Putting together the best PC I can afford -help needed-

elarcano · Sep 1, 2007

Hi guys,

I'm astonishing new to a PC hardware and I've finally saved enough to buy a new one...

So after doing some homework this is what I have so far:

- Thermaltake MozartTx (Very good ventilation system and your dog could live in it! -It's huge)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811133027

- Creative Sound Blaster (I really don't need a fancy card... average's just fine)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16829102012

- EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB (Huge Video card!)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130071

- OCZ GameXStream power supply 700w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&Tpk=OCZ+GameXStream+OCZ700GXSSLI+ATX12V+700W

- Intel Core 2 Duo E6850
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115028

- CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) - 4G total -
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145043

Still don't know what motherboard that could support the CPU and specially that Ram... not only efficiency-wise but compatibility.
I'd like to go for a raid HD so I'm still not sure which brand to pick.

Almost forgot... I'm an entrepreneur artist and for some years I've been doing computer art (PS CS2, Illustrator CS2 and recently Zbrush... so good memory is a MUST)

Sorry for the long post... but i really need all the help I can get... the clock is ticking and I don't want to end spending my PC budget :ange:

Thanks in advance

Maziar · Sep 1, 2007

first of all u may consider q6600 , although it depends on what u do :

http://xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q6600_8.html
http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3038&p=8

for motherboard get ASUS P5K , ASSUS P5K-E , GIGABYTE P35 DS3R(if u only want DDR2) and ASUS P5KC , GIGABYTE P35CD3R (both DDR2 and DDR3 , although DDR3 is limited to 4GB , ) the first 3 OC better than these 2

Mousemonkey · Sep 1, 2007

The Abit IP35's should also be considered if for no other reason than the underwhelming lack of problem posts featuring these boards.

thedaily10 · Sep 1, 2007

Before you buy the memory, you really need to decide what motherboard you want. Not all memory will work with every motherboard, especially fast memory.

elarcano · Sep 1, 2007

Hey guys,

First of all, thanks for the quick response!

Maziar:
Great links! But I think I'll go for Dual since overclocking isn't in my plans (can't risk the investment) and Quads will only get better... so right now not might be the best time... and I really don't do much rendering anyway.
I've been reeding some reports that ASUS tend to burn out some rams and have Bios problems. Even the P5N32 E- SLI Deluxe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131153 that seem somewhat better than the ones you linked doesn't have very good reviews.

mousemonkey:
Never heard that brand... I'll have to check it out

thedaily10:
Yeah I know, but I'm doing it backwards

I'd like to see what motherboard's compatible with the ram I've selected
----------------
I've been advice to get a DFI lanpary motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136014&Tpk=DFI+lanpary+motherboard or the Intel BOXD975XBXLKR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121016... Now my silly questions is... how do I know which motherboards are compatible with which ram? And if the memory's DDR2 1066 and the motherboard memory Standart is DDR2 667 does that mean that the ram won't run at it's best?

thanks a lot guys!

Mousemonkey · Sep 2, 2007

Here's a link for you.

http://www2.abit.com.tw/page/uk/motherboard/motherboard_type.php?fMTYPE=LGA775

elarcano · Sep 2, 2007

mousemonkey:
Indeed it looks like a very nice motherboard and very well rated in newegg... but the very downside for me is that the memory standard is only DDR2 800 and with all the new ram with high speed it wouldn't make a good investment for future resell... shame, i really did like that motherboard

Thanks

Falken699 · Sep 2, 2007

I'd only get a Quad from now on...

zenmaster · Sep 2, 2007

It only supports DDR2-800 because that is the highest standard.
It can run memory well beyond DDR2-800 speeds.

No point for a simple sound card, on-board sound is generally very good.

Reasonable Overclocking involves no risks, you should look at it.
Only when you push the CPUs beyond design limits do you have an issue.

If you are not Overclocking, you are wasting money on 1066 RAM.
It would only be of use if you are going to do extreme overclocking of
the Q6600, E6750, or E6850.
Simple DDR2-800 will allow for very strong OCing of all three of these chips.

If you read any review of the difference in performance between different ram sets, you will notice there is very very little. However, Graphic work is one of the few reasons you may need 4gb.

Graphic work is also likely to prefer more cores and another reason to go for the quad.

nightscope · Sep 2, 2007

Like some said before, you really don't need 1066 ram, 800 would be more than fine. And isn't that a bit too much to be spending on a case? I mean...you'd be better off investing the difference in a gtx for example. Also, why would you pay $100 more because the ram has dominator added to it? I mean you can get very good 2 X 1 gb ddr2-800 kits for 60 bucks...that's awfully cheap.

Just a few pointers I thought about pointing out

elarcano · Sep 3, 2007

zenmaster:
I've been told that indeed DDR2-800 motherboards will run ram beyond 800 but it will support the capacity but no the velocity. So I imagine it wouldn't fullfill the rams's potential.
I always thought that on-board audio were bad... didn't know.
You say reasonable overcloaking is safe... so does that stand true even with 1066 without having heat issues?
Zbrush is an awesome 3/2.5D app and it mostly relies on ram... that's why I'm going for 4g of ram.
Now you got me wondering if I should go Quad... ohhh the humanity!

NightScope:
Well yes, it's a bit much for a case, but it really has a great ventilation system and space.
Good point on the "Dominator" issue.

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to post (Thumbs up)
------------
So, here are some random thinking
- If the Q6600 is like 4th in the line of Quads and E6850 the latest Dual... would a Quad still be the better choice for future resell?

Mousemonkey · Sep 3, 2007

elarcano :

According to some it's the best thing since sliced bread, but once the Penryn Quad is released that may all change.

turpit · Sep 3, 2007

Mousemonkey :

LOL, what a sad but appropriate way to recommend something these days: "underwhelming lack of problem posts"....i.e. they are less screwed up than the others. :lol: :lol: :lol:

zenmaster · Sep 3, 2007

All P35 Motherboards will support both the capacity and Speed of DDR2-1066 memory boards.

If I was going to buy a computer, I would pay more for the better computer. Since the Q6600>E6850 I would certainly pay more for it.

Mousemonkey · Sep 3, 2007

turpit :

That's the one! :lol:

Mousemonkey · Sep 3, 2007

zenmaster :

I swapped out an E6850 that had been lent to me for my G0 Quad last Wednesday, and so far the only difference is video encoding speed (faster) and heat (hotter), but do not underrate the E6850 dude, because that is one fast chip.

fate0n3 · Sep 3, 2007

I agree if you are wanting to future proof this PC then I wouldn't get anything but a Quad Core. And as for the Memory they are right unless you are doing a high O/C then DDR2-800 is more then enough. Faster memory will not show any noticeable performance change or gain without O/Cing. Also I would like to just point out that unless you are running a 64bit OS your 4 gig of memory is useless. Only a 64bit OS is able recognize and use all 4 gigs of memory. Just some thoughts for you. And I agree that case is way way to big IMO. What exactly do you plan on putting in there if you are wanting ventilation look at the Antec 900 it has killer ventilation and looks and doesn't require an extra room of your house to put it in. And has lots of room to fit extra parts in such as 8800 GTX cards. Just my opinion.

turpit · Sep 3, 2007

And dont underestimate what MouseMonkey said. Look for user reviews...you can generally ignore the ones that start off with "Ive had this for 1 day and it r0x0rs the 811...".

On the memory, dont under estimate the chipsets role. I had a Gigabyte P35 for a week before returing it (bad LAN) and using all the identical components from my current Asus P5w DH deluxe/E6600, including the slower OCZ Gold DDR2 800, it was significantly faster than the 975 chipset.

elarcano · Sep 3, 2007

Ok guys,

This is what seemed to stay as it is:

- Processor: Q6600 (Yes, at the end I went for th Quad) http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115017
- 2 Hard drives (RAID): Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148140
All these parts were reviewed 5 "eggs"

After some reseach and taking your opinions in consideration, I've decided to make 2 choices to sort things out (for me anyway)
And yes... I'll overclock if anyone can point me to a good link

Again... I really appreciate all the time and dedication
Thanks

elarcano · Sep 4, 2007

Too many options?

turpit · Sep 4, 2007

If you are still concerned about being able to use faster memory, or if you want to be able to upgrade to DDR3 when its latencies/prices finally drop, you may want to consider the Gigabyte GA-P35C-DSR, which supports both 1066 and 1333 FSB and also allows you to use either DDR2 or DDR 3. But as MouseMonkey points out, look at the user reviews

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

mrquin27 · Sep 4, 2007

Get an antec 900 case that mozart is fuggly and the 900 has more room than you need with even more airflow and 130$ cheaper. Drop the soundcard that thing isn't an upgrade from onboard save yourself 40$. Get cheaper ram save money you don't need the sweet heatsinks and ddr2 isn't even the best out there if thats what you were trying to get at ddr3 is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144062 I have this ram and its good, get a quadcore 2.4ghz to save yourself 20$ and have 4 cores. and lastly get a 320mb version of the 8800 and save 100$ trust me you will save a lot of money and you wont feel so bad in 2 months when they release a whole new line of hardware thats better.

Sexy.

Mousemonkey · Sep 4, 2007

The Gigabyte GA-P35C-DSR that turpit has suggested not only supports DDR3 but it has a printer port and a serial port, something that a lot of motherboards are lacking these days but some may (me really

) still use/need.

maverick7 · Sep 4, 2007

i would suggest saving money by getting a cheaper case perhaps and cheaper memory and then getting a GTX instead of a GTS because that is where you will see the biggest gameplay difference.

turpit · Sep 4, 2007

Mousemonkey :

Whats a serial port?

Putting together the best PC I can afford -help needed-

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