New Build Opinions / Suggestions

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scottyd

Weaksauce
Joined
Sep 2, 2004
Messages
113
I started out with a Nvidia build, but now I am swaying towards ATI. Just looking for more opinions on this.

Nvidia / Nforce chipset
CPU: Intel® Boxed Core 2 Quad Processor Q9450 - $279 (Microcenter)

CPU Cooler: ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - $49 (newegg)

Mobo: EVGA 132-CK-NF79-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI DDR3 ATX Intel Motherboard - $349 (newegg)

Video card: EVGA 896-P3-1266-AR GeForce GTX 260 FTW Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - $349 (newegg)

Ram: OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) - $100 (newegg)

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower - $119 ($80 after MIR) (newegg)

Total w/tax & shipping: $1344.60

ATI / Intel Chipset
CPU: Intel® Boxed Core 2 Quad Processor Q9450 - $279 (Microcenter)

CPU Cooler: Tuniq Tower 120 Universal CPU Cooler 120mm Cooling Fan and Fan Controler/Heatsink - $49 (newegg)

Mobo: ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel - $269 (newegg)

Video card: VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - $284 (newegg)

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower - $119 ($80 after MIR) (newegg)

Total $1078.94 with tax & shipping.

Parts I already have:

PSU: PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V

HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s + Hitachi 150 GB Sata

Sound card: Soundblaster X-fi XtremeMusic

LCD: Viewsonic VX2025W 20.1" Widescreen LCD
 
The Tuniq Tower can't keep up with several other HSFs... The Xigmatech HTD-S1283 for example. Cheaper, too.

Drop the X48 board, pick up a P43 or P45 based board for ~$100-150 -- you don't need Crossfire X 16x support with a 20" LCD.

Drop the X-Fi, it's useless, unneeded. Onboard sound is very good anymore, so unless you have $1000+ in audio hardware, you won't notice the difference.

There you go.

The ATI route is without question the way to go right now... and you avoid an Nvidia chipset, which is a big plus.

Edited.
 
For a 1680x1050 resolution, stick with the HD4870. You don't need the HD4870X2.

Other than that, follow silent-circuit's recommendations.
 
I'm running at 1680 x 1050. Couple things I am worried about. First is the heatsink will be too big for the Antec Nine Hundred. I am open to different cases I just don't want a huge case since space is somewhat limited. Also will my current PCP&C 610w be ok?

Drop the X-Fi, it's useless, unneeded. Onboard sound is very good anymore, so unless you have $1000+ in audio hardware, you won't notice the difference.
Click to expand...
Do you mean onboard sound is better now?
 
Actually, you can get audio hardware (monitor speakers, subs, etc.) for $200-$500 that will take advantage of a solid soundcard. Check out the Audio forums of [H]ardOCP.
 
It'll fit in the case without issue. If you want a smaller case... the 900 is not it. It's fairly large for a mid tower, really.

The PC Power & Cooling 610w will be just fine. You're not going to see over 400, maybe 450w max draw with that setup, if my quick math is anywhere near right.
 
Hmm maybe I should rethink the Antec 900. Any suggestions for a smaller case, but big enough for that heatsink?
 
scottyk87 said:
Do you mean onboard sound is better now?
Click to expand...

No, just that onboard sound is enough for most people's needs. Unless you consider yourself an audiophile (and if you have to look up the term, chances are that you aren't), you don't need a standalone sound card. But since you already have one, if you want to, you could still use it.

lt_shiro said:
or even the Antec 300 is better buy than the 900.
Click to expand...

It's actually the best deal out of what's been recommended so far. For additional case fans (for the front of the case) pick up some Yate Loon 120mm fans.
 
If you want the RC-690, get it from either Provantage or Buy.com.

I don't believe that the "16-Phase Power" justifies the P5Q Deluxe's higher price. The GA-EP45-DS3R or even the P5Q Pro would be enough for your needs.
 
Not sure if I would ever do crossfire, although the price difference between those 2 are pretty slim.
 
All three of those boards have the P45 chipset, which suppors PCI Express 2.0 and dual x8 CrossFire. If you don't need (or don't want) CrossFire, you could go with the P43 chipset, which has PCI-E 2.0 support. The two P43 boards that I recommend are the MSI P43 Neo3-F and the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L.

Regardless, I don't believe that the P5Q Deluxe is worth $200 -- especially when you could find an X38 board (with dual x16 CrossFire) for around the same price.
 
I'll stick with a P45 just to keep my options open down the line.

That XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 won't be too big for the Antec 300 will it? I know it should be fine with the Coolermaster RC-690.

I don't know too much about brands on the ATI side, but VisionTek is pretty reputable, right?
 
Avoid Sapphire. Other than that, you're good. VisionTek has the best warranty of the ATI distributors so far as I know, with ASUS and PowerColor reasonable alternatives.
 
Sounds good thanks.

I'm looking for ddr2 1200 ram and it seems like its hard to come by. They have only 2 on newegg and both are sold out. 2 gb and 4 gb kits. Nothing on tigerdirect or zipzoomfly either.
 
scottyk87 said:
Sounds good thanks.

I'm looking for ddr2 1200 ram and it seems like its hard to come by. They have only 2 on newegg and both are sold out. 2 gb and 4 gb kits. Nothing on tigerdirect or zipzoomfly either.
Click to expand...

DDR2-1000 or 1066 should be more than enough, really. Why DDR2-1200?
 
silent-circuit said:
DDR2-1000 or 1066 should be more than enough, really. Why DDR2-1200?
Click to expand...

Let me rephrase that: You don't need DDR2 1200 RAM.

enginurd said:
Stated FSB/4 = Actual FSB
Multiplier x Actual FSB = CPU Speed
1:1 Ratio: 2 x Actual FSB = RAM Speed
1:1 Ratio: FSB = 1/2 RAM speed

Q9450:
Multi x Actual FSB, Stated FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
8 × 333Mhz = 2.6Ghz, DDR2-667 <<== Stock speeds
8 × 400Mhz = 3.2Ghz, DDR2-800 <<== Easy OC
8 × 450Mhz = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-900 <<== Good OC
8 × 500Mhz = 4.0Ghz, DDR2-1000 <<== Excellent OC, but YMMV
Click to expand...

You could find a decent 4GB DDR2 1000 kit for around $85 shipped. (Plus, if you use promo code EMCAJBCBC at checkout, you get a $5 instant rebate.)

In addition to the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (which will fit in the case), get the retention bracket, which makes mounting the HSF much easier.
 
I was leaning more towards that Asus P5Q Pro, but I noticed it doesn't have dual nics (I like to bridge the connections and connect my laptop, helps to transfer large files). I have an external HDD which has eSata, so an eSata port would be nice too.

I looked one notch up at the Asus P5Q-E which has all this. I never knew Asus had these q-connectors. I always have a hard time getting all those tiny pins in so that will definitely help.
 
You can turn any AHCI capable SATA port into an eSATA port with a simple PCI eSATA bracket. You can find them on newegg for a few bucks.

Newegg doesn't list ALL the specs of the board. To get all the real specs, check the manufacturer's site. All Eaglelake family chipsets support DDR2-667/800/1066 in addition to 1200. Those super high speeds are useless, though, since they won't make any difference in performance. The intel platform performs best at a 1:1 ratio.
 
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