Time to build a new computer

S

Sardaan

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 13, 2004
Messages
200
My old computer is outdated and beyond upgrade status (AMD 64 3500+ with a 6600 series video card).


So the time has arrived, constructive opinions are welcomed. The computer will be used mostly for gaming. MMO's, StarCraft 2, Diablo 3, and a FPS from time to time. I do plan on doing some overclocking.

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V NVIDIA SLI Ready ATI CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9550 - Retail
ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120 120mm CPU Cooler - Retail

The biggest question in my mind is the Q9550 worth the price? Q6600 still seems like a great chip at nearly half the price, but the Q9550 does seem to offer some good overclocking.
 
VelociRaptor doesn't sound like it's worth it for you, I'd recommend going with a WD6400AAKS or possibly Seagate's ST3640323AS as that looks promising as well. Both should perform just under the VelociRaptor, but are priced much better and offer more space.

What resolution do you game at?

I'd drop the RAM to these instead because they're cheaper and cracking 500 FSB is a pretty good stretch for most of the quads.

I'd swap the board to one of the P45's because they're priced the same and offer PCI-E 2.0, which may not be useful now...but it could be later. Plus you're not paying a price premium for it.

If the focus of the computer is gaming, I'd say the Q6600 should be able to accomplish the job if you've overclocked it far enough. Q9xx0's are faster clock for clock, but those improvements and SSE4.1 don't show up in games.
 
I concur 100% with gwai lo.

A few motherboard recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $90
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $112
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $128
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $140
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Motherboard - $150
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 still want a 45nm quad-core, ditch the Q9550. It is definitely not worth the retail price. Especially since the Q9450 can be had for $50 cheaper:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 CPU - $280
 
Updated the Hard Drive, Memory and Motherboard.

I am buying a new monitor shooting for a 1900x1200.
 
HardwareGuru said:
If you looking at a 24" lcd for gaming look at these.

BenQ V2400W
BengQ G2400WD
BenQ T241W
Samsung 2493HM
Samsung 245BW
Samsung T240
Click to expand...


I am going to pick up something locally, Costco had a few Samsungs but I did not take a close look at them a few weeks back. I am going to take a closer look this afternoon.
 
The Samsung 245BW is being phased out at Costco but, it's a great monitor for gaming which has swivel and height adjustment. The 2443BWX model will be replacing the 245BW. The 2443BWX has a higher contrast ratio but, does not have height adjustment. Also, the menu and adjust buttons are touch sensitive on the 2443BWX model.
 
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