1st Build [QX6850] Questions/Advice needed.

F

fellows

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 18, 2006
Messages
180
Alright, I'm just about to pull the trigger on this setup. Any flaws or critiques are very much recommended.

I'm thinking of replacing my current rig. [see sig.] But price is an issue

I live in Canada so my main source for components will be
www.ncix.com or www.anitec.ca

Questions are as follows:

-I've never really thought about SLI since it tends to be more pain than it's worth, but it is obviously becoming more popular. I game on a 22'' Samsung but would like to migrate to using my 42'' Westinghouse HDTV. At 1920x1080 does SLI make any difference.
EDIT: [So far the consensus is No]

-I don't know very much about cooling, and I think water is out, so what would I need to invest in to OC that QX6850 with its unlocked multiplier and all? I would like to use my Scythe Ninja REV.B on it if possible, and I have some Artic Cooling MX-2 paste handy.
EDIT: Yate Loon fans or something similar for the Antec P182

-It seems like a waste to gut a perfectly good computer, so I will probably invest in an HD like the WD640AAKS or something similar, and then need to buy:

Case: Antec P182 ATX [$150]
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24122&vpn=P182&manufacture=ANTEC

CPU: QX6850 [$250 - From Intel Retail Program]

PSU: Antec TruePower 2.0 550W [From Old System]

GPU: eVga 8800GT [Stock] [From Old System]
I'll probably buy an Accelero S1 when I find one cheap

Mobo: [$199 - Even if I don't use SLi, I think this Mobo is quite good, but perhaps I should choose another one from the above list and save $$$]
eVGA 750i ftw I believe supports full 2x [16x] PCI-E [$199]
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=29440&vpn=123-YW-E175-A1&manufacture=eVGA

Ram: [$99 - These are at a great price. And following tiraides advice DDR 1000 should allow me to realize the full potential of the QX6850]

G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ PC2-8000 4GB [$99]
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26456

OS...
I have a version of Vista Ultimate 64bit from a Previous Intel purchase, but I've heard it still has compatibilty issues with games etc. Otherwise XP Pro is always there but cannot make use of 4Gb Ram.

HD...
WD6400AAKS [$90]
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=353679
 
fellows said:
-With Nehalem on the way and the Q9xxx going to take over for the Q6xxx series CPU's, is it silly to build a computer around the QX6850?
Click to expand...

No, it wouldn't be silly, the Nehalems are going to debut later this year in the Xeon flavor, and in the first quarter 2009 to the desktop processors.

There will always be something better, faster in the horizon, it's inevitable, so it's pointless to struggle with the question: should i wait or should i buy that other thing now?

so i suggest to u to get what is very good now.


forget about ddr3
 
I agree ditch ddr3 its not a huge gain and price will drop sooner or later. i say get a p35 board and what price can you get a q6600 at.
 
onedestinazn2 said:
I agree ditch ddr3 its not a huge gain and price will drop sooner or later. i say get a p35 board and what price can you get a q6600 at.
Click to expand...

The Intel package only allows for: (1) QX6850 @ $239USD OR (1) QX6700 @ $199USD
It's a no brainer to go for the QX6850, but in terms of what's available now (eg- E8400 @ $199USD) is it still a good idea, or should I just wait till December when the offer cycles again.

I tried finding it in the RAM FAQ. But in terms of real term applications where does one see the difference between say for example DDR400 [PC3200] or DDR2-800. Is it in transfering files, multitasking, where?

I ask mainly because when I bought my current rig from [H] the only drawback seemed to be the ddr-400 ram, (as DDR2 was predominant at that time)

What is there to gain from going x38/x48 over p35. Intel's set seem to be more stable than nvidia's 750i, and I guess I can live without another video card for about a year or 6 months. (That makes SLI useless right?) But I do most of my gaming at 1680x1050, or 1920x1080 so maybe it is worth it.

Still really not sure what to do besides ditching DDR3 Ram.

Insights, Ideas?
 
Wait as long as you can, buy when you can't wait any longer.

I'll add more when I'm able to read all that text, lol... /me dizzy, 99.
 
fellows said:
What is there to gain from going x38/x48 over p35. Intel's set seem to be more stable than nvidia's 750i, and I guess I can live without another video card for about a year or 6 months. (That makes SLI useless right?) But I do most of my gaming at 1680x1050, or 1920x1080 so maybe it is worth it.
Click to expand...

The eVGA 750i SLI FTW is actually a nice motherboard. I've only found good reviews on it, and even if you don't use it for SLI, it's a great overclocking motherboard. Here are the normal motherboard recommendations (disregard the links, they are for the US):

--------------------------------
Originally Posted by Danny Bui

Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
MSI P35 Neo2-FR Intel P35 Motherboard - $110
DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL Intel P35 Motherboard - $110
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
DFI LanParty DK P35-T2RS Intel P35 Motherboard - $140
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $148
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $170
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $170
Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS4 Intel X38 Motherboard - $207

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports, check out the DS3L. If you need 5 SATA ports, 2 eSATA ports, and a second PCI-E x16 port, then get the Neo2-Fr. If you want heavy overclocking abilities and six SATA ports, check out the Blood Iron. If you like the BloodIron but want significantly better overclock stability, go for the LanParty. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports and high overclocks, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you want the DS3R but need Firewire and a second PCI-E x16 port, then go for the DS3P. If you want something that can overclock pretty damn high along with, RAID, eSATA ports and firewire connections, than the IP35 Pro. If you like the DS3P but want better cooling for overclocking, then go for the DS4.
--------------------------------

With your price on a QX6850 so low, just go ahead and get it. Nehalem won't be affordable for a while (indications point to Q2 2009).

New video cards will be released June 16-18 from both ATI and nVidia, so you might want to wait and see how they perform.
 
At a 1920x1080 resolution, SLI may or may not be worth it, but it depends on which games you play. You won't need it for a 1680x1050 resoultion. But SLI works best if you buy both cards right away -- if you wait too long in buying that second card, there may (likely) be a new card out that performs as well as (if not better than) two cards in SLI mode. Wait for the new video cards to be released in mid-June and see if one of those would be enough for your HDTV on its own. (Right now, the 8800GTS and both 9800 series cards are each capable of playing games on the HDTV by itself.)

As for RAM, all you need to know is that Core 2 Duo/Quad processors work best with a 1:1 FSB/RAM speed ratio. We recommend DDR2 800 a lot due to its price; it can run the QX6850 at its stock speed, and it has a little bit of headroom for you to perform some overclocking. If you want to push the QX6850 to its limits, you may want to consider using DDR2 1000 RAM instead. (It can often be found for less than DDR2 1066 RAM.) You don't need any special "high performance" or "SLI ready" RAM.

Regardless of which RAM you choose, your Scythe Ninja will be able to cool your processor. To make things easier on you, you may want to consider buying the Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-Thru kit for the Ninja HSF.

If you are considering SLI, you'll want a better power supply. Choose one with at least 700 watts, that has active PFC, and is certified for use with SLI (or CrossFire) systems. (You should try to find one that's certified under the 80 Plus energy efficiency standard, though that alone is not a deal breaker.) Some of the brands you should look at are Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Thermaltake (ToughPower models only), Enermax (Liberty models only), Seasonic, Silverstone, Cooler Master (Real Power Pro models only), Zippy, and Antec (True Power Trio models only).
 
Thanks tiraides, Andon, and everyone else for the input.
I've revised the thread with (what I believe) to be the final components. Unfortunately the cost of this 'upgrade' is looking at around $700+. I'm almost tempted to just get a better PSU since the True Power 2's aren't normally reccomended, but that would basically make this a FULL new system.

Again, I mentioned that money was a factor so should I just make do with what I have [see sig.] and wait till next year's Intel Retail Edge program comes through. (There is supposed to be another one in the winter.)

God, am I ever indecisive... but that's what [H] is for. :)

I should probably include my general uses:

-I'm almost always burning some sort of DVD backup, and I find that I can't do anything intense (like gaming) while this is happening. Web browsing and non-HD video watching is normally fine with my x2 3800.
-Gaming of course. Will probably get into AOC, and hopefully my 8800GT will perform better with a Core 2.
-Media playback including HD Stuff. [1080p]

Alright that's all for now.
 
Winter would probably be a bad time to build IMO. That's when Intel's new Nehalem CPUs and supported motherboards will be out. Not a single socket 775 motherboard will be compatible with those Nehalem CPUs. More than likely you're gonna have to pay a pretty large premium for the CPU, motherboard, and possibly the DDR3 RAM. So winter is that period where new CPU and motherboards are out but are completely incompatible with anything we recommend now and are ridiculously expensive but where old CPUs and motherboards will drop in price but those will be completely outdated and incompatible with any future CPUs or motherboards or RAM.

If you really need to cut down costs, drop the case and reuse your old one. And like Tiraides has said, if you are gonna go SLI, drop that Trupower II ASAP. It will not be able to handle any kind of SLI setup. Then again, do you actually want SLI? I mean when is the earliest you can afford that next 8800GT?

If you want to keep the case, Canada Computers has that case for $20 cheaper:
http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=010060&cid=CS.858
 
fellows said:
Gaming of course. Will probably get into AOC, and hopefully my 8800GT will perform better with a Core 2.
Click to expand...

Well, it certainly won't perform worse ;) Of course, an 8800 GTS 512MB would be even better :) But with the next generation of video cards being released in a few weeks, hold off on getting any new video card. If you find that your 8800 GT isn't giving you the FPS at the video quality you want, then you can evaluate the new cards.

I agree with Danny Bui about waiting for winter... bad idea.
 
Alright, after much iffing and awwing I've compiled the final build. If anything stands out as a bad choice please let me know. The prices are listed on the side assuming some Price Matches go through.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad QX6850 $249
HS/F: Scythe Ninja REV.B Old Machine + Thermalright LGA775 BOLT-THRU Kit $5
RAM: G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ PC2-8000 4GB $99
GPU: eVga 8800GT Old Machine
Mobo: eVga 750i FTW $188
PSU: Antec TruePower 2.0 550W Old Machine
HD: WD Caviar 640GB $89 + Old Machine HD's
DVD: NEC ND-3550A + LG GSA-4120B Old Machine
Case: Antec P182 [$130] For some reason I really want this case :)

EDIT: NCIX, where I'm getting my parts is offering a Seasonic M12 600W for $99 so I'm debating whether I should just add it in if it's significantly better.

Sweet that's it. Sorry for resurrecting this thread every night but I always tend to overthink things.
 
fellows said:
EDIT: NCIX, where I'm getting my parts is offering a Seasonic M12 600W for $99 so I'm debating whether I should just add it in if it's significantly better.
Click to expand...

Yes, get it. I doubt that TP2.0 550W will last much longer.

Don't be sorry, thats what this thread is here for.
 
fellows said:
EDIT: NCIX, where I'm getting my parts is offering a Seasonic M12 600W for $99 so I'm debating whether I should just add it in if it's significantly better.

Sweet that's it. Sorry for resurrecting this thread every night but I always tend to over think things.
Click to expand...

enginurd said:
Yes, get it. I doubt that TP2.0 550W will last much longer.

Don't be sorry, thats what this thread is here for.
Click to expand...

Excellent. If I ever choose to go SLI will the Seasonic suffice or should I maybe get one of these at around $10 bucks more. Or is there another PSU (not too expensive) I should consider.

Silverstone Zeus ST75ZF 750W $110
http://www.directcanada.com/product...SST-ST75ZF&manufacture=Silverstone Technology

Corsair CMPSU-TX650W $92
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180AC2550&vpn=CMPSU-650TX&manufacture=CORSAIR

Corsair CMPSU-750TX $107
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180AC8887&vpn=CMPSU-750TX&manufacture=CORSAIR
 
The Corsair TX 750 and Silverstone Zeus 750 are on the same level -- skip the 600 and 650 watts if SLI may be in your future. They should be fine, but for $10-20 more... better to have some headroom and not have to worry at all.
 
Everything is ordered... This is my first build and I'm pretty excited. I'm sure google can help me find some building guides for dummies so I'm not too worried about that.

Of course any system is only as powerful as it's weakest link so I'll probably need some sort of RAID array setup to not bottleneck this system.

I've been reading, a lot lately, about Overclocking. With this DDR2-1000 G.Skill ram is it unrealistic to think that I can OC the QX6850 to 4GHZ. Would that be made any easier with DDR2-1066 Ram, or DDR2-800 Ram through the Evga 750i board?

Also, is there a resource that lists common or average temps for certain components?

Aww the TX750 only got a Silver from [H]. Oh well one can't win them all. I'm pretty sure it's still a solid PSU, and the p182 should be able to keep it quiet

Well guys any final comments?
Advice or tips to remember when piecing together a system?
 
RAID won't do anything but lower your loading times -- any modern HDD is not going to be a "bottleneck" in any reasonable usage of the term.

Take your time when building. Make sure you plugged everything in (Twice. Three times.) before you pronounce it broken. That's about it.
 
EDIT: Uh-oh I just realized that the Corsair TX750's fan is orientated downwards. Will that be an issue, or not function as well for cooling purposes in an Antec P182 since PSU go on the bottom?

Or is it just as simple as flipping it upside down?

Thanks guys.
 
You can flip it, but there is a bracket that holds the PSU well above the bottom "floor" of the P180/182, so the downward facing fan should be a non-issue. It exhausts out the back of the PSU.
 
fellows said:
I've been reading, a lot lately, about Overclocking. With this DDR2-1000 G.Skill ram is it unrealistic to think that I can OC the QX6850 to 4GHZ. Would that be made any easier with DDR2-1066 Ram, or DDR2-800 Ram through the Evga 750i board?
Click to expand...

With the unlocked multiplier, you shouldn't have a problem overclocking with even 800MHz RAM. For example, with a multiplier of 10 and an FSB of 400MHz, you'll get 4GHz, and only need 800MHz RAM.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top