Ordering new Rig, advice/suggestions appreciated

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Decko87

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
2,702
Newegg:

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151153

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811133154

EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130071

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16829102006

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-2GBHK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231114

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115017

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835186134

Total: $1024.93


ZZF:
Corsair HX Series CMPSU-620HX 620W Power Supply Retail ***Free Shipping***
MSI P6N SLI Platinum nForce 650i SLI Socket 775 1333MHz DDR2-800 Motherboard Retail ***Free Shipping***
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB Serial ATA II 7200RPM Hard Drive w/16MB Buffer ***Free Shipping***

$365.78


I was also looking at this mobo... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188019 - it's an eVGA 680 sli mobo... it doesn't cost much more and when I have the cash i will probably get SLi.

Anyway, i'm not trying to spend more then 1500 bucks. Hopefully this will ge the job done for UT3, Call of Duty 4, and Crysis. I'm not aiming for max settings just fairly high... So if there's anything around the same price you think I should change i'd appreciate some input. Thanks a bunch.
 
good choices:)
and i say this because i added a lot of those parts to my newegg wishlist last week :D

that evga 8800gts card i'm getting in the mail tomorrow,
i've already got a 20x sata samsung burner,
same cpu i was thinking about,
same evga mobo i was thinking about
i'm running a WD 250gb sata2 drive

i wasnt sure on the memory yet. dont know what the best deal on ram is nowadays.

i say your list is good to go :)
 
You won't notice the difference between CL4 and CL5, so don't pay a huge price premium for lower latency DDR2. If you want good sticks, get the Ballistix. If you want cheap sticks that don't need to OC, get the G.Skill NQ kit instead of the HK's. The Ballistix are the best 1GB sticks you can get, and can OC to DDR2-1066 speeds. Its not like you need that kind of overclockability with a Q6600, but the lower latency is a plus, especially after the rebate:

$104 - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 BL2KIT12864AA804 ($47 MIR)
$66 - G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ

If you want 4GB, go with a 2x2GB config:
$190 - G.Skill 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ

You'll need something better than an AC F7 Pro for a quadcore, especially if you want to OC:

$45 - Tuniq Tower 120 CPU HSF
$46 - Thermalright Ultima 90 CPU HS + FBA09A12M - Z ($3)
$55 - Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU HS + Scythe S-Flex Fan SFF21E ($15)

What size monitor do you have or plan to get? SLI is only needed for high resolution 3D rendering. So, if you have or plan on getting a 1920x1080 LCD or higher, and want to game on it at native resolution, then keep SLI as an option. Otherwise, theres no need for it. A single GTX is still fine for a 1920x1080 (or 1920x1200) LCD screen, and more cost effective than an 8800GTS SLI setup. SLI as an upgrade path isn't worth it unless, again, a large LCD is in the future plans. There should always be a better single card solution, and you could sell your old card to help offset the cost.

If you need SLI, get the 680i SLI A1 eVGA. Otherwise, go with a P35 board instead, like the Abit IP35/-E/Pro, Asus P5K/-E, or Gigabyte P35-DS3L/DS3R/DS4.
 
I've decided to go with GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4, a 640 mb GTS, however i'm not sure about the heatsinks. I'm sure in the Thermaltake armor series i can fit any of them regardless of size. Also, the price is almost negligable when it comes to the performance i'll gain from ocing. I'm just wondering which one would be the best. Also i've heard Crucial has a decent failure rate when they're put under load for too long. Or just leaving your computer on for downloads at night they tend to fail. Is that true? I like the idea of having highly oced ram with my Q6600, I just want to make sure everything is stable.
 
All 3 perform similarly. The ultra 120 extreme will give you the absolute best performance, but the other two aren't far behind. I'd go with the ultima 90 due to its weight. Mine is just as good as my Tuniq, and I'm using a Panaflo Hydrowave 92mm fan with it instead of a 120mm.

My crucial RAM has been running great for over 6mo now, as well as several other people I know who have this ram. My computer stays on 24/7. I know there was a bad batch of them, so maybe thats what you're hearing about. On an intel platform, theres no point in running the RAM faster than a 1:1 ratio. The performance gain is minimal and negligible. So, with a Q6600 even at 3.6Ghz (using max multiplier), you won't even be OC'ing DDR2-800 RAM.
 
go with enginurd and get the ultima90+panaflo with the ballistix 2g kit.;)
 
So are you saying the 120 is overkill as well as too heavy? Is it just too heavy to safely mount? Or will I notice a significant factor in my computers actual weight?
 
I believe they're all over the Intel spec'd weight limit for a HSF, which is 550g for LGA775 motherboards, IIRC. So, the lighter the better. People have been using the heavy hitters for a while now, with no problems. So, its really up to you. I have a Tuniq, Ninja, and now the Ultima90. They're all good HSFs. The Ultra 120 eXtreme is just too heavy (and pricey) for my tastes.
 
enginurd said:
I believe they're all over the Intel spec'd weight limit for a HSF, which is 550g for LGA775 motherboards, IIRC. So, the lighter the better. People have been using the heavy hitters for a while now, with no problems. So, its really up to you. I have a Tuniq, Ninja, and now the Ultima90. They're all good HSFs. The Ultra 120 eXtreme is just too heavy (and pricey) for my tastes.
Click to expand...

Yeah, people were talking about putting a hanging wire to support the tuniq. I did it just to be safe. hehe
 
Okay well having to use wiring to support it doesnt sound so hot. What kind of difference in overclockability should I expect between the 90 and the 120??
 
Decko87 said:
Okay well having to use wiring to support it doesnt sound so hot. What kind of difference in overclockability should I expect between the 90 and the 120??
Click to expand...

At most, a few hundred megahertz, if there's a difference at all. From what I've seen, the difference isn't much.
 
So i've been reading about the overclockability of the Q6600 and if want the bus speeds to match my stock ram, it has to reach 3.6ghz for a 1:1 ratio. Would that even be possible with any of these heatsinks, I mean, that just sounds like a lot for quad-core... i'm aware they run fairly hot.
 
Decko87 said:
So i've been reading about the overclockability of the Q6600 and if want the bus speeds to match my stock ram, it has to reach 3.6ghz for a 1:1 ratio. Would that even be possible with any of these heatsinks, I mean, that just sounds like a lot for quad-core... i'm aware they run fairly hot.
Click to expand...

Make sure you get the G0 stepping and it'll certainly be possible if you're room is nice and cool. ;)

Tankguys and Clubit are the only ones that guarantee the G0 stepping in the states, AFAIK.
 
Well I was wondering what kind of thermal paste I should buy, also, I was wondering if anyone had any problems fitting the 90 ultima or the 120 xtreme on the Gigabyte p35 mobo i listed above.
 
For thermal paste, Arctic Silver 5 or Arctic MX-1 will work fine for you.

As for the Ultima 90 and DS3R/P, enginurd could help you with that. He's using the same setup you're thinking about using IIRC.
 
Danny Bui said:
For thermal paste, Arctic Silver 5 or Arctic MX-1 will work fine for you.

As for the Ultima 90 and DS3R/P, enginurd could help you with that. He's using the same setup you're thinking about using IIRC.
Click to expand...

Get MX-2 instead of 1, its better. AS5 works well, too -- tried and true. I use whichever is within reach, lol.

The Ultima90 should fit fine on the DS3R/P/DS4 -- I have it on the DS3R. It fits fine on the IP35 as well (just tried it), and it has heatpipes near the CPU socket like the DS4. Load the CPU before the mounting hardware, cuz the bracket blocks the CPU lever, lol... I found that out the hard way, lol. :eek: If the Ultima90 doesn't fit on your board, I'll buy it off you if you can't exchange it. :p
 
Decko87 said:
So i've been reading about the overclockability of the Q6600 and if want the bus speeds to match my stock ram, it has to reach 3.6ghz for a 1:1 ratio. Would that even be possible with any of these heatsinks, I mean, that just sounds like a lot for quad-core... i'm aware they run fairly hot.
Click to expand...

You have to remember that the stock multiplier for the processor (9x) can be changed.
You can run 400*8 = 3.2GHz, still keeping your ram at stock DDR 800 speeds. These heatsinks will certainly be able to cool that.
Another thing to realize is that it doesn't matter if your ram is running at stock speed. You can run it lower or higher (esp. the Ballistix... OC's well). What matters is that the system is stable and not overly hot.
And yet another thing to realize is that you can raise your FSB, and decrease the multiplier, therefore overclocking your RAM. For example you can run 450 FSB*7multiplier for a processor clock of 3.15GHz. This will have your RAM at DDR-900, as long as you keep the 1:1 ratio.
And do try to get a G0 stepping chip as said before, they have a good bit more thermal headroom, and generally overclock much easier.
 
Just for reference, I'll post my usual stuff for you...

/*------------- <cut n paste> -------------*/
Formulas for Intel platform @ 1:1 settings: (base FSB speed is SDR, or single data rate)
(CPU Multiplier) x [Base FSB speed] = CPU Clock speed
2 x [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed (DDR: double data rate)
4 x [Base FSB speed] = Effective FSB speed (QDR: quad data rate)

On Intel platforms, running the RAM higher than a 1:1 ratio with the CPU is, for the most part, useless. All you need is a 1:1 config. Here's some possible clock speeds (as always with OC'ing, your results may vary):

Q6600: 9 × 266 = 2.4Ghz, DDR2-533 << STOCK speeds
Q6600: 9 × 333 = 3.0Ghz, DDR2-667 << Nice OC
Q6600: 9 × 378 = 3.4Ghz, DDR2-756 << Good OC, near max for B3 stepping
Q6600: 9 × 400 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-800 << Great OC, near max for G0 stepping
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/
 
enginurd said:
Get MX-2 instead of 1, its better.
Click to expand...

Ahh thanks for the correction. Haven't used either of the MX stuff yet. Good ole AS5 for me. But I do need a new tube....

Anyway, just took another look at your list and noticed something, a sound card. Hold of on buying the sound card. Try out the onboard audio first and then decide if you want to spend money on a dedicated sound card. Also, if you're using Vista. the X-Fi cards don't work too well under Vista due to Creative's drivers last I heard.

Also you can get the case for cheaper here:
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $137

For me, with tax and shipping included, the Armor case cost $20 less from mwave than newegg with tax and shipping included. Might be the same for you.
 
Hey thanks a lot for all of the information, I think the 90 ultima will fit too when I look at the deminsions. Anyway, I don't think I want that large of a case anymore... It seems like a bit too much and just total overkill(37 lbs empty!!!). Yeah so I was thinking about getting a mid tower because I don't need 10 HDD-bays:eek:. Right now i'm taking a look at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021 -- Antec 900 Black Steel. It seems a bit over priced though. If there are any other cases you would suggest or have a cheaper price on that case i'd appreciate it.
 
If you wait, you can find the Nine Hundred for around $100... same with the P180. If you can't wait, I'd go for that RC-690 instead. If you want to save even more money and only plan on having 3 HDDs, get the Centurion 532 or 534 instead.
 
I also have the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer running under Vista (64bit). The newest driver (released in Oct 07 :rolleyes:) gave a nice loud static after installed. Nearly driving me insane. After a bit of searching I was able to fiind an earlier driver from them that work fine under vista. If you're still getting the card and cant find a working driver, give me an PM. I will zip it and send it over.:p;)
 
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