new build part 2, opinions on parts and help on MB

[mweidler]

This is what I have so far. But I need a MB that will support vista as well as XP. and Pci 2.0 and 45NM processors
What do you think of the parts? anything Im missing or need?
only my second build in over ten years so im nervous about putting it together, any advice on the build process is also appreciated
you guys have been great


Video card: great deal, $339 W/crysis
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130312

Ram Gskill 4gb, went with pc6400, 444-12 timings. dont see the need for any faster. $114 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231148

HDD-fastest seeek time on a 500gb drive, 32MB cache, and its perpindicular. $119
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148288

fans:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185004
2 1600RM fans and 4 800RPM fans. went for a mix of quiet and power. The case is a coolermaster stacker so the flow should be enough. if not Ill get more of the bigger fans

Paid 99 for the case in Dec
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119122

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] bCeramique thermal paste

for the cpu cooler Im going with a thermalright ultra 90- smaller than ultra 120 and just about as good, but not in stock so i cant finish my build
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835109127

PSU- spend the money on this, most important thing in your build
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703009

DVD- got the samsung
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151154

cpu-dont get OEM version, warranty only good for 90 days
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151154

But I still have a problem with motherboard- anyone have any othe ropinions.
I want 45NM support as well as pci 2.0. all for the future

 

[rgeist554]

But I still have a problem with motherboard- anyone have any other opinions.
I want 45NM support as well as pci 2.0. all for the future

Just wait for the 45nm chips to release before you buy a new MB. I think as of now, most motherboards can handle a 45nm dual-core, but the quads (correct me if I'm wrong here) may require a new socket.

Oh, and I get an error from newegg when I try to look at your parts list. I think you need to fix the links.

*edited typo - I put 46nm chip. >.>

 

[g-paw]

Either of these boards would be good depending on what features you need
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128059
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131225

 

[akhilles]

You say you want PCI 2.0 & 45nm support. The only options that satisfy both are X38 & 780i. The 1st chipset does crossfire whereas the latter does SLI.

 

[mweidler]

Im going to go with an x38 board. I know there is no such thing as futureproof, but I usually keep a system for a few years and upgrade components as they become obsolete and I can get good bang for the buck.
Im not going sli or crossfire, they arent really worth it. Im more interested in future processor support, I have no intention of replacing a MB in 6-12 months. more like 2 years, maybe 3.
I want pci 2.0 because if the come out with a card in 12-18 months that actually needs 2.0 I am ready for it and dont need a whole new board to run it. As Ive been reading its the GPU thats the bottle neck not the cpu. as a side note I got a great deal on the evga gts512 on newegg w/crysis 339 after rebate.
so my choices are maximus formula or a reg x38 board. both cost about 225-260

 

[rgeist554]

As Ive been reading its the GPU thats the bottle neck not the cpu. as a side note I got a great deal on the evga gts512 on newegg w/crysis 339 after rebate

Other way around, actually. Right now even the top CPU's are going to stifle the performance of high-end GPU's. I don't think it's by too much, but even GPU bound games (Ex. Crysis) will squeeze more fps out of a GTS or GTX by upping the CPU.

I guess the GPU bottleneck is semi-true as you'll also usually gain some performance by upgrading your GPU. The only time I have found this to be untrue is when you're already at an FPS wall with your current card, but you know you could get more performance from it. In those cases, a new GPU may only net you 1-5 FPS increase, while a new CPU (new architecture w/ a higher clock) would net you a whopping 20-50% increase. (I even got a 100% increase in FPS when I swapped from a Pentium D 8xx to a Athalon x2 5000+ w/ an 8800GTS 640)

Just fyi, the newer x48 boards should be due in the coming months... so if you can wait, you may want to. I'll stop typing now.

 

[mweidler]

Thanks for the info rgeist554. feel free to type as much as you like, Im learning from everything you and others say.

My current rig is a pentium 4 3.0. 3 year old dell xps ver 2.0. served me well but its time for a new one. it came with a radeon 98pro, now I have a 7800 in it. Im running into a performance wall on World of Warcraft lol, not to mention crysis which I wont attempt til my new build.

I cant wait 2-3 months for x48. Im having a hard time waiting two weeks I havent ordered the MB and cpu because I cant get the cooler I want, ultima 90. so its forcing me to wait. which isnt necessarily a bad thing because im learning more every day.
And im still hesitating on MB. Ive read mixed reviews on every single board ive looked at. some rave about the maximus formula, others hate it

 

[rgeist554]

I cant wait 2-3 months for x48. Im having a hard time waiting two weeks I havent ordered the MB and cpu because I cant get the cooler I want, ultima 90. so its forcing me to wait. which isnt necessarily a bad thing because im learning more every day.

I know the feeling. As for the motherboard, you're going to find reviews like that for just about everything... sometimes (most of the time) the bad reviews are based on "Chair-to-keyboard" interface errors. So... take that as you will.

 

[rockyjohn]

Im going to go with an x38 board. I know there is no such thing as futureproof, but I usually keep a system for a few years and upgrade components as they become obsolete and I can get good bang for the buck.

Keep in mind that even any x38 or any other current board that supports 45nm will be obsolete when the new Nahelm chips, which use a new socket, start coming out, now scheduled for near the end of 2008.

 

[mweidler]

Its a never ending upgrade cycle unfortunately. But I will be able to upgrade to a new 45nm chip in 12 months. by then the cost will be lower and the clock speeds higher. add in a geforce 9x or 10x series video card and it should get me another 12 months. I dont need bleeding edge, just in the ballpark.
thanks