Monster Gamer

[Neceros]

Here's a list of components I'm gathering to build a powerful, but considerately priced, gaming machine.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=5927388&WishListTitle=neCeros+Monster+Gamer

1 SILVERSTONE TJ09-BW Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: TJ09-BW
$299.99 $299.99

1 GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-965P-DS3
$132.99 -$10.00 Instant $122.99

1 EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Model #: 768-P2-N831-AR
$569.99 $569.99

1 OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: OCZ700GXSSLI
$149.99 -$10.00 Instant $139.99

1 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E6600
$313.00 $313.00

1 CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail
Model #: TWIN2X2048-6400
$178.00 $178.00

2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3320620AS
$89.99 -$5.00 Instant $169.98

Subtotal: $1,793.94

Please let me know what you think and any improvements. I'm keeping my Audigy 2 Z for soundcard, and a new DVD Burner I have already.

 

[apt403]

Looks great, there's only 1 thing I would change. Get this psu instead, better quality, more power, same price.

 

[Neceros]

Edited to reflect, thank you.

I actually just noticed the mobo isn't SLI capable. I have a few questions about SLI, but the main one is: Should I prepare, honestly? How soon will I need it?

 

[Neceros]

Also I worry that I should upgrade to a E6600 and GeForce 8800GTX...

I'd like to keep the machine under $2000, as close to $1000, but will sacrafice money for long term computer enjoyment.

 

[proof]

Excellent priceerformance ratio. I considered that very case a while ago.

 

[jt001]

I have a few questions about SLI, but the main one is: Should I prepare, honestly? How soon will I need it?

Probably never, SLI is only useful for when you wanna use 2 top end cards.

 

[quantumsheep]

I have a few questions about SLI, but the main one is: Should I prepare, honestly? How soon will I need it?

Probably never, SLI is only useful for when you wanna use 2 top end cards.

Word.

 

[skyguy]

Or if you're gaming at really high resolutions.
Or if you want to use 3 monitors.

Other than that, it's almost always better to have one single, better card than two lesser ones. Less power, less compilcations, less heat in your case, etc.

 

[quantumsheep]

Or if you're gaming at really high resolutions.
Or if you want to use 3 monitors.

I can use 3 monitors with one graphics card.

 

[wilcoxon]

Also I worry that I should upgrade to a E6600 and GeForce 8800GTX...

I'd like to keep the machine under $2000, as close to $1000, but will sacrafice money for long term computer enjoyment.

I'm putting together a similar system now. For alot of components, it all depends on where you put the priceerformance barrier.

Unless you plan to overclock (I don't), I would recommend the E6600. It's not a big premium over the E6400.

Same with the video card. What resolution will you be playing at? If it is relatively low resolution, you might get better performance (for about $50 less) out of an eVGA 8800GTS 320MB KO (factory overclock) than the 640MB GTS. If you want the best performance you can buy right now and it is worth around $200 premium, go with the 8800GTX (or even the 8800GTX KO but that is another $70 on top of normal 8800GTX).

Unless you plan to overclock, I'd also suggest some different RAM. NewEgg has some Corsair XMS2 2x1GB packs of DDR2-800 for $139.99 right now. I have no idea if they overclock well or not (as I'm not going to overclock).

If you don't mind waiting a little and paying a little more, I'd recommend the Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000. 1TB of storage with better performance, quieter, and cooler than the Seagate based on a few reviews I read. It retails for $399.99.

Personally I'm debating the E6600 or E6700 (E6700 is about $200 premium over E6600 though) and eVGA 8800GTS 640MB KO ($439) or eVGA 8800GTX KO ($649). However, I was planning to spend around $2k so I don't mind if I go a little over that.

 

[proof]

You wouldneed more than 3 monitors to stress 2 8800GTXs in SLi...

 

[Neceros]

Edited to reflect suggestions.

Thank you for the help so far. I won't be able to buy it for another week probably: Waiting on insurance money.

How does everything look now?


Also, with this: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811103008

I've never done it, but is it possible to strip those LEDs fromt he fans? Not a fan of LEDs keeping my up at nigh.

 

[skyguy]

Probably don't even need to do that....maybe. If there's a front panel connector specifically for the LEDs then you're laughing.....just don't hook them up.

However, if the LEDs go on when the fan is powered on, that's a bit more complicated. You could stripe them, but they'll still throw light to the side and to the rear. Better bet is to replace with plain fans, or else cut the LED wires so no juice, no light

 

[Neceros]

My last question follows.

I don't know much about over clocking. I'm willing to learn about it, but in the end I do not want the chance to burn my system. That said, if it's better that I don't OC I don't want to get gear that is meant to OC.

Can you see any problems in my list in the first post if I don't OC?

 

[proof]

None at all. There is no specified "oberclocking gear" that people buy. There are certain processors and memory that overclock better than others but that doesn't matter for everyday use. You will be fine with this system. Enjoy it!

 

[skyguy]

Burning out a system by overclocking is urban legend and mostly myth. A few stories got out and became news. Those days are past. Virtually all motherboards and CPU's simply shut down and reset if something goes wrong.

And if your overclock is unstable, then your system might act funny and crash. But more and more people are overclocking and can even tell you the settings to use to quickly achieve a successful and stable overclock.

There are only 2 things that will kill a system, and they're pretty much protected like I said: voltages and heat. And heat is a byproduct of the voltages. So as long as you don't put your voltages too high, nothing will ever burn out. Simple as that. And when we all overclock, we increase voltages by miniscule amounts at a time......nowhere near anything that would cause a burnout.

So keep that in mind. Burning up a system is a thing of the past, now an urban myth. You stand 100 times more chance of burning out your motherboard when you first install it than you of burning out your system from overclocking. You can't imagine how many newbies burn out their mobo when building. And yet NONE of them have EVER blown a system from overclocking....what's that tell ya?




8)

 

[sanjiwatsuki]

I've always wondered how big of a life hit does electromigration make on a chip's lifetime...

 

[quantumsheep]

I've always wondered how big of a life hit does electromigration make on a chip's lifetime...

Absolutely none unless you're getting into extreme overclocking (getting over 4ghz out of a C2D using Liquid Nitrogen cooling etc)

 

[SuperFly03]

So keep that in mind. Burning up a system is a thing of the past, now an urban myth. You stand 100 times more chance of burning out your motherboard when you first install it than you of burning out your system from overclocking. You can't imagine how many newbies burn out their mobo when building. And yet NONE of them have EVER blown a system from overclocking....what's that tell ya?




8)

I don't mean to condemn your post... but this is a bunch of poop. It is still very easy to burn out a system. I just did a month or so ago (all be it mildly deliberate). I put together an E4300 based system (sig) and just started overclocking. I ran into a wall around 345x9 and I couldn't get through it with the normal method of just bumping the voltages one step, it wouldn't do. So I resorted to BIOS options unique to the RD600 and it went beautifully, or so I thought. It opened up to about 365 after 3 days of tweaking then another wall. I conquered the wall through mild voltage increases (all the while monitoring temps like a hawk) and made it to 375x9. After that it wouldn't go any further, so I settled down stability tested it and it passed with flying colors (F@H, prime, superpi, gaming, etc). Then one day I came back from work and my computer was off... strange, but maybe my parents turned it off (was on a internship not living at home! lol). It wouldn't boot, tossed out CPU error on the BIOS diagnostic LED. Reset the BIOS, no go. The CPU just up and died.

So while it is very possible to OC and not fry your system, (just keep the voltages down as you said), don't misrepresent the possibility of frying a component (most likely the CPU).

Temps were ~57c load (or so TAT told me ), it said the same as CoreTemp/SpeedFan/BIOS

 

[proof]

I (on purpose) burned up an ASUS Dual P3 board a while ago. You can disable the auto shut down feature and overclock it. The socket eventually got soft and the processor fried.

 

[SuperFly03]

Intense....

 

[skyguy]

Might just be me, but hitting an OC wall, then doing all you can do get past it......then another wall and trying to get past it.......maybe that would have given some indication to stop sooner??? :roll:

Anyone who has any sense of hesitancy and caution, who isn't determined to push past OC walls won't burn out a chip.

Throw in a few OC walls, some more voltage, heck why not even some liquid nitrogen or phase cooling, and a determined attitude........I could blow out a chip in a day I'm willing to bet.


There are degrees of reasonableness. Operating within those bounds is very safe overclocking. Going past that, intentionally.......well, that's at your own risk. I doubt any newbie that's nervous about OC'ing is gonna push that hardcore deliberately and blow out a system.

I think that would be a very accurate and fair assessment of my notion of modern overclocking, failsafes, and urban myth.

 

[proof]

I could do it in an hour dude. That would be fun! Maybe we could even use an AMD. No sense in wasting a good Intel...

 

[Saucey]

I am getting basically the same pc as you, instead im not getting the nVidia and saving for the new radeons, and im getting a antec 900 case instead. Plus more ram but a 520W psu.

Im in the UK and it came to £600 ( I love the £!!!)

 

[proof]

Why Radeons? Why not wait for the 8900GTX? Intel and nVIDIA will always come out on top in the forseeable future. Buy an 8X00GTX, everyone is doing it. Don't you want to be popular?