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[18Weapons]

ok I'm gonna build that pc i thought i would build last year this year cause i need a business expense.  something on par with the usual 800 or so.  my monitor is still the best in the world, but i do want to grab a TV tuner and a huge harddrive to throw in my old pc to make it a pvr of sorts.  what do you guys think is good hardware to go with for a middle class gaming rig these days?  is the GTX 9800 still a good buy?  is the core 2 duo still nice? 

[ElvisKungFu]

I have no idea buddy.  At some point, I'm going to have to upgrade my rig at home as well, but don't see that happening for another year probably.

The TV tuner and large HD is a cool idea though, technology is coming a long ways.

[MonkeyKungFu]

I'm actually thinking of building a new PC, too.  I dont have any idea what the modern awesomeness is though.  I just know that my old AMD 64 3200 isn't what it used to be.

I'll be researching this over the next couple days and try to remember to write up my thoughts.

[18Weapons]

yeah i don't need anything too amazing... just want a new main pc with plenty of HD...  i am thinking core 2 duo still sounds nice just cause i hear they they are quiet and stay very cool

[18Weapons]

from what I can see, the GTX 9800 is still a good card and is $200 now instead of $300.  The Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 seems like a really good chip for the cost... only around $110

[MonkeyKungFu]

Here's my thinking.  Not too far off what you were talking about, really.

SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT 550W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817151027  $89.99
XFX PVT98GYDLU GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Item #: N82E16814150316  $129.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Wolfdale 2.66GHz LGA 775 Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7300
Item #: N82E16819115132  $119.99
OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR10664GK
Item #: N82E16820227289  $97.99
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811119047  $49.99
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
Item #: N82E16835100007  $5.99
SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q
Item #: N82E16827151173  $26.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Item #: N82E16822148262  $54.99
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128358  $129.99
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835186134  $26.99

[18Weapons]

How come you are thinking the GT instead of the GTX?  I found a eVGA 9800 GTX+ at buy.com for $162 after the $20 eVGA rebate. you think it is worth $30 more?  I am going to buy one or two of my parts at buy.com cause i got all this rebate money

http://www.buy.com/prod/evga-geforce-9800-gtx-512mb-gddr3-128-bit-directx-10-sli-ready-video/q/loc/101/208409945.html

oh i see it has a $20 rebate for the GT at new egg...  a similar card is at TigerDirect for $100

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4209965&Sku=P450-9830


on another note, the processor thing is a lil confusing to me because that says 2.6ghz and i already got a single processor that's like 2.2ghz... does this dual core stuff really work?  it all seems goofy to me to assume that it's just double 2.6ghz...  i mean can M$ windblows really make use of that!!??  kinda serious though.  it wouldn't suprise me if window nerfed dual/quad cores some how...

[18Weapons]

ok I have set up my new PC and played some games on it.  It is a sweet rig.  I'm glad you encouraged me to go with a Quality Power Supply and Case because they were a sinch to put together...

Here's what I ended up getting:

Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 2.66GHz LGA 775 Dual-Core Processor

RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme Black ATX-612WEB Foldout MB Computer Case With Side Panel Window

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - this stuff is pretty neat actually... I read the manual and it sounds a ton better than the usual paraffin wax stuff they use

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q

Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 w/SP2B for System Builders

Rosewill RX750-D-B 750W Power Supply

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P ATX Intel Motherboard - this thing has a mean onboard soundcard... I could tell a difference even with my cheap headphones

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - this RAM came free with the gfx card so it was a no brainer... i'll update to 1333 eventually if i think i need it

BFG Tech GeForce 9800 GTX BFGE98512GTXOCE Video Card - i couldn't settle for a GT... glad i didn't either... more bang for the buck

[MonkeyKungFu]

Awesome.  Sounds like a great machine.  I'm not sure I'd change anything except maybe the memory - but you can't beat free!

[ElvisKungFu]

cool... I'm jealous.  Guess I need a side business to throw business expenses into. 

[18Weapons]

well my power supply loudly popped last night when i turned the new rig on...  i really hope that's all it was... a new pws is on the way from newegg as we speak...

[ElvisKungFu]

dang... that suckks!  At least NewEgg has great support for return shipping stuff.

[18Weapons]

BO-SHA-YAO!  got my replacement power supply finally!  and it seems to have indeed fixed the problem.  only time will tell if permanent damage was taken to any other parts in the computer but it was up and running last night.  finally get to use it in EQ2 again :-P

[ElvisKungFu]

oh awesome...  are we gonna try for another game night on Thursday?

[18Weapons]

oh awesome...  are we gonna try for another game night on Thursday?

I think you know my status.  I am always in... Monkey and Snake are also generally in as well... if there's a game you think will get a bigger draw then I'm all for it, that is what having a group of gamers is all about.  Maybe we should keep it simple and just say CSS?