Help selecting parts for gaming machine

[donnagual]

Hey all, and thanks in advance

I'm upgrading my current computer to a core 2 duo system, so I need to replace the CPU, motherboard and ram.

I will be reusing everything else at this point:

PSU: Antec NEO HE 550W
GPU: Asus EN7800GT 256Mb
HDD: SATA (300Gb) SATA2 (80Gb)
Other: got a floppy, DVD etc.

Needed:

Motherboard: Looking at the eVGA nForce 680i SLI 775 Mainboard
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600

The hardest part I am having is selecting the best ram. I live in Japan, and ram (especially high end ram) is WAY overpriced compared to the U.S.

For example Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4 is 44,000 yen (that's about $380 US and it is currently $250 on newegg). Same is true of all namebrand ram (Kingston etc.)

This pretty much puts the high end ram into the insanely expensive in my books, I am forced to look at the cheap stuff.

So, which should I get? These are

240PIN DDR2 PC6400-1GB(DDR800) JEDEC x2 sticks: $280
240PIN DDR2 PC5300-1GB(DDR667) JEDEC x2 sticks: $200
240PIN DDR2 PC5300-1GB(DDR667) x2 sticks: $200
240PIN DDR2 PC4300-1GB(DDR533) OEM x2 sticks: $190
240PIN DDR2 DDR2 PC4300-1GB(DDR533) HYNIX original x2 sticks: $240
240PIN DDR2 PC4300-1GB(DDR533) JEDECx2 sticks: $200
240PIN UMAX Castor LoDDR2-1G-800 (PC6400-1GB CL5) x2: $280

These are the options and prices at one of Tokyo's most well known enthusiast parts suppliers (unfortunately).

So, I mainly need help in selecting the ram. My priority is performance / dollar. Corsair is just too expensive in Japan.

I also am looking for feedback on the motherboard.

 

[apt403]

whats the max your looking to spend on ram, are you ocing, and could you give us a link to the store your buying from? if it is an etailer.

 

[donnagual]

The store has no English unfortunately. Here is the site in Japanese: http://www.faith-go.co.jp/parts.asp

On all my computers so far, I have always overclocked, so chances are yes, I will overclock at some point. I have also always overclocked using the types of ram I list above (I have never owned corsair to this date, although I would like to).

The max I am wanting to spend? Well, I don't really have a max. However I don't want to be an idiot either, and it just seems to me that only an idiot would pay the price for corsair here in Japan. Am I wrong?

 

[apt403]

corsair isnt the only good ram company, theres OCZ, G. Skill, Crucial, GeIL, PQI, and my personal favorite, super talent. since your oc-ing then you should get DDR2-800 instead of 667 or 533.

of the 7 ram choices that you listed in your first post i cant really give you an answer, since i dont know the timings on the stuff, and timings matter alot.

 

[PCAnalyst]

Hey all, and thanks in advance

I'm upgrading my current computer to a core 2 duo system, so I need to replace the CPU, motherboard and ram.

I will be reusing everything else at this point:

PSU: Antec NEO HE 550W
GPU: Asus EN7800GT 256Mb
HDD: SATA (300Gb) SATA2 (80Gb)
Other: got a floppy, DVD etc.

Needed:

Motherboard: Looking at the eVGA nForce 680i SLI 775 Mainboard
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600

This is the MoBo I have decided on as well... looks to be quite the performer with a very flexible BIOS. Still a little new, and many users here are using the ASUS and Gigabite boards I think.

Very good Core obviously...

For example Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4 is 44,000 yen (that's about $380 US and it is currently $250 on newegg). Same is true of all namebrand ram (Kingston etc.)

The 6400C4 is $380... thats the Micron Chip pro version of Corsair... it is the best overclocker at the moment... in corsairs DDR2 800 sticks.

So, I mainly need help in selecting the ram. My priority is performance / dollar. Corsair is just too expensive in Japan.

If you are overclocking then you will be happiest with the Corsairs performance or equal Mushkins.

If you do not plan to overclock then G.Skill, OCZ has some decent mid range performers... IMHO.

I also am looking for feedback on the motherboard.

Its a great Mobo on paper... reviews I have read have had very little to say negatively towards it if at all. The BIOS is top notch from screen shots I have seen and it has the necessary PCIe, RAID, spacing one would need to take advantage of just about everything available.

the eVGA's competition right now -as far as apples to apples- would probably be the ROG striker by ASUS. Many topics on this in these forums.

 

[donnagual]

The 6400C4 is $380... thats the Micron Chip pro version of Corsair... it is the best overclocker at the moment... in corsairs DDR2 800 sticks.

Here it is for $250 on Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034

That's a $130 markup for the same ram in Japan. Ouch.

Thanks for the feedback on the motherboard. I really like that Asus board you mention as well, but here in Japan again the price is just insane. The eVga board is 33,000 yen ($287) and the Asus Sticker Extreme is 48,000 yen ($417). Not even in the same ballpart pricewise.

Hmmmm. It is so hard to decide. I am such a sucker for having the best, but the price of namebrand ram here is just so out of proportion.

 

[geofelt]

If you are building a gaming machine, then the VGA card is much more important than the cpu, particularly a good one like the e6600. Given that you will keep the vga card, then the e6600 at stock speeds will be more than enough without overclocking. Just get any 2gb memory that works.
You may find that a P965 board will suit you equally well, and be cheaper.

 

[celewign]

There are a million posts like this. If you read them, you may find one that deals with your situation.

This is the internet, man.
-cm

 

[PCAnalyst]

The 6400C4 is $380... thats the Micron Chip pro version of Corsair... it is the best overclocker at the moment... in corsairs DDR2 800 sticks.

Here it is for $250 on Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034

That's a $130 markup for the same ram in Japan. Ouch.

Thanks for the feedback on the motherboard. I really like that Asus board you mention as well, but here in Japan again the price is just insane. The eVga board is 33,000 yen ($287) and the Asus Sticker Extreme is 48,000 yen ($417). Not even in the same ballpart pricewise.

Hmmmm. It is so hard to decide. I am such a sucker for having the best, but the price of namebrand ram here is just so out of proportion.

OH!... thought you were talking about this RAM...

6400C4 Pro

Still... if you really want the best... the model you chose is not it... but its close. Mostly due to the heat spreaders on the model I posted... lets you overclock them significantly more.

 

[donnagual]

If you are building a gaming machine, then the VGA card is much more important than the cpu, particularly a good one like the e6600. Given that you will keep the vga card, then the e6600 at stock speeds will be more than enough without overclocking. Just get any 2gb memory that works.
You may find that a P965 board will suit you equally well, and be cheaper.

My main goal here is to get myself ready for DX10. I am keeping my 7800GT for now, and will upgrade to a DX10 card once the games start coming out, and the prices of the GPUs start coming down.

And what always happens for me, is I buy a great CPU (currently the 3700+) and then once it starts feeling a little dated, I OC it. So I wouldn't OC the E6600 right away, but maybe next year (a few months before I once again upgrade) I would OC it a bit just to stretch it's life a while longer.

I suppose the main thing I need help with is the ram and motherboard. Of the ram I listed above in the first post, which one should I get? Or am I a fool to not blow an extra $130 for corsair? What would you all do in my shoes?

 

[donnagual]

There are a million posts like this. If you read them, you may find one that deals with your situation.

This is the internet, man.
-cm

There are a million people living in Japan asking for advice about ram? lol

Here's what I want to know. If I get the eVga board, the E6600 and generic ram, and I simply wasting my money? Will I be hit with a big enough performance decrease to justify spending an extra $130 to get corsair ram over generic?

The fact that corsair ram is THAT much more expensive in Japan I think puts me in a unique situation, justifying the creation of this magnificent thread. lol.

 

[PCAnalyst]

Your decision should be easy I think... since you have chosen to word it the way you have. If you are truely not concerned by small increments in performance(and they are small among the DDR2 800 line) you would be satisfied with less than the very best.

G.Skill, Super Talent, OCZ, Corsair, Buffalo Firestix, etc... all make relatively the same mid range products... they will not be Micron based chips, but will give you solid 800MHz performance.

As to which set to get... and since you are in Japan... just find the best deal between them... there is NO ONE RIGHT answer. They are all comparitively equal.

As I have stated before I have researched every aspect I could think of, and found little differences... Buffalo firestix seem to be priced well here in the states... as well as G.Skill... just find a price you are comfortable with and take the plunge.

Have fun

 

[donnagual]

G.Skill, Super Talent, OCZ, Corsair, Buffalo Firestix, etc... all make relatively the same mid range products... they will not be Micron based chips, but will give you solid 800MHz performance.

The problem is, it is not just corsair. It is ALL namebrand ram that is expensive (not much different from Corsair at all).

I have a choice between Brand name (one of the companies you listed above) or no name, generic ram (the ones I listed in the first post of this thread).

By the way, I really appreciate your input here. Most of all, it is just nice to have someone to bounce all this off of if you know what I mean, so cheers for that.

 

[PCAnalyst]

hmm... can you get any benchmarks on the generic RAM?

Any other product information?

Its about impossible to say which of the RAM you listed is worth its weight since there is no maker information....

I would be hesitant in buying the knock-offs.

 

[AMDThunder]

Have any friends in the states who could buy it for you and ship it over?

 

[celewign]

Ok, RAM is a big thing for some people, and there is a difference between good and generic.

The thing is, the difference is in things that don't really matter that much to me. If load times for a game are 1 minute on generic RAM and 35 seconds on 130$ RAM, it's just not a good payoff for me, because I'd rather lose 35 seconds of my life every time I fire up the game than lose the 8 hours I have to work to make up the 130$ RAM cost over the generic RAM. In this case, money is more valuable than time.

But that is just my opinion as a college student gamer person thing.
-cm

 

[PCAnalyst]

Ok, RAM is a big thing for some people, and there is a difference between good and generic.

The thing is, the difference is in things that don't really matter that much to me. If load times for a game are 1 minute on generic RAM and 35 seconds on 130$ RAM, it's just not a good payoff for me, because I'd rather lose 35 seconds of my life every time I fire up the game than lose the 8 hours I have to work to make up the 130$ RAM cost over the generic RAM. In this case, money is more valuable than time.

But that is just my opinion as a college student gamer person thing.
-cm

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