First new completely new build in a few years. Critique/comment

U

Urraca

Gawd
Joined
Sep 13, 2002
Messages
806
Well, it's that time again (Woot! ). My old rig has been acting up for a while, and every day there is another problem, so it's time for a fresh build. I have the money so why not? I'd like to max out at $1500, being under is good.

This is what I'm planning:

e6850
ABIT IP35 Pro
2xGB Corsair-8500C5 Dominator
EVGA 8800GTS 640MB
Seagate Barracude 7200.10 500gb
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 watt
Zalman CNPS9700
Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC
Lite-on 20x Black DVD SATA


I'll be gaming at 1680x1050 primarily. Is the Zalman 9700 over doing it? How about the gts 640mb for the resolution I'm running at? I'd appreciate any feedback thanks, I've been out of the game way too long.
 
I would go for the corsair hx520 or hx620 power supply. Otherwise looks great.
 
meh wait for the 8800 prices to go down if you have a 78xx or 79xx series. or wait for the 98xx series
 
Urraca said:
e6850
ABIT IP35 Pro
2xGB Corsair-8500C5 Dominator
EVGA 8800GTS 640MB
Seagate Barracude 7200.10 500gb
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 watt
Zalman CNPS9700
Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC
Lite-on 20x Black DVD SATA
Click to expand...

Dominators are /insanely/ overpriced in my experience. Any fairly low latency DDR2-800 will do fine. Crucial, GEIL, G.Skill, OCZ, Corsair, Patriot, Mushkin, whatever. Brand doesn't really matter. Just find the cheapest 4-4-4-12 2GB DDR2-800 kit you can and go with it. Should be somewhere between $90 and $110 at this point.

The Zalman is for some a mediocre performer -- I'd suggest a Sunbeam Tuniq Tower or Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme and a Scythe S-Flex fan instead.

Drop the NeoPower, it has problems with quick capacitor degradation (we're talking a 6-8 month lifespan under normal load unless you force extra air through it, I believe) -- grab the Corsair 520HX or something like this Silverstone instead. It will cost a bit more, but is money well spent.

I'd wait on the X-Fi -- they're stupid expensive and the Vista drivers are still horrible -- XP drivers aren't even that great. (This coming from a now long-time X-Fi owner) A trip to the Creative forums and a look at the continual near-riot over the sad state of things there should be enough to make you drop it fast, I think. I wish I'd looked there before I bought mine. Onboard sound has also come a long way.

The 8800 GTS 640MB is solid, but if you can I'd suggest the GTX instead. More stream processors (128 vs. 96) and more ROPs mean it may last you longer than the GTS with upcoming titles, since you, like me, don't seem to build often. In fact, if you can swing a GTX and are interested in OCing, an Ultra is only about $50 more anymore, and the A3 core means it runs cooler and OCs better than the GTX's, though it's the same hardware aside from a few power usage tweaks.

The Centurion is a good budget case, but I personally would much rather pay a little more for something with all 120mm fans.
 
That will be very close to my new rebuild.

I am getting a C2D from a friend who is going Qaud, so I am picking up some Cas 4 PC6400 and an IP35 Pro and using my spare NeoHE 550. I will pop my old X1900 into my sig PC and move the GTX to the new build.

And btw, Antec fixed the NeoHE by having it made by Seasonic now. But I agree that lower latency PC6400 should be fine. I also agree that a nicer case is desirable.

This is a nice deal right now...
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811112099
 
Tae said:
And btw, Antec fixed the NeoHE by having it made by Seasonic now. But I agree that lower latency PC6400 should be fine. I also agree that a nicer case is desirable.

This is a nice deal right now...
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811112099
Click to expand...

....eh. I'd still rather buy a Seasonic, Corsair, Silverstone, PC Power and Cooling, Etasis, Zippy, Themaltake Toughpower, or Xclio than an Antec branded PSU.... better to buy Seasonic and know it's a Seasonic. Had too many Antec branded units give out on me for no good reason.

The P180B is on sale too.
 
I have had good luck with Antec PSU's, but I know they had serious quality issues for a time, so I am not surprised to here that.

The P180b is my current rig, it does have very nice build quality but I am not a fan of doors anymore. I still like it and would recommend it to anyone, but I am looking at other cases so I tend to let others recommend the P180. I just picked up an all aluminum Armor for my new build and I really love it.
 
Urraca said:
Well, it's that time again (Woot! ). My old rig has been acting up for a while, and every day there is another problem, so it's time for a fresh build. I have the money so why not? I'd like to max out at $1500, being under is good.

This is what I'm planning:

e6850
ABIT IP35 Pro
2xGB Corsair-8500C5 Dominator
EVGA 8800GTS 640MB
Seagate Barracude 7200.10 500gb
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 watt
Zalman CNPS9700
Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC
Lite-on 20x Black DVD SATA

Is the Zalman 9700 over doing it? How about the gts 640mb for the resolution I'm running at? I'd appreciate any feedback thanks, I've been out of the game way too long.
Click to expand...

Dude this build from your current system is a HUGE step up, your going to love it.
Truly looks like youve done your research and Yes its a great build.

If your not overclocking the stock HSF will do just fine. But might as well join the overclocking "cleek" since its free mhz ;) and do so if you know what your doing.

The only things I would personally change is the PSU. IMO i dont like Antec. Corsair 620 watter is ag reat price and will be great for down the road as well.
The ram is good, but there is better.

If you shop on ncix.com they always have deals, If your not overclocking, Pc6400 will be good enough :) and you can get 2gb kits for around $100 :)

That is all sir, Congrats on the upgrade, im sure youll love it :)
 
gwai lo said:
You're overclocking right?

No quads?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm over clocking...duh : ). However, I read that the quad core really only gives you a performance with encoding/decoding and unrealeased games. And the dual core OCs better and is better for gaming. Any truth to this?

silent-circuit said:
Dominators are /insanely/ overpriced in my experience. Any fairly low latency DDR2-800 will do fine. Crucial, GEIL, G.Skill, OCZ, Corsair, Patriot, Mushkin, whatever. Brand doesn't really matter. Just find the cheapest 4-4-4-12 2GB DDR2-800 kit you can and go with it. Should be somewhere between $90 and $110 at this point.
Click to expand...

I was going to go with Geil, but Newegg has the 2xgb Corsair dominator for $155 (with MIR) and with the new chipset/cpu capable of 1333mhz FSB, I figured I might as well get the higher-clocked/better ram to push my OC. Perhaps this is unecessary?

Thanks for the suggestions about the PSU. I've always been an Antec guy and never had a problem. Corsair PSUs look real nice and are new to the market it appears. A little pricey though. But can someone tell me when Thermaltake products became fairly good? I remember I used to avoid them at all costs? Now I see that their PSUs/coolers are fairly popular.
 
ONLY the Thermaltake Toughpower line. They changed OEMs, and now -- especially the 850+ watt models -- are rock, rock solid. The rest of the Thermaltake PSUs continue to suck, like always.

As for the RAM, up to you. With a 1333Mhz stock CPU you will see higher FSB speeds at the max OC than a 1066Mhz stock CPU like the E6600, but as no one is entirely sure how high they'll go (and you're limited to what your motherboard can manage -- 525Mhz (2100Mhz quad-pumped) or thereabout with the P35, I think. The Dominators may indeed be worth it for you, then, but that's assuming the E6850's OC as well as the engineering samples people have been testing.

As for the Dual/Quad and gaming thing, yes, duals right now do OC far better mostly due to producing far less heat. and outside of Supreme Commander most games right now are only single or at best dual core aware. Things coming out fairly soon, however -- UT3 engine games for the most part, though I believe Crysis can take advantage of 4 cores as well, as can Alan Wake -- will start taking advantage of the Quads. I personally bought a dual and plan to replace it with a Kentsfield quad once they're available in 8-10 months, as they will be true quads, not two duals sandwiched together like the Q6600 and other current quads are, and on a 45nm process which should allow them to run much cooler, use less power, and OC far better.
 
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