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New Box - Recommendations =)

U

usuris

n00b
Joined
Aug 5, 2008
Messages
12
So after 6-7 years or so, my 2500+ mobile NF7-S build just ain't cutting it anymore! Sighh, she was such a 'beut back in the day! Just been gaining alot of dust that's all =). Anyways, so here I am, ready to buy me some shiny new stuff!, and I'd appreciate some critiquing from the pro's!

I plan on doing a good amount of gaming on it, overclocking is an absolute, aaand...I wouldn't mind if it was quieter than the apocalypse. As far as how much I want to spend well... As long as it's under $2000ca in the end i'm happy, but I wouldn't mind spending a little less if I can get away with it. I will be ordering all of the parts from NCIX.

I'll be on my 24" babah, so i've already kinda got my eyes set on a 4870x2..that's guaranteed!

Things I need:
- x38/x48 chipset
- DDR2
- Crossfire 16x/16x (I really can NEVER see myself getting 2 graphics cards..but I like the option for some reason)

Things I can live without:
- a million SATA ports
- amazing onboard audio (I have my x-fi platinum)
- wireless
- a million USBs

So here's the temp build I put together so far!
- Gigabyte x48-DS4 ( Are there any boards as good as this one? with my requirements? I'm trying to keep it under $250 for the mobo)
- QX6850 (woo intel deal)
- 2x2 DDR1066 (Now this is one thing i'm kinda confused on.. should I be going with 1066 over 800mhz memory? Is it necessary for me do you think?) Also what are some manufacturers I should be looking into?
- PC Power & Cooling 710W
- 4870X2
- Seagate Baracuda 500gb
- Thermalright ULTRA-120 Extreme (Recommendations on a sweet/quiet fan for it?, 1 vs. 2?)
- Antec P182
 
I'd take something from DFI's LanParty or Dark lines before a Gigabyte if overclocking is among your goals. Also consider the Foxconn Blackops board -- it is undeniably fast, and Foxconn has made a huge turnaround so far as delivering enthusiast level products lately.

PC P&C 710 watt? I assume you mean the Silencer 750 Quad Black? (or red, or copper...) I'd take either BFG's DC-to-DC converting 800 watt PSU (cannot recall the model, but [H] did a review and it was on special at Newegg a couple days ago for ~$90 AR) or a Corsair 750TX before the Silencer... and I've owned both the PC P&C and the Corsair. The Corsair isn't nearly as long, which is a plus in my book.

The Seagate Barracuda 500GB is slow by today's standards for a 7200RPM drive, even if it's a newer .11 model. I'd swap out for either a Western Digital AAKS 640GB or a Samsung Spinpoint F1 750GB. Their larger platter size (and thusly higher platter density) translates to much more throughput than other 7200RPM drives. They run around $100. If that's too much, look for the 320GB version of the AAKS. (or AKKS, I can never remember)

The TRUE 120 is still a very nice HSF, but if you don't already own it or aren't willing to spend several hours carefully lapping its base, consider the much less expensive but similar performing Xigatech HDT-S1283, or a Sunbeam/Kingwin clone.

The P182 is a great case -- I miss mine. Antec TriCool fans, however, are utter trash. Throw them out, sell them, or keep them as last ditch backups, but replace the things. They move no air on low, very little on medium, and make a bunch of noise on high without moving nearly enough. If you want the best get some Panaflo lowspeeds (thicker than normal fans) and a Sunbeam Rheobus or similar fan controller -- that will run you quite a bit, however. A slightly more cost effective option would be Scythe S-Flex fans and a controller, and the inexpensive route (but still far superior to leaving the TriCools) would be a few Yate Loon low speed 120mms.
 
If you aren't even considering using two video cards, then you don't need an X38/X48 motherboard. In addition to what silent-circuit said earlier, here is a list of motherboards you should consider:

Danny Bui said:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $93
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $107
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $130
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $140
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. If you have cash to burn and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.
Click to expand...
 
you can NEVER see yourself going crossfire, but its a requirement also is x16 on both sides..... umm i dunno what to say to that
 
Rydawg5143 said:
you can NEVER see yourself going crossfire, but its a requirement also is x16 on both sides..... umm i dunno what to say to that
Click to expand...

Most motherboards have a full x16 slot for their primary PCI-E port (regardless of the version of PCI Express supported by the motherboard). It's when multiple cards are being used that the amount of bandwidth for each slot becomes important.

Since the OP has implied that he has no need for a second video card, my assessment was that he has no need for a board that requires dual x16 slots. (It does help my argument, one-sided as it may be, that he's going for the HD4870 as soon as it's available.)
 
OP said "
Things I need:
- x38/x48 chipset
- DDR2
- Crossfire 16x/16x (I really can NEVER see myself getting 2 graphics cards..but I like the option for some reason) +'

He clearly states in his post that he needs crossfire and not only that but x38/48 at both at x16 rather than x8. But then says he doesnt see a need for it. He needs to make up his mind.
 
Well, I think he did make up his mind. He wants it, but doesn't need it and is still willing to pay the price for it. As long as he realizes he doesn't need it and is paying a premium for it but doesn't mind, then he's fine. :rolleyes:
 
I'm getting the processor for $239.99 US

Maybe right now I can't see myself going with a crossfire setup, but that doesn't mean way down the road I won't change my mind. I'm trying to future proof myself as much as possible, as I don't plan on building again for a very very long time.

If I chose a single slot solution, would my options open up alot? what would be some of my best bets on a motherboard? I'm very indescisive on this stuff =o.

Hard to be a noob on here I guess, I appreciate the comments though.

Any comments on the DDR800 VS DDR1066?
 
800 is the max necessary for you to be able to effectively overclock unless you're using watercooling. Just stick with 800, it's cheaper.
 
Sometimes future proofing actually costs you more money. Paying the premium for it now is usually a greater price than that down the road (when the hardware is clearance, discontinued, etc.). Yes a little extra labor may be required to obtain the price difference, but it's often significant enough to warrant it. :)
 
For overclocking the QX6850, you would be better off with the DDR2 1066 kit. (With the QX6850, you can adjust not only the FSB speed but also the multiplier, which may or may not help improve your overclocking attempts.) However, if you can find some (for less), I recommend that you get the DDR2 1000 kit instead. (Last time I checked NCIX, I couldn't find any in stock... but that was a while ago.) Since there's only a difference of 66MHz (but actually, since DDR2 RAM is listed as double its actual speed, it's really 33MHz), you'll reach the same approximate OC thresholds with DDR2 1000 RAM as you would with DDR2 1066.

For most people, it's easier (and more cost effective) to deal with one high-end video card, and upgrade that as necessary, than it is to manage a(n) CrossFire/SLI setup. CrossFire and SLI is only a benefit if you purchase both cards and use them immediately... however, since the HD4870X2 is supposed to be the single card equivalent to two HD4870 cards in CrossFire, you don't really need a second card.

What I was trying to say earlier was that you didn't need a board with dual x16 CrossFire, since you are buying the HD4870X2 (OT: alright, I got it right this time...). You could get a cheaper P43 or P45 board and still get most of the features that you want/need -- and with P45, you'll still have the option of CrossFire should you decide to use it later. (As a caveat, dual x16 CrossFire does perform better than dual x8 CF by at least 10% in various benchmarks.)
 
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