New gaming pc | Medium budget+ | DDR3 motherboard support?

[stitch19]

My first post and I need to say hello to this great community as it looks

Now to my topic. In few weeks I will have around 2000$ for a new gaming desktop pc. Thing is I live in EU Cyprus where everything electrical is really expensive. And I dont wonna order from aborad for many reasons.

Anyway I will ask all the forum experts to give me as many opinions as they might have about building a medium towards really good gaming pc. I dont need screan, mouse or anything like that. Just the PC.

CPU: Intel core 2 Quad | Intel core 2 Extreme Quad core | No idea about AMD...
Motherboard: Not sure, but I heared about upcomming DDR3 RAM and I can only ask if there is a motherboard at the momment that will support DDR3
RAM: at least 2gb of DDR2...
Graphic card: something around NVidia geforce 8800ultra
Sound card: something mediocore i guess
Hard drive(s): I can upgrade to a new HDD at any momment so i dont mind for any kind of space but I would like a good HDD with at least 300gb+
Case: no idea about cas but I would like to have a big one that can fit 2-3 HDD's, optical drivers and such.
CPU cooler: no idea
Power supply: i guess something around 1000w+
Operating sysetm: I would still go with XP pro but then again I imagine the Vista DX10...

I know Crysis will be demaning as hell in terms of pc power but if I can build a pc that can run it with at least above medium configuration then I will be happy. At the momment I have a good laptop for my university and so the gaming PC will be only for gaming and playing/watching multimedia/DVD.

So I am open to any suggestions and opinions about anything around my upcomming gaming pc

 

[aevm]

Hello and welcome aboard!

Don't look at Extreme CPUs, get a Q6600 and save $1000.
Forget DDR3, get 2 GB of DDR2-800 (PC2-6400). Get a GA-P35-DS3R motherboard.
GA-P35C-DS3R supports both DDR2 and DDR3 but you don't really need DDR3 support.
Forget the Ultra too, overpriced. Get an 8800 GTX. eVGA or BFG or XFX would be best.
Sound card: I'd recommend a X-Fi XtremeMusic. It's not mediocre, but it's worth the $100.
Hard drive: Seagate 7200.10 500 GB or WD5000AAKS 500 GB are the best values these days IMO.
Case: Thermaltake Armor, for example.
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme or Scythe Ninja.
PSU: you don't need 1000w. Get a Corsair 620HX or PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W.
Operating system: XP Pro.
DVD-RW - Samsung or LG.

 

[Maziar]

CPU : go for intel quad , not QX , because the main difference between QX and Q is that QX has unlocked multiplier

Motherboard: DDR3 rams are expensive , most of them doesnt have good timings , the difference between ddr2 and ddr3 is less than %10
there are 2 motherboards which support DDR2 and DDR3 however DDR3 is limited to 4GB , They are ASUS P5KC and GIGABYTE P35C DS3R , and they dont OC as well as ASUS P5K and GIGABYTE P35 DS3R which only support DDR2 , so get a nice DDR2 board and dont worry about DDR3 , i were in the same situation , and i went with DDR2 and i am not disappointed

VGA: Dont get 8800ULTRA , 8800ULTRA is 8800GTX OverClocked , get a 8800GTX and OC (Also difference between GTX and ULTRA inst noticeable)

CASE: ThermalTake ARMOR has good cooling and lots of space

CPU COOLER : TUNIQ TOWER , THERMALRIGHT ULTRA 120 , THERMALTAKE BIG TYPHOON

PSU : a 700 PSU is fine , but if u want 1000WAT PSU , go for OCZ PROXSTREAM 1000WAT , i have one and i love it , other suggestions are: CORSAIR 620 , PC&POWER COOLING 750 SILENCE QUAD, OCZ GAMEXSTREAM 850 .....

OS: dont worry about DX10 , the difference between DX10 and DX9 isnt noticeable in todays games , also XP has better gaming performance

 

[runswindows95]

DDR3 is not worth the premium. For the price of 2GB of DDR3, you can get 8GB of DDR2!
Also, the 8800Ultra is not worth the money. Just get a 8800GTX.

 

[stitch19]

thanks a lot guys, it really helped me

 

[stitch19]

oh and forgotten, also which 8800GTX would be the best since I have seen few in the market for different companies...?

 

[aevm]

evga, bfg, xfx

 

[Maziar]

add ASUS ^^

 

[Ulauma]

DDR3 Is Worth it may I add.... With a Asus Blitz somebody over clocked the RAM to 2032. That is **** fast.... So if you want spend a little more money and get that DDR3 and it will be a whole lot of difference.

 

[runswindows95]

DDR3 is really not worth the premium. It only performs 8% faster than DDR2 but is at least 400% the cost. $400 for 2GB DDR3 versus $100 for 2GB DDR2.

The performance of DDR3:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2159834,00.asp
http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=3053&p=8

The pricing of DDR3:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010170147+1052129233+1052308477&name=2GB+(2+x+1GB)

 

[stitch19]

thanks again guys, beside asus 8800 any other good brands to suggest?

 

[Maziar]

if u arent in US , GAINWARD is a good brand

 

[GenericName]

I have dual EVGA superclocked 8800 gtx cards - they are probably as fast as an Ultra - but I haven't looked at specs in detail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130079


I agree about DDR3 - 4 Gigs DDR2 would be better to have (If you are running Vista 64)

 

[aevm]

add ASUS ^^

You're not going to add OCZ to the list? Aren't you happy with your own card?

I was looking through some reviews yesterday and I noticed that the MSI card was doing very well too.

I'd just stay away from Sparkle Calibre (a fancy cooling scheme that actually increases heat in the case and noise and power consumption).

 

[Maziar]

yes i am , actually i am more than happy , definitely but arent OCZ 8800GTX limited edition in there ?

 

[aevm]

No idea. I can buy an OCZ 8800 GTX from my local shop right now, so I don't think they stopped making them. By the way, it's $30 more than my BFG 8800 GTX OC2. It better be good at that price

Edit: seriously. I'm not at the shop, but I just checked their Web Site.

 

[Maziar]

so i update my list : :d

OCZ , EVGA, XFX , BFG , ASUS ,GAINWARD

i really love mine , runs cool&quiet , OC's very very well

 

[stitch19]

One last question guys,

I heared something about new graphics from Nvidia in maybe November, Thats fine but I just wonna be sure that I will have the motherboard that in the future will support thos new grpahic cards.

So what do you think will be a really good motherboard at the momment which will support future graphic cards and such?

Btw my current build is something around:
- Intel Q6600
- Nvidia 8800GTS 640mb, not sure yet about brand, but I am hoping for Asus or Gainword(If I will have extra 100$ will buy the 8800GTX)
- Some good DDR2 2-4gb of 800mhz RAM
- Asus Blitz extreme, or Asus Blitz Formula, or Nvidia nforce 680i, still confused here and not sure

My only concern is the future upgrade of graphic cards. Cause I will be definetly cahing a new card every year if needed. Still not sure if its worth to go for motherboard that support DDR3 RAM.

 

[Maziar]

that graphic card maybe 8700GTS which is weaker than 8800GTS according to rumors

BLITZ EXTREME =DDR3
BLITZE FORMULA and 680i= DDR2

DDR3 is pricey and also the difference with DDR2 isnt much , dont worry about it

 

[stitch19]

i dont worry atm for DDR3, i worry for the future. So I think would be more wise to get a motherboard that supoorts DDR2 & DDR3, if there are some that supports both.

 

[aevm]

GA-P35C-DS3R supports both DDR2 and DDR3. I have one and it's good. I still think it's pointless to pay $30 more over GA-P35-DS3R. but it's your choice. The thing is, it accepts 8 GB of DDR2 and 4 GB of DDR3, and you can't have them both at the same time. When programs become really bloated, I'd rather have 8 GB of DDR2 than 4 GB of (5% faster) DDR3.

Asus also has a dual-support model, I think it's called P5KC.

 

[Maziar]

yes its P5KC , everything aevm said is right , also P35 DS3R OCs better than P35C DS3R

 

[geofelt]

Buying for the future is not worth in in my opinion. Yes, there will be better and cheaper pc parts in a year or two, but you may not be able to use them. For example, the nehalem processors will be out in a year or so, but they will probably need a new motherboard.
DDR3 is very expensive now, and will probably cost more than DDR2 for at least the next year. The C2D processors are not very sensitive to memory speeds unless you are overclocking. Currently, the real application (vs. memory benchmark) advantage of the fastest memory vs. the slowest is perhaps 2-4%. 4gb of any type of memory should be enough.
For gaming, the critical component is the VGA card. Right now, a 8800GTX is about as good as it gets. Here, though, it might pay to wait. There are indications that NVIDIA will introduce a new high end card by Christmas, like they have done in the past. I have no doubt that it will run without degradation on current pci-e slots. They would not sell many if it did not. Your plan might be to get a 8800GTX now, and sell it if the new card appeals to you more. I am not much in favor of SLI unless a single 8800GTX won't do the job. Do check that your intended case can fit a 8800GTX, because they are a bit longer, and may not fit in some cases.
Right now, a P35 based motherboard using ddr2 is probably the best. They have been out long enough to be stable, and they will run current C2D processors as well as the upcoming penryn. Onboard sound is very good these days. Try it first. You can always add a sound card later.
Unless you will be running games that are highly cpu intensive(like flight simulator x) a E6850 or Q6600 would be appropriate. The E6850 would be better for most games, but the Q6600 would be better for cpu intensive games that can use 4 cores. I like the E6850 because it will generate much less heat. The stock cooler will work, but it can get noisy. For more quiet, I would look at one of the good ones like the Scythe Ninja or the thermalright extreme 120.
For a new build, you might as well use Vista home premium, 64 bit edition. It would be the most future proof operating system. Most of the problems with vista came from a lack of drivers for obsolete hardware.

---good luck---

 

[stitch19]

Buying for the future is not worth in in my opinion. Yes, there will be better and cheaper pc parts in a year or two, but you may not be able to use them. For example, the nehalem processors will be out in a year or so, but they will probably need a new motherboard.
DDR3 is very expensive now, and will probably cost more than DDR2 for at least the next year. The C2D processors are not very sensitive to memory speeds unless you are overclocking. Currently, the real application (vs. memory benchmark) advantage of the fastest memory vs. the slowest is perhaps 2-4%. 4gb of any type of memory should be enough.
For gaming, the critical component is the VGA card. Right now, a 8800GTX is about as good as it gets. Here, though, it might pay to wait. There are indications that NVIDIA will introduce a new high end card by Christmas, like they have done in the past. I have no doubt that it will run without degradation on current pci-e slots. They would not sell many if it did not. Your plan might be to get a 8800GTX now, and sell it if the new card appeals to you more. I am not much in favor of SLI unless a single 8800GTX won't do the job. Do check that your intended case can fit a 8800GTX, because they are a bit longer, and may not fit in some cases.
Right now, a P35 based motherboard using ddr2 is probably the best. They have been out long enough to be stable, and they will run current C2D processors as well as the upcoming penryn. Onboard sound is very good these days. Try it first. You can always add a sound card later.
Unless you will be running games that are highly cpu intensive(like flight simulator x) a E6850 or Q6600 would be appropriate. The E6850 would be better for most games, but the Q6600 would be better for cpu intensive games that can use 4 cores. I like the E6850 because it will generate much less heat. The stock cooler will work, but it can get noisy. For more quiet, I would look at one of the good ones like the Scythe Ninja or the thermalright extreme 120.
For a new build, you might as well use Vista home premium, 64 bit edition. It would be the most future proof operating system. Most of the problems with vista came from a lack of drivers for obsolete hardware.

---good luck---

thanks a lot, you did really help and by being in such detaild post i have to say I really admire all the effort you put to reply and help. You are complitely correct and as it seems I will stay with the DDR2. I heared the nvidia 680i motherboard look great and its also quite expensive. Not sure if its worth over the few Asus i been looking on...

 

[fatcat]

GA-P35C-DS3R supports both DDR2 and DDR3. I have one and it's good. I still think it's pointless to pay $30 more over GA-P35-DS3R. but it's your choice. The thing is, it accepts 8 GB of DDR2 and 4 GB of DDR3, and you can't have them both at the same time. When programs become really bloated, I'd rather have 8 GB of DDR2 than 4 GB of (5% faster) DDR3.

Asus also has a dual-support model, I think it's called P5KC.

The P35C is a good MB but there seems to be a lot issues with voltage regulation. Might not be too bothering when you're running your rig stock but it can become somewhat annoying when you're planning on OC'ing. As for DDR3, I agree. When it becomes affordable, it would probably time to change the MB all together unless prices drop and performances increase in a very short period of time.