High-End Gaming Com. Need Help

Hey everyone, hope you can help me a bit here with building a system for me with the primary use to play high-end games; Oblivion, BF2, F.E.A.R. and some movie/sound editing.
I have a budget on around 3000$ - dosen't mean I have to use them all - I would like the latest Hardware with the best perfomance on the market.

What I would like in it:
Soundcard
GPU Card
CPU ( Conroe )
Motherboard
DVD Burner
DDR2 RAM ( 2x1GB or 1x2GB )

I already have a NorthQ PSU on 400 Watt; http://www.northq.com/products/powersupply/nq4001at.html
I don't know if I have to change that, but some of my mates say's it isn't needed, if it is, please find another one for me that suits the system best.

I would be pleased if you could find/make 1 - 3 different systems on 1 - 3 different sales budgets (Know what I mean? ) so I could see some exampels on systems high-end gaming computers that allows me to play Oblivion etc.

Thanks for reading this :-)
Sorry for my grammar/english - from Denmark :roll:

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Quote :

Hey everyone, hope you can help me a bit here with building a system for me with the primary use to play high-end games; Oblivion, BF2, F.E.A.R. and some movie/sound editing.
I have a budget on around 3000$ - dosen't mean I have to use them all - I would like the latest Hardware with the best perfomance on the market.

What I would like in it:
Soundcard
GPU Card
CPU ( Conroe )
Motherboard
DVD Burner
DDR2 RAM ( 2x1GB or 1x2GB )

I already have a NorthQ PSU on 400 Watt; http://www.northq.com/products/powersupply/nq4001at.html
I don't know if I have to change that, but some of my mates say's it isn't needed, if it is, please find another one for me that suits the system best.

I would be pleased if you could find/make 1 - 3 different systems on 1 - 3 different sales budgets (Know what I mean? ) so I could see some exampels on systems high-end gaming computers that allows me to play Oblivion etc.

Thanks for reading this :-)
Sorry for my grammar/english - from Denmark :roll:

Ok lets tackle these one by one. Link me to the store you want to buy from, and I will try to edit this post to links to what I give you.

PSU- 400W from a brand i never heard of. Replace it with a Truepower II 550W from Antec.

Sound Card: on-board is fine in most cases

GPU: Look at the 7950 from Nvidia or X1900XT from ATI

CPU: E6600

Motherboard: No idea, someone help

DVD burner: NEC or Lite-on $40ish USD

DDR2RAM- Corsair or OCZ DDR2-800 CLS4

Case: Antec P180

Reply to shadowduck

I'm using www.edbpriser.dk - Danish Hardware site - it's a pretty good site, imo :>

If you got a link for another good store that is easy to use I would be pleased

Reply to Muff89

I'll use Newegg.com as a reference...

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 ($350)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6

RAM: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800

Video: eVGA Geforce 7950GX2

Sound: Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Platinum

DVD Burner: Plextor PX-716SA/SW

Reply to The_Prophecy

Quote :

I'll use Newegg.com as a reference...

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 ($350)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6

RAM: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800

Video: eVGA Geforce 7950GX2

Sound: Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Platinum

DVD Burner: Plextor PX-716SA/SW

Why a $100 DVD burner? Just curious.

Reply to shadowduck

I know the SATA interface itself won't make a difference, although it will help by getting rid of the relatively bulky IDE cable that any other dvd burner would use. However, my suggestion for that burner was mainly because of the 8MB buffer. In theory this will help speed up application installs, since the optical drive is still a big bottleneck in that area.

Reply to The_Prophecy

i'd recommend the E6700 if your going to spend that much thats plenty of money to get that cpu, even if he is going to overclock the 6600

Reply to IcY18

Quote :

I know the SATA interface itself won't make a difference, although it will help by getting rid of the relatively bulky IDE cable that any other dvd burner would use. However, my suggestion for that burner was mainly because of the 8MB buffer. In theory this will help speed up application installs, since the optical drive is still a big bottleneck in that area.

I wonder if anyone here has tested this theory? I read one review of the SATA Plextor and it was a little slower than the Panasonic IDE.

Reply to clue69less

First of all; thanks for helping me

1) I thought about buying the Extreme X6800 Core 2, i've seen the prices - $999 - and that bothers me a little, so i'm more over to the Duo E6700. The only problem is that I don't have a clue on how to OC it. I've never tried it
How much was it the Duo E6700 have been overclocked too with air cooling in stabile condition. If I have some money left over, I would try go for some Water Cooling, which one should I chose here?

2) I've seen a lot of test from both Nvidia & ATI's; 7950 & X1900XT, the thing is that I can't really choose which one i'm going to buy.

3) I'm more over to Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fal1ty FPS, but how big is the difference, haven't really had luck with finding any test about it.

Reply to Muff89

Quote :

I already have a NorthQ PSU on 400 Watt; http://www.northq.com/products/powersupply/nq4001at.html
I don't know if I have to change that, but some of my mates say's it isn't needed, if it is, please find another one for me that suits the system best.

With such a large budget available, I recommend that you get a really solid PS since you could end up with a high current GPU or two, at least eventually. I've had good luck with the OCZ Gamextreme and the mushkin PS. Both have four 12V rails and can handle a large load with ease. The large FSP is also a very bulletproof unit. I've had lousy luck with Antecs as have others here.

Reply to clue69less

Quote :

2) I've seen a lot of test from both Nvidia & ATI's; 7950 & X1900XT, the thing is that I can't really choose which one i'm going to buy.

Since you mentioned Oblivion, I'd recommend the 1900XT and OC it to oblivion...

Reply to clue69less

Sorry I ment X1900XTX / NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2
Currently thees are the greatest GPU Cards on the market.

For the PSU, how much Watt would you recomend? What names should I be going after? I really dont have A clue on how much Watt a good reliable PSU should have etc.

Reply to Muff89

I would also suggest going for something that is a bit cheaper like the 1900xt. With DX10 expected next year you might want to upgrade so get a good card now and a great one later...

As for PSU, all the brands listed by Clue are good but also look at Silverstone and Enermax. 600W is probably more than you'll ever need even if you add water cooling. As to water cooling, there are quite a few threads in the Coolers and Heatsinks Forum. It really depends on how much you want to spend and whether you want to DIY or buy a kit.

Don't forget to get a really good case with good airflow. Antec, Lian-Li, Thermaltake and Coolermaster make some good cases. If you are going to watercool now or later then a larger case makes that easier.

Reply to waylander

Quote :

For the PSU, how much Watt would you recomend? What names should I be going after? I really dont have A clue on how much Watt a good reliable PSU should have etc.

I mentioned the OCZ Gamextreme, the big FSP and the mushkin. Mushkin only makes one unit and there's a $40 MIR through Newegg right now. This is a 650 watt PS but I believe it is conservatively rated. You can choose between 600 and 700 watt OCZ GE's. The 600 should be sufficient to drive a DX-10 rig or a big SLI or XFire rig. I've run XFired 1900XTs on the 700 watt unit and it didn't break a sweat.

Reply to clue69less

I almost forgot the main thing

HD!
I don't really know how big such a thing should be, around 160 - 300GB?
Now when Windows Vista comes out I presume it should have a lot of space.

Btw, I thought about some more expensive RAM, real gamer RAM :>

Reply to Muff89

Quote :

I don't really know how big such a thing should be, around 160 - 300GB?

You can pick up a 250GB HD for around 80 bucks. I like the enterprise series WD drives like this. Five year warranties are nice. You can also step up to a 400GB for about $180 or a 500 for a bit more. It just depends on your needs but I can't see going smaller than 250 for a desktop HD these days.

Reply to clue69less

Quote :

I almost forgot the main thing

HD!
I don't really know how big such a thing should be, around 160 - 300GB?
Now when Windows Vista comes out I presume it should have a lot of space.

Btw, I thought about some more expensive RAM, real gamer RAM :>

Based on Beta 2 Build 5384 of Vista, the OS after install will use approximately 7GB of drive space.

Reply to The_Prophecy

Reply to Muff89

Suggested Changes:

CPU: Drop to the E6600. It's exactly the same as the E6700, just clocked higher. Overclocking these chips will be very easy.

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon X1900XT <--- Better specs than the MSI, and $40 cheaper.

Video Card Heatsink: Zalman VF900 <--- This one should keep your temps lower than the Fatal1ty FS-V7, and it's cheaper too. Anything with the Fatal1ty name has an inflated price, just because because of the name.

Hard Drive: Use this for your games and OS: WD Raptor 74GB SATA 10k RPM, and this one for general storage: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2

Sound Card: Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Platinum

My estimate on the motherboard would be about $250. The GA-965P-DQ6 will allow you to upgrade to Kentsfield (Intel's Quad Core CPU). If you don't want Kentsfield support, go for the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3

Reply to The_Prophecy

I'd add - get two of those WD Raptors. The main "drive" would be a RAID-1 stack. They run hot and hard, and data recovery is a total pain.

RAID-1 also gives you better read throughput, though no increase in writing bandwidth or speed. This is great for games - levels load very fast.

Reply to Plekto

Quote :

First of all; thanks for helping me

1) I thought about buying the Extreme X6800 Core 2, i've seen the prices - $999 - and that bothers me a little, so i'm more over to the Duo E6700. The only problem is that I don't have a clue on how to OC it. I've never tried it
How much was it the Duo E6700 have been overclocked too with air cooling in stabile condition. If I have some money left over, I would try go for some Water Cooling, which one should I chose here?

2) I've seen a lot of test from both Nvidia & ATI's; 7950 & X1900XT, the thing is that I can't really choose which one i'm going to buy.

3) I'm more over to Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fal1ty FPS, but how big is the difference, haven't really had luck with finding any test about it.

1.I've read in some overclocker forums the E6700 overclocking up to 5ghz on liquid cooling.

Reply to 2k7zero

I would wait on the H20. See how your temps are before switching, or else it may just be a waste of money. You'll probably be so happy with Core 2's performance that you'll have no need to overclock, and if you do want to, the chips run cool enough that 3000MHz on air is a conservative estimate.

But I do doubt that 5GHz is running cool, even under a waterblock.

Reply to yourmothersanastronaut

I got this one Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3200826AS 200GB :oops:
Is it possible to run together in RAID with the other Seagate or would that ruin something? :>

Reply to Muff89

Danmark hejsa =P...

i am from denmark too.. (but i have read somewhere that we are not alowed to speak danish (wich is fair)
anyway.. i collected my computer about a month ago and it runs smooth.. i am satisfied with everything (exept i could have used a better CPU, but did not want to spend too much money.. (the price droped 2 days after =S)
anyway, you can look at my signature and maby get some ideas from that.. you are also more than welcome to email me.. but be aware that i know nothing about overclocking (or at least i have ne exerience with it)..
i can only recommend the 7900GTX as i run oblivion at full settings (exept for selfshaddow, wich makes people look like they all have big beards..)

and i am also happy with my SATA2 HD and my 2GB's of RAM..

and about the kabinet.. it looks pretty cool (window and blue LSD) with a great airflow (two 12cm fans and one 8 cm), but it is a little noisy i think..

about CPU it is hard to tell nowadays.. it used to be AMD very you clearly got the most out of your money.. but things looks like changing.. but maby it changes back when AM2 comes.. (i am going to buy one when the prices settle i think) but AM2 is not introduced this year i think.

but i am gled to see that i am not the only dane in here :wink:

BTW!
if you want to buy the things at the same place (wich is good for RMA), and maby even have it collected for you, check out SHG.dk

and to the rest of you, dont be surprised about the danish prices for electronics, for some things we have to buy nearly twice as much =S.
as an eksample, my system costed more than 2000$ - without the stereo that is.

Reply to koogco

motherboard: Asus P5W-DH

supports conroe, better overclocking than the 965 based mobos.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817103457

Reply to dandano

I thought about buying some Hard Drive - Air - Cooling for my Raptor HD. I just dont know which cooler would be ideal for the Raptor Disk.
Please Help

Reply to Muff89

Quote :

I thought about buying some Hard Drive - Air - Cooling for my Raptor HD. I just dont know which cooler would be ideal for the Raptor Disk.
Please Help

You could get something like this Scythe Hard Drive cooler, or you could simply get a 120mm fan and install it at the front of your case. If your case doesn't have the necessary mounting holes for a 120mm fan, a few 80mm fans should work fine.

Reply to The_Prophecy

Quote :

I thought about buying some Hard Drive - Air - Cooling for my Raptor HD. I just dont know which cooler would be ideal for the Raptor Disk.
Please Help

You could get something like this Scythe Hard Drive cooler, or you could simply get a 120mm fan and install it at the front of your case. If your case doesn't have the necessary mounting holes for a 120mm fan, a few 80mm fans should work fine.

I haven't tried that one. A while back, CompUSA had this Antec for $10 and since I wanted to put a couple of thermocouples on my son's game box, I picked it up. It's not super quiet but it knocked the idle and load temps of his 74GB Raptor down by ~4C. I put one of the thermocouples right next to the GPU chip and the other right on the spindle of the HD. It was a bargain. 67% off? I wish I could get an Opty 180 and a few Conroes at that discount.

Reply to clue69less

I'd agree with Prophecy, except you might want to swap the

Sapphire X1900XT + Zalman

for the

HIS Excalibur X1900XT with IceQ heatpipe cooler

...performs very similarly and removes the need for doing it yourself...

Alternatively, if you want a high end system over noise then the 7950GX2 demolishes all, even in Oblivion.

Reply to DaveUK

Quote :

I'd agree with Prophecy, except you might want to swap the

Sapphire X1900XT + Zalman

for the

HIS Excalibur X1900XT with IceQ heatpipe cooler

...performs very similarly and removes the need for doing it yourself...

Alternatively, if you want a high end system over noise then the 7950GX2 demolishes all, even in Oblivion.

Now if only Nvidia would allow their cards to use HDR and AA like ATI has.... then we could see how the 7950GX2 stands up to an X1900XTX with all of the graphics options on.... *shakes fist at Nvidia*

Reply to The_Prophecy

Quote :

*shakes fist at Nvidia*

I'm with ya on that attitude, except that my middle finger adds bit more wind drag.

Reply to clue69less

I would have added the middle finger in there too, but i'm still an Nvidia fan..... that finger would be up on both hands if we were talking about ATI though.

Reply to The_Prophecy

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