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Thoughts on a build plan

K

karu

n00b
Joined
Oct 2, 2007
Messages
22
Will most likely OC the quad to 3.0

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: Nine Hundred
Item #: N82E16811129021


ASUS Striker Extreme LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX The Ultimate Gaming Motherboard - Retail
Model #: Striker Extreme
Item #: N82E16813131074

MSI NX8800Ultra-T2D768E-HD-OC GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: 8800UltraT2D768EHDOC
Item #: N82E16814127288

XCLIO STABLEPOWER 1000W ATX 1000W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: STABLEPOWER 1000W
Item #: N82E16817189016

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80562Q6600
Item #: N82E16819115017

CORSAIR XMS2 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX - Retail
Model #: TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX
Item #: N82E16820145176


Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD1500AHFD
Item #: N82E16822136011

LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-16D2P-08 - Retail
Model #: DH-16D2P-08
Item #: N82E16827106087

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Model #: ARCTIC SILVER 5
Item #: N82E16835100007


ASUS 90-PN531CE-00100 92mm Sleeve Silent Knight CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #: 90-PN531CE-00100
Item #: N82E16835101007
 
The missing detail is what size monitor you plan to use, which has a direct effect on what video card you should get, which itself may affect what motherboard you should buy.

Keep in mind that 680i boards are needed for SLI and are great boards themselves, but if you're not building an SLI setup, you will be better served with a P-35 based motherboard.
SLI is only beneficial if a) you're gaming at a resolution of at least 1920x1200 and b) you have the cash to buy two of the most powerful cards now (as SLI is only worth it if you desire a graphics solution more powerful than the fastest single card can provide.) That means dropping a grand on two GTX or Ultra cards. SLI as an upgrade path is almost always a bad idea, as a newer single card solution is usually available by the time you're ready to upgrade, offering better performance than two of the older cards in SLI for the same or perhaps less money (if you sell the older card.) Furthermore, keeping a single card solution gives you more motherboard choices and provides for a simpler, cooler running system.

If you ditch the SLI idea, consider the Abit IP 35 Pro or E, the Gigabyte DS3R or the ASUS P5KE as alternative motherboards. If you want SLI, then ditch the overpriced and underperforming Striker Extreme for the EVGA NF-68 A1. It's the best 680i board on the market with the best support and best user community.

Aside from the motherboard and videocard, my only other comments are:

1) If you're getting 4 gigs of RAM, be sure to run a 64-bit OS in order to utilize it all. 32-bit Windows is limited to 4 gigs MINUS the sum of all component memory (i.e. video card memory.) That's a pretty hefty limitation when you've got one (or two) Ultra cards in your rig.

2) Raptors are a loud waste of money. You're sacrificing a lot of cash and a ton of disk space for a great deal of noise and not much more performance. High platter drives from Seagate and Western Digital give you tons of space, are much quieter, and are almost as fast.

That's all I've got. Someone more knowledgeable about PSUs might be able to comment on the 1K unit you've planned for. Otherwise it looks like a good rig.

Good luck on the build,

Mark.
 
I agree with Mark, on all points.

If you have cash to burn, a Raptor isn't a bad way to burn it. But just know that the performance difference isn't much anymore between it and the newer 7200RPM drives.

78MB/s: WD Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB, $160AR
65MB/s: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB, $80
65MB/s: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3300620AS 300GB, $60
52MB/s: WD Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB, $70
112MB/s: RAID0 'cuda's, 600GB total, $120 (ICH9R on P35-DS3R)

As you can see, the 'cuda is twice the size and half the cost, for nearly the same performance. Stick them in RAID0, and you've got an even more cost effective solution. Though, the seek time of the Raptor can't be beat. If you have cash to burn, do so on a Raptor if you really want it. Otherwise, there are better cost effective solutions. BTW, don't bother with the X unless its the same price as the non-X. And the Raptor is cheaper from microcenter.

I'd go with this RAM instead. Its cheaper and performs well:
$170 - G.Skill 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ

Ditch the IDE DVD ROM. Get a SATA DVDRW drive instead for a few bucks more.

For the HSF, I'd strongly suggest one of the following:
$45 - Tuniq Tower 120 CPU HSF
$46 - Thermalright Ultima 90 CPU HS + FBA09A12M - Z ($3)
$55 - Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU HS + Scythe S-Flex Fan SFF21E ($15)

HSF Review: http://anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3068&p=4

The XClio is a good quality Enhance-made unit. Though, there are better options for your money.

PSU Suggestions:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showpost.php?p=1590883&postcount=193
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460
PSU FAQ: http://www.jonnyguru.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1036
 
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