New computer, whats worth waiting for

[gamecrazychris]

I'm getting a new computer to replace my old(ish) dell, here are what I was thinking:

Intel core 2 quad q6600 (or penryn equivalent)
8800 gt SLI
Evga 680 SLI
basic other stuff 2GB ram, 650wat power supply etc.
($1800 budget)

I'm a gamer and want to play crysis, gears of war, UT III, World in conflict and other really demanding games.
I know something will replace the GTX, GTS and Ultra soon so should I wait for them for just go with the GT.
Also any other advice would be helpful.
Thanks

 

[geofelt]

I would wait a bit, there are rumors about faster cards coming beginning of december. If you think that a single card like the 8800GTX will suffice, wait until then. If you think you want more, then you might as well get two 8800GT's up front in sli.

The penryn equivalent to the Q6600(q9300) won't arrive until 1Q08. In the mean time, a E6850 would be best for games, since very few games can use more than two cores. If you do lots of cpu intensive multitasking, then a quad would be better.

I would suggest 4gb, up front, and vista64. some games are using more memory today. With such low ddr2 prices, why not?

For sli, be very careful about the psu. 650w is not always what it appears to be. Quality counts. Pick a tier 1 or 2 psu from this list: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

---good luck---

 

[gamecrazychris]

Thanks for the help, I think I'll just wait unless its relatively easy to replace a cpu. If i don't wait, I'll get a E6550 and a single 8800gt. Then whenever penryn comes out, I'll get that and another GT.

 

[PlugComputers]

A CPU is very easy to replace, aslong as the sockets match. Definitely take the advice geofelt offered about the PSU into consideration. Don't just buy the cheapest 650w PSU you can get your hands on. I've had good luck with the Thermaltake Toughpower series and Silverstone PSU's.

 

[geofelt]

The hard part of replacing a cpu is getting the heat sink back on properly. If you don't do it outside of the case, you can't verify that the push pins are seated properly and you get overheating issues.

 

[gamecrazychris]

Well I don't want to risk anything so what do you think I should do?

 

[geofelt]

I just upgraded to E6850. I decided not to wait for penryn. The penryn looks to be about 5% faster, clock for clock. The prices look to be perhaps 10% better, per clock. This is not a worthwhile increase for me. I will wait for nehalem in a year or so. The performance of games os most dependent on the vga card, not the cpu, assuming it is decent. A E6750 or better should be fine. I would vote for getting the cpu now.

I would wait a couple of weeks to see if a higher end 8800GT becomes available. You will probably have a hard time getting that or a 8800GT anyway. Get your sli board, so you can either gat a single bigger card, or add another 8800gt.

I would recommend the PC power & cooling silencer610 psu. Order it directly from them for $119.99 http://www.pcpower.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=S61EPS
Call them directly, they are very nice people, and they might even have a refurb unit for a bit less.

I would also recommend a oem cpu cooler. Your case will get hot with possibly two vga cards, and the cpu will need all the help it can get. An oem cooler will also keep the noise down. Why not get the very best? Thermalright ultra-120 extreme http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109140 As a plus, this cooler mounts with bolts, not pushpins, so it is more secure, and it would be relatively easy to change your cpu with this cooler.

 

[gamecrazychris]

I just ordered the 680i sli, psu and CPU cooler. What case should I get?

 

[geofelt]

I would jump on the antec 900 from newegg, $69.99 after rebate, with free shipping! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

 

[jimmysmitty]

If you really wanted to get a Yorkfeild(Penryn Quad) you should have either waited on a nForce chipset(700 series or better) or gotten a P35+ chipset as people have been reporting problems supporting a Penryn on them.

If it does end up supporting the Penryn then I would suggest going for the Q9450 as it will be running at 2.66Ghz have 12mb Cache(6x2) and be roughly $300USD where as the Q9350(Q6600 equivalent) will have a 2.4GHz and supposively the chache is lowered to 6mb from 8. Although I think the cache is wrong on the spec sheets as the cache is to be increased by 50% from previous generations due to the 45nm process.

As for the Penryn, it may only perform better by 5% in some but 20% in others. Along with that it uses even less power and outputs around 15-20c less in heat(from test I have seen). So OC'ing it would be even more ideal than a Q6600G0.

 

[gamecrazychris]

That seems like a great deal. The only thing is I need to know when penryn is combing out. Some places say before the new year, others say Febuary-March. What have you heard?

Also geofelt I ordered the case you showed me. Thanks, it looks like exactly what I need at a great price

 

[easyg]

Ditto on the Antec 900. Ugly and mediocre build quality, but cooling is fantastic. Plus it's cheap with the rebate.


Edit:

The rest of the Yorkfield 45nm (Penryn) CPUs will be available in mid January.