How is this gaming rig?

V

vk99x

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 10, 2003
Messages
103
I decided on

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
ASUS P5Q SE Pro
4gb g.skill ddr pc8500
XFX GeForce GTX 260
Antec Earthwatts 650 watt
 
The main ATX connection is near the middle of the board, which makes cable routing and airflow a nightmare. You should get the P5Q Pro instead and take advantage of the combo deal it has with the E8400.

Go with some cheaper RAM for overclocking, like the OCZ 4GB DDR2 1000 kit. It will allow you to reach the same OC thresholds as the more expensive G.Skill DDR2 1066 (PC2-8500) kit. If you don't plan on overclocking, save even more money by going with G.Skill's cheaper DDR2 800 kit.

I also have a few questions for you:

- How much, at most, do you have to spend on the build?
- Which monitor/resolution are you using?
- Do you plan on overclocking everything?
- Which components are you reusing? Which components have you bought already for this build?
 
- How much, at most, do you have to spend on the build? pulled trigger already, but $500 (have everything else)
- Which monitor/resolution are you using? using a Samsung 22" LCD @ 1650x1050
- Do you plan on overclocking everything? no plans to overclock anything
- Which components are you reusing? Which components have you bought already for this build? I bought the said ram, mobo, cpu and video card, psu already. I will be using antec case, dvdrw, mouse keyboard and samsung 22" lcd and logitech thx surround, on cable modem
 
We can't really help you, since you've bought nearly everything.

If you need a hard drive, get the WD6400AAKS. (What else do you need?)
 
tiraides said:
We can't really help you, since you've bought nearly everything.

If you need a hard drive, get the WD6400AAKS. (What else do you need?)
Click to expand...

yeah sorry bout that, I did some research before hand, but had to pull the trigger on these parts (through my work account, had to move quick).

Well I have a 250gb and 160gb wd hdd for each PC, but may upgrade that eventually. You guys like the 640gb wd, I read that on here a lot. Is this hdd the best bang for the buck? how are the stability on the new 1tb internal drives?

can someone share how to change the RAM speeds in bios for the gskill pc8500? I heard you need to make some adjustments.
 
vk99x said:
Well I have a 250gb and 160gb wd hdd for each PC, but may upgrade that eventually. You guys like the 640gb wd, I read that on here a lot. Is this hdd the best bang for the buck? how are the stability on the new 1tb internal drives?

can someone share how to change the RAM speeds in bios for the gskill pc8500? I heard you need to make some adjustments.
Click to expand...

Yes it is one of the best bang for the buck hard drives out now. Haven't heard of any reliability or stability problems with the WD6400AAKS.

Are you overclocking or just want to get the max RAM speed for the G.Skill?
 
Don't worry about that. If you leave your BIOS settings (for RAM) at either Auto or a 1:1 (FSB:RAM) ratio, then the RAM will automatically adjust itself to match the FSB speed. We recommend getting faster RAM when overclocking because then you won't have to tweak the RAM to match the (increased) speed of the FSB.
 
vk99x said:
I want to max out the RAM speed for the G. Skill
Click to expand...

Then don't worry about it. DDR2 1066 RAM offers ZERO performance increases over DDR2 800 or even DDR2 667 RAM with Core 2 Duo CPUs. Outside of overclocking, there is no reason to get higher speed RAM.

But read the manual if you still want to make sure that your RAM is working at it's rated speed.
 
tiraides said:
Don't worry about that. If you leave your BIOS settings (for RAM) at either Auto or a 1:1 (FSB:RAM) ratio, then the RAM will automatically adjust itself to match the FSB speed. We recommend getting faster RAM when overclocking because then you won't have to tweak the RAM to match the (increased) speed of the FSB.
Click to expand...

I was told that this ram will not max out by default. I heard you need to manually up the speed within the bios to jive with your fsb.
 
vk99x said:
I was told that this ram will not max out by default. I heard you need to manually up the speed within the bios to jive with your fsb.
Click to expand...

OK is your system up and running now? If so, download, unzip and run CPU-Z. Click on the Memory tab. What is the DRAM frequency? What is the FSB:DRAM?
 
If, while overclocking, your RAM doesn't automatically match the speed of the FSB, check out the BIOS guide in the motherboard's user manual to make the adjustments. If you're leaving everything at stock for the time being, then don't worry about it.
 
Danny Bui said:
OK is your system up and running now? If so, download, unzip and run CPU-Z. Click on the Memory tab. What is the DRAM frequency? What is the FSB:DRAM?
Click to expand...

parts haven't arrived yet, but as soon as they do I will run it and check and post up results
 
There is no need to force the RAM to its max speed if you're not overclocking. If you're not overclocking the CPU, running the RAM faster than AUTO will only add heat to your case -- zero performance improvement. Didn't you say you did research before buying all those parts? :p

vk99x said:
... pulled trigger already, but $500 (have everything else) ...
Click to expand...

In that case... Nice build! please post pics! :D
 
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