Need help building gaming/high performance PC

A

army

n00b
Joined
Feb 20, 2008
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44
Hi guys,


I'm in urgent need of a new desktop PC asap, as I got alot of work to do, since my old laptop died out 2 weeks ago.

Here's what I've found out/what I plan to get, after the past 4 days of reading:


CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Operating System:
Windows Vista 64bit Home Premium

Monitor:
BenQ FP241W 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor

RAM:
2x2GB DDR2 800mhz

Primary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 500GB 32MB Cache Hard Drive
ST3500620AS
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...0f43110VgnVCM100000f5ee0a0aRCRD&reqPage=Model

Secondary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 500GB 32MB Cache Hard Drive
ST3500620AS
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...0f43110VgnVCM100000f5ee0a0aRCRD&reqPage=Model
OR
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 1TB 32MB Cache Hard Drive
ST31000340AS
http://www.bettercomputers.com.au/seagate-barracuda-7200.11-1tb-hard-drive-oem-p-786.html

Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
---
Second choice:
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6

Optical Drives:
Pioneer DVR-215BK D/Layer 20x DVD+-RW SATA

Video Card:
ATI Radeon HD 3870X2 1 GB

Sound Card:
Auzentech X-FI Prelude 7.1 Soundcard
http://pcmaniacs.com.au/auzentech-prelude-soundcard-p-4022.html

Keyboard:
"Razer Lycosa"

Mouse:
"Razer Lachesis"

Mouse Pad:
"Razer Mantis Speed"

Speakers:
Logitech Z-5500

Case:
Antec 900 Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021
OR
Thermaltake Armor Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133154
---
Last choice:
CM Stacker 832 SE

Power Supply:
Corsair HX620


Notes:
  • I've got about $4k~ that I wish to spend on this computer - $4K AUD :p.. that's around $3.7K~ US :)
  • I'm currently living in Australia, and I'm most likely going to get the parts from my Uncle
  • I'm a total cluts at computers, so make sure to post extra long explanations :p
  • Sadly, I've never tried overclocking before, so that may not be an option for me:(
  • I've figured that I would want to get a list of hardware that could make up a decent enough computer, and I'll get the computer built from there.
  • Main things I'll be using this for is mainly gaming, photoshopping, dreamweaver, other programs etc. and the basics like msn, firefox lol.
  • The setup I've drafted earlier in this post, is what I plan to use.. basing them all on the response I've received at APC (thanks so far to c0nc0n, nesquick & superfireydave for their help! )
So, could I get some feedback on the hardware in the list. Are there any parts that should be upgraded or changed. Anything that I should add?

If there's anything wrong with them, please tell me!
Any help greatly appreciated! :)



To everybody who replied in this thread, including crhscoog, ThR!LL, HardwareGuru, tiraides, enginurd, silent-circuit & Danny Bui thanks so much for your help so far! Really do appreciate you time and informative replies. :D
 
looks good. are you planning to overclock though? if not you dang should. not with a q6700 but a q6600. according to newegg's pricing it's a $264 difference in the price!! get the G0 SLACR from clubit.com as they guarantee it (G0 SLACR runs less power = less heat = more oc'ing.)

seeing how your budget is high i see why not in getting 4gb of ram. get a 4gb (2x2gb) @ 800mhz for around $95. 800mhz is all you really need because youll be overclocking anyway right? :D

Harddrive really depends on how much room you really need for your computer. There are three good brands to choose from: Samsung, Seagate Barracuda, and Western Digital. There's also the fast Western Digital Raptor's, but they cost so much money for so little GB of space, but of course you have a 4k budget. :-/

Videocard is all good :D 3870x2 is hands down the best video card out there right now.

Power Supply, you could go with the 650TX or HX620 (Corsair Power Supply) to save money.
 
Yeah definitely ditch the q6700 for the q6600, and I've been hearing that you need at least a 700w psu for the 3870x2 but maybe those people are just retarded.
 
Definitely ditch the Q6700 CPU. For $500+ for only 260mhz difference is not worth it. Q6600 will do fine or get a higher clocked dual core CPU like one of the 45nm E8400. But, if you plan on overclocking then the Q6600 with 4 cores will do nicely. The harddrive get a Sata 3.0gbps drive at least 500gig. Don't bother with Raptor drives. They are too small and the price is not worth it. Memory you can go with the G. Skills they are pretty good for the price. You might as well get the 2 x 2gig for under $100 DDR2 800. Video card looks good with the 3870X2. Mobo you can go with the X38 but, I think most will disagree and recommend a P35 mobo. The optical drive I no care hehe, keyboard, mouse you can go with Razer or Logitech as they are both good. Whichever one you feel more comfortable with. The power supply a Corsair HX620 is highly recommended and is more than enough. The CM Stacker 830 is a really good case with good ventilation and upgrade options is a major plus on this case. The Logitech Z-5500 is great. My brother has this speaker system and it pounds.
 
You could get a P35-based motherboard, with the features that you need, for less than the X38 board. The main appeal of the X38 chipset is native CrossFire, which is a bad idea unless you get both video cards right away. Your monitor, with its native/max resolution of 1920x1200, could benefit from SLI or CrossFire, but the 512MB 8800GTS and the HD3870x2 can play games on that monitor at decent frame rates. (Then again, you could also wait for the new 9800-series cards from NVIDIA that are slated to launch soon.) For example (as there are many other choices available), you could buy the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R, which has many of the same features as the GA-X38-DQ6, for around $130. The cheapest that I was able to find the GA-X38-DQ6 for was around $230, and that was for an open box model. It's your money, so you can do what you want... but I'm a big believer in not having to spend money when you don't have to.

It's not worth getting the Q6700, especially if you're planning on overclocking. Make sure that you buy a Q6600 with the G0 stepping/revision, which runs on a lower voltage. Also, consider pairing the processor with one of the following CPU coolers:

Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14

With the Q6600, you don't need RAM faster than DDR2 800. With prices as they are now, you could purchase several 4GB kits, like the A-DATA dual channel kit, for under $100 each. However, you will need to use a 64-bit operating system to fully utilize all 4GB. (Long story short, you would only be able to utilize 2.8-3.2GB -- depending on which video card you use -- on a 32-bit OS.)

You'll probably want a lot of storage space for the gaming and multimedia work you're planning to do. You may want a two-drive setup, with one drive for the OS, programs, games, and the other drive as storage space and/or backups. There are many ways you could do this, and you don't have to use two drives. (You could use one drive for everything, but without a proper backup system in place, it's not generally recommended.) There are many people who use the Western Digital Raptor drives as their OS drives; though they are the fastest single non-SCSI drives available (A RAID configuration of two or more drives could beat the Raptor), they are much more expensive (compared to other drives with the same capacity), and lately, the speeds of the newly released hard drives have caught up (for the most part) to the Raptor.

A good power supply of at least 500 watts, rated for SLI, CrossFire, or both, could power your rig with no problems. One thing to look at is the amount of amp that are carried through the PSU 12V rail(s); look for one that pushes at least 30A, if not more, through its 12V rail(s). Some brands to look at are Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Silverstone, Thermaltake (the Toughpower line), and Seasonic (they also make the Corsair line of PSUs, among other brands). And you don't need 750 watts for your proposed setup.
 
crhscoog said:
looks good. are you planning to overclock though?
Click to expand...
I'm probably not going to overclock, mainly cause I've never done it before.. and I don't really want to bust up my hardware after 2 days of use :p

crhscoog said:
if not you dang should. not with a q6700 but a q6600. according to newegg's pricing it's a $264 difference in the price!! get the G0 SLACR from clubit.com as they guarantee it (G0 SLACR runs less power = less heat = more oc'ing.)
Click to expand...
So, if I didn't overclock it, would there be any real difference in getting the 6700 or the 6600?

crhscoog said:
Harddrive really depends on how much room you really need for your computer. There are three good brands to choose from: Samsung, Seagate Barracuda, and Western Digital. There's also the fast Western Digital Raptor's, but they cost so much money for so little GB of space, but of course you have a 4k budget. :-/
Click to expand...
Which one would you personally pick out of the 3 brands? I probably won't get the Raptors btw :p
crhscoog said:
Videocard is all good :D 3870x2 is hands down the best video card out there right now.
Click to expand...
Awesome.
crhscoog said:
Power Supply, you could go with the 650TX or HX620 (Corsair Power Supply) to save money.
Click to expand...
Ok, I've added those two in the list
ThR!LL said:
Yeah definitely ditch the q6700 for the q6600, and I've been hearing that you need at least a 700w psu for the 3870x2 but maybe those people are just retarded.
Click to expand...
I'll keep that in mind
HardwareGuru said:
Definitely ditch the Q6700 CPU. For $500+ for only 260mhz difference is not worth it. Q6600 will do fine or get a higher clocked dual core CPU like one of the 45nm E8400.
Click to expand...
Ok, I'll stick with the 6600, not too confident at OCing atm :)
HardwareGuru said:
But, if you plan on overclocking then the Q6600 with 4 cores will do nicely.
Click to expand...
Are all Q6600s 4 cores? Or are there different variations of the CPU?
HardwareGuru said:
The harddrive get a Sata 3.0gbps drive at least 500gig. Don't bother with Raptor drives. They are too small and the price is not worth it. Memory you can go with the G. Skills they are pretty good for the price. You might as well get the 2 x 2gig for under $100 DDR2 800.
Click to expand...
I've picked out two of the Seagates Barracudas:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 500GB 16MB Cache Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 1TB 32MB Cache Hard Drive

HardwareGuru said:
Video card looks good with the 3870X2
Click to expand...
Great! :)
HardwareGuru said:
Mobo you can go with the X38 but, I think most will disagree and recommend a P35 mobo.
Click to expand...
tiraides said:
You could get a P35-based motherboard, with the features that you need, for less than the X38 board. The main appeal of the X38 chipset is native CrossFire, which is a bad idea unless you get both video cards right away. Your monitor, with its native/max resolution of 1920x1200, could benefit from SLI or CrossFire, but the 512MB 8800GTS and the HD3870x2 can play games on that monitor at decent frame rates. (Then again, you could also wait for the new 9800-series cards from NVIDIA that are slated to launch soon.) For example (as there are many other choices available), you could buy the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R, which has many of the same features as the GA-X38-DQ6, for around $130. The cheapest that I was able to find the GA-X38-DQ6 for was around $230, and that was for an open box model. It's your money, so you can do what you want... but I'm a big believer in not having to spend money when you don't have to.
Click to expand...

So, you would suggest getting the Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 instead of the X38?

HardwareGuru said:
The optical drive I no care hehe, keyboard, mouse you can go with Razer or Logitech as they are both good. Whichever one you feel more comfortable with. The power supply a Corsair HX620 is highly recommended and is more than enough. The CM Stacker 830 is a really good case with good ventilation and upgrade options is a major plus on this case. The Logitech Z-5500 is great. My brother has this speaker system and it pounds.
Click to expand...
Great! :)

tiraides said:
It's not worth getting the Q6700, especially if you're planning on overclocking. Make sure that you buy a Q6600 with the G0 stepping/revision, which runs on a lower voltage.
Click to expand...
Ok, I'll just get the Q6600, which model is better (thanks thrill for the links)
http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA1938460
http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA1938452

Ones OEM & Retail..



tiraides said:
. Also, consider pairing the processor with one of the following CPU coolers:

Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
Click to expand...
Which one would be the best one out of the selections?
Thanks for the linkage! :)


tiraides said:
With the Q6600, you don't need RAM faster than DDR2 800. With prices as they are now, you could purchase several 4GB kits, like the A-DATA dual channel kit, for under $100 each. However, you will need to use a 64-bit operating system to fully utilize all 4GB. (Long story short, you would only be able to utilize 2.8-3.2GB -- depending on which video card you use -- on a 32-bit OS.)
Click to expand...
Yep, read a lot about the 32bit/64bit ram issues
Ok, awesome.
Would getting DDR3 and/or a faster speed parts(1066mhz for example) be any good? Keep in mind I won't be overclocking..



tiraides said:
You'll probably want a lot of storage space for the gaming and multimedia work you're planning to do. You may want a two-drive setup, with one drive for the OS, programs, games, and the other drive as storage space and/or backups. There are many ways you could do this, and you don't have to use two drives. (You could use one drive for everything, but without a proper backup system in place, it's not generally recommended.) There are many people who use the Western Digital Raptor drives as their OS drives; though they are the fastest single non-SCSI drives available (A RAID configuration of two or more drives could beat the Raptor), they are much more expensive (compared to other drives with the same capacity), and lately, the speeds of the newly released hard drives have caught up (for the most part) to the Raptor.
Click to expand...
Ok, that sounds pretty good.
Would these two HDs be ok as my 2 drives?
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 500GB 16MB Cache Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 1TB 32MB Cache Hard Drive


tiraides said:
A good power supply of at least 500 watts, rated for SLI, CrossFire, or both, could power your rig with no problems. One thing to look at is the amount of amp that are carried through the PSU 12V rail(s); look for one that pushes at least 30A, if not more, through its 12V rail(s). Some brands to look at are Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Silverstone, Thermaltake (the Toughpower line), and Seasonic (they also make the Corsair line of PSUs, among other brands). And you don't need 750 watts for your proposed setup.
Click to expand...
Yep, I'm assuming the model number of the previously mentioned Corsair models are the amount of Watts per item..
So the original supply I was getting was the Corsair TX750, Would a 620 or 650 be OK?
EDIT: Just look at the specs, the 620 just pushes out 18A + 18A + 18A = 54A through 3 12V rails.
650 pushes out 52 through the 12V Rail.

So which one would be better?

Here are the pages
http://www.corsair.com/products/hx.aspx
http://www.corsair.com/products/tx.aspx

Scroll down near the middle/bottom of the pages



ThR!LL said:
Here's an idea for you to see if you like it.

Processor:
Intel Q6600 G0 OEM

Motherboard:
Asus Maximus Formula

Memory:
Crucial Ballistix 2GB DDR2 1066

Video Card:
Sapphire HD3780 X2

Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB

Power Supply:
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750

Heatsink:
Xigmatek HDT-S1283

Since you have such nice budget 2 packs of the memory should be just fine. As for case, mouse, and keyboard those are all personal preferences so shop around and see what you like.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the links and tips Thrill.




To everybody who replied in this thread, including crhscoog, ThR!LL, HardwareGuru, tiraides & Danny Bui thanks so much for your help so far! Really do appreciate you time and informative replies. :D
 
Any Intel CPU that has a Q in the beginning such as the Q6600 is a quad core CPU. The dual core Cpus normally start with E like an E6600

Q6600 - Quad core(4 core cpu) 2.4ghz per core

E6600 - Dual core (2 core cpu) 2.4ghz per core


What tiraides was mentioning on the Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 vs a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R. He was recommending the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R over the higher priced Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6

Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 uses X38 chipsets and cost $200+

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R uses P35 chipset and cost under $150
 
Oh right ok, thanks again Guru

I guess I've got a list listed up, and I'm thinking it's basically all ready to go?
---

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping Kentsfield 2.40GHz 8MB L2 LGA 775 Processor Retail SLACR
Manufacture Part# BX80562Q6600
ClubIT Part # CA1938452
http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A1938452

Operating System:
Windows Vista 64bit - What version? Home premium or ultimate?

Monitor:
BenQ FP241W 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor

Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R

RAM:
2x 2GB DDR2 1066Mhz generic

Primary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 500GB 32MB Cache


Secondary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 1TB 32MB Cache


Optical Drives:
Pioneer DVR-215BK D/Layer 20x DVD+-RW SATA

Video Card:
ATI Radeon HD 3870X2 1 GB

Sound Card:
Auzentech X-FI Prelude 7.1 Soundcard

Keyboard:
"Razer Lycosa"

Mouse:
"Razer Lachesis"

Mouse Pad:
"Razer Mantis Speed"

Speakers:
Logitech Z-5500

Case:
CM Stacker 832 SE

Power Supply:
HX620


---

Is everything OK?
Any changes that needs to be made? :D
 
I think most of us wouldn't get the Q6700 quad core CPU based on its price. This is mainly because of the fact that it costs $500+ dollars. You may have money to spend but we feel it is not a worthwhile investment when a Q6600 cpu will do fine for under $300. The Q6700 is a little faster than the Q6600 with a 260mhz difference in the speed of the CPU. No sense spend a good $200+ dollars on a Q6700 over the Q6600 when it will not show a noticeable difference. What O/S have you been using on your Notebook before it crapped out? If it's XP, you may not like Windows Vista and Vista may not support some of the older programs you intend to install or run. If you're comfortable using Xp then stick with XP. If you want Vista then get the 64bit version. No sense get the 32bit version of Vista. You might as well stick with XP if that's the case. The Corsair 620HX will handle the ATI HD 3870X2 card as this is only a single slot card. Minimum power requirements for this is a 550 watt for 1 x 3870X2. The 620HX is a great power supply and ppl have run 2 x Nvidia 8800GTX in SLI configurations with this PS. Most of the items you listed is good. However, here is what I would end up buying.

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Operating System:
Windows Vista 64 bit. XP if I used XP and have programs that will only install on XP O/S

Monitor:
BenQ FP241W 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Good. Heck, get 2 of these guys! Run dual display

Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R - Good

RAM:
2 x 2GB DDR2 800MHZ for Win Vista 64 bit
2 x 1gig DDR2 800 for Win XP or 2 x 2 gig DDR2 800 for XP since memory is cheap nowdays.

Primary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 500GB 16MB Cache - is good but i'd get the 32MB Cache version over the 16MB


Secondary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 1TB 32MB Cache- if you really need the extra space?


Optical Drives:
Pioneer DVR-215BK D/Layer 20x DVD+-RW SATA - good

Video Card:
ATI Radeon HD 3870X2 1 GB - good. Corsair HX620 or TX version will do fine. Either PS will run this card.

Sound Card:
Auzentech X-FI Prelude 7.1 Soundcard - Good

Keyboard:
"Razer Lycosa" - Your preference

Mouse:
"Razer Lachesis" - Your preference

Mouse Pad:
"Razer Mantis Speed" - Your preference

Speakers:
Logitech Z-5500 - Good

Case:
CM Stacker 832 SE - Good

Power Supply:
650TX or HX620 - Either or. The HX620 has the modular cabling. The TX does not. This helps keep clutter of the cables in the case cause it allows you to connect/disconnect the power cables on the power supply.
 
Drop the Q6700. It is NOT worth the price. Waste of money. Just get the G0 Q6600 instead:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping CPU - $272

Also, since the Q6600 has a multiplier of 9, you do NOT need DDR2 1066 RAM to OC the Q6600 if you keep the RAM and FSB at a ratio of 1:1. And no, Core 2 Duo systems do not benefit from having the RAM faster than the FSB or anything other than a 1:1 ratio. So with that in mind, all you need is DDR2 800 RAM for Q6600 overclocking:
Q6600:
Multi x FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9 x 266Mhz, DDR2 533 RAM = 2.4Ghz <== Stock Speeds
9 x 333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.0Ghz <== Good OC
9 x 400Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 3.6Ghz <== Excellent OC, About the Max

However, even though you're not overclocking, still get DDR2 800 RAM just in case you need/want to OC one day. I recommend this set:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $90

I recommend going with Vista 64bit since you're planning on getting 4GB of RAM. IIRC, 64bit Vista is better supported driver and hardware wise than XP64bit. So go with Vista 64bit.

As for power supplies, if you want modular cables, go with the Corsair 620HX. If you want a tiny bit of extra power but without modular cables, then go with the Corsair 650TX. Buying links:
Corsair 650TX 650W PSU - $140
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU - $139
 
Danny Bui said:
Drop the Q6700. It is NOT worth the price. Waste of money. Just get the G0 Q6600 instead:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping CPU - $272

Also, since the Q6600 has a multiplier of 9, you do NOT need DDR2 1066 RAM to OC the Q6600 if you keep the RAM and FSB at a ratio of 1:1. And no, Core 2 Duo systems do not benefit from having the RAM faster than the FSB or anything other than a 1:1 ratio. So with that in mind, all you need is DDR2 800 RAM for Q6600 overclocking:
Q6600:
Multi x FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9 x 266Mhz, DDR2 533 RAM = 2.4Ghz <== Stock Speeds
9 x 333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.0Ghz <== Good OC
9 x 400Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 3.6Ghz <== Excellent OC, About the Max

However, even though you're not overclocking, still get DDR2 800 RAM just in case you need/want to OC one day. I recommend this set:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $90
Click to expand...

Changed it back to Q6600

First off, wow, those calculations, thank you for posting those up! :)
Ok, about overclocking, I've read in wikipedia the pros and cons of overclocking.
Second thing, I've never ever tried OCing in my entire life, and I don't think I will.. as there's quite a few cons, such as shortening the life of the OCed hardware. Although there's things like getting the greater perfomance out of your hardware, the fact that it shortens the life is the one that's putting me off from OCing. also, since I don't think I'll be upgrading or replacing the computer for quite a while, so yeah, OCing in the future would be pretty unlikely. Knowing that, would getting the 1066 still be practical? Or the 800 still be the best fit for the Q6600?

Danny Bui said:
As for power supplies, if you want modular cables, go with the Corsair 620HX. If you want a tiny bit of extra power but without modular cables, then go with the Corsair 650TX. Buying links:
Corsair 650TX 650W PSU - $140
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU - $139
Click to expand...

What would be the pros and cons of having/not having the modular cables?
I've never used any of the power supplies before for computers. In the past, all I've used were the black cables that goes directly from the power point to the pack of the computer case:p



Thanks for your help Danny;)
 
They're got you pretty well covered here. Don't know how I missed this thread.

Yes DDR2-800 -- price difference should be minimal.

Vista 64bit OEM. The only way to fly.
 
Your PC specs look fine now. XP or Vista you ask. It really depends on you. XP has been out longer than Vista has so most if not all of its bugs and issues are fixed. Vista on the otherhand is newer, looks better although it does use up alot of ram, but that doesn't matter, because your going to have 4gb. i would also agree with Danny Bui, with getting the 800mhz ram too. eventually in a couple years or so, youll find your rig lacking the "juice" so overclocking will come in handy which makes the 800mhz the perfect choice to choose from as Danny Bui shows in previous post.
 
Knowing that, would getting the 1066 still be practical? Or the 800 still be the best fit for the Q6600?
Click to expand...

No, if you weren't planning to OC AT ALL, all you need is DDR2 533 RAM, as I showed in my calculations. However, since DDR2 800 prices are pretty damn close to DDR2 533 RAM prices, I recommend getting DDR2 800 RAM since it'll allow you to OC should you want to in the future. Again, you should NOT get DDR2 1066 RAM if you're NOT overclocking. Hell, even with overclocking planned, you still don't need DDR2 1066 RAM.

Modular cables:
Pros: Cleaner case, easier cable management
Cons: Costs a little bit more.
 
Woops, I somehow missed your post guru.
Ok,
HardwareGuru said:
I think most of us wouldn't get the Q6700 quad core CPU based on its price. This is mainly because of the fact that it costs $500+ dollars. You may have money to spend but we feel it is not a worthwhile investment when a Q6600 cpu will do fine for under $300. The Q6700 is a little faster than the Q6600 with a 260mhz difference in the speed of the CPU. No sense spend a good $200+ dollars on a Q6700 over the Q6600 when it will not show a noticeable difference. .
Click to expand...
Q6600 it is mate :)
HardwareGuru said:
The Corsair 620HX will handle the ATI HD 3870X2 card as this is only a single slot card. Minimum power requirements for this is a 550 watt for 1 x 3870X2. The 620HX is a great power supply and ppl have run 2 x Nvidia 8800GTX in SLI configurations with this PS. Most of the items you listed is good. However, here is what I would end up buying.
Click to expand...
Do you think it's worth me getting two of the ATI HD 3870x2?
What does "SLI configurations with this PS" mean? :)
HardwareGuru said:
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Operating System:
Windows Vista 64 bit. XP if I used XP and have programs that will only install on XP O/S

Monitor:
BenQ FP241W 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Good. Heck, get 2 of these guys! Run dual display - Does vista support dual display? Are there any better monitors?

Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R - Good

RAM:
2 x 2GB DDR2 800MHZ for Win Vista 64 bit - Probably take this one I guess :)
2 x 1gig DDR2 800 for Win XP or 2 x 2 gig DDR2 800 for XP since memory is cheap nowdays.

Primary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 500GB 16MB Cache - is good but i'd get the 32MB Cache version over the 16MB - Oh, didn't notice that last part. I'll be sure to get the 32mb cache



Secondary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 1TB 32MB Cache- if you really need the extra space? - Yeah, I probably won't use all of it, but I rarely upgrade my computers.. if I do, I'm usually too lazy to get it upgraded, not sure, better than having more than not enough I guess


Optical Drives:
Pioneer DVR-215BK D/Layer 20x DVD+-RW SATA - good

Video Card:
ATI Radeon HD 3870X2 1 GB - good. Corsair HX620 or TX version will do fine. Either PS will run this card.

Sound Card:
Auzentech X-FI Prelude 7.1 Soundcard - Good

Keyboard:
"Razer Lycosa" - Your preference

Mouse:
"Razer Lachesis" - Your preference

Mouse Pad:
"Razer Mantis Speed" - Your preference

Speakers:
Logitech Z-5500 - Good

Case:
CM Stacker 832 SE - Good

Power Supply:
650TX or HX620 - Either or. The HX620 has the modular cabling. The TX does not. This helps keep clutter of the cables in the case cause it allows you to connect/disconnect the power cables on the power supply. - HX620 it is! :)
Click to expand...
 
crhscoog said:
Your PC specs look fine now. XP or Vista you ask. It really depends on you. XP has been out longer than Vista has so most if not all of its bugs and issues are fixed. Vista on the otherhand is newer, looks better although it does use up alot of ram, but that doesn't matter, because your going to have 4gb.
Click to expand...
Looks like I'll go Vista :)
crhscoog said:
i would also agree with Danny Bui, with getting the 800mhz ram too. eventually in a couple years or so, youll find your rig lacking the "juice" so overclocking will come in handy which makes the 800mhz the perfect choice to choose from as Danny Bui shows in previous post.
Click to expand...
That makes sense.. really does now.
thanks for adding that in :)
 
Danny Bui said:
No, if you weren't planning to OC AT ALL, all you need is DDR2 533 RAM, as I showed in my calculations. However, since DDR2 800 prices are pretty damn close to DDR2 533 RAM prices, I recommend getting DDR2 800 RAM since it'll allow you to OC should you want to in the future. Again, you should NOT get DDR2 1066 RAM if you're NOT overclocking. Hell, even with overclocking planned, you still don't need DDR2 1066 RAM.
Click to expand...
Yep, definitely getting 800 then!:D
Danny Bui said:
Modular cables:
Pros: Cleaner case, easier cable management
Cons: Costs a little bit more.
Click to expand...

I see, guess I'll get the one with the modular cables;)

Again, a huge thanks to all who has replied.. really appreciate it guys. :D
 
OEM you technically only get one activation configuration, but a call to Microsoft is all that's necessary to get reactivated if you make changes requiring it. Saves you a good bit of money. Also, you only get 32bit -or- 64bit with OEM, not both.

Reactivation is potentially easier with retail, and you get both 32bit and 64bit discs in the package. Downside is it tends to cost a lot more.
 
Oh right, I get you.
I may get the OEM.

Got a query about the monitor:
here about it.. or should I not worry about the monitor at all?
There has been some suggestions:
NEC 2490
NEC LCD2470WNX
Planar PX2611W
ThinkVision L220x a non 24" screen, with a resolution: of 1920 x 1200
BenQ FP241W 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor
First two is apparently the best, but way out of my price range.

-I still need a couple of other alternatives.. is the BenQ one good enough?
 
I <3 my Soyo DYLM24D6, but the potential quality control issues there keep me from strongly recommending it to people.
 
1 x 3870X2 video is sufficient. Right now, you don't need 2 x HD 3870X2 video cards. Most of us here don't have the HD3870X2 because this is pretty new and recently released. Basically, a 3870 X 2 video card is a new video card from ATI company which they slapped together 2 x HD 3870 video cards into 1 video card. There is a HD 3870 card by itself and when 2 are combined together as 1 card, it increases performance. That is why you see X2 = 2 x 3870 cards in 1. What this does is increase performance for ATI high end graphics card over its competitor Nvidia. Nvidias current fastest video card is the Geforce 8800Ultra. SLI stands for Scalable Link Interface which is Nvidias way of having 2 video cards installed on a motherboard and having those 2 x graphics card link together for added performance. Each video card will be installed in its own individual slot interface and there will be an SLI bridge(small pc board) that connects the 2 video cards together so they can communicate. ATI has a similar setup to SLI which is called Crossfire. Crossfire is ATIs version of SLI. Currently right now, the HD 3870X2 is the fastest single slot video card. That Benq 24" FP241W is a very good 24". I have nothing against that LCD and I'm sure most people on here will agree also. It has alot of features such as HDMI input, DVI, VGA, video inputs like S-video and component. Also, it is an SPVA panel than the cheaper TN type. Not to get too technical between these 2 types of panel but basically an SPVA panel has better viewing angles than a TN type lcd panel. SPVA panel are also commonly used in HTDV lcd due to its good color reproduction also. The Benq also has height adjustment, tilt, swivel and rotates to portrait mode also. Also, Vista does support dual monitors if you plan or want to do dual displays.



army said:
Woops, I somehow missed your post guru.
Ok,

Q6600 it is mate :)

Do you think it's worth me getting two of the ATI HD 3870x2?
What does "SLI configurations with this PS" mean? :)
Click to expand...
 
HardwareGuru said:
1 x 3870X2 video is sufficient. Right now, you don't need 2 x HD 3870X2 video cards. Most of us here don't have the HD3870X2 because this is pretty new and recently released. Basically, a 3870 X 2 video card is a new video card from ATI company which they slapped together 2 x HD 3870 video cards into 1 video card. There is a HD 3870 card by itself and when 2 are combined together as 1 card, it increases performance. That is why you see X2 = 2 x 3870 cards in 1. What this does is increase performance for ATI high end graphics card over its competitor Nvidia. Nvidias current fastest video card is the Geforce 8800Ultra. SLI stands for Scalable Link Interface which is Nvidias way of having 2 video cards installed on a motherboard and having those 2 x graphics card link together for added performance. Each video card will be installed in its own individual slot interface and there will be an SLI bridge(small pc board) that connects the 2 video cards together so they can communicate. ATI has a similar setup to SLI which is called Crossfire. Crossfire is ATIs version of SLI. Currently right now, the HD 3870X2 is the fastest single slot video card.
Click to expand...

Wow, again, thank you for such a fast and informative reply.
So, basically, SLI = Crossfire.

By choosing the 3870x2 is ATI's Crossfire.
Do I need any specific casing capabilities or hardware to accommodate the use of a SLI/Crossfire Video card?

Would a motherboard these days, such as the one I've selected "Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R" can take one more than one Video Card, including the SLIs/Crossfire ones?



HardwareGuru said:
That Benq 24" FP241W is a very good 24". I have nothing against that LCD and I'm sure most people on here will agree also. It has alot of features such as HDMI input, DVI, VGA, video inputs like S-video and component. Also, it is an SPVA panel than the cheaper TN type. Not to get too technical between these 2 types of panel but basically an SPVA panel has better viewing angles than a TN type lcd panel. SPVA panel are also commonly used in HTDV lcd due to its good color reproduction also. The Benq also has height adjustment, tilt, swivel and rotates to portrait mode also. Also, Vista does support dual monitors if you plan or want to do dual displays.
Click to expand...
Great!
I tried searching for different monitors, but there's just far too many.
I was just a bit sceptical at whether or not it was up to today's standards, as it was first released back in 2006.. and knowing how much can happen in the Tech world these days, it's a huge time frame.

But yeah, I'll most probably get the Benq then, as it's pretty cheap compared to the NEC ones :p Will go have a read at the massive thread somewhere around here on that monitor.


Big thanks for the reply guru! :D
 
Ok, the revised setup..
Anything wrong or changes needed, or if it's all good to go, please reply to tell me :)



CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Operating System:
Windows Vista 64bit Home Premium

Monitor:
BenQ FP241W 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor

RAM:
2x2GB DDR2 800mhz

Primary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 500GB 32MB Cache Hard Drive
ST3500620AS
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...0f43110VgnVCM100000f5ee0a0aRCRD&reqPage=Model

Secondary Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 500GB 32MB Cache Hard Drive
ST3500620AS
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...0f43110VgnVCM100000f5ee0a0aRCRD&reqPage=Model
OR
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s NCQ 1TB 32MB Cache Hard Drive
ST31000340AS
http://www.bettercomputers.com.au/seagate-barracuda-7200.11-1tb-hard-drive-oem-p-786.html

Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
---
Second choice:
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6

Optical Drives:
Pioneer DVR-215BK D/Layer 20x DVD+-RW SATA

Video Card:
ATI Radeon HD 3870X2 1 GB

Sound Card:
Auzentech X-FI Prelude 7.1 Soundcard
http://pcmaniacs.com.au/auzentech-prelude-soundcard-p-4022.html

Keyboard:
"Razer Lycosa"

Mouse:
"Razer Lachesis"

Mouse Pad:
"Razer Mantis Speed"

Speakers:
Logitech Z-5500

Case:
Antec 900 Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021
OR
Thermaltake Armor Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133154
---
Last choice:
CM Stacker 832 SE

Power Supply:
Corsair HX620
 
Okay, you've had at least five different people -- including me -- telling you to get the Q6600 over the Q6700...

Yet, in your latest post, the first thing you list is a Q6700...

May I ask why?
 
Sorry, I've been saving the config to my Google docs file, and I've got about 3 other posts from which I update each time I receive a commendation.. I update it on Google docs, then recopy and paste it, but it seems I keep forgetting the Q6670 ==> Q6600 on the document.

Thanks for pointing htat out tiraides :)
Updated it, sorry for the confusion!:eek:
 
Just out of curiosity, why Vista Ultimate?

What does it have -- or what are you planning to do with it -- over Vista Home Premium?
 
Army, the 3870X2 is not Crossfire. What the 3870X2 is a 1pc video card. This 1 video card has 2 x 3870 boards mounted together to be a single card. When you look at the card itself it is 1 video card. But, inside the casing there is 2 printer circuit boards mounted. A good example or analogy on this is a bunk bed. The beds are connected and you have one bed on the top and another bed on the bottom. You can move the bunk bed and the top and bottom bed will be moved together as they are connected as one. This is the setup of the 3870x2 video card. The Crossfire setup, on the other hand, are 2 totally separate video cards. 1 x HD3870 and another 1 x HD3870. These 2 cards are not mounted together like the HD3870X2. However, they can be linked together or connected in a Crossfire setup (linking or bridging 2 separate video cards) In this case it is like having 2 separate twin size beds side by side. They are 2 separate beds unlike the bunk bed. The Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R will not support Crossfire. However, 1 x 3870X2 video card will be sufficient under most circumstances. Remember, 3870X2 is 1 video card with 2 boards mounted within the card for added performance.


Example of Crossfire - 1 x HD3870 + 1 x HD3870 linked together on your computers main Motherboard is a Crossfire setup

Crossfire = ATI version of having 2 separate video cards linked together
ATI is one company that produces graphics chips/cards

SLI = Nvidia version of having 2 separate video cards linked together
Nvidia is another company that produces graphics chips/cards

ATI and Nvidia are competitors in the graphic card industry just like Pepsi vs Coca Cola in the Soft drink industry.

CPU - Q6600 Quad Core 2.4ghz CPU at $275
O/S - Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM version at $110
Monitor - BenQ FP241W 24" at $650 *This is just an estimate cost. Other places may sell this cheaper
Memory - 2 x 2gig DDR2 800 mhz. G. Skill brand at $90
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R at $145
Optical Drive - Pioneer DVR-215BK D/Layer 20x DVD+-RW SATA at $30
Video Card - ATI Radeon HD 3870X2 1 GB at $450
1st HDD - Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11 ST3500320AS with 32mb cache at $120
2nd HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200.11 ST31000340AS with 32mb cache at $270
Sound Card - Auzentech X-FI Prelude 7.1 Soundcard at $170
Case - Coolermaster CM Stacker 832 SE at $220 - $240
Keyboard - Razer Lycosa at $80
Mouse - Razer Lachesis at $80
Mousepad - Razer Mantis Speed at $22
Speakers - Logitech Z-5500 at $263
PS - Corsair HX620 at $169


I priced all these components according to Newegg.coms price list. This should come out at about $3300 - $3400 for everything. If you want to save a little more get the 500gig harddrive and drop the 1TB drive. The 1TB seagate will cost $270 as opposed to the 500 gig at $120.


army said:
Wow, again, thank you for such a fast and informative reply.
So, basically, SLI = Crossfire.

By choosing the 3870x2 is ATI's Crossfire.
Do I need any specific casing capabilities or hardware to accommodate the use of a SLI/Crossfire Video card?

Would a motherboard these days, such as the one I've selected "Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R" can take one more than one Video Card, including the SLIs/Crossfire ones?
Click to expand...
 
And to save even more money, buy some of your parts at other retailers -- like ClubIT, ZipZoomFly, eWiz, and/or Mwave, among others -- as NewEgg no longer has the best prices on everything. Some places have better (read: instant) discount on items, while others offer free shipping and/or bundle deals. And about mail-in rebates: don't count those "discounts" until you receive the rebate check(s) in your hands.

(In fact, don't shop at those two places you've linked to earlier -- they're ripping you off with their prices.)
 
Actually, since he is not going to overclock or don't know how to overclock, the CM Stacker 832 case maybe too much. It would cost a good $200 at least for that case alone. Unless you intend on doing serious upgrades then that CM Stacker would be suitable. A simple Antec 900 case for $100 would do fine for his needs and has ample room. However, Army may or may not like this Antec case based on his personal preference. Also, the 2nd HD at 1TB that's alot. 2 x 500gig Sata 3.0gb/s drives is alot already. Unless you really need a 1TB drive right away then get it. Other than that, it can wait. When you do need more space later on, buy it when it gets cheaper. If you change the computer case and change the 2nd harddrive option then you save a good $200+. But, at least he has an idea now from NewEggs prices on cost of those components. He can use that as a reference to compare prices.

Army, just a suggestion if you want to save a little more money. The Antec 900 Black case or the Thermaltake Armor black is pretty good also for a cheaper price. You can look into these also if it might interest you.

Antec 900 Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021


Thermaltake Armor Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133154
 
tiraides said:
Just out of curiosity, why Vista Ultimate?

What does it have -- or what are you planning to do with it -- over Vista Home Premium?
Click to expand...
Since it was a pretty simple question, I just put Ultimate for now.. I'm still not sure what's the difference between the two.

That page:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/default.mspx

Doesn't really explain the exact difference between the two.
Would you mind spanning out a couple of points that are good and bad abuo the two?
 
HardwareGuru said:
Army, the 3870X2 is not Crossfire. What the 3870X2 is a 1pc video card. This 1 video card has 2 x 3870 boards mounted together to be a single card. When you look at the card itself it is 1 video card. But, inside the casing there is 2 printer circuit boards mounted. A good example or analogy on this is a bunk bed. The beds are connected and you have one bed on the top and another bed on the bottom. You can move the bunk bed and the top and bottom bed will be moved together as they are connected as one. This is the setup of the 3870x2 video card. The Crossfire setup, on the other hand, are 2 totally separate video cards. 1 x HD3870 and another 1 x HD3870. These 2 cards are not mounted together like the HD3870X2. However, they can be linked together or connected in a Crossfire setup (linking or bridging 2 separate video cards) In this case it is like having 2 separate twin size beds side by side. They are 2 separate beds unlike the bunk bed. The Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R will not support Crossfire. However, 1 x 3870X2 video card will be sufficient under most circumstances. Remember, 3870X2 is 1 video card with 2 boards mounted within the card for added performance.


Example of Crossfire - 1 x HD3870 + 1 x HD3870 linked together on your computers main Motherboard is a Crossfire setup

Crossfire = ATI version of having 2 separate video cards linked together
ATI is one company that produces graphics chips/cards

SLI = Nvidia version of having 2 separate video cards linked together
Nvidia is another company that produces graphics chips/cards

ATI and Nvidia are competitors in the graphic card industry just like Pepsi vs Coca Cola in the Soft drink industry.
Click to expand...
Right, I understand what you mean now.
So, The Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R can't support Crossfire or SLI, but could the p35-DS3R support inserting two video cards later on? Or can it only support just one? What I mean is, few years down the track if I wanted to get more vid card memory, would inserting a second one into a non-crossfire/sli compatible motherboard work? Or would inserting two video cards into motherboard mean we have to use the crossfire/SLI setup? If not, it would mean I would have to replace the HD3870 with a better card.

Example only, I don't even think I'll replace any hardware.. just for thought :)

HardwareGuru said:
Crossfire = ATI version of having 2 separate video cards linked together
ATI is one company that produces graphics chips/cards

SLI = Nvidia version of having 2 separate video cards linked together
Nvidia is another company that produces graphics chips/cards

ATI and Nvidia are competitors in the graphic card industry just like Pepsi vs Coca Cola in the Soft drink industry.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the examples, I got it now :D

HardwareGuru said:
CPU - Q6600 Quad Core 2.4ghz CPU at $275
O/S - Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM version at $110
Monitor - BenQ FP241W 24" at $650 *This is just an estimate cost. Other places may sell this cheaper
Memory - 2 x 2gig DDR2 800 mhz. G. Skill brand at $90
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R at $145
Optical Drive - Pioneer DVR-215BK D/Layer 20x DVD+-RW SATA at $30
Video Card - ATI Radeon HD 3870X2 1 GB at $450
1st HDD - Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11 ST3500320AS with 32mb cache at $120
2nd HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200.11 ST31000340AS with 32mb cache at $270
Sound Card - Auzentech X-FI Prelude 7.1 Soundcard at $170
Case - Coolermaster CM Stacker 832 SE at $220 - $240
Keyboard - Razer Lycosa at $80
Mouse - Razer Lachesis at $80
Mousepad - Razer Mantis Speed at $22
Speakers - Logitech Z-5500 at $263
PS - Corsair HX620 at $169


I priced all these components according to Newegg.coms price list. This should come out at about $3300 - $3400 for everything. If you want to save a little more get the 500gig harddrive and drop the 1TB drive. The 1TB seagate will cost $270 as opposed to the 500 gig at $120.
Click to expand...
Thanks for listing out the prices, that's around $3,700 in AUD, and the parts would most likely be a bit higher if I ordered the parts in Australia, so that's perfect! :)

I may even drop the 1TB to the 500gb.

thanks guru!
icon14.gif
 
tiraides said:
And to save even more money, buy some of your parts at other retailers -- like ClubIT, ZipZoomFly, eWiz, and/or Mwave, among others -- as NewEgg no longer has the best prices on everything. Some places have better (read: instant) discount on items, while others offer free shipping and/or bundle deals. And about mail-in rebates: don't count those "discounts" until you receive the rebate check(s) in your hands.

(In fact, don't shop at those two places you've linked to earlier -- they're ripping you off with their prices.)
Click to expand...
Abu Som3a said:
The OP is from Australia
Click to expand...

Yeah, sadly it sucks having AUD as you currency + buying computer parts in Australia.
Hopefully the ones you suggested can ship overseas. :)
 
Mithent said:
Well, yes and no.. you don't need a CrossFire motherboard and it's only one card, but functionally it's two cards in CrossFire, for all that AMD try to hide it.
Click to expand...
thanks for your reply mithent :)
HardwareGuru said:
Actually, since he is not going to overclock or don't know how to overclock, the CM Stacker 832 case maybe too much. It would cost a good $200 at least for that case alone. Unless you intend on doing serious upgrades then that CM Stacker would be suitable. A simple Antec 900 case for $100 would do fine for his needs and has ample room. However, Army may or may not like this Antec case based on his personal preference. Also, the 2nd HD at 1TB that's alot. 2 x 500gig Sata 3.0gb/s drives is alot already. Unless you really need a 1TB drive right away then get it. Other than that, it can wait. When you do need more space later on, buy it when it gets cheaper. If you change the computer case and change the 2nd harddrive option then you save a good $200+. But, at least he has an idea now from NewEggs prices on cost of those components. He can use that as a reference to compare prices.
Click to expand...
TBH, I don't quite mind what case I get, just as long as it can fit all of the hardware inside. It's a bonus if it looks good, and if it has enough space for upgrades later down the track. The case I had in my list was a suggestion I received from another computer forum, most likely an overkill


HardwareGuru said:
Army, just a suggestion if you want to save a little more money. The Antec 900 Black case or the Thermaltake Armor black is pretty good also for a cheaper price. You can look into these also if it might interest you.

Antec 900 Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021


Thermaltake Armor Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133154
Click to expand...
I'll put these are the first two preferences!
thanks :)
Danny Bui said:
Check this link out for a comparison of all the Vistas:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx

If you don't need everything thrown in, save some cash and go with Vista Home Premium
Click to expand...
Fantastic.. Home Premium it is.
Thanks Danny ;)
 
army said:
Right, I understand what you mean now.
So, The Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R can't support Crossfire or SLI, but could the p35-DS3R support inserting two video cards later on? Or can it only support just one? What I mean is, few years down the track if I wanted to get more vid card memory, would inserting a second one into a non-crossfire/sli compatible motherboard work? Or would inserting two video cards into motherboard mean we have to use the crossfire/SLI setup? If not, it would mean I would have to replace the HD3870 with a better card.

Example only, I don't even think I'll replace any hardware.. just for thought :)
Click to expand...

PC video cards do not work like that. Meaning if you want more VRAM for the video card, you can't add it on. So basically, if you want to boost your gaming performance, you have to replace the HD 3870 with a better card.

Yes, you can add additional video cards to the P35-DS3R if they use PCI-E x1 or PCI connection. However, the additional video cards will NOT boost your gaming performance whatsoever. All the additional video cards will do is allow you to attach more monitors to your PC. And no, you do not need to use the Crossfire or SLI when attaching multiple video cards for non-gaming situations.
 
Understood, and that's the process if we don't have a crossfire/SLI compatible motherboard, right?
Are motherboards cheap these days? Would it be worth just getting a crossfire/SLI compatible motherboard now? Or get it in the future, IE when it's cheaper & when I would actually take advantage of that feature
 
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