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First Time Comp Build

O

OrBiTal-DeaTh

n00b
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
8
Intro: Hello all this is not only my first Forum post but also relating to my first Computer Build Project. I have been playing games for the PC and every other counsel for the past 15 years, yet somehow I have never built my own rig. Come to find out that its not as hard as I have always come to think. The past few weeks have been hell though LEARNING and researching about all the hardware out there I feel like I’ve stepped into a new world seeing it with semi-virgin eyes.

The Project: To build the best gaming rig I can for around $1,500. The result to have a computer that doesn’t chock up when running multiple programs, and to have a very good gaming experience were I’ll be able to for the first time MAX out the video states for games lke BF2142, COD4, many RTS games, and atleast make new games like StarCraft 2 look good. ( I don’t play crysis and I don’t expect $1,500 to max that out). Also to have upgrade potential for the next 1-2 years.

My preferences: ASUS Board, Nvidia GPU, 22" LCD screen, Intel Core 2 Quad, At least 4gb of RAM, a Gaming Case with neon lights and side window. (if any of my preferences don’t match my desired results I’m open for suggestions)

What I have so far: (Please check for overall compatibility, quality, OC capability, and relation to the overall project)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Model #- BX80562Q6600

GPU: BFG Tech BFGE88512GTSE GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card (I figured I could eventually add a second GPU since this one is SLI compatible)(any better Nvidia for under $300, im all ears)
Model #- BFGE88512GTSE

Monitor: SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail (8000:1)
Model #- 2253BW

Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model
Model #- TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX (later will add another 2gb-4gb)

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #- WD5000AAJS (later will add another 500gb or 750gb)

PSU: APEVIA ATX-LCD750W ATX12V / EPS12V 750W Power Supply
Model #- ATX-LCD750W

Board: This is the hardest part for me, since it seems to be the most important and the most complicated peace of hardware. I was thinking of going with the...ASUS Striker II Formula LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #- Striker II Formula or the...ASUS P5N-T Deluxe LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P5N-T Deluxe

Case: have no clue; liquid cooling? one with many fans? Just needs to look sexy, be open, have room for everything, and keep my insides protected. (ANTEC I heard was the best but, I don’t like how they look)

Audio: I will not be using 5.1 surround sound or anything close to that so I think any AGU that comes with board should suffice.

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT. SINCE I AM A NOOB WHEN IT COMES TO THIS STUFF, I WILL TAKE ALL ADVICE SERIOUSLY AND WITH HEAVY CONSIDERATION.
 
I would recommend getting P35 motherboard over nForce. As for case, if you want a nice, clean looking case with good cooling, look into Lian Li or Silverstone.

Oh, and Buy.com is having a sale on their eVGA 8800GTS (G92 of course) for ~$220, you might want to jump on that.
 
i would stay away from that board. if you have to get an sli board, get the evga, its stable, has a fantastic warranty and good customer service. but as a first time builder, you should probably pick a board with an intel p35 or x38 chipset, and forget about sli for now. a good mainboard for you would be something like an abit ip35 pro or ip35, or a dfi lp dk p35 or lp dk x38. your choices of other stuff is great, you might want to consider a higher quality power supply something like this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817814005
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

if you go with a ram like g.skill, you can get 4gb of good ram that will run 1/1 with your cpu (even overclocked) for way less than $100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

i dont know much about the cases that are around now, i have only bought lian li for the past several years, but the names i hear the most are coolermaster 690 and antec 900, both should be less than $100 if you include rebates. good luck.
 
Thanks for the posts thus far, eaxactly what I need. Vanilla your the second person to tell me not to ever do it with the board. May I ask why? And I though ASUS was the best board makersi evga better? Why stay away from SLI, I really dont want to completely rebuild a computer 1-2 years from now, and I have plenty of techy people that will help me with the installation and tech support side of owning this set; Does that make a difference?
 
I agree with vanilla_guerilla about a P35 or X38 and a quality psu, along with that GSkill, it's good quality and cheap.
 
well you really have to decide if you want sli or not, you can save a bit of money by getting a non-sli board. most people that dont sli from the start never do. Either the graphic card they bought cant be had, or the newer faster card is out in 2 years that destroys 2 of the older cards. I did that route and never was able to get a second card for a good deal, so i bought a newer card. IF you must sli, i would suggest 2 8800gt's since they are dropping under $200 a piece. thats my only suggestion, as for psu id make sure that its listed on the mobo or cpu supported lists if its a off the wall brand.
 
Well dude, I can honestly say that your on the right track, as far as doing research goes, cause YOUR HERE. Anything and EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about building a computer can be found/asked here, but not only that, but you get quick responses too. Very helpfull people in these parts.

I was in the exact same boat your in right now a few years ago. I have a friend who was all into computers and has a programming job, but I guess he got tired of trying to answer all my questions and so, he told me about this place and ive been here since.

Although I cant help you with your hardware choices (they change so often, its hard to keep up with), I can tell you that you are correct, it is totally NOT as hard as some people may think. I find reformating much more difficult that building a computer from scratch. It is in fact, insanely SIMPLE.....and mind you, this is coming from someone who hadnt done anything more than changed out some ram prior.

I can tell you this however, READ READ READ your owners manual for your mobo and then, when your all done, put that sucker where you will NOT loose it.

Also keep in mind where you are...These are the [H]ard Forums. Its called that for a reason. Most of the people here are HARD core gamers/computer dudes and dudettes. They like to upgrade the helll outta their rigs, so be prepared that the comments you get on hardware choices come from this frame of thought. i.e. Highest settings up the ying yang. But along with that comes educated knowledge of said hardware.

Also, do NOT try and build your rig over the course of days. Set aside some time and enough time to complete your build in one sitting...from installation of the cpu to the installation of your OS and drivers, do it ALL then and there.

Dont have ANYTHING other than what the computer needs to start up plugged into the computer when you install your OS, such as having your printer hooked up while you install your OS....dont do that. Reason being (and yes, this comes from personal experience), the typical install is going to have the main OS "stuff" install on drive C:/ and this is typical and most common. If the printer is also plugged up while your installing the OS for the first time, you have a higher percentage chance that the printer is going to be reconized as drive C and then your OS will go onto D, E, F, whatever.

This becomes a significant problem when it comes to you installing other software (such as games, pictures, etc) which AUTO-INSTALLS its folders onto drive C. And you cant just go and rename the drives either, to fix the problem requires you to reinstall the OS again PLUS everything else you installed up to that point. In other words....a real big pain in the ass. Games you get which play on the Steam servers, such as all of The Orange Box games, is like this. Steam writes to the C drive with no option of choosing the drive you want it on.

So, install all the computer stuff.....THEN install your accessories.

One last thing.....

When and after you install ONE item and it "asks" you "The program will not be completely installed untill you restart you computer, would you like to do that now" You might think....well, I got all this other stuff to install too, might as well restart the computer when im done installing them all...

Hmmmmm.....NO!!!!!

You click YES, I want to restart NOW please thank you very much you gracious computer you.....You do that for EACH and EVERY thing you install.

If you do it the other way around.....you have a 50/50 chance of next time you turn on your computer...you get a screen thats says NTLDR is missing. And THAT is a pain in a royal rear to deal with.....avoid it. (yeap, another personal experience).

Hope that helps
 
Ok so first off, I want to thank everyone for there posts. I really appreciate it thus far. And SAW thanks for the lengthy post, I really could follow your lingo, and will take what you said the furthest.

Like I said before im new to forums aswell so I may act or sound a little noobish or uncommon from what you "pros" are used too.
Everything I have so far is from Newegg.com. I'm not exactly sure if im allowed to, but I can litterally copy and paste all the items and prices that are currently in my wish list.
Ok about the SLI, I only plan to go SLI if what I have now doesnt meet what I am trying to accomplish. Thats why it is so important that get actual feedback, on how this stuff is ging to run. See "the project" for more info.
The hardest part about these forums for me, is that I get more questions than answers, almost everyones advice is different, and im being adviced new CPU's, boards, GPUS, and PSUs that would take more time for a noob like me to lookdeeply into than it has working for the money to buy this rig.
Like I said I really appreciate all the feedback, but im more confused than I started. Please tell me if im being unreasonable. I guess I was hoping to hear, "this set up you have is _______, but if you go with a better _______ you will get this result." The advice I have heard from everyone is like "the board is no good go with this one." I'm like "why, change all my parts, without any explanation.

Thanks Orbital
 
Which is better board for future upgradability and SLI, Intel Q6600 quad 2 core, 4gb(2x2gb) DDR 2 ram, and the 8800GTS 512mb G92n.
ASUS P5N-T Deluxe LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P5N-T Deluxe
---or----
EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: 132-CK-NF78-A1
---or----
EVGA 132-CK-NF79-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI DDR3 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: 132-CK-NF79-A1

Please include why?
 
In terms of CPU upgrades, none of the above. In terms of GPU upgrades, none of the above. Reasons below:

The main reason why many people are recommending against getting ANY Nvidia 680i/780i mobo is due to the fact that that chipset is not as stable or reliable as their Intel counterparts like the P35 chipset. In addition, this quote best explains my position on SLI:

Markyip1 said:
Just some info on SLI / Crossfire: It's absolutely not worth considering if a) you're gaming at a resolution under 1920x1200 (as you'll see no performance benefit over a single card,) and b) if you plan to buy one card now and another later. 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 SLI 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.
Click to expand...

You only have a 22" monitor which has a max res of 1680x1050, meaning that SLI is not worth it at all for you. So I recommend getting a mobo based on the more stable P35 chipset. However, avoid spending a ton of money (More than $180 IMO) on the motherboard as well since by this time next year, not a single new Intel CPU will be compatible with the current socket 775 that most Intel motherboards use today. Intel's new Nehalem CPU architecture , due out late this year with mainstream parts in Q1 2009, will be using a different socket. So don't spend a ton of money on a socket that will be obsolete in less than a year or so.

I recommend the following motherboards:
Abit IP35-E Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
MSI P35 Neo2-FR Intel P35 Motherboard - $112
DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL Intel P35 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $122
DFI LanParty DK P35-T2RS Intel P35 Motherboard - $140
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $151
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $170
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $180
Gigabyte GA-X38-DS4 Intel X38 Motherboard - $207

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports or legacy ports, then the IP35-E is a good choice. If you like the IP35-E but need legacy ports, check out the DS3L. If you need 5 SATA ports, 2 eSATA ports, and a second PCI-E x16 port, then get the Neo2-Fr. If you want heavy overclocking abilities and six SATA ports, check out the Blood Iron. If you like the BloodIron but want significantly better overclock stability, go for the LanParty. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports and high overclocks, 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 want something that can overclock pretty damn high along with eSATA ports and firewire connections, than the IP35 Pro. Note that the IP35-Pro seems to have problems with the Wolfdales CPUs

One other thing, ditch that Apevia power supply. Apevia is well known for making some of the world's shittiest PSUs. Unless you want a $1500 paper weight on your desk, drop the Apevia PSU ASAP. Any of these other high QUALITY PSUs will be more than enough for your needs:
Corsair 650TX 650W PSU - $120
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU - $139
Corsair 750TX 750W PSU - $156
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad - $162

Also drop the Corsair RAM as well. It is overpriced and you really won't notice the lower latency outside of synthetic benchmarks. You really don't need expensive RAM for the Q6600 even with overclocking in mind. If you keep the RAM and FSB at a 1:1 ratio, all you need is DDR2 800:

Stated FSB/4 = Actual FSB
Multiplier x Actual FSB = CPU Speed
2 x Actual FSB = RAM Speed

Q6600:
Multi x Actual FSB, Stated FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9 x 266Mhz, 1066Mhz, DDR2 533 RAM = 2.4Ghz <== Stock Speeds
9 x 333Mhz, 1333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.0Ghz <== Good OC
9 x 400Mhz, 1600Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 3.6Ghz <== Excellent OC, About the Max

Any set of DDR2 800 RAM will do. So I recommend this good quality RAM set:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $80

As for case recommendations, here are a few:
Cooler Master Centurion 534 ATX Case - $50
Cooler Master Centurion 532 ATX Case - $55
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $62
Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $70
Cooler Master Mystique RC-632S-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $85
Lian Li PC-7B Plus II Silver ATX Case - $90
XClio Windtunnel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $110
Antec P180 ATX Case - $115
Gigabyte Aurora GZ-FSCA1-ATB ATX Case - $110
Antec P182 ATX Case - $124
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $130
Lian Li PC-A16A ATX Case - $150
Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $150
Cooler Master Stacker RC-830-SSN2-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $150
Cooler Master Stacker RC-832-KKN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $150
Coolermaster Cosmos 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $153
Lian-Li V1000A Plus II ATX Case - $180
Lian Li PC-V1200 ATX Case (Silver) - $210
Lian Li PC-V1200 ATX Case (Black) - $214
Lian-Li PC-V1100A PLUS II ATX Case - $220
Lian Li PC-V1200B Plus II ATX Case - $240

And finally, if you're planning on overclocking or live in particularly hot/warm place, definitely get a 3rd party HSF. I recommend these:
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $46
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
 
to any of the viewers in this situation, building your own gaming PC is a way better idea then a dell, and even better than Velocity Micro or gamer-oriented boutiques.

The big PC vendors (Dell, Alienware, HP) all will load a gamer up with an unbelievable amount of CPU horsepower, and then put you on some gimped and locked down graphics card! I remember seeing an ad for a $2400 PC in the newspaper, from dell, aimed at gamers that contained nothing more than a lowly 7900GS.

That said (Leo Laporte had a caller calling in about this one just last weekend), if something fails your going to need a couple of hours to trouble shoot. I figure a novice stands a 10% chance of doing something that leads to some kind of failure. So be prepared to deal with RMA support!

anyways, all that aside, onto the OP.

That power supply is a nightmare. I try my absolute hardest to get any customer that comes to me with a PC containing an Apevia PSU to upgrade to a real psu generally of much lower wattage (I would take a Silverstone ST 350W over an Apevia 750 in any situation). If your looking for guaranteed future SLI compatibility, I suggest the PC Power and Cooling "Silencer" 750W. Don't let its name fool you, according to Jonny (at JonnyGuru, possibly the best PSU site ever made) it doubles as a leaf blower, both in noise and exhaust, when its putting out full load.

Now as for your graphics card, the 9800GTX is coming out on April 1st. Now, I'm totally against this card as a start to the nine series (the PCB is nearly identical to the 8800GTS 512MB, and its core is identical to that of the 8800GTS 512MB), but it gives a couple of features relevant to you. 1) New power subsystem meaning significantly higher overclocks. 2) Tri-SLI readiness (more on this in a sec). Its going to hit stores on April 1st, at somewhere around $300-$350.

There are plenty of better motherboards out than a 780i based one, namely the P35 and X38 based motherboards. They're much more stable, and over clock as high if not higher. Of course, you lose SLI compatibility.

If you want Tri SLI readyness, your only real option is a 780i based board (or my 680i one which I'm selling... in a few weeks :(). SLI is an interesting upgrade phenomena, as it can be useless or useful. Generally what I think is a good idea is to wait until your card is totally obsolete or on clearance somewhere, then pickup another one. The only context I can really put this in is, if you owned a system with a single 6800GT in it, on an SLI ready motherboard, would you invest in another 6800GT for $50? I would.

So, if your still interested in SLI and Tri-SLI, Dan, our motherboard editor, believes the Striker (I, 680i based) was one of the best 680i boards hes dealt with, in terms of failure rate. Apparently he's had 12 reference 680i boards die on him, and not a single Striker (using a non-reference design) die on him. 780i has a nearly identical PCB and will looks to be suffering from it accordingly. So, its safe to assume the Striker II will have a similar reputation for out-living its reference 780i counterparts. Bear in mind, that most of its reference 780i counterparts offer a much better warranty service, so its six of one, half a dozen of the other.

anyways I'm tired I've got more to say but I'm tired, so I'll swing back around to this thread after a day on the slopes tomorrow :cool:
 
MrWizard6600 said:
So, if your still interested in SLI and Tri-SLI, Dan, our motherboard editor, believes the Striker (I, 680i based) was one of the best 680i boards hes dealt with, in terms of failure rate. Apparently he's had 12 reference 680i boards die on him, and not a single Striker (using a non-reference design) die on him. 780i has a nearly identical PCB and will looks to be suffering from it accordingly. So, its safe to assume the Striker II will have a similar reputation for out-living its reference 780i counterparts. Bear in mind, that most of its reference 780i counterparts offer a much better warranty service, so its six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Click to expand...

Doesn't look like Dan_D likes the Striker II too much:

Dan_D said:
Right now if you want a 780i SLI board you are limited to:

EVGA 780i SLI (132-CK-NF78-A1)
XFX 780i SLI
ASUS P5N-T
ASUS Striker II Formula
MSI P7N Diamond

The first two are ok, but have quirks and frankly they already have apparent quality issues and since they are so close to the 680i SLI reference design I advise staying clear of them. There is already some evidence that shows them to be ticking time-bombs like the 680i SLI reference boards were. I don't blame EVGA or XFX for that, but rather I blame NVIDIA.

That leaves the non-reference boards. The P5N-T I've never heard anything good about. Even Kyle didn't care for it too much as he had some issues with it. The Striker II Formula isn't much better and it has several of the same issues the Striker Extreme 680i SLI board had. That's not acceptable at all.

That leaves the P7N Diamond which I know next to nothing about. I know that I don't like some things about the layout, but otherwise it looks like a solid offering. I won't know until I actually have one in my hands for testing, if I ever get to test one.
Click to expand...

If the OP still wanted SLI, the P7N Diamond would be his best bet from what I've read so far. It's a non-reference design and has the least amount of problems compared to other 780i mobos.
 
if you must get an sli board, the 790i board was released last week and got an incredible review here.
 
Case:
Highly recommended the P182 or any of that Antec series (P190, or P180)
These are really good and can be had $20-40 off if you buy them on a sale, there is one often enough.

the P182 is one of the best designed, partly because it is the 3rd or 4th revision of the P180 case, so they listened to the complaints and addressed them.

PSU: Seasonic or PC Power and Coolig
heres some research for you.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html

not many people mention this, but with a PSU, the efficiency is really important.
it will dictate how much heat is generated, and how big your energy bill is.
the lower the efficiency, the more heat it generates and the power it consumes to power your system.


Lastly, heatsink. if you plan on getting an aftermarket one, then I highly recomment the new version of the Scyth Ninja.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185038

it works wonder with the fans of the P18x series case.
(the P18x has 2 fans in the back that really do a great job of keeping your PC cool)
 
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH///////

Based on all your recommendations I decided not to go SLI, this is What I have so far and I still need help deciding between Case, PSU, HSF, and Board: (Please check for overall compatibility, quality, OC capability, and relation to the overall project)
Case: Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan - Retail
Model #: VA8003BWS or Thermaltake SHARK VA7000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #: VA7000BWA or Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #: VA8000BWS or SILVERSTONE KUBLAI Series KL03B-W Black 2.5mm aluminum front door, 0.8mm SECC body ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #: KL03B-W
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail Model #- BX80562Q6600
GPU: EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail Model #- BFGE88512GTSE
Monitor: SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail (8000:1)Model #- 2253BW
Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model Model #- TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX (later will add another 2gb-4gb)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #- WD5000AAJS (later will add another 500gb or 750gb)
HSF: ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing / Transparent CPU Cooler - Retail Model #: Nirvana NV120 or Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooling Heatsink - Retail Model #: Ultra-120
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: CMPSU-650TX or SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-650HT ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply - Retail Model #: SS-650HT or ABS Tagan ITZ Series ITZ700 ATX12V / EPS12V 700W Power Supply - Retail Model #: ITZ700
Board: ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #: IP35 Pro or GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #: GA-EP35-DS4 or ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #: P5E or DFI LP UT P35 T2R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #: LP UT P35 T2R.
Audio: I will not be using 5.1 surround sound or anything close to that so I think any AGU that comes with board should suffice.

STILL HAVE MAJOR ISSUE FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, MY GPU REQUIRES A PCI EXPRESS 2.0 x16 SLOT. BUT SINCE I GOT RIDE OF ALL THE 780i, 790i, AND 680i BOARDS, IT ONLY LEAVES ME WITH ONE BOARD FROM ALL THE GOOD ONES TO CHOOSE FROM-ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #: P5E- WHICH HAS THE WORST REVIEWS OUT OF ALL THE OTHER ONES. What should I do, the GPU I chose is so sweet, and well reviewed I can&#8217;t see myself chucking it.
 
Uh...fewer caps please.

Also: Nothing "requires" a PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot. A PCI Express x16 slot is all (and that's only strongly recommended, not required).
 
Could you please redo that post in an easy to read manner? Just a huge wall of numbers and text to me.

And no, you do not need PCI-E 2.0 to use a PCI-E 2.0 video card. It is backwards compatible.
 
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH///////Sorry about the last post, it transfered all wierd.

Based on all your recommendations I decided not to go SLI, this is What I have so far and I still need help deciding between Case, PSU, HSF, and Board: (Please check for overall compatibility, quality, OC capability, and relation to the performance and gaming experiance)
Case:
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan - Retail Model #: VA8003BWS or
Thermaltake SHARK VA7000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #: VA7000BWA or
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #: VA8000BWS or
SILVERSTONE KUBLAI Series KL03B-W Black 2.5mm aluminum front door, 0.8mm SECC body ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #: KL03B-W
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail Model #- BX80562Q6600
GPU:
EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail Model #- BFGE88512GTSE
Monitor:
SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail (8000:1)Model #- 2253BW
Memory:
CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model Model #- TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX (later will add another 2gb-4gb)
Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #- WD5000AAJS (later will add another 500gb or 750gb)
HSF:
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing / Transparent CPU Cooler - Retail Model #: Nirvana NV120 or
Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooling Heatsink - Retail Model #: Ultra-120
PSU:
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply - Retail Model #: CMPSU-650TX or
SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-650HT ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply - Retail Model #: SS-650HT or
ABS Tagan ITZ Series ITZ700 ATX12V / EPS12V 700W Power Supply - Retail Model #: ITZ700
Board:
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #: IP35 Pro or
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #: GA-EP35-DS4 or
ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #: P5E or
DFI LP UT P35 T2R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #: LP UT P35 T2R.
Audio: I will not be using 5.1 surround sound or anything close to that so I think any AGU that comes with board should suffice.

SO what would you all go for? Any Compatibility issues?
 
Quoting myself:
Also drop the Corsair RAM as well. It is overpriced and you really won't notice the lower latency outside of synthetic benchmarks. You really don't need expensive RAM for the Q6600 even with overclocking in mind. If you keep the RAM and FSB at a 1:1 ratio, all you need is DDR2 800:

Stated FSB/4 = Actual FSB
Multiplier x Actual FSB = CPU Speed
2 x Actual FSB = RAM Speed

Q6600:
Multi x Actual FSB, Stated FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9 x 266Mhz, 1066Mhz, DDR2 533 RAM = 2.4Ghz <== Stock Speeds
9 x 333Mhz, 1333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.0Ghz <== Good OC
9 x 400Mhz, 1600Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 3.6Ghz <== Excellent OC, About the Max

Any set of DDR2 800 RAM will do. So I recommend this good quality RAM set:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $80
Click to expand...

Is there a reason why you chose the expensive Corsair RAM?

And my recommendations:
HSF: Nirvana if you're only buying from Newegg. Newegg charges too much for the Ultra 120 since it's replacement, the Ultra 120 Extreme, can be had for cheaper at many other sites.
PSU: The Corsair PSU since A) it's the cheapest out of the three PSU and B) yet its quality matches that of the Seasonic PSU.
Mobo: Well what features are you looking for in a motherboard? We're gonna need a bit more info on what you want and need in a motherboard before we can help you.
Case: Cases are a personal choice item. Just pick the case that YOU like.
 
Danny Bui said:
Quoting myself:


Is there a reason why you chose the expensive Corsair RAM?

And my recommendations:
HSF: Nirvana if you're only buying from Newegg. Newegg charges too much for the Ultra 120 since it's replacement, the Ultra 120 Extreme, can be had for cheaper at many other sites.
PSU: The Corsair PSU since A) it's the cheapest out of the three PSU and B) yet its quality matches that of the Seasonic PSU.
Mobo: Well what features are you looking for in a motherboard? We're gonna need a bit more info on what you want and need in a motherboard before we can help you.
Case: Cases are a personal choice item. Just pick the case that YOU like.
Click to expand...

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR FEEBACK;
The Project: To build the best gaming rig I can for around $1,500. The result to have a computer that doesn’t chock up when running multiple programs, and to have a very good gaming experience were I’ll be able to for the first time MAX out the video states for the game. ( I don’t play crysis and I don’t expect $1,500 to max that out). Also to have upgrade potential for the next 1-2 years.

At this point I dont here any comments by you reasonable posters, that indicats any serious wrong doing I can make with my p35 board, and PSU choices. So It sounds like im getting really close , RIGHT?

Im leaning towards ASUS P5E LGA board cause it does have PCI 2.0x16 capability for my GPU which may gie me little boost. But out of all my board choces Newegg has rate the ASUS one the worst, does anyone have experiance with that board?
Going with the Corsair CMPSU-650 just cause i know the brand and its well rated.

Can anyone please give me an idea of what I can expect with this set up, so I can re-evaluate my expectations. Will I be able to play games like COD4, BFME2, WOW, BF2142 at max stats? And I've always wanted to be able to run 5-10 applications at once, including video software without my computer turning into molasis? Any Compatibility issues? Am I missing anything?
 
Should be able to run most of your games at near max settings. The Quad-Core should help with your multi-tasking.

And again. PCI-E 2.0 does NOT provide any performance increase whatsover for current video cards. In fact, video cards barely saturates PCI-E 1.1. It's gonna be a long time before PCI-E 2.0 is really need it. And by then, you'll most likely have to upgrade your rig anyway.

And again, is there a reason why you chose the expensive Corsair RAM?

And again what features are you looking for in a motherboard? We're gonna need a bit more info on what you want and need in a motherboard before we can help you. Some features include RAID, Firewire, high overclocks, etc.

In addition, what do you mean by upgrade potential? Like in CPU upgrades? In terms of CPU upgrades, not single Intel mobo today will be able to support Intel's new Nehalem CPUs which uses a different socket.
 
Danny Bui said:
Should be able to run most of your games at near max settings. The Quad-Core should help with your multi-tasking.

And again. PCI-E 2.0 does NOT provide any performance increase whatsover for current video cards. In fact, video cards barely saturates PCI-E 1.1. It's gonna be a long time before PCI-E 2.0 is really need it. And by then, you'll most likely have to upgrade your rig anyway.

And again, is there a reason why you chose the expensive Corsair RAM?

And again what features are you looking for in a motherboard? We're gonna need a bit more info on what you want and need in a motherboard before we can help you. Some features include RAID, Firewire, high overclocks, etc.

In addition, what do you mean by upgrade potential? Like in CPU upgrades? In terms of CPU upgrades, not single Intel mobo today will be able to support Intel's new Nehalem CPUs which uses a different socket.
Click to expand...

I chose Corsair as personal preference its only like a $20 difference so really no big deal.

As far a mother board features, I just want all my other hardware to be compatible with it and for it run well. Probably will OC if whoever is setting it up with me knows how. Doesnt seem to hard to OC, so I guess OC and compatability is what im really looking for in a mobo.

Well since im not going SLI, there is a new cpu chipset coming out; then I guess I have no clue what I expect to upgrade. Since none of my boards are DDR3 compatible, then probably NM the upgradability.
 
OrBiTal-DeaTh said:
I chose Corsair as personal preference its only like a $20 difference so really no big deal.
Click to expand...

Never factor in the after rebate price until you actually have that rebate check in hand. Rebate checks are not guaranteed. They have a high probability of going through but are not guaranteed since the rebate can be rejected, lost in the mail, lost by the company, or not even processed at all.

In addition, you still have to pay the full amount up front, and the rebate check(s) -- if you even get them -- will likely be the last things that you receive, long after (2 to 8 months) you get your computer up and running.

Before rebates, the difference is $64, which is pretty big cost.

As far a mother board features, I just want all my other hardware to be compatible with it and for it run well. Probably will OC if whoever is setting it up with me knows how. Doesnt seem to hard to OC, so I guess OC and compatability is what im really looking for in a mobo.
Click to expand...

If those are your only goals, I recommend getting the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R instead. It overclocks pretty well and is compatible with all of your hardware. By going with the DS3R, you'll won't end up paying for certain features that other motherboards have (an extra PCI-E x16 port, firewire ports) that you probably won't end up using.

Though if you want to get a mobo will sorts of features just in case you might find a need for them someday, pick up the IP35-Pro.
 
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