first time build help ($5000 to spend)

I already have a monitor, speakers, and keyboard/mouse. I was going to buy a $5000 PC from alienware but a friend of mine convinced me that I can get a lot more for my budget.. So I'm still new to building so he picked out the parts for me today but I need more opinions to help me feel more secure about this purchase. He will also help me assemble it when the parts arrive. Anyway here is what I have so far:

- Thermaltake Armor Series case

- EVGA 780i motherboard

- 3x EVGA 8800Ultra

- Intel QX9650 cpu

- Patriot Viper 4GB RAM

- Western Digital Raptor 150GB HDD

- 2x 500GB Westrn Digital HDD

- DVD burner and DVD drive

- Windows Vista Ultimate

Then he's also giving me a Zalman(sp?) CPU cooler so I think I'm good with that.

This brings this build to $4905 from newegg. Is there anything missing and should I switch the OS to XP?

Thanks in advance!

3 8800 ultras isnt necessaryi would suggest 2 8800gt's

I'd suggest just getting one 8800 GTS (G92 version). And in 2-3 months from now buy 2 9800's in SLI. Also, save some cash and just got Vista Home premium.

EDIT: Make sure you get the EVGA brand so you can use the step up program.

wait... 3? I thought Sli was only 2 cards? Where did you get 3 from?catlin_czirr

if i were you i wouldn't spend even 1/3 of your budget on that pc because whats the point ??? most games can be maxed on a sub par $1000 so its just overkill. Also why invest so much money on something that gets outdatted so fast ??? if you do get that your computer might be amazing but in 1 1/2 - 2 years you will probaly be able to get something better for like $1250 you will last a hell of alot longer by gettings a $1000 pc and saving the other $4000 for upgrades mastershake575

agreed what you should proabbly buy that will last is a big hard drive a good power supply a kicken case and the ram, the most important things that will always be upgradable are the processor motherboard and video cards

if i were you i wouldn't spend even 1/3 of your budget on that pc because whats the point ??? most games can be maxed on a sub par $1000 so its just overkill. Also why invest so much money on something that gets outdatted so fast ??? if you do get that your computer might be amazing but in 1 1/2 - 2 years you will probaly be able to get something better for like $1250 you will last a hell of alot longer by gettings a $1000 pc and saving the other $4000 for upgrades mastershake575

[QUOTE="mastershake575"]if i were you i wouldn't spend even 1/3 of your budget on that pc because whats the point ??? most games can be maxed on a sub par $1000 so its just overkill. Also why invest so much money on something that gets outdatted so fast ??? if you do get that your computer might be amazing but in 1 1/2 - 2 years you will probaly be able to get something better for like $1250 you will last a hell of alot longer by gettings a $1000 pc and saving the other $4000 for upgrades karasill

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll probably lower the budget to about $3,500 is that a little more reasonable? I'm talking to him right now and is suggesting a Q6600 instead of the one I posted above and also thinking about dropping the tri SLI. I might end up getting 2 G92 8800GTSs. Is that still overkill?

And Vista Home it is.

[QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]if i were you i wouldn't spend even 1/3 of your budget on that pc because whats the point ??? most games can be maxed on a sub par $1000 so its just overkill. Also why invest so much money on something that gets outdatted so fast ??? if you do get that your computer might be amazing but in 1 1/2 - 2 years you will probaly be able to get something better for like $1250 you will last a hell of alot longer by gettings a $1000 pc and saving the other $4000 for upgrades mastershake575

[QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]if i were you i wouldn't spend even 1/3 of your budget on that pc because whats the point ??? most games can be maxed on a sub par $1000 so its just overkill. Also why invest so much money on something that gets outdatted so fast ??? if you do get that your computer might be amazing but in 1 1/2 - 2 years you will probaly be able to get something better for like $1250 you will last a hell of alot longer by gettings a $1000 pc and saving the other $4000 for upgrades karasill

No, $3,500 is not reasonable. The most I would ever recommend spending on a computer is $2,000. If you pay any more than that, you're obviously buying things you just plain don't need. There's also the fact that that $2,000 worth of componats rapidly loses value.kodex1717

[QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]if i were you i wouldn't spend even 1/3 of your budget on that pc because whats the point ??? most games can be maxed on a sub par $1000 so its just overkill. Also why invest so much money on something that gets outdatted so fast ??? if you do get that your computer might be amazing but in 1 1/2 - 2 years you will probaly be able to get something better for like $1250 you will last a hell of alot longer by gettings a $1000 pc and saving the other $4000 for upgrades mastershake575

[QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]if i were you i wouldn't spend even 1/3 of your budget on that pc because whats the point ??? most games can be maxed on a sub par $1000 so its just overkill. Also why invest so much money on something that gets outdatted so fast ??? if you do get that your computer might be amazing but in 1 1/2 - 2 years you will probaly be able to get something better for like $1250 you will last a hell of alot longer by gettings a $1000 pc and saving the other $4000 for upgrades karasill

Maybe the TC is an enthusiast that wants to have extreme bragging rights. Maybe he wants to go after the 3D Mark 06 score. Why do Car enthusiasts spend so much on their cars just so they can go 2 mph faster? It's called a hobby and some people want the best of the best. The TC made it clear that they wanted the best of the best, even if todays games don't need that power right now. It just means that his computer will last a lot longer then any of ours. Not everyone has a low budget. Why do you think Intel and Nvidia even bothers releasing those super high end components if they don't sell?

he isn't even secure about the purchase, he's new to building and is having a friend build it he's some enthusiast all right and where does the guy say he wants the best of the best ?? im not sure he even knows what he wants and nvida makes those super high end computers because some people will actually buy them without knowing anything about computers there like omg cool case lets get it mastershake575

[QUOTE="mastershake575"]he isn't even secure about the purchase, he's new to building and is having a friend build it he's some enthusiast all right and where does the guy say he wants the best of the best ?? im not sure he even knows what he wants and nvida makes those super high end computers because some people will actually buy them without knowing anything about computers there like omg cool case lets get it karasill

[QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]he isn't even secure about the purchase, he's new to building and is having a friend build it he's some enthusiast all right and where does the guy say he wants the best of the best ?? im not sure he even knows what he wants and nvida makes those super high end computers because some people will actually buy them without knowing anything about computers there like omg cool case lets get it mastershake575

Ok, I've been doing some thinking and decided that I will build two identical PCs. One for me, and one for my son for Xmas. He's a senior in high school and I think he deserves it. I guess I shouldn't blow all my money on unnecessary parts. So I'm building two identical computers in the $2000 range.

- Q6600

- 780i motherboard

- PC Power and Cooling 750W PSU

- DVD Burner and Drive

- 2x 500GB Western Digital HDDs

- 4GB Patriot Viper RAM

- 2x G92 8800GTS

- Thermaltake Armor Series case

- Vista Home Premium

Total: $2,021

[QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]he isn't even secure about the purchase, he's new to building and is having a friend build it he's some enthusiast all right and where does the guy say he wants the best of the best ?? im not sure he even knows what he wants and nvida makes those super high end computers because some people will actually buy them without knowing anything about computers there like omg cool case lets get it karasill

Ok, I've been doing some thinking and decided that I will build two identical PCs. One for me, and one for my son for Xmas. He's a senior in high school and I think he deserves it. I guess I shouldn't blow all my money on unnecessary parts. So I'm building two identical computers in the $2000 range.

- Q6600

- 780i motherboard

- PC Power and Cooling 750W PSU

- DVD Burner and Drive

- 2x 500GB Western Digital HDDs

- 4GB Patriot Viper RAM

- 2x G92 8800GTS

- Thermaltake Armor Series case

- Vista Home Premium

JohnP78

[QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]he isn't even secure about the purchase, he's new to building and is having a friend build it he's some enthusiast all right and where does the guy say he wants the best of the best ?? im not sure he even knows what he wants and nvida makes those super high end computers because some people will actually buy them without knowing anything about computers there like omg cool case lets get it mastershake575

Ok, I've been doing some thinking and decided that I will build two identical PCs. One for me, and one for my son for Xmas. He's a senior in high school and I think he deserves it. I guess I shouldn't blow all my money on unnecessary parts. So I'm building two identical computers in the $2000 range.

- Q6600

- 780i motherboard

- PC Power and Cooling 750W PSU

- DVD Burner and Drive

- 2x 500GB Western Digital HDDs

- 4GB Patriot Viper RAM

- 2x G92 8800GTS

- Thermaltake Armor Series case

- Vista Home Premium

JohnP78

Now that sounds like a wonderful idea.

That set up looks very nice, Sli, 4gigs of ram, 750W PS, Quad core, 1000GB of HD space, I think that will make your son very, very happy.

Ok, I've been doing some thinking and decided that I will build two identical PCs. One for me, and one for my son for Xmas. He's a senior in high school and I think he deserves it. I guess I shouldn't blow all my money on unnecessary parts. So I'm building two identical computers in the $2000 range.

- Q6600

- 780i motherboard

- PC Power and Cooling 750W PSU

- DVD Burner and Drive

- 2x 500GB Western Digital HDDs

- 4GB Patriot Viper RAM

- 2x G92 8800GTS

- Thermaltake Armor Series case

- Vista Home Premium

Total: $2,021

JohnP78

[QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]he isn't even secure about the purchase, he's new to building and is having a friend build it he's some enthusiast all right and where does the guy say he wants the best of the best ?? im not sure he even knows what he wants and nvida makes those super high end computers because some people will actually buy them without knowing anything about computers there like omg cool case lets get it karasill

Ok, I've been doing some thinking and decided that I will build two identical PCs. One for me, and one for my son for Xmas. He's a senior in high school and I think he deserves it. I guess I shouldn't blow all my money on unnecessary parts. So I'm building two identical computers in the $2000 range.

- Q6600

- 780i motherboard

- PC Power and Cooling 750W PSU

- DVD Burner and Drive

- 2x 500GB Western Digital HDDs

- 4GB Patriot Viper RAM

- 2x G92 8800GTS

- Thermaltake Armor Series case

- Vista Home Premium

JohnP78

Anyway. Thats a nice computer. Probably dont need the 780i, but whatever. Dont forget, if you buy the 8800 GTSs from EVGA, you get their step-up program to upgrade to the nVidia 9000 series.

[QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]he isn't even secure about the purchase, he's new to building and is having a friend build it he's some enthusiast all right and where does the guy say he wants the best of the best ?? im not sure he even knows what he wants and nvida makes those super high end computers because some people will actually buy them without knowing anything about computers there like omg cool case lets get it mastershake575

I'm liking it...

If it were me, I'd get a $2000 build, and spend $3000 on games haha

[QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]he isn't even secure about the purchase, he's new to building and is having a friend build it he's some enthusiast all right and where does the guy say he wants the best of the best ?? im not sure he even knows what he wants and nvida makes those super high end computers because some people will actually buy them without knowing anything about computers there like omg cool case lets get it karasill

[QUOTE="mastershake575"][QUOTE="karasill"][QUOTE="mastershake575"]he isn't even secure about the purchase, he's new to building and is having a friend build it he's some enthusiast all right and where does the guy say he wants the best of the best ?? im not sure he even knows what he wants and nvida makes those super high end computers because some people will actually buy them without knowing anything about computers there like omg cool case lets get it karasill

Karasill your argument is based on so many assumptions. All mastershake is trying to do is show the TC that for much less money you can still have a great PC. He is giving him another option, and as it turns out the TC is going for that. All your corvette analogies mean nothing since you have no idea what the TC is like. He didn't necessarily research benchmarks if his friend configured the build.

Sheesh.

TC: If you believe that having two systems is worth it, enjoy. Those are both very high quality systems. May I suggest that you two both have daily competitions to see who has the higher 3Dmark06 score (haha jk).

Anways, that's an excellent 2k build. I wouldn't spend that much, but that's because im poor lol. Definately overclock that CPU.

I hate you.SparkPlug69

A decent build for a $2000 PC. Your son is going to be very happy once he gets that PC.hacker_xyzzy

sure he will! (envy)

Ok, I've been doing some thinking and decided that I will build two identical PCs. One for me, and one for my son for Xmas. He's a senior in high school and I think he deserves it. I guess I shouldn't blow all my money on unnecessary parts. So I'm building two identical computers in the $2000 range.

- Q6600

- 780i motherboard

- PC Power and Cooling 750W PSU

- DVD Burner and Drive

- 2x 500GB Western Digital HDDs

- 4GB Patriot Viper RAM

- 2x G92 8800GTS

- Thermaltake Armor Series case

- Vista Home Premium

Total: $2,021

JohnP78

Those will be great pcs......go ahead and build them, you'll be in gaming heaven for a LONG TIME!!!!.....forget about all those other morons who are telling you not to spend xxxx amount of cash on the pc you want!!

I want to see him build a $5000 dollar computer now. Then i want to see my computer smash his when i get a single 9800gtx in a few months. "laugh now you overpayed clown hows it feel to know god hates you"-Daniel toshviper0982

and then when he sells his two 8800gts on ebay and gets one 9800ULTRA in sli, then who'll be laughing u idiot!!!

yea i would get either 2 8800 gt for sli(8800 gt do NOT triple sli) and wait out big for the new video cards. maybe his birthday coming soon?

WHAT ABOUT SOUND CARDS and audio speakers?!?!?!?! creative x-fi, azurentech, bgears inspirer, ht omega claro are nice!

[QUOTE="JohnP78"]

Ok, I've been doing some thinking and decided that I will build two identical PCs. One for me, and one for my son for Xmas. He's a senior in high school and I think he deserves it. I guess I shouldn't blow all my money on unnecessary parts. So I'm building two identical computers in the $2000 range.

- Q6600

- 780i motherboard

- PC Power and Cooling 750W PSU

- DVD Burner and Drive

- 2x 500GB Western Digital HDDs

- 4GB Patriot Viper RAM

- 2x G92 8800GTS

- Thermaltake Armor Series case

- Vista Home Premium

karasill