Im planning to build a rig on an 8800GTX and i would like to know your expert opinion on your suggestions of other components that would be suitable under budget.

Budget = P40,000 - 45,000 (exclusive of the 8800)
Rig must include:
2GB Corsair PC667 DDR2 memory
Ur choice of a 160 GB HDD
Ur choice of either AMD or Intel proc/mobo setup
Ur choice of flatscreen monitor
Ur choices of remaining periperals (e.g. keyboard, coolants, fans, casing) except mouse and webcam.

Im looking for a really very good setup given just the budget at hand (the 8800GTX packs a wallop on the pocket!..ouch!) but, computer literacy-wise, i am still an newb on understanding mobo specs and creating a perfect synergy for the system i want….ur help would be greatly appreciated thnx!

- Athlon 64 3500+
- 512MB 533MHz Corsair Value Ram
- 256MB DDR3 Inno3D 7600 GST
- 80GB SATA Seagate HDD
- Asus M2V Motherboard
- LG 17″ Flatron T710SHK
- Logitech Classic Keyboard Pro Spill Resistent

Anyway, I’ve been running all of the following games at maximum or near maximum quality and frame rates are good (at 800×600, except for Halflife 2 which I set at 640×480 resolution)!

- Far Cry
- Halflife 2
- Generals Zero Hour
- Warcraft 3
- Need for Speed Underground 2
- Need for Speed Most Wanted
- Age of Empires 3
- Civilization 4
- Heroes of Might and Magic 5

Im not sure you need the athlon 64 though i dont think they sell semprons anymore, a good cpu can run great with lots of ram and a great graphics card.

ok na choices mo. CPU is more than enough for day to day and gaming. GPU is ok for WoW (Me and Jayvee plus a couple more are starting over sa isang server lang once BC hits, sama ka abe!). as for Vista, Ill be running an article sa PC Mag about vista with and without aero and based on internal testing so far, a vast majority of users can live without the full aero interface.

you can even for for an old skool amd64 if your budget is really tight. my 2 year old amd64 3000+ rig is still fast enough for today’s apps (paired with sli 6600gt)

re monitor: this is one item that you wont be upgrading soon so good choice viewsonic with 19ich na screen estate. AOC is cheaper pero given a choice between the two (especially is price discrepancy is minimal) e viewsonic na ako =)

re: discrete soundcard; for only approx 1k? get the discrete one na. just pair it a a good set of speakers para lumabas fidelity.

re PSU: i agree get a good psu sir abe. for better power sa case plus expansion in the future

re: sata drive: yeah minimal sata and sata 2 difference for everyday work, pero maybe you can skimp on this muna if you think a 100gb or a 120gb can do.you can always add more naman later. pero sayang din kse 1k or 2k lang difference at the most eh

Nice rig but here’s some suggestions:

Athlon64 X2 3600 Dual Core - For just about 1K you can have an X2 3800

Asus M2V-TVM K8M890/V-PCIe/S/L - Good choice here. You can also check out mobos from Epox, MSI and Gigabyte. The MSI K9VGM-V is a good alternative for an AM2 board.

Kingston 1GB PC667 DDR2 - Good choice here. Just beware of the fake “Kingston” RAMs being sold here. You can try Geil Value RAM or a PQI as your options.

Seagate 250GB Barracuda SATA - Nice choice. For normal computer use there’s minimal difference on performance between a SATA or SATA 2

Viewsonic 19 inch VG1921 wide - You can check out the LCDs from LG, Samsung, and Acer. Try to get the LCD with DVI port. Pictures using a DVI port is much clearer compared to an analog VGA.

Samsung TS-H552B 16x Dual Layer DVD±RW Drive - An LG 18x Dual layer drive is around Php 2100.

Creative SB Ectiva SE 5.1 - I suggest sticking with the onboard sound in your not an audiophile. Onboard sound have improved and can be as good as an old SB Live or Audigy.

Inno3D 7100GS 256ddr2 64bit dvi - Adequite on normal usage but I won’t recommend it for gaming. “64 bit” is uber slow. Its like buying an old Gefore 2 or Geforce 4MX card. Have a big video ram doesn’t always give better performance. You need to consider the bandwidth (128 bit and above is always better) and graphic chipset when choosing a gaming card.

Logitech Cordless Internet Pro Desktop Black - Great choice. I have one myself. I really like the keyboard.

Get yourself a good PSU. Consider a PSU as a protection of your investment. I recommend PSU from Task and HEC. They are reliable and affordable as well. On an AMD X2 rig, I suggest getting 350 watts and above.

the branded ones are expensive because you buy the brand not the parts included.

not bad for a rig but maybe you can up the sta to sata 2 drive… i think a thousand pesos difference,

Samsung TS-H552B 16x Dual Layer DVD±RW Drive - Php2,800 (i’ll go with lg, benq) hehe personal choice secondly samsung i think release a 18x lightscribe drive just this week. so prices will this go down

Viewsonic 19 inch VG1921 wide - P 12,650.00 — why not try aoc para makatipid ka??? hehe not bad brand ang aoc… i think 1k lesser and don’t stick with one shop maraming shop na haggle able yung mga shop na will lower their prices just to sell hehe.

Inno3D 7100GS 256ddr2 64bit dvi - Php 2,650 —> is inno3d that good, oh well cheap eh maybe try palit for a change

add 400 watts of power supply, or maybe 500 watts para di ka kulanganin.

About the specs: not sure why you need a discrete sound card. Hardware-accelerated audio? And am not sure about the mobo, as Asus is known more for their Intel partnership. Good choice for a budget dual-core!

Is it cheaper to build your own rig or buying a already built rig?