New System - Any Comments/Advice?

[Kraze]

Hey everyone

I was wondering if I could get some opinions on my new build for a rig i'm going to get in October. It's my first time picking out mostly all the parts. Last computer I bought I just told the guy (I wouldn't trust myself with this much money) what video card I wanted and how much ram i'd like.

So skip some years ahead and here we are. My Althon 3200+ and Nvidia 5950 Ultra are ready to be passed down to someone. It served me well, and still does actually, but I'm ready to make the huge leap in performance.

The computer I built on newegg can be seen here and I'd really like some advice and comments on it. Is it a good build? What would you change in it? Heres a couple things about me though;

Big gamer - I love games with shiney graphics with great fps. So you can just picture me now with my current comp

Not an overclockler - I've never done it once and I wouldn't know where to start. I've heard it's much easier these days to clock as n00b - so I wouldn't be against it if I could find a good guide and tweak it a tiny bit. Hence why I opted for the e6700 - seemed like the best buy for me.

That's about it. Any comments will be appreciative

Thanks

 

[qwertycopter]

Wow, just wow. You obviously have some cash to burn. Personally I think you could save some money by not going with the most expensive options and you wouldn't notice the difference (for instance.. the RAM). But if you're gonna go all out, then get an even better PSU so that you'll be all set for when the DX10 cards appear.

 

[angry_ducky]

Nice system. I'll second that recommendation for a higher-wattage PSU. Also, why are you getting a memory cooling kit and RAM heatsinks? You can't do much better than the coolers that come on XMS RAM.

 

[Kraze]

Wow, just wow. You obviously have some cash to burn. Personally I think you could save some money by not going with the most expensive options and you wouldn't notice the difference (for instance.. the RAM). But if you're gonna go all out, then get an even better PSU so that you'll be all set for when the DX10 cards appear.

Hehe - well, I'v been saving up on the side with what I can while still getting by. This was the year I decided to really upgrade and I deserve it :lol: Work hard, play hard.

Nice system. I'll second that recommendation for a higher-wattage PSU. Also, why are you getting a memory cooling kit and RAM heatsinks? You can't do much better than the coolers that come on XMS RAM.

If what you say is true, than i'll drop both of those. I use too have a lot of crashes with my comp and I'm not sure, but I believe they were due to overheating. Ever since than i've just kinda wanted everything cooled - but too scared to try watercooling.

About the PS. Is 650W not enough? I'm honestly strapped for cash and I don't feel like setting the date back any further to save up some more. I figured I wouldn't need anymore watts unless I was running more harddrives or something.

Thanks for the replies and advice guys

 

[Natecannon]

650 should be fine for the graphics card you got (I've got 600 with a BFG 7950gx2) But for Dx10 they are thinking 800+. So if you want to upgrade youre going to need to get a new PSU aswell as a new Dx10 card.

Great build though, sounds a lot like my new one.

 

[desolationw]

strapped for cash?!? good one

IMO you dont need the zalman cpu cooler, ram heatsinks/cooler or artic silver 5. the cpu is retail so it comes with a fan & heatsink with paste applied.

so theres about $80 saved which you can put towards a larger psu.

if you ever do plan on o'cing, then you can just buy the zalman cpu cooler, artic silver 5 etc at that time when you have more money but for now i dont think you need them

 

[BigguN]

Congrats on one BAD ARSE build..
That RAM looks smokin

 

[qwertycopter]

About the PS. Is 650W not enough? I'm honestly strapped for cash and I don't feel like setting the date back any further to save up some more. I figured I wouldn't need anymore watts unless I was running more harddrives or something.

650 Watts is more than enough for your build.

The reason we suggested higher is because the Direct X 10 cards are coming out soon. They will have HUGE power requirements. A 650W psu probably won't cut it. So for your future upgrade path, getting a higher watt PSU is a good idea. Or you can wait until you upgrade to DX10 to get a new PSU.

Look, I don't think you need to go with the $470 XMS RAM. Really. You can go with the $200 2GB XMS kit and you won't be hurtin. Oh and with Conroes, they don't utilize the 800Mhz well. I think they run better at 667Mhz. So the 800 isn't recommended.

You're not overclocking, so I don't see the need for the aftermarket heatsink or ram coolers (the XMS come with a heatspreader, anyway). That case will cool everything more than adequately, especially with 6 120mm fans (OVERKILL???? You probably only need 4 for great cooling..anyway just an idea).

The E6700.. is overpriced. Drop to an E6600 and save something like $230. The 6700 is only 220Mhz faster. You said something about overclocking in the future. Well a 6600 will overclock PAST the 6700 on the stock cooler. Just food for thought. It's a bad price.

7950GX2.. well it's damn nice, and of course overpriced. But your needs are high, so it's probably worth a lot to you.

So I think you could save something like $500 from my suggestions. Then that money could go for a better PSU and help save up for DX10 when it arrives :twisted:

 

[shadowduck]

The e6700 is a terrible value. The sweet spot is the E6600 which is $150-200 cheaper and only 200MHz slower (which really means nothing in the Intel world).

Overclocking is really easy. I would go to a 6600 from a 6700 and overclock the 6600 easily to 6700 speeds. Or just leave the 6600 stock, you won't notice the difference really anyway.

 

[Sean618]

Try Thermaltake's 750W power supply at
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153036
It has great reviews and is cheaper!

I also think e6600 would be preferable to the e6700

Why the P5B? Why not the P5W? I haven't really research the P5B so I don't really know but I thought the P5W was better and it's only $10 extra.

Also I haven't read good reviews about the benQ, the viewsonic VX2025WM has great reviews although it is a bit more expensive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116381

 

[ikjadoon]

Make sure you get some Zalman TIM. Beats AS by a good margin, a margin large enough for me to completely recommend it.

RAM is overkill, no? Latency doesn't mean that much to Intels nearly as much as AMDs.

~Ibrahim~

 

[Kraze]

650 should be fine for the graphics card you got (I've got 600 with a BFG 7950gx2) But for Dx10 they are thinking 800+. So if you want to upgrade youre going to need to get a new PSU aswell as a new Dx10 card.

Great build though, sounds a lot like my new one.

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

Ah, I see. DX10 cards, any clue when they're to be released? Like, an offical world etc? I keep hearing at the end of the year and so on. If that's the case - I might hold off and jump on that boat.

Also, any speculation on the price range of these beasts? I was thinking of being the odd ball and staying with the E6700, but I would most likely 99% go with the E6600 and put that cash towards bigger PS needed for them.

I got to be honest though, I haven't kept up on the DX10 cards and I really don't know much about them. Just; need a bigger PS and you're going to get great performance from them. I keep reading people's opinions about them though - that they'll run like crap when released due to being new and driver issues etc. So it's better too hold off awhile after the release. Btw, do I need Vista (which is speculated to release quite some time after?) to get the most of DX10 cards?

Sorry for trying to get a crash course on DX10 :lol:

strapped for cash?!? good one

IMO you dont need the zalman cpu cooler, ram heatsinks/cooler or artic silver 5. the cpu is retail so it comes with a fan & heatsink with paste applied.

so theres about $80 saved which you can put towards a larger psu.

if you ever do plan on o'cing, then you can just buy the zalman cpu cooler, artic silver 5 etc at that time when you have more money but for now i dont think you need them

Haha, I am though I work part-time while going to school. I'd like to get the most out of my cash and computer, but if I kept springing for the extra 10-20$ part - I wouldn't be able to afford it at all :lol:

I do plan on OC'n though. I'm not sure how much, but the Zalman is staying. I'm just a big buff on cooling I guess. I'll probably get rid of the memory cooling fan and paste too save some bucks - every bit counts!

Congrats on one BAD ARSE build..
That RAM looks smokin

Thanks man!

About the PS. Is 650W not enough? I'm honestly strapped for cash and I don't feel like setting the date back any further to save up some more. I figured I wouldn't need anymore watts unless I was running more harddrives or something.

Look, I don't think you need to go with the $470 XMS RAM. Really. You can go with the $200 2GB XMS kit and you won't be hurtin. Oh and with Conroes, they don't utilize the 800Mhz well. I think they run better at 667Mhz. So the 800 isn't recommended.

You're not overclocking, so I don't see the need for the aftermarket heatsink or ram coolers (the XMS come with a heatspreader, anyway). That case will cool everything more than adequately, especially with 6 120mm fans (OVERKILL???? You probably only need 4 for great cooling..anyway just an idea).

The E6700.. is overpriced. Drop to an E6600 and save something like $230. The 6700 is only 220Mhz faster. You said something about overclocking in the future. Well a 6600 will overclock PAST the 6700 on the stock cooler. Just food for thought. It's a bad price.


I'll have to take the ram advice into consideration. I opted to get that ram after I dropped my FX-62 build and saved some cash going with Conroe (I was late catching up too speed) so I though it was a fair deal to myself :lol:

I keep hearing this though - the E6600 being a better choice and I honestly see why. But, i'm not sure what i'm going to do - unless DX10 is around the cornor and I need the extra cash. Then i'll drop it in a heart beat. I also like being the odd ball and I plan on OC'n a bit - probably a little bit past the E6800 speeds, so I thought it would be a better choice for I, who's new to OC'n. Having more of a stable chip than from E6600 -> E6800 speeds. I really do see everyones point though.

Also, to me, it's now or never. If DX10 isn't around the cornor and I buy this, I don't plan on upgrading for sometime, like a year or 2. So buying that 650W PS and the E6700 really wouldn't bother me, but I understand where everyone is coming from.

Try Thermaltake's 750W power supply at
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153036
It has great reviews and is cheaper!

I also think e6600 would be preferable to the e6700

Why the P5B? Why not the P5W? I haven't really research the P5B so I don't really know but I thought the P5W was better and it's only $10 extra.

Also I haven't read good reviews about the benQ, the viewsonic VX2025WM has great reviews although it is a bit more expensive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116381

I went for the PB5 deluxe because I liked the reviews I was seeing. It seems like a very stable board. Also - those dollars add up, but I guess I missed this board. I'm reading the reviews on it now and I like what I see. I'll probbaly drop the paste and memory cooling fan for this. But I got to ask an important question - does this mobo's BIOS support the 7950GX2? One of the reasons I went with the PB5 - they have an update for it. It's been a pain in the ass to find a good Conroe board that has good support with the 7950GX2 - well, for me atleast.

Any other comments on this PS? I have a general rule for PowerSupplies; any PS that cost less and has more watts isn't better. I'm honestly not trying to be a smartass, but that's how I always seen it. Hey, but if it costs less and is better, than great! But I'm limited in knowledge when it comes to powersupplies, very limited - so any other comments on it would be fantastic.

I read nothing but good reviews on the BenQ though.

Sorry for the long reply. Busy weekend so far. Thanks for all the advice guys - this is really going to help me out!

 

[Sean618]

About the P5W DH, it seems that quite a few people have used a 7950gx2 with it and it seems to work fine but I really don't know. This topic is discussed in this forum:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/574595.html

With the thermaltake 750W PS take a look at some reviews, just because it costs less and has more doesn't neccessarily make it worse. Here is one review:
http://www.techspot.com/review/5-thermaltake_toughpower_750w/page3.html

Also th BenQ monitor got a 4 out of 10 for image quality in micromart (pc magazine) and 3 out of 5 in Computer shopper (again a PC magazine) which stated that the image quality was poor. I just think the viewsonic VX2025WM is so much better and worth the extra $50 considering how much more expensive the e6700 is.

BTW I know how you feel as I am now working during the summer hols to try and make money for mine, you're just lucky you live in North america as it is far more expensive in Britain.

 

[nikolokolus]

a point of note on the mushkin 650 watt PSU. it has 4 20 amp +12 volt rails and the ability to provide 44 total amps on the +12 volt rails. Who knows, maybe the DX10 cards really will require more than this 8O

 

[enforcerfx]

Hey everyone

I was wondering if I could get some opinions on my new build for a rig i'm going to get in October. It's my first time picking out mostly all the parts. Last computer I bought I just told the guy (I wouldn't trust myself with this much money) what video card I wanted and how much ram i'd like.

So skip some years ahead and here we are. My Althon 3200+ and Nvidia 5950 Ultra are ready to be passed down to someone. It served me well, and still does actually, but I'm ready to make the huge leap in performance.

The computer I built on newegg can be seen here and I'd really like some advice and comments on it. Is it a good build? What would you change in it? Heres a couple things about me though;

Big gamer - I love games with shiney graphics with great fps. So you can just picture me now with my current comp

Not an overclockler - I've never done it once and I wouldn't know where to start. I've heard it's much easier these days to clock as n00b - so I wouldn't be against it if I could find a good guide and tweak it a tiny bit. Hence why I opted for the e6700 - seemed like the best buy for me.

That's about it. Any comments will be appreciative

Thanks

Few crtiques:

Drop to a E6600, save the cash and o'c to the E6700 speeds
Paying too much on that 7950, get the EvGa one and save 80-100
If you want a gaming monitor, look into a Dell 20' or bigger monitor, or get what i have: Samsung Syncmaster 204B 20' It has a 5ms response time.
That PSU looks really good though. Consider getting another harddrive? I only saw 1 there and that was the raptor. If you got the cash, look into a 300GB or 320 from Newegg with Perpendicular technology, those run about 100. Looks good though.