don't think the ultra is going to be dropping in price any time soon. New cards won't be out until Nov at the earliest and they may not even be high end cards. They've already come down $300 from when first launched.

[LockedOut]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Speakers:Logitech Z-4 Speakers 2.1 40W RMS SILVER-BLACK - $87.47

Based on your video card it looks like you'll be doing a lot of gaming. If you have the space for it, you should do yourself a favor and get 5.1 speakers. Trust me it's worth it. These Logitechs Z5300E right now are a pretty good price at NCIX. $130 + $12 shipping.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...h&promoid=1055

If it's over your budget a more modest set from Logitech is the X540 priced at $60 at Future Shop. Price match Best Buy or Staples and get it cheaper.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...gon=&langid=EN

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

There's always something coming out in a few months that's better than what's available now. It's just the nature of the business. If you wait for the next great thing to be released, you'll never end up buying anything.

My advice is to just buy the parts now and enjoy them.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

Prices are always dropping, and I don't think there is anything groundbreaking in the short term, so now is as good a time as any.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by LockedOut

Based on your video card it looks like you'll be doing a lot of gaming. If you have the space for it, you should do yourself a favor and get 5.1 speakers. Trust me it's worth it. These Logitechs Z5300E right now are a pretty good price at NCIX. $130 + $12 shipping.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...h&promoid=1055

If it's over your budget a more modest set from Logitech is the X540 priced at $60 at Future Shop. Price match Best Buy or Staples and get it cheaper.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...gon=&langid=EN

I will second the logitech speakers, they are fantastic. Fill the room nicely with whatever is being pumped through them. Sounds awesome playing music and even awesomer with a good game for providing ambient sound. I have the second set mentioned and quite happy with them but like Locked Out said, if you can afford the first set, get them for sure.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by worth

Motherboard: Go for the Premium version. Only a few more $ but better components

Heatsink: Everyone is going for the Thermalright Ultra 120's now, but the scythe will probably do fine.

Memory: Should be fine but you can probably find cheaper. I bought 2x1 gb of corsair 6400c for $90 with rebate.

Video Card: Should be able to find for cheaper. Got my ultra for around $600 with rebate from EVGA.

Operating System: I went with Vista Ultimate OEM for $200

Speakers: Should be fine

These components would be great for a good gaming rig for a while. You can always play the waiting game. There is always new stuff coming around the corner, but eventually you have to take the plunge.

Thanks for the advice. I changed out the motherboard, heatsink (still might go back to the ninja) and ram. I'll probably stick with the home premium though. Ultimate looked like it has a bunch of stuff I won't use, plus it's twice as much.

X38 mobos should be out within the month if that's something wyou would want to look into. I think the P35 board is fine. That's what I have.

New AMD and Intel chips should be out soon as well, but <$300, how can you go wrong with a quad core.

DDR 3 is still a ways off to be any challenge for DDR2. Price point for DDR2 is excellent.

New Nvidia cards should be out sometime this fall. I've heard November. If you want, get an EVGA card which has the 90 day step up program where you can upgrade your card if something better comes out within the 90 days. But i've also heard the new cards are going to be midrange, not high end, so by the time the 90 days are up, the Ultra will still be at the top of the food chain.

Also, make sure you check the sales section of NCIX:

http://www.ncix.com/promo/promosale....id=session2007

Some of the parts you are looking at may be on sale, and you don't get them for the sale price unless you go through the sale link.

Good advice. Thanks for that link too. That has way more deals than I found anywhere else on the site. I'll definitely be using that.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by LockedOut

Based on your video card it looks like you'll be doing a lot of gaming. If you have the space for it, you should do yourself a favor and get 5.1 speakers. Trust me it's worth it. These Logitechs Z5300E right now are a pretty good price at NCIX. $130 + $12 shipping.

I originally had a 5.1 setup picked out. In fact it was that exact Logitech set. Price isn't so much the concern as is the space. I don't think I'll have anywhere to put all those speakers. Not much point in having 5.1 if all the speakers are on the desk in front of you. I would much rather have the surround sound, but a decent 2.1 will do the job. Plus the Z-4 satellites look pretty slick.

[photon]

AMD's quad core processors are coming out later this month, and the price on the lowest one is $200US, so I'm currently waiting to see how the reviews on it are before jumping into a new system.

[Azure]

Take a look here....helped me a lot when I bought my system.

http://redflagdeals.pricecanada.com/

[Burninator]

Will all the components that I order come with all the necessary cords and wires? If I order what I have above, I'll be able to install everything and get it up and running?

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Personally, I try not to get the biggest and baddest vid card - I find that I actually keep far more current (and can play the latest and greatest) better if I get the upper-middle solution more often (rather than just getting an uber vid card every 3-4 years). Right now an 8800 GTS 320mb superclocked can be had for about $300 or so, which should give you pretty much 95% of the experience out there (unless you're gaming at some insane resolution)

[Vulcan]

NCIX also price matches, so if you find a better deal use it. This option comes up when you order. Here's one site I used.

http://www.shopbot.ca/computers.html

When I ordered mine, I got them to assemble it. It only cost $25 and it insures everything is up and running. I'm sure I could put it together but if something didn't work, I'm not sure I could figure out what part was fubar. It also lessens the chance of having to RMA a part.

[Regorium]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Personally, I try not to get the biggest and baddest vid card - I find that I actually keep far more current (and can play the latest and greatest) better if I get the upper-middle solution more often (rather than just getting an uber vid card every 3-4 years). Right now an 8800 GTS 320mb superclocked can be had for about $300 or so, which should give you pretty much 95% of the experience out there (unless you're gaming at some insane resolution)

Totally agree. What monitor are you going to be using? Unless you're running on 1920x1200 and above, the Ultra does not offer much over the 8800 GTS 320mb. Even then, you'd need to turn up the AA/AF details and all.

Edit: Saw you have a 22" monitor - so probably 1680x1050. I would say if you could save a couple hundred dollars on the GTX, you would feel absolutely NO difference at all. http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphi...=706&chart=316 - Ultra gives you about 10% more performance at 1600x1200 + all options. So if the GTX is $100-$200 cheaper, you might want to think about that.

[Hack&Lube]

Personally, I like a little mobility in my computer so I was just suggesting you go with a portable micro ATX system that would allow you to fully use all those components and also be able to move the computer easier to friends places, or down to your living room to be a home theatre PC when desired.

Buy your parts from http://www.directcanada.com/ when possible.
Direct Canada is the no-frills arm of NCIX and the prices are usually $10-$40 cheaper than NCIX.com but they ship from the same warehouse in NCIX boxes!

For example:
XFX GeForce 8800 Ultra 612MHZ PCI-E 768MB 2.16GHZ - $674.35 at NCIX
XFX GeForce 8800 Ultra 612MHZ PCI-E 768MB 2.16GHZ - $640.55 at Direct Canada (which is NCIX in the first place!)