Yet another rate my build thread...

P

PNut12345

Supreme [H]ardness
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Dec 27, 2004
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Just pulled the trigger on my new build. Thanks especially to DannyBui for the mobo advice!

Components:

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard $89.99

1 XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800GT 512MB $179.99

1 CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply $129.99

1 Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor $199.99

1 G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory $89.99

1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive$99.99

1 SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B $25.99

1 Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium $99.99
 
Hey there, well looks good to me. I'm not very familiar with the motherboard but the other components are either ones I'm getting myself or were on my short list.

Personally I'm going for the 8800 GTS 512 over the GT. I'll be using it for gaming on a higher resolution and I understand the GTS is a bit better for that.

I'd also take a look at the WD 640GB hard drives. The Seagate is nice but you can get some more space and I think a bit better performance for about the same price.

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16822136218
 
Thanks for the input.

Almost forgot, I'll probably be getting either a 19" or 20" widescreen monitor real soon. I'm wondering if 9600GTs in SLI would be about right for 1440x900/1680x1050...?

I'm behind the times on PC gaming...STALKER, Crysis, CoH...the list goes on!
 
Since you're only getting a 19" and 22" monitor, no need for a SLI motherboard whatsoever. Good quote on SLI:
Markyip1 said:
Just some info on SLI / Crossfire: It's absolutely not worth considering if a) you're gaming at a resolution under 1920x1200 (as you'll see no performance benefit over a single card,) and b) if you plan to buy one card now and another later. SLI / Crossfire as an upgrade path is usually a very poor idea, as by the time you're ready to get that second card, a new single card solution will likely be available that will outperform two of your older cards in tandem. Furthermore, there really is no cost benefit to the SLI Upgrade Route, as any additional cost in getting the new card can be easily mitigated in most situations by selling the original. By avoiding an SLI / Crossfire solution when it will not be of benefit, you gain a cooler running, simpler to maintain system and more importantly, access to a much better (and broader) selection of motherboards.
Click to expand...

In addition, Nvidia's current Intel CPU chipsets are not as stable, reliable or cooler running as their Intel counterparts. So I highly highly recommend getting a motherboard based on the Intel P35 chipset instead:

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
MSI P35 Neo2-FR Intel P35 Motherboard - $110
DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL Intel P35 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $122
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.

With the potential cost savings, you can get 4GB of RAM as well as a better video card:
G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 1000 RAM - $90
eVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB PCI-E Video Card - $185
 
Can the lanparty (which is rated for DDR2 800) support higher speeds (such as 1066) for OC'ing?
 
Just got it put together and running. Some pics of the parts. Case is a CM Ammo 533 that I've had for a few years now.

Fresh outta the newegg box:
070.jpg


Everything in but the vid card and HDD:
071.jpg


Up and running:
077.jpg


That's literally the best cable management job I could do, the case just has no real way to run cables behind the mobo tray. This is my first modular PSU, and I'll never buy anything else from here on out. I love it.
 
Just got done messing with the Crysis SP demo: 1440x900, everything set to "Very High" by the game, and it's smooth as silk!

God I'm loving it.
 
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