Building a new PC

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Calamarth

n00b
Joined
Feb 22, 2007
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26
So I've put A LOT of thought into this; due to an unnatural (or possibly not :D) workload at my university, I've postponed this PC-build for several months, but finally I've got time to do it. So I won't waste any time, and simply give you the speccs I've thought out!

Asus Maximus Extreme, X38, Socket-775, DDR3,ATX,2xGbLAN,Firew, 3xPCI-Ex(2.0)x16

Intel Xeon™ E3360 2,83GHz, Socket 775, 12MB, 1333MHz, Boxed w/Fan

ASUS Silent Knight II CPU Cooler, Blue Light, Socket 478/775/939/940/AM2/AM2+

Corsair TWIN3X 1600MHz DDR3, 4GB, DHX, Kit w/two 2GB XMS3, CL9-9-9-24, E.P.P.2

Western Digital Caviar GP 1TB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM

Asus Radeon HD 4870X2 2GB "TOP" GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, 2xDVI/HDMI/HDCP

I've already got all necessary utility. As for the PSU, it's a Thermaltake ToughPower 750W. The two HDDs will be run in Raid 0.
What I'm basically interested in here are any comments on the build as a whole, or suggestions for replacements. Perhaps specifically concerning the mobo and the use of a Xeon processor considering this is first and foremost a gaming-rig. It will be used for some Photoshop and Maya as well, but that's on a minimum.

Thanks in advance for all helpful suggestions! :)
 
The biggest problem with your rig is the DDR3 RAM. Current C2D based systems do NOT benefit from DDR3 RAM whatsoever. If you're going with DDR3 RAM just for "Future proofing", that's a bad idea. There's no guarantee that future chipsets or systems will support or won't be limited by whatever DDR3 RAM you buy today and whatever mobo you buy today might not be able to support the faster DDR3 RAM that *might* show an improvement with current C2D based systems

The second problem is the Xeon CPU. How much is it? Why are you going with a Xeon CPU?

The third problem is your RAID 0 setup. I recommend using two of these significantly faster drives for RAID 0 instead:
Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $80

And then just get a 1TB drive for storage. Better HDD setup that way since you get faster speed as well as some separation of your data.

Now what size monitor do you have? If it's less than a 24" and 1920x1200, then ditch the HD 4870X2.

Also, will you be overclocking?
 
Hmm, I see where you're going with the RAM, but chances are great I won't be transferring those sticks to another mobo in the future, nor install new DDR3 sticks on that mobo. And as the specified mobo is DDR3 only, I see no way around it...

I'm very uncertain about the Xeon CPU as well. It's just over $400, but considering I live in Norway, that pricetag isn't really comparable with US pricetags. :') That's not my main issue though; the reason why I so far plan on using it is after the direct advice of a friend of mine who's a computer engineer, who suggested it based on its apparent stability over the C2Q processor line. My biggest concern though is that I heard Xeon processors have got issues with standard mobos and RAM? I.e., they need server types in order to function properly? I've no real idea what I'm talking about here, so yeah, major concern there.

Faster drives noted.

As for my monitor, I'll be getting a Samsung T220P as soon as it gets out; it's 22" with 1900*1200 resolution. The other reason I'm getting the HD 4870X2 is so I can easily buff up the graphics-capability on this comp say next summer by buying another one and run them in CrossFire. Such an upgrade should, if I'm not much mistaken, by then not be too expensive, but still be quite an upgrade.

And finally, yes, I will be overclocking. I won't push it to the limit though; I want to maintain as stable a system as possible. :)
 
Easiest way to get around it: Get a motherboard using DDR2 RAM. Some motherboard recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $87
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $112
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $140
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Motherboard - $152
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2R Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-EX48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and great overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, just support for 8GB of RAM, and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the I45. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn, need x16/x16 Crossfire, and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus, DFI, or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

Xeon CPUs are not officially supported on desktop motherboards. While many people have had successes usng a Xeon CPU on desktop motherboard, don't be too surprised if the PC doesn't POST right with the Xeon CPU.

Also Intel C2Qs are very stable CPUs. There hasn't been any mention of any sort widescale or even small scale stability problems with any Intel C2Q CPU. So I recommend getting a C2Q CPU since they're most likely cheaper yet provide roughly the same performance. The Q6600 and Q9550 are good choices.
 
Okay, everything you've written taken into evaluation, I figure I can go with the Asus P5E Deluxe and a C2Q Q9550. As for RAM, I would get 2x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145214 ; that's 4 sticks of 2GB, making a total of 8GB. The rest would be as specified above, albeit with your suggestion for HDD setup. Also, I see I forgot to mention it above, but I've got an unused Vista Ultimate 64-bit key lying around, so going to be using that.
Note that here in Norway, the Q9550 and the Xeon processor specified above are almost exactly the same price. However, if there's any chance that the PC won't POST with the Xeon processor, I see no reason to take the chance, unless it in theory really will be a noticeably better processor for my use.

So through this reasoning, we've come to two different setups I suppose, where the main difference is the mobo, RAM and CPU. Also, I could be willing to pay the extra cash for the Rampage Extreme over the Maximus Extreme for the DDR3 option build. To summarize then:
Asus Rampage Extreme, 4 gig DDR3 RAM and Xeon E3360 / C2Q Q9550 vs. Asus P5E Deluxe, 8 gig DDR2 RAM and Xeon E3360 / C2Q Q9550.

The latter build will cost me approximately $500 less in NOK. To me, the 500 dollars aren't a deal breaker/maker; I'm first and foremost interested in what performs the best, and how many years I can expect to keep it before needing to upgrade "everything" again.
 
I suggest getting a different Asus motherboard, like the P5Q Deluxe, over the two you're considering. Again, DDR3 RAM offers no performance benefit with the Intel Core 2 series processors, and chances are that you don't need all of the motherboard features that the Rampage Extreme or the P5E Deluxe offer.

Why are you considering 8GB of RAM? Because it's cheap? Unless you do a lot of video or 3D graphics editing, run system-intensive programs like Photoshop or Maya, or use multiple virtual machines at the same time, 4GB of RAM would be enough for your needs.

One HD4870X2 is more than enough for most games (at high settings) on a 1920x1200 resolution. Chances are that, for the next year or two, you won't have a need for another video card and/or CrossFire.
 
I considered the P5Q for some time too, but reading the review here on hardocp, it's apparently incredibly annoying trying to OC with it? If I remember correctly, the review also stated that could well be fixed with future BIOS updates though, so I'm not completely ruling it out.

And the 8GB RAM; yeah, because it's dirt-cheap and I do use PS and Maya a bit, so it won't go totally amiss.

And I'm encouraged by your prediction on the GPU! ;D I guess that just means I'll grab another HD4870X2 in two years or so when it's dirt-cheap and barely possible to find on the Norwegian consumer market. :')

I must say, in the end now, I'm leaning towards the P5E Deluxe and the Q9550. The P5E Deluxe too is DDR2, and not even $20 more than the P5Q Deluxe.

Thanks a bunch for your help, Danny Bui and tiraides. :)
 
Let me clarify: You won't need a second HD4870X2. By the time they become more available -- as in, they'll only cost around $350 USD in two or three years (instead of the $550+ USD they currently cost) -- there will be a new high-end card and/or setup that will blow a dual HD4870X2 setup out of the water. (The chances are pretty good that said high-end card/setup may even cost less than your two HD4870X2 cards together.)
 
Point finally taken. :')

All in all, I'm probably hoping this build will keep me sustained for some 3 years+ with only minor hardware upgrades along the way. As long as it's able to run whatever MMORPG I'll be playing at the time, chances are high I'll find a way to postpone a new build. :D (Which lead me to wanting to make a new build these days in the first place; my current PC is struggling with Warhammer Online, and that's a bad sign ... ;))

And thanks again; parts should be shipping off during the week!
 
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