My $5,000 Build

S

shivang222

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
302
I need suggestions on a lot of the parts for building my new computer...


CPU: QX6800
I want the best as I don't think I will upgrade...

Motherboard: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel
Will this support DDR3 memory? In the future, will I be able to put a Penryn in this?

Graphics Cards: 2X XFX GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP RoHS Dual DVI XXX Video Card
This will fit in my case and mobo, right?

Disk Drive: SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black SATA - OEM
Is this drive good?

Hard Drive: 2X Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

CPU Cooler: Tuniq Tower 120

Case: SILVERSTONE TJ09-BW Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Big enough?

Memory: 2X G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
I want the best...

Power Supply: SILVERSTONE ST85ZF ATX12V / EPS12V 850W SLI Certified Power Supply
Enough?

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Should I go with 64-bit because of the amount of RAM, or is the driver support for 64-bit not good?

Total Price: ~ $5,400
 
shivang222 said:
Will this support DDR3 memory? In the future, will I be able to put a Penryn in this?
Click to expand...

Nope. 45nm and 1333fsb processors (G0 stepping) will not work with it. DDR-3 either. You will want a P35 chipset board for both of those, with the compromise of SLI. Your case is big enough and your PSU is perfect. Although, I don't see how even all of that will cost you $5,000.
 
Uhm, that's not correct. eVGA has said that they will support Penryn on that board, and it already has the BIOS update to support the 1333 FSB processors. It will not support DDR3 though.
 
shivang222 said:
which mobos will support DDR3 and SLI?
Click to expand...

There are none. DDR3 is immature and slower than good DDR2 in most cases right now. I would not worry about it. The eVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 /will/ support 45nm 1333FSB processors, though. Buffbiff21 was incorrect.
 
you'd probably be happier spending half of that now, selling it for a nice chunk and spending the other half later. otherwise you're pretty much throwing money down the sink.

edit - yay Limp Gawd!
 
bigjon32 said:
you'd probably be happier spending half of that now, selling it for a nice chunk and spending the other half later. otherwise you're pretty much throwing money down the sink.
Click to expand...

QFT. I can't even think of a setup that would hit $5k unless you go nuts with huge RAID arrays or some exotic cooling setup (or workstation class hardware, but you probably wouldn't want that).

*Edit* If you absolutely have to spend $5k may I suggest a Mac Pro. :D
 
Yeah you'll get more value for your money with a $2,500 build than a $5000 build. Also, you can use that leftover $2,500 for a cheap car or something. Or maybe even a trip overseas.
 
can someone please explain to me how Corsair Dominators are better than the cheaper memorys out there? (eg. G.Skill)

If they run at the same speed, with the same latency, with the same timings, wouldn't the memorys be identical performance-wise?
 
shivang222 said:
can someone please explain to me how Corsair Dominators are better than the cheaper memorys out there? (eg. G.Skill)

If they run at the same speed, with the same latency, with the same timings, wouldn't the memorys be identical performance-wise?
Click to expand...

You pay for the name and a lot for those fancy heatsinks
 
+1 What shivang222 said. I want to know too, because I am thinking about selling the Corsair Dominator in the rig I just bought...
 
Ok it's 100% pointless to spend $5000 on a computer, when you can spend $2500 and have a pretty similar setup performance wise.

CPU:
If you want good performance, May I suggest the
qx6700 if you want quad core, if not the e6850 will be available after July 22 and can reach 4ghz+

Ram:
4gb of an matching RAM.
DDR2 or DDR3, they are the same performance, so I would save a few hundred and go ddr2.

PSU:
Thermaltake toughpower 1200watt, the best psu you can buy, no questions asked.

Case: Your choice, just make sure its large

Windows vista 64bit

Some watercooling

Mobo:
Now if you want sli, you have to go wiith the evga 680i, but there are much better non sli options out there, which i would suggest such as the ds3 or p5k.

Those are some suggestions.
 
shivang222 said:
CPU: QX6800
I want the best as I don't think I will upgrade...
Click to expand...

Wait till the 22nd. The QX6850 will be out for $999, will feature 1333fsb and a lot of improvements over the QX6800.

shivang222 said:
Motherboard: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel
Will this support DDR3 memory? In the future, will I be able to put a Penryn in this?
Click to expand...

Good board choice. No. This will not support DDR3. But yes, it may support Penryn.

shivang222 said:
Graphics Cards: 2X XFX GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP RoHS Dual DVI XXX Video Card
This will fit in my case and mobo, right?
Click to expand...

You will have more than enough space.

shivang222 said:
Disk Drive: SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black SATA - OEM
Is this drive good?
Click to expand...

The drive will work for your needs. They are pretty fool proof now. SATA is a good choice.

shivang222 said:
Hard Drive: 2X Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Click to expand...

Go with one raptor? I assume you want to run Raid0? Go for 1 raptor and 1 TB drive or a large storage meduim.... you will be much happier.

shivang222 said:
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Click to expand...

Nice.

shivang222 said:
CPU Cooler: Tuniq Tower 120
Click to expand...

Good cooler.

shivang222 said:
Case: SILVERSTONE TJ09-BW Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Big enough?
Click to expand...

Big enough for a bus to park in it. Plenty of room for your gear.

shivang222 said:
Memory: 2X G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
I want the best...
Click to expand...

I would personally get more ram, especially with Vista. Go with slower ram but more of it. It would also depend on if you want to overclock (keep in mind you have an unlocked cpu), and would depend on what your computing habbits are like.

Either way, good memory choice.

shivang222 said:
Power Supply: SILVERSTONE ST85ZF ATX12V / EPS12V 850W SLI Certified Power Supply
Enough?
Click to expand...

More than enough, especially since you stated you probably wont upgrade for a long long time.

shivang222 said:
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
Click to expand...

Since the Vista driver fiasco, I am not too happy with the X-Fi or Barracuda (Razer) offerings... so this one is up in the air. It should serve you good though (I think they fixed some of the problems with it)

shivang222 said:
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Should I go with 64-bit because of the amount of RAM, or is the driver support for 64-bit not good?
Click to expand...

Go with premuim 64bit. You wont regret it. 32 bit is nice for driver support and all, but you will find much more satisfaction with 64bit and eventually this is the way of the future. Also, you'd be able to use all your memory.

shivang222 said:
Total Price: ~ $5,400
Click to expand...

Dang, that price adds up quick eh *checks on system specs *dies**
 
coolxboxgamer said:
Ok it's 100% pointless to spend $5000 on a computer, when you can spend $2500 and have a pretty similar setup performance wise.
Click to expand...

False. This system will leave a $2,500 system in the dust.

coolxboxgamer said:
CPU:
If you want good performance, May I suggest the
qx6700 if you want quad core, if not the e6850 will be available after July 22 and can reach 4ghz+
Click to expand...

Do not go with an older cpu. Rather wait out for the QX6850, which is only a few days away.

coolxboxgamer said:
Ram:
4gb of an matching RAM.
DDR2 or DDR3, they are the same performance, so I would save a few hundred and go ddr2.
Click to expand...

Agreed. DDR3 mobos are hard to come by anyways at this point, so is the memory.

coolxboxgamer said:
PSU:
Thermaltake toughpower 1200watt, the best psu you can buy, no questions asked.
Click to expand...

It's a great PSU but defnitley not the best PSU money can buy.

coolxboxgamer said:
Case: Your choice, just make sure its large

Windows vista 64bit
Click to expand...

Word.

coolxboxgamer said:
Some watercooling
Click to expand...

Watercooling isn't needed, just adds to the cost exponetially, especially for those video blocks, mobo blocks, and the cpu block. You are looking at $500 in added costs for H20 cooling.
 
I've just come up with this.

Antec P190 case w/Thermaltake ToughPower 1200w Power Supply
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 4MB L2 LGA775 @3.4GHz w/Swiftech Apex Ultra H20-220 Watercooling System
EVGA 680i SLI (122-CK-NF68-A1 / 680i SLI chipset) (w/MCW30 waterblock)
2x2GB Patriot Extreme Performance DDR2 800 PC2-6400 EPP
2x eVGA 8800GTX (SLi) 768MB GDDR3 (Danger Den NV-88GTX waterblocks) (630core/975mem)
LSI MegaRAID 8308ELP 128MB DDR333 PCI Express SATA / SAS Controller Card
Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Xtreme Gamer w/64MB X-RAM
4x150GB WD1500ADFB 10,000rpm Raptors (RAID-5)
2x Samsung 18x SATA DVD-R/DVD-RW Drives
Dell Ultra-Sharp 3007WFP (rev. A02) | Viewsonic VP201s | Viewsonic VX2025wm (Triple Monitor Goodness.)

:D


silent-circuit said:
If you /must/ spend all that money, just find a post by Dan_D and copy his rig. ;)
Click to expand...
 
Theres definitely a huge gap between a pc that's excellent and also practical for the money vs something that you just want to flaunt how much you spent on it. Why not go all out and spend $10,000 on equipment? For $7k-$10k you could most likely get way better equipment than you would if comparing a $5,000 pc to a $1,700 PC. PC parts drop value worse than cars so in 2 years this stuff will most likely be worth 1/5th of what it is now and probably won't even be on the same level as mid range stuff the average joe would use.

Really though, I'd probably put a ton of money into it as well if I had it.
 
RoBo said:
I've just come up with this.

Antec P190 case w/Thermaltake ToughPower 1200w Power Supply
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 4MB L2 LGA775 @3.4GHz w/Swiftech Apex Ultra H20-220 Watercooling System
EVGA 680i SLI (122-CK-NF68-A1 / 680i SLI chipset) (w/MCW30 waterblock)
2x2GB Patriot Extreme Performance DDR2 800 PC2-6400 EPP
2x eVGA 8800GTX (SLi) 768MB GDDR3 (Danger Den NV-88GTX waterblocks) (630core/975mem)
LSI MegaRAID 8308ELP 128MB DDR333 PCI Express SATA / SAS Controller Card
Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Xtreme Gamer w/64MB X-RAM
4x150GB WD1500ADFB 10,000rpm Raptors (RAID-5)
2x Samsung 18x SATA DVD-R/DVD-RW Drives
Dell Ultra-Sharp 3007WFP (rev. A02) | Viewsonic VP201s | Viewsonic VX2025wm (Triple Monitor Goodness.)

:D
Click to expand...

If you want to copy that thing, you are more than welcome to. :D I'll give you all the advice you need to make it happen but take it from me, there are much easier methods of getting similar performance. Namely, choose a different case. That one was a pain in the ass to make work for my application. It required drilling, (light hammering), cutting, and grinding to get right. Not to mention I had to fabricate a secondary PSU bay cover.
 
Wow... here we go again... similar discussions, too. Did you decide if you'll be buying these parts in the states? Or will you be building it all in Japan, now?
 
Ockie said:
Wait till the 22nd. The QX6850 will be out for $999, will feature 1333fsb and a lot of improvements over the QX6800.
Click to expand...

Are you sure? If that is coming out, I am definitely going to get it....


Ockie said:
I would personally get more ram, especially with Vista. Go with slower ram but more of it. It would also depend on if you want to overclock (keep in mind you have an unlocked cpu), and would depend on what your computing habbits are like.
Click to expand...

Are you saying to get more than 4Gb of RAM?
I was thinking of going with this: CORSAIR XMS2 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Cas Latency 5
Timing 5-5-5-18


Ockie said:
Go with premuim 64bit. You wont regret it. 32 bit is nice for driver support and all, but you will find much more satisfaction with 64bit and eventually this is the way of the future. Also, you'd be able to use all your memory.
Click to expand...

Gonna do it, but Home Premium or Ultimate?

Thanks Ockie...

just curious... how much did your computer cost Dan D?
 
Here's my take on the OP's build:

1. 2x2gb > 4x1gb and DDR3 isn't worth it right now
2. A pair of Raptors but no large 500gb+ drive?
3. What about peripherals? A $5K computer is useless without quality keyboard, mouse, mousepad, and monitor. SLI will especially be pretty much wasted unless you're running a large LCD @ native rez
4. You appear to be building a system ripe for overclocking, but then you choose the faster processor out there? At a few hundred more than a QX6700 for only a few hundred mhz, what's the point? Take the money saved and buy speakers, headphones, hell a nice chair or desk
 
Vertigo Acid said:
Here's my take on the OP's build:

1. 2x2gb > 4x1gb and DDR3 isn't worth it right now
2. A pair of Raptors but no large 500gb+ drive?
3. What about peripherals? A $5K computer is useless without quality keyboard, mouse, mousepad, and monitor. SLI will especially be pretty much wasted unless you're running a large LCD @ native rez
4. You appear to be building a system ripe for overclocking, but then you choose the faster processor out there? At a few hundred more than a QX6700 for only a few hundred mhz, what's the point? Take the money saved and buy speakers, headphones, hell a nice chair or desk
Click to expand...

i agree. mainly #3. things like monitors, mice, keyboards, and sounds systems can and should outlast your computer by two or three generations without a problem.
 
$5,000 and only 2GB of RAM? Am I missing something?

My god, for half that price I could build you a ridiculously powered machine with 8GB of RAM and it would likely outperform the machine you've put together.

Geez, I could spend hours redoing this but, I do enough builds these days and I'm tired. :)

Just wanted to offer my opinions about the low amount of RAM... that's just silly not to get tons of RAM. and what about the choice of OS? With all that power, and no 64 bit OS? Come on... if you're going to go that far, just call Alienware and get reamed off one of their "boutique" machines.
 
bbz_Ghost said:
Geez, I could spend hours redoing this but, I do enough builds these days and I'm tired. :)
Click to expand...

Don't worry, many have shown him alternative builds. He's been lookin into buying this system for a while now, just look at his older threads. They're all usually the same discussion as this one, though.

@OP (shivang):
I'm still wondering if you're buying all this when you visit the states or if you're gonna order it all in japan?

Oh, and I agree, as people have mentioned to you before, don't bother with the extreme edition chips... they're a waste of money. Go with a regular chip and spend the extra money on a nice set of speakers, a nice chair, or a nice desk. Then again, with $5k budget for a comp, you probably have a nice everything else, hehe... don't you? :rolleyes:
 
Should be a rockin rig! I am looking forward to seeing some pics whenever you get around to building it. Subscribed.
 
I think you are spending too much..

Check out my own setup.. I built it for $3,000 and its comparable to yours:

I have DUAL Overclocked MSI 8800GTX(runs basically as good as your ultra) - $1000 total
LG 24" -
4gb DDR2 - 800 GSKILL ram -
saitek keyboard and logitch mouse
samsung 20x dvd writer with lightscribe
card reader
floppy disk
evga 680i sli mobo
antec 900 case
tuniq tower
e6850 cpu(ill o/clock it to about 3.6-3.7ghz)These are new cpus from intel - cost me $300
seagate barracuda 500gb

bunch more other stuff like case fan, mouse pad, etc.. I built this for $3000(that included sales tax + shipping cuz i live in NJ)

if i wasnt in NJ i woulda had it for $2800.. ALL ordered from Newegg.

SO you see you are spending $2000 more but is your setup really that much better than mine?
 
So what PSU did you get?

and a Quad Core would be better than a e6850
 
If you have that sort of money surely you can't be thinking of looking at the 8800s? Maybe get one, and then get G90/2 when it comes out, perhaps?
 
madmax30d said:
I think you are spending too much..

Check out my own setup.. I built it for $3,000 and its comparable to yours:

I have DUAL Overclocked MSI 8800GTX(runs basically as good as your ultra) - $1000 total
Click to expand...

No, the 8800GTX is only 10% slower than the Ultra if that much. Dual 8800GTX's in SLI overclocked or not are far superior.
 
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