new build -- some questions

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Kowalski

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Sep 20, 2008
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Hey all!

So read this as if I were a guy who just came out of a coma after 4 years. The last time I built a PC SLI wasn't available and quad core was only a dream.

I can't stress this enough, I'm not looking for anyone to spend a lot of their time by building me a setup. I'm just hoping you can share some knowledge/opinions on some of the questions I have while
attempting a build.

Ok, here's the rundown:

Budget: $1500

This will be a full build; Excluding: monitor, Peripherals & wireless card.

This computer will be used for mainly gaming and I play everything. (FPS's, MMORPG's, ect.)

Realistically, I'd like to get at least 4 years out of this. Being able to run everything with
stock settings now and OC'ing down the road as new stuff comes out would be ideal. I could care less where my computer scores on various performance tests. I just want something that works and will last.

Before I start selecting parts & piecing everything together I have some questions:

1. Thoughts on Water cooling? I have always had issues with over-heating. My home is very warm. The only success I have is when the heatsink fan is as loud as a vacuum.

2. Does a lot of current hardware still lack 64-bit support? I had my eye on Vista 64-bit but read a lot of negative feedback in regards to drivers.

3. DDR3? Again, I read a lot of negative reviews. Saying it's over-priced and not anything to great as of right now. But, like I stated earlier, this is a 4 year computer. So I don't want to simply overlook this.

4. I was curious what would give me better performance? Two good video cards using SLI or one top of the line card. For example: 9800's SLi vs a GTX 260.

Any and all help is GREATLY appreciated, looking forward to reading your replies.
 
1) The absolute lowest temperatures water cooling can hit is ambient temperatures. So since your house is warm, water cooling won't help that much.

2) A good majority of computer hardware do have 64bit drivers. however, it's computer peripherals (printers, webcams, scanners) that have a slight problem with 64bit support.

3) Nope, absolutely ZERO reason to use DDR3 RAM with current Intel C2D systems. Current Intel C2D systems do not see a single ounce of real world performance incrase with DDR3 RAM. In addition, more than likely future chipsets will not support whatever DDR3 RAM you get today. Just look at Intel's P45, X38, X48, and P35 chipsets which have zero support for DDR2 400 and DDR2 533 RAM that was popular two years ago

4) Depends on what size monitor do you have. What size monitor do you have?
 
Then no reason for any kind of SLI at all then. Stick with the HD4850 or if you have cash to burn, the HD4870.
 
appreciate the quick reply

going to put something together now, i'm sure i'll be back with more questions :p
 
I noticed you mentioned the ATI cards instead of Nvidia, any reason?

HD 4870 v the GTX260
 
Both the HD4870 and GTX260 are good choices.They perform about the same.

As for the HD4850, simply better bang for the buck price to performance ratio than either the 9800GTX+ or 8800GT.
 
For a 4 year lasting build go 45nm Quad ...q9550 most likely
ATi (pretty much) dominates the Video Card industry at the moment so go with a 4870
I'm and Nvidia Fan though :/

if you have money left, for whatever reason, dump it into a 4870x2
 
it seems from what you're telling me, and what i've been reading, that the performance gains on "top of the line" products compared to significantly cheaper products of the same genre don't really match up.
 
Kowalski said:
it seems from what you're telling me, and what i've been reading, that the performance gains on "top of the line" products compared to significantly cheaper products of the same genre don't really match up.
Click to expand...

Yes. The Q9550 is faster than the Q6600. But it's only 10 to 15% faster, costs roughly $150 more and uses just a bit less energy. For many, that 10% performance increase is not worth the extra $150.
 
Ok I've selected a few parts so far, let me know what you think!

Mobo: ASUS P5Q Deluxe

I'll be honest, when I read the difference between the Deluxe and the P5Q-E, I didn't understand. It's 30 bucks so it's not breaking the bank.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Video Card: VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870

I could use some advice on selecting a proper size PSU. I won't be using more than two hard drives and two optical drives.

thanks for the support so far
 
Forget the P5Q Deluxe. Overpriced for a P45 chipset motherboard. If you don't understand the features set, no reason to spend the extra $30 then. Some other motherboard recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $87
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $112
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $130
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $140
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Motherboard - $152
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2R 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 great overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, just support for 8GB of RAM, and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the I45. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn, need x16/x16 Crossfire, and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus, DFI, or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

Power supply wise, all you need is a good quality 500W to 600W PSU. However, do note this is awesome deal on the Corsair 750TX that I highly highly recommend getting in on:
Corsair 750TX 750W PSU - $105
 
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thanks again danny, i'll be looking into these mobo's.

that's a crazy deal on the PSU
 
It's also a good deal. They're both excellent PSUs. Nothing wrong with going with any of them.
 
thanks danny, i read that the corsair is more quiet than the one i linked -- i'll probably go with that.

i'm looking at cases now, should i invest a lot of money into one? i could care less about looks, cooling is my top priority and some noise reduction would be nice as well.

the antec 900 is well received but kinda pricey.

edit: forgot to mention my current case is an antec p182. nice case but i run into a lot of temp. problems
 
Ok so this is my complete build, opinions always welcome!

Mobo: ASUS P5Q-E

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz

HSF: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle w/ Bracket

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800

Video: Radeon HD 4870

PSU: Corsair 750TX

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black

the other components i'll carry over from my old machine.
 
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