Proposed C2D System - Opinions/advice Please?

Come on guys - a little help (advice) here ... please?

The taco, at your service, I already have in mind a few modifications for your build, I will post them in a second

Note the folowing warning (specific to the ASUS):

Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets

If it applies, be sure to get RAM that runs at 1.8V. That Corsair doesn't.

JumpingJack (CPU section) - gave me that RAM advice. He's running it in his ASUS P5B Deluxe system right now - said it worked great. But, I'll double check - thanks.

for starters, you are paying way too much on that monitor, here's a personal favorite of mine that has a nice resolution on it too for almost $200 less
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

And then for your ram, dump the corsair, I will not lie to you, their lower xms models simple suck, they are way too overpriced for having promos IC's in them, get some nice kingston like this if you won't overclock much, because you'll probably end up running 1:1 anyway
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

If you do decide to overclock more, then I suggest this ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...
It can support very high frequncies compared to other ram at the same price

And then for the cpu cooling, seriously drop the zalman, I have a zalman myself, and I have found that zalman is far more hype than performance, my 9500 gets demolished by this cooler, so enjoy the price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1683...


Loving the case though, I have heard a lot of nice things about it, but maybe re-consider the fans
This has a billion fins, so it should be better with the less rpm's
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1683...
and this one moves more air for a tiny bit more dba

The hdd is fine

And here's a disk drive that I have that's a bit faster for less
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

I think you should wait on the 6600, the intel price drop is on the way, and I like the gigabite more than the p5b, people have a lot of ram problems with that, and for a mild oc, just save the money

Ali (da taco)

Taco, any PSU recommendation? I'm all over the place on this item 8O

sure, as psu's are a very important part of computers that are far too overlooked
PC P&C, probably the best on the market I have seen
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...
Corsair, they supposedly have nice quality for psu's (in general they do for ram too, but I feel cheated from them ever since they put promos IC in their ram and put micron IC in the review modles)

silverstone is very expensive company, but has some of the best quality on the market
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...
Ocz has some of the best quality too, but they are pricey, so here's a cheap model (relative to the other ocz's)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...
Thermaltake's toughpowers are very nice too, and this is kinda a cheaper version of them (comes with a nice rebate too)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...
And here are a couple of the nice modular ones on the market
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...
Ohh, and I forgot to mention this video card, it absolutely demolishes your current suggestions, and I'm pretty sure it should fit your budget, especially if you exchange the dell monitor for the sceptre that's better imo and costs almost $200 less
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...
Ati cards have in general always outperformed nvidia cards for less, kinda like how amd used to outperform intel for less, until the 8800 series, but this is a very powerful card that you should be able to oc to xtx speeds using the catalyst software that oc's your gfx card without infringing your warranty (ati supplies it)

Did this help?

Yeah, I liked these:
OCZ GameXStream

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610

CORSAIR 520W Power Supply

And I like this one too: ENERMAX Liberty 500W

I'll take another look at that GPU. Looks good. Thanks  

no problem, the taco is always glad to help

I think enermax is a nice brand, especially with their 1kw galaxy that's modular and only $300, but I'd rather get the pc p&c if you can afford it, they have very good efficiency rates, and I'd get the more wattage to be on the safe side. As for the gpu, it is a nice one, but what'd you think about the monitor, as I think at $200, it's a nice deal, and you could almost crossfire the card for the price of dell combined with the 7900gs (but you'd need an ati mobo, and the only one that contains the highly valued sb600 northbridge is the $250 dfi, but the ati boards are in general cheaper too).

As for the corsair, people got it to run a quad, phsyx, dual 8800gtx's and game on that. Of course the site said it is not recommended to do that, and I agree, but I think you should decide between the corsair and pc p&c.

I'll think about the SCEPTRE Widescreen LCD - $200 is $200 bucks. But, I love that Dell - seen it, love it.

I won't ever be running dual graphic cards - just not that important to me. So crossfire and SLI are not in the picture for me.

I'm still undecided on PSU - but the more recommendations, the better - I've narrowed it down from hundreds to 4-5 or so ...  

Edit: I like this Fortron Source 450w - for the money, it's got great amps on the 12v rails. And I think it would be adequate for the modest system I'm contemplating. You think?

well, I suggest you spend an extra $250 more on the dell 2407 monitor if you can afford it, as its the best 24" with a res of 1920*1200 with hdcp on the market right now, and it's amazing. Don't know how well the ati will put up with it on newer games though

Good luck on the psu, try asking jack or dario on that, they probably can help you more

Nice! if only my budget allowed me to narrow it down a few hundred up  

I don´t know what gaming king you want, but those two choices are very different.
So: 7900gs>7600gt>7600gs ddr3>x1650xt>x1650pro

help me helping you  

I liked the 7900GS ... had a friend tell me he loves the 1650PRO (512 memory & DDR2) ... I'm not a big gamer - so, my default would go to the 7900GS I guess.

Your thoughts? What's a gaming king? (I don't think I'd be one ... lol)

that's false right there, the x1650xt is far better than the 7600gs, it's on a level probably equal to the 7900gs. If you can afford the x1950xt, that's the card to get right now, otherwise, a 1900gt will do (still better than the 7900gs imo, but not the 7900gt or gto)

My thoughts are unchanged, as the x1950xt is comparable to the 7950gt and in most tests beats it by a small margin

Ohh, and Jake, if you want to truly know what ram to get for the best price for either overclocking a lot or just getting better timings with minimal voltage, here's a site I forgot to show you that shows all the ICs of the major ram products
http://ramlist.ath.cx/ddr2/

In general, anything with micron chips are good enough for what you want, but just let me know ahead of time which one you are considering

Well, i did invented that sentence... 8O
like gaming 4xaa at 1600x1200 kind? none of this options fit...
Want to spend $130 on a great gfx? go asus 7600gs ddr3 top


to I_Love_Tacos:

http://www.vr-zone.com/index.php?i=4336

well, the x1950pro put up a good fight, but the xt has more pipelines and is faster, and trounces the 7900gto in most benchmarks (not sure about it being able to compete with the gtx, that's xtx land). But I don't think the 7600gs is worth considering, not enough pipelines and really weak clocks, this is far better for the money, especially the insane clocks
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...

not because i have one, but price wise, an oc'ed 7900gs rapes an "older" oc'ed 7900gt. don't ask me why, but any core goes to 650mhz no sweat and some even come with 1.1ns mem. Search for some benches.
But yes, an oc'ed x1950 pro will beat an oc'ed 7900gs

how can u say 1400mhz is weak????????????

And that's why I say x1950xt, because people take those up easily beyoned the xtx speeds, and that completely destroys the gtx's performance (exept in video rendering and editing)

rendering and editing in what software????

the cards that have 1400mhz ram clocks cost more than the gt version, plus, those are only the very newest editions, the older ones couldn't get past 800mhz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...
Here's the fastest gddr2 7600gs,

If you have payed attention, I always mentioned the ddr3 one. Don´t need to show me the ddr2 one.

As for the gfx cards being faster at editing, the only software that use it is Adobe premiere and I'd like to see some benches about that.

I have a friend who does tech support for Dell. He builds his own systems - he told me that GDDR3 cards blow away GDDR2's. I don't know, have to trust you guys.

Just looking @ the original post

Tower?? Full sized, you picked

Mobo - P5B Deluxe if you can snag it

RAM? Drop the XMS2, G.skill 800 slightly cheaper, 1GB modules
can overclock nicely.

out of the two GPU's listed...7900GS, but if you can afford that, spring for an X1950 instead.

HDD's are nice

Lose the 7700.... TT or Scythe for you young man

Lite on is good for cheap DVD ROMS, I have a couple.
But you want a quality burner and that = Plextor

PSU.....
You know what brands I'm going to say. And make it 600w or greater =)

if you compare between the same gpus, memory speed matters. If different, you have to do some research.
Look:
8800GTX DDR3 (1800mhz)>8800GTS DDR3 (1800mhz)>X1950XTX DDR4 (2000mhz)

7600GS DDR2 (800mhz)>6600GT DDR3 (1000mhz). GPU architecture is what matters here.


Hey, it's all about the money. If you have 200, go x1950pro or 7900gs
If you have 150, go 7600gt
if you have 130, go 7600gs ddr3

Links?

I had a 7700....not that impressed.

Replaced it with this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1683...

With my 148 @ 3ghz, the load temp never exceeded the average idle temp on the 7700 (around 38C)


I'm thinking about picking up either

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1683...

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1683...

true, but games can use the higher clocks too.

here, the best coolers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1683...
and here
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1683...
but the zcf7 should be enough for you, consiering the mild oc

Jake,

Overall, your system looks good.

I would choose the GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3, based on several reviews it gives very good performance and is at a good price point.

As for the GPU, since you are not going to be gaming much, I would stick with the 7900GS you selected or drop down to a 7600GT, or perhaps a 7600GS. You don't need to buy a X1950Pro like others are suggesting since it's most likely an overkill.

Regarding the power supply, I would go with the Corsair 520w PSU since it is a derivative of a Seasonic S12 PSU. I have a Seasonic S12 500 PSU and I can say it is a very quiet PSU. The Fortron 450w PSU is both good and inexpensive and will be more than enough to power your proposed system.

Keep the Dell 20" you have listed. It uses an 8-bit LCD, which is far better than a 6-bit LCD screen used in cheaper LCD monitors because it provides better color accuracy and crisper text. The down side to 8-bit LCD screens is price and the response times are not as good as 6-bit LCDs.

Lastly, instead of selecting the E6600 you could opt for the C2D E4300 CPU which has a clock multiplier pof 9 (just like the E6600), but it only has 2MB of cache and the default FSB is 800MHz instead of 1066MHz. It also lacks virtualization. The average performance difference between 2MB and 4MB of cache is about 3%-4% in most applications; including games. The one exception is multimedia encoding where the performance difference is 10%. The C2D E4300 is currently selling for $179 compared to $316 for the C2D E6600.

There have been several reviews where the E4300 has been push as high as 3.2GHz - 3.4GHz. I'm not pushing you to go with this CPU, I just wanted to put it on the table as an alternative.

LCD = Dell, Viewsonic, Samsung - favs'

Thanks, I'm not saying that $ is no object - but I know that Dell monitor (made by Samsung) and it's 1st rate (unlike other Dell crap). I figure I'll get 5+ years out of that 20", so $40 more/year isn't a big hit. It's got 1600x1200 native resolution - I like that.

Yeah, I'm leaning towards that GIGABYTE DS3 - should be as good as the Asus with only a mild OC.

I might stick with the 7900GS - just because I know nvidia and have always had good luck with their cards (please - I'm not starting a fan boy war here ... just my opinion).

With the upcoming price drop on the e6600, I'll stick with this chip - I like it, will be doing video editing (need the cache).

I appreciate the comments. I'm still debating the PSU ... why this one item is causing consistent brain farts, I don't know - maybe, I'll pick 4-5 and throw darts ...  

The ds3 should be nice for the price as I stated earlier, and the res on the monitor looks good, I though that most 17"-20" used either 1024*768 or 1440*900, but this one seems nice (still prefer the sceptre, but that's up to you). The nvidia cards are better for opengl and video editing than ati anyway, so enjoy the gs, but maybe consider the 7950gt for a tad more, the x1950xt beats it at gaming, but you'll want an nvidia card and the more ram for video editing
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...

As for the 6600, I don't really think you'll get any performance increase over 10% because of the cache, it's the speed and 9 mult that people go after, if the 6700 drops a considerable amount, then get that, as you'll want the mult more than anything for even the slightest oc. Plus, you want the power more than anything, and the 6700 kills the fx-62, so just a thought. I don't want to add more confusion to you, so only consider the 6700 if it drops to $300 or less, otherwise just stick with the 6600

Hey Jack, I've pointed out a few psu's, which do you think is the best, the ocz gamestream, pc p&c 610w, or corsair hx 520w. Which has the best efficiency for the price? You're the genious around here, so I think you can help more than I can (I'm better with making tacos   )

that processor has far too much muscle to pair it up with low end graphics (trust me i've got one), you should be aiming for x1950 pro/xt. and contrary to what has been said about corsair xms2 pc6400 ram, i have some (2gb, C4 latency) and it works fine with my p5b deluxe.

p.s: its nice to see a forum master asking for help for a change, instead of us noobs

nub, if you knew much about gfx cards, then you'd know that ati is better at gaming, while nvidia is better at video editing/rendering. You wouldn't want a 1950xt for editing and while you wouldn't want the 7950gt for gaming. Some cards are just better than others at specific tasks, and the 7950gt takes the crown for price erformance of video rendering for the large ram amount, the pipelines, and its opengl performance. The x1950xt is a very nice gamer though. Also, corsair is all hype now, they give their best ram and put their best IC in their review ram, and now they give their customers promos ICs instead of micron. You would definitely want to stay away from corsair on their xms2 right now (though their 8500 and 6400c3 are very nice)

Get an EVGA brand Video card.

Then in 90days you can swap it for a mid-range DX10 card at little or no cost based upon the $150/$180 estimate for the variar 8600 models coming out.

(With EVGA, you can trade you card in for a better model within 90 days. You only pay the difference between what you paid and the list of the current card.)

With a new generation of cards coming out in 90 days, I see no reason to not go that route. Especially since the cards you are looking at are in the same $$$ range as what the new ones are expected to be listed.

That's true, but their prices on the website are outrageously high, people just sell their cards on ebay if they're only 90days old, and then buy a new card from newegg. You get a better deal that way anyway, and you can choose a manufacturer of your choice, such as xfx, that has always offered more freebies and better clocks in general (except for the acs3 versions of the cards)

WTF? don´t troll please.

again, prove it please. or show me one review

I would go with the LG drive. it is dirt cheap and performs amazing. Has the fewest errors on burnt discs of any and performs in the top.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

I lvoe the Dell 2007WFP I have one I am in love with it. I love the 16:10 with ability to put two pages of text side by side. Dell will run it on special for 400 with shipping.

its basically the same thing as the nec I pointed out, same specs

I personaly have the BFG 7900GSOC for about 1 year now and it is a great card. But really there is no reason to spend a assload of money on a DX9 card when your going to go DX10 in a year most likely. So save your money and get a 7600GT there great cards and are cheap.

true, here's my personal fav when it comes to cheap gfxx cards with power
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...

I know you are having a hard time proving what you said about the rendering crap.
Just because it's........FALSE.

look, I;m having a hard day after a lot of finals, I don't really have time to look for your evidence, just ask jumping jack, he'll explain everything for you in far more detail than I can

X1650? =)

PSU

TT, Seasonic, Antec, PC&P, Silverstone, OCZ, Enermax, FSP, BFG & Sparkle.

Almost everyone switched their lower end from the high binned micron d9s to elpida or promos etc. due to high demand and the lack of supply. It's not just Corsair that pulled a switch. Anything not around the 300 dollar mark for 2x1gb ddr2 800 is probably not one of the high binned microns (gmh etc.) Heck, even the ballistix around that 300 USD range uses D9DCLs which aren't as great. Granted, it's still a d9 which I suppose technically fits the fact that they are all supposed to be d9s unlike the lowest end Corsair Dominator (which I think was a bad move on Corsair's part.) Good Micron chips are simply not for the budget concerned right now nor is it necessary for only mild overclocks. Grabbing ddr2-800 means you already have some "ready to overclock" memory off the bat anyway. Might not reach insane overclocking rates because of your memory but if you have enough money for those higher binned micron d9s right now, you have enough to upgrade the CPU.

Some people have reached decent oc's with stock hsf for intel c2ds. Not recommended if you are really going to push your system though but it depends on how much you are going to squeeze the wallet I guess.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1075792

7900gs can be found for quite a bit less than 200 if you add in rebates from newegg or wherever you decide to buy it. Not to mention, if you ever do play an occasional game, most of the 7900gs line can OC quite well and give greater performance than you first expect. If you are gaming on a budget, it's definitely not a bad card to go.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/x1950pro...

Your overclocking mileage may vary depending on the card and you may need to squeeze a fan on it or have really good airflow to reach those amounts but nevertheless, it's a great value at that price point. That being said, if you can find an ATI 1950pro on the cheap, grab that immediately as a sure bet is always better than overclocking. As it is, value for potential performance goes with the 7900 gs in my opinion. Kinda how I think about the c2d for that matter.

  ... You validate a lot of my original thinking. Thanks.

/Edit: Being a long time nvidia user (but not a "fan boy") ... I kind of had a blind eye to ATI ... thanks to all for pointing out the positives. I've been educated