Help purchase for Core 2 Duo e8400

[skidawgz]

I sold my last gaming rig but have a handful of parts I picked up from a friend. Currently have a Core 2 Duo 3.0ghz e8400, and a Gigabyte EP45-UD3P mobo.

Considering ordering:
a mobo that supports DDR3, is this necessary?
a GFX card such as AMD Radeon HD 6870
8GB RAM
some sort of small SSD drive for booting

So I read the E8400 is a solid chip...
Do I stay with that current Mobo and use DDR2 Ram, how much and what speed?

If it is worth the money to get DDR3, what board? (considering ASUS P5G41)

Finally, I probably don't even need to overclock, but I will anyway. This will be used to play Diablo 3 and Guild Wars 2, and probably nothing else. Would like to OC to a very stable speed and leave it. Any suggestions on what exactly to purchase/get rid of welcomed.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Twiggz]

I don't believe you'll need the ddr3, I would stay with the board you have instead of buying one. 8gb like you said is fine and the board can use Memory StandardDDR2 1366+/1066/800/667.

 

[johan851]

A free board is nice, and that Gigabyte board is a good one. 4-8GB of DDR2 should make it a nice system.

You'll have to overclock using the FSB, so slightly faster RAM is a good idea. I'd look for 800MHz DDR2 (DDR2-1600).

 

[Cigarsmoker]

Yeah stick with DDR2. 8 GB is plenty. I'd get a decent cooler (Hyper 212+ or EVO) for OCing. A SSD is nice, especially for the general computing experience. 6870 maybe hard to find. You might want to look at one of the newer 7XXX series card or possibly wait for Kepler.

 

[Mphaker]

I think all the components are fine, use DDR2 as you see almost no performance gain on LGA775s with DDR3; it's just something added to attract non-researching customers. Graphics card should be fine as long as you get DDR2-1066. Other than that, solid parts you got there. For overclocking, get a aftermarket cooler, something like a CM 212+ or Evo. Don't be wasting money on huge stuff like Noctua D14 or water cooling.

 

[skidawgz]

OK, thank you everyone that replied.

Seems DDR2 runs way more $ than DDR3 to get 8GB, but thats OK I suppose
What timing should I want for the ram? 1066 or 800 speed or something else?

The CM heatsinks recommended look great, Ill grab one, think I'll have any case issues with the GFX card?

Probably ordering http://www.xoxide.com/raidmax-vipercase-black.html

 

[Metlcub]

you should be able to fit standard gfx cards in there. I could not find the inside case dimensions but then again, I did not look to hard. For the same price, you can pick up a HAF 912 case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&Tpk=haf 912
it really is a great case.

I have always like Cooler master cases and their HAF series is just down right kick ***.

 

[skidawgz]

Coincidentally, I changed my mind to that case.
going with the same one you linked.

 

[Mphaker]

What is your budget for your case? There are a plethora of badass cases out there if you're willing to spend a little extra.

 

[skidawgz]

The case isn't really high priority, I actually don't like flashy cases. I would normally pay for one with rubber mounts so that it is quiet, but ultimately I don't really plan to spend any more on it than necessary.

My "splurge" is on the SSD drive.

Can anyone tell me what speed ram to get for OC?

 

[Twiggz]

i'd just get some ddr2 1600 like johan851 suggested