Making a new system between 1500-2500 bucks

[Coronos]

Well with so many pc games coming out this season I definitely need a new system, one of my goals is to be able to play crysis on decently high settings and some other games too. I want to see what you guys think about this build and different parts I could use that are cheaper or even more expensive that could get the job done better.

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=8550727

 

[monsterrocks]

Don't forget artic silver! $210 for a motherboard? Unless you plan to overclock, don't buy one that expensive. I could be wrong, but I don't think EVGA is known for great motherboards, so you might want to get an ASUS or Gigabyte one. But like I said I am not sure so take my advice worth a grain of salt.

 

[akhilles]

Looks pretty standard for a high-end gaming rig.

The ram will be recognized as either 533mhz (synchronously) or 667mhz/800mhz (asynchronously), depending on the cpu/ram ratio. Unless you overclock, you won't get the most out of it. The price after rebate is too tempting to pass up, though.

The EVGA 680i A1 is one of the top 680i boards. True x16/x16 SLI. Very good overclocker. Not the best for quad. P35 is the best x4 overclocker.

 

[wicko]

You are most definitely wrong, no offense. Lol. I have that same motherboard, it is well known for its ability to overclock. EVGA actually have very good quality products, I also bought their 8800GTS 640mb, and I have had 0 problems.

I would look for a cheaper version of the Ultra, hell I would ditch it for a GTX and just overclock if you can. The case, do you really need a case that expensive? I picked up the Antec 900, and I love it. less than 150$ too. And a 1000W powersupply is overboard. If you can, get a PC Power and Cooling PSU. Very highly recommended, its not cheap. Get a 750W at the most. My Mushkin HP550 can handle dual 8800GTS 640MB cards, and it would definitely be able to handle a single GTX. If you can, maybe go SLI with the GTX? You would have to cheap out on some other parts though.

The ram you posted is a tad expensive, although maybe its not for american prices (canadian here). Mushkin modules were on for about 65$, same speed and also 2x1GB sticks.

 

[elbert]

Well with so many pc games coming out this season I definitely need a new system, one of my goals is to be able to play crysis on decently high settings and some other games too. I want to see what you guys think about this build and different parts I could use that are cheaper or even more expensive that could get the job done better.

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=8550727

I suggest you wait and pick up 2 8800GT's in SLI. Should be cheaper than the 1 8800ultra and rip a whole in the 8800ultra at the same time. If we know a date on the new 8800GTS 65nm 2 of those would be sweet.

 

[Coronos]

Well i'm planning to overclock the 2.4g quad because I heard that they are pretty decent to overclock, thats why i got the infinitey cooler, oh and I got the expensive case because it seemed like a good deal with the 1000w power supply, I thought it would be good to future proof the system if I wanted to sli or something, and when are those new 8800s coming? they look interesting.

 

[brownlove]

Think about this - the Ultra doesn't perform that much better than the GTX. The GTX is $100 to $200 less expensive. Get the GTX, put the $100 to $200 into a faster processor. You won't have to overclock with an E6850. It's crazy fast already and overclocking gains you very little in an already blazing fast system. You might also consider getting more RAM since the 64bit OS can handle it; 2x2GB.

 

[nukchebi0]

I second the 8800GT idea (or the dual new 8800GTS).

 

[lunyone]

Wow what an expensive build. Where do I start?
Case - Nice case, but $400? I wouldn't spend more than $100-150 for a case, but that is just me. The $250-300 could go for something else. Plus a 1000w PSU (c'mon!) that is way too much! 750w Quad PC&C PSU for $180 would be a smarter choice and add a $100 Antec 900 or p182 and your saving yourself over $100 right there.
GPU - Ultra is way too expensive. Yes it's the bad boy, but you can spend $500 and get a GTX that will OC to the Ultra, thus saving you $200. I'd personally wait for the newer GPU's to come out, before I'd buy your current GPU selection.
CPU - Quad core is fine, it'll last you for quite a while, especially since your going to OC it.
HD - Raptors aren't really that much better any more. I'd go with 2x320 gig WD's or Seagate HD's in RAID 0 and you'll spend about $25 less and have more than double the room!
Mobo - Well if your doing SLI (which I don't recommend, unless your doing some extreme resolutions) than I'm sure that board is fine. Otherwise I'd get a p35 based mobo with the features that you want. I'd start with at least a Asus p5k, Abit IP35, or Gigabyte DS3R as a minimum.
There is about $325-425 savings with my above changes. With that savings you could use if for buying the newer games and still have some left over. Of coarse your the one spending the $, so your the one making the decisions. I'm just putting out my opinion on the proposed build.

 

[dmroeder]

Wow what an expensive build. Where do I start?
Case - Nice case, but $400? I wouldn't spend more than $100-150 for a case, but that is just me.

Maybe I'm just getting lazy, but I couldn't get past the $400 case. That's just throwing away good money. Same with buying all the bleeding edge technology.

 

[deusex]

Yes to all the posters.....this is the worst time in buying parts....8800gt in a week...

 

[lunyone]

Yes to all the posters.....this is the worst time in buying parts....8800gt in a week...

It isn't if you don't know that it's coming out. One would think that their having Black Friday early this year, if they weren't in the know, like us!

 

[paq7512]

I second or third waiting for an 8800GT, you could save money and this will be more money to maybe get two of them.

 

[Zorg]

All good posts. I especially have a problem with that case PSU combo. Cooler Master is known for crappy PSUs. I haven't seen the 1KW PSU, maybe they got a good company to OEM it. But I wouldn't chance it, until it has been reviewed by Jonny Guru or another reputable site. As lunyone said get a P180 and a Silencer 750. Even a Silencer® 610 EPS12V Power Supply would handle your current build. I do like my Raptor, it's safer than RAID0 and has faster seek times. I also prefer the P35 unless you are interested in SLI.

 

[Coronos]

thanks for the suggestions, i'll go do some changes now, and I could definitely wait a couple weeks for those 8800 gts, I hope they come out soon. Ok I made alot of changes, changed the case/power supply/ram/gpu/processor. Foxxon released an 8800 GTX OC addition for only 500 bucks, and since I got the price lower I put the Q6700 instead of the 6600.

 

[Zorg]

You gain no value by using the Q6700. Just use the Q6600 and OC to 3G/1333, it's free.

 

[Coronos]

ok I think I got my final build, went back to the Q6600 and looked for the best cpu cooler/fan I could find for overclocking it.

 

[lunyone]

thanks for the suggestions, i'll go do some changes now, and I could definitely wait a couple weeks for those 8800 gts, I hope they come out soon. Ok I made alot of changes, changed the case/power supply/ram/gpu/processor. Foxxon released an 8800 GTX OC addition for only 500 bucks, and since I got the price lower I put the Q6700 instead of the 6600.

Looks much better! I'd recommend this thermal paste, since it's much better than AC5.
Shin Etsu CPU Thermal Compound $13 shipped
http://www.crazypc.com/products/50118.html

I have a review of it here:
http://www.***.com/forums/case-psu-cooling/3902-thermal-interface-material-comparison.html?garpg=3
Where the *** is subsitute these letters w/out the -'s between them. "x-c-p-u-s" That way you can see the results of the thermal paste!

 

[nhobo]

What apps are you running that require Vista or even a 64 bit O/S? DX10 is immature (to say the least) and Vista is a hardware hog. The Raptor is a noisy waste of money. Do you really need quad core? If performance is your goal, why not a P35 mobo? Even though you cut your case price in half, you could easily do it again. This build is an expensive waste. The sweet spot in price/performance is around 2/3 that price, and a little O/C will esily make up the difference if you feel inadequate.

 

[Coronos]

well i'm planning to run crysis wich is being optimized for quad core and 64 bit processing, and alot of new games coming out will be too, also I don't care about my computer making noise because I usualy just use my noise canceling skull caps, now whats this P35 mobo? Would it allow me to SLI when I save up the money to buy another card?

 

[lunyone]

well i'm planning to run crysis wich is being optimized for quad core and 64 bit processing, and alot of new games coming out will be too, also I don't care about my computer making noise because I usualy just use my noise canceling skull caps, now whats this P35 mobo? Would it allow me to SLI when I save up the money to buy another card?

p35 mobo's don't support SLI, AFAIK. If you want SLI than the eVga's 680i A1, I think, is your best and most expensive option. I think the 650i's are fine too, but I'm just going by what I've read not from personal experience with those boards. SLI IMHO is overrated and too expensive, unless your running extreme resolutions and then there are single cards that can do just as well as SLI.

 

[physx7]

but I don't think EVGA is known for great motherboards, so you might want to get an ASUS or Gigabyte one.

Someone told me that Gigabyte mobo's tend to have more problems.True-false? That person also said that MSI was one of the best.??????

 

[aevm]

Very nice list. I'd give you a trophy but (1) I don't have the right icon here right now (2) I'm too lazy to look for one (3) I have a mild dislike for PNY (4) I really don't like Sony

Let me guess, based on the PSU, cooler, fan, mobo and case you picked: you want best quality and you're willing to pay a bit more for it. Well, if that's the case, get a BFG 8800 GTX OC2 (or eVGA or XFX). Also, get a Plextor PX-810SA DVD-RW, or at least something made by Samsung or LG.

Look at my configuration, it's very similar :lol: The only difference is that your config will allow a second 8800 GTX later.

Are you going to use the Raptor for everything, that's it, just one disk? It may not be very fast if you clog it with hundreds of thousands of small files. I'd say get a WD7500AAKS for data. It's almost as fast as the Raptor, and 5 times bigger, for $4 more.

 

[Zorg]

It all looks top tier. One thing to consider is that Newegg, and I do love em, doesn't guaranty a G0 Q6600. I thought that all B3 revision/stepping Q6600s were out of the pipeline, but I saw a post not too long ago about someone getting a B3 from the egg. If they won't commit to G0, which I'm sure they won't, then get it from Clubit - Q6600 G0 . They will guaranty G0.

 

[Coronos]

ok so i'm probably ordering this week, after alot of tweeking I think I got my final build, just wondering what you guys think about it.