Alright, my build.

P

PeteH

n00b
Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Messages
28
EDIT: Current build. Still have a few days untill I order the parts so trying to get all the input I can.

Processor
Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q9450 (4x 2.66GHz/12mb L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Motherboard
EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI ATX

RAM
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit

Power Supply
Corsair Memory CMPSU-750TX 750W TX750W ATX12V Power Supply

Video Card
EVGA 01G-P3-N892-A3 GeForce 9800 GX2 SC 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

Case
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP

Hard Drive
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB Buffer Hard Drive

CPU Cooler
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm

Operating System
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

Thermal Compound
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound

Case Fans
120mm Yate Loon D12SM-12 Case Fan - Black (70.5 CFM, 33 dBA)
 
Unless you need Crossfire badly, don't bother with the X48 chipset. Even among hardware enthusiasts that's a bit overkill. I recommend going with a mobo based on the P35 chipset or the P45 chipset that's coming out in the next few weeks.

Also, I recommend waiting until the end of the month to buy a graphics card. Nvidia and ATI are both releasing new cards that can potentially outperform 9800GX2.
 
I have a few questions:
- How much is your budget? Does shipping/taxes have to be included within that budget amount?
- Where are you planning on buying everything from?
- Which monitor/resolution are you using?
- Which games/programs will you be using?
- Do you plan on overclocking?
- How long do you plan on keeping this system for? Will you be making any incremental upgrades during that time?
 
tiraides said:
I have a few questions:
- How much is your budget? Does shipping/taxes have to be included within that budget amount?
- Where are you planning on buying everything from?
- Which monitor/resolution are you using?
- Which games/programs will you be using?
- Do you plan on overclocking?
- How long do you plan on keeping this system for? Will you be making any incremental upgrades during that time?
Click to expand...

Budget is $3,500(I'd prefer to spend around $2,500), and shipping/taxes must be included in the budget.
Probably buy it from newegg.
Using a 24'' monitor at 1920x1200
Playing Age of Conan, Team Fortress 2, Warhammer Online, Oblivion, games of that nature.
I don't plan on overclocking although I am capable.
I'll be trying to keep this system as long as I can, making upgrades along the way. I can see eventually everything being replaced eventually.


Edit: Using this as a reference. I'm seeing good things about the EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1312483
 
The first thing you should do is wait for the new cards to arrive, as there will likely be a couple of cards capable of powering a 1920x1200 resolution on their own. If you're still considering SLI or CrossFire at that point, you want to get a multi-card solution right then (or not at all). Your eventual choice in video card(s) will also determine (in part) which motherboard chipset you should pursue, so I'm not recommending anything in particular at this point in time.

Get the RC-690 case and the TX750 PSU from Provantage, which has lower prices on those items than NewEgg.

Additionally, I recommend a faster (larger capacity) hard drive. Since you have the money for one (it won't cost that much more than the 500GB HDD), consider either the Western Digital 640GB HDD or the Samsung F1 750GB HDD.
 
tiraides said:
The first thing you should do is wait for the new cards to arrive, as there will likely be a couple of cards capable of powering a 1920x1200 resolution on their own. If you're still considering SLI or CrossFire at that point, you want to get a multi-card solution right then (or not at all). Your eventual choice in video card(s) will also determine (in part) which motherboard chipset you should pursue, so I'm not recommending anything in particular at this point in time.

Get the RC-690 case and the TX750 PSU from Provantage, which has lower prices on those items than NewEgg.

Additionally, I recommend a faster (larger capacity) hard drive. Since you have the money for one (it won't cost that much more than the 500GB HDD), consider either the Western Digital 640GB HDD or the Samsung F1 750GB HDD.
Click to expand...

Getting this computer has to be done soon. My old computer is needed as a business computer. I think the 9800gx2 will be fine for now. I'm sure it can handle that resolution. I'm playing Age of Conan at that resolution on a 7800 GTX 256mb at the moment, it works fine.
 
In that case, you need to decide on whether or not you're going to buy a multiple video card setup now. SLI/CrossFire is an all-or-nothing affair, as there will eventually be at least one card that would play games better than two last-generation cards in SLI/CrossFire mode. (Historically, this has been true, although I don't know how well the new cards will do yet.)

Since the 7800GTX is working fine for your needs, all you really need are either the G92 8800GTS or the 9800GTX. If you're pursing the single-card route, get a P35-based motherboard like the GA-EP35-DS3R.
 
I think I'd rather just have one powerful card for now. I've tried SLI in the past and it didn't seem to make much a difference (I had 2 7800 GTX's). So I think I'll go the 9800 route.

I'm having a serious issue picking a motherboard. I have no clue what to look for in one.
 
Choose the board that I mentioned earlier: the GA-EP35-DS3R. It has a lot of features, can overclock the Q9450 pretty well, and is available for a relatively low price.

However, here is the full list of recommended P35 boards:

Danny Bui said:
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 - $120
DFI LanParty DK P35-T2RS Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
Asus P5K-E Intel P35 Motherboard - $140
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $150
Asus P5K-E/Wifi-AP Intel P35 Motherboard - $150
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 and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 5 SATA ports, 2 eSATA ports, slightly better overclocking, and a second PCI-E x16 port, then get the Neo2-Fr. If you want heavy overclocking options and six SATA ports, check out the Blood Iron. If you like the BloodIron but want significantly better overclock stability and options, go for the LanParty. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, legacy ports and high overclocks and optional eSATA, 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 like the DS3P but need 3 PCI slots instead of the DS3P's 2 PCI slots and like having non-optional eSATA, go for the Asus P5K-E. If you like the P5K-E but need wifi, then go for the P5K-E/Wifi-AP. 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. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.
Click to expand...
 
very expensive. Also, your using a nvidia card with a crossfire board. Well its not specificly made for crossfire but if your gonna get a nvidia card i rather you get a P35 or a SLI board for later use because you would have to get 2 new cards if you buy that nvidia card when ever you would wanna go crossfire.
 
I'm seeing some poor reviews on that GA-EP35-DS3R. I hear ASUS is more reliable. Thoughts?
 
PeteH said:
I'm seeing some poor reviews on that GA-EP35-DS3R. I hear ASUS is more reliable. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I've built over a dozen systems with that board, and its great. Asus is not more reliable in my experiences, they're both equal. My DS3R rev1.0 can do 530Mhz FSB with my E6750 and additional NB cooling, and it has no problems OC'ing my Q6600 to 3.6Ghz (9x400; without additional NB cooling). There are unhappy users for every mobo model out there... you can't please everyone.

The only problems I've read about the FTW 750i SLI board were RAID related. I've been hearing nothing but raves about it, and even the [H] gave it a gold award.

You're not going to find a perfect motherboard. EVERY board has its share of problems. EVERY manufacturer has their share of bad boards. However, most boards typically recommended here, are, for the most part, reliable and can OC nicely, unless otherwise noted. You can't go wrong with any of the boards in Danny's list, IMO.
 
EDIT: New build.
It's a toss up between the GA-EP35-DS3R and the 750i FTW. I'm not sure if I'm going to want to SLI or not, but at the moment I will not be doing so.


Processor
Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q9450 (4x 2.66GHz/12mb L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard

RAM
Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Power Supply
Corsair Memory CMPSU-750TX 750W TX750W ATX12V Power Supply

Video Card
EVGA 01G-P3-N892-A3 GeForce 9800 GX2 SC 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

Case
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP

Hard Drive
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB Buffer Hard Drive

CPU Cooler
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm

Operating System
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound

Will I need to buy better case fans or will the standard included ones do?
 
With a 30" monitor, personally, I'd keep SLI as an option, but thats just me. Then again, I don't see myself ever spending more than $400 on a vidcard (or pair of cards), lol. Thats actually the reason I didn't get the 4MP 30", and went for the 2MP 37" instead.

You'll probably need additional fans, so get some Yate Loon low or medium speed fans from jab-tech.com. I forgot how many the RC-690 comes with, but I think it can hold up to 7, IIRC.
 
With your monitor, I also recommend the EVGA 750i FTW. (Yes, I know what I told you earlier, but you would actually have a benefit to using SLI. With the RC-690 case, you'll need more case fans; get the Yate Loon low speed or medium speed 120mm fans.

If you plan on overclocking the Q9450, go ahead and get the G.Skill 4GB DDR2 1000 kit now.
 
Meaning I should SLI because of my monitor?

Edit: I don't plan on overclocking, but it's an option.
 
SLI is going to be a great option for any monitor I believe over 22"... so from 24" and above, if you're going to be playing at a high resolution then that is where SLI is going to shine the most. I personally am going for a 22" monitor with a single card setup, but since you're already with the 30"... SLI may be beneficial in your future.

I have absolutely no personal experience with SLI what so ever though, so I will let the rest explain their reasons why and why not. Good thread for reference though!
 
From the FAQ:

tiraides said:
Why should I (not) use SLI/CrossFire?

SLI/CrossFire is absolutely not worth considering if...
  • you're gaming at a resolution under 1920x1200 (as you'll see no performance benefit over a single card), and
  • you plan on buying one card now and another one much later (like, over 6-12 months after buying the first card).
SLI/CrossFire as an upgrade path is usually a very poor idea, as by the time you're ready to get that second card, a new single card solution will likely be available that will outperform two of your older cards in tandem. Furthermore, there really is no cost benefit to the upgrade route, as any additional cost in getting the new card can be easily mitigated in most situations by selling the original. By avoiding an SLI/CrossFire solution when it will not be of benefit, you gain a cooler running, simpler to maintain system, and, more importantly, access to a much better (and broader) selection of motherboards.

If you plan on using multiple monitors, SLI/CrossFire may not be the best available option. Right now, you cannot use SLI on multiple monitors, whereas you can with CrossFire. However, there hasn't been much to go by on how well multiple monitors work with CrossFire.
Click to expand...

Regarding the RAM, the DDR2 1000 kit will run at the same speeds as the processor's FSB, but it will also give you the headroom needed to overclock the CPU. Since it's available for around the same price as the Corsair DDR2 800 kit, go ahead and get it now.
 
You could get away with a single card solution with a 24" monitor... since its HALF the number of pixels that need to get pushed. So, in that case, go for the DS3R or the MSI Neo2-FR, or some other P35 or P45 board.
 
Well, just "getting away" with running a single card doesn't seem to reassuring. Instead of the 9800gx2 I could just run 8800 GT's or something.
 
With the 24" monitor you have now, you could easily run everything on a single G92 8800GTS or 9800GTX card. You don't really need the 9800GX2.

So you understand what we're talking about, here are some reviews -- all from the [H] -- for the 8800GTS, the 9800GTX, the 9800GX2, and the 9800GTX's performance in SLI. None of these reviews have benchmarks for AoC, but since they can handle Crysis (to varying degrees), they can handle Age of Conan.
 
tiraides said:
they can handle Age of Conan.
Click to expand...

Conan isn't as hard to run as most people make it out to be. My Current set up, which is 2 years 8 months old, can run on high settings(Shadows off, draw distance at 400m) at 20 fps. It's actually quite smooth. It would probably explode trying to run crysis though.
 
I understand, but many people here have been building new systems because their old/current ones couldn't handle the game.

Crysis is one of the most GPU-intensive games out now, so it's often used as a barometer of how well one's system can perform. Granted, it's a horrible barometer -- as it brings even high-end setups to their knees (under High/Ultra graphical settings) -- but, you know....
 
tiraides said:
With the 24" monitor you have now, you could easily run everything on a single G92 8800GTS or 9800GTX card. You don't really need the 9800GX2.

So you understand what we're talking about, here are some reviews -- all from the [H] -- for the 8800GTS, the 9800GTX, the 9800GX2, and the 9800GTX's performance in SLI. None of these reviews have benchmarks for AoC, but since they can handle Crysis (to varying degrees), they can handle Age of Conan.
Click to expand...

Doesn't look like the 8800 GTX and 9800 GTX are much different. Obviously the 9800gx2 has better performance, but it's pretty much 2 cards anyways. I can afford to either SLI or just get a 9800gx2. Seems to me the gx2 would be less hassle.
 
I have heard a few people say that corsair is slipping as far as memory is concerned. I don't know if this is true or not, but maybe something to research.
 
EDIT: Current build. Still have a few days until I order the parts so trying to get all the input I can.

Processor
Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q9450 (4x 2.66GHz/12mb L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Motherboard
EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI ATX

RAM
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit

Power Supply
Corsair Memory CMPSU-750TX 750W TX750W ATX12V Power Supply

Video Card
EVGA 01G-P3-N892-A3 GeForce 9800 GX2 SC 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

Case
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP

Hard Drive
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB Buffer Hard Drive

CPU Cooler
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm

Operating System
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

Thermal Compound
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound

Case Fans
120mm Yate Loon D12SM-12 Case Fan - Black (70.5 CFM, 33 dBA)
 
So you're not going to wait for the new cards to come out?

Also how soon are you gonna get that second 9800GX2 for SLI? The 750i FTW is an excellent mobo and all. But whenever possible, go for a mobo based on an Intel chipset. They're more stable. Do note that the 9800GX2 will work on Intel mobos.
 
Then don't bother with an SLI mobo then. tiraides has already posted a list of recommended mobos earlier in the thread. Take a look at it.
 
Yes, going to go with the GA-EP35-DS3R. Supports what I need and is recommended. So I'll go with it unless theres something clearly better.
 
If you think you'll be pushing the Q9450 to its limits, then the MSI Neo2-FR would be a better choice since it has better NB cooling than the DS3R. Any of the boards in the list above that has heatpipe cooling for the NB/mosfets could OC better than the DS3R. To get the DS3R above 400Mhz FSB SDR, you'll need additional cooling for the NB. So, if you plan on taking the Q9450 above 3.2Ghz (8x400), go with a board with better cooling.
 
I'll take a look, although I don't plan on overclocking I am still concerned about heat.
 
Danny Bui said:
Unless you need Crossfire badly, don't bother with the X48 chipset. Even among hardware enthusiasts that's a bit overkill. I recommend going with a mobo based on the P35 chipset or the P45 chipset that's coming out in the next few weeks.

Also, I recommend waiting until the end of the month to buy a graphics card. Nvidia and ATI are both releasing new cards that can potentially outperform 9800GX2.
Click to expand...

I think the worst case scanario is the HD4870 performs as well as the 9800GTX and, again worst case scenario, its $200 cheaper.

oh and definatly get the WD 640gig drive. Its huge and performs as well as a 74 gig raptor.
 
Going crazy trying to pick a motherboard here. It seems all the recommended boards have its fair share of bad reviews and good reviews.
 
PeteH said:
Going crazy trying to pick a motherboard here. It seems all the recommended boards have its fair share of bad reviews and good reviews.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... yeah that would be the case. [H] loves the Maximus Formula, increasingly I'm dislikeing mine. I'm thinking about RMAing because its so damned finiky...

anyways, I think you probably want P35. Keep in mind P45 doesn't offer anything really new (infact, its still running 16X, 4X crossfire which is annoying).

and yeah, maybe you mentioned this already but whats your needs in terms of motherboards, Raid? (has anyone tried Raid-0 or a big raid-5 array with the WD640 gig? bet it would pass velociraptor speeds really quickly...) DDR3? Multi GPU (think this through carefully)? Evironmentally friendly? Overclocking? any spicific pci-e/pci slot amount requirements?
 
MrWizard6600 said:
Hmmm... yeah that would be the case. [H] loves the Maximus Formula, increasingly I'm dislikeing mine. I'm thinking about RMAing because its so damned finiky...

anyways, I think you probably want P35. Keep in mind P45 doesn't offer anything really new (infact, its still running 16X, 4X crossfire which is annoying).

and yeah, maybe you mentioned this already but whats your needs in terms of motherboards, Raid? (has anyone tried Raid-0 or a big raid-5 array with the WD640 gig? bet it would pass velociraptor speeds really quickly...) DDR3? Multi GPU (think this through carefully)? Evironmentally friendly? Overclocking? any spicific pci-e/pci slot amount requirements?
Click to expand...

No need for raid. Just running one hard-drive. Not using DDR3 ram, as listed in my specs. I'm not sure what you mean by multi-gpu? The graphics card is a 9800gx2 which I think is multi-gpu, but I won't be SLI'ing. I also don't plan on overclocking.
 
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