First PC Build, please help!

Uh, why the Wolfdale?

Why don't you get the q6600 for less than that? They go for around 200 from what I hear.

Also, get the 512MB GTS, they are much much faster and better cards than the old 640s.
 
Uh, why the Wolfdale?

Why don't you get the q6600 for less than that? They go for around 200 from what I hear.

Also, get the 512MB GTS, they are much much faster and better cards than the old 640s.

I have no idea. I'm not savvy with computer hardware, someone else put this list together for me. So you're suggesting instead of the Wolfdale I get:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail $249.99 (same price as Wolfdale)

And instead of the 640 video card I get:

EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $259.99
 
Yup. Those are the ones you want. :D

Thanks. Everything else look solid too? I'm planning on purchasing tomorrow.

Also, just out of curiosity, to clear my ignorance - the Wolfdale v the Kentsfield looks, just based on numbers of which I have no knowledge of, 3ghz v 2.4ghz? Or is it because it's quad, 2.4 x 2 means > 3?

Thanks again to both of you. Any other recommendations would be welcome. :)
 
... its not 2.4x2, it is exponential. You cannot really compare quads and dual cores, the same way you cannot compare single cores and dual cores.

It will be MUCH faster. Plus you can overclock it to around 3.6Gzh too.
 
GHz on cpus doesn't really work like that, but the Wolfdale should be faster when it comes to fewer applications. Since there's close to nothing that is optimized for quad core use, you'll only find it advantageous to have the Kentsfield when you've got many programs running simultaneously (Correct me if I'm wrong, I've been out of the loop for quite a while)

The only thing I see missing from that list is an operating system, which you may or may not have. If you don't have an OS handy, you'll need to spend another 100 on an OEM copy of Vista.

I'm not 100% certain that the RAM you chose is the best for the value, you could easily get 4GB performance RAM for under 100 dollars if you look around a little bit.
 
Yea, everything else looks good.

The reason to go with the 512MB version of the 8800GTS is that it uses the new G92 core which is offers much more performance than the G80 core used by the other versions of the card.

I'm not much use on Intel dual core/quad core comparisons and performance details. But there are others here more knowledgeable than I that can help.
 
GHz on cpus doesn't really work like that, but the Wolfdale should be faster when it comes to fewer applications. Since there's close to nothing that is optimized for quad core use, you'll only find it advantageous to have the Kentsfield when you've got many programs running simultaneously (Correct me if I'm wrong, I've been out of the loop for quite a while)

The only thing I see missing from that list is an operating system, which you may or may not have. If you don't have an OS handy, you'll need to spend another 100 on an OEM copy of Vista.

I'm not 100% certain that the RAM you chose is the best for the value, you could easily get 4GB performance RAM for under 100 dollars if you look around a little bit.

Yes you are right about the CPUs and speed. I don't think that the Wolfdale will be noticeably faster than the quad on any program, but it might be the case. However, to fully future proof a build, it is safe to get a quad core. Plus the price is the same... With a nice little overclock, that quad should destroy the dual core.

As for RAM, I will swear by: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

Benchmarks:

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Uh, why the Wolfdale?

Why don't you get the q6600 for less than that? They go for around 200 from what I hear.
Games benefit from higher clocked CPUs as hardly any are threaded for quads. The Wolfdales have unbelievable overclocking potential, here are some benchmarks between an E8500 and Q6600, overclocked and at stock speeds: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q9300_9.html#sect0 Please ignore synthetic benchmarks, they are very different from real life performance.
As for the video card, others have already said that the 8800GTS 320MB/640MB is now obsolete. There are much better performing cards available including a new G92 8800GTS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500004 or the 8800GT which performs almost as well: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143118
There are some benchmarks here: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/leadtek-px8800gt-512mb_8.html#sect0 It also shows the two cards compared to the HD 3870, which sells for a bit less: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125086 As for the RAM, I recommend Corsair or Mushkin, I'm not a great lover of G.Skill: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146673
You can see the capabilities of these two kits compared to G.Skill here:
Corsair XMS2: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/ddr2-800_2.html#sect0
Mushkin: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/ddr2-800_7.html#sect0#
G.Skill: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/ddr2-800_5.html#sect0
Apart from the price, there is zero difference between PC2 6400 and PC2 8500, you will not see a performance advantage because of the limitations of the FSB. Plus, the two kits I recommended can overclock to 1100MHz anyway.



 
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