Gaming/video Computer Proposal

[16widescreen9]

Hey guys, I’m a first time builder looking for some advice/feedback. I’m sure you get a lot of guys like me around here, but all your help is greatly appreciated. I’m going to use this computer for some gaming (HL2, Bioshock, COD4, maybe Crysis) and mostly video editing (I have a Canon XHA1 for anyone who’s curious.) I already have a monitor and a Creative X-Fi Platinum sound card. I’m just looking for some feedback on whether this system is compatible and if there are any bottlenecks. I’m especially curious as to whether the motherboard is any good, I’ve been having problems looking for a decent motherboard within my overall budget; around $1,100. Now that that’s out of the way…

Case:
APEVIA X-CRUISER-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811144151

Motherboard:
MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813130081

PSU:
Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817182032

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115017

GPU:
EVGA Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130301

RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820231122

HD:
SAMSUNG SpinPoint 500GB
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822152052

OS:
Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16832116215

I also need disc drives, card readers, etc, but those aren’t as important as this stuff. Thanks for your help!

 

[Can Not]

Drop the 2.4GHz quad for a 3.0GHz dual

well, you're running 64bit, I'm not sure if that makes a difference in my point.

 

[akhilles]

Get a better psu. I'm sure some have had no problems with it. If you have no idea, just throw in a Corsair VX 450W or bigger.

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiered+PSU+Listings?t=anon

Any reason you picked out the 650i board? It does only x8 SLI. 680i/780i does x16 SLI.

 

[rubix_1011]

Drop the 2.4GHz quad for a 3.0GHz dual

The Q6600 clocks to 3.0 without a voltage increase with a simple change in the bios. There are a lot of people who have pushed the quad to ~4ghz depending on cooling solution (air for many), RAM and some simple bios tweaking.

Any reason you picked out the 650i board? It does only x8 SLI. 680i/780i does x16 SLI.

Good catch...no reason to get a 650i board when the 680i/780i has many more features and abilities. Just make sure you have intention for SLI, many do, but never get the 2nd card. P35/X38/X48 offers some great performance for nVidia cards, just not the ability to SLI; only ATI/Crossfire works

 

[Shadow703793]

^Agreed. If not going with SLI I recommend the OP get a P35-DS3L/R. Also the PSU you listed is c**p. Look here for PSU quality info:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

I recommend you get a Corsair 520HX or 550VX.

 

[userax]

Hey, I just bought a very similar system (Q6600, 2x2 g.skill ram, 8800gt) and it's in the process of being shipping right now. I got a gigabyte P35-DS3L motherboard because people say it's good for overclocking and it's pretty cheap. There's little reason to go SLI because by the time you need another 8800gt to boast your graphics performance, a 9X00 series will be a better bang for buck.

Also, I got the Corsair 550VX for $99-$15 rebate; it's pretty expensive but Corsair has good support. On the other hand, I looked at the Rosewill PSUs and they all have very good ratings. The only problem is some reviews say that the PSU is good for a month or so and then dies, and since Rosewill has bad support, it'll be a bad sitch if the psu does die.

Your GPU seems to be good as it's factory overclocked, but it's quite expensive. I recommend you look at this: http://www.ncixus.com/products/27328/88YFF6HUFEXX/Galaxy%20Technology/
I haven't heard of Galaxy here but it's supposed to be bigger in Europe. The good thing is this 8800gt is only $247-$20=$227 after rebate which is dirt cheap for a 512meg 8800gt. And this gpu also has a custom fan and heatsink which looks to be bigger and does a better job than the stock cooler. Unfortunately there is no ramsinks but if you dont overclock the ram and just up the shader and core clocks, it should be ok.

 

[Shadow703793]

^Or you could make your self some RAM heatsinbks.
http://www.uniquehardware.ca/guides/homemadeheatsink/homemadeheatsink1.1.php
^
PS: The i*** typed up the post in black on a black background. Hit Ctrl+A to reead the text.

 

[Spikeli27]

Get a better psu. I'm sure some have had no problems with it. If you have no idea, just throw in a Corsair VX 450W or bigger.

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiered+PSU+Listings?t=anon

Any reason you picked out the 650i board? It does only x8 SLI. 680i/780i does x16 SLI.

that psu is good, i have it. while it probably isnt best its has served me well for more than 6 months. and that psu list is more than 3 years old and it is confusing, still a good general guide but things have changed now.

WTF! nice deal on the 8800GT, dam and i just ordered one for $260 shipped. the stock heatsink kind

 

[16widescreen9]

Thanks for all your help. I'm switching my mobo to a P35-DS3L http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128059. I decided I'm not really going to use SLI. I'll definitely look into the Galaxy 8800gt, the EVGA one is out of stock anyways. I've never bought from that website, so I'll have to do a little research on it. I'm ditching the PSU as well. Maybe I'll go for this one since it's $20 after rebate and it's from a good company: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171016. Although some reviews say it's really loud...

edit: Also switching from Vista Ultimate to Home Premium

 

[aevm]

Here's another PSU list.
http://www.jonnyguru.net/forums/showthread.php?t=103

CoolerMaster may be a good company, but their PSUs don't have a great reputation at all. If you want something quiet and reliable you will have to pay more than $20, sorry. Some examples:

SeaSonic SS-500ES ATX12V/V2.2, EPS12V/V2.91, 500W, $70 including shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151040

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W, $84 including shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004&Tpk=550vx

 

[16widescreen9]

Actually, I can't use the P35-DS3L mobo because it doesn't have a firewire port, which is an absolute necessity for video editing. Crap.

 

[aevm]

Check out the GA-P35-DS3P, it has FireWire.

 

[16widescreen9]

Check out the GA-P35-DS3P, it has FireWire.

It does, but it also has SLI which I probably won't use. It does look like a nice board though. So many choices !

 

[akhilles]

since when do intel chipsets do sli?

 

[Guest]

That PSU made me shudder. He was goin alright until I read that. But also agree about getting rid of the 650i board.

 

[16widescreen9]

since when do intel chipsets do sli?

They don't. I saw the 2 16x PCIe slots and made a quick assumption. My bad.

That PSU made me shudder. He was goin alright until I read that. But also agree about getting rid of the 650i board.

From reading a lot of reviews, the PSU doesn't seem that bad. If it breaks down on me, I'll regret it, but for now I'm sticking with it since I'm on a budget.

edit: I'm ditching the PSU for this one: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817139004

 

[Shadow703793]

Check out the GA-P35-DS3P, it has FireWire.

Imo its not worth spending like $50 more just to get a FireWire built in. I recommend you buy a PCI FireWire card like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815265003
^$12

 

[aevm]

Yeah, good idea.

But, to be fair, that $50 between DS3L and DS3P buys you more than Firewire. You get RAID, 8 SATA ports instead of 4, better onboard audio, Firewire, a second x16 PCI-E slot (running at x4, but still good for a cheap video card to allow a third and 4th monitor if you really want it), more cables (I think). Anyhow, the DS3L is a bit hard to find...

 

[16widescreen9]

Thanks for all your help, I ended up buying this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131025

It's a little more than I wanted to pay, but the wifi was something that interested me because the current card I'm using isn't compatible with Vista. Isn't that a shocker?

 

[aevm]

What, an older device not working on Vista? Yeah, that's a big pain every time a new OS shows up. Whoever made that card should write Vista drivers for it.

The P5W-DH is an excellent board. It used to be the best choice for Crossfire last year, I'd say.

 

[Shadow703793]

^Agreed.

 

[chuckm]

The power supply is cheaper hear and unless you already ordered , is out of stock at Newegg.
http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsair-VX-550W-Power-Supply/q/loc/101/205852646.html

 

[DanInPhilly]

The power supply is cheaper hear and unless you already ordered , is out of stock at Newegg.
http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsair-VX-550W-Power-Supply/q/loc/101/205852646.html

In a newegg review, someone said the Corsair 550 wasn't 'modular' which made me afraid to buy it. Does that mean it won't fit in a standard case? Or was the review-writer wrong? (I hope the latter, I want that psu).

Thanks for all your help, I ended up buying this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131025

You're a braver new-builder than I am. I was going to get the ASUS (cuz it had wireless), but the newegg reviews suggested that the bios was complicated. So I went for the simple Gigabyte and will add a wireless PCI.

Dan

 

[chuckm]

Modular means you can disconnect the cable you don't need from the unit. They will fit. These are quality power supplies, whether you want modular or not is for you to decide, I'm old school and have plenty of wireties to tidy things up.

 

[16widescreen9]

The power supply is cheaper hear and unless you already ordered , is out of stock at Newegg.
http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsair-VX-550W-Power-Supply/q/loc/101/205852646.html

Thanks for pointing that out. I already ordered though...but with the rebate it's only $7 cheaper so I'm not heartbroken. I'm mad because the Logitech Z-5500s I ordered went down $15 on Newegg yesterday!