New Gaming Rig

[Hawkeye426]

Hey guys so I have to replace some of our office computers at our family business, so they are going to get my present rig as their main terminal and I've got a $1500 budget for a new rig (Sweet Deal) anyways I'm willing to throw in another $500 and was wondering what hardware you guys would recommend.

The rig I'm replacing:
Intel E6600 C2D 2.4GHZ
Corsair 4GB DDR2 800MHZ
EVGA 680i (Original Version)
300GB Seagate HDD 7200RPM SATAII (Keeping and replacing with 160WD SATAII)
ThermalTake Armour Case
Ultra 600W PSU
BFG 8800GTX (Im keeping this and replacing the part with a Geforce 8400)

What I'm thinking about:
Intel QX9650
EVGA 790i Ultra MB
Corsair 2GB DDR3 1333MHZ
ThermalTake Armour (I really love this case)
Thermaltake ToughPower 750W PSU

Anyways any suggestions would be hot, BTW price is not a huge issue so dont go cheap. ( I was planning on buying a brand new system anyways so this is like a bonus)

[CarbonFire]

Certainly couldn't hurt to add another 1 Gb to that new rig (or more if you're getting Vista 64). Otherwise, that looks pretty decent.

Does seem like a WHOLE LOT to spend on just 1 processor though. Especially since in 6-8 months time, something near comparable is likely to come out at two-thirds or even half the price

And the Q9450/Q9550s are just about to be released....the Q9650 can't be THAT much better

[Hawkeye426]

Thats true but Im getting it for $700 so its a pretty big discount for me you know in play money. (Can $)

[Rand{CLR}]

You were already planning on buying a brand new system about a year after getting another one? I wish I had that kind of spare dough.

Be a bit of a hassle shifting settings and files that often though.

What's your monitor situation? How about a RAID array to go with the other drive, or if you really want to splurge, a Blu-Ray burner?

-Rand

[Duke{CLR}]

Hawkeye I would make sure to get the ESA psu and the ESA case. I have been using the beta software that work with my 780i MB and it's pretty cool. Thermatake has a ArmorPlus case and a 850 PSU. That support ESA.

http://thermaltakeusa.com/product/Ch...vh6001bws.asp#

http://thermaltakeusa.com/product/Po...0178/w0178.asp

Here are some other ESA cases that I like.

http://www.silverstonetek.com/produc...0-esa&area=usa

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119147

[juneau]

Drop the CPU, motherboard, and the PSU and i would consider it a good spec.

[Duke{CLR}]

I would also go for the Q9450 that will be out soon.

[Todd98]

WOW Hawkeye I see you are thinking of doing the samething. But could you enlighten me on what this is EVGA 790i Ultra MB?

[Duke{CLR}]

http://www.evga.com/products/moreInf...132-CK-NF79-A1

I haven't had any issues with the Nivdia chip sets so I like them. I have also only build one PC so far so I am still a bit of a noob. The Intel Chipsets seem to perform well and seem to be popular. The two things that you get with Nvidia are ESA and SLI. The 790i will cost you big $$ though so get ready to break out your wallet. Buying all this leading edge stuff won't make too much of a difference in game performance when compared to second level tech. You may get some future proofing but there is never guarantee that it will play the next big game. If you have the $$ then go for it because someone needs to test these things out before they fall into the main stream.

Here is a link about ESA.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/articl...50aHVzaWFzdA==

[ryanbatc]

IDK Hawk, I'd get an E8400, and overclock the pants off it!

Waaay cheaper, just add a tuniq tower etc and you're good to go

Use the extra cash to RAID1/0 a few raptors, or RAID5 lol

[Hawkeye426]

IDK Hawk, I'd get an E8400, and overclock the pants off it!

Waaay cheaper, just add a tuniq tower etc and you're good to go

Use the extra cash to RAID1/0 a few raptors, or RAID5 lol

I have a buddy who has his QX9650(What im getting) to 4.1Ghz on STOCK cooling and stable. Plus we both work in the industry and cost is a very small object as I often get free components from wholesalers to try. (I build retail systems, for gamers and businesses as well as IT and programming)

[ryanbatc]

I have a buddy who has his QX9650(What im getting) to 4.1Ghz on STOCK cooling and stable. Plus we both work in the industry and cost is a very small object as I often get free components from wholesalers to try. (I build retail systems, for gamers and businesses as well as IT and programming)

heh, that solves everything!!! Lucky you!

[BigTwinky]

What cha gonna do with your old system?

That old one is way better than my AMD Athlon 1.8ghz, ATI 9800Pro 128mb, 1 gig ram, 120g HD setup i am running now.