Opinion time: What should I aim for with new rig??

[Big_Bubbaloola]

Ok chaps, here's your mission if you should choose to accept it:

By crimbo, hopefully, I should have cleared my long standing debts and have some cash to splash on a new PC. I should have around £1500 to splurge (that's $3000 US approx for you colonials). Now remember, even though the exchange rate is high, you guys in the US tend to get electrical goods cheaper than us Brits (damn you VAT!!! DAMN YOU!!!!!)

So can anyone suggest what I can get. I know that hardware development is fast so I need something that i'm not gonna need to upgrade for at least a couple of years.

Also is Vista Home Premium any good?

Cheers

[FRAGious]

Go with Windows XP for now and eventually upgrade that when Vista is optimized gaming-wise.

Get 8800 GTX, lots of speedy RAM, Quad-Core CPU and a big (maybe 600W) PSU so that your machine can handle the upcoming Geforce 9xxx-Series - which you btw wanna get sometime or another... They are rumoured to rock you soxxes off!!!!

EDIT: Get a big WideScreen Monitor. At least a Samsung SyncMaster 226BW. Or if you're going XDG (Xtreme Definition Gaming): Maybe a 30'' Dell.

[dontleave]

Well... Tek should be here any minute to tell you... but whats crimbo?

[Tarron]

crimbo xmas. christmas :P merry crimbo ;D

[Big_Bubbaloola]

Christmas, ya know, egg nog, tinsel, singing fucking christmas trees, having to give your unshaven 80 year old Auntie a kiss!!!!!!!!!

[FRAGious]

Ewwww.... That's nasty, Bubba... was my suggestions any help? Were you hoping for specific links to products?...

[dontleave]

Never heard of it.. most be a European slang thing... as a matter of fact I think I might have heard of it... just sounds weird to me...

Like Crusty Limbo=Crimbo=gross

[Odds_Bodkins]

Get 8800 GTX, lots of speedy RAM, Quad-Core CPU and a big (maybe 600W) PSU so that your machine can handle the upcoming Geforce 9xxx-Series - which you btw wanna get sometime or another... They are rumoured to rock you soxxes off!!!!


I've got around same budget as Bubba to build my new PC , and this is the basic spec I was looking at too, along with that rather pleasant case that has enough fans in it to turn it into a hovercraft (forgot it's name - Antec 900???).

Only thing I'm scratching my head with is a decent motherboard to complement the above set-up- anyone have any good suggestions/idea's with links? Something around the £120-150 ($240-300) mark would be funky!!

[hooray for zombies]

the only place I've heard crimbo in is in a free online RPG called 'Kingdom of Loathing'
No idea if that's where it originated but there ya go.

[Teknobry]

First off, are you planning on any overclocking at all?

Do you need monitor, keyboard, mouse etc?


Ok, for the basics:



Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.40GHz

Abit IP35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C4 800MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT12864AA804)

BFG GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)

Western Digital Caviar SE16 400GB 4000AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache X2

Samsung SH-183LBEBN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA Lightscribe ReWriter

Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-620HXUK)


Need to budget for case as well if thats needed...

[Teknobry]

Odds_bodkins, if you've got the cash for a really good motherboard..

Abit IP35 Pro (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

^check that out.

[Puscifer]

Happy Crimbooooooo!

[Odds_Bodkins]

Odds_bodkins, if you've got the cash for a really good motherboard..

Abit IP35 Pro (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

^check that out.


Smashing - thanks for that Tek, I'll check it out.

Think everything else I've pretty much got covered.

[Teknobry]

Post your spec, curious to see what you're getting :D

[Deek]

At least a Samsung SyncMaster 226BW.
Yeah man, in terms of monitors, this a great 22" LCD flatscreen. I love it. There are three models, "S" "A" and "C" (I believe). If you get an "S", fantastic. "A", good, but you'll want to download a color profile to correct some out of the box coloration issues. "C" ... return is and hope for an "S" or an "A". =)

Otherwise, yeah, if you want to be future-ready, I'd snap up a 680i board (SLI?) with the extra PCI-E slot, maybe a 88 GTX (or GTS if you plan on upgrading to 2nd gen DX10), some nice OC'd RAM (800mhz-1000mhz), 650W psu (or more, if you want the overhead), 7200 RPM harddisk, Core 2 Quad, etc etc.

[Big_Bubbaloola]

Cheers guys for the help, i'll look into all the suggestions.

And i'll be specing up as soon as I can get the jaws of life to open up my wallet!!!!!

[Big_Bubbaloola]

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.40GHz

Abit IP35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C4 800MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT12864AA804)

BFG GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)

Western Digital Caviar SE16 400GB 4000AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache X2

Samsung SH-183LBEBN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA Lightscribe ReWriter

Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-620HXUK)


Need to budget for case as well if thats needed...


Well if I go to Novatech (good company, not too many issues) then with a couple of small tweaks to the above, I can get that all (with case) for £1060 approx. Plenty of cash left for a decent monitor. WOO HOO!!!!

Thanks again for the help.

[Deek]

Plenty of cash left for a decent monitor. WOO HOO!!!!
Nice, with that much coin left for a monitor, you could easily voyage into 30" flatscreen country!

[Kenny]

Don't forget a 700/750W+ PSU if you are going with those bad-ass vid cards and processors..

[Teknobry]

The corsair one is more than adequate. Its only cheap sh1tty PSU's that need huge W numbers because they are so ineficient.

Bubbaloola, Let me know what you want to spend on a monitor and I'll see what I can find. Monitor choosing is a bit of a minefield, gotta make sure you get the right one.