Another new build. Someone care to check it over?

[Jason_G]

Anyone care to look this over and see if this looks like a good build (no bottlenecks, incompatibilities, etc.). I looked around at other threads to see if anyone had the same build before posting, but I didn't see any exactly like this. I included a Newegg link to the more critical parts. Here goes:

Case: Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan................................$165
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133021

Mobo: ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail................$179
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131153

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - OEM.................$260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115018

CPU cooling: Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler + COOLER MASTER 120mm Case Fan............$45 + $19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103034

RAM: 2x Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel............$114 x 2
(4GB total)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148069

PSU: ETASIS ET850 ATX12V / EPS12V True 850W, Max 950W Power Supply........................................$160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817608007

HDD's: 2x Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150..........$184 x 2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136011

Vid Card: MSI NX8800Ultra-T2D768E-HD-OC GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16......$590
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127288

Vid Card cooling: ZEROtherm Hurricane HC92 Cu 8800 UFO VGA Cooler.................................................$45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887014

DVD: ASUS DVD Burner with LightScribe + ASUS Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM....$29 + $19

Floppy (for setting up RAID mostly): SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive...........................$7

Sound Card: Creative 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series............$136
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102005

Monitor: SCEPTRE X24WG-1080P Black 24" 2ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 4000:1 ..............$370
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824112011


So, are there any problems? Anywhere where money could be used more efficiently to gain the same performance?
FWIW, I also want to be ready for HD when Blu-Ray and HDDVD drives come down in price a little.

TIA.
Jason

 

[badge]

You are paying a ton for a soon to be totally outdated 650i SLI chipset running a single 8800Ulta. No upgrade path from Q6600 to Penryn 45nm.

Suggest Intel X38 chipset and two Radeon 3870's in Crossfire for the money you are spending.

 

[nukchebi0]

Agreed. Ultra=money waste.

 

[Jason_G]

Hmmm...
I was hoping to leave the door open to an SLI upgrade later on. I have an ATI right now, and really would like to go with nVidea this go round. When are the 780i boards due out?

Jason

 

[nukchebi0]

Also, I think the WD 750AAKS is as good as the Raptors, with less heat and noise, and more space.

Edit: Buy the case now, because the rebate ends on the 20th.

The edit strikes back: I am not sure your PSU is top notch. The PSU is one component you do not want to skimp on.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151028

While this has less maximum power than yours, it is sufficient for any system, is much quieter, and has a better efficiency. This is my recommendation, though, and you should listen to other's, too.

 

[Andrius]

The 780i is due in the first week of december I think.

Wait a month or two and get 2 new GT(S) 65nm part graphics cards when they are out (for about the price of an Ultra now).

 

[Jason_G]

Ugh.. I really can't wait too long. This computer is gonna give up the ghost any day now. Niece put rubber bands in the fan opening. You wouldn't think rubber would conduct, but it did well enough to short out a bunch of stuff. Raptors went poof! Mobo is partially shot. Ethernet won't work. CPU runs way hotter than it did before. Everything crashes and gives me the BSoD.
So, if I can't wait on the 780i, what would be my best bet as far as using similar parts on another board and leaving myself a route to upgrade later?

Jason

 

[itotallybelieveyou]

Don't wait get P35 or 680i

 

[nukchebi0]

As I said, buy the case now.

If you can't wait, getting a an X38 or P35 board would be best, because they can handle Penryn processors.

The sound card is waste, I think, and I heard X-Fi doesn't work with Vista should you get it.

Remember what I said about the PSU's.

 

[Jason_G]

"Agreed. Ultra=money waste."

There's really not any price difference in the Ultra and the GTX's if I remember correctly. Should I not get the Ultra?
I know they are all going to drop in price when the newer card comes out, but that's a never-ending game and I need a computer. If I had the luxury of waiting, maybe it might would be different, but this thing I'm typing on is a time-bomb. If there's a reason to not get the Ultra over the GTX other than price, lemme know. The GTX in SLI was my original intention anyway. I switched to the Ultra when I saw how much the GTX's cost, and that the Ultra was about the same price. Is clock speed the only difference between those two cards?

Jason

 

[boner]

it looks good if you really like it and know what you are gonna do then go for it

 

[narutard]

You are paying a ton for a soon to be totally outdated 650i SLI chipset running a single 8800Ulta. No upgrade path from Q6600 to Penryn 45nm.

Suggest Intel X38 chipset and two Radeon 3870's in Crossfire for the money you are spending.

Exactly what I was thinking, if you are planning on building a new computer at this time especially with your budget, you should really consider an x38 board. It will offer so much more for you in the long run. As for the graphics card I would recommend a 8800gt. Black Friday is coming soon too so you can probably get a great deal on these items.

 

[Jason_G]

So should I forgo the option of SLI in the future for the option to get the new 45nm quad? I'm thinking DDR3 is going to make either board (680i and X38) "obsolete" at about the same time, so which upgrade should I leave room for? The SLI or the Penryn? For the record, I'm not one that does a whole lot of upgrading anyway. I usually build a system and run it until the software forces me to upgrade or rebuild. This computer that I built in early '04 was still playing Oblivion and anything else I threw at it until my 3 yr old niece introduced it to the rubber bands (yes, I am shaking my head in disgust as I type this). I want a system that will get me through as many years as possible without costly upgrades. For some folks it is a hobby to try to keep up with the technology, but for me it's just a losing battle that I can afford to participate in very little. I'm a school teacher for God's sake. I am able to do maybe one or two upgrades within the course of a few years. So which would be the wiser choice? The 680i or the X38?

Help... I thought I had it all figured out!

EDIT: Wait, does the X38 support DDR3?

Jason

 

[tlmck]

P35 for single card, 680i for dual. It will be a while yet before DDR2 is outdated. I'd say at least 2 years before DDR3 becomes the norm.

The only reason to go X38 would be PCIe 2.0, and the jury has not come in yet on that.

 

[Jason_G]

Looks like everyone has differing opinions.
I guess the question that I really need to be asking is this:

Which upgrade would give the biggest performance boost for gaming- SLI with another 8800 or upgrade to the Penryn quad core when it comes out?

Jason

 

[nukchebi0]

You can replace the 8800GT with another model when the 9800 come out no matter what board. The same cannot be said for the Penryns. Think about it for a second.

 

[Jason_G]

You can replace the 8800GT with another model when the 9800 come out no matter what board. The same cannot be said for the Penryns. Think about it for a second.

That's true, it's just that it would be two costly upgrades vs. just one. *scratches head*
Idunno. I guess I should get the mobo that'll support the next gen CPU's vs. doing the SLI thing. I guess one 8800 or 9800 would handle any games that are due out soon anyway. Within a year or so I might upgrade to the Penryn and 9800. So what's the most OC friendly board that ASUS makes that'll support the Penryn when it comes out?

Jason

 

[nukchebi0]

I can't answer that, unfortunately.

I can, however, tell you get and Evga branded 8800GT, in the case that the next gen/something improved comes out shortly after you purchase it.

 

[Jason_G]

Well, after mulling it over I decided to pass on SLI for the time being. Went with the P35 (ASUS P5K Deluxe) over the 680i. I also went with Mushkin ram (it was more expensive, but they ran out of the Crucial before I could get my order in). Other than that, the build pretty much stands as is above. I did want to get an EVGA vid card rather than MSI, but they were out of them and the MSI got good reviews, so we'll see.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I appreciate it.

Jason

 

[aevm]

Change the case fan with a quieter one: (Scythe SFF21F, 28dB instead of 38)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185006&Tpk=SFF21F

Another vote for replacing the Raptors with WD7500AAKS disks.

XFX has the best warranties of all nVidia partners. I'd get this (slightly OCd) 8800GTX for $480:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150232

PSU: I'd pick a PC Power & Cooling 750W. Also tier 1, like the Etasis, but it's got 76 reviews at newegg, not just 2. TBH I've never heard of Etasis before, but the Silencer is mentioned in lots of books.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011
(the only difference between these two is that the Crossfire version has connectors for both 8800 GTX SLI and HD 2900XT Crossfire, while the other has them only for 8800 GTX SLI)