Any Bottlenecks in my potential system?

[jacharya]

I am about to purchase the following items for a new system and wanted to know if this system looks good, or if some of the components are mismatched, ie, memory too slow for CPU, etc.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.66GHz 775 Processor

EVGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard -

BFG Tech GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card

CORSAIR XMS2 2GBDDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)

Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB HD

Antec P180 Silver Case

Antec True Power Trio TP3-650 ATX12V 650W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails 100

I will use the my existing sound card which is a Creative Audigy 2 ZS.

 

[UAL3312]

do you plan on overclocking this?

 

[Featherstone]

Well if you are using this for gaming, downgrade the CPU and with the money saved, upgrade the graphics card to a GTX.

 

[jacharya]

Not really. I mean, down the road when I need more speed for more demanding games, but the this system should run all current games at max quality right?

Also, after I posted, I think I may switch from the Antec case, to a LIAN LI PC-B20B case.

 

[CmdPT]

First, Downgrade the CPU to a E6600 it would save u a little bit of money. Second do you really need a PC2 8500? The PC 6400 should do you plenty and also save you some money. Other than that everything else looks fine to me.

PS. Enjoy the new RIG

 

[Featherstone]

You will get better 3d performance (games, 3dmark etc.) for the same price if you downgrade your CPU and upgrade your GPU.

Sorry I said this again, my comment just seemed to be overlooked.

 

[jacharya]

Thanks for the advice. Did not realize the jump in cost for E6600 to E6700 was so high.

On the memory, I see two types of corsair XMS. What are the differences?

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Features: EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles) and also SLI certified ($274)

or

CORSAIR XMS2 DOMINATOR 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4D - Features: DHX (Dual-path Heat Xchange), EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles), SLI certified ($302)

 

[jacharya]

Good to know. However, I read on in the Graphics section of TH that the G8800 XT can get bottlenecked if not paired with the fastest of processors. So I thought I needed to get one of the higher speed versions of the core 2 duo?

 

[Featherstone]

Good to know. However, I read on in the Graphics section of TH that the G8800 XT can get bottlenecked if not paired with the fastest of processors. So I thought I needed to get one of the higher speed versions of the core 2 duo?

Yes the 8800GTX can get bottlenecked by the CPU.
BUT, an E6400+8800GTX($750) is cheaper than, and will outperform an E6700+8800GTS($900) as far as gaming is concerned.



Edit: People get very mislead by the title of that article. You don't need the fastest processor in order for the 8800 to perform great. But for it to perform at its full potential you do need the fastest processor that you can get. But you will be spending lots of money for just a few more framerates. For example you may get 80fps with an 8800gtx and an E6400, but upgrading to an E6700 will get you 95fps. Now that is a fairly big difference, showing you that your CPU is somewhat of a bottleneck. On the other hand it is not worth the extra $700 for those 15fps.

 

[jacharya]

Thanks Featherstone. What do you recommend for the memory. Some have said that PC2 6400 is fine, but I have read the memory is more important then a CPU in some regards. Would you go for the PC2 6400 or the PC2 8500 from. I would buy Corsair either way. Also, is "SLI" certified memory just marketing, or actually important when it comes to memory?

 

[Syntonic]

The number one issue for me in terms of memory is price. After that, rated memory speed is important if you are going to overclock. Otherwise, sheer amount would serve you better better than rated memory speed as long as you at least get ddr2-533 for your c2d (think that's right.) After everything else, I would worry about latency timings. If you are still looking at "down the road" overclocking, you might as well stick with DDR2 800/pc2 6400 unless the price difference between that and lower speed rated RAM is the same as upgrading to a new CPU. This shouldn't be the case with ddr2-800 but for some of those higher priced RAM modules, it is and it really makes no sense to me to buy that memory but I digress.

SLI and Crossfire certification is pretty much marketing though there are some fancy things included like EPP which makes life minutely easier. Since you like Corsair, we'll take a look at their DDR2-800 XMS2 offerings (I don't think the low end Dominators are worth it.) Is EPP worth 27 more dollars or whatever the cost is currently? You'd have to tighten the RAM timings yourself and test it for the nonEPP/SLI version and there's no promise that it'll be as low as the EPP version. On the flip side, there isn't really a big difference in performance when it comes to timing anyway.

Disclaimer: The above could be all wrong, partially wrong, or mostly wrong. It can't be all right. Maybe. In any case, with Google, I found these two links quickly. Didn't really read over them but they probably contain more information and knowledge than me with the added benefit that it could be all right.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/26
http://www.overclock.net/faqs/26706-info-ram-timings-dummies.html

 

[-silencer-]

If you're not overclocking, just stick with DDR2-667 memory, preferably 4-4-4-12 timings over 5-5-5-15. Technically, you will only be running at DDR2-533 at stock speed, but it's nice to have a little headroom. You could run at a higher memory divider than 1:1, but it's not as beneficial as some think..

Again, if you're not overclocking, there's no difference between the Corsair XMS2 and Dominator sticks you posted. They MAY have different memory modules, but the default speed and timings are the same. Again, high end memory speed is for overclocking.. lower timings is more important for running at stock speeds.

 

[jacharya]

Thanks for the detailed replys. From what I have read, I will not be buying the DDR2 1066. It just is not cost efficient at this time. Plus, since I am buying the EVGA n680 SLI MB, I can always upgrade my memory at a later date.

 

[AdamBomb42]

I suggest for you to invest in a pair of seagate 7200.10 drives and put them in raid 0.

 

[pottymonster]

if you arent going to be overclocking, theres no need for a 680i motherboards.

i assume that if you arent going to overclock, then you also have no intention of going sli either. seeing as how the 680i is made for overclocking and sli, theres no point in getting one. trust me.

 

[jacharya]

Well I am not planning on overclocking right now. But I want a system where I can easily upgrade in the future. Also, the only reason I am not overclocking is that I am a novice when it comes to building computers. I mean, I have no idea what people are talking about when they refer to voltage for memory and OC. All I know about OC is it increases performance, but also increases the component temps.