Help me bulid a new pc!

T

The Realyst

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 14, 2003
Messages
266
I know, you see these a lot, but I hope you guys wouldn't mind helping me out.

I haven't built a computer in a very long time cause the one I have now has lasted me so long, but I think it's finally time to make a change. The list below is what I came up with. I never know if the motherboard and processor are compatible so please let me know if the ones I picked out will play nicely with each other. I def want to keep it under $2000, but under $1500 would be idle, so if anything there is overkill for what I will use it for, let me know. What I use it for you ask? I don't play pc games right now, but with a pc like this, I most likely would and use it as my second console. Also, running dual monitors is very important, so I don't plan on using SLI or any other dual card set up, but I also want to keep that option open for the future... maybe. Also, probably some video capturing. I'm trying to make this as "future proof" as possible.

EVGA 680i SLI Intel Motherboard
Intel Xeon E5440
Asus GeForce 8800GTS Video Card
Cosair 2 GB (2 x 1GB) Ram
Western Digital 150 GB Rapter SATA Hard Drive

When you add the case, fans and heatsink I plan on getting with this, I'm at $1945. Sorry if this stuff clearly doesn't go together. Like I said, I haven't done this in a while... So..., what do you think?
 
I'm no expert at all, but here's what I think:

Get DDr2 800-1000 RAM. It'll cost you $30-60 for the same amount of GB.

EVGA has a lifetime warranty for their graphic cards.

I just got a Seagate Barracuda for 500GB for $120, so you should look into that.

You can get a slightly worse CPU for $300 and just overclock it. I just paid $300 for a Q6600 2.4 GhZ G0 that'll overclock as high as 3.6GhZ according to what some people have posted. You're best off paying $300 instead of $740 for a CPU that's really not that much worse.

I may be wrong though, and most other people here know way more than I do, so listen to them:)
 
azul said:
I'm no expert at all, but here's what I think:

Get DDr2 800-1000 RAM. It'll cost you $30-60 for the same amount of GB.

EVGA has a lifetime warranty for their graphic cards.

I just got a Seagate Barracuda for 500GB for $120, so you should look into that.

You can get a slightly worse CPU for $300 and just overclock it. I just paid $300 for a Q6600 2.4 GhZ G0 that'll overclock as high as 3.6GhZ according to what some people have posted. You're best off paying $300 instead of $740 for a CPU that's really not that much worse.

I may be wrong though, and most other people here know way more than I do, so listen to them:)
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for your reply dude. I really just through this together. Is it just a "first draft" if you want to call it that. So it is def up for change. I read that the GTS isn't much faster then a GT? Espcially an overclocked GT. So how about I change the video card I put up there for this EVGA 8800GT Superclocked? I've overclocked video cards before, but never a CPU. If it will save me that much money, I will probably have to learn how to do that. And about the hard drive, that was the cheapest one I seen that runs at 10000 rpms. When running games, do I need a hard drive that spins that fast or is it not necessary?

PLEASE..., more suggestions are welcome!
 
E5440 is too expensive and not compatible with desktop boards. The Q6600 is a better alternative and should perform much better once overclocked.
The GTS is too expensive and not worth its price premium over the GT (that's a personal opinion). Look at the reviews section in this page.
DDR3 is too expensive and yields no performance benefits over DDR2 (which costs 1/10 of DDR3).
Raptors are too expensive and are only marginally faster than other 7200RPM drives. For that price you can buy a 750GB drive.

Your build needs to be redone grounds up.
 
The 8800GT Superclocked is about $20-30 more than the normal GT, but of course you can always try to overclock a normal GT yourself.

I'd definitely save myself $400 and just overclock a q6600. Save the $400 and buy something better in 1-2 years.

DD3 RAM is definitely not worth it. The price is just insane.
 
Cool, cool! This is all good stuff. I set a price for how much I wanted to spend at most, which was $2000. So what I put up would be the very last setup I would actually buy. It's good to know that all these things are not worth price when compared to how much performance I would get in return. It's nice that I can go even cheaper on this stuff and it will still run stuff like UT3 and Crysis. Not that I want to run those, but I want to have the option of running them if I want to. I'll add and remove a few more things and post up again. Thanks for your help.
 
I don't think there's a way to say this without sounding condescending, but I don't mean any offense.
I would recommend....more reading :|
 
No offense taken dude. Like I said before, I just threw that stuff together to get a base. I am doing more reading like I do everytime I make an investment like this. I do appreciate the help I'm getting here though and I hope it continues while I figure everything out.
 
As pretty much everybody else has said, 8800GT, Q6600 G0 (which can go to around 3.7ghz or a bit more on air) and DDR2. Finally, wait for 780i boards, or go with a P35 board.
 
 
One thing I'd mention is that penryn 45nm cpus are coming to mainstream supposedly in January, and they should overclock/run cooler than current 65nm cpu's (like the Q6600). I'd give thought on whether you can wait until then. Again, if you can't wait the Q6600 is a very good cpu, and I don't advocate getting into a perpetual waiting syndrome because technology moves quickly, but keep it in mind how close this particular one is.

On to the actual build, if you really want to overclock I'd get a better cooler, such as the Thermalright Ultima 90, Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, or Tuniq Tower. The Q6600 like most quads generates quite a bit of heat and if you really want to overclock it you'll probably want one of those three heatsinks.

You might be able to get a memory kit for around 40 for 2gb without needing to deal with a rebate if you look around (try ADATA or G.SKILL). Rebates can be a hassle if you get them at all, so I usually would try to avoid them if possible.

Why the really small (160gb) hard drive? I'd probably get at minimum 250gb if not 500 or 750. Also what do you need features wise from your motherboard (RAID, Firewire, Legacy ports, # of SATA drives?) You may be able to save some money on the motherboard possibly based on your needs, although there is nothing wrong with the DS3P if you need all the features.
 
Anchen said:
One thing I'd mention is that penryn 45nm cpus are coming to mainstream supposedly in January, and they should overclock/run cooler than current 65nm cpu's (like the Q6600). I'd give thought on whether you can wait until then. Again, if you can't wait the Q6600 is a very good cpu, and I don't advocate getting into a perpetual waiting syndrome because technology moves quickly, but keep it in mind how close this particular one is.

On to the actual build, if you really want to overclock I'd get a better cooler, such as the Thermalright Ultima 90, Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, or Tuniq Tower. The Q6600 like most quads generates quite a bit of heat and if you really want to overclock it you'll probably want one of those three heatsinks.

You might be able to get a memory kit for around 40 for 2gb without needing to deal with a rebate if you look around (try ADATA or G.SKILL). Rebates can be a hassle if you get them at all, so I usually would try to avoid them if possible.

Why the really small (160gb) hard drive? I'd probably get at minimum 250gb if not 500 or 750. Also what do you need features wise from your motherboard (RAID, Firewire, Legacy ports, # of SATA drives?) You may be able to save some money on the motherboard possibly based on your needs, although there is nothing wrong with the DS3P if you need all the features.
Click to expand...

How much will these 45 nm cost? I do plan on buying everything in pieces, so I can schedule to buy the cpu when it comes out.

I will change the cooling system, but I was worried about it being too big, but I have a pretty good size case there, so I should be ok.

I have an 80 gig hard drive now with 30 gigs left. I really didn't anticipating needing more then that. On top of that, my current hard drive is a little over a year old. I was maybe gonna run both of em in the new rig. Both drives will be SATA. I don't think I will need Firewire or Legacy ports, but I think I'll need RAID and I def need all those USB ports thats on the mobo I picked out.

Thanks a lot everyone, keep it coming.
 
It has recently been announced that the release of mainstream Penryn processors has been delayed several months from January to March. This includes the expected price / performance sweet spot proc (and replacement to the Q6600,) the Q9640.

Furthermore, if you plan to overclock and your desire to wait is fueled by anticipation of better OC potential when compared to a Q6600, note that you may be disappointed if you pair the new proc with a currently available P35, X38, or 780i motherboard. The Q9450 ships with a higher default FSB (1333mhz) and a lower multiplier (x8) when compared to the Q6600 (1066mhz, x9.) This means that if you get a good Q6600 today, you'll be able to over clock it to 3.6ghz on air with a good cooler, as you'll likely have no trouble bumping up your motherboard's FSB to 400mhz (1600mhz quad,) which x9 is 3.6ghz. However, to maintain the same OC clock speed on the Q9450, you'll need to bump up the FSB to 450mhz, as 450 x8 = 3.6ghz. 450mhz (1800mhz quad) is about the max you'll see a good P35 or X38 motherboard reach with a quad core chip.

In order to reach 4ghz (which many people are no doubt hoping to do with the new Q9450,) you'll need a 500mhz FSB. This has been attainable on some X38 boards with a lot of tweaking and fine tuning--but it's not easy. In order to reach 500mhz with ease, you'll likely have to wait and see what 1600mhz motherboards are available when you're ready to get the proc. X48 and the 790i are the only 1600mhz chipsets in the pipeline at the moment, and they've also been similarly delayed several months. Furthermore, keep in mind that 1600mhz boards will likely only accept far more expensive DDR-3 RAM.

From all the new information that has become available over the last few weeks, it may now look like Penryn is not necessarily a chip worth waiting for if it requires expensive RAM and a motherboard not even available yet in order to OC it to its full potential. Furthermore, considering that Nehelem is on track for a late 2008 release, Penryn is looking more like a skipable stop gap then a new revolution in hardware performance. If you're ready to buy now, go with the P35-DS3 you've planned for and the Q6600. If you can wait three months, doing so will net you some new processor and motherboard choices, but keep in mind that the Q9650 will sell above $300 for the first few months of its release.

Good luck with the rig... You're second draft is far, far better than your initial parts choice.

Mark.
 
Nothing's wrong with it. Though, I would agree with Anchen and get a better CPU HSF and a bigger HDD. Go with a Seagate 7200.10 250GB for $65 instead -- better price per gigabyte and its also faster.

Here are some HSF recommendations:
$35 - Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja Plus Rev.B CPU HSF (optional $7 Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-Thru-Kit; recommended if using w/ quadcore)
$45 - Tuniq Tower 120 CPU HSF
$46 - Thermalright Ultima 90 CPU HS + FBA09A12M - Z ($3)
$55 - Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU HS + Scythe S-Flex Fan SFF21E ($15)
 
I agree with every word Markytip said. Current hardware will not overclock Peryns much further than the Q6600. Also read this:
chrisf6969 said:
Here's your new dilema.

If you wait until say Feb.'ish for a reasonably priced Penryn, you might not find stock til Mar. Then Intel's new architecture which will be a HUGE advance will be right around the corner. So you're going to want to wait again!! :)

Remember Intel's "tick tock" strategy.

Lets look at it:
TICK # 1: they perfected the 65nm process with P4 & Pentium D's. (just a shrink + cache)
TOCK # 1: they make Core 2 Duo (new architecture) leaps & bounds forward, then slap 2 of them on a die for Quad still part of the tock.

TICK # 2: they perfect the 45nm with a shrink of Core2 ie: Penryn. (simple shrink + more cache)
TOCK # 2: Nehamlen (sp?) will have an integrated memory controller. Remember how big of an advance it was for AMD to go from Athlon XP to Hammer?! Its was almost all due to the on-die memory controlller.

So TOCK # 2, I think is going to be HUGE!!

My complete guess: We'll start over again back down to 2 1/2 Ghz range. Like when Pentium D / 4 went to 65nm, they had it cranked up to near 4Ghz.
Core 2 is now capable (though not stock clocked yet) of 4 Ghz with 45nm. Now they're going to go with a new even higher IPC core with an integrated memory controller, we'll probably
be back down to 2Ghz'ish, but the chips will be like 50-100% faster clock for clock.
Click to expand...
 
Will that Tuniq Tower fit in that Nine Hundred Case I picked out with out modding the case?
 
All right everyone. I've settled on a final build. I don't foresee anymore changes to this...

The Realyst's Rig

I'm decided to stay with the Asus mobo and the RAM. Unless there's something drastic that needs to be changed, I think thats it. Thanks again everyone!
 
Keep in mind that there are other shops selling the Q6600 for the same price as newegg, but these shops will guarantee a G0 stepping. www.clubit.com is an example.
 
I don't mean to be a pest but that Power Supply you chose could be suspect with the current load you have.

The amperage on the 12V rail doesn't quite look up to par for what you are going to need.

I would recommend a Corsair HX520. It is stable, powerful, and will be excellent for your rig.
 
bigk said:
I don't mean to be a pest but that Power Supply you chose could be suspect with the current load you have.

The amperage on the 12V rail doesn't quite look up to par for what you are going to need.

I would recommend a Corsair HX520. It is stable, powerful, and will be excellent for your rig.
Click to expand...

The Goodpower has around 30A on the +12V rails, and the system needs around 26A, so it should be fine.

Just make sure to keep that PSU cool.

Yes, the Corsair 520W would be excellent for almost any single card gaming rig, since it has 40A on the +12V rails. However, its nearly double the price of the Goodpower. If you're on a tight budget, the CWT-built XClio Goodpower is a good way to save a few bucks.
 
Sorry to bring this up again, but I thought this would be better instead of making a new thread...

Ok, here's my FINAL build. I want to be able to play everything with this thing. Not really Crysis, but Bioshock for sure.

The Realyst's Rig

The Antec Case I can get from a local store for $85 and the processor I'll be getting from clubbit to guarantee I get g0 stepping. Everything else I'll probably get from Newegg. Clubbit seems ok (never used them before), but they rape you with the shipping costs.

The eVGA videocard is sold out everywhere it seems. So if I can't find it by the time I'm ready to buy everything, I'll go with the XFX card. They don't have the step up program, but it does come with DOUBLE Lifetime Warranty and it doesn't matter if I put a different cooler on it. Still doesn't void it.

Ok...., I think thats it! I start buying the parts this weekend!
 
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