more ram or go sli?

roccer

n00b
Joined
Jul 29, 2004
Messages
62
so my current wish list for parts has me at a dilemma
im pricing out a i7 system with the 940 cpu.

but what would be more worthwhile to do?
get 2 GeForce 280's and go SLI and stick with 3GB of DDR3 1333
or just get 1 Geforce 280 and bump up the RAM to 6GB DDR3 1333 (and obviously plunk in Vista x64)

id obviously love to do sli +6GB but not sure if it will work out in the end on my current estimated budget.
 
Drop the 940 for the 920 instead, that'll save you nearly $300, easily enough to get that extra 3gb for 6gb. The other thing to consider is 2 GTX260[192cores] are barely more than 1 GTX280.

BTW, what is the budget you're looking at?
 
Drop the 940 for the 920 instead, that'll save you nearly $300, easily enough to get that extra 3gb for 6gb. The other thing to consider is 2 GTX260[192cores] are barely more than 1 GTX280.

BTW, what is the budget you're looking at?


budget is $3000 shipped but id obviously like to come in under that. this is system build only. no monitor, peripherals, etc.
 
$3000 should get you 2x280 and your 6gb, probably 3x280 unless you're splurging on the rest of the parts - case... most expensive sound card you can find....
 
What does your current wish list looks like? (Please give us the specfic brand/model names of the components, and not just the links to everything.)

Which games/programs are you using? Which monitor/resolution?
 
/subscribed. waiting for parts list. also, please answer the questions listed in the genhard FAQ sticky thread, if you haven't already.
 
sorry i didnt post earlier. got home from work and crashed on the couch. when someone deletes all the config files for a running VMware virtual machine so that all is left is the machine itself running in memory, you know its going to be a fun day trying to clone it/building a new VM. makes it even more fun when its a domain controller. but i digress....

anyways. games ill be playing: crysis, crysis warhead, stalker 2, far cry 2.
genres I stick to: fps, simulations, some RGPs (fallout, oblivion etc), strategy
so yes, for some games this system will be overkill (TF2 already runs fine @ my native res)

I've currently have dual monitors
24" benQ @ 1920x1200 (primary monitor, will be used for gaming)
19" Hyundai L90D+ (2ndary used for im windows, windows side bar gadgets, etc)

My ideal gaming would be at 1920x1200. with AF as high as it can go but AA can be off (or low)

current wishlist is as follows:

cpu: Intel Core i7 940 2.93GHz LGA 1366 Quad-Core Processor
(will probably get the new Thermalright Ultra 120-eXtreme-1366 RT once its out for cpu cooling)

mobo: ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM: OCZ Platinum 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (model: OCZ3P1333LV3GK)

OR :OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (model: OCZ3P1333LV6GK)

vid: 2x EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 (SLI)

psu: Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI

hdd1: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (OS + game installation drive)

hdd2: 1x Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (storage/media drive)

dvd-r: LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 (no need for blur-ay)

case: Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer
Case (unless i need a different case to fit the cpu cooler)

this list (even with 6GB ram) comes in under my max budget of 3K before shipping. while i can afford that, I'm just trying to also figure out what's reasonable.
 
A couple quick points...

Stick with 6GB. Make sure that RAM is 1.5v - 1.65v only.

Also, that VRaptor is only slightly faster than that 'cuda. The 'cuda does around 90MB/s @ 12ms while the VRaptor does 98MB/s @ 8ms. No, the seek time doesn't improve overall performance that much, but I just wanted to make sure you knew the performance you're getting for your money.

What CPU cooler are you using?

How much is that Quattro?
 
the 2 RAM sets I'm looking at are both 1.65v
Thanks for the heads up on the HDD times. maybe ill look into another hdd if its not going to be much improvement over a 'cuda as my OS/install drive

Like i said ill probably pick up the Thermalright cooler once its out (havent seen anyone selling the 1366RT for i7 cpus yet).
the CPU is ~$599 on newegg right now. so the i7 920 + the cpu cooler and a good overclock is not out of the question.

all that said, I probably wont buy anything till mid December
 
I'd recommend the Radeon 4800 series cards over the GeForce 200 series cards.
 
I'd recommend the Radeon 4800 series cards over the GeForce 200 series cards.

i've thought about a 4800 series, but i've just always gone for nvidia gpu's. just personal preference regardless of which one is better by a few frames per sec.
 
4870X2 > GTX 280, however it's much more expensive. No reason to go ATI for a hugely over the top build like this, it's all personal preference since the cards are of equal value and speed at this price point.
I'd drop the VRaptor and go for 2x 6400AAKS in Raid0 (uberfast speed) and drop the 940 for the 920 and a TRUE120 for OC'ing the bastard.

Also, the 6 gigs of ram. 3 gigs is almost not enough for vista ATM (it will run, but it'll be a bottleneck for the rest of your bitchin' system)
 
.... Did you just say 3gb is not enough for vista. I need to find other body parts to gouge.
 
4870X2 > GTX 280, however it's much more expensive. No reason to go ATI for a hugely over the top build like this, it's all personal preference since the cards are of equal value and speed at this price point.
I'd drop the VRaptor and go for 2x 6400AAKS in Raid0 (uberfast speed) and drop the 940 for the 920 and a TRUE120 for OC'ing the bastard.

Also, the 6 gigs of ram. 3 gigs is almost not enough for vista ATM (it will run, but it'll be a bottleneck for the rest of your bitchin' system)

what about 2x WD5001AALS? in RAID0 150GB smaller yes but 32MB cache instead of 16MB. to replace the vraptor in my spec out.

is the Thermalright 120 1366 out yet for sale (or anyone know when it will be)? its not on newegg yet and i haven't seen any other retailers advertising it yet? Google turned up nothing other than hardocp talking about it in the 920 OC review for me.
 
.... Did you just say 3gb is not enough for vista. I need to find other body parts to gouge.

haha. yet, 3GB's definitely enough for most things (running my current rig w/ vista business and 2GB ram (DDR1 even) and its rock solid (albeit a 3yr old system) but 6 just sounds a bit more "futureproof"
 
what about 2x WD5001AALS? in RAID0 150GB smaller yes but 32MB cache instead of 16MB. to replace the vraptor in my spec out.

is the Thermalright 120 1366 out yet for sale (or anyone know when it will be)? its not on newegg yet and i haven't seen any other retailers advertising it yet? Google turned up nothing other than hardocp talking about it in the 920 OC review for me.

At current platter sizes and spindle speeds, an increase in cache from 16MB to 32MB doesn't improve performance much. What make sthe 640GB drives faster is that they're using two 320GB platters. Platter density seems to improve speed more than cache size right now. So, if you're only reason for getting the 5001AALS drives is the 32MB cache, then make sure they're using high density platters. The Caviar Black 640GB also has 32MB cache, and I'm sure it uses the high density 320GB platters.

No, the TRUE1366 isn't out yet. The bolt-thru kits were recently released, and apparently there isn't enough supply to meet the demand, as everyone has already sold out in the states.
 
haha. yet, 3GB's definitely enough for most things (running my current rig w/ vista business and 2GB ram (DDR1 even) and its rock solid (albeit a 3yr old system) but 6 just sounds a bit more "futureproof"

.... Did you just say 3gb is not enough for vista. I need to find other body parts to gouge.

The fact he is getting SLI 280s and an i7 shouts "PERFORMANCE JUNKIE" to me, and @ 4gbs is where vista really starts to pick up in speed.
 
I was referring to your statement that Vista is "bottlenecked" with 3GB of ram, which is untrue. Nothing to do with the OP's hardware selection.
 
I was referring to your statement that Vista is "bottlenecked" with 3GB of ram, which is untrue. Nothing to do with the OP's hardware selection.

Now that I look at it I did word it kind of wierd. I was implying it was the slowest part of his system (save for the mechanical disks..)
 
ok, so 6GB it is (think ill switch from DDR3 1333 to DDR3 1600 if i am going to be OCing the processor. :)

I also changed the processor to the i7 920 based on the performance/power/heat tests done here on [H]. once the ULTRA120 1366 comes out ill ad that to my newegg wishlist.

also swapped the vraptor for 2 500GB WD Caviar Blacks (WD5001AALS) i know a lot of people love the 640GB SE16s but as far as i can tell the blacks should be comparible to the WD6400AAKS's that everyone loves. If i am wrong, please someone correct me here.

Ive still gotta do some math but the antec 850w PSU should still provide plenty of juice with the proposed setup even if I decided to OC the 920 all the way to 3.8Ghz as done by Kyle. I definitely dont feel the need (nor want to pay for) a 1000w or 1200w psu if i can avoid it. :p

these changes bring me right around $2,350 before shipping.

This price i think i (and the wifey) can easily live with.
 
also swapped the vraptor for 2 500GB WD Caviar Blacks (WD5001AALS) i know a lot of people love the 640GB SE16s but as far as i can tell the blacks should be comparible to the WD6400AAKS's that everyone loves. If i am wrong, please someone correct me here.

Did you find out they're using 320GB platters? One would assume a 500GB is using 250GB platters, which are typically 65MB/s, regardless of cache size; whereas the 320GB platters do 90MB/s, regardless of cache size.
 
I already tried to correct you. Did you find out they're using 320GB platters? One would assume a 500GB is using 250GB platters, which are typically 65MB/s, regardless of cache size; whereas the 320GB platters do 90MB/s, regardless of cache size.

hhmm. might have to go with the 640GB blacks then :)
thanks for correcting me for a 2nd time (no sarcasm :) )
 
Again, I could be wrong, but its hard finding info out on those drives. Most reviews for the Black are the 1TB drives. All I could find out from WD is that they have two platters, but I don't know the density. WD reports the transfer rates to be 113mb/s, but some foreign site I found through google reports 75mb/s. The 640GB's reliably do 90mb/s, not 113mb/s that WD claims. Sure there's a margin for error, but like I said, I can't find any info on the 500GB drives.
 
found this: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?referrerid=121629&t=1365774 comparing the 6400AAKS to the 6401AALS perhaps I'll try to find more comparo's between these two instead of the 500GB version. (and is only a $20 more total than the 2x500GB drives)

on a side note with regards to the case ive chosen. Ive got the antec p180 now and love it so figure id get the p182 for this new build. (planning to try to sell my old PC outright (any takers ;) after the new one is built. any other cases (around the same price or cheaper) that anyone cares to recommend?
 
And so the current layout is as follows:

Make/Model #
Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA 1366 Quad-Core Processor
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme 1366 RT
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK
ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower
2x EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280 (SLI)
LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30
2x WD Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s

grand total minus shipping and any discounts/rebates: $2,376.87
 
Save yourself even more money and get the RC-690 from Amazon. It comes with free ground shipping.
 
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