Time for a new gaming system...

[ThePhoode]

It's time to get ready for all those great PC games coming out this Fall -- and I've got to upgrade from my current system. I'm going to be salvaging my SATA and IDE drives from my old system, but everything else below will be purchased new.

Case: Silverstone TJ09-SW
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811163072
$259.99

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128048
$159.99

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115017
$289.99

Graphics: EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130071
$379.99

PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817341002
$289.99

Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820231114
$104.99

DVD Burner: LITE-ON Combo Drive Black SATA Model SHC-52S7K-05 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106040
$24.99

CPU Cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16835186134
$34.99

Total Price: 1389.92 before tax/shipping

A few questions that I had about this build:

Yes -- I will be overclocking. And the main purpose of this system is for gaming (Bioshock, Crysis, etc). I also want a system that will have some legs on it for the next few years.

1. Should I be going for DD2 or DD3 with this build?
2. Should I add more cooling options?
3. The quieter the system, the better -- are there better options that I should be going with if this is of importance?

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[emp]

1.) DDR2
2.) quite possibly extra fans
3.) I don't know about quiet

Criticism: I don't know how you can justify paying $260 for a case and yet not willing to get a 8800GTX and a Corsair 620HX (The GameXStream is not bad, but the Corsair is A LOT better), other than that, I'll recommend you go with Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 or DDR2 1066. Finally, if you're OC'ing the Q6600, I'd go with the Tuniq Tower 120.

 

[ThePhoode]

Okay -- thanks for that feedback.

It does make sense to put the money towards the graphics rather than case.

Okay -- here are the modifications to the build:

Graphics Card: EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072
$529.99

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068
$49.99

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002&Tpk=corsair+620
$169.99

New Total: 1359.92


I'm currently planning to put Windows XP Media Center on this -- should I stick with this or go with Vista?

 

[aevm]

Here's my setup, it may help a bit. I totally love it, by the way. Never mind the prices, they are in CAD$, 3 weeks old, and they're local (no shipping, no rebates).
It is quiet, that was a very important goal. For example that's the main reason why I got the Scythe products and the TJ09 and the PC P&C and the BFG and the WDs rather than competing products.

SilverStone TJ09 Full Tower Case w/No PSU, Silver $330.00
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 $322.00
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R $201.00
Scythe Ninja Plus Revision B Heatsink $56.00
OCZ Vista-Upgrade 4GB DC PC2-6400 DDR2 Memory Kit $286.00
WD 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATAII Hard Drive, 3Yr $141.00*3
LG GSA-H62N 18X DVD+/-RW SATA Drive BLACK, OEM $36.00
BFG Geforce 8800GTX OC2 768MB PCI-E Video Card $651.02
Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Music, Varpak $89.00
US Robotics 56K V.92 Modem $50
PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W Silencer Series, Black $192.00
Scythe S-Flex 120mm SFF21E 1200rpm Case Fan $19.00*3
Microsoft Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005 SP2, OEM $136.00

The TJ09 comes with two good 120mm fans and with places for three more. I ended up adding the 3 fans and leaving the Scythe Ninja without a fan. One of the case fans blows right into the HSF from a couple of inches away. TBH I don't know if this is a good idea but the thing was assembled by the people at the local shop and I'm guessing (hoping) they know what they're doing.

That mobo accepts two IDE devices. I'll add an older IDE WD disk and my older LG 4167B DVD-RW. By the way, that older LG rips audio flawlessly at 40x, it's just fantastic, so I'll want to keep it.

 

[DiGiTaLdAzE]

I am also doing a new build at this time. Here are some of the options I went for--Antec 900 Gaming Case--this thing gets really positive reviews by just about everybody. Apparently keeps components cool like nobodys' business.Although I have not yet built my rig, I have the case and it looks pretty cool too. I do not know the case you chose, but the price seems a bit low. The Antec goes for around $110. I agree with the vid card upgrade, unless you were to setup two of the GTS cards(SLI).
If you are planning to do any advanced overclocking on the CPU I would also spend a bit more on the cooler than the Arctic Cooling unit (although they get pretty good reviews I think). I purchased a Zalman 9700 NT--partly because I know it will fit my MOBO(EVGA n680i SLI 775)--also it gets really cosistently good reviews. However, it is quite large, and so you must be sure your case will accomodate it.
Also, I think a little boost in power would not hurt. I went a bit overkill and got the antec Quattro 1000(1000 watts)--power requirements can shoot up when you start adding new components over time--I like the idea of having lots of reserve power to keep everything running stable. Antec also makes an 850 watt version. They are around $160. and $200. respectively.
On the CPU I went for the e6850 after quite a bit of pondering. Quite a debate on the net over this one. My decision was made by the 'Tom's CPU Charts for 2007'-link to it on this sites homepage under 'CPU'. The e6850 did as well as the q6600 in benchies for ' Supreme Commander' which is programmed to use all four cores, but outdid it significantly on games that were not similarly multi-threaded.
One other thing I bought which I think will be very useful for a gaming rig is a fan controller--Sunbeam Rheobus. The Antec case fans are all adjusted from inside the case. With this add-on I will be able to crank up my fans when gaming very easily, and back down later. Best of luck--good time to have a new rig with some cool new games on the way--Frag On!!

 

[aevm]

Just a quick thought - I didn't get the Zalman 9700 because I saw a review where it was making 62 dB of noise under load. The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme and the Scythe Ninja were around 44 dB if I remember right.

That Sunbeam thingy sounds very promising, I'd better investigate. Thanks!

 

[asdftt123]

Aevm, that's a nice build you have and I'm considering building something very similar to that in the next few weeks. Is the BFG really more quiet than competing brands such as EVGA? Also, would you go with PPC&C over Corsair 620HX for performance/quietness even though it's not modular?

To OP - if you plan on overclocking your Quad-core you might want a better cooler such as the Tuniq Tower. Also, just a personal preference, I'd go with Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 over the G.Skills because of good OCin'g potential with P35 and general reputation.

 

[aevm]

I think the BFG OC2 and the eVGA ACS3 are the best, at least that's what I had on my short list in the end. No serious difference in performance, noise or price, at least when I was doing my shopping around.

There was also an eVGA 8800 Ultra at www.ncix.com, it was $50 less than the 8800 GTX ACS3. I understand from reviews that that one has a great cooler and competes well noise-wise with the ACS3. I don't know if the prices are still like that.

Yes, I would go with the PC P&C over anything. The Corsair 620HX gets only a lousy 97 points out of 100 in my book Just kidding. Go with the HX if it's cheaper or easier to get, it's a fantastic PSU (modular, quiet, stable, extra long cables, etc.) The PC P&C has an 86% efficiency, which is really nice and I haven't seen elsewhere. On the other hand, it cost me 3 additional days of waiting to get it.

 

[ThePhoode]

Okay -- thanks for the feedback. I think I'm going to go with the following build -- had to up my spending a little bit -- but I know it'll ultimately be worth it.

Case: Silverstone TJ09-SW
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6811163072
$259.99

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6813128048
$159.99

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6819115017
$289.99

Graphics: EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130072
$529.99

PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817703009
$199.99

Memory: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA804 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820146565
$104.99

DVD Burner: LITE-ON Combo Drive Black SATA Model SHC-52S7K-05 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6827106040
$24.99

CPU Cooler: Scythe SCNJ-1100P 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail l
Scythe SCNJ-1100P 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
$49.99

Total: $1619.92

Will most likely add some fans to the case to beef up the cooling capabilities -- but this rig will give me some room to grow in the future.

 

[asdftt123]

That build is looking pretty solid to me. I would go for it.

 

[Onus]

Hmmm, staring into my Crystal Gonad I see...kind of murky...hmmm no, it isn't murk, it's a whole bunch of frags...

 

[aevm]

Oh yes. The question now is which games are worthy of a computer like that I can hardly wait for Hellgate London...

I forgot to mention: I went with S-Flex fans because they were the quietest I could find at my local shop. There are even quieter ones out there, I just couldn't get them. For example does anyone know where to buy Noctua fans?

 

[ThePhoode]

I also went some of the 120mm S-Flex fans (3 of them).

Well...all of the parts are now officially ordered, and I'll have this puppy up and running sometime next week. Just in time for Bioshock!

Can't wait to post the "before and after" benchmarks.

 

[DiGiTaLdAzE]

Good plan you went with the bigger PSU--best of luck!!!