Critique the build!

R

Rocksta107

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
Messages
195
I saved up $1600 for a new system to replace my aging Nforce 2 Athlon 3000 GeForce 6800 GT build and feel as though I'm ready to go. Someone pleeeease let me know if I'm making any huge mistakes:

Samsung SH-S202N DVD player w/ Lightscribe
NZXT Hush Case (I do a lot of audio recording, need a silent case)
WD Caviar 320 GB x2 for Raid 1
ASUS GTX 280 (I know it's expensive, but it fits my budget and I want a single card solution so bite me!)
Soundblaster X-Fi Platiunum Fatal1ty Champ (I game and my professional sound card doesn't do MIDI so go figure)
Corsair 750 TX
Saitek Eclipse
Razer Copperhead (It's still their best mouse, yes?_
4 GB OCZ Platinum DDR 1066
FoxConn P35A
Q6600 G0

Let me know! I'll post it as my sig when it's ordered.

I'm sooo close to Limp Gawd :)
 
It would be better if you got this HDD instead of the 2 as I've heard that it nearly equals a WD raptor drive.
 
fantomau said:
It would be better if you got this HDD instead of the 2 as I've heard that it nearly equals a WD raptor drive.
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Thanks for the recommendation, looks great! I hadn't even looked at that before, it has indeed replaced the 320 GB there formerly.
 
Keep a eye on the price at the egg, as the other day it was 99, then went up to 109, now back down to 99. ;) Would suck if you got it at 109 and the next day it went back down to 99.
 
I've been going back and forth on that quite a bit, but I feel as though going with a 4870 will mean needing to X-Fire at some point in time in the future, and I really want this to be a one shot deal. X-Fire'd 4870's really didn't seem to outperform the 280 by much and they are the same price essentially. I'd also have to get an X48 instead of my P35 which would add another $150-$200.

I say need because I will be gaming at 1920x1200. I think the 280 has a good chance at lasting a while.
 
That hard drive was $90 in the Hot Deals forum yesterday I think.

I also agree with jonney, the 280 is waaaay overpriced. I vote for the 4870 but if you have the money to burn...

Also any reason for that Foxconn motherboard? Im not familiar with it so just wondering.

Oh and this post probably should have been posted in General HW.
 
+1 for 4670. you say "X-Fire'd 4870's really didn't seem to outperform the 280 by much and they are the same price essentially." on the other hand, a single 280 doesn't out-perform a single 4870 by all that much, yet costs twice as much. it is the single best GPU around, but if i were that dedicated to getting a single GPU solution, i'd be looking at something to hold me off until the 55nm refresh.

i was also wondering about the foxconn motherboard. my only question is how well it'll OC a Q6600. if you're planning an OC that is.
 
Rocksta107 said:
I saved up $1600 for a new system to replace my aging Nforce 2 Athlon 3000 GeForce 6800 GT build and feel as though I'm ready to go. Someone pleeeease let me know if I'm making any huge mistakes:

Samsung SH-S202N DVD player w/ Lightscribe
NZXT Hush Case (I do a lot of audio recording, need a silent case)
WD Caviar 320 GB x2 for Raid 1
ASUS GTX 280 (I know it's expensive, but it fits my budget and I want a single card solution so bite me!)
Soundblaster X-Fi Platiunum Fatal1ty Champ (I game and my professional sound card doesn't do MIDI so go figure)
Corsair 750 TX
Saitek Eclipse
Razer Copperhead (It's still their best mouse, yes?_
4 GB OCZ Platinum DDR 1066
FoxConn P35A
Q6600 G0

Let me know! I'll post it as my sig when it's ordered.

I'm sooo close to Limp Gawd :)
Click to expand...

Few tips:

1. OCZ in my opinion is overrated for that particular ram. Out of all my builds I'd have to say that the G.Skills 2x2gb for 89.99 right now is the best bang for your buck. It is also rated PC8500 1066. If you're serious about spending that much on ram I'd just go Corsair. Their 8500s are nice.
2. I'm assuming you got the quad for the sound editing because unless you go W/C you're not gonna get the headroom on the OC.
3. Razer's IMO are also overrated. Logitech MX518 is the best mouse ever created period. And I've had many.
4. For PSU's I'd recommend either a Silverstone, Antec or OCZ. I've been thoroughly impressed recently with the quality of the Striders from Silverstone. Antecs have always been quality as well as reasonable price. OCZ's ModXStream line is awesome too (I own their 780w). One thing is for sure, get modular... once you go modular, you'll wonder why you ever bought anything else.
5. Never never get a 320 drive. The most stable platters are 250 or 500gb's (unless you get a raptor drive thats 160 or 300 for the velociraptor).
6. Logitech G15 > Saiktek. (yes I own both and unless u just want the color shifting, the G15 is better).
7. As far as the graphics card it's up to you. NVidia's 280 is going to be a badass card no doubt, and it will beat the shit out of the 4870, but the fact of the matter is that it will retail at well over 500-600 bucks so doing the math, it's not really that great of an investment. Get a 4870 now or wait for the 280s.


I'm not a sound guy so I can't make any recommendations on that.

gl with the build.
 
Wshmaster0 said:
Few tips:

1. OCZ in my opinion is overrated for that particular ram. Out of all my builds I'd have to say that the G.Skills 2x2gb for 89.99 right now is the best bang for your buck. It is also rated PC8500 1066. If you're serious about spending that much on ram I'd just go Corsair. Their 8500s are nice.
2. I'm assuming you got the quad for the sound editing because unless you go W/C you're not gonna get the headroom on the OC.
3. Razer's IMO are also overrated. Logitech MX518 is the best mouse ever created period. And I've had many.
4. For PSU's I'd recommend either a Silverstone, Antec or OCZ. I've been thoroughly impressed recently with the quality of the Striders from Silverstone. Antecs have always been quality as well as reasonable price. OCZ's ModXStream line is awesome too (I own their 780w). One thing is for sure, get modular... once you go modular, you'll wonder why you ever bought anything else.
5. Never never get a 320 drive. The most stable platters are 250 or 500gb's (unless you get a raptor drive thats 160 or 300 for the velociraptor).
6. Logitech G15 > Saiktek. (yes I own both and unless u just want the color shifting, the G15 is better).
7. As far as the graphics card it's up to you. NVidia's 280 is going to be a badass card no doubt, and it will beat the shit out of the 4870, but the fact of the matter is that it will retail at well over 500-600 bucks so doing the math, it's not really that great of an investment. Get a 4870 now or wait for the 280s.


I'm not a sound guy so I can't make any recommendations on that.

gl with the build.
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Thanks for the response!

1: OCZ has the lowest price after 10.00 MIR. I would have gone with the GSKill otherwise.
2: W/C I assume is watercooling. I'm looking at an OC to 3.0 Ghz. Seems pretty standard on a decent P35 running a G0 Q6600 on air cooling.
3: The MX518 seems like a good deal, but I do a lot of work in a dark room and the light on the Razer is a big + for me.
4: I still like the corsair. [H] had great things to say about it and it's quiet which is important, but I will take a look at the others.
5: I've heard the opposite from people in some other forums, the 320 GB platters on the 640 came HIGHLY recommended. Any articles to back that up? I wouldn't want to get a bad product.
6: Again, the lighting is important to me and I've heard Saitek is easier to read in the dark.
7: I have all my money ready right now, and it's not set aside for anything else. I'm just concerned about nextgen titles at 1920x1200 and it seems like some of the games coming out aren't able to run at full settings up that high. I would like to see my video card last me as long as my 6800 GT has now.

Let me know if I'm on the wrong track, I really appreciate the input!
 
i say that you should spring for x38/x48 and get 4870 in xfire because that is the same as getting a gtx 280 (actually its $50 less but hey) and you will actually get slightly better performance. That should last you quite a while. I own a Saitek Eclipse great keyboard however make sure you get the eclipse II because that has the color change and imo is slightly better all around. As for the hard drives i havent heard there were even differences between 320/500/640/250 (execpt for the obvious size differences.) Just make sure you get something with a decent cache (look for 32 mb). As for the mouse get a G5 or MX518 or whatever. Anyway good luck with your build.
 
My concern in going for dual 4870's in X-Fire is less reliable than a single card solution AND I would need to spend another 200 on the X48. I might even need a cooler case like a Stacker 830 or something with all of the heat coming off those 4870's!
 
oh well doesnt really matter.
You do have a point in the fact that it less reliable its really up to you but you really wont be able to get the most out of that 280 anyway because your p35 is only pci e 1.1 and not pci-e 2.0 so its really up to you just make sure what your getting is worth the money your spending. BTW i am a huge fan of nvidia all my previous cards have been nvidia however, i may break that streak and get an 4870 or maybe even 4870 in xfire because im getting the new asus maximus ii formula. but hey up to you just dont get that ever so prevalant buyers remorse that has come recently with the 280's. But really the power is in your hands and we have no control over what you buy but hey listening never hurt anyone.
 
prodigee said:
oh well doesnt really matter.
You do have a point in the fact that it less reliable its really up to you but you really wont be able to get the most out of that 280 anyway because your p35 is only pci e 1.1 and not pci-e 2.0 so its really up to you just make sure what your getting is worth the money your spending. BTW i am a huge fan of nvidia all my previous cards have been nvidia however, i may break that streak and get an 4870 or maybe even 4870 in xfire because im getting the new asus maximus ii formula. but hey up to you just dont get that ever so prevalant buyers remorse that has come recently with the 280's. But really the power is in your hands and we have no control over what you buy but hey listening never hurt anyone.
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That's what I'm talkin about! I'll have to check into PCI-E 2.0 and see if I'm screwed or not.
 
get the 4870 in stead of the 280 or if you like nvidia go for 2x9800GTX cause they are very cheap now
 
SLI or crossfire.. great to look at, but not for a 1000-1600 build (awesome budget but getting two cards is really a novelty, not a requirement).

Do yourself a favor, get a better chip... a single card solution.. don't lock yourself up the p35, its great don't get me wrong, but it's being phased out now by better chipsets, with $1600 dollars you can build a monster setup if you just tweak the right parts.

I don't have hard spreadsheets to give you in terms of the hard drives, but I do know people who do crazy file transfers day in and day out in a real world environment that tell me that the 500s are the most stable of all the HD's they've had. Personally I have 2x500gb seagates and they are rock solid. My main drive is a wd raptor.. noisy little fucker but fast.
 
Wshmaster0 said:
SLI or crossfire.. great to look at, but not for a 1000-1600 build (awesome budget but getting two cards is really a novelty, not a requirement).

Do yourself a favor, get a better chip... a single card solution.. don't lock yourself up the p35, its great don't get me wrong, but it's being phased out now by better chipsets, with $1600 dollars you can build a monster setup if you just tweak the right parts.

I don't have hard spreadsheets to give you in terms of the hard drives, but I do know people who do crazy file transfers day in and day out in a real world environment that tell me that the 500s are the most stable of all the HD's they've had. Personally I have 2x500gb seagates and they are rock solid. My main drive is a wd raptor.. noisy little fucker but fast.
Click to expand...

Any suggestions for tweaking it up to a monster status? I feel like it's pretty monster as it is at the moment. What would you do with $1600?
 
build a beast of a machine.
I say get the motherboard with 1600 you can def tweak something to allow you to get a motherboard.

And in terms of the graphics why not wait to see what 9800 gtx+ brings to the table because a pair of those in sli imo last a pretty long time like your 6800
 
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/A...1,N82E16813128074|1,COMBO.105485.00-995-048|1
AMD Solution: $1,188.89 (PRIOR TO SHIPPING)
Leaves you about $350ish or so to pick out a 4870.
Graphics Card NOT included (you'll have to get this from another vendor since they're not in stock at 'Egg).


If you're a die hard Intel or NVidia fan then this is my Intel Solution.
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/A...4130372|1,N82E16819115037|1,N82E16817371010|1
Intel Solution $1,578.87 (PRIOR TO SHIPPING)
Includes everything you'll need (minus the monitor which I assume you have already).

Note that for the most part they are the same build with the exception of a few tweaks I did on the power supply to get to budget.

Let me know if you have any questions. I did model some of the parts according to YOUR preferences. This is also important (ie. case, sound card, mouse, keyboard).

Anyway I was doing a build I'd probably do a hybrid. Some people are diehards but i'd probably mix up the two so that I would get an Intel Board with an AMD graphics card.. thats my two cents. Always build according to your budget and always look at the deals that you can get. Newegg's prices are very volatile and changes frequently within the day.
 
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