The $4,500 System

[GenericName]

I'm going to most likely buy all of the below parts sooner then later - had any bad experiences with the parts in my list? If so what was it and why - I know Asus motherboards are hit and miss lately - hope it doesn't cause me problems. It's not only for gaming, but I intend to use 3DS MAX (waiting on Vista compatiblity) / Z-Brush/ Photoshop/Premiere/After Effects

- COOLER MASTER Stacker RC-832-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600

- ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

- (2) XFX PVT80USHD9 GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP RoHS Dual DVI XXX Video Card

- (2) OCZ Titanium 1T 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) EPP Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2T8002GK

- Tagan TG1100-U96 ATX12V / EPS12V 1100 Watts Power Supply

- (2) Dell 2407 UltraSharp 24" Wide DVI 6ms 9-in-2 Card Reader 3-year Advance Exchange 4 USB 2.0 PortsAdjustable Stand

- Seagate Barracuda ES ST3750640NS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

- Sony NEC Optiarc Combo Drive Black IDE Model CRX320EE/B2S W/O SW

- SUPER TALENT INT-AIN1-C All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader

- Logitech Media Elite 967559-0403 Black USB + PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard

- Logitech G3 931691-0403 2-Tone 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Laser Mouse

- Genius SP-i350 10 watts 2.0 Black Expert Speakers for MP3 & NB

- WACOM Intuos3 PTZ630 6" x 8" Active Area USB Tablet - Retail

- Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate DVD (Full)

- Microsoft Office Standard 2007 (Full)

- ESET NOD32 Anti-Virus - Retail

- (6) Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan - Retail

- ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Retail

- Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound

 

[emp]

Don't buy an antivirus, get Vista 64 and you won't need one simply because viruses won't work there.

If I were you I wouldn't get Ultras, especially Ultra XXX (Which are OC'ed version of ultras I presume), because the ultra is simply an overclocked GTX and even if you do need the extra oomph you can just OC your GTX to ultra speeds (which takes up to 5 minutes maybe)

(2x) EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072

tha t's $400 saved right there.

And before someone comes here and says that the ultra has also faster clocked shaders than the GTX and that they can't be OC'ed with coolbits or rivatuner. Well they CAN be OC'ed, you just need NiBiTor (Moderate risk) to OC them, but it's not like shaders are making a big performance difference yet, maybe sometime in the future, but not now.

 

[sleepyhead]

Don't buy an antivirus, get Vista 64 and you won't need one simply because viruses won't work there.

Seriously? Can you elaborate, please?

 

[surelock]

1. Viruses Will "work" under vista no OS is safe from attack but I would go for Avast (www.avast.com) as they have a great free version I use and recommend to everyone I fix computers for.

2. The Ultra's apartently do NOT work in SLI mode for now anyway There have been reports of lock ups and crashes when in sli while playing certain games. anyway it is your money and they are great standalone cards.

3.GOOD LUCK!

 

[grieve]

why (full) instead of OEM? save yourself some cash... OR get xp pro32 and vista ultimate 64 and dual boot if you must spend $500 on OS.

- Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate DVD (Full) ?
- Microsoft Office Standard 2007 (Full) ?

 

[rabidbunny]

for the amount saved from the video cards and other parts, you could maybe drop in a QX6700 instead of the Q6600. Or, after july 22nd rolls around, you can get (correct me if i'm wrong) one of the new intel C2duo cpus.

 

[emp]

1. Viruses Will "work" under vista no OS is safe from attack but I would go for Avast (www.avast.com) as they have a great free version I use and recommend to everyone I fix computers for.

2. The Ultra's apartently do NOT work in SLI mode for now anyway There have been reports of lock ups and crashes when in sli while playing certain games. anyway it is your money and they are great standalone cards.

3.GOOD LUCK!

Dude, viruses don't work under 64-bit OS simply because 16-bit apps (viruses) can't run on a 64-bit environment, no point buying an antivirus that won't help in anything.

And to the guy above, the reason I believe is that OEM copies cannot be used more than once, but retail copies can be used several times (useful when you want to format and do a clean install). (<- I could be wrong too here)

 

[daverimer]

- (6) Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan - Retail

I have 4 of these fans in my P180B and they are great. The sound level is more than acceptable. Good choice!

 

[boner]

............ yeah.............. expensive

 

[GenericName]

I'm curious if the Ultra is longer then the GTX? and if so is it going to collide with the Sata Inputs?

Thanks

 

[gators1223]

i was looking at what a dream computer might be so i came up with this component selection costs about $4500, not that i have the money for it but it would be a sweet computer,


Sunbeam Transformer IC-TR-BA Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: IC-TR-BA
Item #: N82E16811166004
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$69.99

Sunbeam SP-BA Black Super Panel with 20-in-1 Card Reader - Retail
Model #: SP-BA
Item #: N82E16811998811
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$25.99

OKGEAR 24" SATA II cable with metal latch,Silver Model GC24ATASM12 - Retail
Model #: GC24ATASM12
Item #: N82E16812123114
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$2.99

GIGABYTE GA-N680SLI-DQ6 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-N680SLI-DQ6
Item #: N82E16813128037
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$284.99

2x MSI NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD OC GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Model #: 8800GTX-T2D768E-HDOC
Item #: N82E16814127281
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$999.98

SILVERSTONE ST85F ATX12V / EPS12V 850W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: ST85F
Item #: N82E16817256011
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$179.99

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Kentsfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562QX6700 - Retail
Model #: BX80562QX6700
Item #: N82E16819115011
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
In Stock
$968.00

2x Patriot eXtreme Performance 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400ELK - Retail
Model #: PDC24G6400ELK
Item #: N82E16820220227
Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy
In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$519.98

AMC AICR-03-BK All-in-one USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader - Retail
Model #: AICR-03-BK
Item #: N82E16820302003
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$17.99

SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM
Model #: SFD321B/LBL1
Item #: N82E16821103203
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Out of Stock
$6.99

Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD1500ADFD
Item #: N82E16822136012
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$194.99

4x (raid 0+1) Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD5000AAKS
Item #: N82E16822136073
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$439.96

A4Tech KL-5 2-Tone USB + PS/2 Mini X-Slim Keyboard - Retail
Model #: KL-5
Item #: N82E16823141120
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$9.99

Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP support - Retail
Model #: ET.2216B.0D0
Item #: N82E16824009094
Return Policy: [LCD] Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
$229.99

Microsoft C6W-00001 Silver/Black 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Laser Mouse 6000 - Retail
Model #: C6W-00001
Item #: N82E16826105177
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$14.99

2x LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S OEM BK - OEM
Model #: LH-20A1S OEM BK
Item #: N82E16827106070
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$61.98

Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
Model #: 70SB057000000
Item #: N82E16829102002
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$29.99 $29.99

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium DVD - Retail
Model #: 66I-00002
Item #: N82E16832116142
Return Policy: Software Return Policy
In Stock
$214.99

Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #: Tower 120
Item #: N82E16835154001
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$59.99

Logitech X-230 32 watts RMS 2.1 Black Speaker System - OEM
Model #: 970123-1403
Item #: N82E16836121123
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$38.99

Subtotal: $4,372.75

 

[Joe_The_Dragon]

$200 for 1 HD is way to much
$512 for 4gb of ddr2 ram you can get 2gb of ddr2 for under $100
get a XFI sound card
you may also want a pci-e hardware raid card.
and this board has on board xfi sound card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130080
or
other ones that cost less as 4nics is a joke and that board cuts out a FULL firewire port and usb backplanes that other ones have.

 

[gators1223]

but none of the others have enough internal sata ports

 

[gators1223]

and the $512 is for 8gb fo ddr2 ram

 

[Kamrooz]

Crazy build. But I'm going to laugh when you try to play DX10 games on extremely high settings with maxed out AA/AF and get some low fps. It'll handle it fine but the current dx10 cards won't do a good job. G90 will be the way to go. Should be out around the end of the year or q1 2008. But the plan for nvidia so far has been late 2007. Why not nab a decent single card for now and wait till those roll out and sli'em?

Overall damn nice build.

 

[Joe_The_Dragon]

THE chip set maxes out at 6 ports and I think there is one with a extra hardware raid chip

 

[GenericName]

I made a couple tweeks then hit the purchase button - should all be here next week! woo and hoo

Changed from Q6600 to:

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Kentsfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562QX6700


Swapped out the 8800 Ultras to :

Dual EVGA 8800GTX 768 @621MHZ

I'm going to stick with the Asus Sound Card for now that comes with it as with SLI cards there won't be much room left for other cards - Later going to add physics card

I'll take some pics when its all done and post them somewheres if people want to see the set up

Thanks all

 

[gators1223]

don't add a physics card, they are a waste of monry- barely supported and they don't do much even for the supported games i hear

 

[emp]

Don't even bother buying the QX6700, get the much cheaper, equal performing Q6700 after July 22 when they are released. (Unless you are a hardcore OC'er)

 

[MU_Engineer]

Dude, viruses don't work under 64-bit OS simply because 16-bit apps (viruses) can't run on a 64-bit environment, no point buying an antivirus that won't help in anything.

That's not necessarily correct. 16-bit applications do not run on a 64-bit OS, but 32-bit ones sure do. Most viruses are 32-bit...hence the "W32" in almost all of their names. There might be some old 16-bit DOS viruses somewhere (probably on somebody's floppy disks from 1987) but they are not online, at least not that anybody has seen.

So you most certainly DO need an antivirus with Vista 64-bit, just like you'd need it with Vista 32-bit or any other Windows version. The only OSes that don't need an antivirus are the UNIX-derived ones as there are few viruses or worms out there for those OSes. They are still able to be infected by viruses if there were ones out there, but it's much harder to do, mostly because a normal user is not privileged like the typical Windows user is. As such, the virus would prompt for a root password before it can install, and something asking for a root password out of nowhere should set off alarm bells in any sane user's head.

However, you still need a good firewall or router with NAT and a firewall no matter what OS you run. All of them are vulnerable to various degrees and in various ways to somebody trying to break in over the Internet. And there are always people trying to break in. I run a Linux workstation at work and use ssh to remotely log in. The hardware firewall drops ICMP ping echos and will only forward the proper ssh port if my home computer's IP is the one requesting it, so it in effect looks invisible to the Internet. I still pick out dozens of IP addresses in the firewall logs that were looking for ssh on the workstation's IP address to try to brute-force the password and gain control of the computer. They'd eventually guess it if they were able to see the computer as that's how brute-force works, so the firewall is what's keeping the computer safe. The same thing is true with other OSes as well- hard to hit what you can't see.

And to the guy above, the reason I believe is that OEM copies cannot be used more than once, but retail copies can be used several times (useful when you want to format and do a clean install). (<- I could be wrong too here)

Windows OEM copies are tied to the computer they were shipped with/bought for due to the MS EULA, usually by looking for a vendor-specific BIOS if it's an OEM machine. Retail copies cost more but are transferrable, as long as the OS is only installed on one computer at a time.

 

[williamfontaine]

This system is wins the epic waste of money award.

 

[SEALBoy]

Why are you getting the G3? With that budget you should go for the G5 revision with 2 thumb buttons.