Advice on choosing system [pls help

[crpcarrot]

Hi i@m looking to but a new system and have founf to setups on awebsite my problem is i prefer to get the Intes C2D but the motherbaord provided with that system is not SLI. i'm no expert on this but i figure SLI will give an easy graphics upgrade option in the future.

the 2 systems specs re given below would appreciate any advice on which to choose.

personally i'm leaning towards the intel setup

and thanks for any adivice in advance

GA0601 M2N4-SLI - Gaming PC - AM2 Athlon X2 Dual-Core SLI
Processor: AMD64 Athlon X2 5000+ 1Mb cache AM2
Memory: 1.0GB DDR2 533mhz
Hard Disk Drive: 200GB S-ATA2 3.0Gb/s
Graphics card: NVidia GeForce 7950GT PCI-E 512MB DDR3 Dual DVI/TV
Case: Thermaltake Soprano
PSU: 550W EZCool PSU
£715


GL1001 965P-S3 - Gaming PC - Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2x2.13Ghz 2Mb cache 1066Mhz
Memory: 1.0GB DDR2 533mhz
Hard Disk Drive: 200GB S-ATA2 3.0Gb/s
Graphics card: NVidia GeForce 7950GT PCI-E 512MB DDR3 Dual DVI/TV
Case: Thermaltake Soprano
PSU: 550W EZCool PSU
£672

oh eys i'll be using this mainly for gaming but mostly srategy games no FPS or anythign like that also want to play oblivion

 

[luckyblur]

This is my current order thats on its way.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz - $219
ZALMAN 9700 LED - $45
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 - $130
OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel - $220
XFX GeForce 7900GT - $200
ZALMAN VF900 LED - $49
Western Digital Raptor 74GB - $140
Antec Performance I P180B Black - $75
Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W - $24

This list has been changed a lot based off of several hours of reading forums and the help from a few nice people on these forums. I was told to go with the DS3 instead of the S3. It's like $20 more and is more stable due to its power components.

If you plan to overclock go for the higher PC6400 DDR2.

Oh and C2D > 64X2.

 

[crpcarrot]

i decided i dont need the SLI right now and went for the pentium but with an MFI 965 motherboard and a geforce 8800 instead.


thanks

 

[1Tanker]

Hi i@m looking to but a new system and have founf to setups on awebsite my problem is i prefer to get the Intes C2D but the motherbaord provided with that system is not SLI. i'm no expert on this but i figure SLI will give an easy graphics upgrade option in the future.

the 2 systems specs re given below would appreciate any advice on which to choose.

personally i'm leaning towards the intel setup

and thanks for any adivice in advance

GA0601 M2N4-SLI - Gaming PC - AM2 Athlon X2 Dual-Core SLI
Processor: AMD64 Athlon X2 5000+ 1Mb cache AM2
Memory: 1.0GB DDR2 533mhz
Hard Disk Drive: 200GB S-ATA2 3.0Gb/s
Graphics card: NVidia GeForce 7950GT PCI-E 512MB DDR3 Dual DVI/TV
Case: Thermaltake Soprano
PSU: 550W EZCool PSU
£715


GL1001 965P-S3 - Gaming PC - Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2x2.13Ghz 2Mb cache 1066Mhz
Memory: 1.0GB DDR2 533mhz
Hard Disk Drive: 200GB S-ATA2 3.0Gb/s
Graphics card: NVidia GeForce 7950GT PCI-E 512MB DDR3 Dual DVI/TV
Case: Thermaltake Soprano
PSU: 550W EZCool PSU
£672

oh eys i'll be using this mainly for gaming but mostly srategy games no FPS or anythign like that also want to play oblivion

For the AM2 setup, you would need to substitute that DDR2-533 for DRR2-800....Pretty much essential for best AM2 performance. The Intel setup would be the better route to go, though. GL

 

[1Tanker]

i decided i dont need the SLI right now and went for the pentium but with an MFI 965 motherboard and a geforce 8800 instead.


thanks

Blasphomy!!! C2D should never be associated with the Pentium name.

 

[skyguy]

Check and double check to make sure your power supply can handle an 8800 or you'll be kicking yourself later.

 

[crpcarrot]

i decided i dont need the SLI right now and went for the pentium but with an MFI 965 motherboard and a geforce 8800 instead.


thanks

Blasphomy!!! C2D should never be associated with the Pentium name.

oh no am i going to be burned at the stake!!

lol sorry meant intel

 

[crpcarrot]

isn't a 500W supply enough to handle a 8800?? ok i'll check

 

[skyguy]

It's not necessary the wattage, it's the AMPS on the 12V rails that's important.

Size does matter, but in this case it's also very important to make sure the PSU can push enough juice specifically to the 8800.

And keep in mind that the GTX needs 2 PCI-e connectors, whereas the GTS only needs 1.

Nvidia should have specs recommendations posted for the size of the PSU (wattage), but they should also have the AMPS posted too. Look for those 2 numbers and then compare to the PSU you're thinking about getting.

After a quick search, it *looks* like that PSU only pushes 24A on the 12V. If that's correct, then I'm positive you need a better PSU, it's not enough for the 8800 GTS.

 

[crpcarrot]

hey thanks for the research skyguy but i'm buying a completely seprate ssytem let me see if i can get the numbers for u

well the site just says 500W clolours IT case but i have spoken to the people who are making this and they ahve assured me that the PSU is over and above what a 8800GTS needs.

he did give me the tech details but since i knew nothing about what he was talking about so i er sort of forgot what he said. thing was he was a bit annoyed that i would suggest he would give me a psu that wouldnt support the card so i was a bit embarasseda t asking the question

 

[star_ranger]

I'd be sure to get more storage space or have an additional drive for storage - 500 gig minimum

 

[miribus]

In my opinion if money is really a factor, don't bother with SLI unless you can adopt it right away, or damn soon.
Meaning, by the time many people got around to buying their second card, cause it dropped to the nice happy price that it fell to, they found they could buy a new card, (for the same total price they will now be paying for both cards) that can run better than the two cards in SLI.
Granted, this is not always the case, nor to say that SLI/Crossfire is a "waste" of money, etc. not at all. I'm just saying that if you can afford SLI, great, do it now to really reap the benefit, otherwise you'll be spending a bit more to play pointless catchup.
While I'm no CPU fanboy, the Intel setup looks nice, and hell is a bit cheaper, go for it. But I do highly recommend 2GB of ram ASAP.

 

[miribus]

Luckyblur might I suggest, for a bit more, the silent 7950gt?
512mb ram would help at higher res' and it comes with a quiet fan included.
Still a bit more than 200 + 49... but.
And, you could always throw a quiet 80mm fan on there for extra cooling (i.e. oc'in )
Either way, good idea getting the zalman, if you get that XFX (which I owned the same card) you'll want it. That fan is absurdly loud. I think XFX didn't trust the fan to dynamically control itself (like on just about every other card) and has it set to max permanently to cool their factory OC.

 

[skyguy]

Crpcarrot, NEVER be embarrased to ask questions......the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked

It's your money, and as a good consumer you have every right to ask questions to ensure your money is well spent. If someone is offended by a question, ask for another salesperson, or take your business elsewhere....there are many other places that will give you great service and not treat you disrespectfully.

There is always a tactic you can use: Pointedly ask the sales/tech person that since he is guaranteeing you the PSU will work adequately for an 8800, then if something happens and it wrecks your card and any other components, you want it in writing that they will pay for the total cost of all replacement components. Of course, they'll refuse, so then you tell them that you aren't satisfied with "simply taking their word for it", since they won't give you the same courtesy. Works EVERY time

And BTW, if you have those technical specs available, POST THEM HERE! Someone here will be more than happy to interpret them for you and/or confirm that the PSU can handle an 8800. Nobody here was born a tech expert, everyone has to learn, and I'm sure you will find that people here are willing to help teach you and answer questions.

Better safe than sorry, you're investing alot of money and you deserve peace of mind for that. As a consumer, remember that 8)

 

[miribus]

I'd strongly consider putting money aside into a more stable power supply.
PSUs that come with cases can be iffy and I usually find they don't last very long under aggressive circumstances.
I've had a lot of scary experiences with cheaper power supplies and so many systems where I've worked had to have parts replaced due to them.
Rememeber max power of a power supply is not exactly the power it can safely sustain.
You can get some good 550-600w ones for $60+ USD from Enermax, Antec, Coolmax, FSP... if you can afford it... PC Power and Cooling makes nice, but expensive stuff.
If you can somehow save a few bucks then by going with a case w/o a psu then do that too. It may seem expensive but keep in mind that a GOOD psu is an investment that can stick around through a few systems, they don't go obsolete as quickly

 

[miribus]

And keep in mind that the GTX needs 2 PCI-e connectors, whereas the GTS only needs 1.

From nVidia's website:
http://www.nvidia.com/page/8800_faq.html

Q: Why does the GeForce 8800 GTX graphics card have two SLI connectors?

A: The second SLI connector on the GeForce 8800 GTX is hardware support for potential future enhancements in our SLI software functionality. With the current drivers, only one SLI connector is actually used. Users can plug the SLI connector into either the right or left set of SLI fingers.

Interesting...

 

[skyguy]

LOL, I was actually referring to the power connectors, not the SLI connectors.

The GTX needs two power connectors and the GTS only needs one

 

[miribus]

Seems to me that amperage is more of a guideline, a complete safe bet?
Where are you getting the amperage requirements from?
For example, I've seen sites, well such as newegg that says the x1950xtx needs like 30amps on the 12v rail or something rediculous.
I'm using it on a Antec Truepower 550w, which ATI themselves say is fine as it's listed in their certified area.. um.. lemme find the link...
http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/buildyourown2.html

Now, I can tell you this psu does not have no 30amps on either of the rails It does have dual rails at about 38 combined though, so maybe that is what they are talking about. Who knows...

As for the 2nd pcie power, it apparently has something to do with "future SLI features" though why it would require a second power connector is beyond me. Maybe a 2nd, smaller SLI-only card that can be powered via bridge through the first?
Drivers to enable yet more features requiring yet more power/card?
This could also be one of those things that are added to make it seem more "future proof" but won't actually be used for years on a card not yet concieved of. And by future... I mean waaaaaaaaay waaaaaaay into the future... like.... March, when the 2GB cards come out. :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[skyguy]

Yes, I believe it is "combined amperage" that is important. So it seems that PSU should be fine.

I'm no expert on PSU's, I just know that I've seen people around here planning on getting a hardcore vid card, thinking that any old 550w PSU will cut it.

Good to see you're not one of those people

Good luck with the new beast of a card, I'm gonna get one too

 

[miribus]

Yeah, I can't stress it enough, when you're PSU shopping, which is recommended for any new system if you're going to put quality stuff into it... is to really look at the efficiency.
Some sites are actually starting to post that information more obviously.
In a nutshell, many companies will tell you that a PSU is 450, 600, 700 watts or whatever.
What that often means in the case of off-brand/cheaper PSUs is that it could, at maximum strength (probably even only in theory ) reach that number. And then call it a 450w psu, when in fact it's sustainable safe power is probably like, oh 300w.
Not realizing this you go and load it up running it at max capacity for days and days and days.
Then, poof.
My Chevy Cavalier can probably get up to 110mph, so can a Mustang.
Which is going to last longer at a sustained speed?
A powersupply can be a surprisingly high expense too, it could mean the difference of having enough money for a larger HD, faster GPU, CPU etc. But, trust me, you don't want to hear the horrible "POP" sound of a recently, only slightly... honestly... jiggled overworked PSU and have it take down many of your components with it. I mean, it is connected to everything.