Replacing desktop from 2004, comment on my wish list

The main purposes of the box are audio recording and engineering, gaming, video editing, and development running Windows XP Pro for now, maybe Vista later?, and GNU/Linux. I have no plans to OC or really mod anything as software is more my forte than hardware. Currently my budget is $1200, but could easily be bumped to $1400 if the benefits are substantial enough. From my previous desktop I have a SoundBlaster sound card, speakers, 250 GB SATA hdd (don't recall specs, sorry), a Sony DL DVD+-RW drive, and two 17" Samsung LCD monitors. I am planning to get a new USB keyboard and mouse, but will probably purchase those from the local Microcenter. Noise is not an issue.

Here are the contents of my current NewEgg wishlist:

1. Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $190 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
With the somewhat-recent price drop, it seems like the Q6600 is easily worth the $10-$20 over the E8400 if only in planning for the future. I don't see a better inexpensive CPU for the value.

2. ASUS P5Q-E - $160 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131296
Though it doesn't seem to have the highest rating on Newegg, reviews overall were good for this board. A lot of folks here seem to think it is pretty solid. I like the PCIe 2.0 16x slot along with the multiple SATA slots. My desktops seem to become servers so having multiple SATA slots would be great for running a software RAID in Linux.

3. G.Skill (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) [2] - $210 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166
Corsair has always been solid for me but I noticed a lot of people seem to use G.Skill, and I have that running without issue in a server of mine. I also noticed a few complaints of issues with Dominator RAM in the P5Q-E boards despite the presence of Dominator in the compatibility list. So for this go-around, I am hedging my bet on G.Skill. My mind could easily be changed on this, though.

4. EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - $150 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318
nVidia seems to have better driver support in Linux. I have had 100% success with 3D drivers in Linux with nVidia, and 0% success with ATI. So I am definitely sold on an nVidia card for this desktop, and this particular card is supported by nVidia drivers since late last year and has a good rating on NewEgg to boot. If you have a better recommendation, please voice it.

5. Corsair 520HX - $115 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001
Seemed to have good acceptance across the board, high rating on NewEgg, and it is modular. Suggestions are welcome, however.

6. Antec P182 - $170 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025
Nice case and looks to have a good design. I did see this case debated a bit on the forums and could easily be persuaded to make a different selection.

Total: $995

As per #7 in flipflopsnowman's guide, I am planning to sit on this list for a bit. I do have a working desktop at this point, it is just showing signs of age.

Did you read the other FAQ/sticky?

The only change I would recommend is with the RAM. Since you have no intention to overclock anything, drop down to two 4GB DD2 800 kits.

Micro center has the p182 for 80 bucks after 20$ rebate. and they have the q6600 for 180.

tiraides said:

Did you read the other FAQ/sticky?

The only change I would recommend is with the RAM. Since you have no intention to overclock anything, drop down to two 4GB DD2 800 kits.

Click to expand...

tiraides: I did browse through your FAQ, though I did not read it as thoroughly as the other. No offense, I just found flipflopsnowman's first and felt pretty well informed by it; ergo I only proceeded with a cursory perusal of yours. Yours does have a lot of good information, and I will certainly utilize some of the information you've provided. Many thanks Additionally, I will look into the DDR2 800 kits.

Rydawg5143 said:

Micro center has the p182 for 80 bucks after 20$ rebate. and they have the q6600 for 180.

Click to expand...

Rydawg5143: Good catch, thanks! It's nice to get something like a case locally to avoid shipping.

The P5Q Pro is better bang for buck, IMO.

You don't need DDR2-1066 for a Q6600, but the G.Skill DDR2-1000 kit should be about the same price as DDR2-800.
$80 - G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-1000 F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ

/*------------- <cut n paste> -------------*/
Formulas for Intel platform @ 1:1 settings: (base FSB speed is SDR, or single data rate)
c x [Base FSB speed] = CPU speed (c = CPU Multiplier)
2 x [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed (DDR: double data rate)
4 x [Base FSB speed] = FSB speed (QDR: quad data rate; Effective FSB speed)

On Intel platforms, running the RAM higher than a 1:1 ratio with the CPU is, for the most part, useless, so don't bother trying to do so. If the BIOS does it for you, just let it. All you need is a 1:1 config, though. Here's some possible clock speeds (as always with OC'ing, your results will vary):

Q6600: 9 × 266 = 2.4Ghz, DDR2-533 << STOCK speeds
Q6600: 9 × 333 = 3.0Ghz, DDR2-667 << Nice OC
Q6600: 9 × 378 = 3.4Ghz, DDR2-756 << Good OC, near max for B3 stepping
Q6600: 9 × 400 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-800 << Great OC, near max for G0 stepping

You won't notice the difference between CL4 and CL5, unless you're running benchmarks (and even then, its negligible), so don't pay a huge price premium for lower latency.
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/

The PSU is cheaper at buy.com... or you can get a Corsair 750W (overkill) for the same price as that 520W... great bang for buck, but no modular cables.

enginurd: Thanks so much for the recommendations. I checked out the P5Q Pro specs and agree with your assertion of more bang for the buck. Thank you as well for the calculations and notes on RAM. I'm not sure about needing the Corsair 750W as the 520W seems like it should be sufficient, but thanks for the heads-up -- I still may change on that :]

int0x80 said:

Thank you as well for the calculations and notes on RAM. I'm not sure about needing the Corsair 750W as the 520W seems like it should be sufficient, but thanks for the heads-up -- I still may change on that :]

Click to expand...

Yes the Corsair 750W is complete overkill, like enginurd said, but it's a better value IMO. It' only $100, roughly the same price as the 520HX, but offers significantly more power. The only thing you lose is modular cabling. But if you want modular cabling, then yes the 520HX is more than enough.

Sorry to go a bit off-topic, but in an air conditioned home w/ a ventilated case, is modular cabling really that much of an impact as far as cooling goes? .. or is it more, "Damn, it looks clean." ?

IMO, its more... "Damn, no bundle of useless cables that I have to hide... only to undo later as I need one more molex after adding a HDD!"