Critique my new build please

C

CyberCecil

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 7, 2001
Messages
497
Here's the build I am currently considering:

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail - $309.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR10664GK - Retail - $97.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail - $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - (COMBO w/CPU) - $254.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

Total - $782.95


My major aim is gaming. Right now I have a 19" LCD @ 1280x1024 but will be upgrading later to a wide-screen @ 1900x1200 max. I'm not concerned with SLI or Crossfire.

This is at the top of my budget, but any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
 
When will you upgrade to the new monitor? Which size monitor are you considering? As it is right now, the 1GB HD4870 is beyond overkill for your current resolution.

You don't need the OCZ Reapers; get a cheaper set of DDR2 1000 RAM. And use the "savings" to get a good aftermarket CPU cooler, like the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (along with the ACK-I7751 retention bracket).

As good as the Corsair TX750 is, if you have no plans for SLI or CrossFire, you don't need to spend over $100 on a quality power supply for your build. For example, the Cooler Master Real Power Pro 650W power supply is available for $80 with free shipping and a $30 mail-in rebate.

What does the rest of your build looks like? (Please specifiy which components you are reusing or have already bought.)
 
Well at least he will be able to play Crysis Warhead with setting on High(Enthusiast) and AA enabled on his 19" lcd hehe.
 
if your going to spend 300 on that card get the GTX 260 instead its faster.......now you were to get the cheaper 512MB 4870 for 200$ then get that
 
Depending on how soon you upgrade to a 24", if it is soon, I personally would go with this setup:

CPU - Intel Core2 E8400(3.0ghz) + Asus P5QPro mobo combo for $255($15 MIR on mobo)
RAM - 4gig G. Skills DDR2 800 for $50 w/free shipping
Video - EVGA Geforce GTX260 (216 core) for $290 ($20 MIR) w/free shipping
PSU - Coolermaster Realpower Pro RS-650 for $80 w/free shipping

Total: $675 before shipping & MIR

The Coolermaster PSU that tiraides mentioned is a pretty good PSU for that price. Or, you can get the Antec NeoPower 650 for $90 w/free shipping and it's modular. Also, it has more Amperage on the +12V at 52A vs 45A on the Coolermaster Pro 650. But, either PSU is more than enough for your setup.
 
Hey HG -- all you really did was switch out the video card and the RAM.

(I'm also assuming that the OP wants to overclock the E8400, hence my earlier recommendations.)
 
tiraides said:
When will you upgrade to the new monitor? Which size monitor are you considering? As it is right now, the 1GB HD4870 is beyond overkill for your current resolution.

You don't need the OCZ Reapers; get a cheaper set of DDR2 1000 RAM. And use the "savings" to get a good aftermarket CPU cooler, like the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (along with the ACK-I7751 retention bracket).

As good as the Corsair TX750 is, if you have no plans for SLI or CrossFire, you don't need to spend over $100 on a quality power supply for your build. For example, the Cooler Master Real Power Pro 650W power supply is available for $80 with free shipping and a $30 mail-in rebate.

What does the rest of your build looks like? (Please specifiy which components you are reusing or have already bought.)
Click to expand...

Oops, I meant to do that in the original post.

I am reusing:

Coolermaster Stacker 810
Samsung 19" LCD (Upgrading to 22" or 24" @ 1900x1200 after the first of the year)
DVD Burner
6 PATA/SATA hard drives

I last upgraded 3 years ago, so I intend this to last a while. I don't mind going a little overboard on the video or getting 4gb of RAM if it helps the longevity and I am not really concerned with overclocking.
 
4870 is an excellent buy, i dont recommend any Nvidia products at all
Click to expand...

Now this is uncalled for really, have you tried all of Nvidia's products, or at least listened to the feedback from non biased sources on AT LEAST the gtx 260 since that is what is being recommended.
As far as I know Ati's 4800 series has had more feedback problems then the nvidia 200 series, mainly due to driver issues, now would those small problems mainly heating and micro stuttering stop me from recommending ati NO, because the micro stuttering is mainly related to one game and the heat is a quick fix and actual not problem since it's how the card is supposed to run.

As for the 200 series there was the price issue but recently ( hopefully in anticipation of a new launch ) they have been dropping to reasonable standards, also i have seen or heard of very few dissatisfied costumers with the 260 or 280 albeit there are those who will flame the card never having seen it.

on that note any of those cards are great although i would go for the 4870, but mainly because I prefer to support the underdog to some extent ( as long as it's profitable ^ ^) but any chioce you make you will be happy with it.

+1 on p5q pro
+1 on gskill i would go with the 800
Antec NeoPower 650 650W is an option you might want to explore as well for the PSU.

+1 on tiraides question, because it may actually define what GPU you get.
Will you be multi-tasking a lot ? I know i do.
 
Here's the updated build:

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail - $309.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102801

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail - $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro RS-650-ACAA-A1 650W ATX Form Factor 12V V2.3 / SSI Standard EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail - $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171023

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - (COMBO w/CPU) - $254.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131299

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115037

Total - $698.31 (w/shipping)

I am still mulling my video card options. Any other opinions?
 
The video card is good. Some may say it costs a bit at $310 but, if you are planning on getting a 24" The 1gig HD4870 will prove useful in games when you game at 1600 x 1200+ resolutions and higher. Especially, when you enable Anti Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering in the games. By the way, its $300 now so, you saved $10. hehe.
 
The 4870 trounces the 260/280; I'm not sure why people keep recommending them. It looks like a nice, stable build. Good luck. :)
 
The HD4870 is actually on par with the GTX 260 (though depending on which benchmarks you look at, they're close enough that you won't see a major difference between the two). The GTX 280 trounces both of those cards, but the HD4870X2 generally beats out the GTX 280. (However, in some games, because they aren't really set up for a dual-GPU card, the GTX 280 beats the HD4870X2.)

The reason why many people recommend the GTX 260 is because it can currently be found for less than the HD4870 (1GB model).
 
Uh, did you interpret "trounce" as:

Answers.com said:
v.tr.

1. To thrash; beat.
2. To defeat decisively.
Click to expand...

It has to be a specific game or review, because I've seen the HD4870 and the GTX 260 trade blows in various different reviews.
 
If I decide to try overclocking, which other RAM options should I consider without breaking the bank?
 
None. The G. Skills DDR2 800 modules will give you good overclocking already. $50 upfront w/free shipping for 4 gigs is hard to beat.
 
CyberCecil said:
If I decide to try overclocking, which other RAM options should I consider without breaking the bank?
Click to expand...

Depends on how high you want to OC... $9 more takes you from 3.6 to 4.5, theoretically...

$59 - 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):

E8400: 9 × 333 = 3.0Ghz, DDR2-667 << STOCK
E8400: 9 × 400 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-800 << Nice OC
E8400: 9 × 445 = 4.0Ghz, DDR2-890 << Good OC
E8400: 9 × 500 = 4.5Ghz, DDR2-1000 << Great OC
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/
 
enginurd said:
So what'd you end up ordering? Also, don't forget to post pics! :)
Click to expand...

I basically got my updated build but swapped out the ram for the faster ddr2 1000 recommended and added the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 CPU cooler. I also splurged and got another 1tb drive.
 
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