Sold old build- Need a new Build

stunning

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 14, 2006
Messages
317
Ok I have been out of the hardware game for quite sometime now... and I recently sold my computer

old specs

e6700 at 3.5ghz
xfx 7800gtx at 500mhz
Asus p5b deluxe
ocz platinum 2x1gb ddr2 pc 6400
etc etc etc


Im looking to spend around 800-900.

since my buddy works at intel, I am getting the qx9450 for roughly 150, but since its backordered for the last month...I might have to settle for the x3350 which essentially looks like the same chip, socket, etc, however that seems to be on backorder as well...


I dont play that many games, mainly 1.6, cz, css so I dont need a beefy video card...

I was thinking either a 9600gt or try buying a 8800gts 640mb off a friend for $140...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130334

I already have an extra samsung DVD RW w/lightscribe laying around so that saves me rougly 30-40 bucks...

Im thinking about sticking with DDR2 since DDR3 is soo expensive, but Im not sure yet, since Im saving money on not buying a beefy video card, I might be within my budget constraint and to go with DDR3

In the meantime, any decent advice would help...

btw which video cards out there today have an HDMI output on them?
 
heh..I was thinking about that board or the msi p7n diamond...

hows the support with DFI? My last build with DFI...I didnt like them too much...and their site seems to be slow....
 
Since your gaming needs are easily met by a single mid range card, it seems like kind of a waste to spend 2x more for an X38 chipset when a P35 would do just fine. Especially when you're looking at nVidia cards, since the X38 is a crossfire enabled chipset for dual ATI cards.
 
I like vict0r's setup but maybe consider changing the mobo and going with:

MIS nForce 750i http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130159
159.99

and a real soundcard instead of onboard
X-Fi http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102016
49.99

Save a few on the video card with the Leadtek 9600GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814122048
147.99

I personally like Thermalright but if you aren't overclocking the cooler he chose should do just fine.

Now you can get a decent chassis too.

Good luck.
 
Again on the mobo front...

If you're going SLI you don't have a choice. Have to have an nVidia chipset
If you're going Crossfire, go with the X38

If you're going for single card, stick with P35. Intel chipsets are (for good reason) considered better than nVidia chipsets, I'd recommend sticking with one of those, unless of course like I said, you plan on going SLI, which it doesn't seem like you will.
 
Since your gaming needs are easily met by a single mid range card, it seems like kind of a waste to spend 2x more for an X38 chipset when a P35 would do just fine. Especially when you're looking at nVidia cards, since the X38 is a crossfire enabled chipset for dual ATI cards.


Gaming is not the only thing i do on my computer...


I do like to overclock the heck out of my system, I tend to run a few virtualization software (vmware) for work, etc.

I did feel as if my e6700 overclocked to 3.5ghz was lacking in cpu speed...


In the end I just want a beefy computer that more based on CPU,
 
Gaming is not the only thing i do on my computer...


I do like to overclock the heck out of my system, I tend to run a few virtualization software (vmware) for work, etc.

I did feel as if my e6700 overclocked to 3.5ghz was lacking in cpu speed...


In the end I just want a beefy computer that more based on CPU,

That's exactly my point bud. The advantage of the x38 is that it supports crossfire, which isn't needed in your case. That is why I'm recommending a P35. It will be cheaper and as far as your needs are concerend, there would be no difference in terms of performance.
 
I like vict0r's setup but maybe consider changing the mobo and going with:

MIS nForce 750i http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130159
159.99

and a real soundcard instead of onboard
X-Fi http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102016
49.99

Save a few on the video card with the Leadtek 9600GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814122048
147.99

I personally like Thermalright but if you aren't overclocking the cooler he chose should do just fine.

Now you can get a decent chassis too.

Good luck.

That's exactly my point bud. The advantage of the x38 is that it supports crossfire, which isn't needed in your case. That is why I'm recommending a P35. It will be cheaper and as far as your needs are concerend, there would be no difference in terms of performance.

I like your input, make sense economically for my budget constraint...

I sold my computer for 1000, however I was able to keep my x-fi sound card, 1 dvd rom, floppy, 3/4 500 gb hard drives, keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers...

my 7800gtx lasted me..what 3 now...you think a 9600gt will last me roughly 3 years as well?

Im very opened to playing new games like as GRAW, However when i play 1.6, cz, css I get very anal about not having 100 fps...so I would still like a decent video card, thats why I was aiming towards the 9600gt, but will that be sufficient? or should i bump it up to a 8800gts 512 g94? or g92?

so...do you have any suggestions on a p35 motherboard?
 
*Feels like he says this a million times per day*...
Xigmatek.

sorry...(not being sarcastic or anything) but i really havent been on forums for a while and dont know whats out there...

forums is what started me on my IT background and will and always has been a good source for help for me :D..

any links to anything specific?
 
I like your input, make sense economically for my budget constraint...

I sold my computer for 1000, however I was able to keep my x-fi sound card, 1 dvd rom, floppy, 3/4 500 gb hard drives, keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers...

my 7800gtx lasted me..what 3 now...you think a 9600gt will last me roughly 3 years as well?

Im very opened to playing new games like as GRAW, However when i play 1.6, cz, css I get very anal about not having 100 fps...so I would still like a decent video card, thats why I was aiming towards the 9600gt, but will that be sufficient? or should i bump it up to a 8800gts 512 g94? or g92?

so...do you have any suggestions on a p35 motherboard?

I'm partial to gigabyte boards. I'm happy with the one I'm running . (specs in sig)

9600GT will be sufficent for those games, but if an 8800GT/S is in your budget, I say go for it.
 
so...do you have any suggestions on a p35 motherboard?
I have a few recommendations:

Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
MSI P35 Neo2-FR Intel P35 Motherboard - $110
DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL Intel P35 Motherboard - $110
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
DFI LanParty DK P35-T2RS Intel P35 Motherboard - $140
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $148
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $170
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $170
Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS4 Intel X38 Motherboard - $207

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports, check out the DS3L. If you need 5 SATA ports, 2 eSATA ports, and a second PCI-E x16 port, then get the Neo2-Fr. If you want heavy overclocking abilities and six SATA ports, check out the Blood Iron. If you like the BloodIron but want significantly better overclock stability, go for the LanParty. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports and high overclocks, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you want the DS3R but need Firewire and a second PCI-E x16 port, then go for the DS3P. If you want something that can overclock pretty damn high along with, RAID, eSATA ports and firewire connections, than the IP35 Pro. If you like the DS3P but want better cooling for overclocking, then go for the DS4.

As for the video card front, I recommend going up to the 8800GT. It's only $30 more but it will last you a bit longer than the 9600GT.

Also, I second UtopiA's Xigmatek HDT-S1283 HSF recommendation. It's a great HSF that performs close to one of the top HSF out there, the Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120. Yet it's significantly cheaper.

As for RAM, I recommend the following depending on how far you want to OC:
A-Data ADQVE1B16K 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $78
G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 1000 RAM - $90

The DDR2 1000 RAM will allow you to reach 4.0Ghz with the Q9450 while the DDR2 800 RAM will only allow for a 3.2Ghz if you keep the FSB and RAM at a 1:1 ratio.

As for power supplies, this is simply one of the best deals out right now for a quality power supply:
Corsair 750TX 750W PSU - $99

It is a bit much for your system but it's a deal that you shouldn't pass up. Review of the PSU:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=73
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQwMywsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0
 
Eww, an EP35 DS3L?
Does that mean they'll stop selling the old ones now?
 
Eww, an EP35 DS3L?
Does that mean they'll stop selling the old ones now?

It means that they'll stop making the old ones. The old ones will still be sold as long as there is still some of them in stock. But soon they'll end up like the IP35-E, rare to find and overpriced.
 
ok i notice on GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R, it says that the second pcie is electrical? what does that mean?

im thinking its just another pcie slot that doesnt run at full bandwidth (16x) and its pretty much there to run a second video card to run a secondary monitor to take some load off the first video card...?
 
ok i notice on GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R, it says that the second pcie is electrical? what does that mean?

im thinking its just another pcie slot that doesnt run at full bandwidth (16x) and its pretty much there to run a second video card to run a secondary monitor to take some load off the first video card...?

That's the difference between the X38 and P35. The X38 has two PCIe x16 slots, both of them with 16 lanes. The P35 chipset boards will either have a single PCIe x16 slot with 16 lanes or two PCIe x16 slots, one with a full 16 lanes, but the other only 4.

The X38 would be benificial if you're running two ATI cards. dual nVidia cards are not supported.
 
so if i grabbed an x38, i couldnt just slap a cheezy video card in the pcie x1 slot to run a another monitor or my instant messages and crap while i play games?
 
I have a few recommendations:

As for power supplies, this is simply one of the best deals out right now for a quality power supply:
Corsair 750TX 750W PSU - $99

It is a bit much for your system but it's a deal that you shouldn't pass up. Review of the PSU:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=73
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQwMywsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0


Honestly I really dont like to go cheap on a PSU, Ive done that once... and regret it to this day (during my early years of building computers)

I turned off my computer and took it outside to do some cleaning with a can of compressed air... came back in...nothing worked...after hours of troubleshooting a non operating computer, i tried a new psu and boom it worked...however my slot load dvd rom drive that i spent 120 on went out...1 ram stick died....1 psu dead....


I thought i had enough power...agiea aspire 520 watt POS PSU...


so yea...I always stress on having a good PSU...
 
so if i grabbed an x38, i couldnt just slap a cheezy video card in the pcie x1 slot to run a another monitor or my instant messages and crap while i play games?

You don't need another video card for that. All of the video cards mentioned have full support for dual monitors. Heck, the PC i'm typing this on right now only has a 6600GT and I've got dual monitors on it at 1280x1024 with Vista Aero enabled and watching tv on the 2nd monitor while typing on the primary.
 
You don't need another video card for that. All of the video cards mentioned have full support for dual monitors. Heck, the PC i'm typing this on right now only has a 6600GT and I've got dual monitors on it at 1280x1024 with Vista Aero enabled and watching tv on the 2nd monitor while typing on the primary.


hmm weird last time i was playing cz on 1 22inch screen at 800x600 (dont ask why so low) and my 19 inch lcd with my instant messages and stuff...I kept getting fps drops...
 
Maybe it was a driver issue. My main rig in my sig has dual monitors and there is zero performance difference between having the second monitor enabled or disabled. I play all my games with both monitors enabled and hooked up to a single card. My secondary gaming machine also has dual monitors and I have not seen any performance issues from running dual monitors.
 
Honestly I really dont like to go cheap on a PSU, Ive done that once... and regret it to this day (during my early years of building computers)

I turned off my computer and took it outside to do some cleaning with a can of compressed air... came back in...nothing worked...after hours of troubleshooting a non operating computer, i tried a new psu and boom it worked...however my slot load dvd rom drive that i spent 120 on went out...1 ram stick died....1 psu dead....


I thought i had enough power...agiea aspire 520 watt POS PSU...


so yea...I always stress on having a good PSU...


Corsair PSUs are not "cheap" they are among the very best on the market. There are several reviews on them on this site and the site Danny linked to. That Corsair for $99 just happens to be a great deal on a great PSU.
 
Honestly I really dont like to go cheap on a PSU, Ive done that once... and regret it to this day (during my early years of building computers)

Wait, are you saying that the Corsair PSU I linked to is a cheap PSU? Or are you saying that from past experience you've learned never to cheap out on the PSU?

Yeah I learned my PSU lesson at the hands of an Aspire/Apevia PSU as well. Damn piece of shit took out six hard drives as well as corrupted some RAM before I finally replaced it.
 
is that hsf (XIGMATEK HDT-S1283)better than a tuniq or a thermalright ultra extreme?
 
is that hsf (XIGMATEK HDT-S1283)better than a tuniq or a thermalright ultra extreme?

Not at all, I'd persanally get the Thermalright UE 120, actually I do have that one and it's a great cooler, my fan is nearly silent and still cools the CPU quite well.
 
Provantage charges $25 for shipping, which kills the deal. I'd rather buy the PSU from buy.com for almost the same price but with free shipping

I saw one in frys a while ago for 135 -45 rebate..Maybe Friday when I get a chance ill go and see if they still have that deal..
 
Provantage charges $25 for shipping, which kills the deal. I'd rather buy the PSU from buy.com for almost the same price but with free shipping

$25 for shipping? $10 shipping for me in California. But still kind of kills the deal when the PSU can be had with free shipping from buy.com.

So if Fry's doesn't have the 750TX at a good prices, then get it from buy.com as Abu Som3a recommended.
 
Buy the 750TX if you like this noise:
BUUUUUZZZZZZZZ

They have the same problem as the 550VX units, they all making buzzing noises. Strange how they're both CWT manufactured... And by "all" I pretty much mean ALL of them. Check the Corsair PSU forums, some people have RMA'd the 550 at least 3 times (or bought new ones) and they all have the same noise. Now there are the same threads popping up for the 750.

I already went through this same song and dance on their forums, I use the same "UtopiA" user name.

If you're going for a Corsair PSU, make sure it's one of the Seasonic units, or at least do some Googling and make sure it's a safe PSU.
 
I agree with UtopiA. The Seasonic built units are quieter. My recommendation is the Corsair TX650W PSU.
 
whats up with DFI boards always having floppies for raid drivers?

doesnt ASUS have built in raid drivers? (JM Micron or whatevver?)
 
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