Building a new system

[Sergregor]

Hi am just looking to get a little advice on my thoughts on a new system. I'v pouring over the forums trying to figure out which MB to go with. The only thing I am for sure on right now is the processor at a C2D 6600. There are just so many options for MB though that I'm starting to pull my hair out :?

I'm pretty versed in putting sytems together so OC at some point in the future would be a possibility, but off the bat I would rather get a new system up and running and then futs around with OC'ing later. So I guess I'm looking for some of your guys's thoughts and suggestions for a good C2D MB for gaming that would allow for moderate (read : stock cooler) overclocking in the future.

I dont use a display that would require SLI or CF so those arent really a factor in MB decisions. For the rest of the system I'm leaning towards a ATI x1950xtx and 2 gigs of RAM.

The boards I have been leaning towards are Asus P5B deluxe/P5W D, Abit AB9-Pro and the Gigabyte SD3. If anyone has any suggestions/recomendations they would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

[drifter_888]

I have been doing the same thing for the last month now. I still haven't built anything, ever so my advise is an opinion and nothing more. Personally, I would buy parts for the maximum that you will do. It is only common sense. If you don't plan to overclock heavily and just want to fool around with it, a good setup is all you need ... nothing too extream. The current flash is the new chipsets coming out ... price wise I would pass on them unless your like me and just want to try something new with the potential to really see what the next generation can or can not do. The Asus boards are supposed to be very good P5b delux is very common. The DFI landparty and Intel BadAx is also very well known and recommended. These are what I have been lead to believe are the cream of the crop. I would never skimp on a motherboard even though only once have I ever had one fail. But for overclocking I believe it is one of your most important factors that determin how well it will overclock. Then you get even more decisions with memory, video card options, PSU's etc. Good luck! I'm only now getting the parts together for my build. It's way overkill but I guess it may give me some bragging rights when I fininsh. But really for me, its just something I want to accomplish.

X6800
MB with 680i chipset. Wanted to do SLI but I didn't hear anything good about the 590 chipset. The new 680i are rumored to be the next best thing ... but that was also said of the 590. Asus is coming out with the Striker Extream or DFI I believe has the RD600 chipset which is also supposed to be great (no SLI yet) but don't quote me on it. I didn't pay too much attention I was biased to the 680i anyways
2G Corsair Dominator 800 Mhz Case 4 timings
1 x WD Raptor 150GB
2 x WD Cavalier 500GB
1 and eventually 2 8800 GTX's (I can wait for the price to drop on the second one or buy the next generation and just play this for a while.
Monsoon II TEC CPU Cooler.
PC Power and Cooling 750 Scilencer

Yes, I plan to see what these things really can do. After that I will probably drop the speed to something more reasonable so the computer last longer and so I can turn it off daily without worries.

Unless you have money to burn or a quest to fulfill I wouldn't necessarily recommend the above. I can't for the life of me think of any application or game that really merits such a system. The only thing I can say for it as an experiment it will be fun and future proof ... well nothing is but it should last a good long time. My guess is I won't replace it for at least 5 years.

On a practical note. Asus P5B Delux (the Wifi version seems cool if you like that kind of thing) or the Intel BadAx (975 chipset) (once again the MB will determine how sucessfull you can overclock). A good set of 800MHz memory with C4 timings. If your not going to try anything really noteworthy then I'm pretty sure you can get something slower and cheaper. A decent PSU you need steady power. And I would consider an aftermarket cooler although using the stock fan people have said you can still get good results. You can always replace it later if you want better results ... but I don't think you want to tear apart a perfectly good system just to get a little more speed from it, by that time something newer and more facinating will be availible. My problem is that I know once I start overclocking ... I'll want to see how far I can go ... just to see what is on the other side.

Good luck. Please remember I have NO experience in this. This is my first build.