• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

system build or not?

M

machu1

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
254
motherboard
ASUS MAXIMUS EXTREME LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $349.99
video card
VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire $279.99
or

cpu
Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 Wolfdale 3.33GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8600 - Retail $269.99
ram
OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (The Official Memory of the Championship Gaming Model OCZ3F13334GK - Retail
Model #:OCZ3F13334GK $205.99
hard drive
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $169.99
mouse
Logitech G9 Black 5 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse - Retail $89.99
case
ABS Aplus ABS-CS-EL Diablo Black 0.8mm SECC ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail $139.99
power supply
XIGMATEK MC NRP-MC851 850W ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V Ver. 2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
monitor
Model #:NRP-MC851 189.99SCEPTRE X24WG-1080P Black 24" 2ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail $299.99
keyboard
Saitek PZ30AUR Red USB Wired Slim Eclipse Keyboard - Retail $34.99
 
It would help if you answered the following questions:
- Budget?
- What are you planning on doing with this PC?
- Will you be overclocking?

And I'll tell you right now: Ditch that DDR3 RAM and motherboard. DDR3 RAM does not provide a significant enough performance increase with current Intel C2D systems in real world apps to warrant the higher costs. So ditch it. I recommend these other motherboards:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $87
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $112
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $130
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $140
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Motherboard - $152
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2R Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and great overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, just support for 8GB of RAM, and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the I45. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn, need x16/x16 Crossfire, and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus, DFI, or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

If you want the absolute max settings at 1920x1200, then the HD4870X2. If you can stand to lower a few settings at 1920x1200, the HD4870.

And go with this faster and cheaper 1TB drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $125
 
well the budget doesnt matter.like 2thousand.
i want to do everything on my computer.
yeah overclocking by alot.so it could be fast too.
then what u are saying is that all ddr3 ram suck right now.
i dont know but im going with that motherboard that i posted.and other stuff.
 
OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (The Official Memory of the Championship Gaming Model OCZ3F13334GK ... LoL
 
machu1 said:
well the budget doesnt matter.like 2thousand.
i want to do everything on my computer.
yeah overclocking by alot.so it could be fast too.
then what u are saying is that all ddr3 ram suck right now.
i dont know but im going with that motherboard that i posted.and other stuff.
Click to expand...

Ok, be a bit more specific with what you want to do with your PC. Gaming? Virtualization? Video editing? Folding? etc. There's a ton of things you can do on a PC and I'm pretty sure you can't or will do everything

I didn't say DDR3 RAM suck. I said that they are not worth their costs and don't offer any performance increase over current DDR2 RAM. Also, that motherboard you chose only uses DDR3 RAM. I recommend choosing the other motherboards that I recommended.
 
i guess just gaming and downloading.
well other people say that ddr3 is better than ddr2 ram.
and they say new things that come out are better.
 
they are ?
iTYPE said:
OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (The Official Memory of the Championship Gaming Model OCZ3F13334GK ... LoL
Click to expand...
 
machu1 said:
i guess just gaming and downloading.
well other people say that ddr3 is better than ddr2 ram.
and they say new things that come out are better.
Click to expand...

With the Intel Core 2 processors, DDR3 RAM doesn't offer any performance benefit to justify its high price (especially compared to the low prices that DDR2 RAM is currently at). (And who are these "other people"? Just because things are new doesn't always mean that they're going to be better.)

For "just gaming and downloading," you don't need to be spending $350 on the motherboard alone. For your needs, getting either the GA-EP45-DS3R or the Asus P5Q Pro, a 4GB set (2x2GB) of DDR2 1000 RAM, and the HD4870X2 would be enough for you. (With the P5Q Pro, you could also pick up the E8400, which can easily reach the E8600's stock speeds with an aftermarket CPU cooler, and pay only $275 for both of them.) If you must insist on having dual 16x CrossFire -- which you don't really need with the HD4870X2 -- choose one of the DDR2-supporting X38/X48 boards in Danny Bui's list.

I don't believe that you need to spend all of the money you're planning to just for a gaming machine. For example, the Corsair TX750 would be more than enough for your needs, yet it costs over $50 less than the Xigmatec 850W power supply you're considering. Additionally, the Western Digital 640GB hard drive performs much faster than the 1TB hard drive for around half of that amount (and if you want more storage, pick up another 640GB hard drive... or you could go with Danny's choice).

I suggest you reconsider what you're getting. You could save yourself several hundred dollars by following our suggestions, and you won't lose much (if any) performance.
 
DDR3 offers more throughput at the cost of latency. DDR3's real benefit is lower power usage. Realistically DDR2-1066 should be more than efficient seeing how i find it impossible that you are running your CPU at 533mhz FSB 24/7 (correct me if im wrong). For gaming, DDR2 should offer a better reaction time that isnt shown in benchmarks. Its like the theory that AMD pcs are smoother than Intels due to IMC. Its personal experience. So, bottom line is a 1:1 ratio between CPU and RAM (halve the mhz) otherwise its just a waste of resources.

Heres a guide on RAM:
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=286158

If you goto LANs alot and the computer is moved around abit. Switch your HDDs to 2 320gigs 2.5" in RAID 1 and another 750gig hard drive for storage. That way, you have insurance and more read speed. Its one of the things that i wish i did when i built my PC. It SUCKS you arrive to a lan only to find your hdd died on the way.

Im a AMD fanboi so i have absolutely no clue which mobo offers the best performace. I think DFI lanparty had a good rep. Asus tends to be flashy but not always the best.

Oh and get a gaming mousepad, you wont regret it.
 
To clear up some confusion, here are some figures for Intel-related bus/RAM speeds:

Stated FSB/4 = Actual FSB
Multiplier x Actual FSB = CPU Speed
1:1 Ratio: 2 x Actual FSB = RAM Speed
1:1 Ratio: FSB = 1/2 RAM speed
Click to expand...

Basically, the FSB on Intel's Core 2 processors are listed as four times their actual speeds, and DDR2 RAM is listed at twice its acutal speed. A gross oversimplification of overclocking an Intel processor is that the RAM speed should match the (actual) FSB speed (barring any other factors, such as voltage adjustment). For example:

E8400:
Multi x Actual FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9 x 333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.0Ghz <== Stock Speeds
9 x 400Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 3.6Ghz <== Easy OC
9 x 450Mhz, DDR2 900 RAM = 4.0Ghz <== Excellent OC
9 x 500Mhz, DDR2 1000 RAM = 4.5Ghz <== If you're EXTREMELY lucky

E8600:
Multi x Actual FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
10 x 333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.33Ghz <== Stock Speeds
10 x 400Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 4.0Ghz <== Good OC
10 x 450Mhz, DDR2 900 RAM = 4.5Ghz <== Excellent OC
10 x 500Mhz, DDR2 1000 RAM = 5.0Ghz <== If you're EXTREMELY lucky
Click to expand...

Note that none of the above gains are guaranteed. A lot of other factors come into play, including the processor you may receive.

Again, for an Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad setup (which will beat the equivalent AMD build), there is no performance benefit from using DDR3 RAM. You'll reach the same OC thresholds with DDR2 RAM as you would DDR3 RAM -- but you'll only be spending around $75 for a 4GB DDR2 kit instead of nearly $210 for a 4GB DDR3 kit.
 
and i picked this one
ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
and got these ram too
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF - Retail
 
No, that's not good.

The Asus Rampage Formula is overpriced (considering the features it has) and the 4GB set of G.Skill DDR2 1000 RAM I linked to earlier gives you the same overclocking headroom as the more expensive Corsair Dominator DDR2 1066 kit.

Go with the HD4870X2, as it's essentially two HD4870 GPUs on one board. You don't really need a second card (for CrossFire) if you're using it on a 24" monitor, so consider getting a P45-based motherboard instead. (See Danny Bui's post for motherboard suggestions.)
 
ok here are some that i picked out?
ABIT IP35 Pro XE LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS5 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
ASUS P5Q WS LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
BIOSTAR TPower I45 LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Foxconn P45A-S LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Foxconn ELA LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
 
Asus P5Q Pro is great bang for buck, and there might still be a combo price for it bundled with the E8400.
 
enginurd said:
Asus P5Q Pro is great bang for buck, and there might still be a combo price for it bundled with the E8400.
Click to expand...

The combo is still active:

tiraides said:
For your needs, getting either the GA-EP45-DS3R or the Asus P5Q Pro, a 4GB set (2x2GB) of DDR2 1000 RAM, and the HD4870X2 would be enough for you. (With the P5Q Pro, you could also pick up the E8400, which can easily reach the E8600's stock speeds with an aftermarket CPU cooler, and pay only $275 for both of them.)
Click to expand...
 
Ditch the Abit IP35 since it's the same price as the newer and PCI-E 2.0 carrying P45 motherboards. Ditch the Foxconn ELA and P5Q WS since they cost just as much as X38 and X48 motherboards.

Ahh forget it, machu, just go with taht E8400 and Asus P5Q Pro combo.
 
well im just going to go all out on a new computer buying new part might as well.and you could help me overclock hard core please.
 
You're ignoring the point Danny made. You don't have to "go all out" just to get good performance.

Save your money and get the E8400 and the P5Q Pro bundle. You can overclock them to the same levels as you would the E8600 and GA-EP45-DS3R.
 
machu1 said:
um i dont know just new things in general.
Click to expand...

Ok, dude, just get the E8400 and Asus P5Q Pro combo. It's a good combo and it'll be a while before any new CPU and motherboard reach the same price and performance ratio.

Also, usually in six months time, ANY rig bought today will be outperformed. So don't worry about any new hardware releases.
 
machu1 said:
i just want a decent one.
that i like.
Click to expand...

Again, for the umpteenth time, the E8400 and Asus P5Q Pro combo is a decent setup that is more than enough for gaming.

Now just get the RAM, PSU and HDD that Tiraides recommended in post #9 and you'll be set.
 
but now have to maybe sell my old one to get some cash out of that and save some money other ways too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top