Please Critique My New Build

M

minigister

n00b
Joined
Apr 26, 2008
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This will be my primary computer so I will be using it for everything. Games/movies, video editing, surfing the web and schoolwork. I will probably overclock too. I already have a display and keyboard/mouse.

MOBO: ASUS P5Q Pro - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

HD: WD Caviar SE16 6400AAKS 640GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

GPU: VisionTek Radeon HD 4850 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129112

PSU: Antec NeoPower 650 Blue 650W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371010

OS: Vista 64 Bit - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

CD/DVD BURNER: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

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




COST: $1000
 
Out of curiosity, what type of games do you play or intend to play? Also, what size monitor do you have?
 
Good. Do what guru said. Personally I would go less on the case since it's a simple system and a little more on the vid card.

Amazon has the HD for the same price so you can possibly avoid tax and take advantage of the $10 bill me later discount promo.

Just work on shaving down the cost.
 
CPU - Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 retail for $190 w/free shipping
Mobo/RAM (combo deal) Asus P5QPro + OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 for $133
Video - HIS Hightech Radeon HD 4870 for $250($20 MIR) w/free shipping
HDD - WD 6400AAKS 640gig for $75 w/free shipping
Case - Antec 300case for $55 w/free shipping
PSU - Antec EA650 for $70 w/free shipping
Heatsink - Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm rifle for $32($10MIR) w/free shipping
Retention Bracket - Xigmatek ACK-I7751 for $8.50 w/free shipping
Optical drive - Samsung Black 22X DVD+R for $25 w/free shipping
O/S - Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64 bit for $100 w/free shipping

Total: $938

If you give up the Antec case/psu and go with this setup, you have a 15-20% performance boost over the HD4850 video card you have listed. Plus, on top of that, this build is still cheaper than your build total .

Your build - $975.50 w/ Radeon HD 4850 graphics (before shipping & rebates)
My build - $938 w/Radeon HD 4870 graphics (before shipping & rebates)

I agree with what flegg mentioned earlier on the case. Drop the case and go cheaper and put more performance on the video card.
 
For the price of the Antec PSU you orginally listed you could get a 750W Corsair. The Antec 300 will save you some money but does not have a window. Its a good case though. Looks like a nice build. You can also get some DDR1000 memory for about 65$ for a 4gb kit that will give you some overclocking room :)
 
Copyright said:
... You can also get some DDR1000 memory for about 65$ for a 4gb kit that will give you some overclocking room :)
Click to expand...

No need since he's using a Q6600.

/*------------- <cut n paste> -------------*/
Formulas for Intel platform @ 1:1 settings: (base FSB speed is SDR, or single data rate)
c × [Base FSB speed] = CPU Clock speed (c = CPU Multiplier)
2 × [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed (DDR: double data rate)
4 × [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, so don't bother trying to do so. If the BIOS does it for you, just let it. All you need is a 1:1 config, though. Here's some possible clock speeds (as always with OC'ing, your results will 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 w/ good air cooling
Q6600: 9 × 400 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-800 << Great OC, near max for G0 stepping w/ good air cooling
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/
 
eh, dont think id like to run my ram at 756mhz. Plus you never know what your going to get out of your Q6600. Ive had G0's that wont go over 380mhz.
 
Slightly off-topic, but: Does anybody know if the antec 300 is big enough to put 2 radeon 4870s in Xfire in there? It looks like one might be touching the PSU... but it looks like a great case
 
No, it won't be no problem installing 2 X HD 4870X2 in Quadfire. The 2nd card or lower video card won't pass or exceed the length of the mobo. It will however, block the lower PCI slot. But, it will not touch the PSU. Make sure though, that you mount the HDD where it will not hit the video cards. See a video of the Antec 300 case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX_nXwX_EzU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsuCnU-2WII
 
Try at newegg also it may be cheaper.
wink.gif
 
Copyright said:
eh, dont think id like to run my ram at 756mhz. Plus you never know what your going to get out of your Q6600. Ive had G0's that wont go over 380mhz.
Click to expand...

So if you have a G0 that won't go over 380Mhz, how does DDR2-1000 help with overclocking? :confused: Or were you just wanting me to change my table?

I guess DDR2-1000 would help if his chip can take over 400Mhz FSB, but thats not very common. However, they are only $10 more, so not really a big difference for most people.

@OP: don't forget to post pics
 
techminster said:
tiraides said:
Where are you getting them from? (Buy.com has the cheapest price I've seen on the Twelve Hundred.) Have you bought them already?
Click to expand...

Try at newegg also it may be cheaper.
wink.gif
Click to expand...

Uh, no....

hossdaddy said:
HardwareGuru said:
Dude, if you get that Antec 1200 case, ditch that HIS Radeon HD 4870 video card I listed earlier, get the Antec 1200 case + EVGA Geforce GTX 260(216 stream processor) video card for $430 combo deal.
Click to expand...
thats a waaaay over priced combo;
Click to expand...

I agree with hossdaddy here (but hoss, STOP listing the after-rebate price!) -- it's better not to look for a bundle deal with the Twelve Hundred case.
 
the after rebate price is ligitimate, if people cant read a simple set of instructions then they miss out dont they. Before the mir its still the cheapest gtx260.
 
hossdaddy, here's where I disagree with you: You still have to pay the before-rebate price first.

For those who have a fixed budget, the rebate amount doesn't offset the (possibility) that the item in question is still too expensive for them. (Yeah, I know: "They shouldn't be looking at it then..." But still....)

And there's no guarantee that you'll receive all of your rebate checks. I've personally had a few of them rejected due to no fault of my own. (But that's not the reason why I'm against MIR in general -- my issue is that many people rely on them for "savings" when they could be better off by getting cheaper items.)

Having said that, your choice is still the best way to go.
 
enginurd said:
So if you have a G0 that won't go over 380Mhz, how does DDR2-1000 help with overclocking? :confused: Or were you just wanting me to change my table?

I guess DDR2-1000 would help if his chip can take over 400Mhz FSB, but thats not very common. However, they are only $10 more, so not really a big difference for most people.

@OP: don't forget to post pics
Click to expand...

That was pretty much my point. it leaves you room to push the memory higher when under an FSB that would normally bring DDR800 below its spec. I run mine 8x425 memory at 1063mhz.
 
hossdaddy said:
the after rebate price is ligitimate, if people cant read a simple set of instructions then they miss out dont they.
Click to expand...

You'd be surprised how distracted people get with school, work, personal life, etc that yes, it is their fault, and many people miss out on the rebate. However, there are those that do everything right, and still get rejected. They can either appeal or let it go... most will let it go, and some will appeal. Even then, after appealing, they can still reject you. So again, no rebate is guaranteed.

Example: My buddy and I bought the Antec P180 case from Fry's when it had a $50 MIR. I handled both of our rebates. I did the exact same thing for both. His was rejected, and mine went through fine. He appealed, and they said his postmark date was too late. He asked for a picture of the postmark on the envelope, and they didn't have one. I sent him a scan of the USPS receipt (paid with CC for the stamps, lol), and they still rejected it. He asked how mine went through if it was mailed at the same time and they didn't answer him. So again... rebates are never guaranteed. Sure, he can keep fighting for it, but in the end, is it worth all the possible headache and struggle if it doesn't go through? For some, yes... for most, no. If you can live with the pre-rebate price, go for it. If you can't, wait til it gets cheaper. Trust me, not everyone gets their MIR... if they did, MIRs would be a thing of the past.

Though, again, yes, pre-rebate, that card was still the cheapest... I just wanted to speak on rebates more. :p

Copyright said:
That was pretty much my point. it leaves you room to push the memory higher when under an FSB that would normally bring DDR800 below its spec. I run mine 8x425 memory at 1063mhz.
Click to expand...

But I'm still confused. If you're under an FSB that would normally bring DDR2-800 below its spec, how would faster RAM help?

OVER an FSB...
425Mhz doesn't fall into that category. For a 1:1 ratio when using a 425Mhz FSB, you'd be at: 2 x 425 = DDR2-850. Since you're running at DDR2-1063, you're using a 2.5x DRAM multiplier, which isn't needed. So faster RAM isn't needed.

UNDER an FSB...
For your scenario, it would have to be something like 378Mhz. For a 1:1 ratio, the RAM would be at DDR2-756. Faster RAM won't help in this scenario either, since thats below the RAM's spec.

What I think you mean to say is, faster RAM would give more flexibility if you wanted to lower the CPU multiplier (to get more desirable, even OC numbers). Is that what you meant? (ie. 8x425 vs 9x378)

However, there's a post in the OC'ing forum, from graysky? I think, that shows that there's no performance difference from running 8x425 and 9x378 since the resulting CPU clock speeds are the same, 3.4Ghz. So theres really no need to drop the CPU multiplier.
 
enginurd said:
You'd be surprised how distracted people get with school, work, personal life, etc that yes, it is their fault, and many people miss out on the rebate. However, there are those that do everything right, and still get rejected. They can either appeal or let it go... most will let it go, and some will appeal. Even then, after appealing, they can still reject you. So again, no rebate is guaranteed.

Example: My buddy and I bought the Antec P180 case from Fry's when it had a $50 MIR. I handled both of our rebates. I did the exact same thing for both. His was rejected, and mine went through fine. He appealed, and they said his postmark date was too late. He asked for a picture of the postmark on the envelope, and they didn't have one. I sent him a scan of the USPS receipt (paid with CC for the stamps, lol), and they still rejected it. He asked how mine went through if it was mailed at the same time and they didn't answer him. So again... rebates are never guaranteed. Sure, he can keep fighting for it, but in the end, is it worth all the possible headache and struggle if it doesn't go through? For some, yes... for most, no. If you can live with the pre-rebate price, go for it. If you can't, wait til it gets cheaper. Trust me, not everyone gets their MIR... if they did, MIRs would be a thing of the past.

Though, again, yes, pre-rebate, that card was still the cheapest... I just wanted to speak on rebates more. :p



But I'm still confused. If you're under an FSB that would normally bring DDR2-800 below its spec, how would faster RAM help?

OVER an FSB...
425Mhz doesn't fall into that category. For a 1:1 ratio when using a 425Mhz FSB, you'd be at: 2 x 425 = DDR2-850. Since you're running at DDR2-1063, you're using a 2.5x DRAM multiplier, which isn't needed. So faster RAM isn't needed.

UNDER an FSB...
For your scenario, it would have to be something like 378Mhz. For a 1:1 ratio, the RAM would be at DDR2-756. Faster RAM won't help in this scenario either, since thats below the RAM's spec.

What I think you mean to say is, faster RAM would give more flexibility if you wanted to lower the CPU multiplier (to get more desirable, even OC numbers). Is that what you meant? (ie. 8x425 vs 9x378)

However, there's a post in the OC'ing forum, from graysky? I think, that shows that there's no performance difference from running 8x425 and 9x378 since the resulting CPU clock speeds are the same, 3.4Ghz. So theres really no need to drop the CPU multiplier.
Click to expand...

I get what your saying but why do most of the mobo's out there clock the memory at 800mhz even if the FSB is 266 by default? Is it still pointless?
 
Copyright said:
I get what your saying but why do most of the mobo's out there clock the memory at 800mhz even if the FSB is 266 by default? Is it still pointless?
Click to expand...

1) Because it looks good on paper if your board supports [all the ram speeds]. And, if it says so on paper, consumers want to see that same result when they buy the board and plug in the RAM -- without having to touch any settings.

2) Yes, its still pointless because there's no noticeable performance improvement on the Core2 platform with just your RAM OC'd without the processor.
 
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