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Potential Future Computer?

T

tangokilla

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
102
I decided to buy a computer as my current one is about six years old.

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

Power Supply - Antec BP550 Plus 550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

Graphics Card - Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127370

Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW(Mid Tower Computer Case)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

Hard drive - Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098

Ram - CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194

Motherboard - ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142

I picked the ATI 4850 judging it from this article, http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=579&type=expert&pid=1 .

I'm not too sure about the motherboard however. Some friends have told me that if I wanted to upgrade it down the line, I wouldn't be able to get some of the higher end ATIs because the mobo isn't SLI supportive. Keeping the price around $120, is there any other good motherboard that I could use in the near future?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 
You need to revise your build a bit. Is your budget around $800?

I suggest going with something different:

$55 - Antec Three Hundred (free shipping)
$7 - Two Yate Loon D12SL-12 fans (at $3.60 each, for Three Hundred)
$70 - Corsair VX450 (free shipping & $15 mail-in rebate))
$140 - Asus P5Q Pro (free shipping)
$170 - E8400 (free shipping)
$50 - Zerotherm Nirvana (free shipping & $10 mail-in rebate)
$75 - A-DATA 2x2GB DDR2 800 kit
$65 - WD3200AAKS (free shipping)
$180 - VisionTek HD 4850
=====
$807 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)


I went with the E8400, which could be easily overclocked above the E8500's speeds, to make room for the Asus P5Q Pro, which would allow you to use CrossFire with another HD4850. (You'll see little difference at stock speeds, performance-wise, between the E8400 and the E8500.) However, unless you're gaming at or above a 1920x1200 resolution (or, a 24 inch or larger monitor), CrossFire is not necessary, nor is the second HD4850. (If that's the case, and you still want a decent overclocking board, a cheaper alternative is the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3R.)

I've included a CPU cooler believing that you're going to overclock the processor. (While the retail HSF works fine for stock speeds, this one runs quieter and performs better -- in addition to being able to cool an overclocked processor.) If you are overclocking the processor, you may want to get faster RAM like the G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 1000 kit. (If you have no intention of overclocking, though, you could omit the aftermarket CPU cooler and stick with the DDR2 800 kit. I don't recommend switching out the processor because you'll see little performance difference between the two.)

The Corsair VX450 produces a bit more power through its 12V rail (396W/12=33A) than the Antec BP550 (384W/12=32A) you chose, but the real reason I chose it is because it's a better quality fan (and is designed to be more energy efficient). If you are really considering CrossFire in the future, you'll want a PSU with a little more power, like the Corsair TX650 or TX750.

Do you need an optical drive? If so, you could get the Samsung SH-S223F DVD burner for $25 (with free shipping).

Best Buy is currently having a sale on the VisionTek HD4850 -- VisionTek is the only AMD/ATI-based manufacturer that offers limited lifetime warranties on its cards. If you miss the sale (which only lasts for this week), you could pick up a different card, like the MSI HD4850.
 
tangokilla said:
I'm not too sure about the motherboard however. Some friends have told me that if I wanted to upgrade it down the line, I wouldn't be able to get some of the higher end ATIs because the mobo isn't SLI supportive. Keeping the price around $120, is there any other good motherboard that I could use in the near future?
Click to expand...

Huh? That motherboard does have SLI. However I think you're thinking of Crossfire, ATI's version of SLI. SLI does not work with ATI GPUs. And yes you would be able to upgrade to higher-end ATI cards in the future with that motherboard. But that mobo is a piss-poor choice for any kind of rig.

I recommend going with Tiraides' build. It's several degrees of quality higher than your current setup.
 
Thanks for the terrific insight fellas! I'm very interested in Tiraides' build but my intentions were not to overclock, simply leave it stock.

Assuming those conditions (with the budget around $800), what would you recommend?
 
tangokilla said:
Thanks for the terrific insight fellas! I'm very interested in Tiraides' build but my intentions were not to overclock, simply leave it stock.

Assuming those conditions (with the budget around $800), what would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Same as Tiraides' build but drop the Zerotherm Nirvana HSF and use the extra cash towards a bigger and slightly faster drive:
Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $85

And use the leftover $30 to buy the SATA DVD burner that Tiraides' recommended.
 
Thanks again Danny Bui.

I did so some research on the E8400/E8500 and it seems that there really isn't a big difference at all between those two. Great advice!
 
Also people on NewEgg on claiming they overclocked the E8400 to 3.8ghz - 4.3ghz...is this possible? Some are claiming they reached 3.8ghz with stock cooler.
 
tangokilla said:
Also people on NewEgg on claiming they overclocked the E8400 to 3.8ghz - 4.3ghz...is this possible? Some are claiming they reached 3.8ghz with stock cooler.
Click to expand...

It's possible. Though I wouldn't try it with the stock cooler.
 
tangokilla said:
Danny - Just a few more questions, if ya don't mind =D

What is the difference between 'kits' amonst RAM?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145 1000kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194 800kit

I can make a few assumptions, but I want to be clearly informed.

Also, just for my general knowledge; If I have a nvidia motherboard, will I be able to use an ATI graphics card?
Click to expand...

The Corsair DDR2 800 RAM has fancy heatspreaders and lower latency. However you won't notice the lower latency outside of synthetic benchmarks. So the Corsair RAM is not worth the extra costs. So go with the G.Skill DDR2 1000 RAM.

And yes you will be able to run an ATI card on a Nvidia motherboard and vice versa.
 
OC'ing is easy these days with these Core2 chips. If done right, and heat is kept in check, you won't shorten the life of any components. Here's some math to help persuade you to OC'ing...

/*------------- <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):

E8400: 9 × 333 = 3.0Ghz, DDR2-667 << STOCK
E8400: 9 × 400 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-800 << Nice OC
E8400: 9 × 445 = 4.0Ghz, DDR2-890 << Good OC
E8400: 9 × 500 = 4.5Ghz, DDR2-1000 << Great OC

Again, you won't notice a difference between CL4 and CL5, unless you're running benchmarks (and even then, the difference is negligible), so don't pay a huge price premium for lower latency.
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/
 
Danny Bui said:
The Corsair DDR2 800 RAM has fancy heatspreaders and lower latency. However you won't notice the lower latency outside of synthetic benchmarks. So the Corsair RAM is not worth the extra costs. So go with the G.Skill DDR2 1000 RAM.

And yes you will be able to run an ATI card on a Nvidia motherboard and vice versa.
Click to expand...

Well the Corsair is $75 after rebates. Might as well go with it =)
 
tangokilla said:
Well the Corsair is $75 after rebates. Might as well go with it =)
Click to expand...

Lets see... your choices are...

$80 up front for faster DDR2-1000 RAM, or
$105 up front for slower DDR2-800 RAM with big heatspreaders that might get in the way of my CPU HSF?

I'd go with the faster RAM for less up front money instead of trying to play the rebate game to save $5, but thats just me. Rebates are never guaranteed, you get faster RAM for less up front money, and G.Skill is a good, reliable brand... I don't see why anyone would choose the Corsairs. :confused: :rolleyes:
 
Corsair makes great RAM... *whistles* ... but I got my XMS kit years ago... *turns head the other way* ... on sale.... *whistles some more*

tangokilla said:
Well the Corsair is $75 after rebates. Might as well go with it =)
Click to expand...

If you're not overclocking AT ALL, stick with the A-DATA RAM that I recommended earlier. It's $75 WITHOUT rebates -- and it works just as well as the G.Skill and the Corsair RAM.
 
tiraides said:
Corsair makes great RAM... *whistles* ... but I got my XMS kit years ago... *turns head the other way* ... on sale.... *whistles some more*...
Click to expand...

lol, I didn't mean corsair in general, I just meant between those two choices. Though, I agree, the A-Data kit is even great... if that $5 bugs you. :p
 
so after much much thought, I am still in a dilemma.

My budget will not allow me to get both the E8400 and the HD 4870.

Therefore, I will have to choose the

E7200 and HD 4870
or
E8400 and HD 4850

Considering that I will not be overclocking much, or at all, which 'package' is better?
 
I'd say stick with the E8400 and HD4850, but if you plan on playing games at a 24 inch (1920x1200) or larger monitor, or you want to get as many frame rates as possible on a 22 inch (1680x1050) monitor, go with the E7200 and the HD4870.
 
tangokilla said:
Doesn't the E7200 have a low Cache size? 3mb?
Click to expand...

3MB is still enough for gaming. If you truly want the best performance, OC that E7200 and get the HD4870. Even an easy 3.1Ghz OC is a nice improvement... and did I mention its easy? :p
 
tangokilla said:
How did you decide so quickly?
Click to expand...

Because I know my hardware?

The E7200 is only 5 to 10% slower than the E8400 if both were clocked the same. Since gaming above 1280x1024 is pretty much GPU limited and not CPU limited with most games, if you OC the E7200 to 3Ghz or so, you'll notice no difference between it and the E8400 at higher resolutions.
 
tangokilla, please edit your original post to include what the items you've selected actually are. Don't make people have to click on newegg links to figure things out. That will help you get a better response. :)
 
Lethal said:
tangokilla, please edit your original post to include what the items you've selected actually are. Don't make people have to click on newegg links to figure things out. That will help you get a better response. :)
Click to expand...

Done.

Using 'tiraides' build, what would be the FPS difference (say in Crysis) between E7200 and E8400. Assuming neither are overclocked.

tiraides suggestion:
Antec Three Hundred (free shipping)
Two Yate Loon D12SL-12 fans (at $3.60 each, for Three Hundred)
Corsair VX450 (free shipping & $15 mail-in rebate))
Asus P5Q Pro (free shipping)
E8400 (free shipping)
Zerotherm Nirvana (free shipping & $10 mail-in rebate)
A-DATA 2x2GB DDR2 800 kit
WD3200AAKS (free shipping)
VisionTek HD 4850
 
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