First time build-Evaluation Please

[Kruesader]

After feedback from this and other forums here is a more finalized list of what I am planning on getting, please ignore the tags as this is pasted from another forum.

Target Setup

CPUIntel Core2 Q6600 2.4ghz Quad Core $350
Link:http://www.intel.com/performance/desktop/digoffice/index.htm


Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard$190
Link:http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products...w.aspx?ProductID=2543&ProductName=GA-P35-DS3R
(Think this is the right link?)
Can someone find out for sure that this Mobo supports Quad core and can take more than one SATA hard drive.


RAMDDR2 2Gig(2x1G) PC6400 800Mhz Dual Channel Geil $175
Can someone please tell me if there is a better RAM that I can get from here than the one that I have listed here? < Link

CaseAntec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case$170
Link:http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15900

Hard DriveSeagate SATAII NCQ 250GB 7200RPM 16mb Cache$90
(No link for this, can someone find me one?)
Is this a good drive, it's a reputable brand as far as I know?

PSU
Power Supply CoolerMaster Real 650W Extreme SLI Ready $100
Will this definitely be enough for what stuff I have? Or can someone link me to a more powerful one that will take all this stuff plus another GPU (used with SLI)?
Link:http://www.coolermaster.com/products/product.php?act=detail&id=200


Graphics CardXFX GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 500Mhz Dual DVI HDTV SLI PCI Express Video $350-400
Link: http://www.xfxforce.com/web/product...&trade;+8800&seriesId=730995&productId=731024

That's all of the main stuff, I will possibly be getting a new monitor, DVD burner, Mouse and Keyboard, I do have speakers which I will definitely be adding to this system.

If you guys could answer my questions it would be much appreciated:

Thanks in advance

 

[emp]

Look for these in http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=2 , these are the parts you want.


Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Intel ATX Mainboard - P35,

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 CPU, 2.66 GHz, FSB 1333MHz,

Leadtek WinFast GeForce PX8800GTS 320MB Dual DVI HDTV SLI PCI Express

WD32 00AAKS 320GB 7200rpm SATA II Hard Drive -

Corsair 5-5-5 PC2-6400 Twin2X XMS 2GB DDR2 Kit

Corsair HX-520HX 520w EPS Power Supply, 120mm fan,

Antec "Nine Hundred" 900 Tower Gaming Case with Side

 

[Kruesader]

aah thanks mate, some really good links there, will that power supply be enough?

 

[Kruesader]

Hmm I think I might get the QX6700 due to the huge performance boost, I just have to hope that it will drop in price before i end up buying. Otherwise the Q6600 is looking superb

Although I would get the e6750 if I was unable to get a quad core

 

[maverick7]

get a Q6600 the QX6700 is overpriced and is pointless to get quite frankly since u can EASILY oc the q6600 to 2.8 with stock hsf. Getting to 3ghz wouldn't really be much of a problem.

Can you tell us your price limit so that we could start from scratch if need be..

 

[andybird123]

personally, I'd not bother with quad core until I see proven benchmarks in games showing that it actually matters... that graphics card will become a bottleneck long before a dual core will, I'd just get E2140 and overclock to 3ghz+ (which will outperform a standard E6700 according to the benches)

then in 2 years time when games actually need a quad core pick one up for less than half the price they are now

 

[maverick7]

you do realize, that some games are already benefiting from quad cores... such as supreme commander, and soon to be crysis which is being optimized for 4 cores.. so please dont preach false information.

 

[emp]

Instead of getting that overpriced QX6700 get the Q6700 instead, qu7ad core with same performance and is slightly more expensive than the Q6600.

 

[Kruesader]

I am still pretty happy with the Q6600 as getting it to Australia needs to be added to the cost.

Any good stores I can import from at us prices or any good Australian stores you know of?

 

[andybird123]

you do realize, that some games are already benefiting from quad cores... such as supreme commander, and soon to be crysis which is being optimized for 4 cores.. so please dont preach false information.

show me the benchmark of Crysis that shows better framerates with a quad core versus a dual core?
oh, that's right, you can't because there aren't any

Supreme Commander: the difference in framerate at playable settings on an X1950XTX between a stock E6300 and a Q6600 is... 1FPS, wow, that 1FPS is really worth spending 6x the amount on a processor for;
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2107342,00.asp

you see, yes SupCom and Crysis are multi threaded, but the FPS difference will be negligible, the much greater bottleneck is GPU... the 2 game demos I've seen where dual core vs quad core makes a difference are the engine for the next battlemech game from microsoft, and the next engine to come from Valve, both of which aren't scheduled to make an appearance till the back end of next year

right now, and for at least a year, quad core is a waste of money... by this time next year quad core processors will probably be available from $100, so why not just spend $80 on a proc right now (and overclock to 3ghz+) and then get a quadcore when a) they're cheap and b) they're actually useful

GPU is still waaaay more important than CPU... why by the best CPU available if you're not buying the best graphics card available?

 

[ethel]

you do realize, that some games are already benefiting from quad cores... such as supreme commander, and soon to be crysis which is being optimized for 4 cores.. so please dont preach false information.

OK, so that's one game that benefits from quad core and one that will be released in Autumn. It's hardly a reason to spend significantly more on the CPU is it?

andybird123 is right - better to get a dual-core and spend the extra money on a gfx card.

 

[Kruesader]

I am looking at this as a long term project and can't afford to buy two proccessors, i think i will see that when I have saved enough whether the Quad core is good enough value then.

 

[Kruesader]

As you can see I have created a more updated list, if you could please have a look and answer my questions and make any suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[rammedstein]

kruesader, i'll price you together a complete system from scorptec (www.scorptec.com.au) they are well priced (not ueber cheap, but not expensive either, i prefer them because of their good layout and customer service, i'll see what i can do.

I put a copy of the shopping cart on a site so you could have a look can click the links ect
www.bgdwie.ath.cx/print.htm

I think you'd be better off with the ram i posted, it will do ddr2-900 at 2.2V at 5-5-5-15, but i think you'd be running a max of 400FSB if you got a Q/C or a processor with a high (ish) multi, also, having a dualcore processor would be as useful as a quad core because quads aren't really utilized, and when they are that one will perform badly because it will be old, so, by the time computers start using quad cores effectively, it would be time to upgrade your quad anyway.

also, i think the 965p ds3 is a better choice than the p35, because you won't need the higher fsb of the p35 for anything and the 965p ds3 is a great board all around, also that p35 board doesn't support ddr3 so it is pointless over a 965p

I found you some harddrives that are good, a tid bit cheaper too, cheap enough to get 2x and raid0 them.

personally, i think you shouldn't buy from scorptec the processor until they drop their prices, because they are huge at the moment for processors

the PSU i said is pretty hefty and will last you a long time, probably through the next generation of parts... also, power in Australia is crap, i know it, lol, better having a psu with alot of head room because most psus without alot of headroom die quickly here... i would have recommended the hiper 580W type m/r but it has no pfc and it may not be good enough to cope with the QC if you get one, however, if you do only get a DC, i suggest you lower that PSU down to something around the lever of that coolermaster one.

 

[Kruesader]

thanks alot mate thats the type of setup at the moment, problem is I have almost no money at the moment so I will buy it in the future, also then I will have better prices to choose from-i will keep your info in mind though.

 

[rammedstein]

i have just spilled some more to it, lol, also, i highly suggest, that if you buy a big system (1.5k or more) that you put in a request for a quote and ask them how much they could give you off for buying a larger order.

Oh, ps, they are in clayton (melbourne) so if you go to the north island (wink) at all you can pick em up.

 

[Kruesader]

Ok I have added that PSU to the list for now, I think its definitely shaping up..now to get me some $$$$