Conroe Setup, 5000+ Budget. NO bottlenecks. Plz Critique.

[DreDawgg06]

Hey, i love putting computers together and gaming is a great way for me to lose stress. I love online gaming but future games like Crysis make me want something future proof, I know directX10 is coming but im worried about Windows VISTA performence because I have a feeling its going to be buggy and not as realiable as XP PRO until many patches come out so ive decided to put together something that has no bottlenecks and is just going to be a blazing fast machine.

Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe 1066MHz FSB LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557X6800 - Retail
$999.99


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131025
ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard
$269.99


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231077
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
$467.99


http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustRatingReview.asp?Item=N82E16811112054
Lian Li V SERIES PC-V2100A Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case -
$279.99


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136034
Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFDRTL 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
$289.99


http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=202&products_id=4135
Asetek WaterChill KT03A-12VX
$249.99



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824009089
Acer AL2423Wdr Silver/Black 24" 6ms GTG Widescreen LCD Monitor
$709.99



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150160
XFX PVT71UZDF9 Geforce 7950GX2 1GB 512-bit (256-bit x2) GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Xtreme Video Card
$609.00



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703004
PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 1KW-Quad SLI T1KW-4E EPS12V 1000Watts Power Supply 100 - 240V UL/ULC/CE/TUV
$499.99

Anything u guys think of adjusting or modifying please let me know, im not a big overclocker i just want very good temps and long lasting parts.
Thank you for your time.

 

[trinitron64]

*claps*

Love the case man, chic for sure.

Screw Vista, I'd like to play some XP on it ... see how long it takes to boot windows.

Half a second?

 

[Ragnarok]

Hey, i love putting computers together and gaming is a great way for me to lose stress. I love online gaming but future games like Crysis make me want something future proof, I know directX10 is coming but im worried about Windows VISTA performence because I have a feeling its going to be buggy and not as realiable as XP PRO until many patches come out so ive decided to put together something that has no bottlenecks and is just going to be a blazing fast machine.

Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe 1066MHz FSB LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557X6800 - Retail
$999.99


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131025
ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard
$269.99


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231077
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
$467.99


http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustRatingReview.asp?Item=N82E16811112054
Lian Li V SERIES PC-V2100A Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case -
$279.99


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136034
Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFDRTL 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
$289.99


http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=202&products_id=4135
Asetek WaterChill KT03A-12VX
$249.99



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824009089
Acer AL2423Wdr Silver/Black 24" 6ms GTG Widescreen LCD Monitor
$709.99



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150160
XFX PVT71UZDF9 Geforce 7950GX2 1GB 512-bit (256-bit x2) GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Xtreme Video Card
$609.00



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703004
PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 1KW-Quad SLI T1KW-4E EPS12V 1000Watts Power Supply 100 - 240V UL/ULC/CE/TUV
$499.99

Anything u guys think of adjusting or modifying please let me know, im not a big overclocker i just want very good temps and long lasting parts.
Thank you for your time.

Wow, looks nice. I would say that you need a different moniter. 6ms is alittle high for a gaming LCD, I would go for a good 2ms, but 3ms and 4ms would do fine as well. Can't think of any good ones of the top of my head, but viewsonic has some good LCD's. To tired to get you links sorry =(.

Everything else looks good I guess. Wish I had a 5000+ budget =).

 

[The_Prophecy]

Here's an idea..... swap the RAM for this 2GB set of G.Skill DDR2-1066

If you find yourself running out of space, pick up a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2

One other item to add to your list... and it's a very important one: Arctic Silver 5

 

[The_Abyss]

You need to up your budget for the X6800 - they are retailing for a couple of hundred dollars more.

You are waasting yuor money on that RAM if you are as you say not a big overlocker.

Get a big second hdd for storage puposes - 150gb is nothing these days once you get some games installed and also movies etc.

Consider the X1950XTX instead, as that can run HDR with AA. Even on a 24" monitor, AA still helps.

 

[DaveUK]

Given the associated performance increase this would gain (in all areas of computing) I'd be inclined to suggest 2 of those Raptors in a RAID 0 configuration. They will seriously burn at bootup, loading games, video/audio editing etc.

Its riskier (obviously if one hard drive fails then the system fails) You could then have a spare, larger, cheaper HDD to store files for backup.

Or technically you could have 4x150gb Raptors in RAID0+1 so that you have speed AND redundancy. But that would just cost $$$$!

 

[aditya]

gigabyte i ram is very impressive just check out this video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-51784544344753709&q=gigabyte++i+ram

 

[octop8]

My only issue with Conroe right now is the lack of serious high-end motherboards with SLI, preferably with the nForce 590 SLI chipset Intel edition. No sign of any yet and I personally am planning to upgrade when that is released. The only one right now is Asus A5N32 SLI SE (nForce 4)but no one seems to have any in stock and it's costing more than $250. Your current mobo choice should theoretically run with the 7950GX2 since that is effectively a single card solution but questions remain how well the 7950GX2 runs in a non-SLI-compatible mobo on the new Nvidia 9-series drivers.

 

[sledge_sk]

With that kind of budget I think i would go with a system from alienware or a similar ultra quality system builder. I configured the Area-51 model to your specs and even added a 250gb extra HDD and it will cost you a cool 3348$. I think that's even less than the total of the individual parts you listed, plus you get unbeatable technical assistance if you should ever need it. No risk of incompatibility, DOA parts etc will save your nerves. The only thing you lose is the feeling of putting your rig together with your own hands, it's up to you

 

[quantumsheep]

With that kind of budget I think i would go with a system from alienware or a similar ultra quality system builder. I configured the Area-51 model to your specs and even added a 250gb extra HDD and it will cost you a cool 3348$. I think that's even less than the total of the individual parts you listed, plus you get unbeatable technical assistance if you should ever need it. No risk of incompatibility, DOA parts etc will save your nerves. The only thing you lose is the feeling of putting your rig together with your own hands, it's up to you

I was quite suprised at how good value alienware actually are when you get to the £1800+ price bracket. They really are quite good value at the very high end.

 

[falsterbo]

If you want Windows to load fast, then you need atleast 2x Raptor in Raid0... Everything is loaded from the harddrive so why don´t you buy atleast 2 or even 4 Raptors and put them into Raid0. You will gain so much perfomance!

 

[quantumsheep]

If you want Windows to load fast, then you need atleast 2x Raptor in Raid0... Everything is loaded from the harddrive so why don´t you buy atleast 2 or even 4 Raptors and put them into Raid0. You will gain so much perfomance!

The performance increase a raptor gives you over a decent 7200rpm 16mb cache drive is barely noticable. And for the increased price is no way worth it.

If you really want the ultimate in hard drive speed, get a SCSI setup. Some SCSI drives can run at 15000rpm (i think).

 

[falsterbo]

If you put two Raptors in Raid0, then you will see a very big perfomance increase!!! (Like I said before...)

 

[quantumsheep]

Yes but if you place 2 x 7200rpm drives in a RAID array you will see a massive performance increase. It's all relative.

But i truly believe for the 1/2% performance you gain from spending 50% or so more on a Raptor over a standard drive is not worth it. The numbers speak for themselves tbh.

 

[falsterbo]

Yes, I myself have 2x 7200rpms in Raid0 and that is enough for me...

 

[yourmothersanastronaut]

I have a Raptor 74GB, and Windows boots so quickly it's insane. It wouldn't be nearly as fast as on a 7200RPM drive.

As a reference - I have Windows XP Pro on the Raptor, and Fedora Core 5 on one of my 7200RPMs. Windows boots much faster, even though Linux is a lighter OS. I know it's not a real comparison, but there is a tangible difference.

 

[torque79]

You need to up your budget for the X6800 - they are retailing for a couple of hundred dollars more.

You are waasting yuor money on that RAM if you are as you say not a big overlocker.

Get a big second hdd for storage puposes - 150gb is nothing these days once you get some games installed and also movies etc.

Consider the X1950XTX instead, as that can run HDR with AA. Even on a 24" monitor, AA still helps.

are you kidding me, even the 7950 cards can't run HDR and AA? Is Nvidia asleep at the wheel?? that's old news for ATI. Unbelievable. I think Nvidia is only surviving because of a general conception of their "gaming superiority" which does not exist.

btw, to the person who was recommending a lower ms response time for the monitor, I'm not sure there is yet a widescreen format 21"+ monitor with 2ms?

I did not look up the monitor specs, but you may want to ensure it has a native resolution of 1900x1080, for watching HD video without any scaling in the future. If you're spending $700 on a monitor, it better be able to accomplish what you'll be using it for in 2+ years with perfect clarity.

 

[MasterLee]

WOW !!! That's fast !!!

 

[xgas]

The 975X may support Conroe, but it does not support the new latency reducing feature that which supports on the 965 chipset series, its a waste of its power.

 

[second_derivative]

the new latency reducing feature that which supports on the 965 chipset series, its a waste of its power.

first of all, what the hell does that mean? and second, i've not heard of this "new latency reducing feature," provide a link. so far all comparisons of the 975x and 965 chipset motherboards i've seen showed that they are pretty equivalent, with the 975x having better drivers and being a better OC.

 

[yourmothersanastronaut]

Honstly, that 1KW PC Power & Cooling PSU
is obsolete now.

Do you even listen to yourself?

 

[DreDawgg06]

Few questions and responses, Im not big on storing useless data on my computer ill prob just get an External harddrive for everything that i dont need. The reason im not just going to go Alienware or VoodooPC is i feel i still get higher quality parts if i choose them all myself i mean to me it feels they dont use the highest quality ram or motherboard plus you do pay a bit more for installation and the product name, its like buying a BWM.

Second, my question is how is getting two rapters in RAID faster than just a single rapter running my OS and games? What makes the performence boost? Like DaveUK said if 1 fails they both go and i believe when running in RAID the harddrives are more likely to fail.

I did see the Gigabyte I-RAM aditya and it is impressive but its just not practical at the moment, They need to create one that takes advantage of higher bandwidth than PCI, Switch to PCI-X.

octop8 - When you say it doesnt work with SLI are u talking about a Software issue? or a Hardware. ALso in terms of performence is the 1950XTX in Crossfire which isnt out yet but i am keeping my eye out for it, Better than the 7950X2 x 2 in SLI which is QUAD? my thinking is maybe the 7950x2 in SLI=Quad is better for me because im running resolutions in excess of 1900x1200 widescreen. BUt Crossfire gives me better image quality because they can do HDR and AA at the same time, but can it handle it in terms of 30+ FPS.

I agree with YourMothersAnAstronaut, falsterbo. I cant imagine something spinning at 10,000 RPM and having Write speeds and Read speeds 2-4 MS faster than a 7200 RPM harddrive being just minimal increase overall i think the price justifys performence. But what would it take to run SCSI on my Current setup if i choose to get one? Does anyone here have any experience with SCSI and is it really worth it for a 15,000 RPM?

torque79 - you are right, i should be worried about the monitor being one of the most important...Obviously/expensive part of the set-up. Ive been hearing alot about Mouse Lag translating from the actual movement of the mouse to the actual screen or is it the monitor missing a few frames. I read somewhere that LCD monitors miss a few frames compared to CRT monitors..Also have any of you heard of SED Technology for flat screens? http://www.cnet.com/5208-10602-0-10.html?forumID=105&threadID=61574&messageID=1144481&start=-1
I was wondering maybe i should wait to do any of this because technology when games like Crysis do come out something better, alot of better comes out..BUt that always happens so you could be waiting forever...

SupremeLaw - thanks for the Case info but to me it seems too small for what i have planned, larger to me is better to fit all the components especially watercooling.

WaterCooling brings me my next questions...Has anyone here worked with it? How is the reliability and maintenance for it? and has anyone here heard about the MetalCooling using nano technology? This to me seems alot better since metal conducts heat 100x better than water so anyone have any news on that?

SupremeLaw - the reason why i choose that PSU 1KW PC Power & Cooling PSU is because its a futureproof investment, the next round of VideoCards are gonna be 200watts each which is sick plus everything else having SLI or Crossfire demands alot of power.

Thanks for everyone taking the time to read this and i hope you guys are gaining as much information as i am.

 

[jarchow]

Be careful, the link to the water cooling you supplied does NOT support 775 chips.
But this one does:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=202&products_id=4535
If that link doesn't work it is a Cooler Master Aquagate Liquid Cooling System RL-HUC-E8U1
I noticed this as I'm building a very similar system right now myself.
Good Luck!

 

[majoravatar]

Small heat issue that you will almost certainly run into unless you are careful. The Lian Li V2100A is one of the cases with an inverted motherboard (I'm sure you know this). While this is extremely cool (I myself own a modded V2000) it does present a problem with the heatpipe used on the Northbridge of the ASUS mobo you have listed. When heatpipes are inverted their efficiency goes down tremendously, and I would hate to burn out my brand new $230 motherboard. If you are still going to watercool, you can remove the heatpipe and add a chipset water block, but this still presents one problem.

The heatpipe on the northbridge chip is connected to a passive heatsink which is mounted on the CPU voltage regulator. This VR needs to be cooled as well, or the VR and/or the CPU could be damaged. You would need to install some sore of aftermarket passive heatsink on top of this VR in order for this solution to work effectively.

Good Luck...

 

[guyinyourattic37]

That system is the reason i wake up in the morning. Change the ram to http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145035
they are ddr2-800 @ cas3. It can OC to 1000 speeds and keep CAS 3.