Help a noob out

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canoj

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
Messages
129
UPDATED 7/21

Budget: 1500
Location: US
OC: Yes

What I already have:
z-5500
g9
g15
vista ultimate
coolermaster cosmos s

This rig will be used primarily for gaming, but I will do some casual video and photoediting. I will also use it to watch dvd's and stuff. I will be storing a lot of media so I want at least 500GB HDD. I will do crossfire later on.

HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

ram: OCZ Platinum Edition 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227280

Optical drive: Samsung drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151154

HSF: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Mobo: ASUS P5Q-E LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131296

Power Supply: Corsair TX 750W ATX 12V Power Supply
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-tx-750w-atx-12v-power-supply/q/loc/101/206178325.html

Monitor: BenQ G2400WD
http://store.benq.us/benq-us/product.aspx?sku=3844862&section_id=566&culture=en-US

CPU:
Q6600 OR Q9550- Is the price difference worth it for the Q9550, how is OC for both?

GPU:
4870X2 OR 4870- Want to play at 1920x1200, max settings with at least 2xAA

What I need now:
Monitor Low response time as it will be used for gaming
Suggestions
 
Since 4870X2 release is not very far off it would make more sense to get a P45 mobo + 4870X2. Though TBH I think a single HD4870 is more than enough at that Samsung's resolution.

GPU: 4870X2 when it's released.
CPU: Q6600 is a good deal. May also want to consider Q9550 which will drop down to $316 shortly.
RAM: OCZ Platinum Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 is a better deal than the kit you selected.
Thermal Compound: Tuniq TX-2 is slightly better than AS5 and non-conductive as well.
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB uses 320GB platters and is faster, quieter, cooler running, and uses less power than the Barracuda
MB: Asus P5Q-E
PSU: Corsair TX750 much better than that OCZ unit.


Should consider adding an aftermarket HSF as well if you plan on overclocking or just want quieter operation.
 
All that graphics power (especially with cross fire) will be a waste on a 22". I bought my 24" for about $300 9 months ago, so you should be able to upgrade to a 24" with ease.

I didn't do the match on the stuff, but I'd consider getting a Raptor drive for OS/Programs and then leaving the larger for general srotage.

You won't need the arctic silver, as the retail box HSF has a TIM on it already, though, it will be needed if you get aftermarket cooling, which I don't see in your cart at this point.
 
Well the monitor can be changed, I have not purchased it yet. I wanted a 24" but most of the ones I have seen have high response time. If there are any 24" out there with low response time, I will change it. And I should have mentioned this in the OP, but I want to play my 360 on it (and possibly a ps3 in the future).

I will update OP with new times.
 
Forget about the Raptor HDD and the sound card. One of the new Western Digital 640GB or Samsung F1 750GB/1TB hard drives would run as fast as (if not faster than) the Raptor X -- and for less.

Additionally, onboard sound nowadays is almost as good as a stand-alone sound card and, with today's dual- and quad-core processors, it doesn't take up as much system resources as before. Try it out first, and then try a sound card if onboard sound isn't to your liking.

(You won't need the Tuniq TX-2... the TIM that comes with the HDT-S1283 is good enough for your needs.)

I can't recommend a good 24" monitor for you. Monitors with TN panels have fast response times, making them good for gaming, but their color accuracy is very poor compared to other types of monitors. You may want to check out the Displays forum for recommendations.
 
tiraides said:
Forget about the Raptor HDD and the sound card. One of the new Western Digital 640GB or Samsung F1 750GB/1TB hard drives would run as fast as (if not faster than) the Raptor X -- and for less.

Additionally, onboard sound nowadays is almost as good as a stand-alone sound card and, with today's dual- and quad-core processors, it doesn't take up as much system resources as before. Try it out first, and then try a sound card if onboard sound isn't to your liking.

(You won't need the Tuniq TX-2... the TIM that comes with the HDT-S1283 is good enough for your needs.)

I can't recommend a good 24" monitor for you. Monitors with TN panels have fast response times, making them good for gaming, but their color accuracy is very poor compared to other types of monitors. You may want to check out the Displays forum for recommendations.
Click to expand...

QFT

Also, OP, please don't post wishlists. They're annoying to have to click and go back and forth between the two resulting windows.
 
canoj said:
Well the monitor can be changed, I have not purchased it yet. I wanted a 24" but most of the ones I have seen have high response time. If there are any 24" out there with low response time, I will change it. And I should have mentioned this in the OP, but I want to play my 360 on it (and possibly a ps3 in the future).

I will update OP with new times.
Click to expand...

Define "high response time". Response time hasn't been an issue in LCD panels since the 16ms days, which have long since past. A breif survey of 24" monitors at the Egg sorted by price notes the cheapest ones having response times between 2-5ms. You won't notice anything under 12ms - if you do the math on that, 12 ms = 5000 frames per second. In the older days when I was selling 16-25ms panels, I had no complains from my customers about any ghosting or lag.

I've got a TN panel right now, and while it isn't as nice as the 20" Dell panel that it replaced, I'm very happy with it - i'd take the extra few inches of real estate over color "accuracy" which is not noticed very often...
 
I notice ghosting on a 6ms P-MVA from time to time. Ghosting is still a very real issue with LCDs today.
 
I have looked in the display forum from time to time, and I have read that there is some ghosting with 5ms, so I was looking for a tn panel with 2ms. I'm going to go back there and put some more research into my monitor, then I think it would be easier to decide what GPU I should go with.

Any other suggestions still welcome.
 
I have looked into monitors and I have chosen a BenQ G2400WD. The native resolution is 1920x1200. Want to max games with at least 2xAA. Advice on the GPU taking this monitor into consideration please.
 
You may want to wait for the arrival of the HD4870X2 and the price drop scheduled for the Q9550 (bringing its price down to around $326), which should be in a few weeks. The Q9550 is the better processsor than the Q6600, but its price (for now) is a sore point.
 
silent-circuit said:
I notice ghosting on a 6ms P-MVA from time to time. Ghosting is still a very real issue with LCDs today.
Click to expand...

I agree, which is why I still game on my 22" CRT. :D

canoj said:
I have looked into monitors and I have chosen a BenQ G2400WD. The native resolution is 1920x1200. Want to max games with at least 2xAA. Advice on the GPU taking this monitor into consideration please.
Click to expand...

tiraides said:
You may want to wait for the arrival of the HD4870X2 and the price drop scheduled for the Q9550 (bringing its price down to around $326), which should be in a few weeks. The Q9550 is the better processsor than the Q6600, but its price (for now) is a sore point.
Click to expand...

I agree with tiraides... wait for the HD4870X2. Avoiding SLI/Crossfire is typically a good idea if you can afford it.
 
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