New System/Input

[hick5000]

I've built a couple computers in the past but this will be the first time I actually picked out all the parts and ordered them myself. I would apprectiate any comments or suggestions on the system I have picked out to hopefully order within the next week. Right now the price is hovering right around 2k, im not looking to go much higher than that, but I do have some flexability. Thanks in advance.


Case:
Antec Performance I P180B Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through the majority of chassis 1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4 x HDD area ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: P180B
Item #: N82E16811129017

Motherboard:
Foxconn 955X7AA-8EKRS2 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 955X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: 955X7AA-8EKRS2
Item #: N82E16813186058

Video Card:
BFG Tech BFGR7950512GTOCE GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: BFGR7950512GTOCE
Item #: N82E16814143071

Power Supply:
OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: OCZ700GXSSLI
Item #: N82E16817341002

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E6600
Item #: N82E16819115003

Ram:
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail
Model #: TWIN2X2048-6400C4
Item #: N82E16820145034

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD740ADFD
Item #: N82E16822136033

Keyboard:
Logitech G15 2-Tone USB Wired Standard Keyboard - Retail
Model #: 967599-0403
Item #: N82E16823126179

Monitor:
SCEPTRE x22wg-Gamer Black 22" 5ms Black to Black Widescreen HDMI LCD Monitor - Retail
Model #: x22wg-Gamer
Item #: N82E16824112005

Sound Card:
Creative 70SB046A00000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series - Retail
Model #: 70SB046A00000
Item #: N82E16829102005

 

[skyguy]

Optical drive?

Sound card might be overkill, most do just fine from the onboard nowadays. But if you're an audiophile then go nuts!

Mobo.....I *think* you should be looking for a 965 chipset, not 955 if memory serves correct. Any particular reason for that choice? ASUS P5B-E and Gigabyte 965P-DS3 are 2 highly recommended alternatives.

You plan on doing any overclocking? If so, look at an aftermarket CPU cooler. If not, your RAM is overkill and also get a cheap mobo.

Other than that, what about a data hard drive for storage? That 74 gig Raptor won't hold much info I would imagine..........

 

[waylander]

If you're gaming on this I'd drop the raptor for a standard hdd and get the extrememusic instead of the fatality then use that money to upgrade the 7950 to an 8800gtx. Either that or upgrade your monitor, samsung or viewsonic.

 

[hick5000]

Thanks guys for the input, I made a couple adjustments based on your suggestions.

I changed the motherboard to:

Motherboard:
ASUS P5B-E Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P5B-E
Item #: N82E16813131070

the hard drive to

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar RE WD3200YS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD3200YS
Item #: N82E16822136053

and the sound card to

Sound card:
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
Model #: 70SB046000007
Item #: N82E16829102188

I had only picked the raptor because I have a really old 80gig hard drive I figured I could use for storage in the meantime, and keep only programs on the faster raptor. But keeping a partition on the 320gig caviar would keep the load times up since they would be further out on the edge correct?

Also I found that at costco a viewsonic 22" would cost me the same as the "SCEPTRE" would have from newegg.

I already have a couple optical drives in my current computer, and I had planned on just moving 1 or 2 of them over to the new machine instead of buying new ones.

I looked at the 8800gtx but it would be such and increase in price I don't think I could stomach it. Unless the 7950 really isn't future proof enough I would rather just stick to a card around its price/performance range.

As for overclocking I had planned on at least a minimal/conservative amount this time but I really don't know too much about it, especially in terms of which cooling device would be best to ensure the parts have a decent survivability.

So as of right now the whole setup is just under 2k, but I guess I need some input on a cooling arrangement, if the parts are all good to go for some overclocking, also I was wondering if anyone had input on the power supply?

This is the first time I had planned on getting one separate from the case and I am almost completely in the dark. Thanks again for any input.

I only added the changes in this post to leave the original just for a comparison.

 

[waylander]

Glad you dropped the fatality sound card, the ram on the card is pretty much useless at this point as no games are configured to use it properly.

The OCZ psu is fine and will work well. The only way to move up would be a PC P&C, Tagan, Seasonic or Silverstone IMO.

 

[skyguy]

Everything looks good........except:

Overclocking.....RAM looks good, PSU is fine, mobo is fine. CPU cooler would help. If you're spending that much $$$$ on a sytem, an extra $40 isn't much, but it will help. It's not absolutely necessary, but it will help with overclocking.

Get a CPU cooler. Cooling section of the forums has lots of suggestions.....mostly depends on your budget and how hardcore you wanna go. Since you're not going hardcore (a shame with a C2D system!!! ) then any of the recommended ones will suit you just fine.....just pick on that strikes your fancy and budget.

 

[AMDThunder]

The X1950Pro will just about go head to head with the 7950GT and save you about 80 smackers. If the cash isn't an issue, go with the 7950. From the research I did, and opinions I've read on here, it isn't $80 better.

 

[hick5000]

Wow, thanks again on the quick input. I made a couple of adjustments, hopefully I'm moving in the right direction.

For video card I actually switched to a:
SAPPHIRE 100186L Radeon X1950XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Model #: 100186L
Item #: N82E16814102067

Only $10 instead of $80 less, but seemed to be quite an improvement in performance, I read some complaints about air flow on both of the other boards, though maybe this one suffers from the same problem.

For cooling I added the:
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #: ACFZ7-PRO
Item #: N82E16835186134

Seemed to be best value and leaves me the option of buying something more expensive/elaborate if I end up getting more serious about overclocking. Unless the case would highly limit my options.

For the power supply I haven't touched anything, I can't find anything with comprabale wattage without jacking the price way up. I don't know if it would be worth it to downgrade to 600w for a high quality part? I also don't know anything about this modular cable business, I really don't know what a reasonable/unreasonable amount of watts would be.

Thanks again guys, much appreciated help.

 

[skyguy]

That vid card is fine. That CPU cooler is fine.

As for PSU, for your setup you don't really need 700w. The 600w OCZ GameXstream will do just fine. It will even run an 8800GTX if you wanted to upgrade at some point. Seriously, the OCZ 600w is more than fine for you. So save some $$ there.

As for modular, you won't need it. Just tuck the extra cables away nicely behind the hard drive cage, on the side just inside the opposite panel that you rarely remove....that one.....use zip ties and tie the cables there neatly. Modular PSU will cause your price to jump considerably, and in your case, it's unnecessary. Save your $$.

Sounds like you're almost there. When you've got everything decided, so one consolidated post with all the specs for a final check here.

 

[PsiKnife]

I'd add that the Sceptre 22" 5ms 1200:1 16.7 million colors is a great buy and is A LOT of bang for its buck despite detractors on the Samsung train (Samsung isn't "true color - Acer tests out as better color in most cases for panels under 500 bucks).

Here's why -

No other monitor on the planet is giving you 22" WITH a 1200:1 contrast ratio. That's the sell point to this monitor for most that know. And with 5 ms and low reports on dead pixels it's a steal - as in buy the Sceptre right away!

That contrast ratio isn't really 1200:1 on the Sceptre but closer to 800:1 which is still excellent for the $. Monitors listing 800:1 are closer to 500:1 in most cases and you dont get very deep blacks with anything under 1000:1 ratio., and the whites are really closer to light grey or beige. But with the Sceptre you'll get some bright whites and some darker blacks than most monitors in relation to CRT.

The other kicker is the 16.7 million colors - that's the maximum a human eye can perceive, and usually only available on more expensive monitors with slower reponse.

5ms is the real kicker, especially for gamers. That's fast enough to play BF2 at full settings and you likely wont notice any ghosting with 5ms. The Geforce 7950GT isn't chopped liver at 512mb. Though I'd save up some coin for the 8800 eventually , the 7950 512mb is still a solid card.

And because this monitor supports HD input, it's really head and shoulders above any other 22" for this price range or even up to 500.00.

With some slight monitor color calibrations, and some Nvidia display panel tinkering you can get this monitor much cloer to CRT richness while maintaining that LCD sharpness. The black levels will never be totally CRT but still better than a Samsung or some other big brand for the same price as they're all really 500:1 contrasts listed higher.

If you get this at Costco (who sell it often) you can return it even with 1 dead pixel. Sceptre themselves wont even do that, so I suggest using Costco.

In Any case - this is a sick monitor, The stand is cheap but replaceable if you must, still if you do your homework its a steal at this price for the features it offers.

 

[lambofgode3x]

I've always liked Thermalright's cpu coolers....the si-120 is amazing. i have an si-128 myself, but they they perform about the same. keeps my athlon x2 4800+ at 2.7ghz at 30c idle, 42c under full load.

Thermalright SI-120
Heatsink Fan

Yeah, it will cost a bit more to cool your processor, but hey, the better your cooling, the more you can overclock.

Sound Card: i have a creative X-Fi and it sound amazing. you will be happy with it. as for on board sound, yes, it has made a big leap, but sometimes you can still hear static interference with the onboard, especially on asus boards.

Video Card: With your setup, do yourself a favor and just get an 8800gts. costs a bit more, but it's worth it. if you do change it, go with either xfx, bfg, or my personal favorite, evga. 250 for a 1950xt, or 440 for an 8800gts. costs 190 dollars more, but look at it this way. would you rather spend 190 dollars more now, or 400 dollars later when dx10 comes out? (assuming you'd want a native dx10 card when dx10 launches)

everything else looks good.

 

[skyguy]

Yes, I have the 22" Samsung, and I'm very happy with it, but I certainly won't knock the Sceptre, I hear some good reviews. I only got the Samsung because of the name and was able to get it for $250 on Black Friday.....lucky me.


OH, and the 8800GTS may seriously be worth the extra money....take a look at it.

 

[hick5000]

Sorry for bumping a semi old post, I just got to the ordering phase and wanted to update for any last input. Thanks again to anyone who has already helped me along the way.

Here are the parts already ordered:

Asus P5B Deluxe
Seagate Barracuda 320gb, with the perpendicular jazz
OCZ 700w Psu (I meant to order the 600w, whoops)
Thermalright Ultra-120
120mm Fan+S-type clip for the Ultra-120

I'm kind of getting more hyped about over clocking this time around so I upgraded my heat sink and what not. Here are the parts I am set on ordering.

Case: NZXT Zero, comes with a brazillion fans and lots of space.
RAM: Super Talent DDR2 800
Monitor: Sceptre 22"

And the last things I'm on the fence about:

Diamond X1950xt vs. eVGA 8800gts
C2D E6600 vs. Xeon 3060

For the video card, I don't really know if shelling out that much extra is worth it, but I mean if it is it just is I suppose. And as for the Xeon 3060 DaSickNinja's post pretty much turned me onto it, since I plan on over clocking just seemed like the better choice, except I can't find it for below $342.31 shipped ATM, where the e6600 is only $309 at newegg, and in stock.

Basically I ended up paying more than I intended for the system, but I figured it might be worth it in the long run, just looking any for anyone with better experience to guide my decisions.

Thanks again in advanced.