Seeking comments on planned new build

D

djohn3853

n00b
Joined
Feb 15, 2009
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I'm planning a new build sometime in the next couple months. No big rush. Trying to space out the purchases to lessen the impact on my wallet.
What am i looking to spend? Hopefully no more than $800 to $900.

I do some gaming. I picked up FarCry 2, but my current rig cant play it. I've always like the fps like Doom, Half Life.
I also like to download and watch tv shows and just general web surfing.

I plan to oc, but nothing crazy. Air cooling only.

I recently got the 23" Acer monitor. Model H233H w/native res 1920 x 1080

I've ordered a Corsair 650w psu. Arriving this week from the egg.

I'm thinking of this:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Tuniq Tower 120 Universal CPU Cooler 120mm Cooling Fan and Fan Controller/Heatsink - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001

Still up in the air is case & dvd burner.

plan to use on-board sound.

I welcome any and all comments.
 
That memory wont work.

Its DDR3 and your selected board takes DDR2
 
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122 $45

Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 $70

SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810 $170

9800 GTX+ is not in 4870 weight class...
 
Ill second the 4870 instead of the 9800 ive got 2 4870s in crossfire and they just kick ass...

Almost all full settings in crysis warhead and the gameplay is just amazing. I see the concussion from the explosions!

As far as the hard drive its what ever you want just stick to a Seagate or WD they seem to be the better brands imo.

As far as the CPU goes since you plan to OC why not go for the 8400 instead? save some money there... I have no clue what the OC capabilities are vrs the 2 of them but thats something someone would have to look up.
 
I'll have to think about the 4870. It seems to get a lot of votes here and elsewhere.

e8500 vs e8400. Only about a $20 difference. Why not get 3.16Ghz vs 3.0 stock speed for that $20.

The gskill mem that others are pointing out isn't as good as the ocz I sleected. ocz is ddr2 1066.

The caviar I selected has 32mb cache. The other one has only 16 for the same price
 
Which specific model is your monitor, and what is its native resolution? You would be better off with either the HD4870 or the GTX 260 for gaming.

You'll see no difference performance-wise between the E8400 and the E8500. Though $20 may not be enough to warrant the switch, you may want to invest the savings towards getting a better video card or an aftermarket CPU cooler (especially since you plan on overclocking your system... both processors would reach the same approximate thresholds).

G.Skill RAM is fine, even though you can't push it beyond the particular RAM's rated speeds. (Who's telling you that G.Skill sucked?) Many OCZ RAM sets run at a higher voltage, which can cause problems for those trying to overclock the processor.

Get the 640GB Caviar Blue (WD6400AAKS) or Black (WD6401AALS) hard drive instead, as they perform on par with the last-gen WD Raptors (and are only 10% slower, in most benchmarks, than the current-gen VelociRaptors). Though the Black drive is faster, cache size matters little towards the hard drive's overall performance. The dual 320GB drive platters of those 640GB drives make them very fast compared to other drives.

I'll leave the case selection up to you, but what are you looking for in a case? As for the other parts suggestions:

CPU cooler: Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (with retention bracket)
DVD drive: Samsung SH-S223F
OS: Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
 
tiraides said:
Which specific model is your monitor, and what is its native resolution? You would be better off with either the HD4870 or the GTX 260 for gaming.

G.Skill RAM is fine, even though you can't push it beyond the particular RAM's rated speeds. (Who's telling you that G.Skill sucked?) Many OCZ RAM sets run at a higher voltage, which can cause problems for those trying to overclock the processor.

Get the 640GB Caviar Blue (WD6400AAKS) or Black (WD6401AALS) hard drive instead, as they perform on par with the last-gen WD Raptors (and are only 10% slower, in most benchmarks, than the current-gen VelociRaptors). Though the Black drive is faster, cache size matters little towards the hard drive's overall performance. The dual 320GB drive platters of those 640GB drives make them very fast compared to other drives.

I'll leave the case selection up to you, but what are you looking for in a case? As for the other parts suggestions:

CPU cooler: Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (with retention bracket)
DVD drive: Samsung SH-S223F
OS: Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
Click to expand...

First of all, Tiraides, I didn't say that the Gskill sucked. I just said that that memory wasn't as good as the one I chose. That opinion was soley based on the fact that the Gskill is ddr2 800 and the OCZ is ddr2 1066. Admittedly, I don't know squat about this stuff, but I thought that the spec onthe ocz was better than that Gskill.

My monitor is an Acer H233H with a native reslolution of 1920 x 1080.

Others have also pointed out the black & blue 640 caviars. I will probably make the change to the black. Its only $5 more.

As for the vid card, many have campaigned for the 4870, although I've always been a Nvidia guy. You know, its the old Ford/Chevy thing. Is there a particular brand preferred in either the 4870 or gtx260
 
If you're looking for warranties Visiontek (ATI), EVGA (Nvidia), and XFX (Nvidia) all have lifetime warranties.

XFX also has a transferable warranty on their cards if you ever plan to sell it.
 
There seem to be a fair number of complaints about problems with OCZ rebates, enough that I'd avoid them when there are other good choices (G.Skill).
 
djohn3853 said:
I'll have to think about the 4870. It seems to get a lot of votes here and elsewhere.
Click to expand...

If going for the 4870, go for the 1GB version which is on par with the GTX 260 Core 216. I wouldn't even consider the 9800 GTX+ that you selected because that is an overpriced card which at best performs on par with the 4850, which is an all-around better performing card, is cheaper, can be OC'ed to sufficient speeds, and outperforms the GTX+ when AA is turned on.

djohn3853 said:
e8500 vs e8400. Only about a $20 difference. Why not get 3.16Ghz vs 3.0 stock speed for that $20.
Click to expand...

Sure, but you can OC the E8400 and it is a great performing chip that can often hit 3.8-4.0 GHz on air. If you want to spend the additional $20, you're more than welcome to.

djohn3853 said:
The gskill mem that others are pointing out isn't as good as the ocz I sleected. ocz is ddr2 1066.
Click to expand...

That G.Skill is great and easily overclocks. For $50, you can get this 4GB kit of DDR2 1000 and easily OC past the 1066 OCZ.

djohn3853 said:
The caviar I selected has 32mb cache. The other one has only 16 for the same price
Click to expand...

Cache isn't really as important as you think. If you're willing to shell out $10 more, go for the Caviar Black (AALS) which you selected as opposed to the Caviar Blue (AAKS), but I doubt you will see more than 5% real world performance improvement.
 
I agree with tiraides, on everything. You want to pay $20 for 166Mhz? :confused: why? Put that money towards something else more worthwhile.

For your res, stick with the HD4870 1GB or GTX260 216 at least. You'll be better off with the GTX280, though, or one of the newer variants.

/*------------- <cut n paste> -------------*/
Formulas for Intel platform @ 1:1 settings:
c × [Base FSB speed] = CPU Clock speed (c = CPU Multiplier)
2 × [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed
4 × [Base FSB speed] = Effective FSB speed

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, may need WC'ing
E8400: 9 × 533 = 4.8Ghz, DDR2-1066 << Impossible on air?
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/

As you can see, you don't even need DDR2-1066 for your CPU choice, and the E8500 has an even higher multiplier of 9.5x, so if you stick with it, theres even less reason to get DDR2-1066. Also, 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.

Performance difference between the black and blue 640GB Caviars is negligible.
 
OK guys, lots of comments to address. And let me just say, I appreciate everyones input.

First of all, I barely know how to oc my cpu, I hadn't considered oc my mem. But if its no more difficult, I'm game. Remember, though, air cooling only. So I concede on the Gskill.

I had hoped to oc the cpu to 4.0. If I can get that with the E8400, then that would be a smart move.

Vid card is confusing (like a menu at chinese restaurant, too many choices). Since I'm a nvidia guy, lets go with the gtx 260 216. But which one? The link is for evga 260's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...402 106792634 1067940781 1369844342&name=EVGA

And to throw in another kicker, pcper hardware leaderboard choosed the BFG gtx 260 216 on their high end system
 
lt_shiro said:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122 $45

Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 $70

SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810 $170

9800 GTX+ is not in 4870 weight class...
Click to expand...

the 9800GTX has nothing on the 4870. Side by side, there is no contest. But may I suggest getting a bit more ram. I know most systems dont utilize it now, but for the future it might be a good idea.
 
Red_Star said:
the 9800GTX has nothing on the 4870. Side by side, there is no contest. But may I suggest getting a bit more ram. I know most systems dont utilize it now, but for the future it might be a good idea.
Click to expand...

Only if you're using a serious resource-consuming program like Photoshop or a task like running a virtual machine would you need more than 4GB of RAM. Additionally, you would need a 64-bit OS in order to properly utilize that amount of memory. Gaming, in general, doesn't require that much RAM.
 
Guys, I have made some changes, including a complete flip flop on vid card. I chose the 1 Gig model because of my monitor's resolution. If thats wrong thinking and I can get by with 512, i'm willing to listen.

On the topic of more ram, I thought I read some where that windows could only utilize 4gb of ram. Maybe thats Vista 32 bit.
 
djohn3853 said:
Guys, I have made some changes, including a complete flip flop on vid card. I chose the 1 Gig model because of my monitor's resolution. If thats wrong thinking and I can get by with 512, i'm willing to listen.

On the topic of more ram, I thought I read some where that windows could only utilize 4gb of ram. Maybe thats Vista 32 bit.
Click to expand...

Nah, the 1GB model was a good choice for your high res.

As for the 4GB of RAM, all 32bit OSes (Windows and Linux included) can only address 4GB of RAM minus the RAM reserved for other components in the PC and the video card. Often times, a 32bit OS can only use about 3 to 3.5GB of RAM max depending on the video card and hardware. 64bit OSes can support and use 4GB of RAM and more.
 
Really nothing special. I don't care if it has a clear side. Where I have it you wouldn't see in there anyway. Right now I have an Antec SLK3700AMB which was popular back then (about 5 years ago) It has (2) 120mm fans, one that came with it in the rear and the other I added in the front. Other than the power supply which didn't last 2 years I have no complaints with this case.

Well, now that I say that, I guess one requirement would be that the case doesn't come with a psu, since I have bought the Corsair 650W.

Also, I am hoping to oc with the Tuniq cooler, which is passive, so I guess I'd need what, (2) 120mm fans at a minimum?
 
The Tuniq isn't passive, it comes with a fan in the middle. ;) Did you already buy the tuniq? If not, don't bother with it... since its now outdated. While it still performs well, there are better choices out there now. If you already have it, then don't worry about it.

The SLK3700AMB is a great case. If you wanted to save money, I'd reuse that case.
 
The Tuniq Tower isn't passive -- the cooling fan is place approximately in the middle of the heatsink. Check out the pictures posted in this review to see what enginurd and I are talking about. (I also second his recommendation on keeping the SLK3700AAMB -- I wish I'd kept mine.)

The Xigmatek HDT-S1283, which I recommended earlier, can support a second fan. Then again, the one fan that it has is capable of cooling an overclocked quad core processor all by itself.
 
I knew the Tuniq had a fan in the middle. Just had a brain cramp.

I too, like my current Antec case (except what I mentioned about the psu) but I'm keeping my old computer as a spare for the household, hence, I have to get something new (without a psu). Speaking of my new psu, its funny (funny, how? funny like a clown, funny I make you laugh) I can't say "its funny" without breaking in to my Joe Pesci routine. Anyway, its funny the differing opinions you get. Others have told me the psu (650w) isn't enough. Someone else pointed me to an online calculator where you plug in all you hardware. It came up with 350W and with 25% headroom, it still is only 450W.
 
Most of those online calcs overestimate, especially the newegg one. The Corsair 650W is more than enough for your build.

For a case, I'd suggest the Cooler Master RC-690. If you want something similar to your old case, it'll be a Sonata, but those are quite cramped for newer hardware.
 
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