http://www.memoryexpress.com/SystemConfig/Default.aspx I'm going to be buying the parts from this place so if you used that site it would be great. My budget is about $1100 canadian dollars. So I am just wondering what is the best I can get for that price.
Processor - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 ghz - http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX15884(ME).aspx Ask xlink. I suck with this stuff. But thats a decent processor in my opinion, no need for something fancy just yet
most games are predominantly limited by the video card. if gaming is your predominant concern a lowend CPU overclocked to 3Ghz would suffice. if you want to do other stuff, higher end CPUs don't hurt. CPUs I would consider buying Pentium Dual Core e2160 ~70 USD Core 2 duo e7300(assuming Virtualization isn't necessary it's a great chip) core 2 duo e8400(the king of gaming chips more or less, most do 4Ghz easy if you overclock them) q6600 q9300 RAM : 2GB is alright, 4GB is decent but I personally can't tell a huge difference. if it's worth the extra $30 to you go for it, doesn't hurt. memory performance admitedly doesn't matter a ton but if possible try and get something with micron d9 chips in it. Also DDR3 is largely pointless at this time given how dang expensive it is and how little benefit there is to be gained. Graphics card: give your budget the only ones worth considering 8800GT 512 (solid card, best bang/$) 8800GTS 512 (a bit more expensive but roughly 10% faster than the 8800GT, is quieter and has a better cooler though) 9800 GX2 (king of cards, basically two 8800GTS 512s in SLI. Performance isn't quite double and ranges from 0-90% better with the average being right around 50% better) motherboards: what do you need? is RAID of concern? cheap boards: will OC well, no fire wire or RAID. in the UIS they're around $ 0-90ish ds3l ip35v more feature filled boards, around $130USD and a damn good board for the cost DFI LANPARTY DK P35-T2RS without a doubt harddrives: the WD64GB, Seagate 7200.11 320GB are probably the only drives I'd bother with right now. great performance averaging over 90mb/s read(last gen drives hit around 60mb/s) and reasonable latency. I have two 640GB WDs in my system and I average 170mb/s read performance in RAID0. or migrate an older drive I'll give you more info. my goal is to help you make an informed decision.
1 x Cooler Master - CM 690 Chassis, Black ( $79.95 ) 1 x Intel - Pentium® Dual-Core Processor E2160 1.80 GHz w/ 1MB Cache ( $79.95 ) 1 x Arctic Cooling - Freezer 7 --- CPU Cooler for P4/775 ( $29.95 ) 1 x CRUCIAL - BallistiX 2GB PC2-6400 Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 1GB) ( $64.95 ) 1 x Samsung - SH-S203B 20X SpeedPlus™ DVD-Writer, SATA, Black ( $27.95 ) 1 x Corsair - HX 520W Modular Power Supply w/ Triple +12V ( $104.95 ) 1 x Microsoft - Windows XP ----- w/ SP2B, OEM ( $139.95 ) 1 x Creative Labs - Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1, OEM ( $29.95 ) 1 x eVGA - e-GeForce 8800 GT 512MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out ( $229.95 ) 1 x eVGA - nForce 680i LT SLI T1 w/ DualDDR2 800, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, Dual PCI-E x16 SLI ( $179.95 ) 1 x SEAGATE - 500GB Barracuda 7200.11 SATA II w/ NCQ, 32MB Cache ( $84.95 ) Here would be a good choice for you in my opinion. You should be able to overclock your processor to 3Ghz without much hinderance and more if you wanted. The case is very good in my opinion and so is the ram. The PSU is very efficient, very reliable, modular for an easier build. evga's 8800gt, which you could "step-up" from in future for cheaper upgrades and a good quality hard drive and motherboard which will allow you to do SLi should you wish to. Total: $1,052.45, not including any building costs, shipping or extra warranties.
^ eww 680i../ if you plan on an eventual upgrade to a quad core CPU... (and OCing it) and you don't go for that SLI BS... 680i is a relatively poor choice compared to p35 x38 p45 or similar
