Looking for a new Rig

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maverick786us

2[H]4U
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Aug 24, 2006
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I am planning to buy a new System specifically designed for Gaming. I am stressing on OCing. So I decided to go for this combination. Although its yet to finalize


1) CPU: E8500
2) Mobo: Gygabyte P35-DQ6
3) RAM: G-Skill/Corsair 2*2GB
4) Graphic Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTX
5) HDD: 1) WD Raptor 150, 2) WD 500GB
6) PSU: Corsair HX 640W
7) Heat Sink: Thermal Light Ultra 120
8) Case: Amtec p120

Any suggestions??


Although there are other good OCing Mobos like nVidia and ASUS but my budget for Mobo is maximum upto 150bucks. Can someone recommend me good OCing mobos within that range? Although Mobos with WiFi onboard will be perferable but not compulsary.

How are nVidia680 SLI Mobos for OCing? What is their price range??
 
6) PSU: Corsair HX 620W
7) Heat Sink: Thermal Right Ultra 120
8) Case: Antec p120 <- I don't think I've heard of the P120?

Otherwise, the important stuff looks good!
 
8800GTX's are old technology now. Get an HD4850. I'll assume that you already have this card or something.

Don't buy a WD Raptor. Get the 640GB WD drive.
 
If you already have the Raptor, then just keep it. Instead of the 500GB drive, get the WD6400AAKS, which is as fast as the old 150GB Raptor. If you want to waste money on a new raptor, get the VelociRaptor.

I also agree with the HD4850 suggestion, unless you have a 22" and want more performance (in which case, get the HD4870 instead).

As for the mobo, P35 has been replaced by P45. If you have a 22" or smaller screen, then you don't need SLI/Crossfire, so either a P45 or P43 chipset would be best. I'd suggest the Asus P5Q Pro combo'd with the Asus HD4850, which will save you $30.
 
Down8 said:
6) PSU: Corsair HX 620W
7) Heat Sink: Thermal Right Ultra 120
8) Case: Antec p120 <- I don't think I've heard of the P120?

Otherwise, the important stuff looks good!
Click to expand...

Sorry its P180.

What is the cost of Asus P5Q Pro combo'd with the Asus HD4850??
 
Onboard HD audio is pretty good these days, but try it out first, then pickup a soundcard later if you don't like it.
 
OK I checked in the nearby H/W market. Unfortunately P5Q Pro was not yet available, Instead they were having P5Q Deleuxe. Is there any difference in the perfomance of these 2 Mobos. Specially in terms of OverClocking?? Afterall both mobos belong to same series
 
Theoretically the Deluxe should OC better than the P5Q Pro due to its slightly better cooling.

However the Deluxe is overpriced since one could get a slightly better X38 motherboard for significantly less.

Some other motherboard recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $95
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $135
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $150
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and high overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, only need support for 8GB of RAM and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

Also, I recommend heeding enginurd's and dhc014's advice about the GPU and hard drive.

In addition, I recommend this HSF:
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $37 & Retention Bracket - $7
 
dhc014 said:
8800GTX's are old technology now. Get an HD4850. I'll assume that you already have this card or something.

Don't buy a WD Raptor. Get the 640GB WD drive.
Click to expand...

But WD Raptor is 10000RPM and WD6400AAKS is 7200RPM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218)

Then howcome WD6400AAKS is as fast as WD Raptor? Although I am pretty much convinced with the price of WD6400AAKS. :)
 
maverick786us said:
Then howcome WD6400AAKS is as fast as WD Raptor?
Click to expand...

Platter density and design. The RPM aren't that major of a factor. The WD6400AAKS uses only two platters of a new design that's just as fast if not faster than the old WD Raptor drives. So definitely go with the WD6400AAKS.
 
Danny Bui said:
Theoretically the Deluxe should OC better than the P5Q Pro due to its slightly better cooling.

However the Deluxe is overpriced since one could get a slightly better X38 motherboard for significantly less.

Some other motherboard recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $95
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $135
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $150
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and high overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, only need support for 8GB of RAM and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

Also, I recommend heeding enginurd's and dhc014's advice about the GPU and hard drive.

In addition, I recommend this HSF:
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $37 & Retention Bracket - $7
Click to expand...


Thanks is retention bracket compulsary to be used with customized HSF??
 
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard get this board. I have it and I like it a lot.

I'm going to save you about 12 hrs of trouble and tell you now that you NEED to update the bios on this board or else you will have problems. I wish someone had told me this when I installed.

I aslo have that HSF and the retention bracket that I got was crap. The sticky stuff is NOT sticky enough for it to mount on the CPU. I had to use the push pins system even though that is the most primevil method out there.
 
maverick786us said:
Thanks is retention bracket compulsary to be used with customized HSF??
Click to expand...

No, but it makes installation A LOT easier. Trust us, you'll want it. ;)

mobusta1 said:
... I aslo have that HSF and the retention bracket that I got was crap. The sticky stuff is NOT sticky enough for it to mount on the CPU. I had to use the push pins system even though that is the most primevil method out there.
Click to expand...

What "sticky stuff" are you referring to? The only "sticky stuff" I know of is on the backplate that comes with the retention bracket. If you're talking about the thermal compound, it does not need to be sticky at all! And, its actually quite good thermal compound for mounting on the CPU. So, I'm confused by your statements. :confused:
 
mobusta1 said:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard get this board. I have it and I like it a lot.

I'm going to save you about 12 hrs of trouble and tell you now that you NEED to update the bios on this board or else you will have problems. I wish someone had told me this when I installed.

I aslo have that HSF and the retention bracket that I got was crap. The sticky stuff is NOT sticky enough for it to mount on the CPU. I had to use the push pins system even though that is the most primevil method out there.
Click to expand...

enginurd said:
No, but it makes installation A LOT easier. Trust us, you'll want it. ;)

Sounds good to me. Can you send me some benchmark of your Overclocking results?? This motherboard might not be as good as ASUS P5Q Pro. But if its performance is comparable to that of Asus P5Q Pro, then I might consider it, because its 50 bucks cheaper than Asus P5Q Pro. How good is its on board sound and other things??

What "sticky stuff" are you referring to? The only "sticky stuff" I know of is on the backplate that comes with the retention bracket. If you're talking about the thermal compound, it does not need to be sticky at all! And, its actually quite good thermal compound for mounting on the CPU. So, I'm confused by your statements. :confused:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion
 
mobusta1 said:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard get this board. I have it and I like it a lot.

I'm going to save you about 12 hrs of trouble and tell you now that you NEED to update the bios on this board or else you will have problems. I wish someone had told me this when I installed.

I aslo have that HSF and the retention bracket that I got was crap. The sticky stuff is NOT sticky enough for it to mount on the CPU. I had to use the push pins system even though that is the most primevil method out there.
Click to expand...

Sounds good to me. Can you send me some benchmark of your Overclocking results?? This motherboard might not be as good as ASUS P5Q Pro. But if its performance is comparable to that of Asus P5Q Pro, then I might consider it, because its 50 bucks cheaper than Asus P5Q Pro. How good is its on board sound and other things??

enginurd said:
No, but it makes installation A LOT easier. Trust us, you'll want it. ;)

What "sticky stuff" are you referring to? The only "sticky stuff" I know of is on the backplate that comes with the retention bracket. If you're talking about the thermal compound, it does not need to be sticky at all! And, its actually quite good thermal compound for mounting on the CPU. So, I'm confused by your statements. :confused:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion
 
Dont know about the O'clocking capabilities of them, but the 680i from EVGA is 89$, in the B stock(crappy warranty) http://www.evga.com/products/bstock.asp use ILOVEEVGA for the Promotion code. I have been thinking about buying one, cant afford the Uber 790i, would love one though. literally? :D
 
Don't bother with a 680i, they're very troublesome. Danny listed a bunch of boards earlier in this thread. Decide what features you need and choose one from that list that fits those needs.
 
yeah definitely don't get a 680i motherboard. Too much trouble and problems with that chipset.
 
My first choice definitely will be ASUS P5Q Pro or other P5Q Series. Over clocking is the most important aspect, and I want stability too.

I don't haven't seen much reviews Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L. But if gives the same Over Clocking performance as its successor Gigabyte DS3 then I might consider it as well.

I expect these boards to Over Clock an E8400-8500 above 4Ghz in air.

I don't have much idea about the overclocking capabilities of other mobos having P40-43-45 chipsets
 
At this point in time, I cannot recommend getting a P35 motherboard i.e the P5K series. Considering that many P35 motherboards are priced about the same as P45 motherboards, I recommend getting the P43/P45 motherboards since their support for PCI-E 2.0 might useful in the future with future video cards.

Also, it's been shown that the P45 motherboards do OC just as well if not better than their P35 brothers:
http://techreport.com/articles.x/14882/2
 
That's the P5Q in that link which is a P45. You're talking about the P5K which is a P35:

maverick786us said:
My first choice definitely will be ASUS P5K Pro or other P5K Series. Over clocking is the most important aspect, and I want stability too.
Click to expand...


Did you mean that you wanted the P5Q Pro?
 
To the OP. Check out my sig. It's a nice rig so far. In the near future I will be going to Crossfire.
 
Golden Monkey said:
To the OP. Check out my sig. It's a nice rig so far. In the near future I will be going to Crossfire.
Click to expand...

Your setup looks good how much you've been able to overclock it?? Can you post me some of your benchmarks? Is it really worth to replace onboard sound of Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 with Creative Audigy SE
 
i dont think so.I am pretty sure the onboard is ok compared to the Creative Audigy SE.I am using my onboard digital out to my sony av amp and its pretty ok.
 
enginurd said:
If you already have the Raptor, then just keep it. Instead of the 500GB drive, get the WD6400AAKS, which is as fast as the old 150GB Raptor. If you want to waste money on a new raptor, get the VelociRaptor.

I also agree with the HD4850 suggestion, unless you have a 22" and want more performance (in which case, get the HD4870 instead).

As for the mobo, P35 has been replaced by P45. If you have a 22" or smaller screen, then you don't need SLI/Crossfire, so either a P45 or P43 chipset would be best. I'd suggest the Asus P5Q Pro combo'd with the Asus HD4850, which will save you $30.
Click to expand...

As far as display is concerned I am still skeptical, need suggestion from your guys. In my personal openion Wide Screen Sux. So I can't think of having a 22 inch normal screen.

At this point of time I am considering these 2 LCD monitors

http://accessories.dell.com/sna/pro...ku=320-5293&~lt=popup&~ck=TopSellers#Overview

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-4687

Although I am still finding them bit expensive. What do you suggest for a good display? I am always fond of big screen but it seems that its crossing my budget limit:eek:
 
maverick786us said:
... Although I am still finding them bit expensive. What do you suggest for a good display? I am always fond of big screen but it seems that its crossing my budget limit:eek:
Click to expand...

Then you have to either be willing to go over your budget, or increase that budget. :p I consider a big monitor a worthy purchase, simply because its the thing you look at most, and it can survive several builds, depending on how often you build of course. I think monitors are the longest lasting component of a computer system that still gets good use towards the end of they systems life and beyond, so I don't mind spending good money on a good, large monitor.

If you like a lot of screen real estate, get the 2007FP. If you can't read text at 1600x1200/120dpi, then you'll need the 1908FP. Too bad Dell's stands are so flimsy now. I miss their old UltraSharp stands.

I like having a ton of screen space, too, so I have a dual monitor setup: A 22" CRT and a 20" Dell 2001FP. My most recent monitor doubles as a TV for my room: Westinghouse LVM-37W3SE -- just enough resolution for computer use on such a huge screen. :p

Widescreen LCDs are good if you play games or watch movies. Otherwise, I think a standard 4:3 is better since it gives you more screen real estate. However, the demand for widescreen panels is so huge that the standard 4:3 panels are in less demand, and therefore less production... which, of course, leads to higher prices.
 
maverick786us said:
So which monitor do you recommend?? The one which you are using??
Click to expand...

He already recommended two monitors to you:
[quote[If you like a lot of screen real estate, get the 2007FP. If you can't read text at 1600x1200/120dpi, then you'll need the 1908FP. [/quote]

Just go with the monitor that best fits your needs and wants.
 
I have an Ultrasharp 2001FP -- its an old model. Dell's new model from that same line is the 2007FP. And as Danny pointed out, my recommendation is what I said earlier...
 
enginurd said:
I have an Ultrasharp 2001FP -- its an old model. Dell's new model from that same line is the 2007FP. And as Danny pointed out, my recommendation is what I said earlier...
Click to expand...

Talking about 2001FP. How do you feel the quality while watching movies?

The biggest drawback which I've seen with LCD screens is, their clarity is good only in high resolution. In my old 17inch LG when watch movies of Divx quality in full screen at maximum resolution (1280 X 1024). The vidoe quality slightly gets distorted. But this is case in which I am having a medicre level intel mobo with 945 chepset and onboard graphic

On a 20 inch monitor like yours having a resolution of (1600 X 1200), but a good graphic card like nVidia 8800 Series or higher like HD4850 what will be the quality of such Divx videos at full screen??

About gaming I know it will be awesome
 
It, of course, depends on the video file. I used to watch tv shows and movies all the time on my 2001FP, and they looked great - it really depends on the bitrate of what you're playing. DVDs, even shrunk down to 70% looked good, and those are only 480P at best. The CRT is/was still used for gaming, though, since I still didn't like the feel of FPS gaming on the 2001FP. Strangely enough, FPS gaming feels fine on my 37" 1080P LCD, lol.
 
enginurd said:
It, of course, depends on the video file. I used to watch tv shows and movies all the time on my 2001FP, and they looked great - it really depends on the bitrate of what you're playing. DVDs, even shrunk down to 70% looked good, and those are only 480P at best. The CRT is/was still used for gaming, though, since I still didn't like the feel of FPS gaming on the 2001FP. Strangely enough, FPS gaming feels fine on my 37" 1080P LCD, lol.
Click to expand...

Well I am gonna finalize it by first week of august. Hope by that time the price of E8400-500 price might further decline. Still there are some stuffs, whose prices are poking me.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025&Tpk=antec+p182

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=antec+p180
:(

I can't find replacement of these cases with reasonable rates with less compromise on quality and perfomance. The current trend has computer processors operating at cooler temperatures with less power, and hotter video cards consuming more power. So long as this continues, there will be an emphasis on cases which offer performance cooling; especially in case overclock anything. Do you have any recommendation for Graphic Card Coolant?

Another thing which I found to be promising but again the high prices have disappointed me

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002 :(


But yes, as suggested by you, I can spend some extra bucks on monitor plus there won't be any compromise on CPU, motherboard and GPU
 
You gotta keep your eyes peeled on deal sites, man. You just missed the P180B for $40 after a $40MIR w/ shipping starting at $13 from Frys.com. :eek:

I'll leave the GPU cooler suggestions to others.

I own 5 Corsair PSUs, and none of them were bought from the egg, simply due to their price premium on Corsair power supplies. I've mainly used provantage.com, buy.com, zipzoomfly.com and clubit.com for my Corsair PSUs.
 
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