New Gaming Machine

[stevenafc]

Hi, this is another first build question.

The components:

Antec Nine Hundred - Gaming Case with 200mm Top Fan - No PSU
BFG 680i SLI nForce Intel socket 775 DDR2 ATX 124173
Coolermaster eXtreme Power 650W PSU - ATX 12V V2.01 120mm Fan 20+4pin
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz 1066MHz) Socket 775 L2 8MB Cache (2x4MB (4MB per core pair))
Extra Value Nvidia 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 Dual DVI PCI-E Graphics Card OEM
Corsair 4GB Kit (4x1GB) DDr2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 Dominator Memory Unbuffered CL5 (5-5-5-18)
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 SoundCard - Retail Boxed
Western Digital WD7500AAKS 750GB SATA II Hard Drive 7200rpm 16MB Cache - OEM

Mainly just wanted your opinions, what do you think of the hardware, anything I should change?

But also, regarding cooling, what should I look to buy as I have no idea, Im guessing I need fans for the CPU and GPU, i want it to be as quiet as possible, Im using Ebuyer, does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Pyroflea]

GPU comes with a fan on it, as does the CPU, but if you plan on OCing or are just worried about heat, you can purchase better CPU coolers.

-Pyro

 

[stevenafc]

Thanks for the info, Ive been looking into this far more than what I had earlier and currently this is what im looking at:

Case
Antec P182

Mobo
BFG 680i SLI nForce Intel socket 775 DDR2 ATX

PSU
Coolermaster eXtreme Power 650W PSU - ATX 12V V2.01 120mm Fan 20+4pin

CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz 1066MHz) Socket 775 L2 8MB Cache (2x4MB (4MB per core pair))

Cooling
Asus Silent Knight Socket 940, 939, AM2, 775 & 478 CPU Cooler

GPU
8800GTX 768MB GDDR

Memory
Corsair 4GB Kit (4x1GB) DDr2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 Dominator Memory Unbuffered CL5 (5-5-5-18)

Audio
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 SoundCard - Retail Boxed

HDD
Western Digital WD7500AAKS 750GB SATA II Hard Drive 7200rpm 16MB Cache

I want a GTX card, but unsure which to get, also the Antec p182 doesn't fit the GTX, without removing some of the harddrive enclosures. However I cant find another case I like at the same sort of price.

 

[Maziar]

looks good , but do u need SLI really ?

 

[Onus]

Other than a few specific models (not yours) that make it to Tier-4, most CoolerMaster PSUs are on Tier-5 ("Do not buy") of this list: http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiered+PSU+Listings?t=anon

Choose one from Tier-3 or better.

 

[aevm]

If your screen resolution is 1920x1200 or more stick with the 680i motherboard, because you may want to add another video card later. If not, I'd get a GA-P35-DS3R - and Maziar will tell you about Asus P5K - OK, there, done it

Antec P182 is a very nice case. It will fit the 8800 GTX, but you only get to install 4 hard disks at most instead of the usual 6 and airflow will not be great either. I would recommend a full-tower case. Thermaltake Armor is a good choice at about the same cost as the P182. I got a CAD$330 Silverstone TJ09 but that's probably overkill. Lian-Li PC-V2000 is even nicer but CAD$400 is too much and they couldn't even get it for me in a reasonable time so I didn't go for it. It was nice, with wheels and sound insulating foam...

I think BFG is a great company and that's where I got my 8800 GTX. However, I don't know how good their 680i motherboard is. I'm not saying it's bad, I just don't know. Lots of people here seem to think eVGA makes the best 680i motherboard.

Coolermaster PSU: no. That build deserves a 1st tier or 2nd tier PSU, not 4th tier. I got myself a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W. Corsair 620HX would be almost as good and less expensive.

Q6600 - smart choice.

Asus Silent Knight - I couldn't actually see this on in comparative reviews that often. The best cooler for both noise and temperature these days is the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, followed closely enough by Tuniq Tower and Scythe Ninja.

Memory: I'd get 2x2GB to keep the option to upgrade to 8 GB eventually. Also, some 680i motherboards (especially Asus) have issues with four 1GB modules. If it's nVidia's fault and not Asus' then the BFG 680i or eVGA 680i may be affected too.

Audigy: good enough. If you have good speakers and good ears it's worth upgrading to X-Fi Xtreme Music.

HDD: one 750GB disk costs more than two 500GB disks. Right now the 500GB is the sweet spot, not 750 GB.

What kind of 8800 GTX: eVGA, BFG and XFX have the best reputations. They also tend to have the best warranties, and they tend to have the cards already overclocked. eVGA ACS3 and BFG OC2 have very good coolers. (No clue about XFX.) I have the BFG 8800 GXT OC2 and like it. I can't hear it and it's also thin enough to not intrude upon the PCI slots. I actually do need all 3 PCI slots (modem, tuner, X-Fi) and the combination GA-P35C-DS3R/BFG 8800 GTX OC2 allows it. You can't get that with an Asus P35 motherboard, I hear.

 

[stevenafc]

Wow thanks that those replies I will take into consideration everything youve said. This has been a big learning curve for me! Ill re-jig what ive got and post an update!

 

[stevenafc]

Case
Antec P182 Unable to find the recommended cases on Ebuyer.co.uk, or dabs will look properly tomorrow

Mobo
BFG 680i SLI nForce Intel socket 775 DDR2 ATX

Looked at the EVGA 680i SLI Lite, need to compare the two see which one comes out top

PSU
Enermax Galaxy 850W EGA850EWL CrossFire ATX2.2 Modular PSU Would this work with my GFX card?

CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz 1066MHz) Socket 775 L2 8MB Cache (2x4MB (4MB per core pair))

Cooling
Asus Silent Knight Socket 940, 939, AM2, 775 & 478 CPU Cooler Again unable to find the recommended ones in UK

GPU
XFX GeForce 8800GTX 768MB DVI TV Out PCI-E Graphics Card Decided to spash out a little and go with the XFX

Memory
Corsair 4GB Kit (4x1GB) DDr2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 Dominator Memory Unbuffered CL5 (5-5-5-18) Again unable to find 2gb dominator memory, seems to be available in 1gb strips

Audio
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 SoundCard I live with my parents so sound usually comes in the form of headphones!

HDD
Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB SATA II 7200RPM 16MB Cache x 2 Went for 2 500gb 1 terrabyte for the same as 750gb Nice tip!

Anyway bedtime, got work tomorrow to pay for all this!

 

[aevm]

The eVGA Lite is not the eVGA 680i board people like here. Gotta watch out for the tiny details It may be a good mobo anyway, I don't know.

The Enermax Galaxy is probably the best PSU in the world. I wonder if you really need it. Does it cost a lot? Here I can get it for CAD$300 + shipping, while a PC P&C Silencer 750W costs $192 and it's local (no shipping costs). I got the Silencer myself. Apart from the cost, the Silencer is also quieter. There are two types of thinking among the best PSU makers. Some will allow noise to go up under heavy load and focus on controlling heat (like Enermax). Others will try to maintain a balance, allowing heat to rise as long as it's still safe and keeping noise low in exchange (like PC P&C). Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, I just happen to prefer the second. I got a Q6600/8800 GTX myself, BTW, so I can guarantee the Silencer would be enough.

Edit: I went to Eubyer,co.uk and took a look. No luck with the eVGA 680i board, there's just an extremely expensive weird watercooled version. Why are we talking about 680i boards? Will you add a second video card later? Are you sure? It's a good idea only in some special cases. If you don't intend to do that maybe you should get something based on P35, like the GA-P35-DS3R.

 

[stevenafc]

Quick Update,

Found the following on another site!

PC Power & Cooling SILENCER 750 Crossfire Edition
Scythe Ninja-PLUS Rev B CPU Cooler

Also found the EVGA nForce 680i SLi Premium, and its slightly cheaper the the BFG. I would like to stick an extra card in there at some point, plus my friends new PC has 680i, and I wouldn't want him getting the better of me!

 

[deusex]

If you're going to run one GTX, then a HX620 Corsair 620W is more than enough