Questions/Concerns for a New Build

[Lionblade]

Well I am considering to make a new build. It will be based for gaming. I've pretty much decided what components I want but I do have some concerns. I was torn to go between a E6750 or a Q6600 but I've decided to go with the E6750 because it will be good enough for gaming for at least a few years (I hope?). I have a budget of $800-900 and my conern is Gaming and Future Proof. Following are a list of parts that I have that are open to suggestion with the concerns I have.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029
In terms of years, how long do you foresee this proc lasting? Should I go with a Q6600?

EVGA 122-CK-NF63-TR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188019
No major concerns here. I like the board/chipset.

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098
Cheap ram at Newegg with an instant rebate. Latency: 5-5-5-15. This good?

Rosewill RP500-2 ATX12V v2.01 500W Power Supply 115/230 V:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182016
Will this be good enough power for this build and SLI? I have no idea.

XFX PVT84JU1D4 GeForce 8600GT Fatal1ty 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150238
The best 8600GT, can't spend too much money for an 8800 unless it's a good deal. Suggestions?

EXCELSTOR Jupiter Series ESJ8160S 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822210004
A cheap hd at Newegg. Suggestions?

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068
Cheap case, prob last on my concerns but if you have suggestions, plz let me know.

 

[Maziar]

E6750 is a solid CPU, but Q6600 will last longer than E6750

If u need SLI, then thats a solid board ,but if u dont need SLI, get a P35 board like ASUS P5K-E WIFI-AP , GIGABYTE P35 DS3R, ABIT IP35PRO

For RAM, get thes Mushkin instead: (it has 4-5-4-11 timings which is better than that G.skill)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146673

Definitely change the PSU to something better like CORSAIR 520 or
OCZ STEALTHXSTREAM 600W

Dont get the 8600GT, wait for 8800GT 256 or HD 38xx series, or if u are in a hurry then get X1950, its better than 8600GT

 

[evongugg]

Get a reliable hard disk like this Seagate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148230

 

[Lionblade]

Maziar: I went with the Mushkin ram and changed the psu to the OCZ. Another question. Would this X1950 be better?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102061
Its lower clocked then the 8600..

evongugg: I was initally gonna go with that exact hd so I decided to stay with it.

Thank you both.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Maziar]

yes x1950pro is a lot better than 8600GT, dont just look @ the memory, there are more important things like Pixelpipelines, bandwidth.....

 

[Lionblade]

Alrite bud, I appreciate it.

 

[Maziar]

Noproblem mate glad i could help

 

[Lionblade]

Thanx heh. Yea I'ma stick with Duo for the time being. I stayed with the proc
Changed the ram to timing of 4-5-4-11

The motherboard is a prob though. I read reviews for that one and apparently there's probs with clocking a Quad and I want it futureproof. I looked at the ASUS equivalanet (love ASUS) and there's probs with their bios or somethin.

I would like it to be good at OCin and for SLI as I do plan to put a second card in someday. Any suggestions for a good board?

 

[Maziar]

ASUS P5K-E WIFI-AP

we have ASUS P5K-E too (no WIFI) well the difference is that
P5K-E WIFI-AP has WIFI and also better cooling than P5K-E
i have P5K-E WIFI and i love it

 

[Lionblade]

I decided to go with an EVGA 680i SLI board. nd I was also considerin goin with an 8600 over a 7950 but I've read test comparisons and in almost every game the 7950 outperforms the 8600 even though its dx9. Why? There's power behind it, as opposed to the 8600. So I'll prob get a 7950 then sli then 8800 if not directly to an 8800 less yall can convince me otherwise.

btw I'm getting an Ultra X-Finity 600W listed here:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2974508&sku=ULT31847%20K

Would that be good?

 

[Maziar]

As u said 7950 is alot better than 8600gt
but instead of that PSU get OCZ STEALTHXSTREAM 600

 

[Lionblade]

lol but I want the Ultra! It's cheaper! Do you know if it'd be sufficient in handlin a SLI rig?

 

[Maziar]

Ultra is cheaper than GTX?!
OCZ STEALXSTREAM wont handle 2 8800 ULTRAs but OCZ GAMEXSTREAM can handle 2 8800GTX (so it will supports 2 8800 ULTRA i think )

 

[Lionblade]

lol I mean the Ultra psu compared to the StealthXStream.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2974508&sku=ULT31847%20K

 

[Maziar]

oh! sorry i thought u mean 8800 one :d

well that ULTRA is a good PSU but OCZ STEALHTXSTREAM has better specs it provides more Amps

 

[Lionblade]

Yea I saw that, but do you think the Ultra would support a rig with a duo/quad in SLI mode? Or would it crap out?

 

[terrett101]

Hey everyone,

I'm thinking of building a similar system, and have similar concerns about it being future proof. Mazier, you suggested alternative motherboards if SLI wasn't important. Would the gigabyte board (P35 DS3R) be the best choice because it's compatible with DDR3 memory, as well as current DDR2? It seems as though that would be the best choice for the future, however I've also read that it's debatable as to whether DDR3 will even take off and be a success.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Maziar]

To terrett101 gigabyte P35 DS3R supports only DDR2
Gigabyte P35C DS3R supports both DDR3 and DDR2

I recommend P35 DS3R over P35C DS3R , because P35 DS3R OC's better
also P35C DS3R DDR3 option is limited to 4GB but DDR2 option is limited to 8GB so the DDR3 option wont become useful

to LionBlad, well what is your price range ? can u afford that STEALTHXSTREAM? if u cant then can u afford Corsair 520?

 

[Maziar]

To terrett101 gigabyte P35 DS3R supports only DDR2
Gigabyte P35C DS3R supports both DDR3 and DDR2

I recommend P35 DS3R over P35C DS3R , because P35 DS3R OC's better
also P35C DS3R DDR3 option is limited to 4GB but DDR2 option is limited to 8GB so the DDR3 option wont become useful

to LionBlad, well what is your price range ? can u afford that STEALTHXSTREAM? if u cant then can u afford Corsair 520?

 

[Lionblade]

The Corsair 520W is over $100 :\, I could afford the StealthXStream if I bump some of my other important components down by like 20 bucks, thats why I wanna go with the Ultra cause it's cheap and appears that it could handle an SLI rig.