Built Around Core 2 Duo, Wont Boot, Please Help

[Amerikaner]

With directx10 around the corner it would be wise to wait. However, I dont have that option as Im going to college and must have a computer to go with me. I gotta build it within the next few weeks and I want it to last a long time. Im hoping to run Unreal Engine 3, Crysis and other next gen engines at at least 70+fps solid with this beast. I know specs for these games/engines are pure speculation but I know you guys have some idea.

Heres what Ive come up with so far (please all advice (with the future in mind) is very welcome):

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CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo e6700 ordered

CPU Cooling: N/A (I dont plan to OC, at least not initially)

Motherboard: ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4PRO - Retail

Graphics: ATI 100-435805 Radeon X1900XTX 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail ordered

Sound: Onboard

Hard Drive: (2 in Raid array) Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

CD/DVD Drive: NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM

Monitor: Viewsonic VX922 ordered

Input: Logitech G5 Laser, Image Viewer Logitech Internet Pro 967450-0403 Black 103 Normal Keys 8 Function keys Function Keys PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard - OEM

Sound: Logitech X-230 32 Watts 2.1 Black Speakers - Retail

Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240V - Retail ordered

Case: Lian Li PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ordered

Other: Windows XP Home
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Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Amerikaner]

What do you mean by supporting?

With ATI merging with AMD I was thinking it might be wise to build the system with ATI in mind. The added support might come in handy and Ive always liked ATI. However, if Intel is looking to take the lead I would change my mind. Right now though the best mobo for a core2 duo is ATI crossfire supported.

Thanks for any further help.

 

[177ine177ine]

Budget? A price range wqould be nice.

CPU Cooling: Zalman fan CNPS something (Can't remember) would do you fine

Graphics: 7900GT until DX 10 comes out or . . .7950GX2 if you're really interested. In terms of ATI, the 1800xt competes with the 7900gt but is more expensive. I've heard of a 1950xtx tho :? .

Sound: Onboard should be fine, at least for now.

Hard Drive: Depends on your preference. The 320 gig Seagate.10 drive is good, and the raptors are the best in performance but expensive.

Cd/Dvd Drive: Nec 3550 Cheap and Reliable

Other: Don't download VISTA (Didn't know you could). It's still very buggy and would probably slow down your system. Dare I say that you should maybe find an alternate way of getting XP 8O .

 

[Amerikaner]

Budget is 2k. It can be a little over. I dont want the budget to limit me so if you suggest anything please dont let the budget keep you from telling me.

Thanks for those suggestions. What about the other specs?

 

[Amerikaner]

Updated with new components.

Help me decide between a normal 7200rpm drive or a raptor. Is the 10000rpm worth it for the extra almost $200? Also, Im worried about the sound the raptor would put out. Since the machine is going to be in my dorm room, excess noise wont be the best idea.

Also, is onboard sound good enough for regular two speakers or a headset? I just want eax and nice sounding sound, no surround sound or anything.

And finally, the x1900xt. Is this a smart choice to last me to directx10 or should I go with something less. Nvidia instead?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[symbi0nt]

A 7600GT will last to DX10 very well, and is a bunch cheaper too.

I'd say your RAM is overkill if you're not overclocking.
Remember the Conroe has a quad pumped fsb of 266 = 1066.
Therefore DDR2-533 [dual channel..] is it's match. Yes, the slow stuff.
I'd grab 667-675 though, possibly 800 if i'm to overclock a lot.

It's cheaper to put two low cost HDDs in RAID 0 to achieve similar speeds to a Raptor, but you may not want to be bothered with setting that up. Personally i'm not bothered about a few seconds of loading time for that price.

 

[Amerikaner]

The only thing im worried about for a weaker video card is that vista and dx10 might not really be worth it to get until some time after their release because of performance issues with software and hardware working with vista. So a higher quality card might last through that time better than a lesser card. Or am I wrong and vista and dx10 will be fine to get at or near release?

So will the lesser quality RAM perform better or youre just saying it will perform the same without all the unnecessary fluff the top of the line stuff brings? I was choosing that RAM thinking its top of the line and it will perform way better than the other stuff. (Sorry im not totally up on all this stuff).

Thanks for pointing out the raid setup. I overlooked that. I could afford two of the hd's i listed (160 compared to a $260 raptor). So for the added performance I might actaully do that. Setup for raid isnt that bad right? I could handle it.

Also, one major thing for me is having this machine perform very smoothly with Unreal Engine 3. I know there arent any specs out for it yet but just from speculation, how will my setup hold up? What can I expect as far as fps?

Thanks again for the help and thanks in advance again for any further help. Very appreciated.

 

[177ine177ine]

My personal advice is the same as you were thinking. Don't worry about DX10 because by the time it matures and VISTA is properly established it will be ages from now. The X1900XT is a very good card for its price but if not you can also consider, 7900GTX, 7900GT, X1900GT, and the 7600GT.

That RAM is top of the line DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500), but your Motherboard is DDR2 800 (PC2 6400). The memory you chose will automatically underclock itself to match that. That RAM is also crazy expensive. Save some money and the same XMS memory and two gigs in DDR2 800 (PC 6400). The only benefit from that more expensive RAM is if you overclock. Otherwise, you will see no difference between 1066 and the 800 memory.

Your motherboard also comes with an EZ raid feature. All you need to do is plug in the two drives into the two specific SATA ports. Beside them is a jumper to select Raid 0, or Raid 1. Select Raid 0 and "tada", you've got a Raid 0 or Raid 1 if you want.

Your system will do amazing with all games to come, especially if you get the 7900GTX or X1900XT. The X1900GT and 7900GT will probably also run very well but the 7600GT may not let your run high settings on the latest games. Also, I recomment a CPU cooler such as the CNPS9500 (I think :? ). It's by Zalman and could considerably lower your temps.

Also, set up your motherboard using this guide:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=106563

Take all this in account and your system will do fine.

 

[Core2Dude]

Save some money on RAM. What's the point of having DDR2-1066 when you are not going to OC it? DDR2-667 should be sufficient

 

[Amerikaner]

Thats just what I needed to hear. You're the man. Thanks so much. Thanks everyone else as well. Very very much appreciated. Ill take your advice and order everything soon.

 

[177ine177ine]

Most welcome. Which graphics card do you think you'll go with now?

 

[Amerikaner]

Updated with new RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

Ill be researching the video card today and Ill know soon. Ive always liked ATI but they do always seem to have problems with games at least initially (BF2 pixelly shadows, Company of Heroes pixelly shadows, Red Orchestra bloom does not work etc.). Just because my mobo supports crossfire doesnt mean it has any preference towards ATI or NVIDIA right?

Only other thing Im not sure on is the onboard sound. Will it sound ok? Should I just get a soundcard and not draw any power from the cpu for sound?

Thanks.

 

[177ine177ine]

That Ram is fine.

About the onboard sound. It should be fine, if you want you can buy dedicated sound card but the difference might not be noticeable. Don't worry about drawing power from the CPU as onboard sound will likely make zero consumption from your CPU. Your onboard is fine.

As for graphics cards: Look into:

7900GTX, 7950GX2, X1900XTX, X1900XT for extreme high performance.

1900GT, 7900GT, 7800GTX, X1800XTX for high performance.

7600GT, 7800GT, X1800XT for medium-high performance.

My personal advice. Stick to the 900 series or the 600 if you want to save some money. The 800's are all overpriced. Keep in mind the X1900XT and 1900XTX are set to drop in pricing due to the X1950XTX.

 

[Amerikaner]

What manufacturer do you prefer? Official or something like ASUS or BFG Tech?

EDIT: I always prefer official. I chose the x1900xtx.

Now what do I need for my dorm ethernet connection? Ive already got the ethernet cable. Do I need a network card? modem?

Thanks again.

 

[psteele]

your motherboard has built in ethernet. just go from dorm wall>ethernet cable>ethrnet socket on motherboard. That's it.

 

[Amerikaner]

Alright thats what I was hoping for. Thank you.

Im going to have to set it up on my home cable modem first. Is there any chance of there being problems once it gets switched to ethernet?

 

[177ine177ine]

Nope. Your motherboard should be fine switching over.

Personally, I prefer Sapphire as a manufacturer cause their prices are lower than ATI and the packages look nice .

 

[Amerikaner]

Hmm the Sapphire is about $150 less. Im gonna look more into that. Maybe get the OEM one.

 

[Gary_Busey]

You can get an MSI X1900XT for $279 on NewEgg. That's an incredible deal on that fast of a card.

 

[Amerikaner]

Damn that is a great deal. Even though its not a huge performance difference I think Im still gonna stick with the xtx though.

EDIT: Theyve got the msi x1900xtx for 100 less as well. $330! The core clock is 625mhz and not 650 though.

Thanks for pointing that out man.

 

[Gary_Busey]

No problem.

 

[Amerikaner]

I ordered it. Video card is now officially the MSI RX1900XTX-VT2D512E Radeon X1900XTX 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card With Full Version Game King Kong - Retail

 

[Doughbuy]

I recommend getting the Arctic Freezer 7 pro for CPU cooling, its cheap, effective, and if your not overclocking, then it'll work just fine...

If you want a sound card, I'd recommend the SB X-FI Platinum with the front I/O port, you can get it for around $160... you'll see marginal improvements in games, around 3-4 fps depending on game. The main thing about the X-FI is the better outputs, the versatility with recording, the better sound reproduction, able to track 127 different effects at once, and the software suite. But if your not too big on sound, no need for a dedicated sound card...

 

[Gary_Busey]

In the attempt to save money, I'd just stick with the onboard sound. It'll be more than adequate.

 

[177ine177ine]

Agreed.