Brand-spanking-new desktop recommendations

[communisthamster]

Hello knowledgeable TH forumers.

Soon I will be replacing my creaky, churning Athlon 3200+, Radeon X850XT 1GB RAM system with a shiny new PC. To ensure that I don't buy a lemon, I thought I'd ask the interwebs whether my new choice is any good!

Case: Xion III Gaming Mid-Tower 420W Case with Side Window (BLACK COLOR)
CPU: (Quad-Core)Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6700 @ 2.66GHz 1066FSB 8MB L2 Cache 64-bit
Motherboard: (Quad-Core Supports) MSI P6N SLI-FV2 nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
Memory: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (OCZ Value Select or Major Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
Hard Drive: Single Hard Drive (320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: 320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive
Optical Drive 1: SONY DUAL FORMAT 18X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: SONY 16X DVD-ROM (BLACK COLOR)
Sound: Creative Labs X-FI Xtreme Gamer 7.1 PCI Sound Card
Quote:
Originally Posted by AMD Option, £1072
CASE: Xion III Gaming Mid-Tower 420W Case with Side Window (BLACK COLOR)
CPU: (Socket AM2) AMD Athlon™64 X2 6000+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
MOTHERBOARD: (Socket AM2)Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe nForce 570 SLI MCP Chipset DDR2/800 MBoard w/ Dual PCI-Express
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (OCZ Value Select or Major Brand)
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
Operating System Hard Drive (320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: 320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive
Optical Drive: SONY DUAL FORMAT 18X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: SONY 16X DVD-ROM (BLACK COLOR)
SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI Xtreme Gamer 7.1 PCI Sound Card

It has a Hiper Type-M 580W power supply unit.

First, main question: Should I stick with the above setup, or should I go for a Q6600 with an 8800GTX 768mb? Would I notice much difference CPU-wise?

I've heard that an E6850 would be a better choice for gaming than either of the quad core CPUs I've mentioned; is this true, and if so, by how much? The prices are close enough.

I don't know anything about the motherboard I chose besides that it fits my processor and RAM. Is it any good?

Sticking with XP 32-bit, although I might dual boot in a year.

I'll be using this PC for gaming, naturally. Will it be okay for a while with new releases? I'm not asking for Crysis on 2550*1950. Are there any major bottlenecks with any of the configurations I've mentioned?

Budget isn't much of an issue so long as it's below £1300, but if I'm hitting the law of diminishing returns pretty hard, tell me.

Thanks

 

[The Hegemon]

Main Question ~ The AMD 6000 should be enough for most games, but if you're looking for a gaming system, go for the new FSB 1333 Processors. They're extremely cheap for the performance, and they definitely outclass anything AMD can put up.

I would definitely go with the E6850 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115028

I wouldn't go with the Quad Core simply because nothing these days really supports it.

Motherboard ~ Yes, your motherboard is ok, but I would go with a different one. The chipset (nVidia 650 sli) only supports x8 x8 PCI-E support. Basically if you use two cards, your transfer speeds will be cut in half. It also WILL NOT support the E6850 processor. Get a motherboard that has nVidia 680 sli. The will solve all your problems.

8800GTX ~ Unless you are going to be playing on uber high resolutions the GTS should be perfectly fine.

My recommendation for a motherboard ~ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131073

That motherboard comes with a sound card, so you can save even more money with that.

 

[dragonsprayer]

get a e6420 they kick butt! take the cash savings into better gpu, memory or psu

you need the new intel chips set for 1600-1700fsb you need to get it up to 3.2-3.4 i suggest the asus (i loive asus) g33 or p35

650 chipset will not run over 1500fsb - that msi mobo has problems too - with all the 680i issues the new intel chipsets are the way too go


forgot ocz they are so yesterday: musking 4-4-3-1- ddr800 or supertalent 4-4-3-10 or Gskill 4-4-3-8

 

[Major_Trouble]

I wouldn't go with the Quad Core simply because nothing these days really supports it.

I am sorry but I think you will find plenty that supports the quads. Windows XP for a start which is his chosen OS. Hell even Call of Duty 2 was patched to support multi core cpus.

OP: More cores are the future my friend. Getting one now will help to delay future upgrades. Even the faster dual cores won't keep up with a quad if the software is fully optimized to make use of the extra cores.

You say you are buying it as a gaming rig. I don't personally know anyone who has spent £1300 on a PC just for gaming so I guess you wiil be using it for other stuff to like e-mail, web browsing, downloading. That will mean a firewall and a virus scanner or even perhaps an anti spyware program. These other things take CPU cycles to do their job unless you go through the hassles of disabling them before gamming and then re-enabling them after. Maybe you will play online so disabling them isn't really an option.

Programers are quickly getting to grips with multi threading their apps/games. The next gen consoles have multicore cpus. Games are often ported from one format to another so multi threading WILL move across to.

 

[zenmaster]

An E6420 is a fine choice if budget is a concern.
This will let you splurge on other parts without taking much of a hit in performance from a CPU since it OCs so well.

The Q6600 is also a fine choice, but try and make sure to get one with the G0 stepping. Waiting a week or two should help ensure this. This will also pair nicely with DDR2-800 memory since it has a base 533-FSB which will let DDR2-800 OC it nicely. The Extra cores will be very nice in the long run.

The E6850 is a very nice chip too. Be sure to pair it with DDR2-1066 ram to be able to push it to the limit. DDR2-800 may or may not limit the CPU. If you drop to a E6750 or E6550 you will definately need DDR2-1066 RAM since the default bus speed is so high to start you need ot push the FSB to OC these chips.

My personal choice would likely be the Q6600 with quality DDR2-800 RAM.

 

[communisthamster]

Thanks to your helpful replies, my new system specs are (at £1227):

Case: Xion III Gaming Mid-Tower 420W Case with Side Window (BLACK COLOR)
CPU: (Quad-Core)Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4GHz 1066FSB 8MB L2 Cache 64-bit
Motherboard: (Quad-Core Supports) Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
Memory: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (OCZ Value Select or Major Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB 16X PCI Express Video Card (Major Brand Power by NVIDIA)
Video Card 2: NONE
Monitor & LCD: NONE
Hard Drive: Single Hard Drive (320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: 320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive
Optical Drive: SONY DUAL FORMAT 18X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: SONY 16X DVD-ROM (BLACK COLOR)
Sound: Creative Labs X-FI Xtreme Gamer 7.1 PCI Sound Card

(and yes, it's going to souble as the main family PC, so people will be using it for email, internet, firewall, virus scanning, possibly light video editing etc as well as my primary gaming machine)
Opinions?

 

[Major_Trouble]

The quads are like turbo cars.

1.They are more expensive to buy.
2.They drink a bit more fuel.
3.On a single carriage road they are no faster.
4.Get them on a four lane highway and then you can really open it up.

Any software house worth its salt will be making its software multithreaded if it can boost performance. Its been reported on the net that Crysis will play better with more than just two cores so the more the better.

Make sure you get a G0 stepping quad though.

 

[Maziar]

agreed ^^^^

 

[communisthamster]

Well, thanks to your advice I've settled on those last specs I posted. I'll order it in about a month for various reasons, not least of which is to get me a G0 stepping Q6600 Thanks guys, help much appreciated!

 

[Major_Trouble]

OP: One thing about your proposed rig that gets me thinking is your choice of Gfx card. The 8800 series is reaching its end and although the GTS is a good card it's not outstanding IMHO. I know I have one. I bought the card knowing I may need to update sooner than later but I was hoping I might be able to use it for physics in one of my other PCI-E slots (my little attempt at future proofing). The GTX's are significantly faster and significantly more expensive. The G92 shouldn't be to far away but will, as always, be expensive when launched.

So with all that I would get the best card for under £200 and wait for the price of the next gen Gfx cards to fall a bit. I personally think that's a 8800GTS 320. You could then sell it on when upgrading to the next gen or keep it if Nvidia ever support physics on their Gfx cards.

 

[communisthamster]

Well, like I said, I'm leaving it till September to order. By then perhaps more info will be available on the Nvidia 9-series.

 

[lensman]

What games and at what resolutions?

Call me crazy, but I play Supreme Commander at 1600x1050 dual monitor (full "map" display on monitor 2). Currently on my interim E4300 2.9ghz (planning to go to the Q6600 soon) and have a 8800GTS 640MB video card - the overclocked extra heatsinked EVGA one.

By end of September the first of the X38 motherboards should be coming online so you can figure that into your equation too.

The 8800GTS 320MB is at a sweet spot pricewise right now. Who knows what card is going to be there in September, but chances are it will one of the GTS's and not the GTX. My strategy is stay just short of the bleeding edge and save money for more frequent upgrades.

 

[communisthamster]

I'm upgrading my PC to play SupCom, primarily Currently playing at the second-to-lowest resolution on that. Once I have my new PC, I play to play SupCom at resolutions comparable to yours, perhaps I'll go through Far Cry again on full graphics. Half Life 2 on max resolution with the high-detail texture pack, Battlefield 2 on high resolutions, Sins Of A Solar Empire when it's released, I'll buy FEAR, etc. Not the very latest games (although I'll play those too, when they come out) but I do like high res (upwards of 1280*1024, I'm on a "normal" proportion 19"CRT) with good framerates.

I don't upgrade that often, but I will need a new monitor, keyboard and external HDD so perhaps I should save money for those. Upgrading to 4GB of RAM will make sense this time next year, as right now it's a little out of my budget. I'll wait until I have an actual job to overclock, because if something goes wrong now I'm stuffed.

I'm not too familiar with motherboards, what benefits would an X38 motherboard give me?