New build

Y

yfel

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
130
I've been out of the loop for a while, but it's time for something new. Got a budget of roughly $1,000, and the primary use for the system will be gaming.

How's this build look?
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
CPU: e8400 + arctic freezer 7 hsf
MB: not sure... I want to be able to xfire 2 4850's at some point, but will only start with one, also want ability to oc since the cpu is supposed to be good for that, and I'm all about getting more for your money, leaning towards GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-DS3R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128348 yay/nay?
GPU: hd 4850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747
RAM: uncertain about this OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227298 good for my needs?
HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152100

As far as the cpu goes, for a system primarily used for gaming, dual or quad core going to make a difference? I'm also looking at getting a 24" lcd in the not so distant future, what can I expect my gpu needs to be at higher resolutions? I've got a 20" or so lcd currently.

Thanks for any and all advice
 
Cheap samsung sata dvd burner probably, I don't need anything fancy, and I don't want any ide cables in there. As far as the O/S goes... vista 64 I suppose. I'm running xp 32 right now, but I wouldn't mind the change so much. Thoughts?
 
I would suggest getting WD 640 GB Drive. Better bang for your buck and its quieter.
 
Ah ok, I wasn't sure about the hard drive. Of course I'm more concerned with performance than space, I'm still only using a fraction of my 300gig ide drive.
 
Pretty good setup man. But, as far as the heatsink, I would go with a better one such as the

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle with Retention Bracket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019

On the Mobo, I wouldn't bother with that board that supports DDR3. Get the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R for $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128344
or
ASUS P5Q Pro for $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

The RAM I wouldn't bother with 1066mhz when DDR2 800 will be more than enough. Go with these 4gig DDR2 800 G. Skills and don't bother with rebates. Cheaper upfront as well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

The HDD I rather go with the Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS for $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Smaller drive but faster performance.

I just put together a system earlier comprised of a Q6600 cpu, G Skills 4 gig DDR2 800 RAM, Asus P5Q pro mobo, WD 640 gig HDD, PNY 9600GT video and Corsair TX650 in an Antec 900 case with Win Vista Home Premium 64 bit O/S. Everything went smooth and it's fast.
 
Will the ddr2 800 be an issue with overclocking? I don't expect to take it above 3.6 but you never know. My only other concern with the mb was crossfire support (which I admittedly know next to nothing about, learning on the fly), so I'm open to whatever is realiable/doesn't cost an arm and a leg. That heatsink seems kind of massive, think it will hit the side intake fan? Hell, would I even -need- the side intake fan with all the exhaust fans? I imagine those would just suck the air right in without any extra help needed.
 
ddr2 800 might be cutting it a little close if you're trying to go past 3.6ghz. crossfire isnt as good as a single powerful card unless youre talking aboutreally high resolutions
 
I don't want to drop $300 on a video card right now, and I've seen the benchmarks of two 4850's vs one 4870, and it was enough to convince me that it'd be worth saving money now and spending more later (for a second 4850) if the demands on my gpu become too great. My real concern was the future investment I may be making in a 24" monitor, but is that still small enough that I don't need to worry about really intense strain on my card?
 
personally i dont think its worth it to go crossfire with a 24' monitor as you have to deal with problems such as scaling, microstuttering, etc whereas a single card solution might just be simplier. if you went with a crossfire motherboard you'd spend about $100 more anyways which could be the difference between a 4850 anda 4870. very rarely do people actually follow up on their plans for sli/crossfire because by the time you want to get that second card something new will come out and blow you away.
 
Let's say I were to just get the 4870, which would probably be a good idea for the sake of cooling anyway... what mb could I drop down to and save a buck? If it won't make that much difference in the long run a single card would be ok.
 
DDR2 800 you should take it to 3.6ghz with the E8400. Any higher then...you may need the faster RAM. The mobo I mentioned they both support Crossfire. Though on the P45 chipset, the PCI-E lanes will be operating in x8 modes in crossfire as oppose to x16. But, it won't make a big differene in speed though. The Xigmatek 120mm is pretty big. They have the Xigmatek 92mm heatsink also which is smaller. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233014. Though the height between the 120mm and 92mm Xigmatek heatsinks are about the same. The difference is the width and depth being bigger on the 120mm. For a 20" or 22" lcd, a single HD4850 will be good for that res. But, on the 24" they will be some games you can run native 1920 x 1200 res. Personally, I don't like crossfire or SLI and want just 1 good video card. Soo.. I would get a HD4870 or GTX 260 card instead. The mobo, you can get a single PCI-E board such as a GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L for $107.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128345
 
Let me reemphasize: You DO NOT need CrossFire for your 22 inch monitor.

Markyip1 said:
Just some info on SLI / Crossfire: It's absolutely not worth considering if a) you're gaming at a resolution under 1920x1200 (as you'll see no performance benefit over a single card,) and b) if you plan to buy one card now and another later. SLI / Crossfire as an upgrade path is usually a very poor idea, as by the time you're ready to get that second card, a new single card solution will likely be available that will outperform two of your older cards in tandem. Furthermore, there really is no cost benefit to the SLI Upgrade Route, as any additional cost in getting the new card can be easily mitigated in most situations by selling the original. By avoiding an SLI / Crossfire solution when it will not be of benefit, you gain a cooler running, simpler to maintain system and more importantly, access to a much better (and broader) selection of motherboards.
Click to expand...

If you are concerned about getting the most FPS possible out of games, get the HD4870. However, if you're not a serious gamer, and/or you're not planning on buying the 24 inch monitor within the next six months or so, then you should settle with the HD4850.

If you want to get the most out of your overclock of the E8400, stick with DDR2 1000 RAM; the G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 1000 kit will reach the same thresholds as the OCZ DDR2 1066 kit you chose earlier. You also need a better CPU cooler than you originally chose. Stick with one of the two Xigmatek HSFs that HardwareGuru recommended earlier. (Preferably, you should go with the HDT-S1283... and definitely get the retention bracket, regardless of which one you choose.)

You could purchase the GA-EP45-DS3R for less at ZipZoomFly. If you're trying to cut corners price-wise, and you don't need many features, you could downgrade your motherboard selection to the GA-EP43-DS3L. Don't consider the EP45-DS3L as your low-end choice because the EP43-DS3L has the same features available for less.

There's little difference performance-wise between the WD6400AAKS and the Samsung F1 750GB HDD -- IIRC, the Samsung is a bit faster -- so get whichever hard drive you could afford.
 
Why not look into the q6600 instead of the 8400? I would rather have 4 core's instead of 2
 
The single card probably is a better idea, don't have to play with it to make it work, less heat inside the case, less hassle in general. If not ddr2 800, ddr2 1066? And if 1066 which is the best to oc with?
 
Right then, sli/xfire not worth anything to me over a 4870. How does that ga-ep43-ds3l with the pcie16 work with a pcie 2.0 card? I'm still using an agp in my old system so all of this is pretty much new territory for me. I don't really need any frills in a mb, if it can handle the card I want and oc decently.
 
Guess I was reading that wrong... that mb looks fine, price is right.
 
The P43 and P45 chipsets both support PCI Express 2.0. However, today's PCI-E 2.0 cards are backwards compatible with the PCI-E 1.1 (x16) slot since they don't fully maximize the PCI-E 1.1 bandwidth yet. Getting a P43- or P45-based board now improves your chances over the long run when new PCI-E 2.0 cards arrive that only support the PCI-E 2.0 bus.

The boards we're recommending will give you a decent overclock from your processor, but because no two chips reach the same levels, YMMV.

Again, you don't need DDR2 1066 memory for overclocking the E8400. Stick with the cheaper DDR2 1000 memory.
 
Can I get away with a cheaper PSU? I chose that one because everyone said it was a good deal and I figured it would last forever.
 
yfel said:
Can I get away with a cheaper PSU? I chose that one because everyone said it was a good deal and I figured it would last forever.
Click to expand...

Not really, cheaper usually means less power and no quality. I would stick with it so your pc is upgradable somewhat.
 
That's actually a good deal for the Corsair TX750, but you don't need that much power. A quality 500 watt (or greater) power supply with Active PFC and/or 80 Plus (Gold or Silver) certification is enough for your build.

Some brands to consider are Antec (True Power Trio and Earthwatts models only), Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Silverstone, Seasonic, Thermaltake (ToughPower models only), and Cooler Master (Real Power Pro models only).

But if you're going to spend over $100 on a power supply anyways, you might as well stick with the Corsair TX750.
 
I second tiraides for the PSU suggestions. 750w is overkill, 500w is enough.
 
I figured if there were no really good psus significantly cheaper I'd just stay with the corsair 750 anyway. Thanks for the ideas.
 
Don't get me wrong: the TX750 is still a great deal. However, if you need to cut corners, you could get a lower powered PSU without compromising yourself in terms of available power.

Two examples of cheaper replacements are the Corsiar VX550 and the Antec Earthwatts EA650.
 
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