Please help me Spec out a new PC on budget !

[essclock]

Hi guys,

(I live in South Africa so I am gonna convert all prices from my currency to USD)

My current pc is :

AMD Barton 2600+ 1.9Ghz
512 megs ddr333 ram
Leadtek Geforce Ti4400 128mb graphics
MSI Motherboard

As you can see I haven't upgraded in a long time . This setup is running admirably well considering how old it is.

Most of my budget is going towards purchasing Software licenses, so I have a very limited amount left for my upgrade ( I can't spend much more than 700 USD for a Motherboard, Processor, Graphics Card, and Memory) .

So as much as I would like a E6600 with a Geforce7900GT it's not gonna happen now .

Here is a list of the parts I am considering :

1) Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHZ, 2MB L2 Cache, 1066Mhz Frontside Bus

2) Intel® 946GZ + ICH7R , INTEL 775, S+L+V, Supports Intel® Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Duo (Conroe)

3) Biostar nVidia GeForce 7600GT Graphics Card - PCIeX, 256MB DDR3 128-bit, DVI, TV-Out

4) Kingston DDR2-800 1028MB HyperX Memory Module (http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/product_info.php?cPath=30_291&products_id=10306)


I will be mainly running Zbrush, Silo, Maya, Combustion & Photoshop

For my price range is this a good way to go ? Is the motherboard ok ? Are Biostar's graphics cards ok ?

I might just end up playing the waiting game till next year then check out some better parts if this setup is no good .

Thanks for reading this long boring post !

Best Wishes ,
Essclock

[slatr]

Check out the Gigabyte DS3 board. I am running a 6400 on it at 3ghz.

All other parts look good to me. You might need a new power supply too.

[aurick]

Be sure to plan for the future.

My number one recommendation beyond a 64-bit CPU is to make sure that your MoBo supports as much RAM as possible. A lot of the good boards out there right now support up to 8 GB, which is great.

So even though you only plan to put in 1 GB initially, ensuring that you have such a motherboard will allow you to upgrade your system in the future when you have a few more bucks for it. Once Vista launches, more RAM is going to be something you definitely want.

[essclock]

Hey guys ,

Thanks for the advice . It is much appreciated .


Check out the Gigabyte DS3 board.
Looks pretty sweet . Just gotta see if I can afford it .


You might need a new power supply too.
Thanks. I didn't even think about the power supply . I currently have a 400volt one . I wonder if that's ok .

aurick,



My number one recommendation beyond a 64-bit CPU is .......

So what I have listed is not a 64-bit setup ?

There is a chance I could get this Mobo :

Asus P5B IP965 Motherboard w/A8 + LK + SATA2 RAID

Is this a good board ?

Thanks again for the help guys .

Best Wishes,
essclock

[Blaine91555]

This brings back memories of buying an XP Ready system only to have some components removed from the list after release.

I've decided to wait a couple of quarters. Too much happening now with the move to 64 bit and Vista imminent. You might take a look at Boxx Technologies and see what they are putting in their systems for a guide.
http://http://www.boxxtech.com/