I want to build a very brute rig

[Khalinsar]

Hi,

I currently own a P4 1.7, with a geforce TI4200... It's so old that many parts of it have broken since last year (coolers i had to replace, various plastic parts on the motherboard that i glued back together, and most recently the PSU overheated and stopped working...), besides, i can't run any games on this thing anymore...
Anyway, I've been doing some researching about the latest processors and video cards. I decided that now I want a very brute PC! I think i'm gonna get a c2d E6700. I still haven't decided if i should get a x1900xtx or something less expensive and wait to get the best video card when the DX10 gen arrives.
I'll use this PC mainly for gaming and college things (i'm a mechatronics engineer student, so i use a lot of cad, but anyway, i can run cad softwares with acceptable quality even on my p4, so that isn't my biggest concern). Loading times really don't bother me, so I don't think i should spend money on RAID, I think a SATA HD will do, what do you think? So, what is the best possible rig i can build considering those things i mentioned?
I need a new monitor too, which LCD monitor would be perfect for gaming? Sound quality is a very important thing for me, so i need a sound system that will do great on music, games and movies.

EDIT:

Here's the system so far:

Mobo
ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X
(I really liked all the features on this mobo!)

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775

RAM
mushkin eXtreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit

Video
ATI Radeon X1950XTX 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 VIVO PCI Express x16 CrossFire
(still in doubt about the video card... Linux won't run at all if i have this card?? why do people always say that ati has such a bad support for linux?)

Sound
X-Fi Fatal1ty

Speakers
Gigaworks S750

HDD
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

PSU
OCZ GameXStream ATX12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V

Case
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
OR
Thermaltake Armor Series Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
(still haven't decided which one to get)

HSF
COOLER MASTER KHC-L91-U2 92mm Ball Cooling Fan/Heatsink
(Are the coolers on this rig silent enough? I wanna get the most silent system possible, but still have al this performance...)

I'm still not sure about the monitor. I don't think I'll get anything bigger than 19"...

Thank you very much!

 

[ghalk]

Processor: Core 2 Duo 2.4 - $319
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003
CPU fan: ZALMAN CNPS9500 LED 92mm fan with heatsink - $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118223
CPU thermal paste: Arctic Silver 5 - $15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100008
MoBo: ASUS P5W DH Deluxe - $249
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=247085
Memory: Corsair XMS2 6400C4 2k at 800mhz 4-4-4-12 - $317
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034
Video card: Sapphire X1900XT 512MB - $333
http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/product.asp?pid=13681&sid=0CT59XSNFVUN8JJAUXV68KXKKVSKAL98
Video card cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Accelero X2 - $23
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835186002
Heat blower: Antec SuperCyclone Blower - $15
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=370034
Power supply: OCZ GameXStream 700W - $154
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817341002
Hard drive: SEAGATE 7200.10 320GB SATA2 - $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140
Optical drive: LG 16X DVD±R Super-Multi DVD Burner GSA-H10NB - $29
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827136092
ATX case: Thermaltake Tsunami Modern Dream with 1x90mm 2x120mm - $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133133
Display: SAMSUNG 940MW-SV 19" 8ms Widescreen LCD w/ TV Tuner and remote - $329
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001073
Speakers: CREATIVE 7.1 P7800 - $86
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836116153
Keyboard: Saitek Eclipse Black- $44
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823175103
Mouse: Razer Plasma Diamondback and eXactMat mousepad- $62
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826153104
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817114322

Sub-Total: est. $2,225
TAX (7%): est. $155

Total: est. $2,380

P.D: soon to add x-fi sound card (platinum) and UPS, the thing is the 2.2k budget...


this is gonna be my new rig, hope this helps you at smthing (this rig has been discussed and ultimate aproved by many tech-knowing junkies)

 

[Khalinsar]

Thank you very much! That helps a lot.
I want the most silent cooler I can get, is that one silent enough?
I won't need a monitor with tv tuner and remote, so shouldn't i spend that extra money on a screen with 5ms or so?
What about those BTX cases? Is that thing worth its price?

Oh, and i'm willing to spend about 3 or 3,5 k on this rig.

thanks!

 

[ArbY]

If you want to go all out on this "brute" system, and seeing as you didn't specify a budget, here's what I'd suggest:

Mobo
ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X
($249.99)

CPU
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe 2.93GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
($955.00)

RAM
mushkin eXtreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
($379.99)

Video
ATI Radeon X1950XTX 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 VIVO PCI Express x16 CrossFire
($449.99)

Sound
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI
($121.99)

HDD
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
($94.99)

PSU
OCZ GameXStream ATX12V 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V
($154.99)

Case
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
($149.99)
OR
Thermaltake Armor Series Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
($149.99)

HSF
COOLER MASTER KHC-L91-U2 92mm Ball Cooling Fan/Heatsink
($34.99)

Total Price = $2,591.92

I nearly built you the rig I'm running. I scrounged the internet prior to buying my components, looking for the best price/performance options. The ASUS P5W DH Deluxe is arguably the best Core 2 Duo overclocking motherboard. It's also jam-packed with features that have ended up being very useful. In addition, it's based around the Intel 975X which is said to be compatible with the upcoming Core 2 Quadro (quad-core) CPUs. The CPU is a little more iffy. If you have an unlimited budget, go for the X6800 for $965.00 at Newegg. You were specific to mention the E6700, so that's why I included it. In all honesty, the E6600 is the better buy considering the $200 you save. The RAM I picked you out has been rated by numerous sources as simply the best RAM around. It overclocks incredibly well for its range and maintains low timings. It even beat out the Corsair DDR2-800 (3-4-3-9) in a benchmark review I read. The video card may not be the best bang-for-buck, but it's the top card on the market now ... and having one myself, it has yet to disappoint at 1280x1024 maxed AA, AF, & HDR (even in Oblivion, mind you). If you're looking for a more reasonable video card option, the X1900XT 256MB or a low-priced Sapphire X1900XTX wouldn't be bad alternatives.
The sound card, well it has been recommended by many owners, I don't have it, but it'll definitely serve all its purposes admirably considering your needs.
The hard-drive is large and quick. It is able to outperform WD Raptors in some benchmarks and includes a 5 year Seagate warranty.
The PSU is quite popular and is often seen as a component in hard-ware reviews (i.e., Anandtech). It looks really sleek, and the cable wrapping is superb.
The case is really buyer's preference, but I provided two good options. The Antec being a mid-tower, and the Thermaltake a full-tower. I prefer the mid-tower, personally (am using a Thermaltake Armor Jr.).
The Coolermaster Heatsink/Fan isn't popular among reviewers or overclockers, but I'm using it presently on my E6600 and I have yet to see the CPU temperature rise above 27C after an hour's worth of Oblivion or Counter-Strike. It was a relatively painless install and it's working great.

Didn't include a monitor, keyboard, mouse or optical drives as I assume you have at least some of those already with your present system. If you'd like me to make some recommendations as to LCD's or optical drives, I'd be happy to assist.
Viewsonic VX922 (19") 2ms is one that comes to mind.
Samsung 930c is another -- though, this one is relatively new, and is harder to find for purchase.

Good luck.


ArbY


edit
Changed CPU from E6700 to X6800

 

[Khalinsar]

Thanks, ArbY!

I really liked that mobo. I have never overclocked any of my systems, but i intend to try some small overclocking on this new rig. I guess those overclocking features on that mobo will help me with that, right?

I'm gonna need speakers for that sound card... Would you recommend any? I want to get the best sound system possible, as well as the best monitor possible, those two things are very important to me.

Thanks!

 

[sirheck]

dont spend money on a brute sys
just steal the one thg is giving away lol.

it is the brute sys.

 

[trevorblain]

Well, I'd imagine I'm going to get jeered over this, but since you seem to be a audiophile like myself, and don't seem to mind spending a few extra bucks for the best, I'll tell you what I'm using. For my audio card I went with the X-Fi Fatal1ty and for speakers opted to just stick with Creative and got the Gigaworks S750. The rest of my system is somewhat dated, but my music, movies and games sound thunderous and crystal clear. Granted there are only one or two titles that are encoded for 7.1 audio just now, but it upmixes 5.1 very convincingly.

Just apologize to your neighbors in advance.....

 

[Khalinsar]

Thanks, I'm gonna take a look at that card.
I don't really need really loud sound and those loud bass. What I need is to be able to hear every single detail when I hear a song with the best quality possible.

 

[trevorblain]

As I said, crystal clear, even when the volume is low. when I first plugged this system in, I played some of my old favorites and in some instances it was like hearing them for the first time. I could hear detail sound and background instruments I never noticed before. Songs that had near unintelligible whispering or otherwise hard to understand vocals are now quite comprehensible.

 

[niz]

Hi,

I current own a P4 1.7, with a geforce TI4200... It's so old that many parts of it have broken since last year (coolers i had to replace, various plastic parts on the motherboard that i glued back together, and most recently the PSU overheated and stopped working...), besides, i can't run any games on this thing anymore...
Anyway, I've been doing some researching about the latest processors and video cards. I decided that now I want a very brute PC! I think i'm gonna get a c2d E6700. I still haven't decided if i should get a x1900xtx or something less expensive and wait to get the best video card when the DX10 gen arrives.
I'll use this PC mainly for gaming and college things (i'm a mechatronics engineer student, so i use a lot of cad, but anyway, i can run cad softwares with acceptable quality even on my p4, so that isn't my biggest concern). Loading times really don't bother me, so I don't think i should spend money on RAID, I think a SATA HD will do, what do you think? So, what is the best possible rig i can build considering those things i mentioned?
I need a new monitor too, which LCD monitor would be perfect for gaming? Sound quality is a very important thing for me, so i need a sound system that will do great on music, games and movies.

Thank you very much!

It won't be long before nvidia''s DX10 cards are out ( it seems in the next month or 6 weeks). Its not long and The 1900xtx will look really sad and old school when they come out.

Also I'm guessing if you're into mechatronics you might be into Linux (embedded controllers etc). ATI's linux drivers suck really badly but nVidias are pretty good.

 

[ghalk]

Well, if you have a $3.5k budget, I recommend my spec. plus some other features listed below:

Processor: instead of the E6600, get the E6700.

Video: get the sapphire x1900xtX 512mb.

Sound: get fatal1ty if you want, but the platinum card would be ok as well.

Power suply: if you like it quiet, get the 750W silencer from PC power and cooling.

Hard drive: get either 2x barracuda 7200.10 320GB (raid 0 or 1, ur choice), raptor 74GB for OS and barracuda 320 for storage, or 2x raptor 74GB in raid 0 (may not be a lot of storage capacity... but surely is hella of speed!)... btw, if you gettin' a raptor, be sure to buy a hard drive cooler as well, because the raptors tend to overheat and then sound really loud when they r not paired with a hard drive cooler each. My personal preference would be the 2x 320GB array in raid 0, because when paired thats a lot of storage capacity plus the 2 hard drives in raid 0 would at least match or may even crush the speed of a raptor drive... plus is about 100 bucks cheaper. eaither way is fine, is your choice, im just saying I would go for the 2x 320GB in raid 0.

Optical drive: get a plextor sata drive.

Display: get a 20'' dell monitor (widescreen if you like).

Speakers: if you are so much of an audiophile, go logitech 7.1 speakers or smthing, I guess those are better since they cost a lot more.

UPS: YOU CAN'T MISS THE UPS WITH A 3,5K RIG! get at least a $100 UPS ASAP (not having an UPS killed my old rig). Believe me, get an UPS, youll probably thank me later.


Well, all that would cost about $1.2k more than my previous spec... if you still have some more money to spend, get some mad moding for your case. (btw BTX cases are just like ATX cases, but bigger. no need to get a BTX case)


Love,
Ghalk

 

[niz]

Thanks, ArbY!

I really liked that mobo. I have never overclocked any of my systems, but i intend to try some small overclocking on this new rig. I guess those overclocking features on that mobo will help me with that, right?

I'm gonna need speakers for that sound card... Would you recommend any? I want to get the best sound system possible, as well as the best monitor possible, those two things are very important to me.

Thanks!

Its the best mobo for overclocking right now ( don't get a 965 chipset board they're not as good). However a 'brute' system needs SLI which you can't do with anything other than an nVidia chipset mobo. However the new nvidia boards still use the old C19 chips which suck for overclocking.

I don't agree on the x1900xtx either. To me it seems crazy buying a top-end video card right now as we're right at the end of a generation that only does DirectX9, won't work with HDCP-enabled HDTV, and is about to be supersceded by unified shader architecture. Wait for the nVidia 8800 GTX ($649) to come out in a few weeks. Even the GT will beat the pants off a 1900 performance-wise and will be cheaper ($449-499) and do directx10 and support HDCP. Also ATI's linux drivers suck. I got the prices from wikipedia if you're wondering. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_8_Series

 

[locky28]

ghalk, why a 6700? it only has a few mhz over the 6600 but last time i check has a big price jump, 6600 would prob be better bang for buck but i've only looked at a few numbers. plus with a cnps9500 (i have one they are very quiet ) you would be able to hit 6700 speeds easily anyway.

But i agree on you with having a raptor for OS, made a very significant difference for me especially loading windows but they can be a bit loud when they're thrashing away.

 

[niz]

ghalk, why a 6700? it only has a few mhz over the 6600 but last time i check has a big price jump, 6600 would prob be better bang for buck but i've only looked at a few numbers. plus with a cnps9500 (i have one they are very quiet ) you would be able to hit 6700 speeds easily anyway.

But i agree on you with having a raptor for OS, made a very significant difference for me especially loading windows but they can be a bit loud when they're thrashing away.

why get a 74GB raptor? ($180) the 150GB's are nearly the same price ($229 at newegg) and way faster, plus they do NCQ.
Don't get the Raptor X, (150 with with window in), they're more expensive (+$50) and noisier just so you can see the heads move.

I have 2 Raptor 150's in Raid 0. Its crazy fast

 

[locky28]

forgot about the 150's, touche

 

[malcom]

I bought an E6700 instead of an E6600, and I can't say that I regret it...
I'm running @ 3.2Ghz now with a Zalman 9500 AT, temps are 30C (idle) 34C(load)

 

[JQB45]

Things to consider adding to your system to take it to the next level...

[code:1:1b5d299577]
ASUS 90-C1CHFA-HUAY1 PhysX Processing Unit 128MB GDDR3 PCI PhysX P1 Ghost Recon Edition Physics Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121015

Price 240.99
Shipping 5.64

Bigfoot Networks Killer NIC M1 10/100/1000Mbps PCI Network Adapter with a 400 MHz Network Processing Unit (NPU) - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833342001

Price 279.99
Shipping 4.99
[/code:1:1b5d299577]

The Physics card will give you more eye candy in games that support it, such as Ghost Recon.

The Network card is designed for gamers, advid internet surfers and linux nuts. Supposably this network card makes a hugh impact on performance vs. an intergrated network card... Some people are quoting hugh improvements in Ping/Latency and frames per second on online games.

I personally have no hands on experience with either of these cards, at the very least however they are cool and not incredably costly. As well as they will be supported more with upcoming future titles.

I agree you need a UPS - this is critical if you want your system to last for any amount of time and still be reliable like the day you purchased the system. If I had to choose between a UPS and the above cards I would choose the UPS hands down, keep that in mind when selecting your components if budget truely is a concern!

As an added bonus the Physics card comes with Ghost Recon and the Network card comes with F.E.A.R...

Please feel free to comment.
-Jeff

 

[Khalinsar]

I just use linux for programming... Won't I be able to run linux if i have an ATI card?

Another question, doesn't crossfire allow you to have two different video card models? that said, couldn't I buy a x1900xt, for instance, and later add one of the new dx 10 cards? that way, i would use the x1900 for physics processing... I don't know if that's a stupid question, but i don't really have much knowledge about crossfire and SLI...

Oh, and i don't think i'll do any raid, since loading times don't bother me at all... I would rather get a very reliable HD than a fast one. I've been having a good experience with seagates. I've had 4 seagates and just one of them failed, but still, i was able to recover all of it's data. does NQC increase the performance significantly?

I still haven't decided which monitor to get. i think i might go with the Viewsonic VX922 (19") 2ms, as ArbY recommended.

 

[JQB45]

Do not confuse Physics cards with Video Cards they are very different.

You could have 2 graphics cards in SLI or Crossfire configuration and then add in addition to the graphics cards.

1 physics card and 1 network card specificly designed for gaming (its useful for other things too)


And if you want to build a "very brute rig" I would add in the two components I mentioned....


That being said you should only get these after you have a decent UPS to protect your system....

-Jeff

 

[canuckz]

I am upgrading my unit as well but I have an existing Nvidia 7900 gtx video card so my choices are a little different. The sli compliant motherboard is an Asus p5n32-sli deluxe and the cpu is a core 2 duo 6700. The case is a black silverstone temjin tj07 with the window. The power supply I am looking at is the Cosair 620 w which is modular and has flat wiring. Struggling with the heat sink/fan as I don't really want the big tower units like sythe infinity although their efficiency is better. Looking for a better looking hsf with cool looks, led's, and still some efficiency improvement over the stock intel hsf. Any comments on above??

 

[Khalinsar]

Do not confuse Physics cards with Video Cards they are very different.

You could have 2 graphics cards in SLI or Crossfire configuration and then add in addition to the graphics cards.

1 physics card and 1 network card specificly designed for gaming (its useful for other things too)


And if you want to build a "very brute rig" I would add in the two components I mentioned....


That being said you should only get these after you have a decent UPS to protect your system....

-Jeff

I know they are different, but i read that with the shader model 3.0 the gpu will perform physics processing, and I read that the idea was to use one GPU for graphics and the other for physics, and that is my question: if i get the best ati card today (or nvidia...), will i be able to just add a dx10 card later for graphics and leave the old one for physics?

I won't get that network card because online gaming isn't my thing. I only play neverwinter nights online, and never had problems with that.

Which decent UPS would you recommend?

Thanks!

 

[trevorblain]

Just a question for everyone suggesting a WD Raptor 150GB... for that price, why not go with a Seagate 750GB? In almost all of the benchmarks I have seen, it is in most cases outperforming everything else out there, and for a little more than $100 over the price of a Raptor, you are getting 5 times the storage space, not to mention a 5 year manufacturer warranty .

http://www.supergooddeal.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ST3750640AS&Click=17583

 

[r0x0r]

Just a question for everyone suggesting a WD Raptor 150GB... for that price, why not go with a Seagate 750GB? In almost all of the benchmarks I have seen, it is in most cases outperforming everything else out there, and for a little more than $100 over the price of a Raptor, you are getting 5 times the storage space, not to mention a 5 year manufacturer warranty .

http://www.supergooddeal.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ST3750640AS&Click=17583

From what I know of the difference between the two the Raptor spins at a faster rate and cuts down on loading times considerably. Basically, the Raptor is bitchin' fast. Does anyone else know any differences?

 

[ArbY]

The Scythe Ninja (HSF) is fanless, so it's obviously noiseless - Link. The Cooler Master I recommended has a fan, but I can't hear it over my case fans.
Still [the scythe ninja] should do its job well, so it's up to you as to what you end up choosing.

If you have a $3.5K budget, I recommend the X6800 CPU. That'd bring the total up from 2,160.92 to $2,591.92.

Here's the info (I'll edit my former post):

CPU
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe 2.93GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775
($955.00)

The ASUS P5W DH Deluxe is CrossFire ready, meaning you can plant two ATI cards in the PCI-E slots. At the present, SLI is being beat out by CrossFire ... so I'd opt for the better.


Here's that gaming LCD I made mention of:

Display
ViewSonic VX922 Black/Silver 19" 2ms LCD Monitor 270 cd/m2 650:1 0.294mm Pixel Pitch
($254.99)

Personally, the 19 incher's are too large for me. I ended up getting the VX722 which is the 17" of that model. Got mine from Tiger Direct.
Ghosting is noticeable, but it doesn't interfere with my gameplay. I notice it almost exclusively in Counter-Strike such as when someone throws a grenade through the air (there is a ghost trail lagging behind). That's a very fast paced game, and even still, the ghosting isn't so much that it detracts from the experience. I've never noticed ghosting in Oblivion or outside the game environments (haven't played any DVDs though).

17" LCDs are slowly being phased out and 19" is becoming the standard. You'd be hard pressed to find a current review comparing 17" LCD models. The VX922 received good reviews from what I read, and was definitely recommended out of the 10 or so displays, as the best gaming option.

Factoring the cost of that display, the total comes to $2,846.91.

- EDIT -
Mismarked the Samsung LCD in my former post. Should've been 931c not 930c. Found it on Newegg for $279.99, it's out of stock however, with an ETA of 11/2/2006. Here's the link anyhow: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001085
I'd recommend that over the VX922. I think that particular Samsung is probably the best consumer LCD you can get in that price range right now.

 

[r0x0r]

The ASUS P5W DH Deluxe is CrossFire ready, meaning you can plant two ATI cards in the PCI-E slots. At the present, SLI is being beat out by CrossFire ... so I'd opt for the better.

17" LCDs are slowly being phased out and 19" is becoming the standard. You'd be hard pressed to find a current review comparing 17" LCD models. The VX922 received good reviews from what I read, and was definitely recommended out of the 10 or so displays, as the best gaming option.

What about 2x 7950GX2?

Also, Why would 17" monitors be getting phased out? Most of the 19" currently on the market still only have a 1280x1024 max/native resolution so your games would actually look worse on a 19", due to each pixel being larger.