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Help Building a New System

M

Murphey88

n00b
Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
12
Hello all,
Sorry to post another build-help question, but I would really like to get some advice. You all helped me build my previous system (a Pentium 3 with a Radeon 9600) which has been great, but has recently been disassembled. So I wanted to get your advice again.

Similar to the previous system review requests, I am most concerned about performance and longevity. I currently do not play a lot of games, but having seen some of the more recent titles, I probably will (although I guess I could just buy a console for a fraction of the cost). I do use Photoshop and similar apps. Of course, I want it quiet too.

I already have several components from my current system and from a system that I received from a friend. I would love to get some thoughts regarding what I intend to purchase.

Although I am willing to spend if there is a component that would be better, I am somewhat over budget at this point and may look for ways to decrease the costs, so replacements would be welcome - especially with respect to the motherboard and processor. (I have no idea what I am doing on the mothrboard and processor - I was just going off of what I have read on these forums.) I also may wait on certain upgrades, such as DDR3 RAM, Blu-Ray, etc. I have read the other posts regarding DDR3 being a waste of money. I am just hoping to buy something that is flexible as far as upgrades. For example, what I would like to do is purchase a strong power supply, case, fans, etc., so when a new motherboard or processor comes down the pike, I can just swap the expensive stuff (i.e., motherboard, RAM, processor etc.) out.

Please note that I am a total newbie at building my own system, so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I've changed this so many times I really can't think straight anymore.

What I already have:

Hard Disks: Western Digital 150GB WD Raptor and
Western Digital 500GB
Video Card (single at the moment): GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB
Mouse: Logitech Cordless
Operating System: Windows Vista
Cable Card: ATI All-In-Wonder TV Tuner
Optical Drive: Standard DVD+/-R DVD Burner
Monitor: Dell 2407 24" Widescreen Monitor
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy2


What I currently intend to purchase:

Case: Coolermaster Cosmos1000 (RC-1000-KSN1-GP) Silver/Black Tower Case, EATX, No PSU, Steel
Power Supply: Thermaltake, Toughpower, 80 PLUS 1000W Power Supply, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, Quad +12V, Quad SLI Ready
OR PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 QUAD
Motherboard: P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP@n, LGA775, Intel X38, 1600MHz FSB, DDR3-1800 8GB /4
Second Hard Disk: Western Digital 150GB WD Raptor, SATA 150MB/s, 10000 RPM, 16MB Cache
Processor: Core™ 2 Extreme QX9650 Quad-Core, 3.00GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 12MB L2 Cache
Other: Zalman CNPS9500 Copper CPU Cooler, Socket 775, No LED or Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme
Scythe KAMA BAY SCKB-1000WH
Operating System: Vista 64-bit
Keyboard: Razer Tarantula (maybe - currently have a Logitech DiNovo, which I absolutely love, but may take it to work)


So, here are a few of my questions. Any other input/recommendations/opinions are welcome and appreciated.

1.) Is there anything related to processors or motherboard that is on the horizon worth waiting for? In addition, I could conceivably purchase a much less expensive motherboard and get some DDR2 RAM. See next question.

2.) Not sure what to do about memory yet. Prices appear to be very high at the moment for DDR3.

3.) I was thinking of a second Raptor for a raid configuration. Is that stupid (somewhat rhetorical by the way)?

4.) I was planning to get the new Linksys WRT600N or D-Link DIR-855 (after the whole recall mess is finished). However, I will probably wait on this until after some reviews come out and prices come down. I have owned a Linksys WCG-200 Cable Gateway, which I like, but I may give it to a relative who wants it.

Thank you very much in advance.
 
well theres new chipsets such as x48 p45 and such that will be released in the near future. (motherboard)

i dont see why you would waste $1060 on a processor when you could easily buy a q6600 for $250 or $200 at microcenter then overclock it to 3.0ghz easily on air cooling.

whats the purpose of getting x38 chipset when you have a nvidia card?

raptors are a waste of money imho. get a 500gb harddrive for $100 instead.

either get a thermalright 120 extreme with a scthe s-flex fan or a ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing

maybe im blind but i didnt see any ram. you should at least 4gb of ram since photoshop is dependent on ram. ddr2 800mhz would be a good choice if your planning to oc with the q6600.

and if you go with a q6600 and plan to stay with single card graphics card... all youll need is the corsair 550vx or 620hx (modular).
 
Pick a DDR2 capable board; the DDR3 is a total waste, LGA775 dies at the end of this year, DDR3 is overpriced and immature. By the time you need a new processor or RAM you'll need a new motherboard / socket, so forget DDR3. There's pretty much no performance improvement.

The Silencer 750 Quad has 60A on a single 12v rail and can be had for ~$160 shipped. At that price it can't be beat right now. It'll be enough for SLI or Crossfire with just about anything.

The QX9650 is a ripoff of the worst sort. If you must have a 45nm quad wait a month for the Q9650, though the Q6600 will be plenty fast OCed and you can always get one of the 45nm quads later.

I like my Tarantula, but it's... big. Just keep that in mind.

I /really/ don't think the second Raptor is worthwhile.

Either get a P35 board or a 780i so you can potentially add a second card. I'd recommend the Gigabyte P35-DS3R/DS4/DQ6, DFI LanParty Dark P35-TR2S, or MSI P35 Neo2-FR for a P35 board. For a 780i, the EVGA 780i or MSI P7N Diamond.
 
I will do a search, but which is most recommended, P35 or 780i? For what it's worth, I think I would like to add a second video card at some point, but it certainly not a priority. (In addition, I can return the card I have, but based on my review of the graphics card forum, it was a good purchase.)

The Q6600 looks like it will last long-term and is quad core. However, is the Q9650 worth waiting for? I have the time to wait. Are there significant differences between the Gigabyte P35-DS3R/DS4/DQ6, DFI LanParty Dark P35-TR2S, and MSI P35 Neo2-F? Also, what about the Asus P5K-E?

Based on your advice, I think I will stay away from DDR3. If so, what type of RAM would be the best? I will definitely get 4GB. Does brand really matter?

Thanks also for the advice regarding the Tarantula. I have space, but maybe I will just get another DiNovo since I am so used to it.
 
The P35 has fewer potential problems. It's a very solid chipset, but it only support one card if you go the Nvidia route (and if you want multiple cards with ATI you should be looking at the X38s instead). The 780i (and most other Nvidia Intel chipsets) has its share of quirks and quality control issues... so you may be better served waiting for the 9800GX2 to avoid the Nvidia chipsets and still get enough power for a 24" LCD.

The Gigabyte boards are well rounded and solid, good overclockers. They vary in the quality of stock on board cooling as well as featureset. Look at them and determine which would best suit your needs.

The DFI board (and pretty much all DFI boards) is set up to be tweaked out; it has BIOS options that literally no other vendor provides. The downside is, it can be overwhelming if you aren't willing to take time and do research tweaking things.

With a Q6600 DDR2-800 is plenty. Look for CAS5 or lower, but don't pay a big premium for CAS4, as you won't notice the difference. I'd recommend OCZ, Corsair, G.Skill, A-Data, PQI, Crucial, GeIL, TEAM Group, Kingston... just don't get the really low end stuff that doesn't have heat spreaders or anything, or some crazy brand no one's ever heard of. Stick with a 2x2GB kit, rather than a 4x1GB kit or two 2x1GB kits.


In my personal opinion, ASUS is the devil. Some of the worst customer service in the industry. Great boards if you get a good one... nothing can save you if you get a bad one. Just not worth it.
 
It's basically a Cooler Master RC-690 case and the MSI P35 Neo Combo-F motherboard "package." The point behind the "package" deal is that you build the entire system through AVA Direct. The "appeal" is that you could use either DDR2 or DDR3 RAM with the motherboard.

Truthfully, you don't need to look at that "package" deal.
 
As everyone else says, the QX9650 is a waste. it reaches some pretty unruly clock speeds on half decent cooling, which is wicked, but no where near worth four figures!!!

Ditch DDR3. I like silent-circuit's logic. DDR3 will be in full swing by Nehalem (sucessor to Penryn), which will require a serious motherboard reorg, and a new socket. So just buy a DDR2 mobo.

The gigabytes are pretty well your standard board... actually before I continue, lemme ask you this

How serious an overclocker are you?
 
Actually, I was planning on building it myself. However, after reading a few posts here, AVA Direct seems pretty good, and the prices compared to NewEgg weren't that bad. That said, I still will probably just end up doing it myself. I'm just a little strapped for time over the next couple of months, so there is a convenience factor.

I'm not a serious overclocker.
 
You have a pretty good selection of parts to choose from -- not to mention what you've already listed in your OP. Just avoid the QX9650, the X38 motherboard, and DDR3 RAM, and you're golden.
 
Thank you all again for all of your help. Per Silent-Circuit's recommendations, I am probably going to go ahead with the Q6600, and have gathered everything at Newegg.

However, I have been trying to do as much reading as possible on the Q9650 and 9800GX2 you mentioned. I could potentially wait until May to build this computer, so I am waffling about whether to wait and get both the Q9650 and 9800GX2 instead (giving back the 8800GTS).

What do you think? If I did wait, which motherboard then?

Thanks. I promise - no more questions.
 
With a 9800GX2? P35 or X38. You will pretty much never need to SLI two of those things, just replace it eventually -- it's looking like two 8800 GTS 512MBs in SLI on a single slot. With that in mind, and considering you can pick up an 8800 GTS 512MB for around $200 (and a couple of times now, just under) AR... I'd just get 2 of those suckers and a MSI P7N Diamond rather than waiting for the 9800GX2, which is promising to be $600+ at launch. But I'm strange.
 
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