yet another new build opinion request thread

[roXet]

Yeah, I'm another sap upgrading his Athlon XP 2600 system, seems like every thread I've seen recently has been upgrading from a similar system. =)

I'm ready to build a new rig, obviously, but I need some input from you guys, since the last time I really paid attention to computer hardware stuff is when I built my current system. I've been reading though all the "build critique" threads on here and some other things and I think I've come up with a pretty good build, but I do have some questions.

My budget is capped at 1500, but I would like to keep the main componets around 1200 or 1300 so I can afford some other things like a new mouse and headset. I would like the system to last as long as possible, but I mainly want to make sure that I'm not buying anything that will be totally obsolete in a month. Pretty much all this system will be for is playing games, Warhammer online specifically, but I also want to play some of the upcoming games when they finally come out (Rage, SC2, Diablo 3, etc)

Here is what I have so far:

VisionTek 900241 Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283
LG W2252TQ-TF

I'm still not decided on what RAM to get. I want to go with 4GB for now, so I'll need some suggestions there. I'm going to go with Vista 64, unless you guys suggest otherwise. I'm leery of going with Vista, but I want to go ahead and be able to use DX10.

Also, I would like some opinions on a monitor, that is probably where I am least comfortable. I saw that LG 22" suggested in another thread and it sounds fine to me, but I might want to upgrade to something like: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014173 but I'm not sure if the video card I have picked out will push that high of a resolution.

Thanks for your help guys.

 

[tungt88]

The 4850's are perfect up to 1680x1050, but for anything over that a 4870 or more would be ideal. Still, if you're not doing Crysis, you should be fine gaming @ 1920x1200 with a 4850.

 

[tiraides]

Just a few nitpicks on your (otherwise well thought out) build:

• You could find the Cooler master RC-690 case and Corsair VX550 power supply for less at either Provantage or Buy.com. Buy.com offers free shipping on both items, but depending on where you live, Provantage may be cheaper. The Corsair TX750 is also available for $110 with free shipping at Buy.com. While the TX750 is overkill for your current build, it can handle just about anything you could throw at it, and it will give you plenty of power for future upgrades.
• All you need for the E7200 is a DDR2 800 kit. A-DATA and G.Skill have good, cheap 4GB sets for under/around $80 shipped.
• Since you're considering the HDT-S1283, get the retention bracket as well. It makes mounting the CPU cooler much easier.
• Consider getting one of the Samsung DVD burners, as they perform much quieter than the Lite-On drives. (And this is coming from an owner of a Lite-On DVD burner.)
• Vista, contrary to what the detractors may say is stable enough for everyday use. The 64-bit version of Vista -- Home Premium is really all that most people need -- has better hardware support than XP Pro x64, and it will allow you to fully utilize all of your RAM. (The long story short can be found in the GenHard FAQ.)

I'll let someone else help you with monitor recommendations -- though you could also check out the Displays forum for ideas -- but you may want to consider the HD4870 if you are a serious gamer (besides Warhammer Online, like say Crysis or Supreme Commander) or if you prefer getting a 24 inch monitor instead of the 22 inch LG monitor you have in your list. The HD4850 can play games at that resolution, but if you're looking for the best video quality while maintaining a consistently high framerate, it may not be enough. VisionTek is the only company I know of that offers a limited lifetime warranty on its AMD/ATI video cards, so that would be the best place (IMO) to get your video card from.

 

[tungt88]

+1 for VisionTek

 

[ynih]

I'd recommend getting the LGA 775 bolt thru kit for $7 shipped from sidewindercomputers. It makes installing the xigmatek more stable. I have that same board, and it's compatible.

The 4850 is a good choice...even beats the 8800gtx. And I remember how big of a rave that was when THAT came out. Why not step up to the E8400? Or is the price reaching to that point...?

I'd screw vista and go with XP 64bit. All the mobo drivers are supported in 64 bit (I am running it now). 4GB is plenty for XP. I went with low latency DDR2-800, instead of higher latency DDR2-1066. I went with 8 Gbs of this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194.

 

[tiraides]

I'd recommend getting the LGA 775 bolt thru kit for $7 shipped from sidewindercomputers. It makes installing the xigmatek more stable. I have that same board, and it's compatible.

The "generic" bolt-thru kit and the Xigmatek retention bracket are essentially the same thing. In this case, it would be (somewhat) cheaper to get it from NewEgg, since the OP is buying the majority of his parts there.

The 4850 is a good choice...even beats the 8800gtx. And I remember how big of a rave that was when THAT came out. Why not step up to the E8400? Or is the price reaching to that point...?

The price may be reaching "that point," but the E7200 is a great overclocker in its own right.

And to answer the earlier "question" about whether or not this rig would become obsolete... as long as it does what you need it to do, you shouldn't worry too much about the new items that are coming over the horizon. While Nehalem (aka, Core i7) will be arriving within the next few months, a Core i7 build (with a Nehalem-based processor, motherboard, and DDR3 RAM) will be considerably more expensive than a Core 2 processor, a P43/P45 motherboard, and DDR2 RAM. (And the prices for Nehalem-based components aren't likely to go down much over the next few months, at least.)

I'd screw vista and go with XP 64bit. All the mobo drivers are supported in 64 bit (I am running it now). 4GB is plenty for XP. I went with low latency DDR2-800, instead of higher latency DDR2-1066. I went with 8 Gbs of this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194.

My only rebuttal to the OS argument is that an OEM copy of Vista Home Premium x64 is available for around $90-$100 at various places.

For most people, 2GB of RAM is really all they need (though we have been recommending 4GB kits often due to their very low prices). The only reasons you should purchase 8GB are for system-intensive programs that could utilize that much memory (such as Photoshop or Maya), constant 3D/video editing and/or encoding, and for the use of multiple Virtual Machines.

 

[roXet]

I've been reading a few other posts and whatnot and I have a few changes.

I am thinking about going with Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

I hadn't really considered a Quad Core because they seemed to out of my price range. But I had seen recommendations to go up to the e8400 and I had just about decided on that when I realized the Q6600 is not a whole lot more. Opinions on that decision?

Then I picked out this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231184 4GB Gskill kit. the Q660 runs at 1066Mhz and this ram says it does too, so that is what I want, right?

I'll probably get everything from NewEgg because the company I work for does a program where you can buy a computer from Dell and finance it out for 2 years with no interest. They will let me part out a computer and still finance the cost of the parts, but I want to keep it to one vendor so that it won't be a headache for the beancounters. =)

Thanks for the info on the samsung burners, I'll check them out. I'll also get the retention bracket for the HSF.

 

[tiraides]

The Q6600 great if you run multiple system-intensive tasks like encoding/decoding and 3D/video editing. But if this build is primarily for gaming, you may be better off with a higher speed dual-core processor, like the E7200 or E8400. (Right now, few games are optimized to use a quad-core properly, and there's no indication when more games will be available.)

For RAM, just stick with one of the two DDR2 800 kits that I recommended earlier. The FSB figure for Intel Core 2 processors is "quad-pumped," or is listed as four times its actual amount. Some figures (explaining what RAM you "need" while overclocking the processor):

Formulas for Intel platform @ 1:1 settings: (base FSB speed is SDR, or single data rate)
c x [Base FSB speed] = CPU speed (c = CPU Multiplier)
2 x [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed (DDR: double data rate)
4 x [Base FSB speed] = FSB speed (QDR: quad data rate; 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):

Stated FSB/4 = Actual FSB
Multiplier x Actual FSB = CPU Speed
2 x Actual FSB = RAM Speed

E7200:
Multi x Actual FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9.5 × 266Mhz = 2.53Ghz, DDR2-533 <<== Stock speeds
9.5 × 333Mhz = 3.16Ghz, DDR2-667 <<== Easy OC
9.5 × 400Mhz = 3.8Ghz, DDR2-800 <<== Excellent OC, About the Max

Q6600:
Multi x Actual FSB, Stated FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9 x 266Mhz, 1066Mhz, DDR2 533 RAM = 2.4Ghz <== Stock Speeds
9 x 333Mhz, 1333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.0Ghz <== Good OC
9 x 400Mhz, 1600Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 3.6Ghz <== Excellent OC, About the Max

RAM, when ran at a 1:1 ratio with the FSB, can slow down to the same speed that the processor is running without negatively impacting performance. Additionally, faster RAM enables you to overclock the processor, via adjusting its FSB speed, without having to overclock the RAM as well. The long story short is that DDR2 800 RAM is one of the best values around.

If nothing else, get the case and power supply from Buy.com. Its lower prices plus free shipping means you'll spend less money on them than from NewEgg. (And if there's one thing bean-counters love more than less paperwork to do, it's less money being spent. )