Gaming build advice?

[zompton]

I have been working on a build through newegg for a while now and could use some advice. I will not be buying anything till mid october but as of now this is the build. It will be used for gaming and programming mostly, and has to last me untill i get my BS degree so we are looking at 4-5 years. I also am trying to keep it around $3000, not that i cant afford to pay more, but i would like to save some money for school.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio...er=6943988&WishListTitle=Clifford's+Gaming+PC

I plan to OC the CPU to roughly 3.0 or what ever will give me a good performance increase without too much heat. What do you think would be a good level to OC it, and roughly what would it equal to in dual core terms? Are there any plans for a Q6650? Is there anything good coming out that would make a good relacement for one of my parts i should be aware of? What do you think of the monitor, im always concerned about that one? Any advice is greatl appreciated, just keep in mind im trying to limit the money and will be buying this in mid october (i realize i will probally change stuff before then as thing change)

 

[MrTechnoFreak]

Here's a few things for ya...

1.) The Antec 900 is a great case (I got one), but it has 1 major flaw in my eyes...the drives are mounted directly to the case, hence if you have noisy drives (like maybe the 10k raptors I got), you can hear them very well. I ended up putting felt door-stops in between the drives and the insides of the drive cage. To do all over again, I would probably have gone with a P182 instead (check out the vid on Antec's site).

2.) A 32-bit OS will only see a max of 3.1 gb of RAM. I'm running Vista-64 so it's not an issue, but something to consider if money is an issue.

3.) Further on the money front, you can get the Z5500's from dell for $245 out the door (by that I mean shipping included)...Whoops, nevermind! The price went back up...they're now $279 without shipping.

4.) As for the monitor, I got the LG 226 for about $30 more. It has 10 degrees more viewing all around and the same response time.

 

[zompton]

So you haave had no bleeding issues with that monitor? Will XP only say 3.1gb of RAM or only use 3.1gb?

 

[Solariscs]

Wow you got some build.

First off, if you have no SLI plans, which I could suggest against, get a nice new cheaper p35 board. You'll save some money and have a hell of a motherboard with all the latest technology. The Gigabyte p35 boards are great overclockers, so use that. They are much better than the one you have picked out and much cheaper.

Second you don't really need the Ultra, why pay $100 for a few more FPS. On that monitor you wont even use all the power of the GTX, so you can save some money there as well.

OCing to 3Ghz should be just fine and pretty easy on the Gigabyte board.

I'd get LG or Lit-On for the DVD drives, but that's just cuz I prefer those and think they are better quality.

Most of all, before you buy all that, the prices will come down, so you shouldn't have trouble fitting it into your budget.

If you have questions at all, msg me. AIM/Yahoo Maximus9102

 

[Solariscs]

Use 3.1GB

 

[MrTechnoFreak]

So you haave had no bleeding issues with that monitor? Will XP only say 3.1gb of RAM or only use 3.1gb?

The only time I see any kind of sign of bleeding is when it's booting up with the black background...but otherwise, not at all.

 

[Onus]

Well, if you want to limit the money, you can go with a non-SLI mobo. If you keep that one, it already has firewire, so that firewire/USB add-in can go, unless you've got a zillion USB devices.
Otherwise, this Gigabyte board will do well for you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128050
Drop the 8800GTX Ultra, get a 8800GTX and oc it yourself.
This Geil memory has the same timings as yours, and is a lot cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820144062
...and needs less voltage too.

 

[zompton]

I dont know, $60 extra for a factory overclocked ultra seems worth it. 4-5 years from now i would be way better off with 2 factory OC'd ultras rather than one gtx. Keep in mind this has to last me 4-5 years as a broke as student.

 

[aevm]

The Q6600 and Z-5500 are great choices. Change the 8800 Ultra to a GTX, the cooler to a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, the motherboard to something based on X38. Better yet, ask again on October, we'll know more about what will be available then.

 

[Solariscs]

In 4-5 years you wont be able to find a GTX. The turn over rate for new products is like 1 1/2 years now or something, so you'll be 2-3 generations behind. I'd get a cheaper card and save money for a newer gen one .

If you look at reviews the Ultra only gets like 2-5 FPS more, that's really nothing when you're look numbers in the hundred for the GTX. Your eyes wont know the different, but your wallet will

 

[zompton]

Alright i submitt, any suggestions on a GTX that is factory OC'd or should i just get

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

... and naturally this card has dropped in price in the past 2 days, making me look like an ***.

 

[EV700]

Also the Nvidia 680 chipset has issues with 4 sticks of RAM. I agree that you should go with the P35 in a Gigabyte and second the Vista 64-bit option.

 

[zompton]

I have been considering going for the intels chips due to the 680i bios problems, so would this p35 be the equivlant or is there a better chipset? Hopefully there is a intel mobo with built in sound as good as this 680i msi, but it seems unlikely.

 

[MrTechnoFreak]

Also the Nvidia 680 chipset has issues with 4 sticks of RAM. I agree that you should go with the P35 in a Gigabyte and second the Vista 64-bit option.

Agree!

 

[Solariscs]

I have been considering going for the intels chips due to the 680i bios problems, so would this p35 be the equivlant or is there a better chipset? Hopefully there is a intel mobo with built in sound as good as this 680i msi, but it seems unlikely.

Yeah the p35 is newer and better. Most of the new boards have 8 channel HD audio

 

[zompton]

After browsing the p35 boards i can not find one i like as much as themsi 680, and links to suggested boards and why would be awesome.

 

[zompton]

Okay i think i like the p35c board, mainly due to the penryl? cpu support for future upgrades.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128048

Now the question is should i throw a x-fi sound card in there or will i notice it since i only game, music, movies ect?

 

[Solariscs]

All the p35 boards support the new 45nm CPUs. The sound card is really up to you. If you are an audiophile, you should get it, if not Onboard should be perfectly fine. For games, the X-fi would give you a little clearer sound and sometimes you'll hear things with the card that would not when using the onboard sound.

For movies, I'd probably suggest the Card as well, but its not a necessity.

That board is really good though, it has support for DDR3 memory as well. If you're going to OC, which you are, that board would be a lot more stable and OC friendly than the MSI one. I'd suggest the P35C or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128050

If you don't need DDR3 support.

 

[zompton]

Alright i think i got a good build for now, im sure it will change drastically atleast another 2 times before i buy it. Thanks alot for all the help, difinatly with converting me to the p35 board =)

 

[Solariscs]

no problem. good luck with all your stuff. I'm sure all the prices will change and many new products will be out before you start buying.

 

[aevm]

Okay i think i like the p35c board, mainly due to the penryl? cpu support for future upgrades.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128048

Now the question is should i throw a x-fi sound card in there or will i notice it since i only game, music, movies ect?

I did get an X-Fi but I'm very picky about sound and I spent a lot on speakers and headphones too. Try it without the X-Fi first, you might be very happy and save $100 or so. The onboard sound on that mobo gets excellent user reviews.