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Please Rate My Build

N

Neon2303

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
71
Please rate my future gaming build: Budget ~$2000 +/- $100

[link: Future Gaming PC]

I did not select a processor because I am waiting for the new line of 45nm Intel Core 2 Quads. If Wikipedia is correct, the one I'm eying is the 2.6GHz Q9450. I don't plan on buying till I see how everything plays out - and hopefully prices drop. I wish I had enough money to afford the Extremes.

I did not select a video card because I am waiting for the new NVIDIA GeForce 9 Series. The 9600GT is out, but I'm more interested in the upcoming 9800 line, despite early reviews disappointing me.

I may replace the RAM with [link: G.Skill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ] to allow for future improvement. However, in the future I may do a full upgrade to DDR3 so this is debatable. A friend told me he feels I should not leave RAM slots open, as he experienced negative side-effects of having 2x2GB with 2 slots free.

I plan on playing games (incl. Crysis) and I hope to play at max settings. I also wish to use Adobe CS3 and 3dsmax along with Maya. I will be using WorldCommunityGrid and Terragen/WorldMachine.

I'm open for suggestions. I've been building computers for a while now, but this is only my second enthusiast PC. If anyone has any means of boosting performance or cutting price, or any warnings on my selection of parts, please do so. I'm rather new to the forums (I just got a personal e-mail address I could register with) so I guess I should give a quick hello :).

PS. I won't have the money until towards the end of summer, to give a window for those interested. That may affect someone's decision on the build.
 
considering that you'll be building this after summer, you should wait till then to look for parts to buy, because there may be new stuff to buy.

because your getting a 22inch monitor that runs at 1680x1050, it isn't recommended that you SLI, because you really only see it's benefits on resolutions like 1920x1200 and higher. your better off going with a single higher end card. Go for the P35 motherboard, unless the P45 comes out before then and is at a good price (haven't looked into the P45 yet). With that said you can go for a lower wattage power supply like the Corsair 550vx unless you plan on getting something like a 9800gx2 or HD3870x2. If you want a modular power supply then Corsair 620HX is the power supply to get.

go with the 2x2gb ram. the less slots you use the less power is powered to the ram. DDR3 shouldn't be considered until they are sold at reasonable prices, which is probably when Nehalem comes out. By then you'll have to get everything new pretty much because Nehalem doesn't run LGA 775.

consider this cheaper cpu cooler: ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm. It can OC a Q6600 to 3.6ghz and E8400 to 4.0ghz. Not bad eh? :D
 
Regarding the timing: I hope to choose parts now that will cost less in the future. In all honesty, if this $2000 computer ends up costing $1700, I will be very happy. I am going to college in a year, and am currently saving up money for insurance as well. Any dollar I can save is appreciated. Sure, it won't be cutting edge anymore, but it will be able to play whatever game I throw at it, and run the programs I plan to use in college.

As far as the SLI note, I have a question:
I understand SLI is only needed at higher resolutions. My question is does it help if I decide to go Dual-Monitor, or in another case - will it help if I buy a single good graphics card and plan to add another later on, for example Quad SLI with the 9800GX2. What are SLI's usefulness for upgradeability? Would it be better to just purchase a new card altogether when the time comes, and stick with the Intel chipsets?

I'll wait for more input before I make a decision on memory configuration, but It really looks like DDR3 is gonna get the can until much later.

As far as the cooler, I'll read up on it. What you've said has me very interested =D
 
Neon2303 said:
As far as the SLI note, I have a question:
I understand SLI is only needed at higher resolutions. My question is does it help if I decide to go Dual-Monitor, or in another case - will it help if I buy a single good graphics card and plan to add another later on, for example Quad SLI with the 9800GX2. What are SLI's usefulness for upgradeability? Would it be better to just purchase a new card altogether when the time comes, and stick with the Intel chipsets?
Click to expand...

SLI only supports and works on one monitor. So you won't be able to use SLI even if you have two monitors. One of those monitors will need to be disabled in order for SLI to work. As for upgrade ability, it would be better to just purchase a new card altogether when the time comes. By the time you get that second card for SLI, there will be a single card that outperforms or performs on par with your SLI setup yet costs much cheaper. And lets be honest, will you actually get a second card? I've seen this many many times before, people will pay for an SLI mobo but will never end up getting that second card for SLI.

Also, I recommend ditching that OCZ GameXStream PSU. It's based off the FSP Episilon PSU design which has out of spec ripple, or voltage fluctuations, at high loads that can damage or kill your system. Granted, you may not reach such high loads but why pay for PSU that can kill your system?

I recommend getting these PSUs:
Corsair 650TX 650W PSU - $130
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU - $139

Also, there shouldn't be any problem with going with a 2x2 setup with 2 slots free. In fact, if you're overclocking, that's actually the recommended setup since less sticks of RAM means less stress on the northbridgen or MCH.

And finally, it is too early to start planning for a build. We don't know if any of the parts listed today will actually be in stock 5 months from now. There might be better parts 5 months from now for the same prices as the parts we recommend today. Or prices for the parts we recommend might go up. So with all of the unknowns, I recommend that you hold off on planning a build this early. Do research yes, but planning, no.
 
If you are going SLI, swap the EVGA board for the MSI P7N Diamond. It uses superior materials in its construction (such as solid state caps and an advanced power-phase design) which should translate into vastly improved reliability. (Plus it comes with more features, such as on board eSATA.) 680i and 780i reference boards (such as the EVGA you've selected) are known to have significant reliability issues over the long term, especially when paired with quad cores and when overclocked. The P7N Diamond should have no such issues. Furthermore, it avoids all of the issues experienced with other non-reference 780i boards (such as the ASUS Striker II Formula) and can OC as well as the reference boards.
 
Neon2303 said:
PS. I won't have the money until towards the end of summer, to give a window for those interested. That may affect someone's decision on the build.
Click to expand...

Please revisit this thread 2 - 4 weeks before you plan on buying everything.
 
enginurd said:
Please revisit this thread 2 - 4 weeks before you plan on buying everything.
Click to expand...

I most certainly will.
And as always, I will keep up with the newest hardware, prices, and reviews before making any final decisions. Everyone here has been a great help, and the community is wonderful. I'll try to visit more often.

Besides, I'll likely have other builds to be looked at before then, and I won't hesitate to give yall a holler.
 
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