Hello all!
I am building a new PC for my friend, and have most of the components figured out, but would love some advice on the last few and any tips in general!
Here's what we have so far:
Keep in mind, budget is around $1700-$2000

• G.Skill 2GB PC2-6400
• Core2Duo E6420 or E6550 ... both get around 3.5GHZ overclocked, might be able to run E6550 at 500x7 with 1:1 ratio (RAM can handle it), but need motherboard capable
• Corsair 620W Modular PSU
• eVGA 8800GTS 640MB
• Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200.10
• NZXT Nemesis... he likes how it looks and I haven't seen any technical problems online regarding it
• Zalman 9700
• Icemat Siberia Headset... onboard on top-end motherboards should be good enough for it, no?
• LG Lightscribe DVD Burner
• Logitech MX518
• Logitech G15 (He's big RTS fan)

So, as you can see, the monitor and motherboard are still left.

As for monitor, we have been leaning towards 24" LCD; I think it will only get PC use so we have been looking at the Dell 2407. I think for now we are going to keep it XP/DX9, so I think the setup should be able to handle 1900x1200 with good results, no?

As for the motherboard, the search is on for one capable of maximizing the potential of the E6420/E6550 and G.Skill PC2-6400. The eVGA P5K Deluxe has caught my eye, but there are many other possibilities such as the MSI P35 Platinum... I still need to do some more research for this part but any tips will be GREATLY appreciated!

The total, minus motherboard and monitor, is about $1250.

All tips, comments, and help would be amazing!

Quote: I think for now we are going to keep it XP/DX9, so I think the setup should be able to handle 1900x1200 with good results, no?

Yup. The 640mb 8800GTS performs capably at that resolution. And Dells are pretty good, but make sure you check out other brands like Samsung.

As for the motherboard, I've just bought an Asus P5K Deluxe, and it seems a pretty decent board. Lots of overclocking options and good cooling.

Quote: Originally Posted by reflux Yup. The 640mb 8800GTS performs capably at that resolution. And Dells are pretty good, but make sure you check out other brands like Samsung. As for the motherboard, I've just bought an Asus P5K Deluxe, and it seems a pretty decent board. Lots of overclocking options and good cooling.

I see you have a 8800 640 of your own. I haven't seen much 1900x1200 testing in reviews. Do you play at 1900x1200? If so, what games, settings, FPS?