Finalizing components for homebuilt

joedhiggins

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1 x MSI P35 PLATINUM
1 x INTEL CORE 2 DUO E6850 3.0 GHZ
2 x CRUCIAL 2GB (2048MB) PC2-5300 667MHZ CL5 DDR2
4 x SEAGATE 500GB ST3500630NS SATA ES 7200RPM 16MB
1 x ATI RADEON 2900XT 512MB PCI-E W/HDTV & DUAL DVI
1 x LITE-ON LH-20A1L-05 20X SUPERALLWRITE SATA+LIGHTSCRIBE
2 x SAMSUNG 22" 226BW WIDESCREEN 1680X1050 1000:1 (DC 3000:1) 2MS VGA DVI
1 x THERMALTAKE ARMOR JR VC3000SWA (SILVER) MID TOWER
1 x APEVIA AS600W-BL 600W

1 x MICROSOFT WINDOWS VISTA 64BIT HOME PREMIUM 1PK DVD

Basically, I am shooting for a mid ranged system here, capable gaming box/workstation. Looking for any advice on replacing/adding components in this build, also I have to specific questions.

I intend to run a Sata raid 5 array, my understanding is that the P35 Chipset supports this. Are there any problems with the raid 5 implementation in this chipset, or any considerations I should worry about in this case at all? Is there any trouble getting a clean vista install on an array today (setting up XP on a sata raid required me to purchase a FDD, will that be necessary here)?

What type of benefits/losses will I see with Vista 64 vs 32, or with home vs pro (or whatever their non home version is called now)?

Any other miscellaneous advice/information would be greatly appreciated.

Joe
 

Sci_Tech

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Although I don't have the technical expertise to answer the RAID questions, I can tell you that Vista Home Premium is probably the best bang for your buck. It has numerous advantages over Home basic, while avoiding the unnecessary frills (and price) of Vista Ultimate. Also, for the system you're building, consider the E6750. It provides excellent performance at a significantly lower price than the E6850.
 

Solariscs

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Hey there, looks like a good build. For RAID it usually isn't the chipset, but the motherboard SATA controller. The MSI board supports Raid, but are you sure you want to pay extra for the usually second PCI-E slot? I would get the Gigabyte DS3R board, but it's up to you.

For your system I would really look into a better PSU. Apevia isn't really a good PSU maker. Specially for that system. I would suggest Corsair 620W, or Antec NeoHE 550W or over, or Seasonic. Those are all really good high quality brands.

Hard Drivers are good, but look at the Samsung 500GB ones, they are really good and quiet drives.

Also I agree Sci, get Home Premium 64 bit if you can.

If you have any questions, let me know. msg me anytime at aim or yahoo, Maximus9102
 

emp

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If I were you I'd change the mobo to GA-P35-DS3R and get Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 memory, it's not that much more expensive and they are better performing components.
 

Kamrooz

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If you are using it as a workstation do yourself a favor and get a quad core. You can always just overclock it to the 3ghz rated speed. But it's up to you if you want to do that or not. I understand some people don't feel comfortable overclocking. I'd recommend getting ddr2 800...as EMP stated...the GA board is also quite popular...I've had bad problems with MSI in the past..I'm on a asus board atm.

Regarding the graphics card. I have an ATI card myself but why not nab a 8800 GTS?...and save up some cash for the g92 when it comes around...Make sure you buy a EVGA card..that way you can step up. But if you want to go with the 2900XT it's still a damn good card..Choice is yours.

Seagate drives are very reliably...also with a 5 years warranty..If you want higher read/write performance look into a Caviar SE...they outperform the raptor in read/write. But yea...I've had a few WD drives in the past die on me...so far all my Seagate drives are still working..I've had 4....two I got about 6 months ago...two other ones I've had for about 5-6 years now...still working wonders.

 

mad-dog

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RAID10 or (1+0) would be a better choice than RAID5 for you.
Striping will give the increased READ/WRITE speed
Mirrroring will give the DATA protection and Redundancy
With RAID5 you would have 500GB of storage vs RAID10 which would give you 1000GB of storage, HDD degradation is also minimized with a RAID10 array.
RAID10 is recommended for applications requiring both high performance and reliability.
I would strongly suggest you read the following link before settling on RAID5
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/perf/raid/index.htm
 

joedhiggins

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Ok: replace the PS, Go with a quad core, use the DS3R and the Crucial 800mhz.

For the other suggestions: it was my understanding that the 2900XT gave a performance edge over the GTS, at about the same price, I prefer Nvidia software, so if this isn't the case, I would rather go with the Nvidia product CCC is an unpleasant program. And EVGA, they do a trade in program? If so, that sounds good.

Also on the subject of the RAID, does the GA-P35-DS3R have an on board RAID controller, or do I still need to buy an a PCI-E card? If this is the case, any recommendations on a reasonably priced controller that performs well?

Finally I hesitate to go with any non Seagate HDs; I have had several Maxtors, one WD, and one Toshiba fail on me in the past, all the while the seagate in an old computer I built back in '99 still runs fine. With Raid 5, I would be willing to consider a higher performance drive, but the only that I am aware of (SATA side anyway) are the WD 10k rpm ones, that have a far higher ppMB than the Seagates. Further info would be appriciated.
 

emp

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Use seagate then, they are a fine brand, I only trust WD, seagate and hitachi anyway. EVGA does have a step up program, and the difference between the 8800GTS and HD2900XT they are pretty much neck and neck, sometimes the 2900 performs a little bit faster than the GTS (which is logical for the price, since the GTS is cheaper).

At this point you should choose what you'd be more comfortable with, if you feel maybe having 0-5fps more isn't worth over using CCC, then go with the 8800GTS. Also if you don't feel your data is safe with WD, then use Seagate. I always try to advice keeping this in mind Stability > Reliability > Performance, however high performing hardware usually is pretty reliable, so it's up to the buyer to choose what they feel more comfortable with.
 

mad-dog

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Yup, i have a pair of Seagate 320's running in RAID1 and the system is very fast, i have thought adding 2 more 320's and reconfiguring them for RAID10 or (1+0).
Keep in mind that RAID stands for "Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks" with the emphasis put on INEXPENSIVE.
Need i say more.............
 

joedhiggins

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From Reading the RAID article, I gather that I will take a performance hit if I chose to run the R5 over the R10, but gain another 50% storage space. The performance hit is largely do to the controllers using system resources for parity calculations, a problem that would be reduced by a better controller. If this is the case it seems that 10 would be a better way to go, with reliance on removable/external storage for archives that didn't need the security/speed of the 10 setup.

If I go with a 10 setup, is there any compelling reason to go with a PCI-E controller, or will the Gigabite's controller handle it without issue?

I think the GTS is probably the way to go in that case, does the extra memory on the more expensive card increase performance enough on the 22" screens to make it worth the money, or should I go with the smaller memory size?

Finally, I am currently looking at mwave to make this purchase, is there a better site out there for this sort of thin in terms of price )or perhaps one that offers a military discount)?

I very much appreciate all the feedback so far.

Joe
 

Kamrooz

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For the GTS..The higher the memory the larger resolutions you can handle in high res gaming. The 320 I believe has a higher clock speed so if you play in the same low res (1024 or 1280) the 320 would be faster...

About the EVGA step up program. It works like this. You buy a card...You have exactly 3 months to step up...You basically call up EVGA and ask for the step up and you have to send them the card with EVERY piece of software/hardware it came with. Keep everything from the box and the bot itself. You also have to pay the difference in cash between what you paid and the card you're trying to get. That's what the step up program is.

Unfortunately..it's only 3 months duration...If the g92 hits delays and goes past the 3 month period you're out of luck. But...if it comes to the point where it's about to expire you can always step up to a 8800 GTX...or whatever is their best card atm just to be safe. The choice is yours. The nice thing about the step up program is you can put all your cash into other parts...cpu, mainboard, displays, anything...then when you save up some extra cash after 2 months or so you can step up to even better GFX card..so overall you can get by with a temp card...although you have to pay for shipping I believe.

But yea...The later you get this computer the better..just incase to have some leeway on the g92 release date...but the choice is yours..the hd 2900XT is a fine card...so are the geforce 8800 series...

You may hate CCC...Heck I have a ati and it is unpleasant at times..but when you get use to it it's not really a problem. BUT...ATI do wonders on their drivers..You get constant driver releases unlike nvidia...the big problem about nvidia is drivers...but besides that all is good.
 

mad-dog

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If I go with a 10 setup, is there any compelling reason to go with a PCI-E controller, or will the Gigabite's controller handle it without issue?
that's a issue you will have to take up with gigabyte, most modern motherboards with 4 or more SATA connectors are capable of running a variety of RAID configurations.
 

Kamrooz

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Indeed..I've heard actual PCI-E controllers offer much better performance..I don't know if there is any truth in that but I expect it to be valid....
 

joedhiggins

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1 x GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R INTEL P35 CHIPSET ATX FORM FACTOR
1 x CORE 2 QUAD Q6600 2.4G (1066Mhz)
2 x CORSAIR TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB KIT (1GB x 2) PC26400 800MHZ MATCHED PAIR 5-5-5-12 240-PIN DDR2 DIMM
4 x SEAGATE 500GB ST3500630NS SATA ES 7200RPM 16MB
1 x EVGA 640-P2-N825-AR GF8800GTS SUPERCLOCKED 640MB DDR3 PCI-Express w/HDCP DVI+DVI+HDTVOut ROHS
(Curious if the superclocked model is worth the price jump)
1 x LITE-ON LH-20A1L-05 20X SUPERALLWRITE SATA+LIGHTSCRIBE
2 x SAMSUNG 22" 226BW WIDESCREEN 1680X1050 1000:1 (DC 3000:1) 2MS VGA DVI
1 x THERMALTAKE ARMOR JR VC3000SWA (SILVER) MID TOWER
1 x ANTEC NEOHE 550 550W

This is my updated build, based on recomendations, and now I am leaning toward the raid 10 posted earlier. It comes out to about 2650 without shipping. Any more suggestions/revisions would be appreciated.
Joe