Building a new computer, please advise

Z

zero002021

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Messages
1,317
I'm looking to build a new PC soon and I was wondering if I could get some feedback on what I have configured so far. I'll be using my PC for gaming and work, primarily playing first-person shooters and doing a lot of work in the Adobe Creative Suite using Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash. I have a budget of $2,000, but I'd like to stay closer to $1,750 if possible.

I'll be buying everything online off of newegg.com, and I'm only looking to replace my PC as I'll be keeping my current monitor, speakers, keyboard/mouse and other accessories.

Case:
LIAN LI PC-65B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112040

PSU:
PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817703009

Motherboard:
DFI LANPARTY DK X48-T2RS
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813136047

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16819115042
Noctua NH-U12P Heatsink
http://jab-tech.com/Noctua-NH-U12P-Universal-heatsink-pr-4088.html

RAM:
2x Corsair XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar 640GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Video:
VisionTek Radeon HD 4850 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129112

Optical Drive(s):
Pioneer DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16827129020

Floppy Drive:
Samsung Internal Floppy Drive
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16821103203

Operating System:
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16832116488

There are a few components I'm not sure about with the configuration that I have selected. Are the motherboard, power supply, and hard drive good choices, or could I choose something better/more suitable for the rest of the system configuration? I'm especially curious as to whether people think the Western Digital VelociRaptor is worth the money. Is there a noticeable difference in real-world performance compared to standard hard drives? Or should I save my money?

Thanks in advance for any help that gets posted.

EDIT: I changed some components based upon some of the feedback I have received.
 
As I've said before on a number of occasions, if its a gaming PC, you might want to wait. In the week of June 15 we will see a flurry of new cards both from ATI and Nvidia covering everything from $250 to $600 (and if Nvidia launches the G92b, likely to be marketed as 9800GT) we might even see something at the $200 price level. The $600 "GTX280" will run 80TMUs and 240Shaders strapped to 32ROPs and a cool 512bit 2.0GHZ GDDR3 bus. That autta be a true sucessor to the revolutionary 8800GTX. ATIs highest end offering will be the HD4870 and it looks to perform no lower than the 9800GTX and no higher than the 9800GX2, but at an MSRP of $250 :) We know ATI is cooking up an HD4870X2 but we dont know much about it.

If you want more space, like a data storage HDD, go for the WD 640GB drive. It's two 320GB platters and, and matches the 150GB raptor in a couple of areas.

While nobody on this forum is going to argue the M12 is a bad power supply, I would argue its overpriced. It does run a little quieter (both in sound and in ripple) in comparison to the Corsair 750W, but that doesn't warrant the extra $50 over it.

If you really want to push that yorkfield your either going to have to run that ram at an ugly multiplier or buy some faster stuff. Some DDR2 800 w/ cas 4 should hit 1000MHz without much trouble, which would give you 4GHz @ 1:1. That ram is fine for the Q6600, which, because of its multiplier of 9, should top out just as your ram starts getting pushed out of spec (again, at 1:1.)

You can also save yourself $50 by sacrificing a max of 10% of your performance and your abillity to TRI-SLI by going with an 8800GTS 512MB. They run the exact same core, while the 9800GTX tends to overclock a little higher (higher core binning + better cooling + better voltage regulation).
 
Thanks for the feedback.

- I swapped out the SeaSonic M12 PSU and put the Corsair and PC Power and Cooling on the list.
- I swapped the Cosair XMS2 with the XMS2 DHX, which runs at DDR2 800 4-4-4-12.
- I think I've settled on the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 over the Q6600.
- I don't need much storage space, so I think I'm going to stick with the Western Digital VelociRaptor, at least for now.

As for the 9800 GTX, I can wait a few weeks if it means I will be able to get something even more powerful. I would like to have settled on as many components as possible though, so that when the new video cards are released I will be able to add a card to my configuration and place my order.
 
You won't notice a difference between CL4 and CL5, unless you're running benchmarks (and even then, the difference is negligible), so don't pay a huge price premium for lower latency.

Why get an X48 board if you're not even planning on Crossfire?

FYI, that system only needs a good quality 500W PSU, like the Corsair 520W. So unless you get the 750W Corsair thats on sale for under $100, don't spend more for a higher wattage PSU.

A 9800GTX is simply an OC'd 8800GTS 512MB. Not worth its price.

I don't know how current Pioneer optical drives are, but I do know that the Samsung SH-S203B and S203N are among the quietest optical drives around.

Get a good HSF to OC that Q9450:

$35 - Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja Plus Rev.B CPU HSF (recommended: $5 Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-Thru-Kit)
$37 - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler (recommended: $5 Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-Thru-Kit)
$46 - Thermalright Ultima 90 CPU HS + FBA09A12M - Z ($3)
$50 - ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing / Transparent CPU Cooler ($10 MIR)
$59 - Noctua NH-U12P Universal heatsink
$57 - Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU HS + Scythe S-Flex Fan SFF21E ($15)

If you have cash to burn, do so on a VelociRaptor if you really want it. Otherwise, there are better cost effective solutions depending on your needs.
 
It's only a $10.00 price difference between the CL4 and CL5 memory, so it's not an issue.

What motherboards would you recommend in place of the one I have chosen? When selecting components I spent the majority of my time finding the right motherboard. There are many to choose from and the reviews seem to be all over the place. It's tough to tell when a motherboard is legitimately bad and when user error is to blame. I built a few systems for friends about four years ago and I went with Gigabyte motherboards for both builds. They were fairly solid, reliable boards. Are there currently any Gigabyte motherboards worth looking at to go with my build?
 
That motherboard looks good, you're going to be one of the first on these boards to own one. Wish I had bought a DFI X38 over my Maximus, its nothing but a headache, been better since the new bios but I still have my bones to pick....

anyways back on topic, seeing as how your gearing everything else toward overclocking I suggest a high-RPM fan (or a controlled one) with the thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. That should enable you to get the voltages right up there (My non-extreme 120 can run 1.5V just touching on 55C) no sweat.
 
Some mobo recommendations:
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.
 
What features do you need in a motherboard? I mean, if you don't mind the price of that X48 board, then by all means, go for it, lol. The only reason to choose a different board would be to suffice your needs while spending the least amount of money. So, what are your needs?
 
The most important thing to me is reliability/stability. I don't want a cheap motherboard that I am going to have to RMA several times. I want something that works. That said, I need a motherboard that will allow me to do some overclocking. I am sticking with air-cooling for this build, so however far that gets me is fine.
 
The new P45 boards are starting to show up... you might want to wait for those.
 
where are those? do you think its worth getting a P45 with nehalem around the corner...
 
soundguy said:
where are those? do you think its worth getting a P45 with nehalem around the corner...
Click to expand...

They've been announced and I've seen one or two reviews. Is it worth getting one? That depends on what you plan on building, and more importantly, when... you got a thread of your own?
 
Are there any other cases with a side window that you'd recommend? I was looking at the Lian Li PC-60B PLUS II, but it looks like it might be cramped too work in and I'm not even sure if there will be enough room in there for a large video card such as the 9800 GTX and an aftermarket CPU cooler such as the Noctua NH-U12P Heatsink.

Does anyone know if the new Nvidia cards coming out in June are supposed to be any smaller than the 8800/9800 series cards?
 
geez, sorry, i was trying to ask a question relating to the topic that i was also interested in. all i was asking was would it be worth going P45 over P35 in the OP's case, because i may well be doing a very similar build to him.

sorry for hijacking the thread a bit, but i was jsut asking a question.

what are you looking at spending on a case? you might well consider the CM690 (yeh, i know i've bagged it in the past...), becasue its cheap and is relatively large, with some spaces for 140mm fans, and where i am at least, you can get a version with a side window.
 
I prefer the CM Stacker TC01 over the Armor. I don't like the Armor's useless doors. :p

soundguy said:
sorry for hijacking the thread a bit, but i was jsut asking a question.
Click to expand...

lol, relax, I was just asking if you had a thread of your own so I could elaborate more. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top