My Final Gaming System

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leoftw

Gawd
Joined
Apr 6, 2007
Messages
650
How would you rate this ?


Abit IP35 Pro
Q6600
Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 4x1GB
Raptor 150GB 10K RPM
Antec 800W Power Supply
Tuniq Tower (want to upgrade to watercooling in the future)
Video Card is undecided
Vista 64
Mx518
G15
Samsung DVDRW
BenQ 22" Monitor

Cheapo OEM Server Case with some Silverstone fans.

The video card is either going to be the new 8800GT or the ATI3870
 
I just built a system around the IP-35Pro and the Q6600 and love it. I also used 4gb of ram for Vista Ultimate 64 but ended up going back to 32. The general public isn't ready for 64, so programmers/companies seem to be dragging their feet in support. Of course, thats my opinion.

Everything else looks great. I went with pqi turbo 6400 ram just in case you wanted to know. Everything is super stable.
 
Likewise I just did a very similar build only I used G.Skill ram, which I LOVE!! Your looking at a real nice system there, you won't be disappointed. I have Vista64 too, and it just flies on my computer. I would say go for the 8800GT.
 
As a whole everything looks good... but I'm going to nitpick on a few things....

If you're going to purchase 4GB of RAM, it would make sense to get a 2x2GB set (of, say, G.Skill RAM) and free up two slots (should you decide later on that you need more RAM). Also, make sure that you use a 64-bit OS, since you won't be able to use all 4GB with a 32-bit OS. Vista Home Premium is really all you need (unless you can get a copy of Vista Ultimate for a song...).

Here are a few suggestions, courtesy of Danny Bui, for some cases:

Danny Bui said:
Here's a quick list case that you might want to check out:
Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $40
Cooler Master Centurion 534 ATX Case - $40
Cooler Master Centurion 532 ATX Case - $50
Antec NSK4480 ATX Case - $79
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $70
LIAN LI PC-7B Plus II Silver ATX Case - $80
Click to expand...

And use Yate Loon 120mm case fans... at Xoxide, they're only $4 each (plus shipping).

Raptors are generally overpriced... yeah, they're faster than most drives, but....

enginurd said:
Raptors aren't worth their price anymore, IMO...

Avg Transfer Rate, Access Time: HDD info, Price
78MB/s, 08.2ms: WD Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB, $160AR
72MB/s, 15.4ms: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB, $65
65MB/s, 13.7ms: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB, $80
65MB/s, 13.2ms: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3300620AS 300GB, $60
63MB/s, 12.9ms: WD Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB, $90
52MB/s, 14.0ms: WD Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB, $70
112MB/s, 13.2ms: RAID0 'cuda's, 600GB total, $120

As you can see, the 'cuda is twice the size and half the cost, for nearly the same performance. Stick them in RAID0, and you've got an even more cost effective solution. Though, the seek time of the Raptor can't be beat. If you have cash to burn, do so on a Raptor if you really want it. Otherwise, there are better cost effective solutions depending on your needs.
Click to expand...

If you still want a Raptor, I suggest getting a second hard drive for extra storage/backup purposes. IMO, 150GB is not enough in today's world of streaming video and mp3s.

Also, you don't need an 800 watt PSU to power all of those things. The Corsair 550VX, for example, can power all of those things and still handle future upgrades. Here are some other suggestions, courtesy of enginurd:

enginurd said:
Here are more PSU Suggestions:
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showpost.php?p=1590883&postcount=193
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103
PSU FAQ: http://www.jonnyguru.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1036
Click to expand...

Regarding video cards, the 8800GT is the better performer, but the HD3870 is purportedly cheaper. Those two cards are going to be hard to find, since everyone wants one of them, so you may want to also focus on the 8800GTS and/or the HD2900. (The 8800GTS, IIRC, is still using the 90nm processor, not the 65nm chip in the 8800GT.) Each of those four cards can provide excellent resolutions for the BenQ you plan on using.
 
leoftw said:
How would you rate this ?

Abit IP35 Pro
Q6600
Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 4x1GB
Raptor 150GB 10K RPM
Antec 800W Power Supply
Tuniq Tower (want to upgrade to watercooling in the future)
Video Card is undecided
Vista 64
Mx518
G15
Samsung DVDRW
BenQ 22" Monitor

Cheapo OEM Server Case with some Silverstone fans.

The video card is either going to be the new 8800GT or the ATI3870
Click to expand...

I'd rate it an 8 out of 10 -- but thats all subjective, since I look for the performance you get for the price, as well as whats needed. The two knocked off points are minor...

You don't need an 800W PSU for all that hardware. Heck, even a Corsair 520W would be more than enough. Raptors are a waste of money, imo -- and yes, I have a few. They're just not much faster than current 7200RPM drives anymore. Also, 2x2GB would be a safer bet than 4x1GB of high voltage ram, especially if you plan on OC'ing. You don't need ballistix with a Q6600 and you won't notice the difference between CL4 and CL5 anyhow. The 8800GT would be better for a 22" screen than the 3870, I think. The Tuniq is nice, but the Ultima90 is better, imo (I own both; the ultima90 is smaller, lighter, easier to install, and performs the same as the Tuniq).

EDIT: I guess I should have previewed my post before submitting to see tiraides save me all that typing, lol.
 
Corsair XMS 6400C4 (DDR2-800) right now is cheeeeep and very good.
Corsair 620 PSU, nice,atClubIT right now is 80 dollars with some MIR, just bought one myself.

I snagged an 8800GT from XFX when [H] hooked up some, it's niceeeee. Makes me cringe when I think of how much I spent on my 8800GTXs (my son needed an upgrade)

Look, you're building a new system.....buy a nice case for crying out loud.
Check out these two:
little:http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...=22391&zenid=69afa766a953c0ce106df2085b761ace
bigger:http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...d=2709&zenid=69afa766a953c0ce106df2085b761ace
 
enginurd said:
I'd rate it an 8 out of 10 -- but thats all subjective, since I look for the performance you get for the price, as well as whats needed. The two knocked off points are minor...

You don't need an 800W PSU for all that hardware. Heck, even a Corsair 520W would be more than enough. Raptors are a waste of money, imo -- and yes, I have a few. They're just not much faster than current 7200RPM drives anymore. Also, 2x2GB would be a safer bet than 4x1GB of high voltage ram, especially if you plan on OC'ing. You don't need ballistix with a Q6600 and you won't notice the difference between CL4 and CL5 anyhow. The 8800GT would be better for a 22" screen than the 3870, I think. The Tuniq is nice, but the Ultima90 is better, imo (I own both; the ultima90 is smaller, lighter, easier to install, and performs the same as the Tuniq).

EDIT: I guess I should have previewed my post before submitting to see tiraides save me all that typing, lol.
Click to expand...

LOL Most of the stuff you complained about I've already bought

The 800W Antec Power Supply
The Raptor
and the RAM 4x1GB Ballistix

I think I'm going the 8800gt route but thanks to everyone. Any more ratings would be good , maybe on the motherboard ?
 
And thats why you should wait a bit after posting for more replies before buying. :)

If you have spent any time at all in the forums, you would know that IP35 Pro is one of the more popular boards here in the forums.

Anyway tiraides and enginurd have already covered everything that I'd say. But here's a much longer case list of the one tiraides posted:
Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $40
Cooler Master Centurion 534 ATX Case - $40
Cooler Master Centurion 532 ATX Case - $50
Antec NSK4480 ATX Case - $68
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $70
Lian Li PC-7B Plus II Silver ATX Case - $80
XClio Windtunnel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $100
Antec Sonata III ATX Case - $106
Gigabyte Aurora GZ-FSCA1-ATB ATX Case - $116
Antec P180 ATX Case - $120
Antec P182 ATX Case - $123
Antec P180B ATX Case - $130
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $137
Lian Li PC-A16A ATX Case - $150
Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $150
Coolermaster COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $156
Lian-Li V1000A Plus II ATX Case - $180
Lian-Li PC-V1100A PLUS II ATX Case - $220
Lian Li PC-V1200B Plus II ATX Case - $240
 
I really appreciate you post all those links. Thank you very much . I am really looking at the Lian 1200 but I'm going to have to wait a month since i need to save for it . Thank you once again .
 
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