Gaming monitor dilemma vs. required video card horsepower:

kenratboy

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I have been planning on building a new gaming rig, here are the components I have in mind (certainly open to changes, but to give you an idea what I want to spend):

74309805.jpg


However, I am also wanting to upgrade my 19" Samsung 930B (1280 x 1024) to a 24" Dell or similar (1920 x 1200) - or a jump of nearly DOUBLE the pixel count.

My concern is even with the (base level) GeForce 8800 I am thinking about, the video card will struggle to keep up with this massive monitor. Unless the game is physically not capable of running at the native resolution of the monitor, I would ALWAYS run the games at this size. Crysis, STALKER, FEAR, HL2, GTA IV, etc. are all the sort of stuff I play, and I play them as much for the graphics as the game itself.

Question is: will this video card be able to keep up with this monitor? If not, will the 640 MB version do the trick, or do I need to go for the GTX?

Also, I do a lot of Photoshop (have a Canon 30D) and 2D/3D AutoCAD, so this monitor is ideal.

Any advice? Is the video card going to be OK for a 24" panel, or do I need to step it up?

Thanks!
 

CmdPT

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That video card would be just fine. As for the 24" 24" Dell or similar (1920 x 1200) would be nice. But the 19" Samsung 930B (1280 x 1024) will be fine.

Those games will run great as far as you're monitor and video card is concerned.

As far as you're PSU not too sure how good that PSU is. But I would go for OCZ GameXStream 600/700W PSU. That should be plenty enough for your awesome build.

For Memory go with either G.skill, OCZ, or even the Patriot these three are pretty good RAM.
 

skyguy

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Look at it this way instead:

Any monitor will LONG outlast a system...maybe even 2 systems. And in that time, GPU power will likely triple. Which means that an 8800GTS 640 right now *might* (and I stress might) be borderline capable of powering a 24" LCD (depending on your game and settings), but the next card you get will EASILY power at 24" monitor. And the one after that won't even break a sweat. By that time, 24" monitors might even be the "standard" size.

If you have the budget, jump for a GTX. But if not, then the GTS is good. But don't expect to play Oblivions completely max'd out with the 320mb card at 24" with awesome framerates. Gotta be somewhat realistic. That capability will cost $$$. But that's not to say the GTS is bad....not true. But keep realistic expectations in the short term and evaluate your budget. But remember, your next graphics card will handle a 24" monitor and you'll have that LCD longer than your system....or even one after.
 

DarkTide

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You have a high end mother board with mid range parts. You could certainly cut $100 if you used a different 775 mobo.
 

jordanwise

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i agreee with darktide, if your using a single graphics card then the 680i chipset is overkill, go for a nice 965 with great o/c abilities, like my p5b deluxe, got my e6600 to 3.0ghz in about a minute. Good wi-fi aswell
 

AdamBomb42

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The 8800GTS is more than enough. I suggest for you to buy 2 250GB Seagate 7200.10 drive and run them in RAID 0 instead of a single 400GB.
 

skyguy

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Heck, even go with a Gigabyte 965P-S3.....stable board with decent features and it'll overclock very high. That'll save some good money, then reinvest that into a GTX or another hard drive.
 

Nomans63

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Unless you're planing to go SLI with the 8800 GTX for now/later, the 680i is overkill and too expensive. If you want to stay with NVIDIA 6 chipset, consider the 650i mobo instead of 680i would bring your cost down to the same level as Gigabyte 965P-S3 (better with -DS3), i.e. under $150. That would save you around 100 bucks to invest towards the bigger 8800 GTS with 640 MB or even the 768MB 8800 GTX if you have the changes.

As for the video card, If you can wait for AMD/ATI R600 release some time in May/June, that's better as you can have more choices to select from. Also, by that time, NVIDIA 8800 prices will be a little lower than now. But this is entirely up to you whether to wait or not. If you want a DX10 video card now, 8800 is your only choice.

If you plan to moderate to high OC the E6600, go with the Gigabyte 965P board as it is proven as one of the best board to OC for less, otherwise the NVIDIA 600 chipset is newer. Intel 965 chipset is kind of old and will be replaced around Q3 this year with the newer "Bearlake" chipset (ICH9), I think. But for this new chipset, mobo pricing is completely unknown. We may find the mobos with the new chipset at the price level sort of the ASUS Striker Extrem, which is out-of-whack for most of us.
 

kenratboy

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Thanks guys.

I do want to stick with one HD (albeit a fast one), but thats kinda another debate.

So get a less-expensive MB, and go with a better card - sounds like a good idea. Only reason I picked that MB is I am 'sold' on having a really good MB - but I am sure I can get just as good of a MB for less money, just without SLI and some of that stuff.

I will not be doing SLI.

Any more thoughts on specific motherboards and RAM (2 x 1GB kits) to buy?

Like a casual drug user, I am a casual OCer - my current CPU and video card are over-clocked by 10% - and with this system, I would hope to do a little better, but not extreme - I just want to get all the 'easy' performance I can. I know you can squeeze a hell of a lot of juice out of the E6400, what board and RAM do I want without going crazy?

Also about the monitor - yes, I would plan on keeping it for a very long time - only thing is unlike a lot of you, I would be keeping this card for a bit (instead of upgrading a time or two per year).

Thanks again, and I am open to any advice, I have a general idea what I want, but not the specifics to achieve my goal.
 

skyguy

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One clarification here.....make no mistake: the 965 boards are GOOD boards.....in general, there are very stable and overclock like champs. They may not have some of the high-end features, but for the price, they put the 680 boards to shame. I'd take a 965 board and decent 800 RAM and OC it high and save $$hundreds anyday over paying more for a 680 combo.

So, you need suggestions for mobo/RAM combos. Ok, it depends mostly on 2 things:

1) how hardcore you want to overclock;
2) what's your budget

You said moderate OC'ing so that's easy to pick for. But your budget is the question. So let's assume best bang for your buck for moderate OC'ing.

Option 1 - moderate-level combo:
Gigabyte 965P-DS3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128012

SuperTalent DDR2-800 @ 4-4-3-8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820609026


Option 2 - cheap combo:
Gigabyte 965P-S3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128017

G.Skill DDR2-800 @ 5-5-5-15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231098


Both are good options but depends on budget. Option 1 is better, but is more expensive (not crazy $$ though). Option 2 is not crappy, it's still quite good and will let you hit moderate overclocks on a tight budget.
 

kenratboy

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Thanks!!!

$60 is the difference between those two packages - percentage wise, that is almost irrelevant compared to the price of the system (better part of $2500 with the monitor), so if there was a benefit, I would go that route no question.

As you saw by my original post, I am not scared to spend 'some' money - I just want the best bang for the buck.

I use the computer 8-16 hours a day, 7 days a week for school, work, and play - so on a dollar per hour base, spending an extra $50, 100, 200, 300 today will equate to literally pennies per hour. Like the computer I am using now, I spent a lot of time, money, and effort getting it put together right, stable, and quiet...that was December 2003, and since then, all I have done is upgrade the video card!!! Again, I want to get something solid today, so like my current rig, I will get 3-4 years out of it (geez, its really been 3.25 years!!!???) My current computer has cost me less than 10 cents per hour, or a dollar or two per day.

I don't want to get MORE than I need (for example, looks like my MB was overkill), yet I have no desire to save a few bucks by getting a component that is not very hi-quality and has the potential to cause stability and performance issues.

Think of it this way:

I want the BEST QUALITY, MID-PERFORMANCE parts. In a few years, I would upgrade to a GeForce 10.

Thanks again!
 

crazypyro

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with my x1900 AIW i game on my dell 24" widescreen easily. If a game can support a 1920x1080/1200 (game dependent) i can usually play with settings on High at or above 30fps. I think 1600x1200 is the ideal gaming resolution in which case i can usually max out the settings.

for reminder an x1900 AIW is sec'd:
R580 core fully featured (x1900xt/xtx)
256mb/256bit
500core/480mem

the 8800 GTS, makes my card look silly, you have more than enough horsepower

and btw, that screen is amazing 8) never go back to anything smaller
 

kenratboy

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Oh, and at the moment, my current computer is soldering along just fine. Will be throwing a new HD in soon (a nice Seagate I can toss in the new build).

I will upgrade when I get a game and it simply is not playable. For example - I am sure my system won't be too fond of Crysis :twisted:
 

skyguy

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Then Option 1 is a GREAT combo. The DS3 mobo is highly recommended around here by alot of satisfied users/overclockers. And that SuperTalent RAM is a well-kept secret for some reason. It's very fast RAM at a very good price. I know Corsair's name is more recognizable, but it's overpriced. The SuperTalent is great RAM, take a read...slightly different product because of the timings, but the CL4 stuff I've suggested is even better:

http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=2878
 

kenratboy

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I will definetly consider that.

What about other brands like Asus (had two of their boards)?

Also, seems like most boards use the 650 or 680, for not a lot more money. While they DO have SLI, it seems I am not paying anything for that - but are these better gaming boards compared to the Intel chipset?

Thanks!
 

sirheck

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get atleast the 88gts 640mb.

i just got one myself and am not impressed. (too much) just got it today.

i had a 68gt before(still do).

only games i have played are oblivion,fear,bf2.

this is at 16x10 resolution.

the 68gt in oblivion at 16x10 was a lot chopier though, but not much.

though i do have some bugs to work out(i think/hope).

but so far the only difference i have seen is a higher temp. :?
 

sirheck

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im not really doggin my new gpu.

i just got it, well i am kinda dissapointed so far.

i have always had my sys oc,ed pretty heavy.
and everything is at stock now.

but with this new card, it shouldnt have to be oc,ed :x
 

Nomans63

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I agree with Skyguy. For $60 more, go with option 1 (Gigabyte 965P-DS3 and 2x1GB of Super Talent T800UX2GC4). Don't settle for the Gigabyte P965-S3 cheaper board.

As for the RAM, the SuperTalent is the only DDR2-800 memory known to use the super fast Micron D9 chip for sure (other memory manufacturers either use Micron chips only for certain revisions, which may not always be available, or use the slower and cheaper Elpida, Promos, etc..). My SuperTalent 2GB is running at speed 1050 MHz @ 2.2V. Basically, you got almost DDR2-1066 (PC2-8500) for the DDR2-800 price. That's what Skyguy calls a well-kept secret.

BTW, the SuperTalent T800UX2GC5 does NOT use Micron D9 chip, as the anandtech review states. Only the CAS4 SuperTalent T800UX2GC4 does.
 

kenratboy

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So obviously, the RAM is very overclockable. However, doesn't that mean I need to pull everything else up with it, causing issues with cooling and such?

I am a total n00bC0PTER when it comes to OCing. I know this RAM can be OCed like hell, as can the CPU and MB. How many percent of an increase do you think I should be able to get without going crazy on cooling and those issues? 20% easy to do?
 

Nomans63

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sirheck, I'm not sure why you're disappointed of your 8800 GTS? Did you notice some kind of lagging in game play or is it noticeable? What is it that you don't like? Man, this is one of the top DX10 cards out there right now and you're disappointed. Just curious... :eek:
 

sirheck

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sirheck, I'm not sure why you're disappointed of your 8800 GTS? Did you notice some kind of lagging in game play or is it noticeable? What is it that you don't like? Man, this is one of the top DX10 cards out there right now and you're disappointed. Just curious... :eek:

cant do hdr and a.a. in oblivion.
bf2 plays (about) the same as my 68gt
get same fps/results in fear.
same score in a syntec benchie-3dmark05.

but i just got it and havent had time too optimize.
and then again i shouldnt have too.
 

Nomans63

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So obviously, the RAM is very overclockable. However, doesn't that mean I need to pull everything else up with it, causing issues with cooling and such?

I am a total n00bC0PTER when it comes to OCing. I know this RAM can be OCed like hell, as can the CPU and MB. How many percent of an increase do you think I should be able to get without going crazy on cooling and those issues? 20% easy to do?
First off, you would need some kind of after market cooler to be on the safe side. Sure you could use the stock cooler and overclock just a little bit (I'm not sure you could hit 2.5 GHz with the E6400 on stock).

Second, if you're a moderate OCer like me, it's an easy job. Read wusy OC guide carefully, do a little research if you select a mobo that doesn't use Intel 975X/965X as Wusy guide is specific about Intel chipset and he states it very clear at the beginning. Then start playing around with BIOS settings. I got my E6700 OC'ed from 2.67 GHz stock to 3.41 GHz with VCore increased only a notch from 1.325V to 1.33V on an eVGA 680i (with the latest BIOS P25). both core temps are from 35C idle to 53C load. So I think those values are within range.